Madison Wolves
by natales2017
Summary: A story from Robin Roseau
1. Chapter 1

**Of Fox and Fur**

I love my life, most of the time. I was young, in great health, and with a job I loved. I wouldn't mind a good, strong, clever woman to love, but I was happy on my own as well.

Being a were fox comes with difficulties, of course. Every silver lining has a cloud somewhere, right?

As a woman, I was small. Diminutive might be an even better word. I was barely five feet if I stretched my back as straight and tall as I could, with sharp, delicate features and glowing red hair that tumbled over my shoulders and back. My hair turned eyes. I say that with a certain amount of vanity, but it was true.

As a fox, I would be considered large. Quite large, actually, when compared to a North American Red Fox. But compared to the other weres one might encounter, I was tiny. Small, delicate. Lunch.

Not that I needed to be worried about being eaten. First, they would have to catch me. And then they would find me bony and my meat stringy. No wolf would bother making a meal out of me when there was tastier prey to be had. Kill me, yes. Eat me, probably not.

Of the weres, the wolves were the worst. They were pack animals, so you rarely dealt with just a single wolf. A single wolf can be avoided. The tigers and lions were perhaps bigger, but they were far, far less common. The wolves were everywhere.

You probably even know a few, even if you aren't aware of it.

But the wolves were also arrogant and cocky, yet at the same time many of them had self esteem issues. Being hated and feared can do that to you, I suppose.

The number one rule amongst all weres is simple: do not mess with the humans. They outnumber us a thousand to one, and while even a were fox easily outclassed a single human, all the weres on the planet couldn't stand to the humans if they decided to exterminate us.

So if you're big, strong, arrogant, cocky, and have self-esteem issues, what do you do? You find a scapegoat, of course. You find someone to pick on, someone to belittle. You find someone beneath you, and then you make sure that person knows she is beneath you. And then you make sure she stays there.

In other words, you find a diminutive fox.

Like I said, every silver lining comes with a cloud, and for me, it was the wolves.

For the last eight years, the solution for me has been simple: I avoided them. It wasn't usually difficult; I could smell them from a mile away, after all. Usually literally. In town I avoided all the were hangouts. When wearing my fur and running through the forest, I avoided their territory, as much as I could. Prior to eight years ago, things were more complicated. We'll come back to that.

My job sometimes made voidance difficult, unfortunately. I worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and was based in northern Wisconsin. My offices were a little satellite office in Ashland, but my home was in Bayfield. I had a cute little house with a view of Lake Superior. From the roof. I actually built a deck up there with a patio door from my upstairs bedroom, then a set of stairs to the deck. It looked rather silly, I suppose, but I could sit up there with a glass of wine and watch the boats out on the water.

The nearest wolf pack of any size was in Duluth, but they stayed in Minnesota, and I didn't need to worry much about them. The pack I did worry about was in Madison. They considered most of Wisconsin as theirs, and my normally peaceful Bayfield frequently had wolf tourists strolling down the streets. Conveniently, the sort of wolf who liked to visit Bayfield wasn't the sort of wolf that felt the need to pick on the resident fox. If I encountered a wolf on the street or in the woods, I could usually count on a polite if somewhat arrogant nod hello.

And so, as I said: I love my life. My name is Michaela Redfur, and this is my story.

 **Wolf Visit**

I did say "most of the time" somewhere, didn't I?

The insistent knock came before seven AM on a Tuesday morning in July. I'd had a late night run in the woods and didn't appreciate an early morning visit. My life was not the sort that typically brought visitors to my house. In fact, other than annoying salespeople offering free estimates on siding and windows or less annoying teenagers selling cookies or magazines, my door never received the attention of visitors.

Especially not visitors that woke me at a far too early hour.

If I ignore him, maybe he'll go away. That was my first thought.

The knocking turned into pounding and doorbell ringing. So much for that theory. I woke the rest of the way, pulled on some clothes, and padded down to the front door. I wasn't awake enough at first to think about it, but when I got to the door, I could smell them.

Wolves.

Oh hell.

As a human, my fox is never far from me. She was clever and very, very good at hiding. As a fox, my human was never far, either. I may act fox, but I retained my human memories and intellect. With wolves on my doorstep, Fox tried to assert herself. "Run," she whispered. "Hide."

I glanced out a window, unseen. Two wolves, male, large, were standing on the door. As I watched, one of them pounded on the door again while the other rang the bell. Insistent assholes.

Wolves at the front door meant it was time to go out the back. I crept to the kitchen and took a peek out the window.

"Damn it," I said. There were two more wolves there.

Oh sure, they looked human, if you didn't know better. They weren't.

The pounding at the front door continued, and then I heard a voice, muffled. "Come on, Ms. Redfur. We just need to talk to you."

Yeah, right.

Silently, I crept back upstairs, considering my choices. I smiled a grim smile. In my fur while they were still on two feet, I was faster than they were, and this was my town. It would take them time to shift, and I could be long gone. I would circle into the hill overlooking my house where I could watch them.

I slipped into my bedroom, shedding my clothing. Quietly I opened the patio door, and then I began my shift. This was another advantage I had over the wolves. Their shifts were slow and painful. Mine was quick, instant really, and quite easy for me.

Once furry, I stretched, reveling in the feel. I loved my fox. She was sleek and cunning, with sharp senses. I sniffed the air and wrinkled my nose. With the patio door open, the air stank with the smell of wolf.

Unseen, I slipped out the door and stepped onto the roof of my house. Most of my house is two stories high, far higher than I would have preferred to jump. There was a roof over the front entry, but I didn't want to jump down that close to the two wolves out front. I may not have planned this as well as I would have liked.

The wolves made up my mind for me, however. From the front of the house I heard the sound of breaking glass. They had grown impatient and were breaking into my house. Breaking and entering. I should have called the police. Just what I needed: a bloodbath between were and human.

But if they were inside the house, that meant the front was safe. Carefully and silently, I slipped down to the edge of the roof then jumped to the lower roof over the entrance. It was still a long jump to the ground, but I dropped and rolled.

I climbed to my feet, bruised from the fall, then shook my fur out and began running silently along the front of the house and turned the corner, my nose to the hills, but ran smack dab into a pair of jeans. Then there was a hand in the scruff of my neck, and I found myself lifted into the air.

As a human, I didn't even reach one hundred pounds. As a fox, I was barely thirty pounds. That made me a very large fox, but picking me up was nothing to the female wolf I found looking at me. She held me at arm's length, facing her.

"Got her," she said, loudly enough for the other wolves to hear.

I immediately lashed out with teeth and claws. I stretched my neck and nipped at her arm. I couldn't reach her hand in my neck, but I drew blood from her arm. I went wild, trying to scratch her with my feet and trying to bite her again. I squirmed and struggled.

In response, she tightened her grip in my neck, and it hurt. I was hanging from the skin of my neck, and it hurt. I wasn't a kit to be carried around like this. And besides, it was embarrassing.

"Stop it," she hissed. "You're just hurting yourself."

I snapped and struggled, finally getting lucky and burying my teeth in her arm again. She growled, a deep feral growl. I had been a long time since I was last growled at by a wolf so close to me, and it scared me, it scared every corner of me. I needed to run. I needed to hide.

I squirmed and struggled.

She shook me roughly. "Stop it," she said again. "We're just here to talk."

It was clear I wasn't going to free myself. Her grip was way too strong, and my bites had done nothing but make her angry. I went limp, pretending to be dead, pretending she had snapped my neck when she shook me.

She began carrying me to the front door of my house. She growled again, and I almost wet myself in fear.

I wouldn't give her that satisfaction.

She turned me around, holding me in front of her, then wrapped her second hand around my chest under my front legs.

"You can stop faking," she said. "I can feel your heartbeat."

I reached down and bit her hand.

"Damn it!" she said, pulling her hand away. She shook me again. "Stop that!"

I yipped in pain and fear. I didn't like being shaken like that.

We got to the front door, and I saw the wolves had broken the window to get in. She carried me up the steps, stepping over the broken glass, and walked into my house. The other four wolves waited for us. One of them closed the door behind us.

My captor maintained her grip, holding me away from her body, and my attempts to bite and scratch weren't getting me anywhere. Frustrated, I fell limp again.

I hate wolves.

One of the males walked up to me. I eyed him carefully but remained passive.

"Careful, she's-" my captor started to say.

I lunged at the male, my teeth grazing his cheek.

"Damn it!" he yelled, jerking back. Then he raised a hand and swung at me. If he had connected, he would certainly have killed me. Even a human his size could kill me with a blow like that, and he had the strength of a wolf.

But the woman snatched me out of his range and held out her other hand. "Eric. No! Stand down."

"The bitch bit me," he said, glaring at me.

"I tried to warn you," the woman said. "She's scared. What would you do?"

"She needs to learn her place," he replied.

"I said stand down," the woman said again, and there was steel in her voice. The male immediately backed off, his proverbial tail between his legs.

The woman, my captor, had shielded me from the male with her own body, pulling me close to her. I thanked her by reaching up and biting her neck, then renewed my squirms and struggles for freedom.

"Damn it!" she yelled, her free hand flying to the bite on her neck. She shook me again. "Stop it, Michaela!" She shook me again, and I yelped and whined, struggling and trying to bite. "We just want to talk to you. Stop it!"

By now, I was frightened into a full panic, the scent of wolf filling my nose, and I hurt. I yipped and struggled and tried to bite her again, but she held me at arms length and let me wear myself out.

As a were, I have a lot of endurance, and I was very scared. She let me struggle for what seemed like a very long time, but was probably only several minutes.

"Give her to me," one of the other males said. "I'll make her settle down."

"No," the woman said. "She's just scared. I'd put her down, but I don't know how long it would take to catch her again if she decided to hide." Then she turned me around to face her, and I tried to bite her arm.

"Stop it, Michaela!"

Her words weren't really penetrating. Fox was in full control, and all I could think of was escaping and hiding from the big bad wolves.

"Take her to the bathroom, Alpha," I heard. "Nowhere to hide in there."

"Good idea," the woman said.

Still at arm's length, the woman carried me deeper into the house and into the downstairs bathroom. It was only a half bath. She looked at it for a moment and turned me to face her.

I almost got her face that time. She cuffed me for my attempt, and I hung limp for a moment, dazed.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I didn't intend to hit you. Please stop struggling, Michaela. I know you're scared, but please stop struggling. You must have a second bathroom. This one is too small."

I glanced up for a moment, and she smiled.

"Of course. Upstairs."

I hung limp from her hand as she carried me upstairs. It took her a moment to find my bathroom. It was actually through the bedroom. She carried me inside, then closed the door and turned me to face her again.

"I am going to put you down. I am nearly out of patience. Do not bite me again."

She crouched down, lowering me, and my rear feet found purchase on the slick floor. She set me down gently, her hand still in my neck, then held me there. I stayed still, passive. She could snatch me back into the air at a moment's notice, and I was tired of being carried by my scruff.

It hurt.

Then her fingers relaxed, and I immediately scampered away from her.

My upstairs bathroom is a luxury for me, one of my few luxuries. In addition to the toilet and shower, there was a large tub that I could soak in for hours. There wasn't, however, anywhere to hide. I ran to the furthest corner of the room from the wolf, then turned around and glared at her.

She stood straight, leaning against the door, and crossed her arms. The bites I'd given her had already healed, but blood had dripped into her clothes and was smeared on her arm, one hand, and her neck. I hadn't put up much of a fight, but at least I had drawn blood.

There was only one door to the bathroom, of course, but there was also a window. It was closed, but I glanced at it, wondering if I could break it as a fox.

"I would catch you before you got that far," the woman said. "Can we please not go through all that again?"

I glared at her and backed more deeply into the corner.

She sighed. "Shift back, Michaela. We'll talk, and then we'll leave you alone."

I yipped at her, angry and frightened. They had invaded my house, uninvited. They had broken my window. She had hurt me, and the other one tried to kill me. And she thought I wanted to talk to her?

"I'm sorry we frightened you," she said quietly. "Frankly, it didn't occur to me that you would be afraid of us."

She was crazy, right?

She chuckled. "I know. It should have. Five big mean wolves, and you just a fox."

I glared and yipped at her, spitting. I wasn't "just" an anything.

She held up her hands in surrender, smiling without showing her teeth. "I didn't mean it like that, Michaela. You're a fine fox, sleek and beautiful."

Well, she was right. I was sleek and beautiful. I calmed down a little.

"I only meant your size," she added. "That's all. You're a fine fox, Michaela. Shift back so we can talk."

If she thought I was going to shift in front of her, she was definitely insane.

I spit at her.

I hate wolves.

She sighed. "We're going to talk, Michaela. You have nowhere to run. The sooner you shift, the sooner we can talk. The sooner we talk, the sooner the wolves leave your den."

I paced back and forth, staying across the room from her. She stood there calmly, watching me, her arms crossed. I turned back to face her, looking up into her face, right into her eyes. I didn't shrink away when she tried to stare me down.

She laughed. "A wolf wouldn't do that," she said. "I'm surprised you can." But still she didn't look away.

And then I looked pointedly at the door behind her. If she wanted me to shift back, she could give me some privacy. I looked back and forth between her and the door.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't trust you won't run." She looked pointedly at the window before looking back at me.

Frustrated, I turned around and lifted my tail at her, mooning her. She laughed. "You have spunk, Michaela. Now shift back."

I didn't have much choice. I turned sideways and began my shift. After just a few seconds I was lying on my side, a woman again, curled up on the cold tiles. I climbed stiffly to my feet, sore from being shaken about, then glanced at her.

She was holding my bath towel out for me.

"Throw it," I said.

She smiled and continued to hold it for me.

"Bitch," I told her. Her gaze faltered for a moment, but she shook the towel once, inviting me to step into it. I stepped sideways into it, and she wrapped it around me.

"Are we talking here in my bathroom then, me wrapped in a towel, wolf?" I asked sullenly.

"We can, if that's what you want, Michaela," she said. "Or if you promise to behave, we can step into the bedroom and you can get dressed first."

"I would prefer to be dressed," I said.

"All right," said the woman. "You understand I will need to watch you. I don't want to go through all this again. On two feet, I am faster than you are. And if you take the time to shift, I will catch you while you are vulnerable."

"You wolves are all alike," I told her.

"How is that?"

"Bullies."

She sighed. "I only want to talk to you, Michaela."

I glared at her. "Does it matter what I want?"

"No," she admitted. "It doesn't."

"So, like I said. Bullies. I won't try to run. As you have pointed out, it would be futile. You would just catch me again."

She nodded once, then opened the door and backed out, watching me. I followed at a distance. She glanced around the room, then backed away to the patio door, closing it.

"You may dress," she said.

"You're going to watch?"

"Yes."

"Fine." I spat it out. I crossed to my dresser, which gave me a view out the bedroom door into the hallway. Two of the males were standing there. I reached over and slammed the bedroom door closed. I heard chuckles from the other side.

As I dressed, I glanced at the woman. While a fox, I hadn't recognized her, not exactly. I should have, but I had been too lost in fright to think clearly. Now, with the time to think, I knew who she was.

Wolf packs are typically run by an alpha male. The alpha is not always the biggest or strongest wolf in the pack, but that would be common. Some packs are smart enough to follow the best leader, and the strongest males support the leader, even those males who could win a fight. Those are typically the most successful packs, as wisdom goes further than brute strength and fighting ability.

Rarely, a pack is ruled by an alpha female. This is almost always the surviving female of an alpha pair after some mishap has happened to the male half.

The Madison pack, however, was led by an alpha female who had never been mated. She was the daughter of the last alpha pair, and she had assumed leadership of the pack through intelligence and wisdom far more than brute strength. Oh, she had strength, and I dare say she could best most of the males in the pack. But certainly not all of them. No, she ruled the pack because the other wolves trusted and respected her.

Standing in my bedroom, watching me dress, was the alpha of the Madison pack.

I'd seen her before. She'd been in Bayfield in the past. She had always been distantly polite, never bothering me, but we had never spoken. I guessed that was to change.

I finished dressing in jeans, a light shirt, and tennis shoes. I ran my fingers through my hair. Assuming they left me alone, I would shower after they had left. I imagined for now I was a mess.

I turned to face the alpha. "So, what brings the Madison alpha to my door, and what right do you have to break into my house and handle me like an errant pup?" I spit out the last, angry with her. I wasn't a member of her pack, and alpha or not, I wouldn't submit to her. Not willingly.

"Perhaps we can go downstairs," she said. "I smell tea brewing."

"So your males have invaded my kitchen?" I asked. "Uninvited?" Have I mentioned how arrogant wolves are?

"If you had been a gracious hostess," she said, "this would have been much easier."

"If you had waited for an invitation," I spat back, "maybe I would have been in the mood to be gracious."

By now, both our backs were up. We had actually stalked towards each other, and I was looking up into her eyes. She glared at me with an alpha's glare, but I returned it in spades. I was my own alpha. She might be bigger than me, and she might be stronger than me. And she might scare the crap out of me. But I wasn't one of her pups, and damn! but I was not going to act like it.

"You are very brave for a tiny fox," she said gently.

I shut my mouth on my retort, studying her.

I had to admit, she was beautiful in a dark, feral way. She had short, black hair, deep brown eyes, and a muscular, athletic body. But she also had all the right curves, and as someone who hadn't been with a woman of any sort in a while, I had to admit she was attractive. To myself. I certainly wouldn't have admitted it to her.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

"Michaela," she said softly. "Let us go downstairs, sit, have some tea, and talk calmly."

I sighed. "Fine." I turned my back on her and stormed out of the bedroom. In the lead.

The alpha chuckled from behind me.

I glared at the males when I walked between them. They didn't try to touch me, for which I was thankful. I started down the stairs, the alpha immediately behind me, the males following her. When I got downstairs, the other two males weren't in sight. I glanced at the front door, but she said from behind me, "Don't."

I glanced up at her, two steps away, then turned to the right and proceeded down a short hallway to my kitchen. The other two males were there, including the one I had bitten. He glared at me from his post by the back door.

My teapot was waiting on the kitchen table along with three cups. I glanced and saw a fourth cup was sitting on the counter. And the last male had his head buried in my refrigerator. I glanced at me when I stepped into the room.

"Make yourself at home," I said. "Oh wait, you've already done that."

"There's no food in here," he complained. "What do you eat?"

"Mice," I replied.

From behind me, the alpha chuckled. "I rather doubt that," she said. "But I imagine you don't eat like a wolf, either."

I sighed. "Are you going to be here long enough I am obligated to feed you?"

"Not necessarily, but it would be polite," she replied with a smile. "The guys are hungry."

"Should have stopped on the way here," I replied. "There are excellent restaurants in town. The Rittenhouse serves an especially good breakfast."

"We would have," the alpha replied. "But we wanted to catch you before you left for the day."

I sighed. "Fine," I said frostily. "You! Get your nose out of my refrigerator and get out of my way."

The male who had been digging through my supplies backed out, chuckling, and he didn't even try to crowd me when I replaced him. I pulled out a pound of bacon from where it was hiding underneath the eggs and set it on the counter. I then pulled out eggs and milk and set them out as well. I glanced at the wolves, then from the freezer pulled out a package of breakfast sausage links, then I considered how much they probably ate and grabbed the frozen sausage patties as well.

I glanced over and saw the alpha taking a place at my table, watching me calmly. I turned to her. "I know you're the alpha. I don't know your name."

"Lara," she said. "Lara Burns."

"That one is Eric," I said, pointing to the one standing by the door. "The rest?"

"David," said the one who had been prowling through the kitchen. The other two were Jason and Rory. They already knew my name.

"David," I said. "Do you know how to cook?"

"Yes."

"Good." I tossed the tube of frozen sausage patties to him and pointed to the microwave. "Defrost that."

The alpha smiled at the way I ordered her wolf around.

David smiled at me and opened the microwave. I ignored him after that.

"You," I said pointing. "Rory. There is a storage room downstairs with an electric griddle on a shelf. Bring it up and be careful not to scratch the surface. The cord should be with it.

That one glanced at the alpha. She must have gestured something, but I didn't see it, and Rory found the stairs to the basement and disappeared.

"Do you eat pancakes?" I asked the room in general. I had no idea what wolves ate.

"I love pancakes," said the alpha. "And bacon. And sausage. And anything that doesn't grow on a bush."

I almost laughed. Almost.

I stepped past David and retrieved my box of pancake mix then dug out measuring cups and a mixing bowl. I set them on the counter and mixed up a triple batch. I heard Rory come back upstairs, and I pointed to an open place on the counter. "Set it there and turn it on to 350."

"Yes, ma'am," he said. I glanced at the alpha; she shrugged.

While the griddle was heating, I pulled out a pan for the bacon, two more for the sausages, and then considered my choices. I had six eggs left. I sighed and pulled out my last skillet.

"Rory," I said. "Do you know how to make pancakes?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said again. So I handed him the bowl of mix, a spatula, and a plate to put them on. "Something to pour with?" he asked. I gave him a small measuring cup.

David had finished defrosting the sausage and had found a cutting board and knife. The sausages were all sliced and ready for the pan. "Can I trust you to cook the sausages without eating them all?" I asked.

"He better not eat them," Lara said.

I turned to her. "Who is going to fix my window?"

"Eric," she said.

"I'll need tools," he said. "And a trip to the hardware store for a fresh pane."

"Tools are in the garage, large red rolling chest to the left. Do you need directions to the hardware store?"

"No." But he looked at the stove where David was starting to cook the sausages.

"Measure the window," the alpha said. "We'll eat, then you can fix it while we're talking."

"Yes, Alpha," he said. He stepped out the back door, and I watched him cross the yard to the garage. After that, I ignored him.

I turned to the stove and busied myself with the bacon, then cracked the remaining eggs into the pan and began to fry them as well. The eggs finished first, so I set them on a plate with a paper towel over them and set the plate on the table.

"Alpha," I said. "Plates are there." I pointed. "Silverware there."

I didn't watch to see whether she would set the table. From beside me at the stove, David chuckled under his breath. "Ordering the alpha around now?"

"I heard that," Lara said. But then I heard her rise and begin to set the table.

"Will this be enough food?" I asked quietly.

"Yeah," David said. "We'll be fine. Eric eats a lot, but the alpha won't let him fill a plate until everyone else has gotten something."

I fiddled with the bacon for a while, glancing over to see Rory was doing fine with the pancakes.

"I can smell your fear," David said quietly. "We aren't here to hurt you."

"Could have fooled me."

"You didn't have to run," he said. "Or struggle. You bit the alpha!"

"She's not my alpha. Five super-sized tigers show up on your door step, waking you from a sound sleep. What would you do?"

"Fair enough," he said. "But we aren't here to hurt you. Just talk."

"Ever heard of the phone?"

"We actually were trying to show you respect by seeing you in person."

"Two wolves on my front step, two on my back, and the fifth waiting in case I snuck out a window, and that's respect?"

"You did sneak out a window," he said.

"I did not!" I replied hotly. "I snuck out the upstairs patio door!"

"I rest my case," he said with another chuckle.

"My neck hurts. My front door is broken. My house stinks of wolf, a disgusting smell that will linger for weeks. And now I'm feeding all of you a week's supply of groceries. And you think it's funny." I was getting myself worked up again. It was probably better than being frightened out of my gourd.

David glanced at me with a disarming smile. "I like you, Ms. Redfur. You're feisty."

"Well, for the record, I don't like any of you. You're a bunch of bullies. Don't you know that's not acceptable anymore?"

He didn't respond, and we finished preparing breakfast in silence, depositing plates on the table. I kept possession of the bacon until I was seated at the foot of the table and had taken two pieces. I wasn't sure the wolves would leave me any.

Eric sauntered into the kitchen as I was sitting down, taking a place at the table and reaching for the plate of sausage links. The alpha cleared her throat, and the men all froze. From her place at the head of my table she looked pointedly at me.

"Sausage?" David asked me.

"Half of one patty is enough," I said.

"There is plenty here, little fox," he said.

"Yes," I said. "Little fox." I stressed the little. "A half a patty, please, and two of the smallest pancakes."

David, sitting to my right, speared one of the sausage patties, cut it in half, and transferred it to my plate. I slid my second piece of bacon onto his. He raised an eyebrow and said, "Very little fox."

Rory carried the plate of pancakes to me, and I took the two smallest.

"You weren't kidding about the week's worth of food, were you?" Lara asked.

"No," I said. "But to be fair, I supplement."

They all smiled. We all supplemented. For me, it was small rodents; I'd caught a squirrel last night. I had devoured it while sitting on a cliff overlooking the lake. Num! The wolves would go for larger prey, of course.

The wolves, of course, ate voraciously. I kept my head down, ignoring them as best I could, but it was hard to ignore Lara, the alpha. She spent most of the meal watching me.

"What?" I asked finally.

"You have my apologies, Michaela. We got off on the wrong foot this morning, and it was entirely my fault. I am deeply sorry. This was meant to be a friendly visit."

I stared at her for a moment before dropping my gaze to my food. I wasn't quite ready to accept any apologies, but I nodded once to let her know I had heard her. I believed it was an honest apology.

We finished eating in silence. The wolves devoured everything on the table, but no one asked for more. That was good; I didn't have anything else. I got up to clear the table, but Lara spoke. "Please sit, Michaela. We can talk. Jason and Rory will clean up, and Eric can mend your front door."

I sat back down and stared into my empty teacup. Rory, Jason and Eric rose to attend to their tasks, and David busied himself making another pot of tea.

"Michaela," said the alpha. "Have you noticed any strange wolves about in recent weeks?"

"Yes," I told her immediately. "I have."

Her gaze sharpened, and I suddenly had the attention of everyone in the room.

"Would you tell me when and where?"

"Of course. Right here. This morning. Five of them invaded my home."

Her lip quivered for a moment, and David chuffed gently. Lara smiled and said, "Perhaps I should rephrase my question. Have you noticed any wolves about who are not part of the Madison pack?"

I thought about what she was asking and why she might be asking. "I work a large territory," I told her finally. "Did you care to narrow your question at all?"

"I know your territory, Michaela," she said.

"Bayfield is a tourist destination," I said. "And a frequent site of sailing regattas. I am not personally familiar with every member of your pack, Alpha."

"I am not so much concerned with anyone who may have been here openly," she said. "But I would be keenly interested in knowing of anyone who may have been skulking."

"Skulking?"

"Skulking."

"Do wolves skulk?"

She smiled. "Not normally. When they do, it's not a good sign."

"Alpha," I told her. "I have not seen any wolves skulking in recent memory." The key word was seen. I avoid the wolves, after all.

Lara considered me. "You phrased that in an intriguing fashion. Do you think perhaps you could be a little more forthcoming?"

"If you told me what was going on," I replied. "I might be able to better phrase my answers to be of more help."

She smiled. "There are packs that do not feel it is right for a female to be alpha."

"I imagine there are," I said. "I avoid politics."

"There are packs that may not be kindly disposed to a female were fox living in their territory," she said, the smile leaving her eyes.

I looked at her coldly. "I have made my home as far as I can find from any wolves. I believe I would need to move into Canada to be more isolated. And still you claim my home and offer me nowhere I can feel safe? Get out of my house. Or kill me, I guess."

I began to quiver, on the verge of shifting right there, my flight mechanism taking hold.

"Jason and Rory, the doors," the alpha said. They immediately sprang to the exits from the kitchen, blocking any escape. I glanced at them, my gaze filled with fear.

"Michaela," the alpha said softly. "I am not threatening you. I am trying to explain why it is in your best interest to help me. My wolves leave you alone, and they make sure any visiting wolves do the same. Everyone from my pack treats you with polite respect. Is that is not true, tell me now."

I glanced wildly around the room, searching for escape, my hands grasping the edges of my chair.

"You didn't," I told her, my voice cracking. "And now you're holding me prisoner."

"Jason, Rory," the alpha said. "Go help Eric with the door. If Ms. Redfur chooses to leave, let her."

As soon as the path to the back door was clear, I made a dash for it. The alpha beat me to it. Then she opened the door for me and said, "Go calm down. We'll wait."

I shifted on my way out the door, my clothes falling to the floor of the kitchen as I raced away from my house.

 **Running Free**

I ran.

No one chased me. I disappeared into the woods that back up against my property and worked my way deep into the woods, using every trick in my foxy bag of tricks to elude any pursuers. Then I doubled back to watch.

No one followed.

I watched for a long time, my belly against the ground underneath a bush far too tight and small for a wolf. No one followed.

Eventually, cautiously, I worked my way back home, approaching from a different direction. I approached cautiously, my ears working madly, my eyes alert to any movement. From well into the brush on the edge of my property, I crouched down and watched.

Lara was sitting alone on my back steps, looking out into the woods. I didn't see or hear any sign of the males, but I was sure they were about somewhere.

I crept closer, and Lara's eyes turned to face me. But still she sat, and in her human form, I was much faster than she was. But if she directed furry male wolves towards me, they would catch me if I weren't very careful.

"There is no trap," she said, loudly enough for me to hear.

I crept closer.

"I sent them into town, Michaela," she said. "It is just you and I here."

I stepped onto my lawn, looking all around me, then stepped closely towards Lara, ready to flee if given half a reason.

"Please," she said quietly.

I crossed the remaining distance and sat down about five feet from her, my muscles tensed and ready to flee if she made the slightest move towards me.

"I am being challenged," she said calmly.

I turned towards the west, towards Duluth.

"I don't think so," she said. "At least not directly. Please, may we go inside and talk?"

I crept marginally closer.

"I give my word," she said. "I am not here to hurt you. You are way too fine a fox for that."

Flattery will get her everywhere. Without taking my eyes from her, I walked up the steps where she sat, her hands in her lap. As I passed her, she reached out and stroked my fur. I almost ran at that, jumping away from her, then turning around to look at her. She hadn't moved beyond reaching to touch me. I eyed her, then walked back up the steps, brushing my body along hers as I passed.

I stopped like that, and she stroked my fur, once, twice.

"Does your neck still hurt?"

I bumped her with a shoulder. It's not like I could talk.

She moved her hand to my scruff, and I tensed, but it was too late. If she meant to pick me up that way again, she had me. Instead, her fingers worked through my thick fur to the muscles underneath. It felt nice. I let her massage my neck for a moment, but then she was too firm, and I yelped.

"I'm sorry," she said. "You are so delicate, Michaela." Her touch lightened, and that felt nice.

She massaged for several minutes, and it helped. When I felt I had enough, I moved the rest of the way up the steps and stood with my nose facing the door.

Lara climbed to her feet gracefully and opened the back kitchen door for me. I slipped inside.

"Go shift," she said, closing the door behind herself. "Your clothes are upstairs on your bed. I'll wait."

I checked the room quickly first. No other wolves. None in the living room either, and none upstairs. I went to my bedroom, nudged the door closed, and shifted back into a woman. I dressed quickly, then stepped into the bathroom and tamed my hair.

When I got downstairs, Lara was sitting in the kitchen with two fresh cups of tea.

"It still smells like wolf in here," I told her.

"I'm sorry."

"Whoever is challenging you is coming through Duluth," I told her.

"Are you sure?"

"No." I sat down and took my tea. "You understand, I run from wolves." She nodded. "I haven't seen any."

"But you've seen signs."

"Yes."

"How long?"

"Late winter," I said. "Lara, they're big. Very big."

"Big I can handle," she said. "Can you show me where?"

I nodded. "I'll get a map."

I use the second bedroom upstairs as an office most of the time, clearing my things out only when I expect guests, which was basically never. I retrieved several maps and a set of colored pencils and brought them back, spreading them out on the table and facing them towards Lara. I sat down and began pointing. "Here, in March," I said. "Then here and here in April." I paused, then drew an outline on the map from Bayfield around the shore to 20 miles east of Superior, then down to just east of Hayward, then a curved line to just west of Madison. From there up to Ashland and Bayfield. "This is where I've been in the last six months," I said. "Not everywhere, of course, but the range.

She nodded. "That's larger than your assigned area for Fish and Wildlife."

"Yes. I like to run."

She smiled. So did wolves.

"I'm the only fox in this range," I told her.

"I know. You're the only fox in my territory, male or female."

"Greedy wolves," I said under my breath.

"Can we save that conversation for another day?"

I shrugged.

Then I used my pencils to mark where I had seen tracks using different colors based upon when I had seen the signs. When I was done, I was holding the red pencil, but I hadn't used it yet.

"They're getting closer to Madison," she said. "We noticed them in early June."

"I was south last Thursday," I said. Lara eyed the red pencil still in my hand. Then I made more marks a set of tracks aimed directly at Madison. I marked the tracks as crossing through the range I had visited, still heading towards Madison.

"Shit," she said. "Twenty miles?"

"I wasn't willing to follow them any closer, Lara. I didn't think you would care for me skulking about."

She laughed nervously.

"On my way home, I found where these tracks headed back west." I marked the map. "But then they turned northeast." I marked the map further until they had again disappeared off the edge where I was willing to go. "I didn't see them again."

Lara was staring, then she let out a very loud, "Fuck!"

I jumped up from the table and backed towards the door, her rage frightening me. She glanced at me.

"Oh, Michaela!" she said. "No, I'm not mad at you. Please don't run."

I had the door open and stood there, watching her warily. She took several deep breaths, calming herself. "Please, Michaela. I won't hurt you."

I closed the door, but I kept my distance.

"Michaela, I have a new compound. I don't like being in the city."

"Where?"

She pointed on the map. I crept closer and stared. The last tracks I marked were heading straight towards her new compound. I looked at her. "Should a strange wolf, or for that matter, a skulking fox, be able to get within ten miles of your compound and you didn't know it?"

"No. Maybe the fox. Not the wolf."

Lara stared at the map a while longer before looking at me. "Do you have anything else for me?"

I shook my head.

"Michaela," she told me. "You are under my protection. Everyone in my pack knows that. You are safe from all of my wolves, here or anywhere in my territory, including Madison. No one will bother you."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Will you call me if you learn more?"

"Yes."

She stood up then reached out and brushed an errant lock of hair from my face. I stood very still.

"Thank you," she said. "I really am very sorry we frightened you. And I'm sorry your home smells like wolf."

"I can fumigate," I said. Her lips quivered.

"Eric fixed your door. David and Rory restocked your kitchen. Then I had them go around your house and garage and fix a few other things that needed mending."

I nodded. "Thank them for me."

She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket, hit a speed dial, and said simply, "I'm ready."

I walked her to the front door. She turned to face me one last time, her stunningly beautiful eyes staring into mine. She caressed my cheek once. "You truly are lovely, little fox. May we be friends?"

"Said the spider to the fly?"

She laughed. "Said one alpha to another."

I stood up straight. I had never been offered that much respect from any other were before, and certainly never from a wolf. "I'd like that."

 **Date Night**

After the wolves left, I slumped against the door. I hate wolves. Then I trudged upstairs, shedding my clothes, and stepped into the shower.

I was amazingly late for work.

I let the hot water cascade over me, easing the aches from being carried around by my neck. A mother fox might carry a kit that way, but I was far too big and heavy to be handled that way. The ease with which Lara had handled me was frightening. Not once did she appear to grow weary from holding a thirty-pound squirming animal at arm's length.

I knew wolves were strong, but I had never imagined they were that strong.

I dressed and drove to Ashland, making up an excuse about checking on a wolf problem in case anyone asked me why I was so late.

I had never paid much attention to wolf politics in the past. Frankly, they didn't affect me. Still, Lara had been right. Excepting this morning, her wolves had left me alone, and I realized now that this was probably her doing. Another alpha may not have tolerated a lone were in his territory.

I realized something else. The wolves that came to Bayfield had been calm and courteous, not just to me, but to the shopkeepers and everyone else. I couldn't recall a single instance of a wolf causing trouble here. And wolves are known for causing trouble; it's what they do.

Was that Lara's doing?

Lara, with her frighteningly beautiful eyes and silky tongue, calling me an alpha.

Her silky tongue? Oh, I definitely needed to get laid if I was thinking about her tongue.

I arrived at work and put the beautiful alpha and her cadre of enforcers out of my mind.

Everything went back to normal, discounting the strange odor in my house. It took three days of airing out before the smell fully dissipated.

I went about my job, avoiding Madison like I always did. Most of my work was related to Lake Superior, but I also visited the other lakes in the region, taking water tests, checking fish levels, and the like, which gave me the excuse to be all over the region. It also kept me out of the office, which was a bonus.

August came, and my life was normal, or as normal as it ever was when one is a single were fox living in northern Wisconsin. And it remained normal until the text message arrived.

"How is my little fox?" I didn't recognize the number. "I think you have the wrong number," I wrote back.

"Said the fly to the spider?" came the response. "How is your neck?"

Very, very few people knew I was a fox. To the best of my knowledge, none of them had my private number. Clearly I was wrong; someone had given my number to the alpha, and it hadn't been me.

While I was staring at my phone, wondering what she wanted, and what I was going to do about it, the phone rang. It was the same number. I grimaced and answered.

"I'm working, Alpha," I told her when I answered.

She laughed lightly. "Too busy for me?" Her tone was light and playful, very different from the serious tone I'd heard a few weeks previously.

I was in the field, taking water samples of the rivers that flowed into Lake Superior, and it was blind luck that I was in cell reception. I hadn't decided if it was blind bad luck or blind good luck, but I would have bet on bad.

"I can spare a minute or two," I told her. "But I don't have any information your own wolves don't already have." Their activity throughout my range had increased since I'd talked to Lara, and I'd even seen signs there were occasional patrols around Bayfield. "I presume those are yours skulking around my home."

"My wolves don't skulk," she said. "But that's not why I called. I was wondering if I could entice you to Madison."

"I don't find much draw of the big city," I replied lightly. What was she up to?

"I was wondering if I might change that," she replied, and there was something in her voice that set my senses alert. My ears twitched, searching for danger. I pulled the phone away and stared at it for a minute as if that would help me find answers.

I put the phone back to my ear. "How did you intend to do that?" I asked her.

I think she was taken aback. "By inviting you to dinner," she said. "And perhaps a run afterwards."

"With you?" I asked, incredulous.

"Of course with me," she replied. "Who else?"

"Alpha," I said. "Are you flirting with me?"

She laughed. "I would have expected a fox to be clever enough to figure that out without having to ask."

My brain went into overdrive. What game was she playing? This couldn't have been what it seemed like on the surface. Wolves do not date foxes. Pick us up by our scruffs and shake us about, yes. Date, no.

"I wouldn't have thought I was your type, Alpha."

"Please, Michaela, can you call me Lara? And you're exactly my type."

"Small and weak? Are you that insecure you would date down?"

"Beautiful and clever, brave, feisty, and willing to stand up to me," she said softly. "Even when terrified of me."

"Madison is a long way to go for a date, Lara," I told her.

"I'll send a plane."

"You'll send a plane," I said. "Just like that."

"Yes," she said. "Just like that. Shall we say Friday? The plane can pick you up at five. Would you prefer Madeline Island or Ashland?"

"I haven't said yes."

"Pack an overnight bag," she said. "Dinner dress is upscale casual. Running dress is fur."

"Lara," I said. "What are you doing?"

"Michaela," she replied. "You are the cunning fox with hidden agendas. I'm just a wolf. What you see is what you get. I am inviting a beautiful, intriguing woman to dinner. Please say yes."

I wanted to say no. She was dangerous, and whatever she was doing had to be a game. A little fox doesn't survive long playing with the big bad wolves. But the little fox had a flaw.

The little fox was curious.

"Where would you take me?"

I could hear the smile. "Do you like sushi?"

Of course I did. I usually caught my own. "Madeline Island, five PM on Friday," I agreed. "I've never flown before."

"Then this will be a new experience," Lara said. "Thank you, Michaela. I haven't stopped thinking about you."

We said our goodbyes, and I stared at the phone afterwards. What was she up to?

Friday came far too soon, but not soon enough. It had been a very long time since I had gone out with any woman. And Lara wasn't just any woman. She wasn't even just any dominant wolf. She was an alpha. And while she may have called me alpha, I was an alpha of one. She ruled dozens, perhaps hundreds of wolves.

And I was about to walk, or shall we say fly, willingly into her den.

I took the ferry to the island, a small duffle bag thrown over my shoulder, then walked the mile to the airport. I wore tennis shoes but I had a pair of pumps in my bag. It was a warm afternoon, and I put on a shine during the walk. The Madeline Island airport isn't much: a single runway, a small collection of hangars, and a small building with a weather station and a bathroom. I used the bathroom to freshen up then waited outside for my ride.

I hadn't been there long before I heard the sounds of an airplane. I looked overhead and saw a plane pass directly over the airport. Several minutes later, I watched as it landed on the runway then taxied to the parking area and shut down. It was a very small airplane, and I turned away. Lara couldn't possibly have sent something that small for me.

Suddenly, my senses went on high alert. I smelled wolf.

I turned back, and Eric was watching me from twenty yards away. I glanced around warily.

"Your chariot awaits, m'lady," he said.

I frowned at him. "You expect me to get into that?" I pointed at the airplane.

He laughed. "It's perfectly safe."

"It's a sardine can."

"You're small," he said. "You'll fit."

"Are you the pilot?" I asked.

"No. But the alpha thought you would appreciate a friendly face."

I cocked my head. "So I'm not a bitch you tried to kill while I was helpless, dangling from the alpha's hands?" I backed slowly away from him.

"You bit me," he said.

"And for a fox, that's a death sentence?"

"I wouldn't have killed you, Ms. Redfur. We apologized for scaring you. You fed us. Everything was fine."

"If that blow had landed, you would have killed me," I told him. "And we both know it."

He had the grace to look sheepish. "I'm sorry," he said. "I wouldn't have wanted to kill you. Just cuff you like-"

"Like an errant pup?"

He looked down at the ground. "You're the size of one," he said. "I really am sorry. Please, will you get in the plane? The alpha will chew my ass if you don't come back with us."

"Fine," I said. "I call shotgun."

He laughed.

I stepped past him on the way to the waiting airplane, and he fell into step next to me. I moved away from him a little. His size was intimidating.

"Little fox," he said gently. "You are safe with us. No one would hurt you."

"As long as I behave," I said.

"As long as you are the alpha's friend," he corrected.

I glanced over at him. "Is that a euphemism, Eric?"

"What?" He looked at me sharply. "No. If I'd meant lover, I'd have said lover. She said you were friends. Aren't you?"

"I don't know yet," I admitted. "She is playing games, and one little fox is too inconsequential to be anything except a minor pawn."

"Ms. Redfur," Eric said. "Have you ever known a wolf to be anything but direct?"

"First time for everything, Eric," I said.

We arrived at the side of the plane. "Is there anything in your bag you need during the flight?" he asked me.

I shook my head. "But I have a change of shoes."

"The alpha thought you may wish to freshen up once we arrive," he told me. "I'll stow your bag for you." I let him take it from me. He opened a small door on the side of the airplane and gently set the bag inside. Then he turned to me.

"I'll need to get in first, as you have asked for shotgun." He showed me how to climb into the little flying sardine can. I looked at him dubiously then watched him climb into the back seat. I suppressed my laughter. To me it felt like a sardine can. Watching him fold himself into the airplane tickled me to no end.

I stepped onto the wing then slid into the tiny airplane, taking the right seat. I looked to my left and saw a woman, another wolf, occupying the other front seat. She reached out her hand.

"Hello, Ms. Redfur," she said. "I am June Havir. I will be your pilot today."

I accepted her hand, looking her over. She looked strong and dangerous, her blond hair worn short, her features chiseled. Her grip was firm, but not crushing.

"I am told this is your first time flying."

"Yes. I hope it's not yours."

She laughed.

I looked around the airplane. The seats were leather, and everything looked tight and pristine.

"You are a fox. I have never met one before," June said. "Are you given to a queasy stomach?"

"I have been known to eat mice, voles, frogs, and the occasional cricket when it chirps in an especially annoying fashion."

She smiled.

"And is it true what they say about foxes?"

"Yes, it is. We're very, very good in bed."

"I'm sure the alpha will be pleased to discover that for herself," Eric said from the back seat. I found myself blushing furiously. I turned back to Eric and gave him a rude gesture. He smiled sweetly.

"I hadn't heard that particular rumor," June said, barely maintaining a straight face. "I was more wondering about curiosity."

"Yes, that rumor is true, too. Right behind the in bed one."

"Then perhaps you would like to learn about the aircraft?"

She let me fly! I hadn't had that much fun in a long time.

Travel time was under two hours. We landed at Dane County airport to find a limousine waiting for me. Eric handed me inside then climbed into the front seat. Fifteen minutes later found us pulling into the circle of a large manor home on the outskirts of Madison. Eric handed me back out and led me into the remarkable home.

I gaped. To one little fox, this was all rather overwhelming.

Eric led me upstairs and to the right. "If you step through here," Eric said with a gesture. "You may freshen up. This is to be your room, and there is a connecting bathroom. When you are ready, I will bring you to the alpha."

I nodded my thanks and closed the door in his face. It took me only a few minutes to freshen up and change my shoes, and when I was done, Eric was waiting for me in the hall. He nodded and smiled then led the way back downstairs and to a doorway. I glanced inside and found a library. Eric gestured, and I stepped inside.

Lara was sitting in a chair, reading a book, but as soon as I stepped in, she closed it and stood, turning to me. She offered a radiant smile before crossing the room to take my hands. "Thank you so much for joining me, Michaela."

"Thank you for inviting me," I replied, wary. She had said this was nothing more than it appeared, and Eric had implied the same thing, but I didn't believe either of them. The alpha wolf was not going to slum it with the little fox. It was inconceivable. The little fox wasn't very happy about being in the wolf den, either. I felt alert to the point of jumpy, my ears twitching at every little unfamiliar noise.

And I couldn't smell a thing, the scent of wolf overlaying everything. I didn't like that at all.

Lara was talking, asking me something. I didn't catch it, my head swiveling around so much, searching the room for danger and escape routes.

"Honey," she said. "Michaela."

I pulled my attention back to her.

"You are practically trembling. You are safe with me, Michaela." That was very difficult to believe. I searched her face for any sign of guile, but all I read was concern.

She was a very good actress. That was it. She must have been a very good actress.

My voice caught in my throat. "What do you want with me, Lara?"

"Oh, little fox," she said with warmth. "Only your company. Why is that so difficult for you to believe?"

I looked away for a moment then turned back to face her, looking up into her eyes. She still held my hands. I offered a small smile. "Were you taking me to dinner first, or was there something else on your agenda?"

"Dinner. Come." She hooked my arm in hers, clasping my hands to hold it there, and led me from the library and to the front door. I looked around on the way but saw no one.

"Where is everyone?"

"Around," she said.

We stepped outside, and the limousine was still waiting for us. Lara held the door for me then climbed in after me. As soon as the door was closed and we were both settled, the car began rolling forward.

"Would you care for something to drink?" Lara asked me.

I looked around the space. There was a smoky glass partition between us and the driver. It was closed, offering Lara and me a modicum of privacy. I sat in the back seat facing forward, with Lara across from me. She gestured to her right, and there was a small bar available.

"Water would be nice," I replied.

Lara opened a little refrigerator and pulled out two bottles of water, handing one to me.

I gestured. "This is very ostentatious," I said. "Just like your house. And the airplane."

She shrugged. "It's what I've always known."

"Do you usually go to such lengths for a simple date?"

"No," she replied. "I haven't been on a date of any sort in several years." I cocked my head, hoping for a greater explanation. "Before, I was subject to my father's rule."

"The old alpha?"

"Yes. He did not approve of my choice in dates."

"He didn't like foxes?"

Lara laughed. "He had quaint notions about boys and girls."

"And since then?" I asked.

"Since then, I have been busy consolidating my position."

I could understand that. "And now? While facing an outside challenger?"

"I decided that there would never be a perfect time. I am the alpha, but I am also a woman. I want to live my life the way I choose, not having my choices dictated to me by others."

"Well then," I said drily. "We have found something in common."

She frowned. "You could have said 'no', Michaela."

"Oh, I didn't mean that," I told her, sorry for my comment. I smiled. "Part of me is happy to be here with you."

"Part of you?" she asked.

"The part that isn't terrified of the big bad wolf."

She looked pain. "I wish you wouldn't be afraid of me. I wish you would think of me as your protector. I promise you, you are safe with me."

"We'll see," I said. "Perhaps I'll still be alive in the morning."

"You distrust me so much?" she asked, and I could tell I had hurt her again.

I looked out the window, speaking softly. "There is an old wolf custom," I said. "Perhaps you have heard of it."

"Perhaps," she said. "What is it called?"

I turned and stared directly into her eyes. "Fox. Hunt."

Her face immediately filled with horror. "Oh Michaela. No. Absolutely not."

I looked back out the window. "Ply the fox with food. Perhaps spirits. The food will slow her down. The spirits will dull her mind. Invite her for a run. Then do what comes naturally. Chase. Kill."

"No, Michaela," she said again. "No."

"Perhaps your pack would be impressed with your ruthlessness. Perhaps you have guests that would be pleased with the entertainment. Foxes have become rare. Perhaps you could cement an alliance against your challenger."

"Do you really believe I have so little honor, Michaela?"

I faced her. "Perhaps words said to a fox do not matter to a wolf. Perhaps you wish to teach the little fox a lesson for biting you. A permanent lesson, perhaps."

Her eyes grew sharp. "If this is what you believe, why are you even here?"

"I didn't say I believed it," I told her. "Perhaps this is something else entirely. Perhaps you are simply waiting to see who in your pack takes offense at my presence. Are you painting a target on my back, Lara?"

"No." She said it firmly, and I could sense she was growing angry.

I shrugged. "I am not being very cunning," I admitted. "If I were being cunning, I would not admit my fears. I would hide them, but be wary." I looked straight into her eyes. "I am hoping you will find a way to put my fears to rest. I am hoping I am wrong. I am hoping this is exactly what you say this is. But how can I believe it, Lara? A wolf dating a fox? Seriously?"

"You are safe with me, Michaela," Lara said. "I hope you will give me the time to prove it to you."

"I am sorry I have offended you, Lara."

"I am sorry you are so frightened, Michaela." She glanced out the window. "We are almost there. Will you humor me with something?"

"All right," I said.

"I am going to come sit next to you," she said. Then she got up and slipped to my side of the cavernous car, pressed against me. We turned a corner and came to a stop. Lara pressed a button in the ceiling and said, "Give us a minute, Alan."

"I am going to touch you," she said.

"In what fashion?" I asked.

She smiled. "A very innocent fashion."

"All right."

And then I sat very still as the big bad wolf put her arm around my shoulder, pulling me tightly against her. She turning slightly to face me while keeping me pulled against her, and her far hand reached across to caress my face. I sat very still, willing myself not to move, willing not to run from the clutches of the wolf.

"Lara," I started to say.

"Just another moment, Michaela." Then she pulled my head against her chest. "Breath deeply."

I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with her scent. She smelled her own unique smell of wolf and woman.

"Again, Michaela."

I took another deep breath, pressing my face against her, breathing her in.

"That is the scent of safety, Michaela. The scent of protection. Around that scent, you are safe. Always safe."

My emotions grew rampant, my heart beating strongly. She was all wolf, but she was also all woman. I'd never been held by someone as strong as she was. It was terrible and wonderful at the same time. I looked through my eyelashes up into her face. She was looking down at me with a kind expression.

"Safe, Michaela," she said. "I absolutely promise."

I buried my face in her chest and took one more deep breath, holding it for a moment, then pulled away. I smiled and nodded.

Lara tapped on the window, and it opened from outside. She slipped out, then held her hand for me. I let her hand me out of the car. She wrapped my arm in hers again, and I looked around.

I didn't recognize where we were, but I didn't know Madison very well. I avoided large towns, after all. We were standing on the sidewalk in front of some sort of clothing boutique. Lara turned us to the left and we began walking.

She had long legs. She was walking casually, but I was forced to scramble to keep up. She shortened her steps, and that was more comfortable. She patted my hand, and somehow it was meant to be soothing, not condescending. When I glanced at her, she was watching me. We smiled at each other; her smile warm, mine nervous.

"You're beautiful," she said. "I absolutely love your hair."

My smile grew warmer. I loved my hair, too. I reached up with my free hand and gave it a casual flip. "You won't find hair like this on a wolf."

She laughed lightly. "So true. Your fox is beautiful, too."

"You didn't get the best look," I said. "As I recall, I spent most of the time dangling from your grip. Was I heavy?"

"Not at first. I was happy when I could set you down. I really am very sorry about that."

"It's done. Don't do it again."

"No promises, little fox," she said.

I brought us to a stop. "Not good enough, Lara."

"Little fox, I promise to remember you don't like it."

"And I promise to do my best to bite your hand off if you ever do it again."

She laughed. "Fair enough." She got us moving again.

"Lara," I said quietly. "I have never been more terrified or more embarrassed."

"I'm sorry, Michaela. You still haven't forgiven me?"

This time she brought us to a stop, and I realized we had arrived at the restaurant.

"We have some bad history, and our races have even more bad history. If this is all exactly what you say it is, Lara, it will take time to erase both of those. I am here. I am trying. But to say I am unaware of history would be a lie."

"Fair enough," she said. "Shall we enter, little fox?"

I nodded, and we stepped to the door. As soon as she opened it, the scent of fish, rice, and vinegar wafted out. And surrounding it all: wolf.

I immediately whimpered and pulled away from her, stepping backwards rapidly, my gaze dashing around, searching for danger and evaluating my escape routes. Seeing my reaction, Lara immediately went on the alert, scanning the street with me.

"What is it?" she asked quickly and quietly. "I don't see it."

"Wolf," I said. "The place reeks of wolf."

Lara immediately relaxed. "Of course it does. This is my cousin's restaurant. That is the scent of pack, Michaela. You are safe here. Is the wolf scent that odious to you?"

I backed up one more step, still wary. "It's primal, Lara. The scent of danger." I shook my head, trying to clear my nostrils.

"Do we need to go somewhere else?"

I shifted my gaze to her. "Please come here, Lara."

She nodded, releasing the door, and walked over to me warily, clearly taking care to avoid frightening me further. When she drew close, I stepped into her, and she instinctively wrapped her arms around me. I inhaled deeply.

"Tell me again, Lara."

"You are safe with me, Michaela." I inhaled deeply, and she reassured me I was safe with her.

I inhaled once more, then looked up at her. "I am sorry. You are going to think you are out with a were rabbit."

She laughed. "Any relation to Brer Rabbit?"

"Distant cousins."

"Better now?"

I shoved my face into her neck and took one more deep breath. "Yes." I pulled away and strode towards the door. Lara beat me to it, barely, and held the door for me. I stepped through, then waited, looking around.

To a human visitor, the restaurant might look like any other Japanese sushi restaurant. To the right was a bar area. Past the bar were two Teppanyaki tables. To the left was a sushi bar, and past it, the kitchen area. In between were traditional tables. The decor was Japanese.

The staff were all wolves.

The restaurant was full. But seated at the bar, I recognized David talking to a female wolf. At the sushi bar I saw Eric. He appeared to be alone. I turned to Lara. "Your enforcers arrived ahead of us?"

She nodded. "New custom, until the current difficulties are resolved."

"So it's not me from whom you need protection?"

She grinned. "Perhaps."

The hostess returned from seating her latest guests. "Hello, Alpha," she said quietly. "Your table is ready."

"Thank you, Mara," she said. Lara took my arm, and we followed Mara to a table in the corner. She stood aside, waiting for us to sit.

I expected Lara to take the corner where she could most easily watch the entire room. Instead, she gestured to the table, allowing me first choice. I took the corner, and I think she expected it. Lara sat down opposite me.

I looked around the restaurant once more before looking back at Lara. She was studying me. "Are you all right now?"

"You look like you're thinking about eating me," I told her.

"I am." Her voice was suddenly low and husky.

 _I knew it!_ said my fox. I shoved back in the chair, trying to put distance between us. Then her look and her voice registered in me, and I ran the words through my head again.

"Oh god," I said, burying my face in my hands. I could feel the blush all the way to the roots of my hair. "I walked into that."

She chuckled. "Yes, you did."

I looked at her through my fingers. "Were you really?"

"I wasn't until you mentioned it. But I am now."

I lowered my hands and considered her. She was beautiful, of course she was. I could definitely do worse. If, you know, it wasn't for the whole wolves eat foxes thing. And not the good kind of eating. I smiled reluctantly.

Someone, a wolf, rushed up to our table, and I almost flew against the window to my right trying to get away. He stopped, holding his hands out in a warding off gesture, stopping short of the table.

"You are safe, Michaela," Lara said gently. "This is Hiraku, my cousin."

I looked at the man. For a wolf, he was small. Compact perhaps is a better word. And he was Japanese. I looked between him and Lara and said, "I can see the family resemblance."

Hiraku bowed briefly. "Most miss it. Lara has my sense of humor."

I smiled. This may be the gentlest wolf I'd ever met. I settled back properly in my chair. "I apologize for my response."

He bowed briefly. "I am the one to apologize. I should perhaps have approached at a more decorous pace."

"Well," I said. "If you can approach somewhat more decorously in the future, I shall endeavor to avoid making another scene."

He smiled, and it was one of warmth, then he turned to Lara. "Your usual sake, Alpha-san?"

Lara turned to me. "I am not plying you with spirits that will dull your mind."

"Tea for me," I said. "Please."

"Tea tonight, Hiraku-san. And tonight, perhaps sampler sizes of nigiri, whatever you think we might like." Lara turned to me. "Do you have any other favorites?"

"A roll?" I suggested.

"A California roll," Lara suggested. "And spicy tuna as well." She glanced at me.

"I will make them myself," he said, "sized for a delicate fox."

Hiraku bowed once more before leaving. Lara and I looked at each other and exchanged meaningless small talk. A teenage girl stopped by with our tea. She approached slowly and later bowed before stepping away.

"I'm sorry," I told Lara. "Dates should be easy events, but I am making everyone walk on eggshells."

"It is easy for wolves to become too comfortable around each other, and it is good for them to remember there are other weres."

After that, we retreated to more meaningless small talk for a time. The same teenage girl stopped by with the first wave of food, a selection of nigiri sized in very delicate proportions. This was very thoughtful. I would be able to sample several of them rather than filling up on only one or two. I looked at Lara gratefully.

The girl told us what each one was before bowing herself away.

Lara gestured, and I used my chopsticks to gracefully transfer three of the pieces to my plate. Lara did the same. After that, I used my fingers to eat, dipping the fish lightly into the soy sauce. My first piece was salmon, my second favorite, and I slipped the fish and rice into my mouth, closing my eyes and moaning with joy at the flavor.

When I opened my eyes again, Lara was looking at me while wearing an amused expression.

"I have never figured out why sushi causes that reaction in me, Alpha, but I won't apologize for it."

"You have no reason to apologize. That one expression brought me great joy, and I believe Hiraku was also witness. You offer honor to his food."

I ate my next piece, which was octopus. Not my favorite, and normally I would have skipped it, but I didn't want the alpha to think I lacked daring. She never took her eyes from me while eating her own pieces, although clearly she enjoyed them nearly as much as I did.

"The octopus is not as much to your liking? You didn't have to take it."

I looked down at my plate. Waiting for me was a single piece of maguro nigiri. Tuna. I tapped the plate. "This is my guilty pleasure."

"Why guilty?"

"Because of severe over fishing. If I were true to my calling as a conservationist, I would eat no meat at all, and tuna would definitely be forbidden."

And then I picked up the fish and slid it into my mouth, closing my eyes and moaning in pleasure. I knew Lara would be watching me, but I refused to be embarrassed.

And of course, when I opened my eyes, there she was, watching me with an amused smile. "You are such a delight," she said. "To get a reaction like that from my wolves, it would be due to the amounts of food, not from one sliver of fish on a tiny sampling of rice."

After that, I watched Lara eat, although I did help myself to one more piece of tuna. The teenage girl stopped by with the California and spicy tuna rolls. "Papa-san asks if the fox would care for more maguro nigiri."

"Yes," Lara said. "She would."

"No," the fox said. "But thank him for me."

The girl suddenly didn't know what to do. She looked back and forth between us.

"Please, Alpha," I said. "The tuna fisheries are all collapsing."

She nodded and said to the girl. "The maguro has been lovely but should be savored, not devoured."

She nodded and bowed, backing away.

Both rolls were made smaller than normally done, with more pieces than normal. I appreciated the sensitivity towards fox appetites. I took one piece each of the California and spicy tuna rolls, enjoying them immensely.

After that I was full. Lara continued to eat, although she left the last piece of tuna and half of the remaining spicy tuna roll on their platters. My eyes kept dipping to the tuna.

Finally Lara said, "One of us is going to eat them, Michaela, and you will enjoy them far more than I will."

I ate the final piece of nigiri but left everything else to the alpha. It was more food than I wanted, but I enjoyed the final piece of tuna just as much as I had the first.

"You will think I am a pig," she said.

"Not at all," I replied. "What does your wolf weigh, Lara?"

She laughed. "You just asked me what I weigh?"

"My fox is only a third of my human form," I replied. "So I was curious."

She looked away, not answering.

"All right," I said. "Don't answer. But I am feeding a thirty-pound fox. You are feeding a wolf four times that size. Please eat whatever you require."

Lara smiled and finished everything on the plate. When the girl stopped back at our table, Lara asked for "more of whatever is plentiful, sized for a wolf." She looked at me. "You truly are done?" I nodded.

"I know nothing about you," she said. "Will you enlighten me?"

"What would you like to know, Alpha?"

"Not Alpha," she said. "Lara. Please."

"All right, Lara," I replied. "What would you like to know?"

"To start? Where did you grow up?"

"New England," I replied. "There was a small community of foxes deep in the mountains in New Hampshire."

"I didn't know that," Lara said.

"They aren't there anymore." I looked away, not wanting to think about the reason why.

Lara reached across the table and cupped my hand. She was more sensitive than I would have expected. "Why Bayfield?"

"You already know that. It fits my job, of course, but it is also the furthest I could get from the wolves. Five hours from Madison. The Duluth pack mostly stays in Minnesota. There are wolves in the Michigan upper peninsula, but they mostly keep to themselves. The Green Bay pack is inconsequential and seems to be happy with Door County."

"You really have made your life choices around avoiding us?" Lara asked.

"Yes."

"Michaela, I have said, you are safe in Madison."

I smiled, but it was not a smile of warmth. "Alpha-"

"Lara," she said, interrupting.

"Not for this conversation. Alpha, how much of your pack knows about our date?"

"Almost no one."

"All right. I think perhaps a demonstration of my safety is in order."

She cocked her head. "You are perfectly safe."

"There is a were nightclub in town, yes?"

"Yes. The Iron Dog."

"After dinner, we will go there."

"All right," she said.

"Separately. You will arrive first and say nothing to anyone about me. I will arrive in a cab. And tell the ones who know about me to remain silent. We shall see how safe a fox is in your territory."

Her expression clouded, but she nodded. I changed the subject, asking about her house.

 **Making a Dangerous Point**

Later, our dinner finished, I told Lara, "If the wolves at the club know we are together, it will spoil my demonstration."

She frowned. "You seem to think you know my wolves better than I do."

"Will you allow my demonstration without any, shall we say, impurities?"

She nodded and made a gesture. Immediately David was at the table.

"Alpha?"

Lara outlined our plan. David tightened his lips but said nothing. "I will see to it." He backed away from the table, then moved around the restaurant, speaking in a few ears.

"Rumor will arrive anyway," I said. "But perhaps we will arrive in front of rumor. You should get there first. My demonstration will not take long. You wouldn't want to miss it."

"David will drive you," she said.

"No. Being seen with David will sully the experiment. I will call a cab."

She nodded. "I will see you shortly." I walked outside with her, watching her as she walked to her car. I had to admit, she had a great figure. I stared, and I didn't stop staring when she turned around to look at me. She grinned and blew me a kiss.

I used my cell phone to call for a cab, waiting a scant ten minutes for my ride. When the cab arrived, driven by a human. I slipped into the back and told the driver, "The Iron Dog. Do you know where it is?"

He turned around and looked at me. "A little woman like you should not go there. Perhaps I can recommend somewhere more appropriate."

I smiled. "I am meeting friends. The Iron Dog, please."

He frowned, but he engaged the meter and pulled away from the curb.

During the drive, I texted Lara. "I admit, I do not know if your presence will vary the experiment, but I won't go if you aren't there."

"I thought about that," came the reply. "I used the back entrance. People know I am here, but I am being subtle."

"As subtle as an alpha wolf?" I wrote back.

"LOL," was the reply.

I thought about it for a minute before sending back, "You have a great ass, Alpha."

There wasn't a reply.

The Iron Dog was a converted warehouse from the days long before just in time delivery. It was surrounded by other warehouses, some dilapidated, some clearly converted into condominiums or offices.

"Are you sure, lady?" the drier asked, turning to face me.

I nodded and paid his bill before climbing out. He had pulled up directly to the entrance. I took a breath and tried to dampen down my fear.

This had been a bad idea, but I couldn't back out now.

I stepped for the door, then stepped aside as the door burst open and a pair of wolves came stumbling out, one male, one female, their arms around each other. I got out of their way, and they were past me before they turned around as a unit. The male growled.

"You're in the wrong place," the female said.

"I thought this bar was open to all weres," I told her.

She shrugged. "It's your fur. Come on, Dean." She pulled on her partner, tugging him away from me.

"Maybe we should stay a while," the male said.

"No," said the female. "We're going home."

I turned my back on them and stepped through the door, recoiling at the overwhelming scent of wolf. I steeled my resolve and stepped into the club, looking around furtively.

I caught David's eye immediately. He looked at me and nodded casually, then looked pointedly deeper into the club, lifting his eyes. I followed his gaze and saw Lara at a second floor table overlooking the dance floor. She was watching me.

It only took two more steps before the other wolves began to notice me.

The club was basic. The entrance was in the middle of one long wall with the bar to the right, a dance floor in the middle, and tables everywhere. There was a second floor around three of the walls, the rest of the club open to the warehouse ceiling. The club was about half full with a selection of wolves and humans. Those humans present looked pretty rough. I wondered if the humans knew they were surrounded by the wolves.

I was noticed right away. At first it was just a couple of double takes. I made my way to the bar, doing everything I could to avoid getting in anyone's way, stepping aside from even the most submissive of wolf. Still, I was rudely bumped several times just making it to the edge of the bar.

There were two bartenders, one male, one female, both wolves. I was near the end closest to the door, finding an open seat. David was further to my right with several seats between us, two filled, the rest empty. The stools on either side of me were clear when I sat down.

I tried to get the attention of one of the bartenders. Both of them walked past me several times, handling orders for everyone else. I became increasingly insistent, but they stepped past me. I watched as the male began washing glasses, his back turned towards me. I glanced over at David. He called out, "Wanda." I shook my head, and he nodded just once. Wanda got David another beer, then ignored me as she walked back to the other end of the bar.

I shrugged at David then reached across the bar and grabbed an empty glass and the soda fountain dispenser. I poured myself a soda, replacing the dispenser. The male wolf was there immediately, growling at me. "That will be ten bucks," he said.

"For a soda?"

"Ten bucks."

I fished two fives out of my purse. The bartender pocketed them and moved on.

Someone bumped me from behind. I didn't see who it was, but I got a good elbow across the back of my head. I wasn't drinking at the time, so I avoided spilling. When I turned around, whoever had hit me was lost in the crowd.

I glanced around, making sure I was temporarily safe, and quaffed down a slug of my soda, setting it down quickly, almost to the far edge of the bar. I tried to make myself as small as I could.

A female wolf stepped up to the bar next to me. "You don't belong here," she said. "Get out while you can."

"I'm not bothering anyone," I replied. "I am sitting here, minding my own business."

"You're a fool," she said. She walked away, never having ordered a drink.

Not all wolves are assholes. She had just done what she could. I didn't expect she would interfere again.

I got bumped again. There was no need for it, which meant it was intentional and not caused by close quarters. Besides, no were is so clumsy to bump someone unless it is indeed intentional.

So far, however, nothing had been horribly overt. I'm sure Lara by now knew how uncomfortable I must be, but she needed to watch the situation degrade. She needed to understand how low her beloved wolves would go.

I already knew.

I hoped she would stop it before it went too far.

A group of female werewolves joined me at the bar, consuming the available seats on both sides of me. "There aren't enough stools," one of them said. There were more stools at the other end of the bar.

"Sure there are," another said. She grabbed the back of my stool and dumped me out of it. I actually hadn't expected that, and I bounced off the bar. Another wolf grabbed my arm and pulled me away from the bar and gave me a shove away. Only my were reflexes kept me from getting shoved to the floor.

I glanced up, and Lara was standing up, glaring down. I shook my head just once, and she sat down.

But I was in trouble now. I was now in the middle of the room, and the wolves began herding me. I turned towards the entrance, and there were two large males standing in my way. I turned towards the bar, but there was a female standing in my way, and when I tried to step around her, she stepped into my path and growled.

I backed away and bumped into another wolf, who growled and gave me a shove.

After that, it quickly turned into a game of pinball. I was the ball.

At first, the only wolves involved were the ones who were intentionally playing. They kept giving me a false route to safety, but one of them always managed to step into my path every time I took a step. If I had more room, I may have been able to out-maneuver them; my fox reflexes were faster than wolf reflexes. Across open ground, they could easily outrun me, but in tight quarters, I should be able to react faster.

But the quarters were a little too tight, and there were a lot of wolves.

The ones playing with me were not the dominant ones. These were the submissive wolves, the ones who have to take it from the rest of the pack. They finally had someone weaker than they were, and they were enjoying it. As long as I left them alone, the dominant wolves actually weren't the problem. But even the smallest of wolves could snap me like a twig.

Eventually I got shoved into a dominant wolf. He growled at me and grabbed me by the throat. "You spilled my beer," he said. Then he looked past me and shoved me away.

It went downhill from there.

I managed to stay silent through all this, but the wolves herded me out onto the dance floor. I made a dash for freedom, but was cut off. Another dash, and I was cut off. And then I got shoved into one of the dancers, a dominant female, and she turned to me. Before I could react, she had me by the hair, pulling my up and backwards and growling.

It hurt, and I yelped. I tried not to, but I couldn't help it. And in that, I went from frightened, weak victim to frightened, weak prey.

That was when I heard the growl, rising over all the other growls in the room. The female yanking on my hair had turned me to face back the way I had come, and I saw Lara in all her fury, her growl increasing in volume until the entire room grew still.

She leapt from the balcony, landing cleanly on the floor amongst the tables, then took three more bounds, screaming out, "Mine!" before landing in front of me.

The wolf holding me backed up suddenly, not releasing my hair, and I yipped again from surprise and pain.

"Mine!" Lara yelled again, glaring at the other wolf. "Release her!"

"I did not know, Alpha," the other wolf said, releasing my hair with a shove. I fell to the floor with another yip, then curled up, quivering at the alpha's feet.

The alpha growled, and I quivered, my flight mechanism shut down, and all I could think of was "hide, be small, hide, be small." I made myself as small as I could and tried to draw no further attention.

I listened to Lara berate her wolves. "You should all be ashamed. Is this how we treat a visitor to our city?"

"She's just a-" someone started to say. It didn't get finished. There were still humans in the bar, so no one said, "fox" loud enough for the humans to hear.

"She is a person," Lara said, "and she deserves to be treated with respect. It is our job to protect people like this, not victimize them. I am ashamed right now."

And then she knelt down to me. "Are you all right?"

I couldn't answer.

Then I felt her touch. She reached underneath me and lifted me into her arms, easily picking me up off the floor. I clung to the alpha as she carried me out of the now silent bar. Along the way, David stepped in front of us to lead the way, holding the front door. I saw Eric and Jason settle in behind us, flanking the alpha.

"Shhh," Lara said to me. "You are safe now, Michaela. I'm so sorry. Shhh."

I clung to her and continued to quiver. She was strong, and I realized that I felt safe with her. When had that happened? Maybe safety was a relative term. She was still a wolf.

David led the way to the limousine, opening and holding the door for us. "Get in," Lara said. "I'll hand her to you." David slipped into the car and Lara tried to pass me in to him, but I clung to her. She pried my arms from around her neck like she might a child's, and I felt strong, male, wolfy arms taking me from her.

My panic started to return, and as soon as David had drawn me into the car, I jerked away from him, retreating as far as I could in the car. Lara climbed in afterwards and tried to make soothing noises.

"Shh, Michaela, David would never hurt you."

"Wolf," I said quietly. "Wolf. Wolf. Run. Hide. Wolf!"

Lara moved to my side of the car, sitting next to me as I tried to shrink into the corner of the seat.

"Please, let me go. Let me go." I made a quick grasp for the door handle, but Lara caught my hands and pulled me into her arms.

"Shhh," Lara said again. "Breath deeply, little fox. Remember me now. Shhh."

I couldn't help it, I breathed in her scent, that scent of safety I had learned earlier, and suddenly I found myself clutching at her, allowing her to hold me to her, my face buried in her neck, breathing in her scent.

And then Eric climbed into the car with us, and my panic went through the ceiling.

"Wolf!" I yelled then began keening. I tried to hide behind Lara, tried to burrow into the seat like I could dig my way to safety, but she pulled me more tightly against her, holding my head against her neck, and I keened and whimpered in fear.

"I'll ride up front," Eric said gently, and then he slipped back out of the car. The door closed. But David was still there, and the car reeked of wolf. I continued to tremble, hiding against Lara.

"I don't know what to do," Lara said to David. "I am so angry! I promised her she was safe."

I whimpered.

"She knew what she was doing," David said. "Even if you didn't. She was terrified of five of us, but she walked into an entire building full of wolves. She did it with her head held high, and she kept her cool right up until she was about to die."

I made myself even smaller in Lara's arms.

"I have never seen anyone braver," David added.

I pulled my face out of Lara's neck and looked over my shoulder at David, shrinking away from him.

"I will never hurt you, little fox," he said. I didn't believe him. Hurting foxes is what wolves do. I knew it. He knew it. And now Lara finally understood it, too.

I buried my face against Lara again and tried to push the panic away. She pet my hair soothingly, holding me tightly against her.

"Take us to the compound," Lara said eventually. "Have someone bring her overnight bag. She should feel safer there than the house."

"Take me home," I said. "Let me go home."

We rode in relative silence, punctuated by soothing words from Lara. I slowly calmed down, my panic replacing itself with embarrassment. I was clinging to her like a kit to her mother. The only reason I didn't retreat is that it felt so good.

From time to time I glanced at David. He was looking at me with something that might have been concern. Or was it pity? I couldn't tell.

Eventually, I pushed away from Lara. She resisted for a moment, then released her hold. I moved away from her, and she looked disappointed. "I liked holding you," she said quietly.

"I stink of fear," I said. "How can you stand me so close?"

"In your fear, it was me you clung to for safety, Michaela."

"Better the wolf you know, I guess."

She looked away. I had hurt her.

I looked out the window, wondering where we were. It was dark and the windows were deeply tinted. Even with my sharp fox eyes, I couldn't make out any features.

"I shouldn't have said that," I said after a time. "I'm embarrassed and was lashing out. I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't be embarrassed," David said. "You aren't a wolf. You are a fine fox, and you should be proud of who you are."

"A fine fox wouldn't have stepped into a wolf den."

"A fine fox needed to teach truth to the alpha wolf," Lara said.

I turned to look at her. "I liked it when you held me." Then I turned to look out the window again. But Lara took my hint and moved closer, touching me gently. I leaned away from the window and let myself lean against her. She wrapped an arm around me, and we rode together like that.

"I'm not flying home?" I asked. "We're driving all the way to Bayfield?"

"We're not going to Bayfield," Lara said. "We're going to the compound."

I didn't say anything. I wasn't any safer at her compound, undoubtedly filled with wolves, than I was in Madison.

But she felt good.

I glanced over at David. He looked relaxed. "Does this bother you?" I asked him.

"That you got roughed up at the bar? Yes."

"Not that," I said. I shrugged under Lara's arm. "This."

He laughed. "No."

"I suppose the alpha can have her playthings."

"You're not a plaything," Lara said.

I didn't respond to that. If not a plaything, what was I? Certainly I wasn't a viable mate or partner. She needed someone big and strong to help her lead her pack, not someone weak, someone frightened all the time.

No, I was her plaything, or that's what she intended anyway, and when she was done, then what? Then what of my safety?

I decided I didn't have any answers or very many choices.

We slowed down, taking a turn off the highway, and I could tell immediately we were on a dirt road. Then we took another turn and drove slowly along a narrow track, and it was clear the trees were just barely outside the car. We passed through a gate and drove for another three minutes before we pulled into the courtyard of a cluster of buildings.

David climbed out of the car first. As soon as the door opened, I could smell the other wolves, so many wolves.

"Lara," I said, glancing nervously at the door.

"We're going to get out together, Michaela," Lara said. "And everyone will see you are mine. You will be safe."

"That is awfully presumptive, Alpha," I told her. "Do the foxes belong to the wolves now?"

She sighed. "No, Michaela. But you are here with me as my guest. And are under my protection." She was looking away, so I reached up with one hand and pulled her chin towards me.

"Do you intend to bed me, Alpha?"

"If you will allow me to, little fox. It will be your choice."

I looked into her face. She returned my gaze with affection. She was very attractive, and it had been a long time for me.

"Will you hurt me?"

She looked away, and I could tell by the set of her jaw she was angry again. "No," she said.

I leaned up and kissed her jawline. She stiffened, then relaxed, and I kissed her there again. "I do not want our first real kiss to be while I smell of so much fear, Alpha."

She looked back at me, her face full of hope. I let her pull me into her arms, and we held each other. "Will you run with me, little fox?"

"I won't keep up."

"I don't mind," she said.

"I would like to run, but I would like to not smell so foul first."

She kissed me on the top of the head. "Well, let us see what we can do about that. She untangled herself from me and slipped from the car, then reached a hand in for me. I took it, following after her, slipping back under her arm. She held me possessively, and I wrapped an arm around her waist. The message was clear to anyone looking.

I looked around. There were nine other wolves standing around. Eric was talking to one group and David to another. I saw curious looks, some distrustful, but none were outwardly threatening.

"How many more?"

"Twenty, sometimes twenty-five total, including some pups and five very willful teenagers."

"Do they all know my name is not Snack?"

Lara laughed. "Yes. David and Eric are seeing to it."

"All right then. What are these buildings?"

"That one," Lara said, pointing straight ahead, "Is mine." I was looking at a modern, two-story house. It was large, but not overly ostentatious, not like the house in town had been.

"Does anyone else live there?"

"No, but people are in and out all the time. They don't knock except for my bedroom door."

"And these other buildings?"

"School," Lara said, pointing to our left. "And medical center." Then she pointed to the right. "That one is sort of a barracks. There are other houses on the compound as well. David has a house, it's a two-minute run that way." She pointed towards a path to the right of her house, passing between her house and the barracks.

"We are staying here tonight?" I asked.

"Yes. And tomorrow night, if you stay."

I nodded. "We'll see. Do I have my own room?"

"Yes."

"But you're hoping I'll share yours?"

She smiled. "Yes. I need to say hello to people, and introduce you." I nodded to her. She made a gesture, and the other wolves began moving towards us. Lara stepped out in front of me, and I moved up behind her, pressing against her back, as the large wolves moved closer.

"Are you really that nervous, Michaela?"

"I'm sorry," I said, forcing myself to step away from her, straight backwards. I put my back against the car instead and watched warily.

Lara greeted her wolves. They all wanted to touch her, although most of them split their attention between their alpha and me. Finally Lara turned to me and held out a hand. The other wolves were clustered around her. I took a deep breath, which may have been a mistake, as I pulled in a full lungful of wolf. But I stepped forward, stepping through the massed wolves, and took Lara's hand.

"Everyone," Lara said. "This is Michaela. She is alpha of the Wisconsin foxes."

There were scoffs at that. I was the only Wisconsin fox. Lara turned to the loudest scoff. "Elisabeth," she said. "Did you care to comment?"

"Alpha? She's an alpha? Of what foxes? She's practically trembling in fear."

"You walk into a tiger pride, Elisabeth, and see how you do," Lara replied. "Michaela may not command other foxes, but she is to be treated as a visiting alpha, and she is under my protection."

"If she were another alpha," said Elisabeth. "She would neither need nor accept your protection."

"Alpha," I said quietly. "If I may?"

She turned to me, offering a look as to say, "Are you sure?" I nodded, and she said, "Of course, Alpha."

I smiled then turned to Elisabeth, walking through the other wolves to stand in front of her. I had to slip between them, and none of them moved for me, but still I slipped between them.

Compared to me, Elisabeth was practically a monster. She was tall and powerful, and I barely came up to her chest. I crowded well into her personal space, making sure our differences were as evident as I could make them. I looked up into her face.

"Do you find me threatening, Elisabeth?" I asked her.

She laughed. "No."

"Do you want to challenge me? Do you feel a need to put me in my place?"

"I would snap you like a twig," she told me.

"Are you so insecure that you need to prove yourself by showing everyone you can hurt me? You are a tall, powerful wolf. I am one little fox. Would you feel more powerful if you crushed me?"

Elisabeth looked down into my eyes, then began to smile. She cuffed me on the side of the head. I'm sure it was meant to be gentle, but it hurt. I rolled with it, then stood up straight again, staring up into her eyes. Behind me, Lara started to intervene, but she let me handle it.

"I like you," Elisabeth said. "You have guts." Then she looked over my head. "And you make the alpha smile."

I cuffed her back. "I like you, too, Elisabeth. I could hide two of me behind you."

She lifted her head to the sky and laughed. "Yes, you could. Perhaps three." But then she lowered her gaze back to the alpha. "But guts isn't going to be enough to protect her, Alpha. She shouldn't be here. She's going to get hurt."

"By whom?" Lara asked tightly.

"Accidentally. Not a fake accident," Elisabeth said. "But an honest one. Everyone can walk on eggshells for a few days, but eventually we'll let our guard down, and she'll get caught in the middle of something. Or someone is going to have a bad day and look for anyone to take it out on. Or one of the adolescents will be looking for a fight. The only way she doesn't get hurt is if we treat her like a pup. I just cuffed her like I would a pup, and it was all she could take."

Elisabeth looked down into my eyes again. "I like you, fox, but you don't belong here."

I agreed with her, but I didn't think Lara would appreciate if I said so.

Lara stepped forward and put her hands on my shoulders. She looked around. "Michaela is mine," Lara said clearly. "Is that clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," came the replies.

"Does anyone have a problem with that?"

No one spoke up.

"All right, I am going to show Michaela to her room." Lara directed me towards the house.

We had just arrived at the steps when I heard Elisabeth's voice, very low. "Good luck, little fox. You're going to need it." Lara didn't hear her, but I turned around and nodded. She was right.

 **Prey Big and Small**

The house was comfortable, built to be lived in, open, with sturdy furniture and lots of windows. I received the basic tour, ending with, "My room. And yours across the hall. You may use this bathroom." She gestured to a third door in the hallway. "There are fresh towels and everything else you may need.

"Has my bag arrived?"

"No. Are you still up for a run?"

"Yes, I'd like that."

"Your bag should arrive before we get back."

"All right," I replied. "I'll turn furry after my shower and be ready to go."

I slipped into the bathroom, stripping out of my clothes and starting the water. I made sure I would have all the supplies I would need before stepping into the shower.

It felt good to clean off my stench of fear. I wondered how long before it would be replaced. Once out of the shower, I dried off and brushed my hair. Then I cracked the bathroom door open. I could open a door in my fox form, but it was awkward, and I didn't like to do it.

Then I made my shift. As usual, it took only a few seconds. When I was done, I scratched open the door and went to find Lara.

She wasn't in her room or waiting for me in mine. I offered a quick yip.

"Downstairs, Michaela," came her voice. I padded silently down the stairs and cocked my head listening. I heard voices. I listened further.

A standard fox has very fine hearing, able to hear such things as a mouse up to a hundred yards away. I was a were; all my senses were enhanced over those of a standard fox.

I heard a faucet dripping. It sounded like it was coming from the basement. I heard someone walking slowly around a room towards the back of the house. I thought perhaps it was David. I heard Lara's voice from the same room. And I heard countless noises coming from outside.

I slinked towards the voices, poking my nose around the corner and verifying with my eyes what my ears had told me.

Lara was sitting in a chair with David walking back and forth in front of her. They had been talking about me but changed the subject when I appeared. I slipped into the room, hiding behind some of the furniture. Lara saw me, of course. I wasn't really hiding, but it was my nature to stay in cover whenever possible.

Lara smiled at me. "You look so much better when you aren't dangling from your neck."

I offered a small growl and yip.

Lara frowned. "I have no idea what you just said, Michaela, so I choose to believe you just asked me to pick you up."

She rose from her chair and began stalking towards me. I backed away from her, then dashed around the exterior of the room, finding better cover behind another chair. I poked my nose out to watch her.

She chased me around the room for several minutes, David laughing at our antics. I yipped every time she got close. She managed to brush my fur once when she lunged at me, but otherwise I was able to keep at least one piece of furniture between us at all times.

Finally she sat down on the floor, laughing herself, still watching me.

"If I promise not to pick you up, will you come out here so I can see you?"

I crouched down in play posture. Foxes are also in the same family as dogs and wolves, so I knew she'd recognize the posture.

"You want to keep playing?" she asked.

I stood up and yawned. A yawn from a canine is a calming signal, not a sign of boredom. I took two fox-sized steps out into the room, keeping a close eye on both David and Lara.

"I promise not to pick you up, Michaela," she said. "Come out. I want to smell you before I turn furry."

I stepped out two more steps and looked pointedly at David. He laughed. "I won't try to pick you up either."

I stepped fully into the clear, then turned sideways to them.

As a fox, I am a beautiful animal. I am also very vain. I love to show off, even though I find little opportunity. I stretched myself so that I looked long and sleek.

"Posing, Michaela?" David asked. "Really?"

"Oh, tell her she's beautiful," Lara said, staring at me.

"She knows she's beautiful," David said. "Look at her. She doesn't need me to tell her."

I turned my back on him, pouting.

David laughed. "Michaela, you are the most beautiful fox I have ever seen."

I looked over my shoulder at him. I didn't think that meant much. I was likely the only fox he had ever seen.

"I don't think she's impressed with your compliments, David," Lara said.

Suddenly I had an itch, right in the center of my back. I rolled over onto my back and wriggled around, trying to satisfy it. The two of them broke into gales of laughter at my antics. Offended I climbed to my feet, walked straight to Lara, and bit her hand.

Gently.

"I think someone doesn't like being laughed at," David said.

"Do you have an itch?" Lara asked. I turned my back to her, and her fingers began digging through my fur. I shifted around until she found the right spot, then closed my eyes and moaned in pleasure. With the itch satisfied, I turned around and licked her hand, then walked halfway to the door. I turned around to watch her.

She had promised me a run, after all.

Lara bounced to her feet. "Oh, a run is going to feel good."

I couldn't have agreed more.

Lara stayed on two feet as we went outside. She held the front door, and I peered around it, then backed away, growling.

The courtyard was filled with wolves. Furry wolves.

"Michaela," Lara said. "Knock it off."

I flattened my ears and backed away several more steps.

"Oh for heaven's sake," she said. And with no warning at all, she scooped me up into her arms and carried me outside.

At least she wasn't holding me by my scruff.

I growled at her and bit her hand. Gently, but I let my displeasure be known.

"Behave," she said.

I squirmed, but she tightened her hold.

So I bit her hand. Hard.

"Damn it," she said, dropping me. I landed on my feet, tumbled slightly, and took off around the side of the house, skidding to a stop and pressing my side against the foundation before turning around to peer around the corner.

I eyed the door behind her, but David had closed it behind him. I was stuck out here with all these wolves, most of whom were shifting their attention back and forth between the alpha and me. Lara turned to face me.

"I can't read your body language, Michaela."

She could read my bite pretty good, I bet.

I looked at all the furry wolves.

She sighed. "We are going for a run. I hope you will join us." Then she turned her back on me and began shedding clothes. From the corner of the house, I watched. Then she started her shift.

One of the wolves separated from the group and walked slowly in my direction. I turned my gaze to her, my hackles raising. I barred my teeth. The wolf stopped eight feet in front of me, sat down, and yawned.

She was huge, absolutely huge.

Then she lowered herself to the ground in a bow, her head down, her tail up. She wanted to play.

David said quietly, "That's Elisabeth, Michaela."

I took two steps towards her, watching her carefully. Elisabeth watched me, but she kept the play posture. I halved the distance between us, then began sidling around her.

She was huge, easily four, perhaps five times my mass. Being this close to her was intimidating. I grew bolder and stepped up to sniff her. Then, to drive home the difference in our sizes, I took the same position she was in, right next to her, and whined briefly.

She looked over at me and licked me.

Eww! Wolf slime.

I jumped away from her, and she panted at me. A doggy smile. Bitch.

Then her muscles tensed. She telegraphed what she was going to do, but suddenly she pounced at me.

By the time she landed, I was ten feet to the side, my back to the house. She bounded after me. I waited until the last second, then jumped away. I was hoping she would overshoot me and bash herself into the house, but no such luck. She chased me around for another five or six leaps, never getting close. Between each attempt to catch me, we both crouched back down, our tails in the air, bowing to each other. She was just playing, and for now, I was okay with that.

I realized she was trying to herd me towards the other wolves. I glanced at them, and they were all watching, but not interfering. Lara's shift was almost finished, and I decided to change the game. The next time Elisabeth pounced, I bounded closer to Lara. Elisabeth chased after me, and I went diving underneath Lara's feet just as she climbed to them, turning about on a dime to stand in the shelter of Lara's four legs.

Elisabeth came to a sliding halt, inches from her alpha.

I immediately began yipping like I'd been hurt, holding my paw as if I couldn't step on it.

Lara looked down at me as I cringed underneath her, then she looked at Elisabeth and began growling.

Holy shit that was a serious growl!

Elisabeth immediately dropped to the ground and rolled over, submissively exposing her throat. And I instantly dashed out from underneath Lara, clamping my jaws over Elisabeth's exposed throat.

Point to Michaela!

I held my position for just a two count, then bounced away before the wolf could react. She'd just exposed her throat to the little fox, and I found it unlikely she would find it as funny as I did.

I bounced backwards then dashed around to hide behind Lara.

Lara stopped growling and looked over at me. I sat down, panting up at her, a foxy laugh. And Lara cuffed me.

She pulled it. I know she did. But she sent me flying several feet, then I tumbled over twice, yipping until I came to a stop. I lay there in the short grass for a moment, dazed, and immediately Lara was standing over me, sniffing at me and whining.

I sat up, shook my head, and then nipped up at her. I rose to my feet and nipped at her again, then bumped my body against hers. No damage done, and she was forgiven. I peered around her to look at Elisabeth.

The wolf had rolled back onto her tummy and was watching me, panting. I stepped around Lara and approached her closely. Elisabeth let me walk right up to her, and I gave her a quick lick before bouncing back. We were all friends.

What a strange concept.

I walked back to look at Lara. I was surprised to see that Lara was slightly more compact than Elizabeth, although to a fox, still absolutely huge. I walked around her, then made a point of setting one of my paws next to hers. I looked between the two paws, and Lara gave me a quick lick.

Then, Lara barked twice and bounded away, the rest of the wolves in hot pursuit. In seconds, they were all out of sight.

David hadn't shifted. He was still standing on the steps of Lara's house. He had laughed when I'd nipped Elisabeth's neck. Now he looked at me.

"We're on the southern portion of the land we own," he said. "We've been buying it up for years and own everything for five miles north, three miles east, and six miles west. But there are roads, so be careful."

I took off after the wolves, tracking them by their sound. They were loud, even when they weren't barking and howling.

There was no way I could keep up with them, of course, and the noises grew more distant. I decided it was time for a snack, and I veered off the path. These were unfamiliar grounds to me, so I slowed down and began moving quietly. Once the wolves were far enough away, I would be better able to hear my prey.

It didn't take long to find a rabbit. I don't usually hunt rabbits. Frankly, they're much more than a meal for me, and I hate wasting an animal. But I thought perhaps Lara would appreciate a gift. I listened carefully, crept closer, and then pounced.

I got lucky. Perhaps the rabbit was too used to much louder predators. It only got a half step before I landed on it, immediately breaking it's neck. I picked it up and proudly went in search of the wolves.

They made it easy. They began barking. From the sounds, they were moving very quickly, east to west in front of me, and I set an intercept course.

I came to a road and stopped just inside the bush, watching. A minute later, I heard crashing in the trees, and then a deer dashed across the road. Moments later, two dark streaks followed. I thought one of them was Lara.

I turned to parallel their course, not wanting to be right on their path in case the other wolves were right behind them. The chase only lasted another half mile, and I could have told the entire story just from the sounds. Then there was silence before the howling started.

All the wolves arrived before I did. I was tired from carrying the rabbit around. I broke into a small clearing and saw the wolves clustered around a deer carcass. I stopped, staring at them from perhaps thirty yards away.

Lara had already eaten. She lay in the grass watching the other wolves. She turned to face me.

I stopped, the rabbit still dangling from my jaws. I had caught a rabbit and thought to offer it as a gift. Lara had gotten a deer. I walked up to her and dropped the rabbit in front of her. Then, embarrassed by my meager gift, I turned tail and ran back into the woods.

No one followed.

I didn't run long, just long enough to put some distance between me and the wolves. Then I slowed down and immediately turned west, moving silently.

Instinct kicked in, and I began all the fox tricks for throwing off a pursuer. I circled back to the road, then followed it in the ditch. When I arrived at a small culvert, I went past it a dozen steps then backtracked and ducked into the culvert, coming out the other side. It was too small for a wolf, and one following could go right past it without noticing it.

I found a small pond. I walked up to it, took a few drinks of water, washing away the taste of rabbit, then set a path leading from the water. Again I doubled back, then ran along the shore halfway around the pond before heading in a new direction.

About ten minutes after I'd left the rabbit, I heard a series of yips from Lara. I thought perhaps she was asking me where I was. I didn't answer her.

I caught a rabbit, and she caught a deer. I had never felt more inadequate in my entire life. What made it worse was that a rabbit was close to the biggest thing I'd ever killed. I was capable of killing opossums, but that was about the biggest I'd go. Groundhogs and raccoons were right out. And a deer? No way.

I ran across a fallen tree, then ran back the way I'd come, leaping over the large tree root.

I found a small stream and followed it briefly.

I laid several other false trails.

And then, finally, I climbed a tree.

It is rare for a standard fox to climb a tree, but of course, I was a were fox. I wasn't as comfortable in a tree as a squirrel was, but I held my own.

I waited in the tree a long time. I tracked Lara. Every few minutes, she yipped for me. At one point a dark shadow passed below my tree, and I wondered if it was her, looking for me. A minute or two later, she yipped again, then she doubled back, coming to a rest almost directly beneath my tree. She sat there for several minutes, then yipped twice.

I didn't answer her.

Eventually she moved on. I tracked her progress as she headed back towards the house.

I waited another hour before climbing down.

If it hadn't been so far, I would simply have run home. But Bayfield was on the other side of Wisconsin, five hours by car. I didn't even want to think about how many days it would take me to run there. I had no choice but to find mechanized transport home, which meant lugging my embarrassed body back to Lara's and begging for a ride.

Perhaps she would be asleep when I got there, and I could stave off further embarrassment until morning.

It didn't take that long to return to the compound. I circled to the far side. I didn't see any scouts, but I entered the compound from the opposite side, coming to the back of Lara's house then slinking along the edge until I turned the corner towards the front door.

Lara was on the steps, back in human form, staring right at me. I stopped in my tracks, watching her.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

I held back, then lowered my head and slunk to her, coming slowly up the steps. She reached out and grabbed me, pulling me to her, and I didn't resist as she pulled me into her arms. Her fingers began working their way over my body.

"You seem fine," she said after a minute. "I thought we would run together, Michaela."

I pulled away from her, lying down on the porch with my head between my paws.

"Were you mad because I cuffed you? I'm sorry, I tried to be gentle. That was a dirty trick to play on Elisabeth. I could have hurt her, thinking she had hurt you."

I air nipped at Lara's hand, then laid my head on her knee, looking up at her. Her hand moved to the back of my neck, and she dug her fingers into the fur, massaging gently.

We stayed like that for a while. "I'd like to understand. Let's go upstairs. You can shift and we can talk."

I huffed. I didn't want to talk. I wanted to go home. But I stood up and waited for her to hold the door for me.

Once in the house, I ran ahead of Lara to my room. I shifted on the run, coming to two feet and looking around for my clothes. My duffle bag was sitting on the bed, and I pulled clothes out and slipped them on. I was decent by the time Lara arrived.

"There's a sofa in my room. Will you come talk to me?"

I nodded. "All right." I followed behind her slowly. She waited for me inside her room, closing the door behind me. She gestured to the sofa, and I crossed over to sit in it. Lara sat down at the other end and turned to me.

She stared at me. I stared at my hands.

"What happened?" she asked.

"Nothing. I'm fine."

"Why didn't you run with me?"

"I couldn't possibly keep up, Lara. Three bounds and you were gone. I followed, but after about ten minutes, you were well out of my ability to hear you, except when you barked or howled."

"So you were angry at being left behind?"

"No. I knew I couldn't keep up. That wasn't a problem." I still wasn't looking at her. "You fed me earlier. I veered off the path you took; you had scared away the game. But I found a rabbit. Then I tracked you down. I wanted to give it to you. I saw you when you crossed the road after the deer. I heard you take it down. Who was with you? I saw two wolves."

"Eric. But it was my kill."

"So, I stepped into that little clearing, carrying my little rabbit. And you had just eaten venison. Who would want a scrawny rabbit after having her fill of venison? Two gulps and it would be gone, anyway. I almost just turned around and found somewhere to eat it myself, but I had caught it for you."

"It was lovely, Michaela. I shared it. I thought perhaps you went off to find another one, but you didn't come back. Didn't you hear me call for you?"

"Yes."

"When you didn't answer, I thought perhaps you were playing, and I was supposed to find you. I sent everyone else home, thinking perhaps all those wolves had you nervous, and you were hiding somewhere. And I tried to follow you."

"I know."

"I lost you four times."

I smiled briefly at that.

"Each time, I called for you, giving up. If it were a game, you won."

"But you found the trail again each time."

"Not easily. I had to circle around, looking for it. In the end, though, I lost you, and I never found your trail that last time. Why didn't you answer? I sat and called for you."

"I know. I was watching you."

"You were watching?"

I nodded.

"Why didn't you call back?"

"I was too embarrassed, Lara! Don't you understand? I was so embarrassed. I tried to offer you a rabbit after you had just taken down a deer. A rabbit. Like you would want a rabbit."

"You're a good hunter, Michaela," she said.

I looked away.

"But you're not here for your hunting prowess. Do you know why you're here?"

"No, Lara, I don't."

"You are here for the plain, simple reason that I want you."

She moved closer on the sofa.

"I admire you a great deal, Michaela."

"That's ridiculous," I told her.

"No, it's not. You are amazingly brave."

"I'm afraid all the time, Lara. You don't know what it's like."

"I know I don't. And yet even while you are so afraid, you move forward, doing what you need to do, whether that's your job or biting and scratching the domineering wolf holding you by your neck. You walk into a bar full of wolves to deliver a message I desperately needed to understand. And you stood up to Elisabeth, who frightens even me."

Lara moved a little closer.

"You are very cunning, Michaela," Lara said. "I had to cuff you for that trick, but that was the funniest trick I have ever seen. No wolf ever would have thought of that."

"I miscalculated, Alpha," I told her.

"How so?"

"I thought to get you to cuff her. It was a spur of the moment thought. I thought you knew we were playing, and I thought to pull you into the game. But then I heard you growl, and I knew I had taken it too far. When she barred her throat to you, after having done nothing wrong, I thought you would hurt her. I had to defuse the situation, so I did it in the funniest fashion I could think of."

"I could never hurt her, Michaela. She's my sister."

I processed that for a moment. "Is she angry with me?"

"She got a lot of crap for it. But she was laughing. She told me to tell you, point to the little fox. I think you impressed the hell out of her."

Lara moved closer, and our thighs were pressed against each other. Still, I didn't look at her.

"You are beautiful, Michaela. And your fox is gorgeous."

I smiled. "That's true. My fox is outstanding. Your wolf is beyond amazing."

"You liked?"

I leaned my head on her shoulder. "I'm so small I stood up straight while I was between your legs, and my back didn't touch your belly."

"You can go places I can't."

I didn't think that was of much value.

"You can see things I can't."

I clasped her arm with my hands.

"You can hear things I can't, Michaela."

"Did anyone eat my rabbit, Lara?"

She laughed. "Yes. We all shared it."

"That's ridiculous. It's two bites for you."

"Nevertheless, we all shared it."

"Why?"

"Because it was your first kill for the pack, Michaela. And pack shares."

I turned towards her, burying my nose against her neck, and breathed in deeply. She smelled wonderful, wild and strong. Then she lifted my chin, and our lips met.

Her lips were soft and full, and it was my first kiss in a very long time. I whimpered into the kiss and let her pull me more tightly against her. When her tongue flicked against my lips, I parted for her, but she ignored my invitation, choosing instead to simply tease me with her tongue. I whimpered again, and she tightened her hold before breaking the kiss.

I opened my eyes and looked up into hers.

"I need to know something, Lara. Is this just a night, maybe a weekend, or something longer?"

"Longer, little fox. Much longer."

"If all you want is my body, you can have it, right now."

"I want more than your body, Michaela."

I closed my eyes, steeling my resolve, then opened them again to look at her. "In that case, I want us to go slow."

"I don't like going slow, little fox."

"If this is just physical relief, you can have me tonight, Lara."

"It's not about physical relief, Michaela."

"Then I need to feel worthy. And not afraid."

"You are safe, Michaela!" She looked angry.

"Am I? You were being gentle when you cuffed me, weren't you."

"Yes. I already apologized for hitting you too hard."

"Lara, you were being gentle, and you were amused, not angry. What would have happened if I'd actually made you angry? Would you have controlled yourself?"

She stared at me, searching my face, and I knew she wasn't sure. If she couldn't be, how could I? "I could have hurt you," she realized.

"Lara. You did hurt me."

She stared into my face. "No," she said, little more than a breath.

I pulled her into a kiss, a quick kiss. "I'm fine. I ran the stiffness off. I might be the size of a wolf pup, but I am far more delicately built than even the lightest pup. Lara, you'll kill me without even realizing it."

And then I stood up. "Thank you for dinner and the run, Lara. I had a very interesting evening."

"Interesting. Not enjoyable?"

I laughed lightly. "I am a fox, Lara. They are one and the same."

And then I slipped from her room.

 **Water Sports**

I slept poorly. I hadn't had these particular nightmares in a long time. The third time I woke, my heart pounding, I sat up and swore quietly.

It was the scent of wolf that was doing it. While the sheets and bedding were clean and freshly laundered, they had been washed by a wolf, and her scent lingered. The entire house smelled like wolf as well, and this was triggering the dreams.

They were the same. In them, I was playing with my older sister, Jean, when my father came racing into the clearing that contained our little cottage. In the distance, I heard the howling of wolves, and I could smell the fear on my father.

I shook my head. I didn't want to think about the dreams. I slipped out of bed. I was wearing an oversized tee shirt and nothing else. I looked down, decided it would have to do, and stepped across the hall. I listened at Lara's door. Right at the edge of my hearing, she was breathing. More importantly, she was alone.

Her breathing shifted when I cracked the door open and slipped inside. She was a light sleeper. "It's Michaela," I said quietly, crossing to the bed. I didn't even bother waiting for an invitation but slipped under the covers next to her. She rolled to face me, reaching for me, misunderstanding.

"Dreams," I said. "This is just to sleep. Please."

"You mean nightmares?" she asked.

"Yes. From a long time ago. Please, may I curl against you?"

She nodded and settled in, and I curled into her back, breathing deeply her scent. It was wolf, and I didn't know if the dreams could come back, but I was starting to feel safe with her, and maybe she would keep the dreams at bay.

It took time to finish banishing the last nightmare, but then I slept and knew nothing until full daylight had arrived.

Lara woke first but lay still, not waking me. From her breathing, I could tell she was awake when I opened my eyes. I had burrowed my face into her back. She was wearing a black teddy and panties, and my faced was pressed into the silk. She stiffened slightly, and she knew I was awake.

I shifted away slightly, then reached up and pulled her shoulder towards me, rolling her onto her back, then squirmed closer, draping myself into her. "Thank you," I told her.

"No more nightmares?"

"Perhaps pleasant dreams of feeling safe."

My eyes were closed, but I could tell she was pleased.

"We shared a bed after all."

"Not quite the way you intended to bed me," I replied.

"I have no complaints." She stretched, and I felt her muscles ripple, and when she was done, she had an arm around me, pulling me tightly against her.

"Subtle, Alpha," I told her.

She giggled. "You know, Michaela, I have never shared my bed before."

Her words reminded me of the last person I'd slept next to. I stiffened and pulled my hands to my chest. I tried to pull away from her, but she held me tightly.

"Michaela? What did I say?"

I willed myself to relax. "Nothing. It's not your fault."

She reached over and caressed my cheek, tucking errant hair behind my ear. "Please tell me."

"I haven't shared a bed for a very long time, Lara, and then only with one person. She is dead now."

"Oh. I am sorry. How did she die?"

I didn't answer. I wasn't ready to tell her. "Change the subject," I ordered.

"What would you like to do today?"

I smiled. "You didn't have it all planned out?"

"Yes, I did," she said. "I had planned on spending the day fucking like bunnies."

I laughed. "Have you ever watched bunnies fuck? It's kind of boring."

She chuckled, her chest jiggling. I got a good look. Lara realized where I was staring. "I am wondering if perhaps my original plan will stand."

"No, Lara. But this is nice."

"Yes, it is." Lara stroked my hair, and I relaxed further into her. We lay like that for a while. "You haven't answered my question," Lara finally pointed out.

"I was thinking. I was thinking of our imbalance. You are a wolf alpha. I am a lone fox. You are big and strong. I am small and fragile."

"And very lovely and cunning."

"You are rich. By all appearances, very, very rich. I am a public servant."

"Did you come to any conclusions about these imbalances?"

"Yes. There is nothing to be done about any of them. You will always be a wolf. I will always be a fox. You will always be rich, unless you are incredibly foolish. And I would never let you be foolish."

She tightened her hold on me.

I went on. "I may not be a public servant forever, but I have little interest in the things that would make me rich."

"In spite of your foxy curiosity?"

"I have little interest in power, Lara. I recognize the source. I recognize the way it works. But I could never be the face of power. I could be the woman behind the power, but I could never be the one with the power. For more reasons than I can count."

"All right," she said. "So we have these imbalances that are here to stay."

"It is impractical to fight against them. And so I must accept them."

"You are a practical little fox," Lara said non-committedly.

"Of course I am," I told her. "I know what I would like to do today. Come to Bayfield with me. I want to spend a very small amount of your money."

She laughed. "All right. What are we going to do?"

"Do you have a wet suit?"

"Why would I ever need a wet suit?"

I grinned but didn't answer.

"I'll need to bring enforcers. It's too far from Madison."

"If we drive, we'll miss our opportunity."

"Don't worry," Lara said. "We'll fly."

"I suppose with the alpha along, I can't claim shotgun this time." I mock pouted.

She laughed. "We'll see what we can arrange."

I leaned up and nuzzled her neck then turned her head for a kiss. As kisses go, it was very chaste, but it was sweet, and I melted against her for a moment longer before rolling away. We climbed to our feet on opposite sides of the bed. I went in search of a shower.

Stepping out of the shower, I heard the noises of the house. There were people downstairs. I heard the sounds of food being prepared. There was a mix of voices, male and female. Lara was taking her own shower.

I dressed in jeans, a blouse, and my tennis shoes, then packed my bag and made the bed. By the time I was done, Lara was out of the shower. I crossed the hallway to her door, which was open.

"What do I need to bring?" she asked over her shoulder, hearing me skulking in the hallway.

I stepped inside. She was dressed much as I was. "Beach clothing," I said. "And something to wear to dinner. Do you want casual or expensive for dinner?"

She turned to face me. "Rittenhouse. I already made reservations. I hope that is all right."

"I love the Rittenhouse. I can't afford to go very often."

She finished packing a small travel bag for her beach clothing and pulled a garment bag from her closet. Downstairs, we left our bags near the door, and Lara took my hand to lead me to the kitchen.

The kitchen was full of wolves. I stopped at the entrance. I knew they were there, but the sight of them was still intimidating. Every pair of eyes in the room turned to face us in the doorway.

"Good morning, Alpha," Rory said.

I looked around the room, finding familiar faces. David, Rory, Elisabeth, and three wolves I didn't know all faced us. I recognized their faces from last night, but I hadn't actually met them.

"Good morning," Lara responded. She turned to me and gave me a moment.

"Good morning," I said finally, stepping fully into the kitchen. I dropped Lara's hand and walked to face Elisabeth, ignoring the other wolves. I looked up into her face.

"If you want revenge, I understand. If you hit me, you could kill me."

There was muffled laughter from behind me, and I heard some gleeful comments about the wolf that bared her throat to a tiny fox.

Elisabeth smiled. "It was pretty funny, little fox. Once I got over the embarrassment, anyway. I haven't played like a pup in years, and I had fun."

"I don't need to look over my shoulder, then?"

"No. If I ever need to challenge you, it will be to your face."

We smiled at each other, and I stepped away. "Anyone coming to Bayfield needs to be prepared for a day at the beach. If you have wet suits, bring them. What's for breakfast? And who is packing a doggy bag?"

No one found my comment about doggy bags funny.

Forty minutes later we were at their little airport. There was a single paved strip, three hangars, and little else. Parked in front of one of the hangars were two airplanes. June, the pilot from yesterday, was walking around one of them, checking it over.

Counting June, there were six of us. David, Rory and Elisabeth were going to Bayfield with us. We walked over to the planes, and June turned to Lara.

"Good morning, Alpha," she said. "Both planes are preflighted and ready to go."

"Thank you, June. Everyone climb in. Elisabeth you're with me. I'm sorry, but Michaela asked for shotgun."

Elisabeth grumbled good naturedly but climbed into the back of one of the planes. Lara walked around the plane quickly, then checked the fuel and oil level while I watched.

"Didn't June do that?" I asked.

"She did. But as the pilot, I am ultimately responsible for the flight, so I double checked."

"You're the pilot?" I asked. "Doesn't that take years of experience?"

"Forty hours," she said. "But I've been flying since I was seven. You're perfectly safe."

After that, Lara climbed in first, crossing to the pilot's seat on the left. I followed after her and closed the door the way I'd been taught. I adjusted my seat, buckled in, put my headphones on, then sat quietly while Lara did the pilot things.

Ten minutes later, both airplanes were in the air and pointed north.

Lara keyed the radio. "June, keep some separation. The fox looks like she wants to make us all airsick." Then she turned to me and took her hands from the controls. "Your airplane, Michaela."

I grinned at her and settled my hands on the controls.

Thirty minutes later, Elisabeth finally said, "For all that is holy, Alpha, make her stop. Or I swear, I will not be responsible for the mess I make of your leather seats."

I immediately took my hands from the controls, but I turned around. Elisabeth was white. "I thought I was doing pretty good," I said. "I'm sorry."

"You were doing fine," Lara said. "Ignore her. She just hates sitting in back."

It was late morning when we arrived at Madeline Island. We parked the planes and walked to the ferry, everyone in good spirits.

"No one minds the walk?" I asked Lara.

"It's a beautiful day for a walk," Lara responded. And it was. Sunny, warm, but not horribly hot. Everyone except me was wearing a hat. I hadn't brought one, but I'd collect one at home. "I didn't know Bayfield had a beach."

"It doesn't, not really. We're not going swimming. At least not intentionally."

"Then what are we doing?"

"You'll see."

She growled at me. "It is not nice to keep the alpha guessing."

I stroked her arm. "I am fox. Get used to it."

From behind me, Elisabeth snickered. Lara turned to glare at her. "Hey," Elisabeth said. "You're the one with the infatuation for the fox. Don't blame me."

"Infatuation?" I asked.

"She's been talking about you for weeks," Elisabeth said.

"Shut up, Elisabeth," Lara said.

"Oh no, Elisabeth, keep talking."

"I have to admit," Elisabeth said. "I wish someone had taken pictures."

"Pictures of what?"

"You, dangling from the scruff of your neck."

"Shut up, Elisabeth," I said.

Everyone chuckled.

We didn't have to wait long for the ferry. Once on firm ground, we walked to my house. Until then, everyone had acted casually, but I watched as the wolves went on alert, fanning out with Lara and me in the middle.

"Seriously?" I asked Lara.

"Nothing wrong with caution," Lara said.

When we got to the house, I stopped everyone. "Lara, I don't want my house smelling like five wolves for two weeks. We're only staying for a few minutes. But everyone needs to change into swimsuits."

"They can change in the garage," Lara said. "Will you let David check it out before you and I go in alone?"

I nodded. David took my keys from me and entered via the front door while the other wolves spread out, circling my house. David slipped into my house. I could have told him there was no one there, but I listened as he searched my house, checking every nook and cranny. Finally he slipped out and nodded to Lara.

"Paranoid wolves," I said halfway under my breath as Lara and I slipped into the house. "You may change down here," I told Lara, pointing to the bathroom. "I will only be a few minutes."

In my bedroom, I changed into a simple one-piece suit, tossing a white blouse over my shoulders, and a pair of sandals. Downstairs, Lara showed her appreciation for my bare legs. I basked.

Yes, I am vain about my appearance. I am fox, after all.

Lara looked pretty good, too. She was in a bikini, and her body was amazing. All sinew and muscle, but she had her own curves, and I appreciated them, even if she was taller than an Amazon.

I transferred my wallet from my purse to a waterproof bag I use when I am on the water. "Give me yours, too," I told Lara, and we added hers before stepping out back.

The other wolves were all ready for a day on the beach, but they looked at me dubiously. "All right," I said. "I need some big strong wolves to help me." That earned me some grins. I led the way back into the garage and pointed to the ceiling. "I want that down."

"A canoe?" Lara asked.

"Kayak."

She eyed it dubiously. "We won't all fit."

"I have it covered," I told her.

"Elisabeth and June, if you wouldn't mind?" she asked them. They sprang to it. I helped them release the right ropes, and they gently lowered my kayak to the floor of the garage. I double checked that everything I needed was in the cockpit and hit the garage door opener.

"If two of you can carry that," I asked. "Who likes to fish and has a license?" Rory, Elisabeth and June raised their hands. "Let me see your licenses," I said.

"You don't trust our word?" Elisabeth asked.

"I work for US Fish and Wildlife," I said. "If I take you fishing and you're caught without a license, I don't know what happens to my job." It took a minute, but all three produced fishing licenses. I added them to my waterproof bag then asked Rory to help me collect fishing gear.

Ten minutes later, our little troop was back at the waterfront. "Wait here," I said, stepping into a boathouse next to the water. "Lara, with me if you please."

Benny, the shop owner, was finishing with another customer. I waited for him to be finished. He turned to me. "Michaela!"

"Hey, Benny. This is Lara. We need full gear for five. And you need to take a peek at them."

Benny stepped outside, and I pointed to the four enforcers clustered around my kayak. It looked tiny next to them. "Oh my," he said. "They're-"

"Big."

"Yeah. Even the women." Benny stepped closer. "Is the brunette single?"

I laughed. "She'd eat you for lunch, Benny. Would you like an introduction?" I raised my voice. "June, we'll need you, too."

Benny was small for a man. Compared to me, he was a giant, but June had three inches of height on him. I introduced the two of them, and we retreated back into the boathouse. Lara was looking at the boats.

I let Benny and June handle everything. The two of them carried kayak after kayak down to the water, then Benny handed June paddles and life jackets. Lara stepped up to me, giggling.

"I am reminded of a movie."

"I know, I was just thinking of that. Is she single?"

"Yes. Benny?"

"He's a good man." I stressed the last word.

"I don't know if June will be interested, but if she is, she'll be gentle with him."

Outfitting the wolves in wetsuits was less of a challenge than I expected. The women wore men's wetsuits, and Benny had two super extra humungously large suits for David and Rory.

"Do you need a safety clinic?" Benny asked us finally.

"I'll handle it," I told him. "If that's okay with you." I handed Lara her billfold, and she paid Benny for the rentals.

I got them all into the shallow water with their kayaks. There was grumbling when I made them all wear lifejackets, but Lara growled, and they all shut up. I noticed Elisabeth was very quiet and hadn't grumbled about putting on a lifejacket. I eyed her and she grinned at me.

I demonstrated the basics while they stood in the water. I showed them how to use the splash skirt and how to paddle. Then I stopped some distance from the shore and tipped over. I didn't want to try to teach an Eskimo roll, so I slipped out of the boat and came up next to it. I explained everything then one by one, starting with Lara, let them climb into their boats and demonstrate they could escape if they tipped. I kept Elisabeth to last.

"Everyone into their boats," I said. "Elisabeth and I are going to demonstrate two other ways to right a tipped over kayak."

They got into their boats, and we paddled into mildly deeper water. I slipped mine up to Elisabeth. "How good are you?"

"Probably not as experienced as you are, but good enough."

"We're going to demonstrate an assisted righting first," I said. She nodded. "You first." I raised my voice. "Now, Elisabeth is going to tip over."

She promptly flipped her boat. Then her hand came up out of the water, and she tapped the bottom of the boat. I paddled up next to her on the opposite side, grabbed her arm, and she flipped back right side up. There was sarcastic applause. I immediately flipped my boat, then while hanging upside down in the water, reached up and tapped on the bottom. I felt Elisabeth grab my wrist and pull.

She almost pulled my arm out of the socket, and I popped back out of the water. I worked the shoulder and turned to her. "Gently next time."

"Sorry."

I made everyone practice that, both tipping their kayaks and helping someone right theirs. Only two people let go of their paddles, but they floated and were quickly retrieved.

"You guys can try this next one if you want," I said. "But it takes practice." I nodded to Elisabeth. She paddled a short distance away, flipped her kayak, and then attempted to right it herself. It took her three attempts, but she got it. "Nice job, Elisabeth." I waited for her to pump out her kayak. "Help me with this now if you would, Elisabeth." I flipped and immediately exited, popping to the surface. Elisabeth paddled over and I explained what we were doing.

I righted my kayak in the water, and Elisabeth paddled to the front end, her kayak forming a T against mine. I swam to the front of her kayak and steadied it. Elisabeth reached down, grabbed my kayak by the handle, and pulled it across hers. She flipped it over, tipping the water out of it, then set it back in the water.

"Lara, go to the other side and stead Elisabeth's kayak." I waited until she was in place, then with Elisabeth steadying mine, and Lara steadying Elisabeth's, I climbed back in, slipping into the cockpit.

"We're not going to practice that," I said. They laughed. I told them to wait where they were, bringing Elisabeth with me. We retrieved the fishing gear and food from shore, storing everything in our kayaks. And then we began our tour of the waterfront.

We paddled around in front of Bayfield for a half hour before I was sure everyone knew how to paddle properly and they could be trusted not to screw around. After that, we left the harbor. There was only a light breeze, and this portion of the lake was sheltered. Everyone rode the very light waves very well. We pointed our kayaks north and proceeded up the shore.

At first, everyone stayed clustered together, but the further we paddled, the more obvious it became the wolves were bored with the pace one little fox was setting. As a were, even as small as I was, I was strong compared to a human, but tiny, so my speed over the water was significant. We had traveled much further than a human would have paddled. But I was close compared to the wolves, and they were growing bored. They began screwing around. I sighed.

Lara looked over at me. "Is that going to be a problem?"

"Probably." I looked at Elisabeth. "Paddle ahead of us, two hundred yards, and stop. Everyone else stay here."

She nodded and really set her paddle into the water, shooting ahead of us. When I deemed the distance was good, I told Lara, "That's far enough." She whistled loudly, and Elisabeth came to a stop, turning around to face us.

"All right, time to race." Four wolf ears perked right up. "From here, past Elisabeth, and back here. Contact with Elisabeth's boat is a forfeit. Two at a time."

"Me and June," Rory said immediately. I looked at her and she nodded.

We got them lined up and I said, "The alpha will call the start and the winner."

"Three, two, one, go!" Lara said immediately. Both of them dug their paddles in and set off.

Damn! They were fast. Sloppy, but fast. June settled into a cleaner pace sooner than Rory did, and she was turned around and heading back a second or two ahead of Rory. Halfway back, it was clear she was a boat length or so ahead, but Rory was really pulling hard on the water.

I had thought that I would race as well. My style was significantly better than anyone else here, and that was an advantage. I also had a sleeker kayak than the ones they were using, a better paddle, and due to my size, I rode lighter in the water. But no way did I have the upper body strength I'd just seen June display.

June flashed between my boat and Lara's, Rory a half length behind her.

"The win to June," Lara declared. The winner raised her paddle in victory. From across the water, Elisabeth offered a wolf call to celebrate the win.

"David and Lara next," I declared. "Rory, if you can paddle wide of their path, please head down and replace Elisabeth. Tell her to conserve her strength."

Lara and David lined up. I called the start and they were off. David took an instant lead, but they were neck and neck when they turned around, and Lara won by a small amount. Both of them were breathing hard and grinning. With Rory now at the other end, Elisabeth followed them at a sedate pace.

I made everyone run multiple races, watching them tire themselves out. The men all relied on brute strength. The women did, as well, although their style was better than the men's. Finally, when everyone had raced everyone, and I saw a lot of heavy breathing and people working out stiff shoulder muscles, I said, "Last race. Lara and me." She had just raced Elisabeth, and they had both been very competitive about it. "Call the start, Elisabeth."

I was already set to go and was hoping Elisabeth would call the start before Lara was even ready, but she waited for the alpha to line up and nod to her before getting us started.

I paddled firmly but easily, maintaining a crisp clean track through the water. Lara relied on her strength. By the time we reached David, serving as the turning point, Lara was ahead by a half boat. I did a crisp reversal whereas Lara's was sloppy, and I gained a full boat length on her during the turn.

"Damn it!" she said from behind me. I could tell from the sounds that she put renewed energy into winning the race.

But she was just a wolf, and I was the fox. I waited until I saw the bow of her boat out of the corner of my right eye and began edging towards the right. "Don't run me over," I told her. "The passing boat is responsible for passing cleanly."

She continued to gain on me, and I continued to edge her further towards the right. Soon we faced towards the shore rather than the finish line.

"What are you doing?" she asked me.

"Playing to win, Alpha."

I knew the moment she dug a paddle in to turn towards the finish instead of being pushed closer to shore. I turned faster, and her boat dropped behind my peripheral vision again. I'd regained the lead I'd had from the turnaround.

This time, she came up on my left side. As soon as I saw her boat, I turned further to the left. She realized it right away and she swore at me.

I pushed her slightly left, but we only had fifty yards to go, and I turned immediately towards the finish. Elisabeth and June were marking the finish, and Lara and I would need to pass between their boats. I aimed my boat on a line that would take me very near Elisabeth's boat with no room for Lara to pass between me and Elisabeth. With twenty yards to go, she had almost caught up to me before she realized what I was doing.

"You fox!" Lara yelled.

"Don't hit anyone," I yelled back.

Seconds later I flashed across the finish line. Lara narrowly missed Elisabeth's boat on the wrong side.

"The cheating little fox won," Elisabeth declared.

Lara and I came to a stop well past the others. I paddled over to her. "Are you angry with me?" I asked her.

Panting, she shook her head. "No. You just demonstrated why I want you around. You didn't win on strength, you won by being more clever."

I grinned at her. "That was hardly clever."

"So you had more tricks up your sleeves?"

"Sure. I didn't even have to tip your boat over."

"Oh, like this?" and then she reached over and leaned on the edge of my cockpit. I counter balanced, and she suddenly straightened, pulling up on the cockpit of my boat, flipping me over.

She'd caught me completely by surprise.

I did an Eskimo roll, but just before I was fully upright, Lara used her paddle against my side to roll me back upside down. She did it twice more, and I hung from my boat, out of breath, then reached up and tapped the bottom of my boat several times. I felt her grab my wrist, and she gently pulled me upright. I came up, sputtering.

Once upright, I saw that Elisabeth had moved closer and was hovering nearby, ready to assist if I'd needed it. She saw I was all right and then said, "I should have warned you, Michaela. My little sister is a poor loser."

"Naw," I said. "She just needed to reassert her dominance. She keeps forgetting I am outside the pack hierarchy." I began paddling slowly, taking us to my favorite fishing spot. The wolves had burnt off quite a bit of their excess energy, but it wasn't long before they were paddling circles around me or challenging each other to additional races. Lara held herself aloof from all of it but after a while paddled up next to me.

"Does it bother you?" she asked me.

"Does what?"

"The reason I tipped you over."

I laughed. "No. It bothers me I have to reign in the paybacks."

"Paybacks? Like what?"

"Hmm," I said. I glanced over at her and frowned.

"What?"

"Something is wrong with your paddle. Let me see it, please."

Without even thinking about it, she handed me her paddle. I grinned and immediately paddled away from her. It took her a few seconds to realize I'd left her stranded, out in the lake without a paddle, and she began laughing.

"Who wants to race Lara now?" I asked, loud enough for the other wolves to hear. Four wolves and one fox grinned at the alpha as she bobbed alone in the big lake.

"Rory," she said in a clear voice. "Give me your paddle." She used her alpha voice, and Rory immediately paddled over to her, relinquishing his paddle to her. Lara grinned at me.

"Point to the fox," Elisabeth said in a clear voice. "Half a point to the alpha. The fox is up two to one and a half."

"How do you figure that, Elisabeth?" asked Lara.

"Point for winning the race. I am tempted to add a half point for how she won, but that finish was a little dangerous. You got a half point for tipping her over and another half point making her ask for help."

"Another point to the fox for taking us kayaking," June yelled out.

"I thought about that," Elisabeth yelled back. "But she lost that point for practically making me airsick on the way here."

After that, the bantering went back and forth, with Lara and I gaining and losing points as fast as the wolves could come up with reasons for them. Finally I broke my own silence. "All I can say is, I'm glad the points started this morning and not last night."

There was gentle laughter at that. "Why not last night?"

"Ten points to the fox for making Elisabeth submit to her," Lara immediately declared.

That earned a round of laughter amidst Elisabeth's declarations she hadn't submitted to me, she'd submitted to Lara. Then Elisabeth asked, "But why not last night's points, little fox? Seems like you're way ahead."

"How many points is a deer kill?" I asked.

"Not as much as first kill for the pack," Lara declared immediately.

"Oh yeah," David said. "First kill is always a big deal. And you didn't even share in it. Did you go off and find four more for yourself?"

"It wasn't my first kill," I said.

"First kill for pack," David said.

"I'm not pack," I said.

"That's not what Lara says," Elisabeth said.

"Shut up, Elisabeth," Lara said immediately.

The two of them glared at each other, and I interjected. "I'm not pack. But how about friend of the pack?"

Lara looked at me for a moment, then smiled. "For now, I'll accept that."

Rory hadn't been involved in the banter. Instead, he'd been paddling rapidly around the group of kayaks. I had kept track of him with my ears. I heard him coast, then I heard the sound of a life vest being taken off and a wet suit zipper sliding down.

"Rory," I said. "Freeze right now!"

"I'm hot," he complained.

"I said freeze, Rory!"

He ignored me.

I turned my boat to face him. "Zip that back up and put that life jacket back on," I ordered.

He ignored me and unzipped his wet suit until it hung open. I sighed and looked at Lara.

"If he has to bail out, it just went from no big deal to potentially life threatening."

"I can swim," he said.

I paddled over to him. "You're hot?" I asked him. He nodded.

So I tipped him into the cold lake and paddled away from him so he couldn't tip me over when he came up. He paddle went one direction, his life vest in another, and he didn't appear.

I sat back and waited. An arm came up, and he rapped the bottom of his kayak.

"Leave off, Elisabeth," I said quietly. I'd heard her begin to paddle to assist.

I waited, and he rapped again. Elisabeth started forward, but I heard Lara tell her, "Let the fox handle this."

He rapped again, and David began paddling forward. "No," said the alpha.

Finally Rory did what he should have done as soon as his first request for help went unanswered. He exited his boat and came up next to it, sputtering. He looked over at me, glaring. He treaded water, not smart enough to use his overturned kayak for flotation.

"You are wondering why I didn't help you," I told him quietly. "I didn't help you because I didn't know you wouldn't come up swinging at me."

"You didn't have to tip me over," he said. He began panting, and his lips were beginning to turn blue.

"Still hot?"

"Freezing," he said.

"Enjoying treading water?"

"Not particularly."

"You've never been swimming in Lake Superior before," I said. "How's the water?"

"Fucking freezing. Are you going to help me?" He looked to Lara. "Alpha?"

"The fox is in charge, Rory," Lara said quietly.

"Let me know when you get tired, Rory,"

"I'm already tired," he said.

"There is a very large flotation device three feet from you. Why don't you use it?"

He looked around, looking for his lifejacket, ignoring the boat. "Where?"

"The boat, Rory. Do you notice it is floating?"

I heard June snicker and Lara shushed her. Rory paddled over to his boat and draped across it.

"How deep is it out here?" he asked me.

"About a hundred and fifty feet. Anything over ten and it doesn't matter, does it?"

"Are you going to help me or do I have to swim for shore?"

I looked to the west. "I don't think you'll get that far, but if you do, I don't think you can climb that cliff." It was a sheer drop to the water. "Your teeth are chattering, what are you going to do about it?"

"Michaela," he said through chattering teeth. "Please help me or let the alpha do it."

"You'll stay warmer if you zip your wetsuit back up, Rory."

He struggled with it, but he managed to zip it all the way back up. His teeth were still chattering, and I knew it would be a while before he was warm. I also knew he wouldn't last in the water much longer.

"Rory, we're past the point of screwing around. Do I have to worry you'll do something to me if I help?"

"No, Michaela. I should have listened to you. I'm sorry."

"Elisabeth, I need you," I said. "David, can you collect the errant paddle and life vest?"

"I've got the vest," June said.

It took Elisabeth and I working together, but we got Rory's kayak flipped over and him back safely inside his boat. He sat there, panting and shivering for a while. He put the life jacket back on and accepted his paddle from David. Once the drama was over, Lara paddled closely to me. I turned to her and mouthed a "thank you". She nodded.

"Do I need to worry about revenge?" I asked her.

"No. He can be thick headed, but he forgives quickly."

I nodded to her, then paddled away and slipped between Rory and the rest of the crowd. I peeled him away from the pack and asked him, once we were far enough no one else would hear, "Are we okay?"

"Yes, little fox," he said. "But I wouldn't have hit you."

"I needed you to understand how cold the lake is, and how fast you can get tired, even a strong wolf like you."

"What should I have done?"

In response, I opened my wetsuit zipper a few inches then used the hand pump to pump some cold water into the wet suit. It felt nice. David saw me do it, and soon everyone was filling their suit with some lake water.

Except Rory. He was still cold.

We arrived at my favorite fishing spot. Elisabeth and I passed out fishing gear, and soon three wolves were casting their lines. Then we passed out the food we'd brought. I even found someone had made fox sized snacks. I appreciated that. With a little food inside me, I wet my own line.

We caught some fish. "Those are lunch," I said. "We can grill them back at my house later. If we don't catch enough, someone can run to the store for steaks."

"And beer," Elisabeth suggested.

We fished for an hour, Lara staying near my side the entire time. We talked quietly and watched the other wolves tease each other.

"This was a great idea, Michaela," Lara told me. "This is the most fun I've had in a long time."

"Will they be tired out by the time we get back, or do I need to give them some more exercise."

"This snack isn't going to hold them very long. We'll need lunch. But a little more exercise would be good."

I nodded. "Okay, guys. As much fun as this is, I think we should pack it up. Who is ready for one long race?"

We stowed the gear. I looked between all the boats, then attached the stringer of fish to the back of Lara's boat. Elisabeth grinned at me. I'd just given the alpha a handicap. Lara didn't realize it right away. I led everyone further away from shore and pointed.

"Everyone see that rock? About two more miles? The race is to that rock. That's where we turn around. Do not go past it. Call the start, alpha."

"Ready, go!" she yelled and was the first to dig her paddle in.

I didn't even try to race but instead set a comfortable pace. I was just letting the wolves wear themselves out again. They all pulled away from me, Lara falling behind them. Ten pounds of fish dangling off the back of a kayak is almost as good as an anchor.

She turned around and gave me a dirty look, then let me catch up to her.

"Not fair," she told me.

"I thought we'd paddle together," I replied.

I didn't see who won. I figured Elisabeth would keep an eye on them, and they were way too far away from me to see how it ended. But when Lara and I pulled to within a few hundred yards of the finish, I saw that David and Rory had set themselves another race.

"Damn it!" I said. "Alpha, call them back, right now."

She didn't even ask why, trusting my judgment. She immediately offered a wolf howl. They either didn't hear it or chose to ignore it, because they kept paddling furiously.

"Fuck," I said.

The wind was out of the west. It wasn't much of a wind, and we were well sheltered by the shoreline. But they were about to be far more exposed, and the swells from the greater part of the lake curve around the headlands. We were going from basically calm water into water far too rough for a little kayak.

I dug my paddle in. When we reached Elisabeth and June, I told them, "Keep up, let me lead." Soon the four of us were chasing after the men. Lara offered another wolf call, but neither of them faltered.

They were a half a mile ahead of us when I saw Rory raise his paddle, perhaps having won whatever race they had set. But I could tell they were starting to encounter the heavier chop.

Rory got into trouble first. He started to turn his kayak around and was broadside to the waves when he flipped.

"David will be next," I said. We were still too far away for him to hear my yells.

I watched David try to help Rory. Instead, he went over. I saw one head appear, bobbing in the water, then another.

"Lara, I need you to listen to me," I told her.

"Those are my people, little fox," she said, panting.

"And I don't want to rescue five of you," I told her. "That's too many for me."

I glanced over and she nodded.

"You'll stop short, where it's calm. You and June. Elisabeth and I will do the rescue." I turned to Elisabeth. "Are you good enough?"

"No."

"All right. I'll drag them to you. Stop where you'll be safe." She nodded.

Lara and June stopped where I told them to. Elisabeth followed me another two hundred yards, and the chop started. "Michaela," she said.

"I know. Wait here. It'll be fine."

I paddled ahead, coming to a stop thirty yards from the overturned kayaks. The men had tried valiantly to right them and climb in, but they kept flipping them over.

"Conserve your strength," I hollered at them.

"Stay back, little fox," David yelled back.

I paddled slightly closer. "How are you two doing?"

"C-c-cold," said Rory.

"David," I said. "Flip one boat over and pump it out. Rory, hang onto the other boat. Neither of you come near me."

While David pumped a boat out, I dug through my fishing supplies. Once David had finish pumping, I said, "It's too rough here to get you back in. I'm going to tow a boat to Elisabeth, then I'll come back for Rory. Then David, then the last boat. All right?" I gave David a piece of rope. "Tie the front of that boat to the back of mine, I told him. Then hang out with Rory. Be across the boat from each other and hang onto each other. If you can, pump that boat out."

He nodded, and a minute later, I was paddling for Elisabeth as fast as I could.

"How are they doing?" she asked.

"Rory is in trouble. David will be soon, too."

"I could come help."

"Stay here."

She untied the boat I'd brought her, and I went back for Rory. They had drifted further out into the lake, and the chop was getting worse. But David had gotten the boat pumped out. I stopped twenty yards away. "How are you doing, Rory?"

He didn't answer.

"David, can you pull him across that boat?"

"Yes."

I paddled to the front and steadied the boat. "Do it."

David, using brute wolf strength, got Rory pulled across the boat. "Come tie it," I told him. He moved to the front of the boat. I maneuvered, and he managed to tie the two boats together.

"All right. Move to the back of that boat. Keep it from tipping over, but hang on and make yourself as small of a drag as you can."

"Little fox, you'll never be able to pull us that way."

"Don't argue with me, David."

He nodded, and I watched over my shoulder as he moved to the back of his boat and grabbed onto the stern, his hands wrapping around from either side. He went under water in the swells, but he hung on. I began to paddle for Elisabeth.

It was hard. Very hard. I was paddling my boat, David's boat, one very large wolf across the boat, and one equally large wolf acting like a large anchor. But I made progress. "Talk to me, David," I yelled.

"I'm here," he said. "Hurry, little fox."

I finally arrived at Elisabeth, and I was done in. I pulled Rory next to her. "How is he?"

"Breathing," she said. "He's not shivering."

"Shit. All right, we need to get David out of the water."

"I won't be able to pull myself out," David said. His teeth were chattering.

"Elisabeth will have to do it. Elisabeth, raft up with the first kayak. I'll David off on the other side then raft up here with you. You just have to pull him across both kayaks without tipping over."

"No problem," she said.

So that's what we did. I towed David around, and he dropped off as needed. We all rafted up. Elisabeth leaned for David's hands while I held her boat as steady as I could.

"Pull, now," I said, and Elisabeth pulled David smoothly out of the water until he was draped across both boats. He lay there panting.

I looked at him.

It took time and care, but we got him into his boat. He insisted he could paddle. I was still dragging Rory on his kayak, and I was done in, but we moved slowly towards Lara and June.

Rory started to stir, and I was afraid he'd tip over again. "Calm him down, David." Five minutes later, we pulled up to Lara. Rory was awake but lay still across his kayak.

With help, we got everyone settled. Rory climbed back into his kayak properly but was done in. David was, too. I slumped in my kayak.

"Well done, little fox," Lara said to me.

"You have a discipline problem to address, Alpha," I told her.

She nodded and maneuvered her boat between David and Rory. "You two, come here," she said. They paddled slowly to her. I watched as she set her paddle down, then she reached out a hand in each direction and grabbed a throat, catching them each by surprise. "When Michaela tells you to do something," she said through gritted teeth. "You damned well better do it. And when I howl at you, you damned well better listen. Do I make myself clear?"

Eyes bulging, they both nodded, and she released them.

Then she patted their cheeks gently. "Please don't scare me like that again."

"No, Alpha," David said. "One near drowning was enough for me."

"You wouldn't have drown," I said. "Just died of hypothermia. And if you had tipped me over, I wouldn't have lasted as long as either of you."

"You risked your own lives, and you risked Michaela's. And if she had gone over, Elisabeth would have been out to help, and you know I wouldn't have held back. This could have been a disaster."

"Yes, Alpha," David said again. Rory simply nodded.

Lara looked at me, and I nodded. Lessons learned. "Lets go home. Who wants a race?"

The chuckles were weak. No one took me up on it.

I was ready to ask Lara to tow me long before we got back to Bayfield, but we arrived safe and sound with everyone in good spirits. We returned the equipment and walked up the hill to my house, June and Lara carrying my kayak for me.

Elisabeth sidled up to me. "Are you as done in as you look?"

"Yes."

"That was an amazing rescue."

I shrugged. "I just did what I needed to do."

"What's what you always do, isn't it?"

"I guess so."

She tapped her fist very gently against my shoulder. "You're all right, for a fox. Can I ask you something?"

"Isn't asking me if you can ask me something, asking me something?"

"I suppose it is. Are you still afraid of us?"

I thought about it before answering. "Of the five of you? Actually, no. But I don't know if I could ever be comfortable in a room full of wolves. I also know how I'd respond if tempers were to rise, even if I weren't the target."

"None of us would ever hurt you," Elisabeth said.

"I'd prove you wrong, but I'm not sure I'd survive long enough to collect on the bet."

"And Lara would have to kill whoever you used for demonstration," Elisabeth added. "But that would be you intentionally making someone angry, wouldn't it?"

"What do you suppose will happen the day David thinks he needs to give me an order?" I asked.

"You'll do it," Elisabeth said.

I actually laughed at that. "Right. I guess you haven't known me long enough yet."

We arrived at my house and clustered together on my deck in back. I sighed and then offered the shower to anyone who wanted one. "But not one of you better go furry inside or I will find a way to pay you back."

A few eyes glinted, perhaps taking on the challenge, but Lara said, "We're guests. Behave."

There was a chorus of, "Yes, Alpha."

"My hot water heater won't last if you all take long showers," I said.

"Vixen first then," Lara said.

I smiled. "No, thank you. I'll take one later after you leave."

Her expression fell.

"Will you be inviting me somewhere next weekend, Lara?"

"If it's flying weather," she said, smiling at me.

Then Elisabeth whispered into Lara's ear. She didn't realize how good my earing was. "The fox is done in, Alpha." Lara nodded.

"Michaela, why don't you sit?" Lara directed. "June can have first shower. Elisabeth, will you go to the store for supplies? If Michaela will loan you a vehicle."

"Of course." I tossed her the keys. "Do you know where the store is?"

She nodded.

"May I go, too?" Rory asked. "To get beer?"

Lara looked at me. Two wolves in my car. And they were still damp besides. Two wet wolves. "Elisabeth can get the beer."

"She always gets swill," Rory complained.

"I'll find a nice bock, Rory, if I can, or Guinness if I can't."

"Lemonade for June and me," Lara said. "We're flying later."

"This is Bayfield, Alpha," I said.

"Oh right. Cider for June and me," she amended, laughing.

June went inside to shower. Elisabeth took off in my car. David asked where to find equipment for cleaning the fish, then told Rory to help him. That left Lara and I alone on my deck.

"I could have done without the rescue," I told her.

"Me too. You were great. I want to do this again."

"I'd like that."

"I'll beat you next time."

"Racing? No you won't."

She laughed. "I am on to your tricks, little fox."

I reached over, and we held hands. "You could come back with us to Madison," she said. "Or we could stay here."

"This has been a good day, Lara. And it's not over. You're giving me a lot to think about."

We sat quietly for a while. I could hear David and Rory talking about me. I preened when Rory said, "She's tough."

It felt even better when David said, "She's good for the alpha, and I think she would be good for the pack."

I didn't let on I could hear.

"Oh hell," I said suddenly.

"What?"

"I live alone."

"Yes, that part was important to me," she said. "I wouldn't get between you and someone else."

"Not that," I said. "I have supplies for one."

"That's why Elisabeth went to the store."

"I have towels for one."

Lara chuckled. "Rory!" Rory came around the corner of my garage. "Call Elisabeth, tell her to pick up more bath towels."

"Bath towels?"

"Six."

"Yes, Alpha." He went in search of his phone.

"I'm a terrible host," I said.

Lara squeezed my hand. "I'm glad you thought of that now rather than when I stepped out of the shower and there was nothing left but a dirty rag from the garage."

"I wouldn't make you dry off with a dirty rag, Alpha," I told her. "I'd suggest you shift, then get my blow dryer."

Lara guffawed. "I thought you didn't want wet wolf in the house."

"Lara, if Elisabeth is older, why are you alpha?"

"She doesn't want it. She hates the politics. She likes her fights straight up. She begged me to take the position. There are six, maybe as many as eight wolves in the pack who can beat me in a fight. She's one of them. But they follow me because they know I am the most qualified to lead."

"Is David one who can beat you?"

"Yes. Eric, maybe, too."

"Rory and Eric are both much bigger than you."

"I am faster. And intimidation counts for something, too. David is bigger and almost as fast. Elisabeth is both bigger and faster." She turned to me. "I watched you play with her. At first she was letting you get away, but in the end, she was honestly trying to catch you. You're much faster than any of us."

"Faster reflexes and far, far more agile, but it's not even close in an actual foot race, and I'd be dead from one blow. I don't think I could hurt you if you stood there and let me try."

"Not straight up, probably not, but is that what you would do, little fox?"

"No, I suppose not. I'd go for a hamstring, perhaps, but ultimately my goal would always be escape, not to win."

She nodded. "Do you think you could hamstring one of us?"

"I don't know, Lara. I would have to be very desperate to even try. That is way too close for comfort. It's not like any of you are slow. I'd rather go up against a bear, if I could even get through its hide."

"Ah, bears. Tough. We leave them be."

June came back downstairs and joined us on the deck. Rory and David finished with the fish. Lara sent David to shower and Rory to the kitchen to wash the knives they had used.

"Thank you for taking us kayaking," June said. "Can we go again?"

I smiled. "Any time. Maybe if you came on a Monday, we could invite Benny to join us. The boathouse is closed on Mondays, so he might be free."

June grinned. "Alpha, may I date a human?"

She laughed. "If you can keep our nature secret."

"If it gets serious?" June asked.

"Then we'll see if we can trust him."

"Benny loves the water," I said. "June, it would be cruel to expect him to move to Madison."

June looked at Lara. "If it gets that far, June, we'll figure something out."

"Thank you, Alpha."

Lara and I were still holding hands. June glanced down, then asked, "Are you two in a relationship?"

"No," said Lara.

"We're dating," I said. "Casually, for now."

Lara looked at me. "Are we?"

"What would you call it?" I asked her.

"We're dating," Lara said to June. "Not as casually as the fox tried to imply."

I laughed.

"I don't share, little fox," Lara said firmly.

"Neither do I, wolf."

"She's kind of cocky, Alpha," June said. "Need me to discipline her?"

"No," said Lara slowly. "I think I need to handle this one with kit gloves."

She grinned at me, and I groaned at the horrible pun.

Rory came outside. "Fox, don't you have any beer at all?"

"Have you been digging through my refrigerator, wolf?"

"Maybe," he said.

"Sorry, but no beer. I'll make sure I keep stocked in the future. Can you make a list of everyone's favorites? There is a desk in the spare room upstairs, and there should be a pad of paper and pens there."

"You don't have to stock for us," Lara said. "We'll bring what we need."

"You two are talking like we'll be here a lot," Rory said.

"The alpha said we're dating not-so-casually," I replied. "And I think if she intends to court me, that means she should come to me. Not send people to fetch me like a child coming home from summer camp."

"I dunno, you're about as big as one."

"Smaller, I suspect," I admitted. "Tell me, do you guys like to play poker?"

Lara snickered. Rory didn't get it, but he looked so innocent I decided he would be too easy of a mark.

"I'm not sure what just happened," Rory said. "I'll go make that list."

"David hosts a poker night once or twice a month," June said. "They play for some serious cash."

"Do you ever play with them, Lara?" I asked.

"Sometimes. I am not playing poker with you."

"I have to pay for the groceries to feed your horde somehow."

She laughed. "I'll pay for the groceries, Michaela."

"Party pooper," I told her.

"Politics, little fox," Lara said. "But if we invite guests we want to fleece, you can bet we'll invite you to fleece them for us."

"Fleece whom?" David asked, stepping out onto the deck, Rory in tow. "I used the last towel."

"Elisabeth will be back soon," Lara said. "We were talking about poker. The little fox wants an invitation. I told her no."

"We play for pretty big stakes, Michaela," David said.

"How big?" I asked.

"Buy in is a grand," David said. "Every few months we do ten grand."

"Serious money," I said. I looked plaintively at Lara.

She sighed. "One night," she said. "Don't whine to me if you lose your money."

David laughed. "I'll call you the next time we're going to have an open seat."

"Maybe I should come and watch a few nights, first," I said. "You know, to judge tempers and such. I wouldn't want to play if there's too much testosterone."

"You could come this Wednesday then," David suggested.

Lara sighed. "Did you want to pick her up, June? Maybe you could fly down in the morning."

"I'll have to work until after lunch. Lara am I invited to spend the night?"

"If June wants to fly you back on Thursday," she said.

"I have to work Thursday, so it would need to be early."

Dinner at the Rittenhouse that night was nice, very nice. Reservations were for six as two tables. Lara and I sat in the corner while the other four wolves shared a table on the other side of the room.

Lara and I kept the conversation light. She was expensively dressed, and I felt self-conscious about my own clothing, but there was nothing I could do about it. Lara was very charming throughout the meal, and I had a very nice time. I was sad when dinner was over.

We held hands for the walk back to my house. Everyone changed back into casual clothes and we walked to the ferry. We made it to the 11 PM ferry, so I rode across to the island with them. Lara and I kissed at the bottom of the ferry ramp, and the five of them began the walk towards the airport.

"Lara! Wait!" I said, running after them. She caught me, laughing, and we kissed again. "Thank you," I told her. "I had a lovely time."

Then I had to run back, catching the return ferry to Bayfield.

 **Destruction**

A storm blew in on Tuesday. June called me, and I'm not sure which of us was more disappointed when she told me it wouldn't be safe to fly. "It will be crappy until at least Saturday," she said. "So if you wanted to come to Madison, you'll need to drive."

"If anyone is driving ten hours," I said. "It's Lara."

June laughed. "It's good someone can finally keep her on her toes. Maybe next week will be better."

"I'm sorry you didn't get to see Benny."

"It's okay," she said. "He won't get away. I do like a good chase."

The storm kept me in the office on Wednesday and Thursday. The worst of the rain stopped on Thursday, but it continued to rain with occasional thunder even into Saturday.

The storm knocked out one of my monitoring stations. My job for Fish and Game is primarily data recording and reporting. It would be boring if it didn't basically mean I spent most of my days in the field. I hated to lose data, so on Friday, I drove to the site that had failed.

The failed site was actually three quarters around a small lake from the nearest road. There was a light rain and a heavy overcast. I parked my car, looked at the weather, and decided I really didn't want to walk a mile and a half in this weather while on two feet. But it was a small, isolated lake with no cabins on it and no one to see me.

I keep a harness for this very situation. I slipped the tools into it I would need, then stripped out of my clothes and stepped out of the car, taking the harness with me. Standing there naked, I locked the car and slipped the remote into a pocket on the harness. I shifted, then slipped my nose and front feet into the harness.

It wasn't perfect, but I was able to carry a few tools with me. I began loping around the lake.

The smells were rich. Rain always does that. Even a human can smell the best rains. With my nose so close to the ground, I picked up no end of smells. It was a divine experience.

On the other hand, my ability to pick up longer range scents was horrible; there was just too much competition. I kept my ears open for danger. They're more important to me than my nose, anyway.

It wasn't until I arrived at the monitoring station that I smelled the wolf. I smelled the wolf at the same time I saw several large wolf prints scattered around the station. I stared at them. They were from, at the earliest, yesterday, and I thought perhaps significantly sooner. I looked around, but I didn't see anyone.

I shifted, and it took me only seconds to discover the monitoring station had been vandalized. Someone had smashed it with an ax or large hammer. I stared at the wreckage.

 _Run, little fox, run_ , I said. I shifted, slipped into the harness, and ran back to my car as fast as I could. I didn't even attempt subterfuge. My entire goal was to get out of there.

I slowed down before I got to the car, slipping into the brush, and walked all the way around it, hidden from view, but I found no fresh tracks and nothing to suggest anyone was waiting for me. Still, I approached cautiously. As soon as I was sure my car was safe, I shifted and climbed in. I had the car started and in gear while still naked. I dressed as I drove.

Once I reached something resembling civilization, I called Lara. It went to voice mail. "Alpha. Call me. It's business, and it might be urgent."

She called me back two hours later.

"Are you all right?" were her first words?

"Yes. Alpha, do you have any wolves in the area up here?"

"None that I know about."

"Do you have any reason to destroy one of my monitoring stations?"

She was silent.

"Alpha."

"No, Michaela."

"They might not be related."

"What might not?"

"The smashed monitoring station and the wolf tracks I found below it."

Neither of us spoke for a minute. Then Lara started asking questions. "Who would replace a broken station?"

"I would." In response to her questions, I assured her I would normally go alone, as I had today. Usually outages are simple. This was the first I'd ever had vandalized, although I knew from others that sometimes kids did things like this for kicks. "It usually takes a couple of weeks to get a replacement when one is this broken," I told her.

"So you won't go back for at least two weeks?"

"No. I'll order a replacement when I get back to the office."

"If you have more outages, I want you to call me, Michaela. Please promise you won't check on them alone."

I thought about it. "Yes, Alpha. This might be random."

"Do you believe that?" she asked.

"No. It is too coincidental. Why involve me?"

"I wasn't subtle at the Iron Dog," Lara said. "I didn't see any other wolves in Bayfield when we were there, but there might be humans assigned to watch you."

"I am hard to catch, Lara," I told her. "I bet they don't know that."

"I caught you," she said. "I wouldn't suppose I could talk you into taking time off work and staying at the compound."

"No, you can't."

"How about letting me assign Rory and Eric to keep an eye on you."

"No."

She sighed. "Please be careful."

After that, I was. And I was pretty sure no one was watching my house. It was more difficult to make sure my office was safe, but I never noticed anyone watching.

It cleared up by Sunday, and June called Tuesday afternoon. "I'll be there in the morning if you're coming."

"I wouldn't miss it," I told her. "I have the afternoon off."

"How about the 2 PM ferry?"

"Sure."

"Alpha says you have to drive."

"To Madison?"

"No, just to the airport."

I hated taking my car on the ferry, but I decided not to argue.

I worked in the office on Wednesday. There were no new reporting outages; everything was fine. I had my car in line for the ferry ten minutes early, and I saw June talking to Benny. The two looked very comfortable together.

Then, sensing someone watching me, I turned, and I saw Eric casually leaning against a light pole. I looked around some more and saw Rory sitting on a park bench. Neither of them appeared to be watching anything in particular, but they weren't as subtle as they thought. They were wolf, after all.

The ferry arrived and disgorged its passengers. Traffic was light, and I pulled onto the ferry. I saw Eric, Rory and June also arrived, but they ignored each other. I got out of my car, and I soon realized that one of them kept me in sight at all times.

When we were almost to the landing at Madeline Island, I headed back to my car. Out of nowhere, the three wolves converged on the car at the same time, and we all climbed in together.

"The alpha is nervous?" I asked them.

"We heard what happened," Eric said. "The alpha told us to make sure you got there safely."

I nodded. "My car is going to stink again."

They all grinned.

When we got to the airport, June apologized. "I'm sorry, Michaela. You can't sit in front. It's a weight thing. These two are too big to share the back seat. Pick one to ride back there with you."

"Looks like you and me in the back, Rory."

"Cool!" Eric said. "Shotgun for me. Can I fly, June?"

"No!" said Rory. June laughed. Eric sulked.

It was an easy flight. Eric spent half the flight asking me about my job. Then, shortly before we reached Madison, he said, "Rory and I will be accompanying you on your field trips."

"No," I said. "You will not."

"Alpha's orders," Eric said.

I thought about it. "I will accept your presence if I am going to be anywhere that someone could predict."

"What does that mean?"

"It means you can come when I have to replace that monitoring station, or if any others break. But day-to-day? No."

"Alpha's orders," Eric said again.

"Last time I checked," I said. "I was a fox, not a wolf. Her orders do not apply to me."

"Michaela," Eric said. "Please."

"No."

"I can't tell the alpha that."

"I'll do it for you."

He thought about it for a minute. "If she tells us to follow you, we're going to follow you."

"If you follow me, I will have you arrested for stalking."

"Michaela, be reasonable," Eric said.

"I am being reasonable. You may go with me to fix the monitoring station. I'll make sure the alpha understands."

He grumbled but left it at that.

Dinner was Lara and I at her house. She greeted me at the door with a warm hug and kiss, and we cuddled together on her sofa for a while before dinner. I waited until we were seated and had served ourselves before I told her, "I will tell you when I want bodyguards, Alpha."

She sighed. "Please don't fight me on this, Michaela."

"I told Eric if he follows me against my will, I will have him arrested for stalking."

"Would you really?"

"Yes."

"I think you're bluffing."

I shrugged.

"They're going with you," Lara said.

"Tell them to bring bail money."

"I could keep you here until this is over."

"You could," I admitted. "It would be the end of our relationship, and I would spend the entire time trying to free myself. You would also prove my point about all wolves being bullies. And when you finally release me, you would have forced me to leave Bayfield. I don't know where I'd go, but it wouldn't be as safe for me."

"Why won't you cooperate?"

"Why won't you let me make my own decisions?"

"I am the alpha!"

"I am not a wolf."

She glared at me.

"It sucks knowing there is someone you can't control," I told her. "How do you think it feels for me? I can't control anyone but myself, and now you're trying to take that away, too."

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm not."

"You are. You're trying to make my decisions for me, and you're getting mad that I won't let you."

"Please stay at the compound with me."

"I'd lose my job. I like my job, Lara."

"What do they pay you? I'll pay you double."

I stared at her. "Take. That. Back."

"What? Name your dream job. I'll pay you twice what you're making now and you can have your dream job."

I looked away, sad. "You think I'd sell my liberty?"

"I'm not asking for your liberty. I'm begging you let me keep you safe. Someone is after you because of me. It's killing me, Michaela."

"If I take your job, then for the rest of my life I belong to you. I have to do whatever you order. The only freedom I'd have is whatever freedom you offered."

"Only until this is over. Michaela, little fox, please."

I stared at her. I almost consented. "I'll be fine, Lara. I will allow an escort whenever I'm doing something predictable."

"Not good enough. They could take you at any time. They could follow you. Or track you by air. It wouldn't be hard to find you."

"You are overreacting."

"I'm not, and you know it."

I looked away. "Lara, have you ever been on a fox hunt?"

"No. Of course not. That's barbaric."

"I have."

Lara stared at me, her face filling with horror.

 **Fox Hunt**

I was fourteen. My sister, Jean, was sixteen. We lived in the White Mountains of New Hampshire, deep in the mountains well away from people. We had a tiny cabin and a little land. We hunted most of our food.

It was spring. That's what saved me. I remember Jean and I playing in the yard; I don't remember what exactly. As sisters went, we fought like some, but we loved each other as well. We'd been raised to look out for each other.

I remember the first howls. And I remember my dad entering the clearing, in his fur. He'd gone out on two feet.

Mom and Dad used to tell us stories about the wolves, stories meant to frighten us. They had worked. But they also told us how to run, how to hide, and where we would meet when it was safe. We had signals for everything, including one that meant, "Run, run, run, and don't get caught."

That's the signal dad gave us he dashed for our little house. Run, run, run, and don't get caught. Jean and I were in fur seconds later.

Yes, Lara. Seconds. You hadn't figured that out yet? I change faster than you do. Please don't tell anyone else.

Together, Jean and I took off. We'd practiced this before. We ran straight for the river. There was a hidden cave we could travel through, too small for any wolf. We headed for the river then through the water until we got to the cave. Jean didn't slow down.

The plan was our parents would set misleading trails, leading east. Jean and I would head north and if necessary, west. But we were to use every dirty trick we knew, as well.

These were our woods, and we knew them well. And we had planned. We had traps. They weren't armed, but they were designed to be easily armed by a fox in seconds. Jean lead the way, and we set our first trap while I set three separate false trails away from it.

The howling grew louder then shifted east. The wolves were following mom and dad. But still Jean and I ran, setting false trail after false trail. We set three traps before we left the territory we considered ours, striking northeast to make it look like we were trying to regroup with our parents then taking a path due west no wolf could follow. Eventually we turned north.

The howling disappeared to the east.

Jean and I grew tired. We slowed, but continued to run through streams as much as we could. We set multiple exit paths from each stream, and we kept moving.

Finally, Jean found us a small cave in a rock fall. We slipped inside and lay down, exhausted. Jean, the eldest, took the first watch. I slept for two hours, then she woke me, and she slept.

I don't think I dozed, but I may have. I was so tired. But I heard a howl, bringing me upright. It was much closer than it should have been. If I'd heard it sooner, from further away, things may have been different. It was all my fault.

I woke Jean, and we ran. We used our tricks then turned west. The howls continued to the north for a while, then backtracked. I knew immediately when they found the proper trail. They were only a mile or two behind us now, and you know how little time it takes a wolf to travel a mile.

Another signal we had. Split up. Jean gave the signal, and I signaled "No!" Jean gave it again, and crying, I ran left. She backtracked straight towards the wolves, then turned north.

She would lead them away. She would do what she could to buy my freedom.

I heard her yell when they caught her, Lara. I heard my sister yelp, just twice. The wolves howled their victory.

I knew they wouldn't stop chasing me. And I knew I couldn't outrun them. I didn't think I could outfox them, either. My parents hadn't. Jean hadn't. I was fourteen. What chance did I have?

I found a gorge with a raging river below it, the sort of gorge that would batter even a wolf to death. My path west was blocked. I turned north, upstream, and found a spot where a fallen tree had been caught bridging the gap. I climbed down and crossed the river. The tree was weak and rotted, and it sagged underneath me. I ran back and left a clear trail, then crossed again. The far side of the river was a shear cliff, but there was another tree jammed there, and I climbed it to the top of the cliff. I shifted and waited for the wolves.

It didn't take the first one long to find me. I crouched on the ground in front of the tree, trying to look exhausted, like I had given up. She looked at me and began to howl in victory then waited for her friends.

There were seven of them total. At least two were female; I couldn't have told you about the rest. Lara, there was blood on their muzzles, even in the dim light, I could see the blood. My sister's blood.

They actually waited there, just a little outside wolf leaping distance on the far bank, and then the wolf who had found me clambered down to the tree crossing the river, one other wolf following closely behind.

I waited until she started to climb the same tree I had, and I gave it a push, a very big push.

It was heavy, very heavy, and I couldn't have pushed it over. She howled victory again, but then the tree began sliding down, taking both wolves and the other tree with it. I watched them fall into the river and disappear under the raging water.

The remaining five wolves snarled their anger at me. One foolishly tried to leap the chasm without so much as a running start. He didn't make it.

Another one backed up and made a run for it. He almost made it. He had his paws hooked into the rock at the top of the cliff, scrambling to get up. I shifted and lunged, biting his nose. He fell, and I ran.

Four down, I hoped all dead. I couldn't be sure. I ran.

Their howls of anguish followed me. They turned into howls of pursuit when they found another place to cross the river.

I left a blind trail and turned south, heading towards familiar territory. When I could, I turned east and found a calm spot in that river and crossed it. On the opposite bank, I found one of the wolves, still breathing, but battered. I dragged him back into the water and helped him drown, standing on his head long after he had stopped moving.

I ran east, making a plan.

There was a notch. The sides were sheer, but there at the notch, it was narrow enough even a fox could jump over. The sides of the gorge spread from that point, but then grew narrow again, narrow enough a wolf could leap it. The thing is, the far side was soft, very soft. I ran for the gorge then turned north to the notch. I crossed the gap and immediately turned south again, following the top of the east cliff. The wolves were not far behind, and the soon they were pacing me, waiting for a spot to cross to me. When we got to the narrow spot, the first one tried to leap. He cleared it, but then the ground crumbled under him.

He almost made it clear. He almost was able to jump free. Instead, he fell into the gorge, an eighty-foot drop. The other wolves didn't try it, and I turned east, left a false trail, and turned due south for home. There were two wolves left.

I didn't leave any false paths. Instead, I ran over the top of every trap we had, avoiding the triggers. They had sprung one that Jean had set and two that Mom and Dad had, but the rest were still live. I set three more that Dad hadn't gotten to.

I heard when one of the wolves got caught by a trap. He howled, and then his howls turned to chokes. From the sound, it was one of the spike traps, and we laced our spikes with silver. If he didn't get prompt medical attention, he would die. I wondered if his buddy would help him or continue to chase me.

I ran for home.

The last wolf howled a victory cry. He had seen me.

I shifted back to human when I reached the cabin. I grabbed a perfume spritzer and waited beside the front door.

Yes, Lara, a perfume spritzer.

The final wolf howled just outside the door. I was so frightened, but so angry at the same time. He slammed into the door twice, splintering it, and then shoved his face through the gap, snarling at me. I spritzed him directly in the face.

It wasn't perfume, of course. It was silver nitrate, and I got him right in both eyes. Then, while he was howling and scratching at his eyes, I pulled down Dad's gun and put two silver rounds into his body and one more into his howling mouth.

After that, I found the one that had been caught in my trap. It was a female, and she had shifted back to human. She begged me for mercy. She didn't receive it.

It took me three days to find the bodies. They had ravaged mom the worst; there wasn't much left of her. Dad and Jean were barely recognizable as well. I sobbed while I buried them.

And then I ran. I ran for eight years. I ran until I grew tired of running, until I grew tired of hiding. And that's when I came to Bayfield.

 **Fleecing the Wolves**

Lara listened to my entire story. She was clearly stunned.

"How can you stand us?" she asked.

"You've left me alone for eight years," I said. "I hid from the wolves for a long time, but then one day one of your wolves nodded politely to me on the street. I learned not all wolves are animals."

I looked straight into her eyes. "I spent most of my life afraid, running and hiding. I am very, very good at it. I have foxed sized holes all over Wisconsin, and I'm not helpless."

"How not helpless, Michaela?"

"I spend all my spare money on silver, Lara. Your wolves are lucky I didn't pull out my super soaker the day you came to visit."

She laughed weakly. "Why didn't you?"

"Because no one has molested me here, and I didn't want to be the first to engage in violence."

"If any wolves come to your door-"

"They'll die if I don't know them, Lara."

"Die?"

"Yes."

"All right," she said. "For now."

"For now."

We finished our dinner in silence

Afterwards, we had time. I had scared myself telling my story, and I asked Lara if I could clean up. Then we cuddled together on the sofa until it was time to go to the poker game.

"Are you playing tonight?"

"They'll offer me a seat," she said. "But I'll decline."

"Why?"

"Because it would bump a regular player, and because the alpha shouldn't take money from the other wolves nor allow them to take money from her."

"And how does the alpha's girlfriend fit into that?"

She smiled. "Are you my girlfriend now?"

I kissed her. She held me tightly, and when the kiss broke, she said, "I guess you are."

I smiled at her.

"Did you bring money?" she asked.

"No. I want to watch."

"Is this really to make sure it's safe to play with them?"

I laughed. "That's for me to know and the rest of you to guess." Really, I was there to study them.

We kissed for a few minutes before I pushed her away, laughing.

The game was in David's basement. I met his mate, a beautiful wolf named Natalie. She sized me up before inviting me into her house.

Downstairs, things were rowdy. I greeted Elisabeth and David before Lara introduced me to two older male wolves, Morgan and Liam. They both treated Lara with respect but were dismissive of me. I was fine with that. At least they weren't rude or threatening. Lara stiffened at their response, but I was holding her hand and squeezed it. I didn't want her to interfere. You can't command respect; you can only earn it.

Natalie offered drinks for Lara and me. I asked for water. Lara accepted a beer. David gave me a hard time.

"If you're going to play poker, little fox," he said. "You need to learn to drink."

"One beer and I'm asleep," I said. "No thank you."

"Literally?" Lara asked in my ear.

I nodded. "Total lightweight. You've seen how I eat."

Finally, the last player arrived, an older female named Janice. She greeted Lara coolly, showing slightly more warmth for everyone else. I pulled Lara aside and asked, "Why doesn't she like you."

"Her mate challenged my father for alpha. He lost. She's been the model of proper pack behavior, but whenever she sees me, she is reminded."

"All right," David said. "Let's see the color of everyone's money."

The five players pulled out purses, money clips, and wallets, and soon there was five thousand dollars sitting on the table. David turned to Lara. "Where is yours, Alpha?"

"Oh no," she said. "I hate taking your money."

"Afraid we'll show you up in front of your girl?"

"You have five."

"We can play six."

I watched the body language. David wanted Lara to play. I thought perhaps Elisabeth did not. Janice was deeply eager in learning the outcome of the discussion, and I got the impression the two old wolves would have enjoyed taking Lara's money.

"You should play, sweetums," I said in Lara's ear, just loud enough for all the other wolves to hear. "I want to see you in action."

Lara looked at me with eyes wide. I was pretty sure it was the "sweetums" comment, but it may have been the airhead tone I had used. I smiled vapidly at her.

"I didn't come to play," Lara said. "My little fox was curious is all."

"That is the nature of the fox," Elisabeth said. "It's nice of you to indulge her. You should play, Alpha."

"Yes," added Janice. "Please do."

"Well," Lara said. "If no one minds that the fox watches."

"Of course not," David said. He retrieved a chair for Lara and then, slightly behind hers, one for me. I adjusted so I would be able to watch the entire table, but I found that it was too low for me to see as well as I would have liked, so I perched on it with my feet underneath me instead. Lara spread out her money. David collected everyone's money and passed out poker chips in a variety of denominations.

Elisabeth was to my left with Janice on Lara's right. David was immediately across the table, with the two older wolves to Elisabeth's left. While David shuffled the cards, Janice put a one-dollar chip on the table. Lara put two one-dollar chips out. David finished shuffling and dealt two cards to each player. Lara let me peek at her cards. Elisabeth immediately folded. Liam and Morgan both tossed out two dollars. David put out four. Janice folded. Lara, Ian and Morgan added two more dollars.

David then put three cards on the table, face up. Betting went around. Ian folded. David added another card face up, and Morgan folded during the betting. David put out one more card face up, and Janice made a big bet. Lara folded and David called. When they exposed their cards, Janice took the pot. David collected all the cards and handed them to Janice.

"Before the next hand," I said, doing my best to sound like an utter airhead, "can someone explain the rules? I thought you were playing poker."

"This is poker," David said gently. "It's a variant called Texas Hold-Em. You've never played?"

"I've never played cards of any sort," I said. "I've never even touched a deck of cards."

"Bullshit," said Elisabeth. "Bull. Shit!"

"Honest," I said. "Do I smell like I'm lying?"

Elisabeth leaned over and took a deep breath. "No. Seriously? You've never played cards?"

"I mostly keep to myself," I said. "But I've heard of strip poker." I started playing with the hair on the back of Lara's neck. "Maybe Lara will teach me that game."

There were chuckles, and Janice said, "If you lose tonight, Alpha, we don't want to hear that you were distracted because your pet fox couldn't keep her hands off of you."

I smiled at Janice, a human smile that showed teeth.

David said, "No one minds if we explain the rules to Michaela during the next few hands, do they?"

Yes, Janice, Liam and Morgan clearly did, but they all said they didn't. Lara and Elisabeth set out bets, Janice shuffled and dealt, and David explained the rules as they went. By the end of the third hand, I had the game figured out.

The odds, however, were difficult. I tried figuring them in my head, but it was tricky. In poker, there are different ways to win. You can play the odds, understanding that if you have this hand, the chances of someone else having a better hand are ten percent or fifty percent, or whatever. Or you can play the people, learning whether they give themselves away. I was having a hard time with the odds, but the wolves were all open books to me.

By the end of the first half hour. I was pretty sure I could read all of them. When David called a break after an hour, I knew I could. Lara was down about half her chips, and everyone else was down a little except Morgan and Janice, with Janice doing the best. We got up to stretch our legs, and Lara drew me to the corner.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Who, me?"

"What's with the airhead routine? You aren't fooling anyone."

"I'm not fooling David or Elisabeth, but I am fooling the other three. Are you losing on purpose? You're making Janice very happy."

"No, I'm not losing on purpose, and I would very happily take her money."

Elisabeth stopped by with a couple of beers, handing one to Lara. "What's with the airhead routine?"

I smiled at her. "Do you like Janice?"

"No."

"All right. We're taking that bitch down. If I'm touching either of you, the number of fingers I'm using indicates how strong a hand Janice thinks she has."

"You can tell?" Elisabeth asked.

"Oh yeah," I said, smiling. "Isn't this just the funnest game ever?" I said the last bit more loudly just as Janice joined us in the corner. I smiled at her. "Janice, you must have lived very carefully; I don't know if I've ever met an older female wolf before."

If looks could kill.

We all sat back down, and it was David's deal.

I didn't help Lara with David or Elisabeth, but I helped both Lara and Elisabeth with Janice. I couldn't do anything about unlucky cards, but I was able to move a portion of Janice's stash back to Lara and Elisabeth.

I also started spreading my own tells for when Lara had bad, medium and good hands. It took the longest time, but eventually Janice started responding to me as much as Lara's manner of holding her cards differently based on their quality. She also sat differently, and her pupils changed.

Near the end of the second hour, Lara had her money back plus a little more. Elisabeth was up a little, too. But then Janice had a good hand and hit her most obvious tells. I checked her more subtle ones and put five fingers on Lara's leg and squeezed, then I reached over to Elisabeth and held her arm for a moment, saying, "If Lara and I get married, you'd be my sister-in-law."

Lara and Elisabeth both folded. Liam had a decent hand. Morgan and David both stayed in for a portion of the betting, but then dropped out. When all five cards were out, Janice played her "I'm bluffing" tell and said, "All in." So Janice knew her outward tells; they were intentional. But she had tells she didn't realize.

Liam called and groaned when Janice displayed her cards. He was out.

David called a break. Liam excused himself and said, "I'm going to go home and lick my wounds. Congratulations, Janice." He was gracious about it.

After the break, I started giving Lara the worst advice I thought I could give and not be obvious. I spoke very quietly in her ear, pitched just high enough everyone else at the table could hear me. Lara ignored my verbal advice but continued to siphon money from Janice based on the number of fingers I used to touch her. I made sure no one could see the nature of the touches.

After about fifteen minutes of my giving Lara bad advice, Janice asked me, "So, Michaela. I was curious. What sort of hearing does a fox have while on two legs?"

I smiled sweetly. "Usually, very good, maybe even better than a wolf. But I'm not sure, really. When I was fourteen, I damaged my hearing."

"Really? How did you do that?"

"Well, I lived on a little farm, and we had a problem with wolves. I had to shoot a few, and my hearing has never been the same since, either as a human or when furry."

She glared at me, but I just smiled.

"How late do you play? Until everyone is out of chips, or until a particular time."

"Two AM," David said, "But it doesn't usually go that long."

I continued to whisper bad advice into Lara's ear. Then Elisabeth dealt Lara two kings. As soon as I saw the cards, I put my hand on Lara's and said, "It's just a card game. Why aren't you paying any attention to me?"

Lara looked over at me with a strange expression. I leaned into her and nuzzled her neck then whispered into her ear so quietly no one could possibly hear, "Trust."

Lara bet cautiously. Morgan and David folded. Of the next three cards that were dealt, two of them were kings. I draped myself over Lara, making sure she couldn't give away any tells. Lara bet cautiously. Elisabeth folded. Janice publicly gave her "my hand is so-so" tell and privately told me she was holding a decent hand.

Lara continued to bet cautiously until the last card was played. I studied the cards and realized that the best possible hand Janice could have was a flush. A straight flush wasn't possible. This was Lara's hand with four kings. The trick now was to get as much money from Janice as we could.

Janice was first to bet and she bet moderately. Lara wanted to study her cards, but I knew she'd give her tell if she did, so I kept hold of her hands. She saw and raised Janice. Janice saw and raised back.

"Lara, I'm bored. You said we wouldn't stay this late. When are we going home?"

"Soon, little fox," Lara said kindly.

"If we go home now, I'll do that thing you've been asking me to do," I said.

"Really?"

I opened my eyes really wide and nodded.

Lara shrugged and turned to Janice, sliding her tray of chips into the center of the table. "She wants to go home."

"Well, I wouldn't get in the way of that," Janice said, smiling. "How much do you have in there?"

"It was an eleven hundred twenty-three dollar raise," Lara said.

Janice counted out chips and tossed them onto the table. "Call," she said. She flipped over her cards. She was holding the flush and smiling.

Lara turned over her cards and collected the pot.

Janice was livid, and she glared at me. "You won?" I asked Lara, clapping my hands. "Oh, that means we're not leaving yet." I sighed and slumped against Lara.

After that, I didn't have to do too much. David cleaned Morgan out. Janice was so low on chips and was forced into very conservative play just to stay in the game. Finally she tried to bluff Elisabeth with a bad hand, and Elisabeth cleaned her out.

David called a break and offered to walk Janice out. She turned to me and offered a false smile. "It was so good to meet you," she said. "I heard about the little fun at the Iron Horse and I have so been wanting to meet you ever since. Will you perhaps be playing next week?"

"It looks like so much fun, but it's all very confusing," I replied. "Maybe I can watch one more night, but it would be fun to play. A thousand dollars?"

"Yes," Janice said.

"Well, it will have to be after payday," I said. "I usually have money right after payday."

"Isn't she delightful?" Janice said to Lara. "I can understand what you see in her. She's so bubbly."

"She makes for a pleasant diversion," Lara agreed. "I'm sure I'll see you soon, Janice."

Then David walked Janice out. I listened, and once I heard Janice's car start and drive away, I began giggling.

"Half that is mine," I told Lara. "You would have gone broke an hour ago without me."

David came back downstairs, Natalie in tow, and said, "What was that all about?"

I grinned at him. "I didn't like Janice."

"No one likes Janice," Natalie said. "I've been trying to get David to uninvite her to these things for three years. She always makes a snide comment about my house."

"It's a lovely house, Natalie."

I looked at the piles of chips in front of David's, Elisabeth's and Lara's places at the table. They were all up, Lara by the most. "Are you guys really going to play for another two hours?"

"It wouldn't be my choice," Lara said. "Someone made some very interesting promises to me if we went home."

I laughed.

I took fifty dollars in chips from Lara. "Could we play a few hands just for pocket change? David, give your wife fifty dollars in chips."

Soon we were all sitting at the table with a small pile of chips in front of us. Lara, David and Elisabeth moved their large piles to the side. I asked for the cards then asked someone how to shuffle.

"Seriously?" David said. "I thought you were kidding."

"Absolutely seriously," I said. David taught me to shuffle, and I only spilled them all over the table twice before getting it right. Then, carefully, I dealt.

We played for a half hour. David cleaned Elisabeth out on the second hand. I folded repeatedly and watched my chips dwindle in half, then I did an all in with the last half of my chips. I was bluffing, but they let me buy the pot. Lara actually had a proper hand, so I couldn't figure out why she let me have it. At the end of the half hour, I was up a little bit from the start. We all cashed out with David, and then I reached over and took half of Lara's winnings. They all laughed, including Lara.

"Did she really earn that?" David asked.

"Technically I owe her at least five hundred, too," Elisabeth said. She slipped me two hundred. I thanked her.

"You were telling them both how to play?" David asked.

"Only against Janice. What a bitch."

That night, Lara shared her bed with me, but we still weren't sharing bodies. "Lara, am I hurting you politically by playing games with them?"

"No. I will tell you if you're meeting anyone who I need you to impress."

I snuggled in against her back.

"Was that true what you said about your hearing?"

"No."

We lay quietly for a while. "How good is your hearing?" She asked it quietly, but loud enough a wolf would have heard."

"What did you say?" I asked her.

"Nothing," she said.

I slept well.

Lara had to travel over the weekend, so we didn't see each other, but she sent June for me for poker night the next week. I asked Lara not to play, and only stayed for ninety minutes. Janice was winning when we left. Elisabeth was sad to see us go.

The replacement measuring station arrived the following Monday. I called Lara immediately. "I need you," I told her.

She laughed. "It's about time."

"The measuring station arrived. You made me promise to call you. I will happily take guards when I replace it, but I think they should be subtle. Make it look like we have a date, and you and your enforcers rode along just to see what I did for a living."

"We can come tomorrow morning," Lara offered.

"I was hoping you'd let me play cards on Wednesday."

"Have we created a monster?"

I laughed. "Maybe. Who is afraid of the big bad fox?"

"You know, even the best players have bad luck nights. You could lose your money."

"I know. But I figure I'd be playing with Janice's money, anyway."

She laughed. "Try not to give it back to her. So we should fly up Wednesday morning?"

"Tuesday night?"

"Can you handle us overnight?"

"Sure. Bring people I know. But the spare bedroom only had a pullout couch, and it would be cozy for two wolves."

"We'll make do," she said. "See you about eight."

"I'll have food if someone else can grill it."

I met them at the airport, taking my car. By now I recognized the planes, but when three planes landed, one after another, I was puzzled. I was only expecting one, or at most, two.

Lara, David and Elisabeth climbed out of the first plane. June, Eric, and a female I didn't recognize got out of the second. Rory and two males I didn't know got out of the third. I stared at all the wolves. Too many wolves.

Lara left taking care of the planes to everyone else and walked over to where I was standing. Instead of looking at her, I stared at all the wolves. She didn't say anything but pulled me into her arms and pulled my head against her chest. "Breath. Safe, Michaela. I'm here."

I breathed in her scent and felt better.

"I don't have room for that many," I said. "And it's way too far to run. I only have one car. It might be a little obvious if they climb on top."

She chuckled. "We'll need to borrow your car. There are rental cars waiting for us in Ashland. We'll send people to get them."

"This is a little obvious, Alpha. I didn't agree to this many. It doesn't look like a date."

"They wouldn't let me come with less."

"More incursions," Lara explained. "These are here for my protection more than yours. Please will you stay in the compound until this is over?"

"We've been over that, Lara."

She sighed and pulled me to her again.

I checked the time. "The ferry is in ten minutes."

"Do you mind walking?" Lara asked me.

"No."

"David, take three more and go get our rental cars," Lara yelled. "Ferry in ten minutes."

David grabbed Eric plus the female and one of the males I didn't know. I handed him my keys. They tossed a large cooler and all the backpacks into the back of my car and drove away. The other wolves finished securing the airplanes. I checked my watch. We had missed the ferry. We walked casually towards the docks, the wolves all fanning out around Lara and me.

It was a nice evening for a walk.

I hadn't bought food for this many wolves, but Lara assured me we were covered. We fired the grill and used the food I'd bought as appetizers. David returned with three SUVs following behind him, and the wolves got serious about their food.

I got picked on for the size of my grill. It took forever to cook all that food. "I'm not upgrading everything I own to serve your retinue, Alpha," I told Lara.

"I don't expect you to." She hugged me. "Are you upset?"

"Intimidated. Where are we going to put them?"

"We have tents and sleeping bags with us."

"Who will be in the house?"

"The females."

"I should stop worrying about the arrangements," I said.

"Yes. It's handled."

In the morning, we piled into the cars. I actually gave Lara a good view of what I did. We took some water and soil samples, I serviced one monitoring station that had been having issues for months, and then we headed towards the one that had been smashed.

Every time we came to a stop, David directed security. Half the wolves fanned out into the surrounding area. The rest stayed with Lara and me. We saw absolutely no signs of trouble.

When we arrived at the lake with the broken station, I pulled out a topographical map and showed everyone where the station was on the other side of the lake. "I usually run there furry," I said. "But it's not a bad walk on two feet." David looked over the map and sent his guards out.

We got three quarters of the way to the station. Elisabeth was carrying the replacement for me. Suddenly I stopped, listening, pulling Lara to a stop next to me.

"What?"

"Quiet," I said. That earned me a dirty look, but she didn't say anything. I had heard something, and I didn't like it.

David turned around and was watching us. I gestured him to join us. "David, how far out are your scouts?"

"Two hundred yards."

"That's what I thought. Do you have radio communication? Silent radio communication?"

"Yes."

"Pull them in. Quietly."

"Why?" asked Lara.

"We're being watched, and your men aren't in fur, David."

Not being in fur wasn't a problem to me, but it took a long time for the wolves to shift. I heard at least two wolves in fur. One was five hundred yards off the lake on a hill with a clear view of the listening station. The other was past the listening station. Then I heard a third one.

I started walking again, acting as if nothing was happening, listening as best I could. It was difficult over all the other sounds, especially so many other wolves right next to me. And they weren't as quiet as I was.

I didn't share any of that with David and Lara, but I listened to David speak into his radio, and I listened as the scouts moved in closer to us. The wolves watching stayed where they were, but I heard one huff.

"Lara, what does this sound mean?" I asked. I huffed, as best I could with a human throat.

"Displeasure. Where did you hear that?"

I ignored her question.

We arrived at the monitoring station unhindered. I stopped everyone short of it and asked them to be quiet. I listened for further noises. I heard the three wolves, very faintly. The same one huffed again. I sniffed, but I didn't detect anything. I walked to the monitoring station, and nothing blew up.

I began working on it. Lara walked up to me, and I pulled her to me, breathing deeply of her scent.

"No one hears or smells anything," she said. "It's your imagination."

"There are three, six hundred to eight hundred yards out. In fur."

"How can you tell?" she asked.

"I am fox," I said. "I know things."

Lara gestured, and David wandered over nonchalantly. "Michaela says there are three in fur."

"No way," David said.

"Have any of you learned, never doubt the fox?"

I kept working on replacing the measuring station.

"Where?" David asked.

I had a compass in my pack. I pulled it out, making it look like I was digging for a tool. I palmed the compass and found the wrench I needed. Then I checked the compass.

"First one, north, six hundred yards or so, lying down in tall grass. About..." I listened. "Six degrees magnetic from here. The second, east, heading of 84 degrees, seven hundred yards. The last, off our back trail, 150 degrees from here, twelve hundred yards. Give or take a bit."

"You're sure?" Lara asked.

"Headings and distances may not be perfect."

"Any humans around?" David sounded like he was patronizing me.

"Not that I can tell."

At that point, I got the old monitoring station unscrewed from its mounting plate and pulled it up. I set it aside, and Elisabeth gave me the new one. I began attaching it.

"If this were up to me, I would either ignore them or lead them to a trap. That's the fox way. I presume you will either ignore them or do something exceedingly direct."

David turned away. He directed the males and Elisabeth to go furry.

"Why?" Elisabeth asked.

"Do it," David said.

They began shedding clothes. There was really only one reason to do that.

"Nevermind," I said. "They all three just took off. They'll be long gone before you can finish shifting."

"Shift," David ordered to the men.

I finished with the monitoring station. By the time I was done, everyone was furry who was turning furry. David sent them out in pairs to check the locations I had indicated. Five minutes later, the reports came in. David looked grim. "She was partially right," he told Lara. "There were two, not three."

"Which two did you find?" I asked.

"North and east. No one on our back trail."

"Look harder."

Two wolves returned to the camp, bumping heads against Lara.

"Who are these?" I asked.

"Eric and Reggie," Lara said.

I bent down. "Eric?" One of the wolves turned to me and bumped against me. He was huge and beautiful. I ran my fingers through his scruff then whispered in his ear. He huffed at Reggie, and the two of them took off towards the south.

"Ordering my wolves around?" Lara asked. She looked a little pissed about it.

I stood up and looked at her. "Should I have asked?"

"Yes."

"I'm sorry. I won't do it again."

It took Eric and Reggie a good ten minutes to find the tracks left by the third one. They howled, and David swore. "How did you know, fox?"

"I told you. I have my fox ways. I'm done here. Let's go back."

Nothing else happened on the way home. We loaded the furry wolves into the back of one of the SUVs, and they had shifted back by the time we arrived at my place. David send four wolves to return the three SUVs while the rest of us gathered in my kitchen.

"The fox was right," David told Lara. "Down to the smallest detail. I want to know how."

"Stop asking. I told you as much as I'm going to tell you."

He glared at me. "How do I know you aren't part of whatever this is? Maybe that's how you knew."

"Alpha, if that's what you believe," I said. "You can all leave. If I am part of it, clearly I am perfectly safe, but you shouldn't trust me. And if I don't deserve the suggestion, then I have a right to be offended and don't want you here."

Lara looked between the two of us. "I don't know what to believe," she said finally.

I stared at her. That hurt, and she knew it hurt.

"Michaela, look at it from my position."

"No," I said. "You came to me. I was minding my own business up here, six hours from your home. Do you really believe I'm some sort of mole set here to trick you?"

"You could have been turned," David said.

"What would be the point of today?" I asked.

"To get us to trust you."

"Lara already trusts me. Or used to."

She looked at me with pleading eyes. "I know you didn't hear them. And I don't think you could smell them, not that accurately. You may have caught a glimpse of one, but not all three. Please, Michaela, how did you know?"

"I am not telling you. Does that mean you revoke your promise of my safety?"

"No! Of course not. But you have to tell me. How can we trust you if you won't explain?"

"I never asked you to trust me. Well, except when we were fleecing Janice."

"Yes," David said. "We saw how duplicitous you can be."

"I risked my life for you, David. And for Rory."

"Part of a greater plan against the alpha," he retorted. "Do not make me hurt you, Michaela. Tell me how you knew, and tell me now."

I had been paying so much attention to the conversation, I hadn't really registered. My house was full of wolves. When I looked around, I realized all the exits from the house were covered.

I looked at Lara. Her eyes were filled with pain, but she was backing David.

"I see," I said. "Lara, do you remember the story I told you?"

"Yes. Was it true?"

"Decide for yourself," I said. "If it were true, then do you think perhaps I may have reasons to keep some of my skills to myself?"

"Whatever you say will go no further than David and me," she promised.

"You promise that?"

She nodded.

"You've also promised me I was safe, but your enforcer just threatened to hurt me, and you didn't say a word. I'm not sure your promises carry much weight."

My words were more effective than a slap. Lara actually rocked back away from me. David made a fist and was about to hit me when Lara said, "No. You'll kill her. We'll take her with. She'll talk eventually."

I stared at her.

"Would we be having this conversation if I had told you how I knew?"

"No," said Lara.

"It would depend," David replied tersely.

"Fine," I said. "Set up a test. See if I can reproduce it under circumstances you control."

"Fine," David said. "Back at the compound."

"Do it here. We're in town, a lot of distractions. I won't be good past about four hundred yards, maybe not quite that, depending on the direction."

"Tell us how, Michaela," said Lara. "Please."

"It's too late, Lara. I know I can't trust you now. You turned on me, like wolves always do."

I turned around, my back to both of them.

"Test her," Lara said. "Then we'll decide."

"How good is her hearing?" David asked Lara.

"On two feet? Worse than mine."

She was wrong, but I wasn't going to tell her that.

David left me with Lara and Reggie to guard me. He took everyone else into the front room and spoke very quietly to them. I heard every word. He told them to head away from the house in random directions, assigning distances to each from one hundred yards to five hundred.

"They'll need to shift around," I told Lara. "As if they'd been still for too long and are stiff or bored and not very disciplined. If they are absolutely still, it doesn't work except when much closer, almost close enough to smell."

Lara turned to Reggie. "Pass that on to David." Reggie left, told David, and was immediately back guarding the back door.

"You know we're through, Lara. When you leave, I never want to see you again. Stay out of Bayfield and keep your wolves away from me as well."

"Please, Michaela, just tell us how you knew."

"I was falling in love, Lara. What a fool I am."

I wanted to hurt her. From her body language, I had. Either I had betrayed her, or she had betrayed me. Either way, there was betrayal.

David came back and loomed over me. I tried to ignore him. It wasn't easy.

David, Lara and I waited in the house for ten minutes while the other wolves dispersed. Finally David said, "Outside. Let's see this trick of yours, fox." He led the way and never took his eyes off of me. We moved out into the grass and came to a stop. I started listening, slowly turning in a circle. I closed my eyes and pointed. "Hawk, roosting in a tree, seventy yards." I turned again, listening. "Dog, three blocks. The ferry just arrived. This won't work well until that ruckus settles down."

With my eyes still closed, I pointed straight at Lara. "She just shifted weight."

The noise from the ferry settled down, and I got a fix. I pointed. "Two hundred, maybe two hundred twenty yards. Pacing in the street. Wait, now in the grass. Just sat down. I lost it, but I assume still sitting."

I turned, cocked my head, listening, pointed. "Someone huffed. I didn't get the distance."

Then I heard Eric say clearly, "I am sorry, little fox." I pointed. "Eric, four hundred yards, maybe a little less."

I opened my eyes and looked at Lara.

"I think it was June in the street. I don't know where Reggie went."

"Find him," David said.

"Fine, but if he's not moving around, I won't be able to. If he's down in town, I won't, either."

"He's moving, and he's not in town," David said.

I listened then turned to David. "He's sitting on my front steps as still as he possibly can be."

"How, Michaela?" Lara asked. "I know you can't hear them."

"Does it matter, wolf?" I asked. "I don't see as how it's any of your business. I showed you a great deal of trust, an amazing amount of trust. And what did you show me? Please leave. If I never see another wolf, that would be perfect."

"Your car is almost back," David said. "We'll be out of here in five minutes." He spoke quietly. "You know I had to be sure."

"If this is how you treat your friends, Lara, you don't deserve to have any." And then I stepped past both of them and went into my house, slamming the door.

 **Lost Pups**

The next two weeks were horrible. My nightmares returned, but instead of seeing the wolves from when I was fourteen, I saw David, Eric, and the others, with Lara often leading the charge for me. I don't know how many times I woke up screaming.

I buried myself in work. It didn't really help, but it kept me busy.

Elisabeth called. I picked it up long enough to hear the voice. "Don't call me again," I said, hanging up. She tried twice more, but I hung up both times. At least no one tried to stop by.

I remained very aware of my surroundings whenever I went out. I began carrying a gun loaded with silver bullets, something I hadn't done in a very long time. I didn't see any further sign of wolves near Bayfield, and by September, I thought perhaps everyone would leave me alone.

It was the middle of September when I finally made a trip I'd been putting off. I needed samples from a number of lakes about sixty miles due north of Madison. This was frighteningly close to Lara's compound, but it was my job. I would simply have to rely on my wits and hope I didn't stumble upon any wolves who might accuse me of spying.

I left early, before daylight arrived. It would be a long day.

I did a circle of lakes, taking a variety of measurements and samples. It took me all day, and dusk was rapidly approaching when I arrived at my final parking spot. There were two small ponds I could visit from this location. I headed to the first pond and got what I needed. The second pond was a mile and a half north of the first, and this was the closest I would ever need to come to Lara's compound.

It was while I was at the second pond that I heard wolves. It was faint at first, but they sounded clumsy. I decided there were three of them. Probably, about a thousand yards east and heading north. We were twenty miles from Lara's compound, so I figured it was a patrol, but Lara's patrols were pretty poor, based on the noise they were making.

Then I heard a yelp followed by several more coming from different wolf voices. The yelping continued.

It wasn't my problem. I turned west, back towards my car.

The yelping continued. I tried to walk away from it.

Shit. I turned around and began running. I didn't know why. It wasn't like I owed these wolves anything, but I couldn't stand that sound, even from a wolf, at least not from one that hadn't tried to hunt me.

I came over a hill, and down in a small valley in front of me, barely visible through the gloom, I saw three young wolves. They were hopping around and struggling, still yelping. I didn't understand what was going on, but they were in trouble. I approached cautiously.

Once I had halved the distance, it was clear. They had been caught in wolf traps. One had his front leg caught; the other two were trapped by a rear leg each. They kept trying to pull their legs free.

I stepped closer. "Hey," I said. "I can help."

All three turned to face me and began to snarl. I spoke in a quiet voice as I approached closer. "I can help," I said. "If you promise not to attack, I can help."

They snarled at me.

The traps were attached to chains, which were in turn anchored by spikes to the ground. An adult wolf may have been able to pull free; I wasn't sure. I wouldn't have been able to, but I thought perhaps my foot would have been cut right off by those nasty traps.

"Let me help," I said. "Please, let me help."

One of them whimpered and lay down. I approached slowly. "I promise, I am trying to help. I'm just a little fox. No threat to anyone. Will you let me help?"

The other two continued to snarl, but in a less threatening fashion. I approached the nearest, the one that was lying down, and I knelt down a few feet away. "Will you let me try to help?"

The wolf whined.

I crawled to the trap, watching the wolf warily. "I'm just a little fox," I said. "I couldn't possibly hurt you. I don't know if I can get this off, but I'll try. If I can't get it, I'll run and get the alpha."

The wolf whined but didn't bite.

I put my hands on the trap. The leg was bleeding badly, and the trap was slippery. I tried spreading the heavy jaws, but I couldn't even move them.

"I can't get it," I said. "I'm not strong enough."

The wolf whined and licked my hands.

"I'll try again." I looked at him. "Do you know to get it off? Maybe a stick?" He just whined.

I struggled and struggled with the trap. Then I struggled with the stakes driven it in the ground, growing increasingly desperate.

Nothing worked. By the time I was ready to give up, I was covered to my elbow in the poor wolf's blood.

That was when I heard noises from the west. Lara's compound was east, but I heard wolves coming from the west.

"Wolves are coming," I said. "Can you hear them? Can you call them? They can help."

The three wolves whined and buried their bellies in the dirt.

"Call them," I said. "They'll come help."

In response, they whined again. I didn't understand why they didn't call for help. I cocked my head and listened. And then I heard a huff from about where my car was parked, a huff I recognized. It was one of the wolves that had laid the trap for me three weeks previously.

"Oh no," I said. "These are the wrong wolves." Frantically, I tried to free one of the wolves. He reached over and licked my hand, then nipped at me.

I heard a howl, and it was far too close, and suddenly I was fourteen again, being hunted.

I shifted instantly, still dressed, I shifted right to fox. I struggled out of my clothes and didn't even have the presence of mind to hide the evidence.

I ran.

I was in full panic for five minutes, not calming down until I had climbed a tree and was well hidden. That was when I realized what I had done. I'd left my cell phone behind. My car keys. And they knew where my car was.

I jumped from the tree and turned east, using every trick I knew to hide my trail.

I covered the ground to Lara's compound quickly, quickly for a fox. As I grew close, I stopped and listened. I heard a wolf patrolling, and I adjusted my route to avoid him. I avoided two more and was within sight of the compound before anyone spotted me. The cry went up.

Suddenly there were wolves in both two and four feet converging on my location. I turned to the right, dashed right between two wolves on two feet. I thought one of them was Reggie.

"She smells of wolf blood!" someone yelled. "She's here to spy!"

Oh shit.

I dashed into the compound, then turned sharply left directly before Elisabeth in full fur. She pounced after me, but I ducked around her.

After that, it became a fox hunt, but I wasn't going anywhere. I was only waiting for Lara to appear. I used every trick I knew to avoid getting caught without actually running away.

After a couple of attempts, though, I realized that Elisabeth wasn't actively trying to catch me. Instead, she was getting in the way of the other wolves, and she huffed before every pounce, warning me she was leaping after me. I dashed under her, causing a wolf pileup behind me, then threw myself at the feet of the alpha, just exiting her home. I skidded to a stop and immediately rolled onto my back, exposing my throat.

"Stop!" Lara yelled, then reached down and scooped me up by the scuff.

I hated it when she did that, but rather than trying to bite her, I hung limply, whining.

She turned me to face her. "What are you doing here?" It wasn't said nicely. "And why do you have wolf blood on you?"

I whined.

She shook me. Like I could answer while furry. She stopped shaking me and held me up so she could look into my eyes. I gave her arm a passing lick, what I could reach, then in front of everyone, I shifted back to two feet.

Lara dropped me in the process, and I fell to the ground at her feet.

"Holy shit," someone said. "Did you see how fast she shifted?"

I slowly climbed to my feet and looked around, then asked calmly, "Missing three pups?"

David walked up behind me and cuffed me across the head. I crumpled to the ground and knew nothing for some time after that.

 **Imprisoned**

When I woke up, I was still naked and lay on the floor in a small room. I had the devil of a headache and was a mess. I groaned.

They left me there for some time. I don't know how long. I curled up and wrapped my arms over my aching head. I think I slept, because I didn't hear Lara arrive. She was shaking me awake.

"My head hurts," I told her, curling back into a ball.

"Yes, we are missing three pups. What did you do with them?"

"Tried to rescue them. If you believe I had anything to do with taking them, why am I still alive?"

"David wanted to kill you."

"I should have walked away, then. Instead of, you know, trying to help."

"What happened?"

"I need a doctor, Alpha."

"Answer my questions and I'll think about it."

"Lara, when you discover I have been loyal all along, will you be able to live with the guilt? Even after you treated me so badly, I have remained loyal."

"You have a concussion. I'm sorry. I didn't order him to hit you."

"You didn't stop him."

"No, I didn't."

"So much for being safe."

"Do you know where they are?"

"No."

"David wants to beat it out of you."

"Do you think I did it?"

I watched her, and that was when I had hope. "Are you normally this bad a judge of character, Lara? Could you have been this wrong about me?"

"You're a fox, Michaela. I don't know what to believe."

"I have risked my life for your wolves, Lara. Just remember that. Get me water and clothes and I'll tell you everything I know."

"You're in no position to bargain with me."

"Fine. Have David beat me then, if water and clothes are such an unreasonable request. He'll kill me before you learn anything."

She got up and left. I stared after her as the door to my cell closed.

I was a fool. I was in love with her.

She was gone only a short while. She returned with a bottle of water, a tee shirt and a pair of sweat pants. "Slowly on the water," she said.

I put the clothes on first then drank cautiously.

"What order do you want the story?"

"From the beginning?"

"From today or from the day we met?"

"Start with today."

I gave her an overview, hitting all the high points, ending with my arrival in her compound.

"They probably have my clothes, cell phone, car keys, car, all my notes I took today, everything. I should have called you as soon as I found them, but I didn't think of it. I'm sorry."

"Where?"

"Get me a map."

She was gone for several minutes. "David doesn't believe you," she said, but she spread a map out on the floor.

I pointed out everywhere I had been. "You can probably find tire tracks from my car." I pointed out where I had last parked, where I had taken readings, and where I had found the pups. "I have no idea if they'll disguise everything. I don't know what evidence you'll find."

"What route did you take to get here?"

"I'm not sure. When I realized they were the bad wolves, I panicked. I ran north, I think. Maybe like this." I traced it. "I climbed a tree."

"You can climb trees?"

"Fuck." I hadn't meant to tell her that.

"Is that why I couldn't find you that first night?"

"Is David listening?"

"No."

"Please don't tell anyone, Lara. I know you don't believe me, but what if I've been loyal? Please don't tell anyone. I haven't shared all my abilities with you, but not once have I lied to you. Not once."

"I don't see why it would be important to share," she said.

"Thank you." I paused. "I was around here somewhere. I came something like this. I didn't even try to hide my tracks. You should be able to backtrack easily."

"Do you have anything else to add?"

I thought about it. "Yes. If they took my car, I can track it."

"How?"

"Foxy ways."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"No. Is David going to beat it out of me?"

"Not tonight."

"I have never lied to you, Lara. I think you once cared about me. But I'm just a fox. I don't matter to a wolf. I was a fool to believe otherwise."

She tightened her lips. "You mattered, Michaela. You still matter."

"Feels like it," I said. "Are you leaving me in here?"

"Yes."

"Nice accommodations. Tell me why I would lie about any of this? You would just kill me? What gain is there for me?"

"Maybe your sister isn't really dead but is instead a captive somewhere."

"Oh fuck," I said. "Blackmail. My life for my sister's."

"That's what David thinks."

"I have never lied to you, Lara, but I have absolutely no way to prove that."

"I'll send in something for you to sleep on and make sure you have food and water."

"Bathroom privileges?"

"I'll arrange that as well." She paused. "If you are telling the truth, I will spend the rest of my life apologizing to you. If I decide you are lying, I will kill you myself."

A half hour later, a wolf I didn't recognize arrived with a ground pad normally used for camping and a blanket. I thank him, but he said nothing. I curled up into a ball and tried to will my headache away.

Lara returned some time later, hours later. I was in and out of consciousness and should have had medical care for my concussion. But the big wolves wouldn't have needed it, why should the fox, right?

Lara entered the cell and woke me. She pulled me into her arms, and I went limp. And then she was crying.

"I'm so sorry," she said between her sobs. I put my arms around her and clutched at her. She picked me up, and the world swam. I passed out.

When next I awoke, I was in her bed, and she was still holding me. The tears had dried on her cheeks.

"Tell me what you found."

"They didn't even try to disguise it. You were off on some of the locations."

"I told you they were rough, that I wasn't exactly sure."

"I know. We followed your trail back. You didn't try to hide anything. I found the tree you climbed."

"Did anyone else?"

"No. Your tracks before that were wild, stumbling a little. After that, you were like a fox on a mission. Other than being off on the map a little, every detail was right. We found where the traps were. We found where they dragged them away. We found your tiny human tracks walking in and your fox tracks leaving. We found where you stopped. David sent people out to check where you said you had parked your car, and we found tire tracks at each of them, all the same."

"My car?"

"Gone. And we didn't find your clothes either."

"Do you believe me?"

"Yes. Even David does."

I clutched at her. "Lara, my head hurts so bad."

"Shift and heal."

"I don't heal when I shift, Lara. Another fox secret. Please don't tell anyone."

"I'm sorry, Michaela," she said. "And your secrets are safe."

"What do you think they'll do with my car?"

"Dump it somewhere."

"I can track it," I told her. "I just need a computer."

"A computer?" she asked. "That's your foxy way?" She smiled.

"Well. Maybe my U.S. Fish and Wildlife way. There's an active tracking collar hidden beneath the spare tire. It uploads real time to a web site."

Lara kissed the top of my head very gently. "I am so sorry, little fox."

"It is going to take me a very long time before I can fully trust you again, Lara."

"Does that mean I'll get another chance?"

"I love you, Alpha. Can you believe it? After the way you treated me, and I love you."

"I'm so sorry, Michaela. And I love you, too."

I took a deep breath, breathing her in, the scent of safety, even now. "Bring me a computer, Alpha. And about four hundred aspirins."

Lara gently settled me into the bed and went in search of a computer. I fell asleep again, but she woke me. I tried to push her away.

"Little wolf, I just need the web site. Then you can go back to sleep."

She helped me sit up, propping me up in her bed, and slid the laptop onto my lap. I stared at it, then slowly typed in the web site URL. It took me a while to get it narrowed down to my car. I zoomed in on the map. "Hayward," I said. "Looks like a shopping mall."

Lara took the laptop back. "You're sure?"

"Yes. But they could have found the tracking collar. Or dumped the car. That's the most likely."

"I'll be back in a few days."

"Please don't leave me, Lara."

"I have to. You understand why."

I started to cry. My head hurt so badly, and now my safety was leaving.

"I'm so sorry. Elisabeth volunteered to stay with you."

"Go," I said. "I understand. I deserve status updates though."

"You'll get them."

She kissed my forehead, then I pulled her lips down for a proper kiss.

And then she was gone, and I slept.

I felt marginally better the next time I woke up. I smelled horrible. I came awake slowly, but I realized that I wasn't alone. I rolled over, expecting to find Lara, but when she rolled over to face me, it was Elisabeth.

"Thank you," I told her. "You believed in me when even Lara didn't."

"She let David poison her towards you. David lost a lot of respect from this. We could have responded a lot faster if he had given you the slightest benefit of the doubt. Even if he just hadn't hit you, at least you could have talked significantly sooner."

"Do I smell as bad as I think I do?"

"Worse."

I tried to sit up, but when I did, the world started going black. I groaned, and Elisabeth supported me.

"Maybe you should sleep some more."

"Shower. Please. But you're going to have to help me."

"Lara will kill me."

"She better not. I am owed years of throwing my weight around."

"Yeah, all thirty pounds."

"Shut up and help me to the shower."

Elisabeth helped me from the bed and to my feet. I almost collapsed, my vision wavering, but she caught me. "Please, Michaela. Let me put you back to bed."

I clung to her weakly. "I'll do whatever you ask when I'm clean, Elisabeth."

Looking back, it was actually pretty funny. But at the time, it was all I could do not to pass out. I wanted to be clean for my own dignity, but I needed the big bad wolf to bathe me like a little baby. In the end, she nearly carried me to the shower, and then she had to climb in with me to keep me from collapsing in the shower.

"If Lara finds out, she'll kill me, Michaela."

"Literally?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted.

"So I suppose I shouldn't give you a love bite," I told her. I was draped against her while she was trying to wash my hair.

"That's not funny, Michaela. That would definitely make it literally."

"Would she really?"

"I don't know. Yes. I think so."

Soon I was clean and dry. Elisabeth got me wrapped in a robe and tried to put me back to bed.

"Can we change the bedding?" I asked her. She moved me to the sofa, and I passed out before she got back.

I was alone the next time I woke. While I didn't heal from shifting, I still healed quickly, like any were, and I felt better. I was hungry and needed to use the bathroom. I rolled onto my side at the edge of the bed, and the world spun only a little. I sat up slowly and was dizzy, but didn't black out.

I climbed to my feet and made my way to the bathroom.

Elisabeth was in the bedroom by the time I stepped back out, wrapped in the robe again. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. Hungry. Is there any chance of finding clothes remotely near my size."

"If you climb back in bed, I'll bring you something to eat."

I leaned against the wall, looking at her. "Is that a no on the clothing?"

"It's been too chaotic to send someone shopping for you," she said. "The clothes you had earlier are waiting to be washed."

I took a sniff of myself. I smelt like myself, all fox, no fear. "Am I aromatic?" I asked her.

"No."

I turned to Lara's closet and made my way over there on relatively steady feet. When I got to the door, Elisabeth was there beside me. "Please, Michaela. I'll bring you food and you can sleep some more."

"Am I violating some rules the alpha set?"

"No, but you still aren't very steady. I am used to a very graceful fox. I am worried. Please go back to bed."

"What day is it?"

"Thursday morning."

"I got here Tuesday night. I think I've slept enough."

I stepped into Lara's closet. I found a simple white blouse, way too large for me, and a wrap around skirt that I could make fit. I handed my finds to Elisabeth then turned to Lara's dresser, opening drawers until I found her panties. I finally found a pair that was small and exceptionally stretchy. I slipped them on then took the clothes from Elisabeth. "Turn around," I asked, then I slipped into the clothes.

The blouse was, of course, way too large. I had to roll up the sleeves. And the skirt hung to my ankles, but at least it didn't drag on the floor.

I felt better already.

I turned to the door, but Elisabeth was in front of me right away. "Please, Michaela. If you don't want to sleep, you can rest on the sofa. I'll bring food."

I stared at her for a moment. She stood unwavering between me and the door. "Are you my jailor, Elisabeth?"

"What? Of course not."

"So I'm not a prisoner."

"No. A guest. But Lara told me to make sure you were safe."

"And this room is significantly safer than the kitchen?"

"You are not steady on your feet, Michaela. I do not want to explain to Lara why I let you take a tumble down the stairs."

"I want to go home, Elisabeth."

"No!" she said firmly. "Lara said-"

"Elisabeth," I said calmly. "Do you believe right now I care that much what Lara said?"

She stared at me, blinking, and sadness crept into her face. "No," she said in a small voice. "But she is my alpha."

"So I take it if I asked for a ride home?"

"No."

"If I asked to borrow a car?"

"You are in no shape to drive."

I sighed. She was right.

"Please, Michaela. Do you really want a six hour car ride right now?"

I thought about it. "No," I admitted. "I don't."

"How about an airplane ride?"

"No, definitely not."

"Well then, why are we discussing this? Maybe this will be all over by tomorrow. You'll feel better tomorrow, and maybe Lara will be back by then."

"And I can have this conversation with her instead of you?"

"Exactly."

"Am I prisoner in this room?"

"No, Michaela, but please don't attempt the stairs today."

"If I behave, are you offering to entertain me?"

"Yes. I'll bring up food and something to drink if you promise to sit or lie down, then I will entertain you until you are ready to nap."

"Fine. I will wait here. We will be having this conversation again at lunch."

She sighed. "You promise to behave?"

"Until lunch."

"I'll bring food. It will be a few minutes." She eyed me dubiously.

"I promised, Elisabeth. I haven't broken any promises to anyone, unlike your alpha."

She flinched at that. "She said you forgave her."

"No, I didn't. I told her I love her. She's not forgiven yet. They aren't the same thing."

Elisabeth nodded and left the room. I waited until I heard her descend the stairs and crossed to the door. I opened it. It wasn't locked. I closed it again and turned to sit on the couch, waiting for her. I lay back and closed my eyes.

I dozed lightly but woke up when the door opened. Elisabeth slipped in quietly and saw me resting on the sofa. I tracked her progress as she set a tray down on the coffee table in front of me.

"What did you bring me?" I asked, not opening my eyes. It felt better to leave them closed.

"I thought you were asleep. I brought a little of everything. Bacon, sausage, some leftover chicken from last night."

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "The wolf definition of everything seems to be predominantly meat."

"There is a bowl of fruit," she said. "Do foxes eat fruit?"

"Yes. We're omnivorous." I glanced at the tray. It was heaping with food. "I presume you're eating with me."

She smiled. "Maybe a bite or two. What would you like first?"

"A tiny bit of everything," I said. "And I really mean tiny."

She prepared a plate for me and we ate together quietly. I felt better with food. She had brought lemonade as well, and that tasted good. I finished first, of course, but I continued to nibble so that Elisabeth felt she could continue to eat. Finally she sat back, looking satisfied.

"All done?" she asked me. I nodded. "Will you behave while I take these back downstairs?"

"If you leave the lemonade."

She laughed. "Done."

"Elisabeth, I promised I would behave until at least lunch. You don't have to keep asking."

"Thank you, Michaela."

She rose gracefully, collected everything, and stepped out the door. I got up and prowled the room for a few minutes, but that wore me out, and I moved back to the sofa. Elisabeth found me there ten minutes later when she returned.

"How are you doing?"

"I'll survive as long as no one hits me again for a few days."

"I don't think he meant to hit you that hard."

"He meant to kill me, Elisabeth, but wanted it to look like he tried to hold back."

"Wolves are not that subtle, little fox."

I opened my eyes and studied her. "Maybe not," I agreed. "Do you have a status update for me?"

"They're combing Hayward and the immediate surroundings. They found your car. You won't want it back."

I sighed. I couldn't afford to buy another one. That was a problem for another day. "Can they bring back the contents? My notes, the samples I had taken."

"As I understand it, there is nothing left worth bringing back. But Lara says if she ever smells any of the wolves involved again, she'll know it."

I clasped my lips together tightly. "All right. What else?"

"That's about it. They haven't found anything else. No signs at all."

"I don't want to look at it now, but later I'll want to see a map of where they looked."

"Michaela-"

I opened my eyes. "Tell the alpha what I said."

"All right. Yes. She can decide."

"She either trusts me or she doesn't, Elisabeth. Tell her I said that, too. There will be no more in between. If she doesn't trust me, then someone can drive me to Bayfield this afternoon."

"You aren't going to want that drive this afternoon, Michaela."

"I don't intend to stay in the home of someone who doesn't trust me, Elisabeth."

"Please don't put me in the middle of this, Michaela."

"Tell her what I said. We'll see what she decides. Do you have anything else at all?"

"No."

"What is the feel amongst the pack?"

"Everyone is very angry."

"Is Lara's position in jeopardy?"

"No."

"Weakened?"

"If this drags on, yes."

"And how about me?"

"You are an enigma," Elisabeth said. I thought that was a fancy word from the wolf. "Almost no one knows what to make of you."

"Anyone want to kill me?"

She smiled. "Not that I know. You've been a divisive factor amongst the enforcers."

I frowned. "I wouldn't have wanted that. Can you explain?"

"Eric and Rory were being especially antagonistic with David. The enforcers who don't know you have been supportive of David."

My head was starting to pound. "All right. That's enough for now. Thank you for answering my questions. Will you talk to me about something else?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know. Maybe tell me about your childhood. I'll probably doze off."

So she did, sharing stories about growing up with Lara. I dozed off somewhere in the middle and didn't wake up when she carried me back to bed.

I slept until early afternoon. I woke to the smell of unfamiliar wolf. I listened carefully. Someone was sitting on the sofa, reading. No one else was in the room with me. There were voices quietly speaking in the kitchen. I couldn't make out what they were saying.

I cracked one eye open. An adolescent female wolf was my companion. I studied her, judging the threat level.

"Who are you?" I asked.

She jumped to her feet, startled. The sudden movement caused me to jerk away, and my head immediately began pounding.

"Don't do that," I said. "Move slowly. Who are you?"

"Angel," she said.

I struggled to sit up, wincing, but I managed to slide my feet out from under the covers. I was still wearing the blouse and skirt, although everything was somewhat awry. I adjusted the clothing and ran my fingers through my tangled hair.

"Hello, Angel. I am Michaela."

"I know," she said.

"Now that I know your name, who are you?"

"I am the alpha's cousin," she said.

"Explain the relation," I said.

"The alpha's mother was my mother's older sister. I am my mother's youngest daughter."

"All right. Thank you. What are your orders?"

"Watch you. Scream if you try to leave."

"Has the alpha returned?"

"No."

I took a breath. "Are you to scream if I get out of bed?"

"No, only if you try to leave."

"I would rather not hear you scream, Angel. I imagine it would hurt. May I use the bathroom without you screaming?"

She smiled. "Yes. You just can't go near that door." She pointed to the door out into the hallway. "If you do, I'll scream."

"All right," I said. "Thank you for explaining the rules."

I made my way to the bathroom. I was a fright. I found a brush, but I didn't have the energy to use it. I carried it out to the bedroom.

"May I ask a favor, Angel?"

She eyed me warily but nodded.

"Would you brush my hair for me, very, very gently."

"All right."

I crossed the room and sat on the sofa. Angel sat down beside me and began brushing my hair. She was gentle. While she was brushing, I asked her, "If I told you I wanted lunch, what would you do?"

"Aunt Elisabeth didn't say anything about lunch."

I let her finish brushing my hair. I'm sure it wasn't up to standards, but it would be better. I thanked her.

"Did you have any directions for if I woke?"

"Just that you weren't to leave."

"If I promise to sit right here and not move so much as a muscle, will you go get Elisabeth?"

"No. She told me to watch you."

"You know I am the alpha's girlfriend, don't you?"

She nodded.

"Doesn't that mean you have to follow my orders?"

Her face scrunched up. I loved the wolves that way. Everything they were thinking was written all over their faces. But then her expression cleared. "No. And Aunt Elisabeth warned me you might try to talk me into being naughty. I am to watch you."

"And scream."

"If you go near the door."

"You are an effective jailor, Angel," I said. From her expression, I know I had confused her. "There are people in the kitchen. If you walked into the hallway and called down to them, could you get one of them to come up without making enough noise to hurt my head?"

"I am supposed to watch you."

"I will sit right here. You can see me from the doorway. If I do so much as stand up, you have my permission to scream."

I watched her think about it. She nodded and rose to her feet, watching me warily. "You promise you'll sit right there?"

"Cross my heart."

We watched each other as she backed slowly to the door. Once she was standing in the hallway, she turned away and called downstairs. "She's awake. Can someone come upstairs?"

Then she realized she wasn't watching me, and her head jerked back towards me. I hadn't moved, and she looked relieved. Her aunt must have put the fear of, well, the alpha into her.

From the kitchen, I heard movement. Angel listened as well, then returned to the bedroom, closing the door behind her. "Someone is coming upstairs."

"Thank you, Angel," I said.

"You are welcome, Miss Michaela."

Well, she was a polite jailor.

I heard light footsteps on the stairs, and then the door opened and a female wolf stepped into the room. It was difficult for me to judge the ages of wolves; weres age differently than humans do, and I hadn't spent much time around weres of any sort since I was fourteen. She was older than either Lara or Elisabeth, but I couldn't have said by how much.

"This is my mother," Angel said.

"Did she give you any trouble?" the woman asked her daughter.

"No, Mother."

"Your daughter has been a polite if effective jailor, aunt of the alpha," I said.

"Francesca, Ms. Redfur."

"Michaela." I told her. "Now that you are here, has your daughter's order to scream if I try to leave been rescinded?"

The woman smiled. "Yes. Angel, wait downstairs."

"Yes, Mother."

"Thank you for watching over me, Angel. I appreciate it."

"You're welcome," she said, picking up her book and fleeing. I waited until she had slipped past her mother before I said anything further.

"What are your orders, Francesca?"

She looked pained.

"I am going downstairs and to the kitchen. Are you going to stop me?"

She stood up straight. "If you can stand up and walk all the way to me without any wobbles, I will allow you to descend to the kitchen."

"Any wobbles would be due to inactivity," I said. "A problem I wish to remedy."

"If I ask a question, will you answer honestly?"

I almost laughed at the absurdity of the question. "I do not promise to answer, but if I answer, I will do so honestly."

"Are you really in any condition to safely walk all the way to the kitchen then all the way back up here without assistance?"

"Actually? No. I was hoping you would offer to help."

Her mouth quirked upwards.

"You thought I would lie."

"Yes."

"If I promise to behave until dinner, will you help me to the kitchen, and then maybe allow me to sit down there for a while before helping me back upstairs?"

She didn't want to do it. I sighed.

"Let me rephrase this. I am going downstairs. I will crawl if I have to. That would not be terribly dignified and would not be my first choice. You will have to physically restrain me to stop me. I do not believe that would be your first choice. I believe we would both be happy if we can achieve a level of agreeable cooperation."

"This is against my better judgment," she said. "I can have someone bring you food. Angel can sit with you. She has homework to do, anyway."

"What are you afraid of, Francesca? What do you think is the worst that could happen?"

"The worst? The alpha will arrive home before I can get you back upstairs. She will take one look at you and know you don't belong out of bed. I am not even sure sitting in that sofa would be acceptable, but we could argue it was a compromise."

"Call her."

"What?"

"Call Lara."

"I can't do that."

"Then provide me with a phone and I will call her myself."

"If I allow you to the kitchen, will you agree to cooperate when I decide you must return upstairs?"

I studied her. "All right."

"If I must, I will carry you. You will not fuss."

"You will allow me at least an opportunity to return in a dignified fashion."

"All right. I will take your arm on the stairs. If you can't get to the stairs without help or clutching at the walls, you are staying here."

I stood, slowly. I wobbled slightly, but I walked straight to her. She nodded and backed out of the doorway.

God, wolves were a pain in the ass.

I made it to the top of the stairs without help. Francesca kept an arm around my waist as I descended the stairs, somewhat unsteadily.

We successfully arrived in the kitchen, Francesca had to offer more support than I had thought would be necessary. She got me seated in a chair, and I said, "Francesca, you were right."

"Should I carry you back upstairs?"

"I'm here. Can I get something to eat?"

She nodded.

I looked around the kitchen. "Someone else was here with you."

"Gia, my eldest daughter. You will meet her later, I am sure." I was slipping. I hadn't heard her leave.

Francesca busied herself in the kitchen. She tried to offer me a wolf-sized meal, but I talked her down to something small. Her definition of small and mine needed a modicum of negotiation as well.

"The lemonade I had earlier. It didn't taste like it was from a mix."

"Fresh squeezed," she said.

"Is it plentiful?"

"We will make as much as you like, Michaela."

I felt marginally better after eating. Francesca puttered around the kitchen, clearly uncomfortable.

"Where is Elisabeth?" I asked.

"Resting. I can send Angel for her if you need her."

"Let her rest. I will behave at least for another few hours."

Francesca's lips quivered at that, but she was able to suppress an outright smile.

"Can you tell me anything more than what Elisabeth did earlier?"

"No."

"Is that because you won't tell me, or you haven't heard anything new."

"Both."

"Is the alpha all right?"

"Yes, the last I heard."

I sat there thinking about everything. "Francesca, where are you in the pack hierarchy?"

"That isn't as simple a question as you may think," she said. "In many ways, I am outside it. In my own house, I am dominant, and no one would question how I run my house, not even the alpha."

"And in pack politics?"

"I answer to the alpha, of course. And to Elisabeth."

"To David?"

"If David gave me an order, it would only be as a relay from the alpha. He wouldn't attempt to command me on his own authority. But at the same time, I command only my own children and my students."

"You're a teacher?"

She nodded.

"I am also outside the pack hierarchy. I do not answer to the alpha."

"That is between you and the alpha," she said diplomatically.

"Earlier, you said the worst case scenario was the alpha might see me out of bed. So you are worried about the alpha's reactions, but not worried about my health."

She looked me straight on. "No. I knew you could argue if I were making my decisions based on your health. You can not argue with my relationship with the alpha."

I almost laughed, but it hurt. "You are more fox than I would have expected."

"I will endeavor to consider that a compliment."

We sat in amiable silence for a while. When I was sure I was done eating, Francesca cleaned up then offered to help me back to bed.

"Francesca," I said. "I would like to apply a very small amount of stress to the boundaries we have agreed."

She narrowed her eyes at me.

"I would like five minutes outside."

"Absolutely not."

"Francesca, the entire house smells like wolf. I am a tiny fox, and wolf is not a scent that normally fills me with a sense of safety. I would simply like to clear my lungs. That is all. Please."

I hated having to ask. But perhaps if they got used to my asking politely, when I didn't ask, they wouldn't expect it.

"One minute standing on the front steps with my arm around you."

"Thank you," I replied. I climbed slowly to my feet and headed for the front door. Immediately she was next to me, but she moved smoothly and didn't startle me. We made it to the front door and out onto the front step.

No one was about. I thought about sitting down on the steps so she could walk further away from me, but I didn't like the thought of standing back up. So I let her support me, and I leaned against her, breathing deeply the fresh September air.

She didn't rush me, and I got my five minutes.

"Thank you," I said finally. "You have been very kind."

She didn't say anything but simply helped me back upstairs and to bed. "Angel will be watching. She will be in a great deal of trouble if she relaxes her diligence and you were to depart without her giving warning."

"You don't play fair, Francesca," I told her.

"I am simply stating fact."

"She does not deserve to be put between the affairs of adults."

"She is old enough to watch you."

"And I am fox enough to confuse her, but I won't. At least not until dinner time."

"I will send my older daughter up before then," Francesca said with a smile. "She perhaps will not be swayed by your artful ways."

"It's not today or tonight you need to worry, Francesca. Tomorrow I go home."

"That is between you and the alpha."

After that, I slept.

The other daughter was with me when I woke next. "This really is tiring," I said. "I should not be treated like an errant child who needs a keeper."

"That is between-"

"Yes, I know. Me and the alpha."

"Exactly."

"What are your orders?"

"I am not authorized to allow you to leave this room."

"And you would scream, like your sister?"

She smiled. "No. I would stop you, then call for assistance in a firm voice."

I sat up to a moment of dizziness, but it was the dizziness of too much sleep, not a concussion. I slipped to the side of the bed, and Gia was immediately on her feet and standing in front of the door.

"You take your duties very seriously," I told her. "I will be using the bathroom. I intend a shower, and then I will descend for a small bite to eat. Call whomever you must."

"You will not be leaving this room, Ms. Redfur."

"Call whomever you must. I will be going downstairs."

"Ms. Redfur, if I were to offer you clothes that fit, would you be more agreeable?"

"I would very much appreciate clothes that fit," I replied. "But if I have to do it wrapped in a sheet, I am going downstairs to eat."

She sighed and pointed to a shopping bag next to Lara's dresser. "Two pair of jeans, several changes of undies. Sports bras and blouses."

"Sports bras?"

"Easy to fit without a fitting."

"Will you tell me whoever went shopping so I may offer thanks?"

"That would be me this afternoon."

I smiled. "Thank you, Gia. If I find myself required to use my foxy ways, I will endeavor to avoid doing so during your shift as jailor."

"Mother warned me you would use that word," Gia said. "It is not accurate, and I will not be swayed by it. The alpha told us to keep you safe. We will keep you safe."

"And any other course of action-"

"Is between you and the alpha."

"I will remain reasonably compliant this evening. I will descend for dinner, and I will take a short walk outside."

"Not on my shift."

"Call someone then. That is what will happen." I walked calmly to the shopping bag and brought it into the bathroom with me.

The shower felt good, and Gia had done a good job finding my sizes. There was even a pair of sandals. They would not do for running, but I could walk comfortably in them. I brushed my hair thoroughly and felt reasonably put together by the time I exited the bathroom.

Elisabeth was waiting for me, and there was no sign of Gia.

"Ah, I was hoping you would arrive. Come, you can update me over a bite."

"Is that all you do is eat and sleep?"

"And argue. Don't forget the arguing."

She smiled. "One could never forget the arguing, little fox." I crossed the room and stood in front of her, and she stepped aside from the door. I descended the stairs without assistance and made it smoothly to the kitchen. Francesca and Gia were there, and the informal kitchen table was set for four.

"Good evening," I said by way of entrance. "Do I have an assigned seat?"

"Wherever you like," Francesca said. I took the nearest seat. Francesca set down a glass of lemonade and the three wolves sat down to join me.

We served ourselves and I asked Elisabeth if she had a status update for me.

"No change. They are still looking, expanding their search."

"Other than the three youths, everyone is unhurt?"

"Yes."

"I would prefer to speak with the alpha this evening, if she should become available."

"She told us we could call any time this evening."

"Do you have authority to show me where they have searched?"

"Yes. Later."

"All right. We can do that while talking to Lara."

"Is that before or after you lose your argument about a walk outside?" Elisabeth asked me.

I smiled. "Elisabeth, we both know you would be much happier if I remain reasonably compliant. We also know I am going to get my walk. Do we need to argue about it?"

"Do you give your word I will not regret it, Michaela?"

"I will do nothing tonight to betray your trust, Elisabeth. That is between now and midnight."

Gia had been paying attention to all this and finally asked her mother, "How does she get away speaking like this? She should do what she is told."

I turned to her. "I make my own choices. Right now, I am not in any condition to outright defy the alpha. That will change. I am very stubborn and respond poorly to strong arm tactics. I am fox, not wolf. And there is no one here to whom I answer. Elisabeth is able to physically restrain me. If I pushed hard enough, she could toss me into that cell I was in a few days ago. But she doesn't want to do either of those, and I don't want her to do those. So we walk a dance."

"She could lock you in your room," Gia pointed out.

"The alpha's room, you mean?"

"Yes."

"Elisabeth, if you do that, what will I do?"

"Go out the window."

"And if you somehow prevented that?"

"You'd find a way through the door."

"And if I couldn't?"

"You would find a way through the wall."

"What if you physically restrained me or locked me in that cell?"

"You would hate us forever."

"And how would the alpha feel about that?"

"You alive and hating her is better than you dead."

"But not as good as me alive and not hating her."

"Exactly."

"Does that answer your question, Gia?"

"You should do what you are told," Gia said.

I sighed. "I am fox, Gia. Not wolf. Your rules and my rules are different. Your rules are based on strength and obedience. Mine are based on trust."

"So the alpha should trust you to do what you're told," Gia said triumphantly.

"The alpha should trust my judgment and my personal choices over my own life. It is my life, after all, not hers. And I should be able to trust that she will keep her promises to me."

Elisabeth shook her head slightly at me. I decided she was asking me not to talk about broken promises. I nodded slightly once.

"You said you would be reasonably compliant," Gia said.

"Yes. Earlier I told Elisabeth I would be reasonably compliant this evening." I turned to Elisabeth. "I believe evening ends at midnight."

She nodded understanding.

"All right," said Gia. "So if we all walked away, right now, you would stay right here?"

"Probably not. I'd probably go sit outside."

"But we could trust you to do nothing foolish?"

"You could trust me to be easily found and engaged in nothing I believed was potentially dangerous to my health."

"You said until midnight?"

"If I am unattended outside at 12:01 AM, I will make my own choices. I will have fulfilled my agreement."

"You would run away, just like that?"

"Probably not. I don't think I'd get very far."

Elisabeth snickered.

"But I might try to steal a car," I added. "Or I might climb back upstairs and go to bed. It would be my decision, not anyone else's."

She thought about it all. "You should do what the alpha says."

Stubborn wolf.

"Why don't you make her promise to behave until the alpha returns?" Gia asked.

I laughed, and Gia turned a dark look at me.

"I'm sorry, Gia. I shouldn't have laughed. Elisabeth would absolutely love to get me to make that promise. She would need to threaten to put me in the cell before she'd get it, and even then, I might count on escaping during a bathroom break rather than give it."

"You are like an ill behaved pup," Gia said. "And you should be treated like one."

"David tried that," I said coolly. "How did that work?"

"You told them what they wanted to know."

I looked at Francesca to see if she wanted to interfere. She looked at me calmly. I turned back to her daughter.

"Gia, why do you think I came here in the first place?"

"Because the pups were kidnapped."

"Yes, they were, but what was the purpose of my coming here? I could have simply run away. Why did I come here?"

"To tell the alpha about the pups," she said eventually.

"So do you think David hitting me got the answers to come out of me faster than they would have if he had asked me politely what I knew?"

She looked down. "Probably not."

"Probably." I sighed again. "Elisabeth, how long was I unconscious?"

"Nearly an hour."

"How long would it have taken me to start answering questions if David hadn't hit me."

"I imagine a few seconds."

"I was going to ask for something to cover me up and some water. So a few minutes. Instead it took over an hour. Do you think that time mattered?"

"Yes, it mattered. We may have been able to track them if we'd gotten there faster."

I turned to Gia. "I made a fatal mistake, one I have to live with. I should have called the alpha as soon as I saw what was going on. Instead, I tried to help, forgetting I had a phone. It was the worst mistake I have ever made, and I am guilt ridden over it."

"How long between when you found them and when the other wolves arrived, Michaela?" Elisabeth asked gently.

"I'm not sure. Maybe twenty minutes or so. They were nearby. But I also wasted time approaching cautiously. I am fox, not wolf, after all. If I had called at the first yips, you would have had forty minutes or more."

"No one would have called at the yips," Elisabeth said. "No one is going to fault a fox for caution. So twenty minutes. You were fourteen miles from our compound, and there were no direct roads. If you had called the moment you saw them, by the time we shifted and ran there, it would have been too late. If you called after you failed to free them, it would definitely have been too late. And Michaela, I would have tried to free them before calling. Other than the caution in the approach, you did exactly what I would have done."

I felt tears in my eyes. "It wasn't enough."

"No," she said. "Sometimes your best isn't enough."

I looked away for a while, calming the tears, then turned back. "I'll behave until morning if you let me walk around outside this evening."

"I'd love to walk with you if you stay close to the house."

"Thank you." I turned to Gia. "Your company would be nice, if you wanted to join us."

"I don't understand you," she said. "And I don't understand why Elisabeth doesn't make you behave. She could."

"She couldn't."

"She could! She is big and you are tiny."

I shook my head and decided she wasn't going to understand. Instead I addressed Francesca. "I was worried I would be a bad influence on the pack, but I realize the pack will never understand me enough for me to be any influence at all."

I got my walk before we talked to Lara. I think Elisabeth didn't want Lara to have an opportunity to disallow it, and she definitely didn't want to fight me on it. We stepped outside with Elisabeth hovering closely. Francesca chose to stay inside, but Gia and Angel both joined us.

We didn't go anywhere. I sat on the steps for a few minutes, enjoying the evening air and listening to Gia and Angel talking a little ways away, thinking I couldn't understand. Neither of them understood the situation, but I decided they were good girls.

"Elisabeth, when I decide to leave, please don't use those two as my jailors."

"They aren't jailors."

"I don't want them in the middle of this. I am in no shape to defy you right now, but you know tomorrow I will be, and they shouldn't suffer when I leave."

"Michaela, please," Elisabeth said. "Do not do this to me. Give it a few days. I will give you all the freedom you want if you agree to stick to the immediate area of the house."

"My freedom is not yours to give, Elisabeth. It is my freedom. Not yours, not Lara's. Until we can agree on that point, there is no room for other discussion."

"I can lock you in that cell, Michaela."

"You can, and I'm not in any shape to evade you if you do it tonight. But I've been betrayed enough by this pack, don't you think?"

"We're only trying to protect you, Michaela. Why can't you understand that?"

"I do understand that, Elisabeth. But if I am not free to leave, it's not protection, it is imprisonment. I do not choose imprisonment as the price of protection, especially when I feel I am able to protect myself."

"So tomorrow you're leaving unless I lock you in the cell tonight?"

"I don't know, Elisabeth. I don't know how I will feel in the morning. And I haven't talked to the alpha. I haven't seen the map of where they are searching."

"You have promised to behave until morning," Elisabeth said.

"Let's call it sunrise," I said. And with that, I climbed from the steps and stepped out onto the grass, three wolves following me around, and everyone wondering what tomorrow would bring.

Afterwards, from Lara's bedroom, we called Lara. Elisabeth had given me the map, which she had annotated with where the searching had happened as of the last conversation with the alpha. She and Lara talked for a while, Elisabeth taking the phone to the bedroom across the hall. I couldn't quite here what Lara said, but I heard everything Elisabeth said.

She argued for trusting my judgment. It didn't sound like she won. At one point I heard her say, "Please don't make me do that, Alpha. It will crush her, and she will never forgive you."

Fuck.

When Elisabeth returned, her face was an open book. She was going to throw me in the cell if I didn't promise to stay. I held out my hand for the phone.

"Is this map Elisabeth gave me accurate, Alpha?" I asked her.

"Yes, it should be," she said. "How are you doing, Michaela?"

"If you just ordered Elisabeth to throw me in the cell, then my name is Ms. Redfur."

There was silence, then Lara said quietly, "Why are you doing this?"

"Why are you? Either you trust me or you don't. Decide soon, Alpha." And then I hung up on the call.

"When are you to lock me up?" I asked her.

"Either you promise to stay until Lara gets back, or I lock you up immediately."

"So you would trust my promise, but not my judgment. That makes no sense."

"A twelve-year-old pup can keep a promise without necessarily having good judgment," Elisabeth said.

"I rescind my promise from earlier. I will give the alpha one hour to rescind her order. If you attempt to lock me in a cell, I will fight you with everything I have. In one hour, I am leaving."

"You can't fight me, Michaela." The pain in Elisabeth's face was clear. "You'll make me hurt you."

"I will not go meekly. I will not!"

"Twenty-four hours, Michaela. Please."

I glanced at the clock hanging from the wall. It was shortly after ten PM. "You have until eleven. At 11:01, either I will be walking away or you and I will be deeply engaged in the meanest fight a fox can give you. You will probably end up killing me before you subdue me."

"Please, Michaela, don't make me do that."

"I'm not. Your alpha is. You better spend your hour wisely."

"You won't leave before eleven?"

"No. I would rather you talked some sanity into her. I would rather work with you."

"You will stay in this room."

"Yes."

"In human form?"

"Yes. Until you return or 11, whichever comes first."

She nodded and stepped out of the room. I heard the front door open and close, and then I was left with my thoughts.

There was no way I'd get past her tonight. Maybe in another day or two, but not tonight. I sighed and slumped on the bed.

By 10:30 I was watching the clock. When 10:50 came around and Elisabeth hadn't returned, I began to pace. At 10:57, the front door opened and Elisabeth hurried up the stairs. She burst through the door and looked deeply relieved I was still there.

"Will you please talk to Lara?"

"All right."

She handed me the phone.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"Please let Elisabeth keep you safe. I need to know you are safe. I can't be worrying about you. I can't send people back to keep you from running away."

"Please trust my judgment."

"Give me a week."

"Please trust my judgment."

"Three days."

"Please trust my judgment."

"Twenty-four hours."

I hesitated. My voice cracked. "Please trust my judgment, Lara. What are we, if you can't trust me?"

"What are we if I can't protect you?"

I held the phone to my ear and listened to her breathing. "I love you. Goodbye."

"No! Wait! Michaela, please."

I held the phone in place, not speaking. "If you leave, where will you go?"

"Where my judgment takes me."

"Will you take Elisabeth with you?"

"If I decide that's the best choice, and she offers."

She took a large breath. "Please put Elisabeth back on." I held out the phone and listened to both sides of the conversation. Lara told her, "Beg her to stay. If she chooses to leave anyway, beg her to go with. If she says no, give her a car and make sure she has whatever she needs."

"Thank you, Alpha. I'm so sorry."

"It's not your fault. Stubborn fox."

"That she is." They both hung up and Elisabeth looked at me. I was crying and smiling.

"Thank you," I told her.

"Please let me keep you safe. Lara needs to know you are safe. The pack needs you safe."

"You begged. I declined. You begged to go with. I declined. I need a car, enough cash to last a week, and a cell phone with your number and Lara's plugged in."

"Ten minutes. I'll meet you downstairs."

 **Going Hunting**

I collected the clothes Gia had purchased for me and headed downstairs to sit on the steps. Elisabeth drove up in a dark black SUV and behind her, Francesca parked in a little green Prius. I smiled.

"Pick one," Elisabeth said.

"Whose are they?"

"Both are mine."

"Do you mind if I take the Prius?"

"No." Francesca handed me the key. Elisabeth handed me a cell phone and a roll of money. "It's about five hundred dollars. It's what I had ready."

"Thank you, Elisabeth." I hugged her. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be. Where will you go? Your home isn't safe."

"I know. Trust my judgment."

She nodded. "I will."

I climbed into the Prius, maneuvered it around the SUV, and was soon on my way. I drove slowly until I reached the main highway, taking twenty minutes to get there. My headache had returned, but no one stopped me, and no one was following me. I pulled over, climbed out of the car, and searched the sky for airplanes. There was an airliner high in the sky, but nothing else.

I reached into the car and grabbed the phone. I called Elisabeth.

"Where are you?" I asked her.

"Still at the compound," she said. "What's wrong?"

"My head hurts."

"I thought it might."

"Maybe it would be better if you drove."

"I could do that. Are you coming back? Or I can have Francesca drive me to you."

"I'm at the highway. I'll wait here. Elisabeth, we're going hunting. I can wait if you need to pack. Bring a computer with a satellite uplink, if you have one."

"I love to hunt, Fox. I can't wait to watch you."

"Thank you, Elisabeth. You're going to make an awesome sister-in-law."

She laughed. "And you're going to be a pain in the ass of a sister-in-law."

"I wonder if I should wait for the alpha to ask me."

"Naw. Why do anything her way?"

"You're right. Why start now?"

She laughed. "Will you call her or will I?"

"I will. I'll be waiting for you."

We hung up and I called Lara.

"Gia? Why are you calling me?"

"It's not Gia. I was wondering whose phone this was."

"Michaela." Lara went quiet.

"Elisabeth and I will be wherever you are by noon. If you need her to bring anything or anyone else, call her now and call me back."

"One second, Michaela." Lara held the phone to her chest, but I could hear her talking, presumably to David.

"David will call her."

"Lara, I expect Elisabeth to allow me to do whatever I want, and we report to no one, not even you."

"That's not reasonable," she said.

"Lara, send everyone away. Everyone. Do it, or I drive away and no one finds me. Make sure with your own eyes and ears they all have left."

I heard her send everyone out of the room. There was a pause and a lot of background noise, then it got significantly quieter.

"I'm alone," she said.

"Absolutely alone, and you are completely sure no one can overhear me."

"Yes."

"They might be able to hear you, so you need to say nothing, Lara. Do you understand?"

"No."

"Trust my judgment, Alpha."

"I will say nothing."

"You have a traitor."

She was silent.

"Tell me you understand."

"I understand, but I don't want to believe."

"I don't either."

"Do you know who you are accusing?"

"I'm not accusing anyone," I said. "Alpha, if I give you the name of a wolf, perhaps a wolf very close to you, would you be able to get the truth from that wolf?"

"Yes."

"What if it's Elisabeth?"

"It's not!"

"No, it's not. But what if it were?"

She was silent for a while. "I would need some evidence. A lot of evidence. Yes I can do what you ask."

"All right. I will get you a name, and it will be based on more than my personal distrust. But it may be built on nothing more than the way I won at poker. That may be the best I can do."

"I understand."

"You will tell everyone I was being difficult but have agreed to accept Elisabeth as my keeper. You are humoring me, that's all. But you are going to change your mind about letting me help with the investigation. You want me safe."

"We're going to fight about that, Michaela."

"Yes, exactly. You will put your foot down and threaten to lock me in a cell until this is over. We will have a huge fight, but you will give in when I ask if I can go sailing on a friend's sailboat, out in the middle of the lake. Can you sell that?"

"Yes."

"I promise to report our safety to you. I don't promise to report more than that. And you must tell Elisabeth she answers only to you, no one else, and you must not ask her any questions she has to answer. All right?"

"Yes."

"I need my tracking collar. Do you have it? Does anyone else know the web site to my tracking device?"

"Yes. And yes. Almost everyone."

"All right. You are going to insist I wear it in a fashion I can't remove without help, but you will make sure that Elisabeth can take it off. I will fight you, but you will force me to wear it." I thought about it. "That's all I have. With any luck, we'll be there by noon. We'll call when we know for sure."

"I'm trusting you, Michaela."

"I know you are, Lara. Thank you for loaning Elisabeth to me. If I ask later, will you be able to give me two more wolves?"

"Yes, whatever you need."

"Keep it quiet for now. Elisabeth is humoring me, that's our story for now. I love you, Lara."

"I love you, too."

We listened to each other breath for a while, neither talking. "I'm not ready to hang up," I told her.

"Neither am I. Do you forgive me?"

"Promise you will never let anyone else hit me, and you will never imprison me, regardless of the reason."

"I promise."

"Then we'll be okay. I'll need a few more days. Do you understand?"

"Yes. Thank you."

"Lara, you are my physical protection. But I am your fox."

"Yes."

And then we offered our goodbyes, both feeling better.

When Elisabeth pulled up in her SUV, the only one with her was Francesca. Elisabeth climbed out of the car and hugged me. I gave the Prius key back to Francesca and transferred my few things into the SUV.

I got into the SUV and waited until Francesca had turned around in the Prius before I asked, "What did David tell you?"

"Please don't ask."

"You have orders," I said. "These come from the alpha, not David."

She looked over at me and smiled. "All right."

"You report to me and her. No one else."

"You think we have a traitor."

"Yes."

"Can you catch him?"

"Yes."

"You think it's David. That's going to break Lara's heart."

"I know. Will you help me?"

"Yes. Where are we going?"

"First, we need to catch a deer. Head to Ashland. Wake me in four hours."

I slept.

Elisabeth woke me right on schedule. I asked her to pull over somewhere, and she pulled off the side of the highway.

"Did you bring the computer I asked for?"

"Yes." She pointed it out and helped me turn it on, and I browsed to the site that tracked my tracking collars. I found the one I wanted and smiled. "I'll drive," I said. "I need you to nap for a while, maybe an hour or so."

We switch placed, and I pulled out onto the highway. "Elisabeth, can you catch a deer?"

"Yes."

"Can you do it without killing the deer?"

"That wouldn't be our normal way," she said. "How big a deer."

"Big doe. I can catch her, but it takes me two days. If you have to kill her, so be it, but I'd rather you didn't."

"I'll do what I can."

"Thank you."

After that she rested, and I took us to the Porcupine Mountains, just inside Michigan. Elisabeth woke up and complained about being hungry.

"We're going to Ashland next. I'll feed you there."

"I could eat the doe."

"She's kind of a friend."

Elisabeth shook her head. Weres making friends with prey.

I got us to within a mile of the doe. She hadn't moved in two hours, so I thought she was bedded down.

"Will you do it on two legs or four?"

"Four."

"Get furry, Elisabeth. The plan is you bring the doe down. I will follow and remove the tracking collar. If she's not too badly hurt, you let her go. If she's going to die anyway, please don't let her suffer. I won't be able to watch."

"She's just a deer."

"Her mother died to poachers. Someone brought a fawn to our offices. I raised her, then taught her how to survive. I know it's weird, Elisabeth, but I love her."

"Silly fox. But I'll be as gentle as I can."

"Thank you. I'll get you within about two hundred yards, then will follow you as best I can."

She started undressing right in the car, then climbed into the back seat to shift. It took her ten minutes, and it didn't look pleasant, but she didn't complain.

I checked the tracking website once more, then opened the car and let Elisabeth out. "Two miles, that way," I said. I set off on two feet, stupid sandals slowing me down. Elisabeth followed along easily, not even panting.

I didn't hear her until we were within three hundred yards. I'd already slowed us down, and we were approaching from downwind. I crouched down, listening. She was bedded down, but I heard her shift.

I stuck my mouth into Elisabeth's ear. "Three hundred yards." I turned her head to point exactly in the right direction. "Do you want to approach from here or a different angle?"

Elisabeth turned her head twenty degrees to the right. Silently, I led us in that direction another hundred yards, listening the entire time. I turned us in the right direction and began to approach one silent step at a time. When I was sure I had her pinpointed, I crouched down and grabbed Elisabeth's head. "One twenty five," I said directly into her ear as quietly as I could. I turned her head slightly. "I'd have to be fox to get any closer."

She licked me once and began creeping forward, and it was beautiful.

I waited. It took Elisabeth fifteen minutes to close the distance. Even I couldn't hear her. And then there was a rush, and I began running forward.

When I arrived on the scene, Elisabeth held a deeply panicking deer to the ground, the legs flashing. I rushed up from behind them both, warning Elisabeth so as to avoid surprising her. Releasing the tracking collar took me several difficult seconds, and then I pulled clear.

"I got it, Elisabeth. If she's not hurt, please let her go.

I backed away quickly and Elisabeth practically flew off the dear, pouncing away to avoid flashing legs. In a moment, the deer was on her feet and immediately disappeared into the brush.

"Good bye, Spot," I told her. "I'll miss you." I felt tears in my eyes. I'd known that deer for a long time, but without the tracking collar, I'd never find her again.

Elisabeth walked over and huffed at me, offering a wolfy smile.

"Are you hurt?" I asked running my hands over her sides. She huffed again then bumped her chest against me, knocking me onto my ass.

"I'll take that as a no. Thank you. You were magnificent."

She kept me company for the walk back to the car. I let her into the back seat of the SUV and climbed in up front. She sat down on the floor, looking at me.

"All right," I said. "You may stay furry if you want, or you can shift back. Next stop is Ashland. Unfortunately, there is no way you will pass as a dog at the Fish and Wildlife office, so if you want to go inside with me, you need to shift. If you are going to shift and want us to stay here until you're done, nip me."

Instead, she bumped me with her head and settled in for her shift. I got the car started and turned us to Ashland.

Elisabeth completed her shift and pulled clothes on. When I looked at her in the mirror, she looked done in.

"Are you all right?"

"I should have caught at least a rabbit," she said. "I'm starving. Stop somewhere, I need food as soon as we can get it."

We hit a gas station in Ironwood. I filled the SUV and Elisabeth filled a grocery bag.

"All that?" I asked.

"I have a feeling there's going to be more of this," she said. She grinned at me.

"All right," I said. "Tell me everything you can about David." I paused. "And his wife."

"David has been around for a long time," Elisabeth explained. "He served the previous alpha for years, rising through the ranks through strength and loyalty."

"I need to ask this. I am sorry. How did your parents die?"

"Mother died fifteen years ago in a coup attempt."

"I'm so sorry."

"Dad died six years ago in a dispute with the Chicago wolf pack."

I thought about both of those. "I'm sorry, Elisabeth. I need the details. I especially need to know about any whisperings."

"You think this goes back this far?"

"This is about money or power."

"Yes, but not necessarily directly," she said. "It could be about politics. Not all of Lara's decisions are popular, and there are those who are traditionalists."

"A bitch's place?"

"Yes," she said. "This could be simply about preserving the male-dominated hegemony."

"Who would be alpha if Lara fell?"

"Absolutely any outside invader strong enough to take and hold it."

"What if she is killed without there being a clear challenger, or perhaps just significantly disgraced so no one would follow her?"

"The most clear choice is David," Elisabeth said.

"Any old timers?"

"They would never survive the challenges."

"Would you challenge?"

She thought about it. "I don't want it. But I'd challenge before I'd let someone I couldn't follow lead it, especially if I thought it was a weak leader."

"Would David challenge someone like that?"

"Yes."

"It keeps coming back to him."

"There is too much I don't know," I told Elisabeth. "I'm just shooting at targets, seeing which ones I hit. Tell me about the coup attempt."

"It was Janice's husband and a small cadre of followers," Elisabeth said. "There had been a short series of embarrassing scandals, at least two of which had been purposely orchestrated."

"How did your mother die?"

"They had hoped to do a clean sweep of the entire family. The main group went to dad's office. A smaller group came after mom, Lara and I."

"Oh god, Elisabeth."

"Mom and one enforcer died. All the attackers died."

"I'm so sorry, Elisabeth."

We drove along quietly for a while. "Where are your parents, Michaela?"

"Lara didn't tell you?"

"No."

"My parents and sister are dead," I said. "When this is all over, if you really want the story, I'll tell you. Lara has heard it. It's not a good story."

"I am sorry."

I nodded to her. "The wolves who attacked you - were they all males?"

"Yes. They all died. David was a new enforcer. He fought beside my mother and protected Lara."

"Where were you?"

"On Mother's other side. I stepped in when the other enforcer died. And Lara stepped up when Mother died."

"Is there any chance David was in collusion?"

"Absolutely not. He fought valiantly. He took quite a bit of damage himself, including a silvered knife that was meant for Lara."

"What happened with your father at that time?"

"Janice's father challenged Father directly. Father killed him."

"And the others?"

"He killed them, too."

"With help?"

"No. In a rage when he heard about Mother."

"Does anyone blame him?"

"Maybe the mates, like Janice. Maybe children. Absolutely no one else."

"I'll need a list. Why is Janice still alive?"

"There was absolutely no evidence she was involved. It was well known she disagreed with her husband about everything. She vowed undying loyalty to the alpha, and there has been no evidence she has ever betrayed that vow."

"In your mind, is Janice a suspect?"

"Yes."

"How about David?"

She thought about it. "The only reason I suspect him is because of the way he treated you. I don't know how he could have remotely thought you would betray Lara. But even if he did, clubbing you unconscious like that was nearly the worst choice."

"Killing me outright being the only worst?"

"Yes. I understand why you distrust him, Michaela, but if you make any accusations, you better have some pretty strong proof."

"What did he say about the way he hit me?"

"He said it was a gentle cuff, and you were more fragile than he expected."

"I had clearly surrendered to the alpha. Would it be normal for him to interfere at that point?"

"He claimed he was incensed at the scent of wolf blood you were wearing. No, he should have let the alpha handle it, especially given the history. But wolves are emotional. No one is going to question his motives."

"So if we were writing down names, Janice would be higher on the list than David?"

"Yes."

We continued to talk, arriving in Ashland long before I had stopped asking questions. Elisabeth had a short list of people who she thought would like to see someone else, perhaps David, as alpha. I took her into my offices. As it was Saturday, they were empty.

I logged into my computer and two others, and I set them to searches.

"Tell me about Natalie."

"I don't know much about her," she said. "They have been mated for twelve years."

"I got the impression pack was close. You didn't know her before?"

"She wasn't pack."

"A different pack?"

"No. She was an unaligned wolf from the Upper Peninsula in Michigan."

My ears perked up. "How did they meet?"

"For a wolf, it's actually very old-fashioned. Long ago the proper way to meet a mate was to go on a hunt."

"A hunt? With the mate as the prey?"

"Yes. The male invades the territory of another pack or into unaligned territory. He comes back with a mate. There are actually wolves who reenact this custom, but the fights involved are only to first blood."

"Wait. David would have challenged Natalie?"

"No, of course not. Natalie's father, brothers, uncles, and anyone else who stood against him."

I stared at her. "This is an old, old tradition? And David didn't just reenact it, he actually went through it for real, presumably without permission from Natalie or her family?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "But don't look at me like that. Amongst wolves, this is not considered barbaric. It's old fashioned, but not barbaric."

It all came together. I had been lacking a proper motive, but it all came together. I wanted to talk it out with Elisabeth, but all the wolves have been an open book to me, and I didn't believe she could keep her emotions from her face. I needed the evidence.

"All right. Well, David isn't our top choice, perhaps. Give me those other names. I'm not removing him from the list, but we need to investigate the others first. But Elisabeth, he's not off the list, either. You can't tell him a thing."

"I understand, Michaela."

"I am going to run more searches. Can you finish working on that list?"

I stepped into the office next door and interrupted the search. Instead I did a search for the marriage license for David, collecting Natalie's maiden name. I began more searches, then went back to Elisabeth.

"Finding anything?"

"Not yet, but I have some ideas."

She gave me the list, and I pretended to start doing searches on them. When I checked on the other searches I had started, I smiled. "Bingo," I said very, very quietly. I wrote down the information I needed then shut down the computers I had been using. Back in my own office, I fiddled on the computers for a while, looking up information I didn't need, then told Elisabeth, "I have everything I need for now. I'm going to leave a few searches going on Janice. Let's go see the alpha."

 **Discovery**

We got a proper breakfast first. I warned Elisabeth that Lara was going to seem to change her mind about letting me run free, and she should go with it. Then she called Lara, and I heard Lara tell her, "I'm not sure about Michaela helping. Just get her here and I'll talk to her."

"Yes, Alpha," she said. Lara told her where they were, and Elisabeth drove us to a farm house outside Hayward.

"Here is our story. We ran briefly last night, just for an hour. I needed to feel free. We didn't eat anything. Then we drove to Ashland and I made sure I still have a job. Then we left for Hayward. There was no deer, no tracking collar, no long list of questions, no suspects. We think we're under outside attack and have no new insight."

We pulled into the farm yard. "I'll need a little help," I said. "I have a raging headache."

"Oh Michaela," she said. "Still?"

"Yes. I'm sure I will feel better when I see Lara."

"You're giving me a story, aren't you, little fox?"

I smiled at her. "You're a crappy actress, Elisabeth. So don't act. You are worried for me, aren't you?"

She smiled. "Terribly, yes. You belong in bed. You are way too fragile for your own good."

"I agree with you about that."

So Elisabeth got out of the car. By then, we had some attention. I saw David and Eric. Elisabeth helped me out of the car, and by the time I was standing, Lara was standing in the doorway. She descended the steps towards me, stopping several feet away.

"I thought you said she was fit to travel," Lara said to Elisabeth.

"Don't be mad at her, Alpha," I said. "I wanted to help."

Lara took a breath. "Have you forgiven me for distrusting you?"

"I don't know, Alpha. Have you stopped distrusting me? When you left me with my jailor and threatened to throw me in a cell, I figured that meant you didn't trust me."

She stepped closer. "I was trying to protect you, Michaela. That is all."

"I want to help." I took two tentative steps to her. "Thank you for letting me come help." And I threw myself into her arms.

We held each other for a while, and I clutched at her, the timid fox I'd been the night in the bar, but one with a raging headache.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

"My head still hurts. I wouldn't have traveled for a few more days, but I wanted to be with you."

"Come in then, we'll let you rest."

"Just for a while. Then I can help."

"We'll talk about that later, Michaela."

She turned us so we were heading towards the farmhouse. I saw David and shrank into Lara's arms. "Please don't let David hit me anymore, Alpha. Please. I'm loyal to you. Please don't let him hit me."

"David won't hit you again, Michaela. David will never hit you again. As long as you behave."

"Behave?"

"We'll talk about it later."

I let her pull me into the farmhouse and lead me to the room that was clearly hers. As soon as the door was closed, I kissed her. She pulled me to the bed, her hands all over me, mine all over hers, then she stopped. "I don't think you're ready for this."

"I know," I said. "My head hurts so much. Will you just hold me?"

"Of course, honey," she said. We curled up on the bed together, and I put my mouth to her ear.

"You will play it the way we agreed."

She nodded.

"No one must know."

She nodded.

"Elisabeth and I need a little rest. You and I will fight at lunch."

She nodded.

"Honey," she said. "I want to get Elisabeth settled and talk to her for a few minutes. Will you wait here?"

"Please be quick, Lara."

"I will." She kissed me again, and I curled up alone on the bed while she left, hopefully to give Elisabeth a place to nap.

I didn't even pay attention. I dozed, but woke back up when Lara returned. I held my arms out, and she came to me. Then we cuddled on the bed, Lara gently caressing my head, and I fell asleep with my arm across her chest.

She let me sleep for an hour, eventually waking me by caressing my cheek with a single finger. It was a very pleasant way to wake up.

"Thank you, Lara. Sleeping in your arms is the best."

"You mean that."

"I do." Then I put my mouth to her ear. "Honestly."

She hugged me tightly.

"Hungry?"

"A little. We had breakfast. We went running last night, but I screwed up Elisabeth's hunt, and we didn't get so much as a rabbit. But it was nice to run."

"She didn't mention that."

"It was embarrassing. She's being kind."

"Let's get up and have lunch, and there's something I want to talk about."

"All right. And you'll tell me how I can help with the search."

She didn't respond to that. We made our way to the dining room, finding the wolves were milling around. Elisabeth looked like she had gotten a little sleep, but not much. I think she'd been talking to everyone. I hoped she hadn't blown our cover.

I roamed the room, pointedly keeping significant distance from David, but I said hello to Eric, Rory and June. There was no one there I'd really become friendly with, so I didn't talk to anyone else.

"Michaela," Lara said. "Can you explain how this works?" She was holding the tracking collar from my car.

I smiled. "Sure. Thinking of tracking an animal?"

"Something like that."

"Well, I don't understand the electronics. But it goes on-" I noticed the alterations that had been done. "Well, it used to go on with this buckle and velcro thing, but that's missing. Weird. I have to catch the animals twice a year and replace the batteries, but they last a real long time. If it has batteries, it's always on. After that, I can track them on the web site."

"How old are the batteries in this one?"

"I'm not sure. I'd have to check the web site. But they're good for at least a couple more months, I'm sure."

"What do you do about animals that are growing?"

"I put it on a little loose, but not too loose they can get it off, and then I catch them more often and make sure it's not getting too tight."

"Ah, lunch is ready," Lara said. "Michaela, you can sit here." She put me at her right. She set the tracking collar on the table to her left. "Eric, you can sit past Michaela." She let everyone else pick whatever places they wanted.

Over lunch, I repeatedly asked about the status of the search, but Lara kept deflecting me. Finally, once the meal was basically over, I said, "Why are you being evasive? How can I help if I don't know what's going on?" I glanced at David, then back at Lara. "Did he tell you he still doesn't trust me?"

"No, Michaela," Lara said very gently. "But I changed my mind."

"What?" I said. "You don't trust me?"

"Not that," she said. "I want you home. Safe."

"We've been over this, Lara. I will not be coddled."

"You will do what you are told!" she said, banging her fist on the table.

"I am not one of your wolves, Alpha," I told her. "I make my own decisions."

"Look around, little fox," Lara said. "You are in a room full of wolves, all of whom will do whatever I tell them to do. You might be able to evade one of us, on a good day, but you're not having a good day, and you won't evade all of us." She raised her voice. "You. Will. Do. What. You. Are. Told!"

Lara in full alpha mode was scary, and it wasn't at all hard to look frightened. I let tears come to my eyes. "Please, Lara. Please don't do this. I can help!"

"I don't want you here, Michaela. I want you where I know you are safe. Elisabeth will take you home. Your only choice is whether you agree to cooperate or spend the next few weeks in the cell."

"No, Lara, please. I can't be gone from my job that long. I can go home. I'm safe at home."

"They know who you are, Lara. Your home is the last place you are going. No, you are going to the compound."

"Please, Lara. What if-" I paused. "What if I could do my job but be absolutely safe while I did it?"

"How?"

"I've been due to go out onto the lake. I have to take readings from all around the bay. It takes a couple of weeks. I rent a little yacht for it. It's perfectly safe."

Lara stopped, thinking about it.

"Will you agree to do whatever Elisabeth tells you?"

I looked away. "Yes," I said sullenly.

"How do I know you won't run some night when you're in port?"

"I promise."

"Not good enough," she said. "No, you're going to the compound."

"Please, Lara. I like my job. I'll behave. I'll do whatever Elisabeth says." Tears were streaming down my face now. The expressions around the table were grim, and Eric was particularly upset, but David's body language was one of glee, even if his expression was not.

Elisabeth was also very upset, both her face and her body language. Maybe she was a better actress than I had thought. Or maybe she was simply reacting to my emotion.

Lara tapped her hands on the tracking collar to her left as if she were doing so subconsciously while considering her options. Then she looked down at it as if she just realized it was there. She turned back to me.

"Will you agree to a few minor restrictions, if I agree to let you go out on this boat and take your samples?"

"Yes, Lara. Please. Whatever you want."

"I don't trust you not to run off," she said. "But I find a solution right here." She indicated the tracking collar.

I stared at it. "You have got to be kidding."

"It seems like the perfect solution."

"If you put that on me, I would only need to shift for it to fall off."

"True. You will be wearing it as a fox."

"I don't understand."

"You will shift to fox. Right here. We will put the collar on you. Elisabeth will then drive you to Bayfield and rent this boat. She'll pull away from the harbor, and once you are at least a mile from shore, she can remove the collar."

I stared at it. "I wouldn't be able to shift while wearing it. It would crush me in two."

"Yes."

I looked away. "Why don't you trust me?"

"I trust you with my life, little fox. I don't trust you with your own."

I didn't say anything.

"Take it or leave it, Michaela. The cell or the boat and tracking collar."

"Fine," I said. "Boat. Tracking collar. I hate you."

"Oh honey, I am only protecting you. I'll make it up to you when this is all over. Thank you for being reasonable."

"What choice do I have?"

"None. Shift now, honey."

"I need to make the arrangements. I need to rent the boat and get the equipment to the boat. Mostly vials for samples plus a portable depth gauge and water temperature gauge."

"Elisabeth can rent the boat. Is there someone at work she can meet to pick up the equipment you need?"

"Yes, but it's Saturday."

"All right. Elisabeth will rent the boat and get you well clear from shore. You can make the calls Monday while out in the lake, and then she can collar you back up and retrieve the supplies. I bet she can run the boat to the marina in Ashland and someone can meet you there."

"All right, Alpha," I said. "That will work. I can use tomorrow to draw a plan for everywhere I need to go, if Elisabeth buys a map of the lake before we leave the marina today. I need topographical maps of Wisconsin and the upper peninsula of Michigan as well, anything that borders the lake. It helps to show the shoreline, and I need that to know where the rivers are and how things flow."

"It sounds like a plan." Lara reached out and squeezed my hand. I squeezed it back, but not with much feeling.

"Please shift now, little fox."

I used my napkin to dry my tears and clean up a little, then stepped out of my sandals and loosened all my clothing. I can shift right out of my clothing, and I didn't feel like getting naked in front of anyone. I looked at Elisabeth. "Please bring my clothes." She nodded.

I stepped away from the table, bent down, and then shifted. I got tangled in the clothes, but I wriggled out of them.

"Shit, she shifts fast," Eric said. I walked over to him and butted my head against his thigh.

"Come here, little fox," Lara ordered.

Slowly, reluctantly, I walked to her. She bent down on the floor and wrapped the tracking collar around my chest, behind my front legs, adjusted it, and did the closure. She checked it, wasn't satisfied, and adjusted it tighter. "I don't think you can wriggle out of that."

"Better be sure," David said. I was going to enjoy taking him down.

Lara tightened the collar a little more. Then she scratched the back of my neck for me, pulling me into her arms. I clung to her when she stood up, holding me. It was better than being held by the scruff. She walked out the front door, Elisabeth stepping in front to hold the door for us. Elisabeth's SUV was waiting for us. I expected Lara to slip me into the back seat, but she walked to the back of the SUV. Elisabeth opened the back door, and I got the look of a fox-sized metal cage.

I immediately began struggling and growling. I didn't bite Lara, but I put up a huge struggle. Elisabeth opened the cage, and Lara started stuffing me into it. I scrambled to get out, and Elisabeth helped her shove me in. I bit both of them as hard as I could, but they shoved me into the cage and locked it.

I slammed myself against the cage. I'd never been in a cage before, and I was on the edge of a full panic. I was no longer acting. Lara put her fingers on the cage, and I immediately tried to bit her viciously.

"I am sorry, little fox. I must keep you safe." She pulled a cloth over the cage, obscuring it from view and preventing me from looking out. Then she stepped away and slammed the back doors of the SUV.

I went insane. I immediately began yipping and crying while slamming myself repeatedly against the walls of the cage. None of it did me any good, but that didn't stop me.

It was a while before Elisabeth climbed into the front of the SUV. I had worn myself out with my struggles, but as soon as the car door opened, I resumed all my complaints, slamming against the cage over and over.

"You're only going to hurt yourself, Michaela," she said. "This is for the best." And then she started the car, and we drove away from the farm.

I didn't stop yipping until my voice grew hoarse. I didn't stop throwing myself against the walls of the cage until I was so worn out I could only lie on the floor of the cage, panting.

I had not known such despair since I was fourteen and I had buried my family.

It was hot in the back of the SUV, and they hadn't given me any water. Soon I was panting, and it wouldn't be long before I was in distress. I lay on my side, whimpering from time to time.

Elisabeth didn't stop. She didn't give me any water. She kept me in that cage.

When we arrived in Bayfield, I recognized it. I recognized the sounds. Elisabeth drove to the marina and parked. "Michaela, I want you to think about what would happen if the humans found you. You need to be quiet. You know how bad it would go for you if you were found like this."

I whimpered.

"I am going to rent a boat and then carry you on board. Once we're on board, I'll get you some water and help you cool down. And when we're well clear of shore, I'll let you out."

I didn't understand. Why were we going on a boat? The plan had been to fake it. We would get someone to take the tracking collar around, that's it. I shouldn't have been in the cage, and we didn't need a boat of our own.

Elisabeth climbed out of the SUV and slammed the door. I heard the locks, and then I listened as she walked away.

She was gone a long time. I whimpered from time to time. I would have plotted my revenge, but I was too tired and despondent to even think about it. Finally, Elisabeth came back. She opened a side door and said, "It will only be a few more minutes. I know you must be suffering. I am so sorry."

She made several trips back and forth to the SUV before she poked her nose in again and said, "Your turn. Remember, Michaela, if we're caught with you like this, it will be very bad for you. You must be absolutely quiet. I promise this is almost over."

I was going to kill her. And Lara. And fuck David. Once they were dead, I would run. No one would ever do this to me again.

But for now, I stayed quiet. Elisabeth closed the side door and opened the back door. She took the cage out, set it on the ground, and then closed up and locked the SUV. Then she carried me and the cage down the docks and onto a boat. I could just barely see under the edge of the cloth over my cage, but not enough to really tell what was going on. It was awkward for her, but she carried me into the cabin below then pulled a portion of the cloth away from the cage.

I was lying on my side, panting, and severely overheated.

"Michaela," she said. "Can you understand me?"

I ignored her.

"Michaela, I know you hadn't planned on the cage. But we're going to collect all the data you intended to collect. It will be exactly as you agreed with the alpha. We'll pull away from shore, and then I'll let you out. You can make your plan. And we'll collect the data you intend to collect. Do you understand me?"

I lifted my head and looked at her, then lay down again, trying to cool down.

"I have a bowl of water, and I can pour more over you if you want. Will you let me give them to you? I am worried, Michaela. I can't let you out of the cage yet. Please, trust me."

I flicked an ear at her.

I listened to her fill a bowl with water from a jug.

"Listen to me, Michaela. If you attempt to escape when I open the cage, I will slam it closed, and you will wait for your water until we are two miles from shore. That will take a while. I know you're hot. Please, please, let me give you this water."

She paused for a moment, opened the door, and set the bowl inside the cage with me. I didn't move.

"Honey please drink. Please, Michaela."

I tried to get up but I was so hot and tired.

Elisabeth opened the cage wider, but blocked it with her body. Then she poured water into her hand and offered it to me. When I didn't take it, she dripped it over my muzzle, then pet her hand dry in my fur.

I whimpered a tiny bit.

"Please drink, Michaela."

She used her hands to give me more water, a little at a time wetting my muzzle. Eventually I struggled to sit up, and she reached in and helped me, then moved the water closer to me, and I drank some. She filled the bowl a little fuller, then said, "I'm going to close the cage now, but I promise, I'll let you out as soon as I can. We'll make a plan, and then you can collect all the data you want to collect. Please understand, Michaela."

I looked at her, and her eyes were so filled with concern as she crouched in front of my cage, the cage she'd helped shove me into. I didn't know what she was saying anymore, and I didn't know who I could trust. I didn't think I could trust anyone. I was sure I couldn't trust her.

But I was fox. I would bide my time. I licked her hand, feigning forgiveness.

"I'm glad you understand," she said. I didn't. But I would bide my time. I would let her believe she could trust me. But she had abused my trust for the last time.

I watched her close the cage, and I couldn't help but whimper. Then she dropped the cloth back in place and stepped out of the cabin, closing the door. About twenty minutes later, the engines of the boat started. She called to someone to cast off, and we eased out of the slip.

I drank more of the water then lay down, conserving my strength.

From the feel of the boat, I could tell we were well away from shore. Boats like this have an auto pilot. One needs to be careful about it, because it's easy to end up where you shouldn't. We slowed to a slow crawl through the water, and I could tell when we turned into the wind. Then the cabin door opened, and Elisabeth pulled the cloth from my cage. She sat down in front of it.

"Michaela, I am so very sorry."

I didn't even turn to face her.

"The cage was David's idea. He insisted. Lara couldn't say no."

I didn't care. We weren't following my plan. I didn't even know what we were doing on the boat.

"We were followed as well, all the way from Hayward. I didn't see who it was until I was loading you. That's why I took so many trips, to try to see who it was."

I turned to face her, cocking my ears.

"It was Reggie, Michaela." I lowered my head on my paws. "We had to go through with the plan. We had to look like there was no duplicity. I am so, so very sorry. I know what you must be thinking. I am so sorry."

Why hadn't she told me all this earlier. We were in the car. No one could have heard. I turned away from her. She could have saved me all this worry. I had hurt myself throwing myself against the cage. I had spent two hours sure they had both betrayed me.

"I couldn't tell you, Michaela. He may have bugged the car. I was worried he bugged the cage, but I checked it very carefully while loading you. But if it's David, he could have bugged the car. I wasn't sure. I knew you would prefer complete subterfuge."

"I am going to let you out now, and take the collar off you. I'll go back on deck while you shift. Your clothes are here, and when you are ready, you can come talk to me. I hope you will forgive me."

Then she opened the cage door and stepped away. I climbed to my feet slowly and walked out of the cage gingerly. I stood still while she removed the collar from around my body. "I'll wait on deck," she said, but I jumped ahead of her, shifting immediately, then turned around and threw myself into her arms, sobbing.

I cried for a long time. Elisabeth used the cover from the cage to wrap around me, but otherwise she held me and let me cry, making soothing sounds and repeatedly apologizing.

"I thought-" I said between sobs.

"I know. I know."

I finally cried myself out, pulling away from Elisabeth. Elisabeth spent the next twenty minutes pampering me, giving me more water and some Ibuprofen for my pounding headache.

"Michaela, it's a glorious day. Why don't you get dressed and come out on deck? We can talk more out there."

"All right," I said.

She left me, closing the door. I found my clothes and put them on, then found the head and cleaned up. I stepped out on deck, and Elisabeth smiled weakly.

"Do we have supplies?"

She smiled. "Yes." She pointed to a cooler sitting in a corner. I crossed over to it. It was full of ice, beer, and soft drinks. I grabbed a beer for her and a soda for me.

"Am I forgiven?" she asked.

"Will I be following your orders or will you be following mine?"

"I will be following yours," she said.

"You are forgiven." We tapped cans together and drank.

"You know who it is, don't you?"

"No," I said. "But I am ninety percent sure. Do you want to know now or wait until I am positive?"

"Tell me, please."

So I did.

When I was finished, I told her, "Once we're sure, I am turning it over to you and Lara. I am not competent to plan what happens after."

She nodded. "Lara should be the one to handle it, anyway."

"So we're agreed, my job is to find proof, and hopefully find the missing pups. I tell you, and we talk about how to tell the alpha without anyone else knowing. And you'll follow my lead."

She nodded. "Exactly."

"Did you get my maps?"

"Yes. I spent a lot of money on maps. That's part of why it took so long."

"Where are my notes from the office?"

"I kept them. I thought they might be incriminating, but I didn't understand them. It's just some numbers." She reached into the back pocket of her jeans and pulled out my paper, handing it to me.

"Not just numbers, Elisabeth. Latitude and longitude."

She took the paper and looked at them. "If these are latitudes and longitudes, they are somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Africa."

The numbers were all a single digit and a lengthy decimal point. I smiled. "Add forty to the latitudes and eighty to the longitudes."

"These are close," Elisabeth said.

I grinned. "They're all in the upper peninsula. You know, where David's wife, Natalie is from."

"What are they?"

"The locations of her parents," I pointed at the top number. "Her brother." The second number. "And a piece of property in her maiden name." That was the third pair of numbers. "I think perhaps we should start with that one, don't you?"

She smiled. "I believe we should stop by Natalie's property and make sure no one has broken in. It's only the neighborly thing to do. Where is it?"

"Where are my maps?"

Elisabeth got up, disappeared into the cabin, and then returned with two map tubes. "Wisconsin and Michigan," she said.

"Gimme!"

She opened the Michigan tube and began pulling out maps. We spread them out, and finally I found the one we wanted. I marked the three properties, labeling them P for parents, B for brother and N for Natalie. The N was about six miles inland from the lake.

We both stared at the map. "I think perhaps, captain, that you should set a course there."

"I do believe, little fox, that you are correct."

While Elisabeth ran the boat, I dug out both tracking collars. I switched the harnesses between the two of them. When I put one back on, it would be the one from the deer, the one no one knew about.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "We can't get there tonight, not by boat."

"All right, Elisabeth," I said. "Let's put in here." I pointed to the map. "We don't want to be out on the open lake at night. This is a big boat, but it's just a boat."

We got everything settled, and I fetched a second beer for Elisabeth. Then I said, "I'm going to have one, too."

I slept afterwards.

We put in to the harbor at Ontonagon. We didn't think we would be seen, but just in case, I stayed below with the curtains drawn. The theory was I would be furry, collared, and caged any time we were near shore, and I wasn't ready to go back into the cage.

We had a quiet dinner, talking about happy times. Then finally I sighed and shifted. Elisabeth put the collar on me and I climbed into the cage, grumbling. Then she called Lara. I could easily hear both sides of the conversation.

"Hello, Alpha."

"How did it go?" Lara asked her.

"She was angry. I still think the cage was going too far, and she was severely dehydrated by the time I got her on the boat and could give her some water."

"It couldn't be helped. She is too willful."

"She refused to go into her cage tonight, Alpha. I got some bites and scratches in the deal. Now she's sulking. I'm not sure she's going to ever forgive either of us."

"Did she accept the collar?"

"Yes, although she was pissy about it. Hang on, I'll take a picture with the other phone and you can see her body language. She's not happy." Then Elisabeth took a photo of me giving her my back, forwarding it to Lara's phone. "As you can see, she's all caged up and exceedingly unhappy. Can I please take her out of the cage at least?"

"Tell her I am very sorry."

"I don't think it's going to be enough, Lara. She knows I am following orders, and still she bit the crap out of me before I could shove her in. But she also knows whose orders they are. I don't think you're going to have a girlfriend when this is over."

"At least she'll be safe," said Lara. "That's all that matters now."

"Yes, she'll be safe, but I wonder about her mental condition. I am doing this, but it is under protest."

"Noted. Stick to the plan, Elisabeth."

"Yes, Alpha."

They talked for a while longer.

"Tell her I love her," Lara said as they wound down.

"Hang on, I'll put you on speaker. You can tell her yourself. Okay, go ahead, Lara."

"Michaela, I know you're not happy about the cage, but I hope you understand it's for your own good. I'm sure we can work through this. I love you."

I growled at the phone.

"I'm sorry, Lara. She's not happy."

"She's safe." And then they said their goodbyes. As soon as Elisabeth hung up, she let me out of the cage and took the tracking collar off me. I shifted human, put on pajamas, and sulked for a while. Elisabeth felt miserable, so eventually I pulled myself out of it and told her it was all going to be all right.

I slept fitfully, full of bad dreams, dreams in which Elisabeth didn't let me out of the cage. In the morning, I was crabby and took it out on Elisabeth. She put up with my moods, undocking us and setting us back out on the lake. Once we were well clear of the harbor, I came out on deck and apologized for being a bitch.

"Sleep badly?"

"Nightmares. That you didn't let me out."

"Oh Michaela, I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault. Does the pack have a good therapist? I'm going to need one."

She laughed, but I had been serious. I didn't push it. I went below and made us breakfast.

The swells were heavy today, and it wasn't a comfortable ride, but it sure felt a lot better when we turned around the point and dipped into the calm leeward water. We traveled another half hour, cruising along until we found a cell signal. I made use of the dinghy that came with the boat. Elisabeth waited off shore in the big boat while I ran up onto the sandy shore with the tracking collar - the one they knew about. I found a good place to hide it. Then I returned out to the boat, and we continued on.

We dropped anchor and had dinner. Then I shifted. Elisabeth put the collar around me and I climbed into the cage again. Elisabeth called Lara. I immediately began putting up a significant fuss, bitching in fox at the top of my furry lungs.

"How is she?" Lara asked.

"Angry. I promised I wouldn't put her in the cage. It was the only way I could get her to shift."

She took another photo and sent it to Lara. They only talked for a few minutes before hanging up. Lara didn't ask to talk to me. That actually made me feel bad. As soon as she hung up, I stopped my racket, and Elisabeth let me out of the cage. She slipped me into another harness, one I could slide in and out of. Then she played with my phone for a while until she pulled up a map program. I practiced unlocking it. We had marked the location of Natalie's property, and the phone had a GPS. I was all set.

She ran me to shore in the dinghy.

"Are you sure you can find it."

I licked her hand. I'd find it.

She gave me a quick hug. "Play it safe, Michaela. Please, play it safe." Then she let me go, and I took off into the woods.

I counted footsteps. That was how I estimated distances. I ran five miles then stopped and listened while I slipped out of the harness. I dug the phone out of the bag and fumbled until I got it turned on. I was a little off course, so I adjusted and took off. I repeated that at five and a half miles, then again when I was about a quarter mile from the property.

At that point, I stopped and lay down, listening. I waited like that for an hour. I heard no noises except the normal forest noises. After an hour, I crept closer, very cautiously, listening for noises every hundred yards.

Finally I heard my first noise: a cheap door slamming then after a short moment, an even cheaper door. The noises repeated in reverse a minute later. I thought that was odd. I crept closer.

Eventually I came to the edge of a clearing. Across the clearing, three hundred yards away, was a small cabin and next to it, an outhouse. After making sure I was downwind, I settled down to wait.

Forty minutes later, a man stepped out of the cabin. He carried himself like a wolf. He crossed the grass to the outhouse. Afterwards, he smoked a cigarette before returning to the cabin.

A short while later, two men came out. The distance was way too far to make out details, but it looked like the one in back was pushing the first one to the outhouse, and the first one was smaller.

I watched for hours. By the time I turned around and cautiously left, I was sure I'd found it. I hadn't gotten close enough to be sure, but I thought this was it.

When I got back to the lake was when I realized we made a mistake. We had marked on the phone's map the location of the property, but we hadn't mapped the location of the boat. I got to the water, and the boat was nowhere in sight.

I mentally flipped a coin and turned right. I ran for a half hour but never saw the boat. I turned around. I ran past where I'd started and for only another five minutes before I saw the boat resting at anchor. I ran down to the water and yipped twice. Five minutes later, Elisabeth picked me up on shore. I waited until we were back on the boat before shifting back.

"Well?"

I explained what I had seen.

"Are you sure it's the right place?"

"Elisabeth, I don't know. I have never met the youths that were taken. I met them as wolves, but I don't know what they look like. I don't know what the kidnappers look like. But I don't believe in coincidence. I think it's the right place. But I would have to get a lot closer to be sure, and even if I were peeking in the window, I'm not sure I'd be completely positive."

We went back and forth about it. What if she went? She knew the youths. We decided she'd be spotted or smelled. We talked about pictures, but anything I could take would be too indistinct at the distances I'd be.

In the end, we decided we had to talk to Lara. She would have to decide if we scouted more or acted on what we had. We both went to bed.

I slept poorly again.

Early in the morning, we motored back to where we left the other tracking collar. I went to shore and picked it up. While I was gone, Elisabeth sent a text to Lara asking if she was free to talk. We waited for her to call us.

We waited two hours, and then she called. Elisabeth answered.

"I am alone," she said.

"Is David around?" Elisabeth asked her.

"No. He, Reggie and Eric are following up on a lead."

"Lara, do you remember how David met Natalie?"

"Yes. He did an old fashioned bride hunt. No one does those anymore."

"So he is an extreme traditionalist. I bet he hates a female alpha."

"He has always been supportive," Lara said. "He has saved my life more than once. He loves me."

"And he was very loyal to your father?"

"Yes."

"Which means he doesn't want to challenge you, because he'd have to kill you. He wants you so embarrassed that you resign as alpha."

She thought about it. "I don't buy it."

"Did you check our location last night on the map?"

"Yes. You're in the Upper Peninsula."

"Thirty miles from here is a piece of property in Natalie's maiden name."

She was silent for a good minute. "What did you find, little fox?"

I told her. I told her all of it. I finished with, "Lara, I can not absolutely say I found the pups and their kidnappers. I've told you what I've found. What do you want us to do?"

There was a long pause before she said quietly, "Please put Elisabeth back on the phone and then give her some privacy."

"Yes, Lara. Lara, I am so sorry."

"You didn't do it, Michaela."

"Here is your sister." I passed over the phone then moved forward on the boat and sat down at the bow, staring out over Lake Superior. It was peaceful. I tried to ignore Elisabeth and Lara talking quietly, but it was hard to ignore the faint sounds of my lover sobbing over the phone to her sister. But this was something for the two of them now. I was new to this relationship, but this was someone they had known a very long time.

Eventually Elisabeth hung up with Lara and came forward to sit next to me.

"I am so sorry, Elisabeth."

"I know. Michaela, the alpha of the Madison wolf pack has kindly, formally asked the alpha of the Bayfield foxes to get photographs of a certain cabin from as closely as she can without getting caught."

"Oh shit," I said. "With a phone camera, I bet."

"It's all we have."

"I'd have to be so close, Elisabeth. And I can't operate the phone that well with fox hands. I would have to be human."

"You are very quiet, fox. Can you do it?"

"If they catch me, I'm dead, and they'll kill the pups, too, I'm sure."

"Don't get caught."

I took a big breath. "Do you have infravision or anything like that?"

"No. Just very good night vision."

"So if I'm belly down in the tall grass not moving?"

"I won't see you."

"Let's go to shore together. We need to see how closely I can sneak up on you."

"I'll be alert," she said.

"Then the point you hear me should be safe." She nodded.

I took a breath. "All right. I would approach the corner of the cabin as fox. If I get there, I'll switch to human, then slide very carefully to a window and take pictures. When done I back away, put the phone back, shift, and then get out of there."

We anchored the boat well offshore, leaving the known tracking collar on the boat. If anyone checked our location and asked, we could tell them we found a fishing spot. Together we used the dinghy to head back to shore. I shifted, and Elisabeth outfitted me with a little harness I could duck into that would carry the phone. Then I slipped into the woods while she sat on the beach. Whenever she could hear or smell me, she would just speak conversationally to tell me. I would be able to hear her just fine. She would huff quietly every few minutes if she didn't hear or smell me just to let me know.

I wanted to see how close I could get to her. I ran off a thousand yards due inland then slowed down and circled to the south and headed back towards Elisabeth as quietly as I could. I was pretty sure even in the dense trees and brush I could get pretty close without her knowing. From downwind, I could get exceedingly close to even the shyest of prey, but of course, a were's sense of hearing and smell were better than a rabbit's.

I closed to within two hundred yards with a fairly standard amount of caution. After that, I watched every step, planning my route through the brush for tens of steps ahead. I was absolutely silent. I couldn't hear my own steps, although I felt perhaps she could hear my heart beat. I certainly could.

I slinked to within forty yards of her. I could hear her when she shifted in her seat on the sand, the sand crunching lightly under her. She sighed once, and I heard the occasional huff. When the wind was just right, when focused intently on her, I could hear her heart beating, slow and steady and strong.

I turned to the right. It took me ten minutes, but I exited the brush onto the sand, thirty yards from her. The breeze was blowing my scent out over the lake. I couldn't believe she hadn't heard me. I couldn't believe she hadn't smelled me.

I turned my nose to her. Slowly, I stalked closer, one fox step at a time.

The breeze shifted and immediately her head snapped to her right. She stared at me.

"No fucking way!"

I was only fifteen yards from her.

"No fucking way!" she said again. "Oh my god, Michaela, please don't tell anyone you got that close."

I shifted and she faced away from me, not looking at me.

"Can you hear my heart beating, Elisabeth?"

She strained. "No."

"You can smell me though."

"Oh yes, you're very easy to smell in this form. If I were in wolf form and you are upwind, I can smell you for a very long distance. Anything else and it varies by the wind." She paused and glanced over at me, then looked away. "Michaela, when you're a fox and I am human, I can't tell by smell you're were. I can if I look at you, and I can as wolf."

"If they smell me as humans, they might think I'm a standard fox."

She nodded. I walked closer and she handed me a towel to wrap around myself. "I'm going to walk away. I want to know when you can't smell me anymore."

We spent another hour at it. By the time we were done, I knew one thing. If I could approach from downwind, I could get exceedingly close as a fox. As a human, this was going to be very tricky.

We took the dinghy back to the boat and motored south, a mile from shore. The water was slightly choppy; there was a breeze, and the waves had a mile to form. We slowed down and I climbed down into the dinghy with everything I would need.

"Be careful, little fox," Elisabeth said to me.

I motored to shore, leaving the dinghy anchored to shore but set so I could make a fast getaway if I needed to. I stuffed my clothes into the dinghy and shifted, slipped into the carry harness with the phone, and set off into the woods.

I knew where the cabin was now, so it was easier for me to approach. It was breezy, and I shifted so that my approach would be from downwind. By the middle of the afternoon I was twenty yards from the edge of the clearing and only about ninety yards from the cabin. If the breeze shifted, I would need to retreat, but I watched the cabin for a while then ducked behind a large tree and shifted to human. I crept to a well concealed spot from where I could watch, and I got the camera ready.

It didn't take long to realize I should have brought clothes. I'd been warm while wearing fur, but my human form wasn't very happy. I sighed. I should have thought of that. I would have to shift back to fox now and then just to warm up.

Shortly before what should be dinner time, there was a procession of people to the outhouse, in ones and twos. I was significantly closer than I had been last night, and it was clear I was looking at adolescent boys being led one at a time to the outhouse. I took pictures, all the pictures I could. I didn't know if Elisabeth would be able to identify people or not.

I stayed where I was until evening. Sunset was shortly after seven, and it grew chilly. The wind lessoned and shifted towards the west somewhat, but I decided my current location was adequate. As the sun set, I decided I'd gotten the last photographs I would get from this location, and I replaced the camera in the carry harness and shifted back to fox.

Ah, to be warm again.

I watched.

I waited until a second procession to the outhouse, then gave it another twenty minutes. A wolf stepped out and smoked a cigarette. Inwardly, I smiled. That should destroy his sense of smell for a while. I saw he had a beer in his hand. Good. Maybe they were all drinking.

When he went inside, I began my approach.

I took my time, shifting towards the back of the cabin as I got closer so I would be out of sight if anyone stepped outside. There were no windows on this side of the cabin, and I felt reasonably safe.

I crept all the way to the corner of the cabin without any sign I'd been detected. From inside, I could hear the sounds of rough talking, but it was muffled through the thick walls. I shifted human and waited, listening.

Then I crept around the back side of the cabin. There was light spilling from a window. I slowly slipped to the window, verified I knew where the lens was on the phone, and slipped it over the window so the lens barely peeked. I snapped a picture and looked at it. Then I took another, looked, and then I took a series of pictures, poking the phone barely past the frame of the window from different sides. The entire time, I listened for any shifts from inside the cabin, any sign someone was coming closer to the window.

Nothing.

If Lara's security was this lacking, I would be having a chat with her.

I slowly slinked back to the corner of the cabin, crouched down, and shifted. I used my tail to brush away any signs of human footsteps before slipping into the carry harness and leaving the way I come, spending far less effort on being quiet. They weren't even listening for me.

I reached the safety of the woods with no alarm being raised.

This had been way too easy. I hoped I hadn't been wrong. Maybe this was just a wolf family and not Lara's missing wolves. They should have had patrols out. They should have expected visitors. They shouldn't have been so complacent. Maybe as a fox I should have been able to get that close, but no way should my human form have been able to stand there and take photos.

If this were the right place, I was going to count my blessings from now until the cows came home.

I hurried back to Elisabeth. When I reached the dinghy, I called her.

"Oh thank god," she said. "I was so worried."

"This can't be the right place, Elisabeth. I have to be wrong. This shouldn't have been this easy."

"I'll pick you up. You got pictures?"

"Yes, lots and lots of pictures."

I waited until I saw the boat a mile from shore. I set out in the dinghy. Elisabeth tossed me a line. Once I was on board the boat, I took over at the wheel and Elisabeth stowed the dinghy. It was way too heavy for me, but she made it look easy.

She caught me staring at her enviously.

"I couldn't have done what you did, little fox, any more than you can do what I just did."

I nodded to her. Most of the time, I accepted who I was.

She took the phone from me and began looking through the photos. I turned the boat north and opened it up, taking us away from this section of lakeshore as quickly as I could. Elisabeth's lips pressed together after viewing only five or six photos. She turned to me. "You took more risk than you needed to." She pointed the phone at me. "This is Derek." She switched to the next. "This is Alex. And this one is Jeremy."

She flipped through the rest of the pictures, and there were tears in her eyes. "David, why?" And then her expression hardened, and the sadness gave way to clear, cold fury.

"Elisabeth," I said. "I now report to you and the alpha. I will not argue with either of you until this is over, but I will not take orders from anyone else. I want to know what Lara intends to do for operational security, but I will behave."

She nodded and smiled briefly. "To think, you are actually offering to behave. I never would have expected it."

We found a new cell signal well to the north, not wanting the tracking collar to show up too close to Natalie's property. It wasn't even midnight. Elisabeth grabbed her phone and sent a text to Lara, letting me see it. "Fox is being difficult. Call me when you get this." We anchored off shore and waited.

When Lara called back, Elisabeth told her, "The fox is being unruly. She refuses to shift. She has some choice things to say to you. I think you should be somewhere private, Lara."

"I'll go for a drive. Am I going to cry?"

"Yes."

"Damn it. All right. I'll call you back."

Her phone rang twenty minutes later. "Hey," answered Elisabeth.

"I'm alone."

I held out my hand, and Elisabeth gave me the phone.

"Hello, Alpha," I said coldly. "Are you truly alone?"

"Yes. I went for a drive. I had to order the rest to stay behind. David wanted to send Reggie with me."

"Are you absolutely positively no one followed you?"

"I'm driving along the highway south of Hayward and there are no lights behind me. I'm alone."

I gave the phone back to Elisabeth, and she told Lara everything. When she was done, she said, "The fox wants to know your plans for operational security but has agreed to follow any orders from you or me until this is over."

"Put her back on."

"I'm so sorry, Lara," I told her.

"Me too. I'm sorry about the cage, too."

"You so owe me for the cage. So owe me."

"I know. I am going to send David back to Madison to check on things there, telling him I am worried about things there."

"Have him bring Reggie with him."

"Yes. I will coordinate with Elisabeth as soon as David is gone. Will you really follow orders?"

"Yes. No question. As long as they don't involve me going back in the cage."

"No. No more cage."

"Your part in this is done then, Michaela. I need you safe."

"I couldn't possibly help in combat, Lara. But I can lead you to the cabin, and if you need me to scout, I can. If you send me away, I'll go, but I hope you'll let me be here."

"You've earned it, but you are to stay safe, and I'm going to need Elisabeth. I can't worry about you."

"I'll follow orders."

"Are we all right, little fox?"

"I hope when this is all said and done, you will court me properly."

I heard the smile. "I can do that."

"It will take a little while to move past the stress. We're going to be all right, if you want us to be, Lara. And if you understand that I am fox, not wolf."

"No one else could have done what you did, little fox."

"Not true," I said. "Any decent human investigator would have uncovered this. It wasn't hard. And a human investigator would have brought proper long range photography equipment. I didn't even think of it."

"All right, I won't argue with you, Michaela," she said. "But I am going to remember that it was you who solved this, not anyone else."

We talked for another minute, then I gave the phone back to Elisabeth. They made tentative arrangements before hanging up.

Elisabeth turned to me. "You will follow any order I give you?"

"Yes."

"Even if you don't care for it."

"Yes."

"Even if I send you to the compound."

"Yes."

She took a deep breath. "Michaela. Shift and get in your cage."

I stared for one second, then shifted, climbed out of the clothing, and slinked to the cabin door. She opened it for me, and I walked to the cage. She opened the cage and I stepped in. I lay down with my head on my paws, looking at her.

"Michaela," she said. "I needed to be sure. Please come out of there. I'll never put you in that cage again."

I stepped out immediately, nipped her hand playfully, and accepted some attention as an apology. Then I stepped away, shifted back, and got dressed. While I was dressing, Elisabeth pulled out the maps. She pointed. "This is where we are meeting them."

 **Operations**

At noon the next day, we rendezvoused with Lara's forces at the Lac La Belle docks. Faces were grim, but it was good to see Lara. As soon as we stepped onto the docks, she pulled me into a fierce hug and wouldn't let go. I buried my face in her chest and breathed deeply.

She didn't really release me so much as loosen her grasp, but she kept an arm around my shoulders while accepting a hug from Elisabeth. The three of us walked down the dock to shore and up to a cluster of wolves surrounding three SUVs. Faces were grim.

"Are they loyal?" I asked Lara.

"Everyone is having a hard time believing it," she replied. "If we find what you have said we will find, they will be rock steady loyal for me. If we don't, I won't have support from anyone."

"I think I can handle that question," Elisabeth said. "Everyone, gather around." I handed her my cell phone, Gia's really, but mine for now, and Elisabeth began showing them photos."

"How do we know these were taken where she said they were?" One of the males asked. I didn't recognize him.

"You don't," I said.

"But those pictures were taken yesterday," Elisabeth. "The range of places they could have been taken is small. I can vouch for that, Emmanuel."

"How do we know this property belongs to Natalie?" he asked.

"It is a matter of public record," I said. "I used government sources to track everything down, but once I had, I went back to public records to verify it was readily available."

"I verified the information myself," said Elisabeth.

"When did you do that?" I asked her.

"Your first night out while I was tracking you."

"I checked as well," Lara said.

I nodded at both of them. Good. It wasn't just my word.

"There are other possible explanations," one of the females said.

"Yes," I said. "There are. I have only reported what I have found. What the alpha chooses to do with that information is her choice."

"Right now, the top priority is freeing our wolves. Does anyone disagree?"

"No, Alpha," said Emmanuel. "This issue with David and Natalie can wait until we confront them."

"Until I confront them," Lara said. "I appreciate your support, but this is the duty of the alpha. And in spite of his cowardice, I will confront him openly."

"Relatively," I added.

She turned to me.

"I'm just saying..." I said in a small voice.

She squeezed my shoulder and kissed the top of my head.

"If anyone has a problem with Michaela's position in relationship to the pack, speak up now."

"I reserve the right to speak up after this operation is over," said Emmanuel. "If she hasn't lied, I will have no issue with her."

There was muttering about that, with some coming down on my side, some on Emmanuel's.

"That is fair," I said. "More than fair. Thank you, Good Wolf."

"All right," Lara said. She looked at me. "Will you follow orders?"

"Yes, alpha. From you or Elisabeth. I am sorry, but no one else."

"In the future, in any sort of combat situation, I will expect you to obey any of my enforcers."

"We can discuss that after tomorrow," I told her. Meaning no. Jason snickered but didn't say anything.

"All right," Lara said. "We will drive to a point ten miles from the cabin and approach on foot from there."

"We can drive straight up," Rory said. "There's a road."

Lara shook her head. "They would hear the cars from too far away. Three of us will remain with the cars and may approach once we have engaged the wolves at the cabin."

"I presume I am driving one of the cars?"

"Little fox, I believe you are the best scout and guide we have. Are you willing to take that role?"

I smiled. "Yes, Alpha."

We made our plan. I checked the wind and recommended an approach. Lara looked down at my feet. "You can't walk that far in those stupid shoes."

"I'll go in fur."

There was very little fine tuning. These were wolves. I would get them into position around the cabin. They would rush quietly and hope to overcome the kidnappers before they thought to kill the prisoners. It wasn't the plan I would have picked, and when I suggested perhaps a little fox could draw the wolves out of the cabin, I was offered a firm "no."

Theirs was a very direct plan.

Lara made me promise to stay well out of the combat. She would go in fur; Elisabeth would be on two feet, and I promised to stay with her.

We got in the cars and drove to our point. I rode with Lara, Jason, June, and one more wolf I didn't recognize. His name, I learned, was Mickey. He was young but seemed okay. I crawled into the back of the SUV and shifted out of sight while we were still en route. Mickey didn't like it, but he would drive one of the SUVs. June would drive the second one, and one of the other young wolves had been assigned to the third.

Once I was shifted, I popped over the seat and whined. Lara looked over and smiled, then helped me climb back up to sit on the seat next to her. I leaned against her. She was using a GPS to follow our track, and when we were in the right spot, she had Jason pull over. Everyone got out of the SUVs, and those assigned to shift did so.

It took the slowest of them nearly twenty minutes. Lara crouched next to me at the start, digging her fingers through my fur. I could feel her nervousness. I leaned over and licked her face, earning a hug in return. She buried her face in my fur and inhaled deeply.

"You won't be able to smell anything else," Elisabeth said.

"It'll clear," she replied.

Eventually Lara stripped out of her clothes and began her shift. It took her two minutes, which was faster than anyone else. Except me, of course.

We set out with me in the lead.

It took two hours to get us safely downwind about a mile from the clearing. Elisabeth moved quickly for two feet, but she made a lot of noise and wasn't as fast as I was even when I was silent. We stopped for a break, Elisabeth passing out water to everyone who wanted any. Then I pulled on her hand, pulling her to the edge, then tugged on Lara's scruff, trying to get her to follow. The rest of the wolves tried to follow too, but I stopped and bared my teeth.

"I think she wants to talk to the alpha alone," Elisabeth said. "Everyone stay here for a minute. We won't go far."

The three of us moved away from the other wolves, heading away from the cabin a hundred yards before I turned and shifted.

"Elisabeth you sound like an elephant," I said. "It will take me three times as long to get you to the clearing as everyone else."

Elisabeth looked offended, then chagrined. "I'm not used to trying to be quiet in the woods on two feet."

"I can teach you, but today isn't the day. And frankly, my size is a decided advantage when moving through this brush. You two decide what you want to do. But they will hear you, even downwind."

"You're right," she said. "How close can you get me?"

"I can get you all the way to the field, but it will take hours. I can get you to within four hundred yards the way you are and probably about a hundred yards in another half hour. Closer than that will take significant time."

"And how quickly can you get there alone?"

"I can walk right up to the edge, but I'd spend five minutes on the last twenty yards."

Elisabeth turned to Lara. "Alpha, I recommend she leads us to a point four hundred yards from the clearing, then she guides each group in place before returning for me. She'll get me as close as she can in a half hour, and we go at that point."

Lara huffed and bumped Elisabeth.

I shifted back, and before I could react, Lara turned to me and gave me a long, wet wolfy lick from my nose to halfway down my back. I air snapped at her then walked over to Elisabeth and used the jeans of her pants to wipe off the slobber. Elisabeth pulled away and Lara eyed us both with an amused, wolfy expression.

Then I walked up to her and licked her face. She licked mine in return, then bumped me, nearly knocking me over. I bumped her back, a firm fox bump, which she probably barely noticed.

I led us through the forest.

It didn't take long to lead the wolves, although one of them was noisy. The third time he stepped on a leaf, I turned back to him, growled at the leaf and swatted his nose.

He chuffed at me, amused by my feeble swat, but he didn't step on any more leaves. I got both groups into place, thirty yards into the forest. I saw Lara creeping forward on her belly and hoped she knew what she was doing. This was her show; it wasn't for me to correct her.

I fetched Elisabeth. She was loud. It took time, but I got her as close as I thought was safe.

"All right, little fox," she said, crouching down and speaking into my ear. "Go tell Lara I'm here. Then you come back here. You are with me, and you will do what I say."

I bumped her and ran to Lara. I couldn't believe where she was. She had slithered out into the field and was slowly creeping forward on her belly. The high grass may have hid her, but I could see where she had gone.

The rest of the wolves had stayed where I had put them.

I followed Lara, moving marginally faster than she had. We were out of sight of the front door of the cabin, but when I heard it open, I chuffed once and flattened myself in the grass. From the sound, Lara had, too, and she was deathly still. I heard the outhouse door, and I moved closer to Lara, flattening when I heard the outhouse again. When the wolf had gone back into the cabin, I chuffed again then caught up to Lara. She was slinking forward.

She flicked an ear at me. I crouched to her side and watched her. She was a thing of beauty, every muscle tense, her focus directly ahead. She was the most frightening, wonderful thing I had ever seen.

She crept closer, a few inches at a time, barely moving. It took her an hour. I could hear the wolves behind us, their sounds muffled together into one. And I could also hear Elisabeth moving marginally closer, although I didn't think a wolf would.

Lara's path was not directly to the cabin. I stayed beside her, but it wasn't even clear to me what she was doing. She took a path that had her even with the front wall of the cabin a tiny forty yards away. Through the tall grasses, she could see the front door and the outhouse. That was when she flattened herself the rest of the way to her belly and waited.

She looked over at me, then slowly reached out one paw and with one claw, drew a line directly in front of me, digging through the grass into the dirt. That was the line I was not to cross. I brought my nose directly to the line, then backed off a half inch. She turned back to the cabin and waited.

The front door opened. I could tell from the sounds it was an adult and a juvenile. I stayed flattened in the grass, well out of sight. Lara stayed flat, but her nose twitched, and I saw her muscles grow extremely tight. She relaxed very slightly and waited.

My best sense was my hearing followed by my eyes. For a wolf, it is scent and then eyes. Lara didn't need to see. She could smell what she needed. We stayed like that for an hour. Only one more of the teenagers was taken to the outhouse. Two of the wolves smoked.

Finally when one of the males was in the outhouse, Lara's every muscle tensed, and she began growling, a low, frightening noise, a noise that would carry.

I heard the wolves behind us begin to move forward. Lara waited, but when I heard the man's hand work the latch on the outhouse, I chuffed once very quietly, and Lara went silent. A half second later, she sprang forward, her first leap taking her eight yards. Her next two leaps were even further, and the first wolf died without a sound.

The cabin door flew open and slammed against the outside wall of the cabin, and Lara took two leaps. I heard a scream.

There were at least two more inside. The sounds were confusing, and then the rest of Lara's wolves were racing past me, two of them jumping directly over my place, growls in all of their throats. I had a brief flashback to when I was fourteen, but I pushed it aside.

I stared at my line in the dirt and waited.

I heard when Lara killed the third male. She took her time with the last, driving him out of the cabin. I stood up enough to watch.

She harried him around the yard, the other wolves standing back and watching. Then Lara backed off and turned to one wolf, giving him a lick, then gave a lick to another wolf and settled on her haunches.

The two wolves Lara had licked stepped forward, their growls fierce. The man turned and ran.

Those two wolves spent ten minutes chasing him around, and they worked together like teamwork. Then, Lara chuffed, just once, and both wolves leapt together, taking the man down. There was a shaking of massive wolf jaws, and I heard the neck snap. The map fell limp.

The two ravaged the body. Lara sat and watched.

Elisabeth finally caught up to me. She crouched down next to me. "What the hell are you doing up here? You promised to behave!"

I reached up and grabbed her hand and pulled it down, pushing it against the line that Lara had drawn. Elisabeth leaned closer.

"She drew a line in the sand. And you stayed. Good girl."

I nipped her hand, and she scratched my neck.

"Wait here until I call," she said. I licked her hand.

I watched as Elisabeth stood up. "Alpha! Is the cabin secure?"

Lara turned to Jason and another wolf and looked at the cabin. They raced inside then Jason howled, very briefly. Elisabeth went running in that direction.

I waited.

It took a minute, but then the boys all came out, Jason and the other wolf following. Elisabeth remained in the cabin.

One of the boys saw the two wolves who had taken down the last man. "Dad! Mom! Mom!"

He ran forward but was bowled over by the two wolves. Another boy ran after, and he got knocked down, two. Soon there were two wolves taking turns licking two faces.

The last boy walked to Lara. "Alpha." He knelt down and rolled onto his back, exposing his throat to her. "It was my fault. I talked them into leaving the compound."

She reached over and gave him a single lick across the face.

"Michaela," came Elisabeth's voice, far more loudly than was necessary. "Come."

I ran straight to the cabin and dashed inside.

"Shift," she ordered, and she was holding a blanket. I shifted straight into it, and she wrapped it around me.

I looked around. There were two dead wolves in human form in the cabin. Lara had broken the neck of one and ripped the throat out of the other. "She didn't even need help?"

"An enraged alpha against four wolves in skin? They didn't stand a chance. We brought so many just in case they were in fur, or in case there were more."

"They were so stupid."

"Agreed." Elisabeth pointed. "The kids were shackled together against the wall there." I saw the shackles. "We couldn't tell from the photos, they were out of sight. It was your outdoor photos that we counted on."

I nodded to her. Then she held up a computer laptop case. "Are you a computer expert?"

"Not really," I said. "If the pack doesn't have one, I can try to find one, but anyone I can find will be government. I don't think you'll want to use him."

"All right. Do you want to search for any further evidence?"

Lara chuffed from the doorway and turned around.

"Maybe later," I said, following the alpha.

One of the boys, the one who had bared his throat, walked up to me. "You're the fox who tried to help us."

"I'm so sorry," I told him. "If I had called the alpha when I first saw you, maybe this would have been different. I was just so scared, I wasn't thinking straight."

"You were afraid of us," he said. "I could smell your fear. But you tried to help anyway. I was half out of my mind from the pain, but still you tried to help."

One of the wolves, very bloody, walked up to me and licked my hand.

"That is Emmanuel," Elisabeth said from behind me. "His mate is Serena."

"Your kids were here," I said to them. "I didn't know. I'm glad we saved them."

Serena walked to me slowly then she reared up, putting her paws on my shoulders. She was heavy! Elisabeth stepped up behind me to steady me while Serena cleaned my face with her long, wet tongue.

"Eww!" I said when she was done. She dropped to her four paws, butted me with her head, then went back to checking out the health of her boys.

I crouched down to Lara. "Are you all right?" She licked my face.

"Damn it! You all please stop that!"

She chuffed at me and licked my face again.

I wrapped my arms around her neck but looked up. "Elisabeth, can someone drag those bodies out? I'll search the cabin."

Lara chuffed, and four wolves jumped forward. They grabbed the bodies and dragged them out of the cabin, piling them together. I released Lara and went to search the cabin.

I didn't find much. Clothes, food, but no incriminating papers. Lara came in and sniffed around for a while then walked back outside. I heard the SUVs arrived, but I ignored them. Elisabeth checked on me.

"If anything is hidden here," I told her. "I'm not going to find it."

"All right," she said. "We're about ready to leave. Come on."

I followed her outside. The kidnappers had their own SUV. About half the wolves were back in skin and already dressed. I was still wearing the blanket. I looked around, but the bodies were missing.

Jason and Rory, both in skin, carried gas cans from the back of one of the SUVs. They set them inside the cabin.

"We'll drop Rory and June off at the boat," Lara told me, standing beside me. "They'll come back here and torch the cabin, but I don't want to do it yet in case word gets back to David. Then they'll return the boat to Bayfield. The rest of us are going to Madison. Will you come?"

"Yes."

"This isn't over. Will you follow orders?"

"Yes."

I checked her over. "You have blood on you."

"I know. We'll stop somewhere and clean up."

 **The Challenge**

Jason drove our SUV with Elisabeth riding shotgun, Lara and I in the back seat. All four SUVs drove together as a caravan. We stopped at a truck stop to clean up and get some food. Lara changed into a loose blouse and skirt, and I could tell she wasn't wearing a bra. I liked it. Soon, we were back on the road.

We were halfway to Madison when Lara called David. "We're coming home," she said. "We're not going to solve this here."

"Good," he said. "There is something we need to discuss at the compound."

"All right," she said. "Can you assemble everyone there? I want to talk to everyone together."

"Yes," he said. "I think that would be very appropriate."

She hung up. "He's going to challenge me tonight."

I didn't say anything. It wasn't my place. She called the other vehicles and gave them the new destination. I leaned against her and tried to sleep. I must have drifted off, as I woke sometime later with my head in Lara's lap.

"Is there any food?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," Lara said. "Jason ate it all."

"I saved you some, little fox," Elisabeth said.

"I knew you were holding out on me!" Jason said. "I could smell it!"

"Two little chicken wings," Elisabeth said. "Like you would even notice them."

"Perfect," I said, sitting up. They were cold but exactly what I wanted.

When we got near the compound, the rear two SUVs peeled off. "They'll make their own entrance," was all Lara said. The rest of us drove straight to the compound.

When we got there, the place was crawling with wolves. I stared out the window and clasped Lara's hand. "Is this this the entire pack?"

"No," she said. "The leaders, the elders, the ones who would have a say in what is about to happen."

"So many."

"I know. I am sorry, little fox."

"We say that a lot to each other," I said. "Do you think we will ever be able to stop?"

Elisabeth and Jason climbed out first, then Lara, and finally I followed her. David with Natalie and several other wolves were standing at the entrance to Lara's house. David and Lara nodded to each other and then at the same time began walking towards each other. Lara held onto my hand. Elisabeth and Jason flanked us, then I felt four more wolves take up a position behind us. But Lara was in front.

"Hello, David," Lara said, coming to a stop three paces from David.

"Lara, alpha of the Madison pack, you are unfit to lead. I offer challenge."

"I rather thought you might," she said. "Is this to the death then?"

"From love of your parents, and love of you, I offer this. If you submit, I will allow you, your sister, and that fox to accept banishment instead of death."

"That is very generous," Lara said slowly and clearly, her voice poised to carry clearly to all listening. "You have declared me unfit to lead. Do you care to elaborate?"

The two stared at each other. There was some rumbling from the people. This may not have been a popular move, and this was David's opportunity to sway a few others to his side.

"I served your father faithfully," David said. "He was a good man, but your parents coddled you. They raised you as one would raise a male, but you are not a male. You are female. When you became alpha, I had misgivings, but I have served you faithfully in spite of the extreme violations to our traditions."

He began to pace, and now he was addressing the audience. "Those traditions exist for a reason. Those traditions make the pack strong. Those traditions make the pack one." He stopped and stood in front of Lara. "But you disregard our traditions. You set yourself up as a leader, in direct violation of our traditions. You bed with other females, in violation of all natural order. You are unable to keep our own pups safe, the primary responsibility of the alpha. And you form alliances with lesser were." At that, he sneered at me. "Foxes are for hunting! Not for bedding. What you do is an abomination!"

"I have been hunted by wolves before," I said clearly.

"If you had been hunted by a proper wolf, you wouldn't be here," David said.

Lara smiled and squeezed my hand.

"When I was fourteen," I said. "I learned the true meaning of fox hunt." It was my turn to speak up. "A group of seven foxes engaged in a hunt of me, my sister, and my parents. They killed my parents and my sister and ravaged their bodies. And then, one by one, I killed the wolves. Each and every one. The last one died while snarling in my face."

The crowd had grown silent. No one moved, and the rage in David's face was apparent.

"You lie!" he screamed at me. He raised his hand, but Lara stepped in front of me.

"Your dispute is with me," she said calmly.

"Believe what you want," I said. "I have never lied to any of you."

"David," Lara said. "You have indeed served my family with loyalty and for a long time. In memory of that loyalty and love, I would present one final issue to the elders gathered here. I believe it would be most enlightening. After that is done, I will accept your challenge of combat or banishment as the pack decides."

"What issue?" David demanded.

"As one who would be alpha, you understand love for the pack must come before all other loves. While you may feel I am unfit to lead, do you feel I would not wish for the pack to be strong?"

He thought about it. "No. Everyone here knows your love for the pack. It is not your love I challenge, but your judgment."

"Well then, one more issue to prepare. I promise it speaks to the strength of the pack."

"Granted. I will hold my challenge until you have presented this issue."

"Thank you."

Lara stepped away from me. I tried to step forward after her, but Elisabeth grabbed me and pulled me back. "You are with me now," she said. "You will let us protect you."

"Yes, Elisabeth," I said quietly.

Lara spoke, slowly and clearly. "The pack has been under attack. Every indication was from outside invaders from the west, perhaps Duluth, perhaps not. Their incursions became increasing bold, and a week ago, they took from us three of our own. There was evidence they had retreated west again, but our searches in that direction proved fruitless."

"Everyone knows this, Alpha," David said. "This is at the heart of your inability to lead, your inability to keep our young safe."

"We have identified the invaders," Lara said in a firm voice.

The sound from all the wolves drown out anything else she would say. Some talked, some simply growled. Others threw questions at her. But when she held up her hand, they grew still.

"You have learned this since early this morning?" David asked.

"Oh no, I have known for some time."

"And you did not share this information?" He raised his voice. "A threat to the pack, and you did not share this with all of us?"

"The Alpha shared the information as the Alpha deemed best!" she bellowed. Then she grew calm. "Your phones are all about to buzz or vibrate or whatever they do. Please, I won't mind if you look at the incoming messages."

I glanced around, and several of the wolves around me were playing with their phones. Then the phones all around us began to go off, at first just a few, then I was sure every phone there had buzzed. I watched as countless wolves pulled out their phones. Even David pulled out his phone, and I watched his confidence crumble as he looked at them.

"What are these photos?" a female voice asked.

"Janice, please step forward, if you please," Lara said. From somewhere in the middle of the crowd, Janice walked into the space between the assembled wolves and Lara's small contingent of supporters.

"What is this?" Janice asked.

"Perhaps you can show that photo to the fox," Lara suggested.

Janice looked around then walked over to me. Elisabeth stepped aside, and Janice held her phone out. "What is this, fox?"

"I don't know his name," I said.

Elisabeth glanced at it. "That's Jeremy."

"And this?" Janice said. It was Derek. And the last one was Alex.

"Alpha," Janice asked. "The fox doesn't seem to know anything about these photos."

"That's not true," I said. "I took them. I just didn't know their names."

David roared. "I knew she was part of this!"

"If she is," Lara said. "Then the alpha will provide the appropriate punishment. Maybe in a short while that will be you. For now, it is me, and I wish to hear the rest of what she might say."

David was pulled away from me by his supporters. Until he was alpha, Lara was right, and for now, I was safe.

"I took those," I said again. "Yesterday."

Phones started vibrating again. Janice checked through the new messages then showed them to me. "Those were last night. You can guess I was very scared. I am sorry the quality is so poor."

"Where did you take these photos, fox?" Janice asked.

"At a cabin in the upper peninsula of Michigan," I said. "On a piece of property belonging to Natalie Briggs."

Natalie actually blanched. I wondered if she had known.

"Who is Natalie Briggs?" Janice asked.

"Briggs. Briggs. I've heard that name before," Lara said. She looked at Natalie. "Isn't that your maiden name, Natalie?"

"I have nothing to say," she said.

"Not to worry." Phones began to vibrate again. "I believe you are receiving copies of a marriage certificate and a deed to the property in question. One must love human recordkeeping."

"Alpha," said a male voice, and a wolf stepped out, holding hands with a female. They both looked haggard. "If the fox knows where our son is, why are you here instead of leading a rescue?"

"Excellent timing for that question, Samuel." That was when I heard the SUVs. They drove into the compound. Doors opened, and wolves climbed out, and then I heard Samuel's mate crying out.

"Derek? Derek!"

All eyes were on the reunion, all eyes except mine. I was watching David and Natalie. David would attack Lara soon. He was so much bigger than she was. After this, he couldn't possibly be alpha. No one would ever follow him. But he would kill Lara first.

"Be strong," Elisabeth said into my ear. "This isn't over yet. Stay next to me."

I clung to her arm. I wanted to go to Lara, to help defend her, but I had promised to follow Elisabeth's orders.

"I thought perhaps a little more evidence would be helpful," Lara said. She gestured to the final SUV. Emmanuel and Serena opened the back doors. Then Emmanuel dragged out one body, throwing it over his shoulder. He walked to the middle of the assembled wolves and tossed the body to the ground. Serena did the same thing with the second. Emmanuel grabbed the third. Serena brought the fourth.

"Threat exterminated," was all Lara said. All eyes shifted back to her. "And that ends the issue I wished to bring to the pack. I believe there is a challenge to the Alpha."

Elisabeth shrugged me off and reached for the back of Lara's blouse. I watched her rip the blouse from her sister's body while Lara ripped the skirt off and let it drop.

"Challenge accepted!" She bellowed. She took two steps towards David, then leapt. In midair she shifted from human to wolf. David got his arms up, but she landed on his chest, knocking him to the ground. Her mouth dived for his throat, and he tried to push her off. She shifted to his arm, bit down hard, and he screamed. She shook his arm for a moment, and when she dropped it, it flopped limply. When she went for his throat again, he was powerless to stop her. She bit down and began to shake him violently.

It was gruesome.

No one said a word.

When it was over, Lara stood over his body, lifted her head to the sky, and began to howl in victory. I stood there, stunned. She had shifted as quickly as I could. Elisabeth stepped back to me. "I told you it wasn't over."

"You knew."

"Yep."

From the steps of the house, Natalie stepped forward, slowly.

"David?"

The crowd parted for her as she stepped forward.

"David?" she asked again. She stared down at Lara and David, Lara's muzzle dripping with David's blood.

"You killed him. You killed him!"

Natalie was carrying a purse. I hadn't seen many purses amongst the wolves, but she was carrying one. She reached her hand in and pulled out a gun. She pointed it at Lara and began shooting.

Lara howled in pain.

I reacted instantly. I didn't even think. I took two steps, slipping between Jason and Elisabeth, moving too rapidly for Elisabeth to grab me. I leapt, shifted, and clamped my jaws on Natalie's hand, biting as hard as I could.

I was tangled in the clothing, and I wasn't able to react well, but I pulled her gun hand away from Lara, and that's what counted. Then with her free hand, screaming, Natalie hit me across the head.

I crumpled and knew no more.

 **Fox Hunt Revisited**

It was daylight when I woke.

I was alone in Lara's bed. I groaned. My head hurt. "Not again," I said, clutching at my head.

Someone stood up. Over the pain, I recognized Angel's voice. She flew to the door. "She's awake! She's awake!"

I began to cry from the pain. "Please, Angel, not so loud. I'm begging you." I don't know if she heard me.

I remembered last night. I remembered Lara yelping from bullets plowing into her body.

My cries turned to sobs. But then I felt warm arms, and I was pulled against someone's chest, a familiar chest that smelt of safety.

"Don't cry, honey," Lara said. "I know it hurts, but you'll be okay."

"I thought she killed you."

"The stupid woman," Lara said. "They weren't even silver."

Then Elisabeth was in the room. "Fox! You follow orders for shit."

I began crying again, my head pounding. "Please don't let her yell at me, Lara."

"No one is going to yell at you, little fox. For a few days, anyway."

She rocked me slowly while I clung to her.

"No," Elisabeth said. "We will bring lunch to you."

"It's been two days," I said. "I am fine."

"Get back in that bed, fox," she said. "That's an order."

"I don't take orders from you, Elisabeth. It's over. I'm a free fox again."

She smiled. "It is over when you are fully healed. Until then, you agreed to follow my orders and the alphas. She ordered you to stay in bed, and I ordered you to stay in bed. Get back in bed."

I sighed and slipped back into bed.

They treated me like an invalid for the better part of a week, slowly allowing me more activity. I would never have admitted it to them, but it felt good being taken care of.

I almost lost my job. Apparently when one is gone from work as much as I had been, ones bosses become vexed. I called my boss Friday morning. I had been incommunicado from the office for the better part of two weeks. I told him I had a concussion. He told me to show up with a medical report or a box to clean out my desk, and to be remember to return any department property."

I told Lara.

"I'd rather you quit, anyway," she said.

"I like my job."

"What do you like about it?"

I thought about it. "It gets me outside nearly all the time."

"You collect water samples and other data."

"And analyze it. And report on it."

"And what happens with that analysis? With those reports."

"It gets used. To track trends."

She took a breath. "It should be your choice," she said. "Not a choice made for you." She made some calls. My boss received a phone call from my doctor and from a friendly detective at the Madison police department. I had never met either of them, but apparently they were each a real doctor and a real detective. Lara told me to call him back, and when I did, he told me to take all the time I needed. He didn't know any details, but he understood I had been very brave.

I thanked Lara. She told me to get back into bed. And then she wouldn't even join me.

The entire pack, it seemed, set it upon themselves to keep me company. The three boys and their parents became my most steadfast companions. Gia and Angel always seemed to be about as well. All of them tried to fatten me up, but all my food arrived in fox sized portions, and it was made very clear that they expected me to let them know my favorites.

On Saturday, Francesca stopped up and chased everyone else out. "Someone is here to see you."

"Someone is always here to see me."

"I thought perhaps for this one you might prefer not to be in bed. It's Janice."

"I don't want to see her."

"I think you should. So does the alpha."

"All right," I said. "Will you help me downstairs?"

She would. She settled me down in the living room downstairs, bundled up in a warm blanket with hot tea available before she allowed Janice in. Janice crossed the room, took my hands for a moment, then sat down opposite me.

"How are you feeling?"

"Better," I said.

"You aren't the airhead you portrayed."

"I guess no one will play poker with me now."

She laughed lightly. "Probably not. Did we really teach you to play that night?"

"Yes. The first time I touched a deck of cards was after you left. I knew the poker hands, and I knew the odds for five card stud, but I got those from the internet the day before."

We sat quietly for a minute.

"You didn't come to talk about poker. And I don't think you came to sit with me."

"I came to thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything you did."

"I didn't do any of it for you. You don't like me. You really don't like Lara."

"That isn't true, not entirely. What my husband tried to do was deeply wrong. If he wanted to issue a challenge, then he should have issued a challenge, not a coup de ta'. I spent ten years ostracized from the pack after that. That has left me at some times bitter and jealous, and at some times, that comes out in a bitchy fashion. I am not happy about that, as I was once a very pleasant person, and I have tried to suppress it, but it has been difficult. Even fifteen years later, I am distrusted and rarely invited to social events."

"Why were you invited to the poker nights?"

"I am not sure. I attended hoping that over time, my position in the pack would settle into something palatable."

"Has it?"

"Yes. Thank you."

I didn't understand.

"Do you know why, when those pictures started showing up on everyone's phone, I was the one who started asking those questions?"

"No, actually. I would have expected Lara to control the conversation."

Janice smiled. "She did. I received my own text from Elisabeth asking me to ask the questions that needed to be asked. I was seen as someone who would be the most likely of everyone in the pack to take a hard stance against Lara, and thus I was the best to ask those questions. But I asked them fairly."

"You're back in."

"Yes. Thank you. Lara and Elisabeth have both made a big deal of including me, which means others are starting to as well."

"So fast?"

"Yes. So fast."

I thought about it. "I hope this helps the pack to heal."

She smiled. "That was very diplomatic of you."

I took a breath. "I suppose you are hoping I will treat you like a friend as well."

"I wouldn't at all mind," she said.

"But you still won't let me come to the poker nights."

"I can hardly stop you."

"It won't be as much fun to take your money if we're friends."

She laughed. "I will make sure you have invitations when there are at least two people there I would most particularly like to see you fleece."

"Deal."

"Your airhead routine was over the top."

"You bought it."

"Yeah," she said. "I did. But it won't work in the future."

"Never underestimate the power of the airhead routine."

Lara cleaned house. There wasn't really any to do. Some of the enforcers such as Reggie had been more loyal to David than to Lara, but none of them approved of what he had tried to do. None of them knew any details, and Lara assured me she was absolutely convinced they were guilty of no worse than misplaced loyalty towards someone who was deemed to be a loyal pack member. A few people lost status, but no one was evicted from the pack or suffered significant loss. I was assured we wouldn't see much of Reggie, but even he still had a place in the pack.

A week to the day after Natalie clubbed me senseless, Lara and Elisabeth admitted I was fully recovered.

"And now we're going to talk about what obeying orders means," Elisabeth told me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "The next time Natalie is shooting bullets into Lara's body, I promise to let someone else handle it."

No one thought I was funny.

"I followed every other order I was given."

"Just not the one that mattered," Lara said. "And you promised."

She was right, but I was fox, and I wasn't going to admit it. At least not directly. "Lara, if someone was shooting me, and even if you absolutely knew you were going to get hurt, would you stop the shooting?"

"Of course."

"Is there anyone in the pack who would answer differently?"

"No."

"Then do not ask any less of me."

Neither of them was happy about that. The score was now one to one.

I sighed. "I would apologize, but I'm not sorry, Lara. She was shooting you. Do you really think I should have let her?"

"I would have handled it," Elisabeth said.

"You didn't! I was behind several enforcers, and I still got to her first, by several seconds. Seconds. Not a half second. Multiple seconds. I don't know what I should have done instead. I didn't know they weren't silver. I didn't know she was a crappy shot. You tell me what should have happened and I'll admit I was wrong."

I turned to Elisabeth. "If Lara gave you an order, but something happened that turned into an emergency, would you override her order?"

"I don't know."

"In the situation I was in?"

She sighed. "Yes."

The score was two to one for the fox.

"Are you here to yell at me for last week, or are you getting ready for future concessions?"

Elisabeth smiled, which annoyed Lara.

"Michaela," said Lara. "In the future, there may, from rare to very rare time, be instances where there is no time for debate. During those times, I usually cannot afford to worry about whether the people around me will obey my orders. And I equally cannot always afford to assign a pair of babysitters to you to make sure you remain safe. In times such as those, I expect you to follow any orders that Elisabeth or I give you."

"Perhaps you should assume I wouldn't follow your orders. That way you don't have to worry about it."

"If I can't trust you to follow orders, then I am forced to assign babysitters, which I would rather not do."

"Why can't you trust my judgment?"

"Because there can only be one general," Elisabeth said kindly. "I'm sorry, Michaela, but that's Lara."

Point to the wolves. Tie match.

I looked between them. "Lara, did you assign Elisabeth to guard me?"

"Yes."

"And when Natalie began shooting, if she had gotten to her instead of me, would you be having this conversation with her?"

"No," said Lara.

"Why not?"

"Because Elisabeth can handle herself in a fight and you-" she clamped her mouth shut.

"And I can't?" I asked.

"No," Lara said after a moment. "You can't."

I smiled. "So I just have to prove you wrong, and this conversation is over?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Lara said.

"Who do I have to fight?"

"Honey, now you're just being absolutely ridiculous."

"If I win, then you start trusting my judgment. If whoever I fight wins, then I will agree that in those no time to debate situations, I will follow your orders to the absolute best of my ability. Who am I fighting?"

"You can't possibly win, little fox. It's not even conceivable."

"Who am I fighting, Alpha?"

Elisabeth sighed. "Me, Michaela. You'd have to fight me."

"Fine. Outside, let's do this."

"No," said Lara. "You would have to fight me."

Lara and Elisabeth shared a look, then Elisabeth said, "Yes, of course."

"Stacking the deck, Lara?" I asked. "The alpha, the one wolf that seems to be able to neutralize one of my biggest advantages?"

"Michaela, it has to be her because if anyone else hurts you, she'd have to kill him."

"All right," I said. "Outside. We're fighting to first blood?"

"No. Submission."

"That's not fair," I said. "In a fight, I don't have to make the wolf submit. I only have to survive long enough for someone else to step in. Or until I can escape."

Elisabeth smiled. "She's right, Alpha. You're not asking her to win, you're asking her not to get killed. So her terms are reasonable."

"All right," Lara said. "Survive two minutes with me on your tail, then escape. If you submit in less than an hour, I win."

"Fine. We're agreed no one else interferes."

"Of course."

I didn't say anything else, but headed downstairs. "Let's go then." They hurried to follow after me.

"This is foolish, Michaela," Lara said.

"You can always just agree to trust my judgment."

"If this is a sign of your judgment, I think I'm right to question it."

I laughed. "If you are sure I am that completely helpless, then you shouldn't have the slightest problem forcing me to submit."

"I seem to recall you were awfully easy to catch the last time I tried."

I reached the front door and turned around. "Everyone gets lucky." Then I raised my voice. "Gia! Angel! Want to see the alpha get owned? Get outside!"

Then I slipped out the door, pulling it back closed behind me and giving me a desperate two or three seconds. Elisabeth had been ever so slightly in Lara's way, and the two fumbled at the door.

"Catch me, Alpha!" I yelled. Then I took two steps and leapt into the grass, shifting as I did so. I lost a desperate second shedding my clothes, and then Lara, still on two feet, was after me.

On two feet, I could easily outrun her, but I interpreted "two minutes with Lara on my tail" as meaning I had to stay in close proximity to the courtyard, evading her rather than escaping from her.

When I had stepped out, there wasn't anyone in the courtyard. There were no trees to provide obstacles, either. But two of the SUVs were parked there, and I knew I could go under them much faster than Lara could.

Elisabeth stepped out of the house, and then so did Gia, Angel and Francesca.

I turned around and Lara was two big leaps away from me, stalking me slowly. She was grinning. I think she anticipated an easy win.

"I know all your tricks, little fox," she said. As if. Then she took two leaps after me. I feinted left and dashed right, but she had anticipated the feint and leapt to my right. I shifted direction just barely fast enough, and she almost had me, but I got past her to the left, yipping like crazy to draw more attention.

Lara actually got fingers in my fur, but not enough to grab hold. That had been close.

I dashed straight for Elisabeth, listening for Lara. She had rolled to her feet and was stalking me again. I spun around to face her, my back to Elisabeth, Gia and Angel.

"Friendly game of catch," Elisabeth told them. "Don't interfere."

Lara smiled, approaching slowly, crouching down with her arms out. I would have loved to kiss her right then, but I that may have been a tiny bit cocky.

I continued to yip and bark at Lara, and people were streaming into the courtyard. Elisabeth kept telling them not to interfere.

Finally, Lara leapt at me, and I didn't really have anywhere to go except straight back between the small gap between Elisabeth and Gia. I'd picked that gap instead of the one on the other side because I thought Gia could take it better if Lara plowed into her than Angel could. One backwards leap brought me right through the gap, and Lara came up short, not wanting to run through her wolves. She tried to shove through the same gap, pushing everyone aside, but she lost time and I ran around the other side, still yipping for attention.

Someone laughed. I wasn't sure who.

After that, I used the other wolves as obstacles for Lara, but then I miscalculated and she made a lunge, grabbing me firmly by the scruff.

"Gotcha!" she said, lifting me into the air.

I instantly shifted to human. The fur she'd been holding me was suddenly gone, and she lost her grip. I took two steps, yelling, "I hope you're timing this, Elisabeth," and then jumped and shifted. Lara made a tackling motion, and she almost had me, but my shift shrunk me just enough her arms closed on open air, just brushing my tail.

"Oh heck, Michaela," Elisabeth said as I ran around behind her. "I forgot to time it."

"Thirty seconds have elapsed," Lara declared. "You have another ninety to go. Start timing, Elisabeth."

"Alpha," Elizabeth said. It had been a lot longer than thirty seconds.

"Thirty seconds, Elisabeth," she said again. And then she was running straight at me. She leapt, turning wolf, and again almost had me, but she lost time untangling from her clothes.

After that it turned serious. Twice she managed to knock me off my feet, but both times I rolled and kept going, diving between Jason's legs at one point. Lara tried to follow me, but they got tangled together, and I made a dash for the cars.

"One minute," Elisabeth declared.

Lara untangled from Jason and came straight for me. At the last possible second, I dashed under the car and she came to a skidding halt, banging against the car hard enough to leave a dent.

"Hey!" Jason said. "Watch the paint!"

"A minute fifteen!" Elisabeth yelled. Lara crouched down, shifted human, and almost had me. I hadn't expect her to shift. I dashed out through the front tires, the cut back underneath the second car and gained several seconds while Lara went over the top, shifting in midair, and leaping over me to land just in front of me. She spun faster than I would have thought possible, but I cut left. She kicked me with a rear leg, and I rolled once, yelping, but then I was on my feet and running. I heard her leap and cut right, directly into a group of wolves, then turned and ran right back out of them.

I batted at her back leg on my way past, which actually threw off her timing.

At a minute thirty, I was behind Elisabeth again. I shifted human and put one hand on Elisabeth's shoulder, one on Gia's. The two shifted apart, leaving a wolf-sized gap instead of the wall I had counted on.

"Hey!" I said. "Not fair."

"This is fun to watch, Michaela," said Elizabeth, "but deep down I want the alpha to win. She'll catch you eventually, you know."

Lara tensed her muscles and sprang for the gap. I jumped, pushing with my hands on Gia and Elisabeth's shoulders, then shifted as I leapt over their shoulders, Lara passing underneath me.

The leap was much higher than I normally jump as a fox, and I was afraid I'd break something, so when I landed, I tucked and rolled, yelping once, then was on my feet and cut left immediately. Lara slammed into the ground where I'd been just a breath before, and I ran for the cars again.

I had to avoid her twice, but I made it under the cars and spun around. She approached slowly.

"Two minutes," Elisabeth yelled. "I wouldn't have believed it possible."

I was free to escape, even with the extra time Lara had cheated out of me.

I chuffed at her, letting her know we were still friends. She chuffed back, and then with no warning, she made a leap to the thin space under the car, a space far too small for her.

It had to hurt as she scraped her back against the bottom of the SUV, but she got her paws on me.

I scrambled and kicked dust in her eyes, squirmed away, and ran out the other side, under the next car, and then dashed for the woods.

It took time for Lara to climb back out from under the SUV. I got a good six or eight seconds lead. I got to the brush first, but Lara was hot on my heels, and in a straight run, she was much faster than I was. I couldn't play keep away forever; she only had to win once, and besides, it was too dangerous. One of could make too big a mistake, and I could get hurt. I had to lose her.

Or submit.

I wasn't ready to give up yet.

If I could get some real distance, I was sure I could lose her, but I wasn't at all confident I could get the kind of distance I would need. And she knew these woods like the back of her hand. I did not.

I used the tricks I knew. I took advantage of small spaces. I went under fallen trees and through tight brush. I found a copse of thick evergreens, and I went dashing through them, hoping the thick spruce scent would offer even a tiny bit of confusion. She remained firmly on my trail, leaping after me whenever she got close, but not quite catching me.

But I wasn't shaking her, either.

I was having the time of my life.

We spent several minutes dashing between the trees not far from the main compound. From the compound itself, I heard the sounds of wolves shifting into fur. Pretty soon the entire woods would be full of more wolves, and even if they weren't interfering, it would complicate things. I needed to lose her. Or lose.

I feinted right, and Lara made a leap, then I dashed left. By the time Lara could arrest her flight in the wrong direction, I had put two large pine trees between us then took a wild path away from the compound.

It took Lara twenty seconds to find my path, but I found a downed tree, ducked underneath it, then ran along underneath it towards its large upturned root system. There was a gap, a very narrow gap, and I squeezed through it. Behind me, Lara went over the tree ran a short distance past, then came to a stop, puzzled. I gained more time. She found my trail again, but I had a minute on her.

I ran.

I found a narrow stream. I jumped over it, took three steps, then jumped directly backwards into the water and ran upstream for twenty steps before turning at an oblique angle to the stream. I gained more time.

I ran.

I found a large tree with a stream just shortly past it. I set a false path out, ran downstream and set another false path, then ran back upstream to where I had entered the water, ran to the tree, and leapt into it, climbing quickly while listening for Lara. She was moving quietly, directly on my back trail. I froze, hoping I was high enough she wouldn't smell me immediately, and she passed directly under my tree. She didn't even look up but continued to follow my trail. She got to the stream, and while she investigated my false trails, I slipped around to the other side of the tree and moved higher until I found a place I thought I could hide for an hour.

It took Lara a good ten minutes to realize I had effectively disappeared. I heard her pass underneath my tree, searching for where I'd gone instead.

By now, the other wolves were after us, but Lara howled at them and then seemed to hold back. At least I didn't hear any of them coming any closer.

She began running a big circle centered on the stream, trying to find my trail. Of course, she didn't find it. She ran it twice, and then I heard her huffing her displeasure.

It probably confused her that my scent was still live. I'm sure some of it was wafting down from the tree. She began searching for me downwind, then kept working her way back to the stream.

Then I heard her shift.

"Oh, little fox," she said. "Did you climb a tree? I am probably the only wolf who knows you can do that, too."

I wished I hadn't told her.

I listened as she walked on two feet to the stream, then began walking back. Wolves don't track by footprints, but humans do. She found my tracks and followed them to the base of my tree.

"Oh, little fox," she said. "Very clever. A half hour. No one else would have beaten you. Come down now."

Well, she may have me treed, but she hadn't caught me, and I most certainly hadn't submitted.

"Michaela," she said. "The agreement was you had to escape. This is not escape. Come down, or I'll come up after you."

I stayed very quiet. Maybe she wasn't sure. I didn't need to prove she had found me.

Then she began climbing.

She climbed slowly but surely. Furry wolves don't climb trees, but two legged wolves are perfectly capable of doing so and are probably better than a four-footed vixen.

She climbed halfway to me and stopped. "Michaela, I can smell you now. Please come down."

No way.

She climbed a little further than said, "There you are." I looked down, and she was only about five feet below me. She looked pretty darn hot in her birthday suit, climbing a tree after me. I grinned a foxy grin at her and chuffed.

"I love you too," she said. "Now climb down and submit like a good little fox."

I bared my teeth at her.

She sighed and climbed closer. I looked up higher in the tree, and she froze.

"I'll keep coming, Michaela. You'll run out of tree."

We would run out of tree sooner for her full weight than my fox weight. I looked up considering my choices.

"If you make a move up, Michaela, I am going to come after you as fast as I can. I bet I can climb faster than you can, but one of us will make a mistake. Come on, honey."

I stared at her sadly. She was right. She was going to win. I hated that, but I stayed where I was.

She stared at me for a moment, then she put her hand on the branch above her and I immediately scrambled a branch higher.

"Wait," she said. "If you come back down to where you were, I'll go back down one branch, too. Let's talk about it."

I looked down at her. For me, going down is much, much harder than going up. It is frequently a controlled fall. I whimpered.

"Honey, you can climb back down, can't you?"

I whimpered again.

"All right," she said. "You stay right there, I'll stay right here. I'll say my piece, and you can decide if you want to play this out or not."

"Honey, no other wolf could have caught you. If I didn't know you could climb trees as a fox, I wouldn't have found you. I only knew that because you told me, and you only told me because you were helping me."

I stared down at her. I loved her, but there was a touch of despair, too.

"Honey, I didn't think you would last fifteen seconds. I thought this would be easy. You were amazing. I was wrong. I should trust you. You know your skills far better than I do. When violence comes, all I see are your weaknesses, but not your strengths."

"Michaela, I know your pride makes this very difficult. You are thinking of desperate steps, steps driven only by pride."

I huffed lightly. She was right. She smiled.

"But there is nowhere to go. No other wolf could have won, Michaela, and you were magnificent, truly magnificent. Honey, please come down."

I looked down at her. I looked up higher in the tree.

"Don't do it, Michaela. I'll come after you, and I am faster than you are."

I clutched the tree tighter, and Lara relaxed.

"Honey, can you be a gracious loser?"

Then I thought about what this represented. If I surrendered, it meant the big bad wolf was about to eat me. This wasn't just about whether I won or she did. This was about whether I lived or died. If I surrendered, I died. And any chance is better than no chance.

I pushed off from the tree and began to fall.

"No!" she screamed. Her hand reached out, and as I fell past her, aiming for the branches below, she caught me by my scruff and pulled me against her.

"Why?" she screamed. "Why? Michaela, why?"

She clutched me tightly to her, her hand still in my scruff, another wrapped around the tree. I hung there in her one arm, her heart pounding in her chest.

I shifted. She almost dropped me, but I reached out and grabbed branches, then my feet found footholds.

"You won," I said quietly. "And that means the wolf ate the fox. That's what happens when a fox loses a fox hunt."

"No, honey."

"That was the symbolism, wasn't it? I can't take care of myself. If I couldn't escape, I was dead. That's the wager we made. If you caught me, symbolically, I am dead. Wouldn't you rather I had fought, all the way to the end, than surrender to certain death?"

"So you gave up a different way, a different death?"

"Of course not. Look down. How many branches would I have landed on? I'd have clung to one and made it out of the tree long before you did."

"Not that long," she said.

"Long enough to find another tree."

She hugged me tightly to her.

"I will climb down now," I told her. "You won."

Then, slowly, I slithered down the tree, earning a few scrapes from the rough bark on the way down. Lara followed, landing on the ground a few seconds after I did. I shifted to fox then rolled over and exposed my throat. Lara knelt down, her head over my throat, and kissed the fur. "I love you, little fox," she said. "No other wolf would have found you. Now, we are both going to be gracious about this."

She backed away and shifted to fur. I rolled over and slowly climbed to my feet. Lara pointed her nose to the compound and bounded off. I slowly followed, my head hanging from my shoulders. Lara got quite a distance ahead of me before she stopped. She huffed. If I huffed back at the same volume, she wouldn't have heard me. So she howled briefly, but I didn't respond.

She ran back and came to a stop in front of me. I sat down facing her, my head still hanging.

She huffed again and nudged me.

I tried to shake out of my mood. I had done amazingly well, far better than anyone could possibly have expected. I would have beaten any other wolf. I should be proud. But in the end, the only point that mattered was the last one. I wouldn't have made my foolish promise if I'd realized it was Lara I would compete against. I just kept going around and around in emotional circles, and I couldn't shake it.

There wasn't anything to be done about it now. I climbed slowly to my feet and walked past Lara, heading towards the compound. Rather than bounding ahead, Lara walked with me. It must have been painful for her, keeping to a fox pace.

I finally decided I was sulking, and I picked the pace up marginally. Soon, we had picked up an escort of furry wolves. Both of us got licks. I hated being licked, but I put up with it. I knew they meant well.

Suddenly I lifted my head, bounced ahead two steps, then ran to the left. I managed to get everyone to follow me, which surprised me. Then I reversed course again and, very deliberately, used my claw to draw a line in the ground.

Lara looked at the line, chuffed, and fell to her stomach, her toes right at the line. I licked her once, listened for a moment, then dashed away. Some of the wolves tried to follow me, but Lara called them back.

I had to put some distance between us. They had scared all the game. But eventually I heard a rabbit. I approached it slowly, the stalk taking a good ten minutes, but when I pounced, I caught it. I snapped its neck cleanly then proudly carried my kill back to my alpha. When I pulled into the clearing, she was waiting for me, her toes at the line. I walked straight to her and dropped the rabbit at her feet.

Lara lifted her nose to the air and howled a victory cry, which was quickly picked up by the clustered wolves. Then she reached out with her claws and ripped the rabbit open before nudging it back to me.

I took a small share for myself then backed away. One by one, the assembled wolves partook of the rabbit I had caught, each of them taking the smallest of pieces When each wolf had taken a share, Lara took hers. Then we turned our noses to the compound and began to run.

 **Becoming Less Unsettled**

Dinner that night was a large communal affair. There was to be food and a large bonfire. I was still upset, but no longer felt dead. Still, I couldn't stand the idea of everyone congratulating Lara on having caught the fox. When I tried to beg off, Lara sent Elisabeth to talk to me about it.

"Spill," she told me while sitting on the sofa in Lara's bedroom. I was staring out the window into the back yard, which was mostly a view of the forest.

I continued to stare out the window. "I don't think I could listen to everyone congratulate Lara on catching me and making me offer my throat."

"So two hits to your pride, one that she caught you and one that you offered your throat."

"Yes."

"So you're better than everyone else in the pack?"

"I'm not of the pack," I said.

"Don't quibble. Are you saying you are better than all the rest of us? We've all offered our throats, and before Lara was Alpha, she offered hers to her father."

I turned to face her. "Just so you understand, I hate losing arguments."

She laughed. "I will keep that in mind. It's a good thing this is a discussion, not an argument. If anyone is pleased that you offered your throat, they are pleased because it is symbolic that you are part of the pack."

"But I am not. I am fox."

"So? We're all were."

I stared at her. "You really believe that?"

"Yes."

I didn't have a real response to that. I shrugged instead.

"Can we at least agree that there is no one here, except possibly you, who feels you should be embarrassed about offering your throat?"

"All right."

"So the other issue. You think this is about Lara winning."

"Yes."

She looked away, clearly thinking. Finally she said, "Michaela, I wish to ask a favor. Trust me."

"That's the favor?"

"Yes. Trust me. Come to dinner. Trust me."

I sighed. "All right, Elisabeth."

Still, I hid in the room as long as I could. Eventually Lara sent Gia and Angel to fetch me. I let them cajole me downstairs and out the door. Someone handed me a beer, which I immediately handed to Angel. She looked at it gleefully, but Gia took it away from her before she could drink any of it.

"Oops. I guess you and I are the only ones not drinking, Angel," I told her.

"Naw," she said. "There are a few other teenagers. Want me to get us cokes?"

"Sure." She disappeared and came back moments later, handing me a cold can.

There was an advantage to being my size in a crowd of giant wolves. I was difficult to spot, being below notice most of the time. Conversations happened around me, and I was able to avoid them.

Jason found me. "There you are," he said. "Wow, that was amazing today."

"The alpha is really something," I said neutrally.

"She is," Jason agreed. "But I was talking about you. You're so small; you're easy to under-estimate. But wow. That was amazing. You really gave her a workout. I wouldn't have lasted that long against her, that's for sure. She'd have caught me in seconds."

Then he squeezed my arm and wandered off.

Angel and Gia had both wandered off. I roamed the crowd, looking for them. Angel was sitting in the grass with a group of teenagers. I started to turn away, but Jeremy, one of the boys we had rescued, saw me.

"Fox!" he said. He stood up and ran over to stand in front of me. "Would you talk to us for a little bit?"

"All right," I said, joining them in the grass. "What's up?"

"Well," said Jeremy. "We heard about the kayaking. We were wondering, do you think you could talk our parents into letting us come to Bayfield, and teaching us how to kayak?"

"How did you hear about that?" I asked.

"Rory told everyone how you saved his life," Derek said.

Angel smiled. "If you weren't with the alpha, I think he'd want you."

I smiled at that. "Rory is a nice wolf, although not exactly my type."

"So, how about it?" Jeremy asked. "Will you teach us to kayak?"

"Let me ask you guys something. I'm not the alpha. I'm not an anything. I can't cuff any of you hard enough for you to notice. If I tell you to do something, and you don't do it, there's nothing I can do about it. If I were teaching you to kayak, you would have to do exactly what I said. Could you do that?"

"Sure," Jeremy said. "Besides, there'd be adult wolves there somewhere, and even if you didn't cuff us, they would."

I laughed. "That's probably true. But what if there weren't?"

"We'd do what you said," Angel said. "You would be our teacher. And you might be small, but you're older than we are. If you told us to do something, there would be a good reason."

"All right," I said. "I'll talk to your parents if you guys bring them to me sometime. But in the end, it will be their decision."

"Thank you, Michaela," Angel said. The rest of them thanked me, then started peppering me with questions about kayaking.

Lara rescued me ten minutes later. "Sorry, kids, I need her." She helped me to my feet and pulled me away. "Feeling better?"

"Not that I'd admit," I told her. "Did you really need me?"

"Not at this exact minute, but I thought you'd given the kids enough time for one night. Go mingle."

I disappeared into the crowd and tried not to be noticed.

Someone announced that food was ready, and the wolves crowded the tables that had been set up for food. I hung back, amazed at the amount of food it took to feed the pack. Elisabeth stepped up to me and I asked her about it.

"Don't I know it. You should see the grocery bill."

"Where does the money come from?"

"Real estate investments are a lot of it," Elisabeth explained. "Apartment buildings, office buildings, and a couple of small shopping malls. Lara has a management company that handles all that, and she needs to do very little. Another big part are the tithes."

"Tithes?"

"Yes. Everyone in the pack with a job tithes a portion of his income to the pack. That means everyone who isn't a full time enforcer or hold some other pack position. Even Lara tithes. So do I."

"I thought you were an enforcer."

"I am, but I also own a chain of grocery stores." She mentioned the chain.

"Holy shit. You own that?"

"Forty percent. The stores run themselves, and we expand very cautiously, so it really is pretty cushy for me. Lara owns twelve percent. David had some; I don't know what happens to his share now. It may go to pack, it may go to Lara." She paused. "It may go to you."

"Why would it go to me?"

"There is a council that oversees pack assets. They can decide almost anything in a situation like this."

"Well, I don't want it."

"Anyway, you get the idea. Lara is rich. So am I. We could live comfortably just on our fixed income. The pack is really rich. Again, investments. Whenever a pack member wants to start a business, the pack invests. And pack businesses always succeed."

"Why?"

"Failure is not an option."

I laughed.

At that point, Angel and Jeremy ran over to Elisabeth and me carrying plates of food, giving them to us and disappearing before we could even thank them.

"That was sweet," I said.

"Pack leadership doesn't stand in line for food," Elisabeth said. "Rank hath its privileges."

"As does being a guest?"

Elisabeth looked around. "I don't see any guests, Michaela."

We sat down in the grass and ate quietly. People started to join us, and soon I was surrounded. I kept my head down and hoped everyone would ignore me.

"I haven't laughed so hard in a long time," Francesca said.

"At what?" Elisabeth asked innocently.

"The alpha with her head and shoulders stuck under the car, scrambling to chase the little fox."

"Oh yeah, that was good," Rory said. "But I liked it when she got tangled up with Jeremy."

Soon everyone was taking turns, regaling each other with my exploits. Elisabeth whispered to me, "See?"

"Wait for it," I replied.

"So," Rory asked. "She finally caught you. How?"

I sighed. "I was running out of tricks. I'd gotten some real distance from her, maybe almost a minute ahead, and that's when I used my absolute best trick. And no, I'm no telling any of you what it is. But the problem is, the alpha knows that trick because I told it to her once. So she finally figured out what I had done, and that's when she found me."

"How long did it take her?" Elisabeth asked.

"From when she lost me to when she found me again?"

"Yes."

"I don't know, maybe twenty minutes. It was fun watching her look."

"Wait!" said Elisabeth. "You knew where she was for twenty minutes, but she didn't know where you were?"

"I knew where she was the entire time," I said. "I shook her off my trail a half dozen times, but she eventually found my trail again. When you're a fox, it doesn't matter how many times you lose the wolf. It only matters how whether the wolf finds you again."

They were uncomfortable about that, but then Rory smiled. "Well, I thought you were fantastic. I loved it when you kept shifting back and forth between two legs and fur."

"That's just because you liked seeing her naked, Rory," one of the females said to him.

"I'll admit," he said. "Our little fox is worth looking at."

"Rory!" I said.

"I wouldn't admit that too loudly when the alpha can hear you Rory," Elisabeth said.

"Too late," I replied. "She's standing right behind us."

Rory looked up at Lara, grinning. Lara simply said, "Make space." The people to my left shifted further away, and Lara sat down next to me. I leaned against her and laid my head on her shoulder.

A while later, Francesca lit the bonfire. There were nearly thirty wolves clustered around. Lara stood up and said, "It is time for stories." She looked around the group and said, "Francesca, would you tell us all a story?" Lara sat back down next to me, and I leaned against her.

Francesca stood up, paced around the fire for a moment, then began a story. It took me a minute before I realized she was making it up as she went. When she was done, she received applause.

Lara asked for another story, and Emmanuel and Serena together told a story about getting caught far from home in a blizzard. When they were done, Lara asked Elisabeth for a story.

"All right," she said. "But I need help with this one. Little fox, would you care to tell the story of Spot?"

I looked at her for a moment and nodded. Elisabeth said, "You tell the first part, and I'll pick it up from when I met her."

So that is what we did. I stood up and told about how I had first met Spot. "I know Spot isn't a very good name for a deer, but she was just a fawn when she came to me, and fawns have spots." I explained how I had raised her and taught her how to survive in the wild, and finally how I had let her go, but would visit her two or three times a year. Then I explained that I had needed a tracking collar no one knew about, so that Elisabeth could keep track of where I was, and they all nodded, knowing that story already.

"So I though of Spot," I said, turning to Elisabeth.

"So there I was. The alpha had just told me I was supposed to follow orders from a fox, this little tiny fox, and practically the first thing she asks me is, 'can you catch a deer?' Of course I can catch a deer! But then she said, 'Please don't hurt her, she's my friend.'"

There was laughter at that. I spoke up. "I know it's strange to a wolf to call a deer a friend, but she was, to me. I understand she wouldn't be to you. I know; that makes me strange. But it's not like I could eat an entire deer! I can't even eat an entire rabbit by myself and have to share it with the pack."

"We tracked the deer using the computer," Elisabeth said. "And when we get out of the car, the fox tells me to shift, but she'll stay on two feet so she can tell me where to go and so she can remove the tracking collar once I catch the deer. And I'm following the fox, and she tells me how far to the deer, a deer I can't smell or hear. We get closer, and again, she tells me exactly where the deer is. We get closer, and closer, and finally I can smell the deer. Then she says, Go get her, but remember, don't hurt her."

There was more laughter.

"But I am wolf, and I will not be outdone by a stupid deer. I catch her, and I wrestle her to the ground, and she's kicking and trying to get away, and it's like I'm on a wild bucking bronco, and all I can think is, Little Fox, I caught it, now hurry up!

"So that is how me, sister to the alpha, ended up wrestling a deer to the ground but didn't share her with the pack afterwards."

They liked the story. One of the kids asked when I was going to see Spot next.

"I probably won't," I said. "She isn't wearing a tracking collar anymore, and she has a big range, so finding her would be tricky. I told her goodbye when Elisabeth let her up."

We sat down, receiving our applause. Lara kissed my cheek and asked for another story. We heard a few more stories before she stood up again.

"We had some real fun today, didn't we?" They all agreed with her. "Our little fox was pretty amazing, wasn't she?" They all thought I was. "Did you all enjoy watching me chasing after her futilely, crashing into the some of you, the cars, and even the steps once?" They did.

"Well, remember to thank her then. Enjoy the bonfire."

After that, I stared into the fire. Elisabeth wandered away and came back with a beer. I stole it from her and drank it. She gave me a hard time but then fetched another beer. I got sleepy and told her I was going to bed.

By morning, I had mostly shaken off my doldrums. I was fox, after all, and most of the time, I was okay with that. But I decided I needed to return to Bayfield and my old life. The excitement was over, and now things could be normal again.

Convincing Lara of that was to be a trick.

For one thing, she left early in the morning. She had business in Madison. Elisabeth was gone, too, and I didn't think it was fair to talk about it to anyone else. I found myself with nothing to do. I wasn't used to that.

Lara's business, it turned out, was backed up badly. She didn't get home until late. She came to bed and cuddled me, moaning a little. "Long day," she complained. "And I have more tomorrow." She didn't ask me about my day.

We held each other for a while. She started to drift off when I asked her, "Who do I talk to for a ride home? Or do you want me to get a bus?"

She opened her eyes and looked at me, puzzled. "Are you in a hurry to leave?"

"I am fully recovered and I have a job to get back to."

"It'll wait a few more days. We can talk about it this weekend."

"Don't worry about it I guess, Alpha."

She fell asleep moments later, and I lay there awake.

She left early again on Thursday, taking Elisabeth with her. I was very frustrated. I had given Gia her phone back, I hadn't had a chance to replace my own. I didn't have a car, either, and didn't know what I could afford. I needed to get home and start getting everything handled.

No one was in the house. When I stepped outside, I didn't find anyone, either. I didn't know where anyone lived, and I was becoming frustrated. I remembered the other building was referred to the barracks. I headed over there and stepped inside. I didn't see anyone, but I said, "Hello? Anyone here?"

Jason appeared. "Hey. I need a ride to the bus depot in Madison. Who do I have to talk to?"

"The alpha."

"She doesn't seem to want to talk about it. Is there anyone else?"

"The alpha."

"Thank you for being so helpful, Jason. I guess I'll hitchhike back to Bayfield."

I turned my back on him and stormed out of the barracks.

It took him a few seconds to think about it, but then he exited the barracks behind me and ran to catch up to me. He grabbed my arm and tried to turn me to face him.

"Michaela, you can't hitch to Bayfield."

"Sure I can. I just stand alongside the road, flash some leg, and stick out my thumb. No worries."

I turned around and began walking. He grabbed my arm again, tugging on it.

"You can't, Michaela!"

"What is this word 'can't' that people try to use around me?" I asked. "Watch me."

"What I mean is, if the alpha gets back, and you are not here, anyone who helped you leave is going to be in serious trouble."

"Well, as I am walking, then I'm the one in trouble. I don't think it will bother me."

"If the alpha asks where you are, then I will have to say, She hitchhiked home. And then the alpha will ask me why I didn't stop you. And after that she will fry my liver for dinner."

"Where is the part where you ask her how well it's gone for her trying to stop me from doing what I intend to do?"

"You know how angry she'll be, Michaela. Do you think she'll listen to reason?"

"All right, Jason. You're right. You talked me out of it. Go back inside."

He sighed and pulled his phone from his pocket. He typed in a text to Lara, showing it to me. "Fox threatening to hitchhike Bayfield. Orders?"

"Tattle-tale," I complained childishly.

"Will you at least wait for a reply?" he asked me.

I sighed. "I'm sorry. I'm in a pissy mood. I'm ready for my life to be my own again and not have to 'ask alpha' if I can breathe."

Jason's phone buzzed. He read the text and showed it to me. "Tell her we'll discuss it this weekend."

"May I have the phone, Jason?"

"If you promise to take responsibility for what you send back."

"Of course." He handed me the phone, and I replied, "Fox typing now. See previous question." I hit send then showed it to him.

We waited for another reply, which didn't improve my mood. I was about ready to hand Jason's phone back to him and begin walking when the phone rang. I handed it to him.

"Yes, Alpha," he said answering it.

"Put her on please, Jason," she told him. He handed me the phone.

"Lara," I said in greeting.

She took a breath. "I don't have time for this right now, Michaela. Can we please talk this weekend?"

"Alpha," I replied. "I know your job is important, and that mine is not, and that your life is important, and mine is not. I understand how unreasonable it is for me to ask you to spend fifteen seconds asking Jason to drive me to the bus station and loaning me enough cash to get home. I am perfectly fine hitchhiking. I'm sorry to have taken your valuable time."

Jason took a deep breath of air listening to the way I was addressing the alpha, but she rolled with it. "Michaela, the pack owes you a car. I wanted to take you out to buy one on Saturday."

"The pack doesn't owe me a car, but even if it did, why couldn't we talk about it last night?"

"I don't have time to convince you right now. Which is why I want to talk about it this weekend. I didn't talk about it last night because yesterday I told Elisabeth I'd give you David's old car, but she pointed out you may not appreciate it. Then I said I'd have someone buy you a new car and deliver it today, and she started to tell me what a bad idea that was, but then we got interrupted and couldn't finish the conversation. We finished it today. I am out of time. Give the phone back to Jason, please."

Silently I held it to him then listened to the conversation. "Ask her to stay. If she won't, offer to drive her or loan her a car. Make sure she has enough cash to last a few days." And then she hung up.

He turned to me and opened his mouth. "I heard her. What am I supposed to do for two days?"

"Before the kids were kidnapped, weren't you nearby doing your job? And when they stole your car, you lost everything?"

I smiled, then frowned. "I need supplies I don't have."

"For taking water samples?" I nodded. "We have a school here. It's small, but they teach biology and chemistry. And maybe you should talk to Francesca. This sounds like an amazing field trip, if you think teaching a bunch of wolves about your job would be fun."

"It's a boring job, Jason. I love it only because it offers an amazing amount of freedom and the opportunity to be outside most of the time."

"I think we should go to the school and see."

I pulled the phone out of his hand. "Offering Francesca kid field trip re: Fish and Wildlife. Fox." Ten minutes later while we were talking to Francesca, Jason showed me the reply. "Thank you."

Jason led me into the school building then we roamed until we found Francesca with a small collection of students in one of the classrooms. We stood outside the door and watched; she was teaching a math class. The kids in front were paying attention to the class; the kids in back were working on some assignment. She saw us and interrupted the lecture to stop outside.

"Problem?"

Jason explained what was going on. Francesca smiled. "Oh wow. Yes, that would be great. Let's see what the kids think. If not, I'll have the older kids help the younger kids while we find supplies for you from the biology supply room."

We stepped back into the classroom. "Kids, you all know Ms. Redfur. What you don't know is that she works for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Department. Ms. Redfur was about to go out into the field for her job, and she thought perhaps you might like to join her. What do you think?"

Stupid question. Sit in class or go out into the field? The response was overwhelming.

Francesca let them buzz with each other for a minute before she told them all to calm down, and the discipline was amazing. They immediately settled back down with no fuss. "Now, this isn't just a picnic. This is part of your education. You will need to listen to Ms. Redfur while she teaches you what she does, and then we'll all help her with her job. Ms. Redfur, would you explain what we're doing today?"

I wasn't a teacher. But I explained about the types of samples. Francesca then said, "If you can explain to them what you do with these samples, I can collect equipment. Jason, you can arrange transportation and food for lunch and afternoon snack."

She left me with the kids. I stared at them, and they waited expectantly. There were only eight kids, and I already knew Angel, Derek, Alan and Jeremy. There was one more teenager, then there was an age gap with the last three kids being between seven and ten. "All right. Before we talk about that, I think I want to know who all of you are. I already know some of you."

The other teenager was a girl named Scarlett. One of the little boys, Thomas, was her little brother. Jeremy and Alan had a little sister named Kaylee. The last boy, the youngest in the room, was Luke.

After that I told them what we were doing and tried to explain why.

Kaylee raised her hand. "Yes, Kaylee?"

"Do you carry a gun? Cops have guns."

"I have a dart gun," I said. I explained about tranquilizing animals so we could check how healthy they were.

The kids wanted to see the dart gun. I had to disappoint them. Derek asked if I wished I had a dart gun to shoot the alpha on Tuesday.

That filled the room with laughter. "It never occurred to me, Derek, but you can bet it will in the future."

They peppered me with questions for quite some time, and I didn't realize that Francesca had returned until she said, "All right, everyone run home and get proper shoes and clothing for a day in the field, then we'll all meet in the courtyard. Don't dilly dally. Go."

"You're good with them," she said once the room had emptied. "Here, this is what we have." She opened a cardboard box filled with stoppered vials and other supplies.

"Perfect," I said. "Do we have labels for marking them?"

"Yes, and pens, paper, clip boards." She showed me. She knew what she was doing.

"You are good at this."

"I should be. My college degree was in biology."

Twenty minutes later we had collected one more adult and were all piled into three SUVs.

It all took a lot longer than if I had gone alone. But the kids were sponges for the information I would give them, and I had no end of assistants begging to help take samples. The afternoon flew.

As we were climbing back into the cars for the ride back to the compound, Francesca said, "You have more to do. Were you going to do it tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Will you let us come? They're learning a lot about fieldwork. We have professionals in the pack who help teach classes in their fields, but we don't have anyone with a job like yours."

"I'd love to have company tomorrow," I told her.

She smiled. "I took extra samples at the polluted pond."

"I saw. Why?"

"Maybe in the morning you could come to the school and show us what you do. We have basic equipment. Is that enough?"

"Trying to turn me into a teacher?"

"I'm trying to take advantage of a unique opportunity."

"I'd love to show you. Francesca, thank you."

 **Wolf Games**

Lara arrived home late on Thursday. She climbed into bed with me and asked, "Are we okay?"

"Are you mad at me?"

"No."

I rolled over in her arms and kissed me. "There's something we haven't done."

"There are a lot of things we haven't done."

"There is something we haven't done that we could do right now without leaving this bed. If you aren't too tired."

She smiled and pulled me into a more passionate kiss than our last one, her tongue flicking against my lips. I moaned and parted my lips, and her tongue slipped inside. She had a very clever tongue.

"Was this what you had in mind, little fox?"

"Not exactly," I said. "What I had in mind involved me touching you in more places."

"Like this?" she asked, rubbing her hand over my chest. I was wearing one of her tee shirts, and she fondled my small breast through the cloth.

I accepted the attention for a moment, and she kissed a line of kisses up my neck and ear.

"That's nice," I said. "But what I was thinking of involved you lying on your back." I opened my eyes and pushed, trying to roll her over onto her back. She didn't budge. She smiled at me.

"I don't know," she said. "I sort of like this." Then her hand slipped under the tee shirt, and she began caressing my skin directly.

"I like this, too," I told her. "But I really think you'll like what I was thinking about."

"I really think you'll like what I'm thinking about," she replied.

I squirmed under her touch, and felt my nipples growing firm as her thumb rolled over one, then the other. In spite of sharing a bed, we hadn't done more than cuddling and kissing with some casual touching. This wasn't casual.

"Lara, I really want to be on top for this," I told her.

"Oh honey, you know by now that's not how this relationship is going to work."

"Alpha," I said. "Don't get heavy handed with me."

She bent down and kissed me. "I'm not. I'm pretty sure you think my hand is just perfect right now."

I squirmed and gasped as she pinched a nipple, just perfectly.

"See?" she said.

"Lara," I said. "I wasn't thinking about sex."

Her hand stilled and pulled out from my shirt. "What were you thinking of then?"

"I was going to start a tickle fight."

She laughed. "Seriously?"

"If you start one, it would be you being a bully. If I start one, that's different."

She lay back down, pulling me into her arms. "You understand any competition like that between us would be very one sided. It's not in my nature to do anything short of playing for keeps. I'm sorry. Wouldn't you get angry?"

"If you carry it too far, I would," I said. "But you wouldn't."

"Honey," she said. "If you started a tickle fight, I'd probably make you offer your throat before I stopped. I don't know if I'm even capable of taking less than total submission from you, once I get worked up."

"I'll make a deal with you, Alpha."

"Listening."

"Submission in the bedroom does not imply submission in the rest of my life. You will not take away from me control over my own choices."

"That will be difficult for me," she admitted.

"If I'm not worth the effort, then you're not very serious about making this work for both of us."

"All right, little fox. But you must agree to be patient with me."

"Agreed. So, ready for me to start that tickle fight?"

She laughed, then slid her hands down my arms and clasped my wrists. "We could just go straight to the final conclusion." She shifted her weight, pinning my arms to the bed by my sides, and moved a leg on top of me.

"We could," I said. "But if I don't get at least a little fun my way, first, I probably won't be able to enjoy it when you have yours."

She laughed and released my wrists. When I pushed her onto her back, she let me. I climbed on top of her and took her wrists. She very complacently allowed me to move her hands above her head. Then I lay myself along her body, my head just under her chin.

"This doesn't feel like a tickle fight, Michaela," she said. "You smell nice."

I moved my hands from her wrists to her strong shoulders. "Will you leave your hands there for me for just a minute?"

"Maybe not a whole minute."

"I don't need a whole minute." I kissed the underside of her jaw. "Lara, please don't jump this to sex tonight. I still want to be courted. All right?"

"All right."

"So, I'm about to surprise you. Are you ready?"

"I don't think it's a surprise if you tell me you're about to tickle me, Michaela."

My head was still under her chin and my hands on her shoulders. I dug my hands in and shifted. Once shifted, I lay on her chest, my furry belly pressed against her, my forepaws still on her shoulders, and my muzzle right over her throat. I opened my jaws and quickly pressed them against her neck.

She reacted instantly. She growled, grabbed my scruff, and pulled me off her. Immediately I found myself on my back, my feet in the air. I was expecting it and lifted my chin, offering my throat to her. She didn't wait, diving her head down to my throat and opening her mouth wide.

I waited two seconds while pinned on my back before I whimpered. Lara lifted her mouth from my neck then kissed me.

"You are a very sneaky fox," she said, laughing.

I shifted back to human and lifted my chin. She kissed my throat, and I wrapped my arms around her. "Now I've had my teeth on not only Elisabeth's throat, but yours too."

Giggling, we cuddled in and slept.

In the morning I went downstairs with her. While she and Elisabeth were eating their breakfast I stepped over to Lara and interrupted, making a point of looking at her throat critically.

"What are you doing?" she asked me.

"My fox teeth are pretty sharp. I wanted to see if I'd left any marks."

Elisabeth howled with laughter.

Lara gracefully pulled me onto her lap and kissed me. Then with Elisabeth watching, I lifted my chin and accepted a kiss on my throat. When I looked over at her, Elisabeth was smiling at us.

"Do I get the entire story?" she asked. "I know she didn't submit to you."

"She obediently lay on her back when I told her to and then let me lower my head to her throat."

Lara laughed. "There are some important details missing in that version of the story, I think."

"I imagine there are," Elisabeth said. "Now we've both had that little fox's teeth on our necks, sister."

"She is far too clever for her own good," Lara admitted. "That's one of the things I love most about her." She kissed me again while I clung to her. "I need to go, Michaela. I will send a car for you for dinner. Dress nice."

"That will be difficult," I said. "As I don't have any clothes here beyond the ones Gia bought me. Furthermore, you suck at courting."

"I do not suck at courting!"

"You ordered me to dinner. I am pretty sure courting involves invitations, not orders."

Elisabeth laughed. "You are so screwed, sister. Are you sure you want this one? She's a lot of work."

"I think she's worth it," Lara said. That felt really nice, and I pressed myself against her more tightly, burying my face against her neck. "If I feel your teeth, little fox, you will be on your back in the courtyard with the entire pack watching and my teeth on your neck."

"Just holding," I said. "I would love to go to dinner with you, but it has to be casual."

"We'll talk about the car tonight. And other things."

"You don't owe me a car."

"We do. We'll discuss it tonight. Why didn't you call me yesterday instead of storming off?"

"No phone. I haven't replaced mine yet because I've been confined to the compound. No cash, no credit cards, no ID, no purse. I need to get to Bayfield so I can start fixing that. They know me at the bank, and I can start there. I wanted to do all that today so I was ready to go back to work on Monday."

"All right. Dinner tonight. Car shopping tomorrow. I hope you will stay overnight tomorrow night. It's pack play night. You can drive your new car to Bayfield on Sunday."

"All right," I said. "But only because you asked nicely."

I spent the day with Francesca, Jason and the kids. We started in the biology lab, and I taught them about pollution and studying the effects. I kept the lecture short, then together we tested the water. I showed them one sample that was full of bacteria, and Angel asked, "Why do we care about bacteria. It's not a threat to weres."

"Maybe true," I said. "But I work for the human government. And the humans care."

Scarlett raised her hand. "Ms. Redfur, I care about the bacteria. My Dad is human, and I wouldn't want him to get sick."

I didn't know that was possible. So I asked, "Who here has a human family member or friend?" I raised my hand. Several hands went up. "So we care because we have friends and families we care about. But even when we don't know anyone personally who might be affected, we should still care."

"Why?" Asked Derek.

"Because we all want the world to be a better place. And pollution makes the world a worse place."

I think they understood that.

Finally, though, we got out to the field. They already understood what we were doing, so I ended up with a lot of little helpers, and I sent them collecting more data and samples than I would normally get. I didn't know that I would use all of it, but it was good practice for them.

Francesca said, while we were watching the kids scurry to do my bidding, "We should check everything immediately around the compound, too. It's our home, and it would be great experience for the kids to monitor the standards over time. Would you talk to the alpha about setting up a formal program?"

"I'll bring it up over dinner."

The kids turned out to be real help, and we finished much faster than we'd been on Thursday. Angel and Scarlett had been especially helpful with all the other kids, and I appreciated what they did.

As we were wrapping up and getting everyone into the cars to head back to the compound, Angel asked if she could talk to Francesca and me for a minute. "Mom," she said. "You know I like the sciences."

Francesca smiled proudly at her daughter.

"I bet I could keep up with my other work for school even if I didn't attend classes."

Francesca's smile evaporated instantly.

"Wait!" she said. "Hear me out, Mom." Then she turned to me. "I want to be your assistant." She turned back to her mother. "I'll do all my homework and take all the tests."

"Angel," I said gently. "I live in Bayfield. That's a long way from here. I couldn't come get you every day. I couldn't come get you very often at all, because I don't come down this far very often at all."

"I could," she said hesitatingly, "Maybe live with you."

I glanced at Francesca, judging her body language. She wasn't rejecting the idea.

"Maybe not all the time. Maybe part time. One week in Bayfield, one week back here. Mom, you could buy me a car. I have my license. I could drive back and forth myself. Or maybe the alpha would let me go with her when she goes up."

"The alpha is not your taxi driver, Angel," Francesca said sternly. "We will not be asking her to provide transportation for you."

Angel turned back to me. "I am sixteen. I will do whatever you tell me, even when I don't like it. I'll do all the gross jobs you don't want to do as long as you promise to teach me everything you can. And take me kayaking."

I laughed at that.

Francesca said, "Angel, I think we could talk about this, but we're not at all sure Ms. Redfur wants an assistant."

They both turned to me.

I thought about the issues. I actually kind of liked the idea. I liked Angel, and her excitement was infectious. "I don't have any money to pay an assistant, Angel."

"I wasn't expecting you to pay me," she said. "It would be like one of those, you know, unpaid internship things."

"I have a great deal of leeway when I am in the field," I explained. "But I spend one to two days in the office. I would need to talk to my boss about that."

"We could not do this without the alpha's approval," Francesca said. "But if she were to approve, she can probably pull some strings to make sure there is no problem from your boss, Michaela."

I thought about the difficulties in having a teenage wolf living in my house.

"I have deep misgivings about a teenage driver driving six hours each way, especially with winter coming." I looked at Francesca. "That's my biggest concern. I would be responsible for deciding whether it was safe for her to drive home, and I am not sure I'm qualified to judge for her when the weather is less than perfect."

"Actually," said Francesca. "Angel is an excellent driver and has a good head on her shoulders. I would trust her to use her own judgment. If the roads are unsafe, she knows not to drive on them. If she drives into bad conditions, it would be her mistake, not yours. Remember, she is a wolf. It is very difficult to kill one of us in a car accident. She is not as delicate as a fox, Michaela."

"I have two other concerns," I said. "Teenagers are messy. My house is small."

"I'm not," Angel said. "I am a total neat nick. You can see my room at home. And I keep it like that because it is important to me, not because Mom makes me. In fact, I'll probably drive you crazy, because I'll probably clean the entire house."

"And that is a problem, why?" I asked, smiling.

"You might get upset when I steal the plates off the table before you finish eating. Gia hates it when I do that. But I can help around the house and run errands and stuff."

"If we do this," Francesca said. "You will also do the grocery shopping. Using the credit card I give you." Francesca looked at me. "I don't believe you want the responsibility of paying the grocery budget for a teenage wolf."

I laughed. She was right.

"All right," I said. "My last concern is, what if it doesn't work out? I am used to living alone. What if it bugs me having someone in the house all the time? I am used to things being very quiet. Maybe you're loud, or maybe want to talk when I don't."

"Then we'll address those issues like adults, and if we can't make it work, then at least we tried, and I'll still have learned something in the meantime."

"But you will hate me if I send you home."

"Not if you treat me like an adult," she said. "At least we'll have tried it. Even if we only do it a few weeks. I bet you have a backlog of work because you've been gone."

I looked at Francesca. "She's good."

"She is. What do you think?"

I looked at Angel. "If your mother approves, and the alpha approves, and my boss approves, then I am willing to give it a trial go."

"Yes!" Angel said, jumping into the air and pumping her fist. "Mom, say yes. Say yes. Say yes!"

"Yes," said Francesca. Angel went nuts with glee, garnering significant attention from the other kids.

"I'll talk to the alpha at dinner," I said. "And my boss on, I suppose, Tuesday."

"She'll have a credit card," Francesca said. "She will pay all her own expenses with it and buy groceries for both of you. She is very responsible, and if she wants something that I may not approve, she will call me. It is not your responsibility to police her."

"What about, um. Social opportunities?" I asked.

"She can socialize with her pack," Francesca said. "Is that a problem, Angel?"

"No, Mom."

And, just like that, I had a minion. I liked the idea.

Even though I was dressed casually, Jason drove me to dinner that night in the limousine. I thought it was silly, but I was touched when I climbed into the back and there were flowers waiting for me. I cradled them during the drive. We kept the divider open and talked during the drive.

Dinner was at another pack restaurant, a casual barbeque place. Lara was waiting on the sidewalk when we drove up. She offered a quick kiss on the sidewalk and drew me inside. We took a place in the corner, and she let me have my back to the wall again.

"Does it bother you having your back to the room?" I asked.

"Not particularly. You're doing so much better around the wolves, but I know we still make you nervous."

"I am getting better. I barely hesitated when we stepped in." I glanced down at the menus sitting between us. "Do you like ordering for me?"

"I love it. May I?" I nodded.

I decided right then that I enjoyed letting her take care of me, as long as it was on my terms. I told her that and she laughed. "I like it, too. Even when it's on your terms."

I asked about her day. "I am caught up," she said. "All emergencies averted. May I come to Bayfield with you on Sunday and spend a few days?"

"No. But you may ask again after I have had a few days of down time. It's all been very intense and I need to let it all settle, like digesting a heavy meal."

"So a heavy meal for you is three chicken wings instead of two?"

"Exactly."

We smiled at each other, and I set my hand on the table, waiting for her to take it. She did, and that felt nice.

"We have things to talk about," she said.

"We do. I have two that you probably don't know about."

Her face clouded. "Did I do something else wrong?"

"No, I think you'll like these. They are for the alpha. Let's do the personal stuff first."

"All right. Car. You lost yours due to pack business. Do we need to argue that?"

"No. There are fine points, but no."

"You can't report it for insurance. Please don't ask."

"All right."

"Pack policy is that we ensure our members. We do not allow anyone to take a loss of this nature without reimbursement. Will you accept that the pack must reimburse you for the loss of your car?"

"I'm losing this argument. I don't like losing arguments, Lara."

"It's not an argument. It's an explanation."

I nodded acquiescence.

"Now, you could argue that your car was getting on in years, and that the most we owe you is replacement cost. I am going to suggest that the pack owes you a whole lot more than a car due to what you did for us and what you went personally through to do it. So I am going to propose that you allow us to buy you a new, proper car, suitable for your needs, as well as some future favors as yet undetermined."

"That was vague."

"I may want to upgrade your house. Finish the basement. Put in an apartment over the garage. Add a security system."

"If I tell you no?"

"It's your house. We will discuss it."

"Does discuss mean ram it down my throat?"

"No. I will explain what I want and why. You will not say no because you are refusing the expense. If you say no, it's because you don't want whatever it is I want. Maybe you don't want the basement finished. Maybe you hate security systems."

I thought about it. "As long as you aren't going to just start doing stuff to my house."

"Whenever we come to visit, if there are things that are broken, I am going to ask someone to fix them."

"I can take care of my own house."

"I know you can, but it gives the guys something to do and it makes me feel good."

I laughed. "All right. But it's my house."

"Your house. What kind of car are we buying tomorrow?"

"I hate saying this. An SUV."

"I thought so, but why do you hate it?"

"The crappy mileage. But my job requires me to be able to go off road. I need something that can haul my kayak and I sometimes have to haul a small boat trailer."

"So a small SUV with a rack for a kayak-"

"Two kayaks."

"And a trailer hitch. Best mileage, but good off road performance is important."

"I don't go hill climbing or intentionally looking for mud, but I hate getting stuck."

"Any other features?"

"I hate ABS brakes." She laughed. "I don't care about style, but not white. And I don't want something you're going to freak out if I scratch it up. Because I will. It's a working vehicle, not a show vehicle."

Lara smiled. "I thought this was going to be a fight."

"I have to keep you guessing."

"We have several pack members who are auto dealers. Do you mind if we use them?" I shook my head. "All right. What did you have for me?"

I told her first about Francesca's desire to monitor the environment in and around the compound. "That is a good idea. Will you submit a budget to me?"

"You mean tell Francesca you liked the idea and tell her you asked for a budget?"

She laughed. "Will you please run the program, Michaela?" She smiled. "It would be your tithe to the pack."

I stared at her, not believing she suggested I owed tithe to the pack. Finally I said, "I am not yet acknowledging that I owe tithe to the pack. I will prepare a proposal. If it is accepted, we will discuss tithe at that time."

"Agreed."

Then I relayed the conversation regarding Angel.

"Wow," she said. "I didn't see that coming. As alpha, I deeply approve. As your friend, I have to ask, are you sure?"

"No," I said, and we laughed together. "Is she a good kid?"

"The best."

"Do I have to watch her?"

"No. She will need guidance for good judgment like anyone her age, but when she knows the right thing, she will do it. When she doesn't know the right thing, she will ask for guidance or do the best she can. You can trust her."

"Then I'm willing to try it. But Lara, this makes me concerned. I don't like the implications that the alpha is involved in decisions like this over pack members' private lives, especially when combined with your attempt to get me to agree I owe tithe. I don't like the implications at all."

She laughed. "Francesca gave me the option to veto this idea in case it was going to interfere with my efforts to get into your bed. If we didn't have a budding romantic relationship, it wouldn't have been any of my business. It is customary to inform the alpha about these things, but not seek permission."

"And you don't think it's going to interfere, hmm?"

"I am alpha. If I tell Angel to cover her ears, she will cover her ears."

I stared at her. "Oh my god, I can't believe you said that."

"Are you a screamer, little fox?"

"No."

"I bet I can make you scream."

"Keep talking like that and you won't find out."

She leaned forward, her gaze smoldering.

"Lara, are you going to expect me to start asking permission for everything I want to do?"

"No. I am going to expect you to discuss them with me, because they also affect me. I am going to expect you to allow me to take care of you. I am going to expect you to continue to be a pain in the ass about your personal safety, but I also expect you to keep the promise you made. Even though I cheated."

I stared at her. "Cheated?"

"Twice."

"Did anyone help you?"

"Elisabeth, indirectly. She helped me talk you into it. That was the first cheat. The second one you know, making the first part last a whole lot longer than we agreed."

"You found me without anything I could consider cheating?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me about Elisabeth's help."

"If the wager hadn't been so important, I would have let Elisabeth teach you a little humility instead of trying to do it myself."

"So what she said was a lie?"

"No. Anyone else would have been hampered to not hurt you. Elisabeth has enough control she wouldn't accidentally kill you, but she wouldn't hold back out of fear of hurting you, not with a wager of that size. She would try not to hurt you, but she would play to win."

"You didn't think she could win?"

"If you let her shift first, yes. But she doesn't shift instantly. And there was a chance you'd last long enough to do exactly what you did, and she wouldn't have found you."

"I thought you would make me fight Jason or Rory."

"I know you did. You would have won easily, so easily it might have been embarrassing to him."

"I don't know if I would have made the wager thinking I'd fight Elisabeth, but I know I wouldn't have if I had known it would be you."

"I know. Did you have fun? It seemed like you were having fun, but then you turned sullen."

"I was fine until I realized the symbolic meaning. Then I realized it was my life that we were playing over. Fox hunt. That was sobering and stole every bit of fun."

"I'm sorry. I didn't even consider that until you said it."

"It was my idea," I said. "And I made the wager too big you couldn't let me win, even if it were your nature to do so. Which I know it isn't. It's not my nature to let you win, either."

"When young wolves tussle and fight, is it for real?"

"No, it's mock," I said. "They aren't trying to really hurt each other."

"But it still serves a real purpose, doesn't it?"

"I suppose it teaches the skills they would need in a real fight."

"So because they agree it's not to the death, it's fun for them."

I stared at her. She was as sneaky as a fox.

"You had a fun time. If it weren't for the wager and the symbolism, would losing have bothered you as badly as it did?"

"No."

"Even if I made you offer your throat in front of the entire pack?"

"I've done it before." I considered where she was going with this. "You want to do it again."

She smiled. "Yes. And again and again until you consistently win."

"My winning depends on you not knowing my tricks. The more you know my tricks, the worse I am going to be. I can't run any faster than I do. I can't hide my scent any better than I do. I can't lay a false trail any faster than I do. You will get better and better at catching me, but I won't get better at evading you."

"I like catching you," she said. "I had a blast chasing you, even when I wasn't catching you."

"So I am just smart prey."

"No. You are the fox I love. The thought of you offering your throat is intoxicating. The thought of what you make me go through before you offer it is equally intoxicating."

"We'll see."

"One rule. If I tree you in the future, you will come down and surrender."

"All right. And if you ever pick the wrong tree, and I come down another tree, then you offer your throat. I win."

"You win, but not my throat."

"This rule doesn't apply to situations where I can escape."

"Like what?"

"A tree next to a building when I can jump to the roof. For instance."

"No dangerous jumps."

"Who decides what is dangerous?"

"You do, but you are honest about it. No stupid risks to win what is a game. Save the stupid risks for when it's real. With us, it's not real, even if we wager about it."

"All right." I sighed. "I will never do better than I did on Tuesday, unless I get remarkably lucky. You've seen all my tricks."

"Honey, I don't have a clue of half the things you do so I would lose your track. I just know how to find it again. I know you went through small spaces, and sometimes you came right back out the other side, sometimes you didn't. And then I circled around until I found your scent again."

"You track by scent?"

"Or sight, of course."

"Sound?"

"Yes, but you're so quiet. I don't believe I've ever heard you when I couldn't smell you, unless you were purposely making noise."

"You heard me splashing in a couple of streams."

"No."

I smiled. I move more slowly than I could often because I am concerned about making noise, but if I can make more noise safely, perhaps I can be faster.

It was time to change the subject. "What are we doing after dinner?"

"An age old tradition," she said. "We're going shopping!"

"Shopping?" I said, a look of uncertainty on my face.

"Shopping."

And so we did.

On Saturday, Lara bought me a nice little SUV. We got it outfitted exactly the way I wanted, even including a rack for two kayaks. It was my first brand new car, and I loved it. I felt marginally guilty, as I didn't think replacing my eight-year-old SUV with a brand new one was really right, but Lara told me to suck it up. It was helping her politically. My uncertain status in the pack was a complication.

"Why?"

"To the victor go the spoils," she said. "You are owed a portion of the spoils from David and Natalie, a fairly significant portion."

"You beat David on your own, and Natalie clubbed me senseless."

"I beat David only because you found the truth, and you slowed Natalie down enough that Elisabeth was able to kill her cleanly. You could argue for your share, but it is easier for me if you don't. The pack feels honor is handled without your uncertain status being a complication."

"Thank you for the car, Alpha," I told her. She hugged me and laughed.

Pack game night, it turned out, didn't include the entire pack. That would be hundreds of wolves. Instead it included the ones who lived at the compound plus a few others who stopped by.

Janice was there.

"Pack game night is our night to play," Lara told me. "We include the kids and play games they can enjoy. We let out our inner child."

Dinner was first, then everyone gathered in the courtyard. There were several piles of blankets on the porch; I didn't know what they were for. "What's the game tonight, Alpha?" asked Rory.

"One we haven't played in a while," Lara said. "Hide and seek."

My sister and I used to play hide and seek. The rules were simple. The game appeared to be popular, based on the smiles. The kids looked excited, but the adults seemed to be looking forward to it as well.

"For those who don't know," Lara said, looking straight at me. "We play within a defined territory. Tonight, that means no crossing roads. Half hour games or until everyone is caught except one. You get five minutes to hide and then you have to settle down. This isn't a game of chase. This is hide and seek, not run and seek. The referee howls when it's time to hide and howls again when the game is over. Even a human would hear the howl within the agreed territory. Once you are caught, you help catch other people. It is considered bad form to follow someone else while hiding."

"Do you keep score?" I asked.

"Yes. We'll play as many games as we can. Anyone who is not found the most times is the winner. After that, it's based on how many people you personally find."

"Does it ever go that someone isn't found?"

"Yes, most games end with a few still hiding, but sometimes we find everyone, sometimes even the last hiding person before we realize we were down to only one."

"So if you're caught, it is to your advantage to find as many other people as you can, because if they aren't found, they move ahead of you, and if you find them, you get a point."

"Right."

"Any forms of hiding that are illegal?"

"Stay out and off of the buildings and out of the trees."

"Does someone have to tag you to be considered caught?"

"Yes. That means, little fox, that it would be poor form to hide somewhere wolves can see you but not touch you."

"Darn it," I said. "There's a lovely culvert that's too small for the rest of you."

That earned me some laughter.

"Any more questions?" Lara asked. There weren't any. "All right, to start, I will be it. Who wants to be my partner?"

"I will," Gia offered immediately.

"And referee for the first game?"

"I can," said Serena, the mother of the two boys I had helped rescue.

"All right, everyone under the age of fourteen who wants to get a head start shifting, you may start now."

Janice stepped up to my side. "The first game will be chaotic. Not everyone can shift in five minutes, and only you and Lara are able to shift instantly. The little ones can take up to twenty minutes, and even some of the adults shift slowly. This one rarely goes the entire thirty minutes."

"So the five minute timer is going to start with everyone on two feet?"

"Just the first game."

"So I'll be the first to the woods."

"Yes."

"And you?"

Janice smiled. "I'll be second or third."

"No one will follow me?"

"It would be bad form, but I wouldn't put it past the alpha to have told someone to shadow you."

"If she told you that, would you admit it if I asked you?"

She laughed. "No."

"Thank you for the warning."

"You are welcome."

Serena was watching a timer. "Thirty seconds," she yelled.

"The referee is always someone who shifts quickly so she can be able to play the next game," Janice said.

"Ten seconds," said Serena.

"Good luck, little fox. There is a prize to the winner."

"Go!" yelled Serena.

All the other wolves immediately began stripping off clothes and lying down to shift. Lara winked at me. I didn't bother stripping. I ran towards the corner of Lara's house, then shifted on a bound, slipping out of my clothes easily. I was in the woods five seconds later.

I listened intently for pursuit but didn't even bother with my dirty tricks until I was sure I was at least a minute into the woods. Then I began using every dirty trick I knew, working my way around towards the east. I ran as fast as I could when not employing tricks, putting as much distance between myself and the rest of the wolves.

I heard a few wolves, well behind me, but didn't hear anyone on my back trail. When I thought I was about out of time, I started looking for a good hiding place. I found an overturned tree with a tangled root system, so I did my normal set of tricks then dropped down into a hole and hunkered down listening.

I heard a howl from the compound. From the sounds of it, a bunch of wolves hadn't finished shifting. I heard six clear barks from the same voice, one after another. Two minutes later from somewhere north of the compound I heard a bark that was clearly Lara's voice. I realized the bark was to identify a catch. I hadn't heard her enter the woods. I decided the first set of barks must have been Gia, tagging people in the compound.

I heard Lara bark twice more, moving away from me, and south of the compound I heard Gia bark once. I realized I should have listened more clearly to the barks; I wasn't counting.

Then I started hearing barks coming from more voices, one every minute or so on average. It wasn't until several minutes later, when at least half the pack must have been found, that I heard the first wolf at all close to me. I heard a chuff about four hundred yards, and I knew a wolf had found my back trail.

The trail he had found was a false trail, and now that I knew where he was, I could track him, weakly at first, then more easily. I could tell when he lost my trail. He wandered in circles trying to pick it back up before giving up and running off in the wrong direction.

I heard a few more barks, including one more from Lara, and then I started hearing more wolves. They weren't moving that quietly. Twice a wolf found one of my false trails and got led off in the wrong direction. Once a wolf found my correct trail but lost it when I had shifted directions under a fallen tree.

Then, quietly, I heard a wolf come from the south, a direction I hadn't even traveled, but from the sound of it, she was going to pass right over my trail.

I knew it when Lara found my main trail. She chuffed loudly, which actually may have saved me. The wolf that was about to find my trail veered off towards Lara's voice. Then Lara moved closer. She lost me twice. Once another voice helped her find my trail again; the other time she did. She had two wolves with her, and they were easily going to find me. Still, I waited.

They lost me at the tree whose roots were hiding me. I listened to intent sniffing. they knew I was close, and they should have been able to find me easily. The two wolves with Lara kept ranging away, trying to pick up my scent, but it kept bringing them back to the big jumble of roots. Rather than finding me, they stepped away, sniffing all over the place.

And then I looked up, and Lara was looking straight into my eyes. She chuffed with glee.

I waited for her. She had to tag me, after all.

The other two wolves tried to find a way through the roots on the ground. I tucked my tail in tightly, and they couldn't reach me. Lara stood over me, staring down at me, then she joined the other two, trying to tag me. They spent several minutes at it, but they couldn't reach me.

Lara jumped back up where she could see me and shifted.

"No cheating, little fox. Come on out."

I stared up at her. It wasn't this difficult. She shouldn't accuse me of cheating. I would have shifted and told her that, but the space was way too small for me to shift. All she had to do was use her nose to find my route in and she would have me.

"Come on, Michaela. We found you. Climb out of there."

I put my head on my chin.

"Seriously?" She looked angry. I yawned at her.

Then there were two barks.

"Come out right now, Michaela!" she ordered.

There was another bark and immediately I heard Serena howl. Game over.

"You and I are going to have words," she said. "Game over, get out of there." She addressed the other two wolves. "Head back to the compound. We'll be there once I get the little fox out of her hole."

I immediately began whining and yelping like I had been hurt.

"Wait," she told them. As soon as they froze, I stopped whining. Then I chuffed happily and made my way out of my hiding spot, taking a route no one had even tried.

As soon as I was clear, I shifted and said, "Alpha, I will accept your judgment. I may not know the rules properly. Am I obligated to make it easy to find the same path in that I took?" Then I shifted back and climbed back into my spot. Lara shifted and tried to follow me. She wouldn't have been able to hide where I was, but she reached forward and licked my muzzle before backing out. I followed her and then rolled over on the ground and offered my throat.

She bent down and licked my face, chuffed twice, and led the way back to the compound. Seeing us, Serena said, "Gia and Lara on the porch, please. Everyone who was caught, over here." She pointed to the left. "Whoever was the last one left, over there."

I walked to the porch, shifted, and grabbed one of the blankets. "Alpha?"

Lara grabbed a blanket and shifted as well. "The little fox, as you might have guessed, outfoxed me. I could see her, but we couldn't figure out how to get to her. I accused her of cheating. She hadn't cheated. She was just too foxy. You were not caught."

"Who was the last one caught?" I asked.

A wolf stepped out of the crowd who had been caught.

"That's Scarlett," Lara said.

"Alpha, I do not want Scarlett to miss a win on what may be a too foxy trick. I will switch places with her, with your permission."

"Very gracious," said Serena. "Alpha?"

"Point to both Scarlett and Michaela," Lara declared. Scarlett howled once and pranced over to join me, butting her head into my hip and nearly knocking me over.

After that, Serena got tallies from everyone for who caught how many. Gia got the most because of the slow shifters she was able to tag immediately. Lara was next, and then the rest had one or two, if any at all.

"All right, who was caught first?"

A little wolf stepped forward.

"Gia," Lara said sadly. Gia hung her head then stepped forward and licked the little wolf.

"All right, Kaylee needs a partner."

"I will," I said before anyone could speak up.

Lara turned to me. "I would have thought you would want to go hide again."

"Kaylee and I will make a great team."

"Kaylee and Michaela are it. Do we have a volunteer referee?"

An adult wolf stepped forward, and Lara said, "Thank you, Janice." She looked over, and Serena had finished shifting. "I'll start the timer while Janice is shifting. Everyone get ready, go!"

I never saw a pack of wolves run away faster.

I listened intently, trying especially hard to track Lara. She exited to the north but I heard her circle east, putting distance between herself and the other wolves, running quickly. But it turns out, she didn't actually go that far from the compound. I smiled when I heard her settle in.

Janice finished her shift and grabbed a blanket.

"Kaylee," I said. "Do you want to catch the alpha first?"

She chuffed at me.

I turned to Janice. "Can we step onto the grass?"

"Not yet."

"Kaylee, as soon as Janice howls, we're going to go onto the grass together. Then I'm going to point you straight towards the alpha and tell you how far she is. Can you find her?"

She chuffed.

"Good girl." I hugged her quickly.

"Ten seconds," Janice said. There was a pause, and she howled.

"Come on, Kaylee," I said. I stepped into the grass towards the side of Lara's house, Kaylee following me. I cocked my head, then pointed Kaylee's head directly towards Lara's hiding place. "Kaylee, she's two hundred and fifty yards hiding under an evergreen tree. She thinks the smell will throw you off. Can you find her?"

She chuffed and took off running.

"Come back when you find her, Kaylee!" I yelled after her. She chuffed.

I listened to Kaylee searching for Lara, pinpointing the locations of six more wolves that were close and approximate locations on several more.

"Aren't you going to shift and search?" Janice asked.

"Not yet. I take it Gia should have tagged an older child first."

"A couple of adults shift slowly, too," Janice said. "Gia probably forgot. She wouldn't have picked on Kaylee."

I heard when Kaylee found Lara. She barked, and I could tell she was excited. Kaylee raced back here, and I heard Lara begin moving north.

Kaylee ran right to me and I pointed her. "Jason is that way, only ninety yards, but he is in a good hiding place. He might be hard to find. If you can't find him chuff three times and I will come help."

She ran off.

Lara caught one, then Kaylee caught Jason. Jason headed south and Kaylee ran back to me. I pointed her to a new wolf. "I don't know who this is, and it's four hundred yards near a stream."

She chuffed and ran.

"How are you doing that?" Janice asked?

"Fox tricks," I said.

Lara found another one, and I heard a bark from a wolf I didn't recognize.

"That was Angel," Janice said.

"Thanks. Are you allowed to give me time updates?"

"Not normally, but I like what you're doing for Kaylee. Seven minutes elapsed."

Kaylee found someone and barked. She ran back. I pointed her. "In the ditch next to the road, hunkered down really well, but only seventy five yards. It's downwind, Kaylee, you might have to go past and circle back." She ran off.

"Eight minutes," said Janice. "Few wolves would do what you're doing."

"Few can."

"True."

Kaylee found her target, barking once, and ran back. I sent her after one more target.

"Can you call the alpha back without howling" I asked Janice.

"No, but you can. Start yipping, she'll come."

So I did, as loudly as I could, five quick yips. Lara didn't answer, but soon I heard a wolf running at top speed for the compound.

Kaylee couldn't find her target.

"Twelve minutes," said Janice. Lara came racing into the clearing.

"Alpha, please shift." She immediately shifted, still running to me.

"What's wrong?"

"Lara, will you help me get Kaylee the biggest score we can?"

She smiled. "You are too sweet."

"Someone is hiding in my last spot. Help Kaylee get the credit then find me four hundred yards north."

Still wrapped in the blanket, I ran for the wolf Kaylee couldn't find. "Kaylee to me!" I yelled. Lara shifted back to wolf and raced ahead. Kaylee ran to me and I pointed where the hiding wolf was. Kaylee ran forward, tagged and barked.

"Kaylee, stay with the alpha now." She chuffed, and Lara ran off at a pup's pace, Kaylee racing madly after her. I moved another three hundred yards north and began listening.

It was harder now. The wolves were hunkered down, but they weren't used to being as quiet as they needed to hide from me. I found four more. I moved towards the nearest one.

In the distance, I head Kaylee bark. When I could hear Lara heading towards me, I yipped twice to help her find me, then twice more when she got closer.

"Kaylee," I said, pointing her. "Twenty yards."

She ran forward and got the point.

"Lara," I said, pointing. "Fifty yards."

Lara chuffed and took off with Kaylee following her, panting like crazy.

I kept moving forward, pointing out targets, but finally told Lara, "I can't find anymore, they're too far. I'll head west if you head north, I'll tag whoever I find."

She chuffed, and she and Kaylee headed north.

While searching west, I found a pond. I eyed it and smiled, then kept looking. I found a wolf, tagged, and barked, then there was another bark from Lara and Janice howled. Game over. I ran back to the compound, collecting the blanket and shifting so I could carry it wrapped around me.

We had caught everyone. Janice hadn't heard my bark, so the one Lara caught would have won. It was Elisabeth. Lara barked for Kaylee, as Kaylee's voice wouldn't have traveled far enough.

Final score for that game: Kaylee got fourteen, half the available points. She was prancing all over the yard, tickled pink. Lara gave Kaylee the point for finding Elisabeth but Elisabeth the win.

"Who was caught first?" Janice asked. She already knew the answer.

"I was," Lara said. "But I've already been it."

"Second?" Janice asked. Jason stepped forward. "Who wants to partner with Jason?" Elisabeth joined him.

"Two enforcers starting us out," Janice said. "We need a referee. I'll shift."

Emanuel stepped forward to referee. Lara thanked him, glanced at Janice, who was still shifting, and started the clock. "Go!"

I immediately took off south then cut to the ditch along the road. There was a culvert that I ran through, allowing me to run to the north without exposing myself to Elisabeth and Jason. I didn't bother hiding my trail but ran straight to the pond I had seen, cutting across the west corner. I set a false trail away from it then a real one north. I used the fallen tree trick, then used my back trail back to the pond, slipping back into the water and began swimming.

The beauty of the pond: there was a fallen tree with one end in the pond, the other end on shore. There were rushes growing all around it near shore, but a gap between it and the water. I swam to it and slipped underneath it, finally finding a place where I could rest with just my eyes, ears and nose out of the water.

Scent track me, will they?

Emanuel howled, but it was several minutes before I heard the first bark. It was from Jason. I didn't hear Elisabeth right away.

Barks came slowly at first. I heard one from Elisabeth, and I realized she had gone south. Then I heard her racing at full speed along my trail. She got to the pond and began sniffing all around the pond, going the wrong way first, and passing within five yards of where I was hiding in the water. She found both of my trails and took the strongest one. She disappeared to the north. Five minutes later, she was back and immediately took my other trail. After that she began circling my back trails, but she kept coming back to the pond, sniffing like crazy.

Finally she took off to the north, and several minutes later I heard her.

In the distance, I heard a bark from Lara. I wasn't listening for any other barks, so I had no clue how things were going.

Another wolf came backwards along my trail from the north. I couldn't tell who it was. That wolf spent time trying to find me before running off for easier prey.

Then I heard Elisabeth chuffing and Lara answering. They came closer, and the two of them set about trying to find me.

They both kept checking both my trails and all my false leads. At one point Lara ran back down the ditch and checked inside the culvert. I suppose it would have been fair if I'd been just inside the culvert within touching range. She could tell I had run through but should have known I wasn't there. She came back.

When she got back to the pond, Lara jumped up onto the tree I was hiding underneath, causing it to dip precipitously. I stood in the water with my fur against the tree trunk and my nose barely out of the water. She was sniffing like crazy, but she still didn't find me.

The two of them ran north and I heard them circling around my trail, casting a wider and wider net.

Again they returned to the pond. Lara shifted and sat down on the tree. "She is just so damned sneaky," she said to Elisabeth. "I can still smell her here, but it's really faint."

Elisabeth chuffed.

Then Emanuel howled. Game over.

"Let's wait here a minute," Lara said. "We'll see where she comes from, if she's still anywhere near here. I can't believe it, but we should have found her trail again."

The two waited several minutes. I wasn't ready to give up my hiding place, so I waited right there. Emanuel howled again and Lara sighed. She shifted, and the two of them ran off.

I swam out from under the log and exited via my north trail. I ran a short ways away, shaking the water out, shifted, and wrung out my hair, then shifted back to fox. Then I ran south, crossing the pond, passing through the culvert, then coming out the other side and immediately turning into the courtyard. Lara was in skin by the time I arrived.

"The fox won. Again." Said Emmanuel. "Where were you, little fox?"

"I am particularly interested in that answer as well," Lara said. I shifted, and wrapped a blanket around me immediately, trying to hide that I was wet.

"Referee," I said. "Am I obligated to answer that?"

He laughed. "It's not in the rules."

"Little fox," said Lara. "Were you somewhere you shouldn't have been?"

"I did not break any rules I have heard about, except I ran through the culvert. Twice. Without pausing. I only did it so that Jason and Elisabeth wouldn't realize I was north. I saw how Elisabeth looked at me. I am taken to believe I can't hide somewhere small, but I can run through somewhere small."

"Yes, that's fair," Lara said. "It hasn't been an issue in the past. Where were you, little fox?"

"Lara, I will admit this. You passed with ten yards of me."

The entire pack began howling. When they finished I said, "Please tell me what that means, Alpha."

She laughed. "They are congratulating you on your cunning."

We had time for two more games. By now, I imagined it was getting harder and harder for the wolves, as tracks lead across more tracks, confusing all of the tracks. That didn't matter for me, but it might for them. Angel was it and Serena partnered with her. Gia offered to referee, but Lara asked one of the other adults to do it. Gia had already been it after all.

I decided if it had worked once, it would work twice. I took off north, immediately used my tricks, then splashed downstream to my own trail from the last game. I followed my old path to the pond and slipped into the water, barely making it to my hiding place before I realized that Lara and Elisabeth had followed me.

Oh, bad form, alpha, very bad form.

Lara shifted at the edge of the pond. "Damn it, we lost her again. Hell, go hide, we're almost out of time." Elisabeth ran off to the west and hid in the road ditch. Lara looked over the pond and said, "I know you're somewhere, little fox. I'll find you this time." Then she shifted and found a poor hiding place not far from the pond.

A certain pair of wolves were poor losers.

Lara was about the fifth wolf found, only because Angel and Serena went in other directions. It was Jason who found Lara. She immediately shifted and said, "The fox is around here somewhere."

He chuffed and followed my path to the culvert. I don't think he made a serious effort looking for me. It was a losing proposition. Lara shifted and found Elisabeth, and the two began combing the area for me again.

They searched the area intently. At one point, Lara ducked under the tree near shore, but she didn't step out into the water. That was the closest she came to finding me. When Rory howled, Lara shifted and said, "Damn it," to Elisabeth. "Little fox, come out!"

I was up three to at best, two, if someone else was also still hiding. I could volunteer to referee the last game. I chuffed.

"Oh that little shit," Lara said. "Elisabeth, did you hear that?"

She certainly had.

"She's here, somewhere."

I chuffed once more then grew still.

"Arrogant little fox!" Lara said, laughing. She shifted and began searching for me.

They used their noses. I let them search for a while. Then I began slowly easing out of my spot, swimming slowly towards the far shore. When I climbed out of the water, two wolves met me. They both chuffed, and Lara gave me a serious shoulder bump. I shook off, causing them to jump away from me. Lara growled and leapt at me, but I ducked under her and ran for the compound, two wolves in pursuit, nipping at my heels. They could easily have caught me, but they simply chased me into the compound.

Rory said, "You two found the fox?"

I shook off more water and stood in the winner's spot. Rory laughed. "I take it that's a no."

But I was wet and cold, and I didn't want to go back in the pond. I shifted and grabbed a blanket.

"I would like to either referee or be it for the last game," I said. "I've been it once, but I don't howl very well."

Lara shifted and grabbed her own blanket. "No problem. We already thought of that." She passed into the house and came back a few seconds later carrying an aerosol air horn. I saw what she had and laughed.

"Rory, start shifting," I said. Then I asked who had been caught first. It was Scarlett. Janice immediately offered to be it with her.

Rory was a slow shifter. Lara, a blanket around her shoulders, said, "My enforcers should shift faster than this. Referee, please start the timer."

"Ready, set, go!"

Lara whispered into Elisabeth's ear, "Come with me, Sister." She shifted and ran. I tracked their progress and laughed when I heard two wolf sized splashes into my pond.

"Janice," I said. "I suppose the referee shouldn't tell you where the alpha and her sister are."

She huffed at me. Scarlett walked over to me and offered me a pretty good beg. I laughed and checked the clock.

"I suppose even hinting wouldn't be fair," I said. "But I wonder if it's fair to steal my own hiding space from me, the one time I can't go pull them out."

Janice cocked her head and sniffed at me. I smelled like pond water.

"Janice, they were within twenty yards of me after the howl. I chuffed. Twice. And they still couldn't find me. However, it's not as good a spot for a wolf to hide as a fox, and they are two large wolves. I don't know how well they fit. It's up to you whether you want to try to find them."

Rory finally finished his shift. "One minute, Rory. Run fast," I said to his retreating back.

I looked at the air horn. I looked at the clock. "Scarlett, I don't want to blow this when there are sensitive wolf ears this close." In reality, I didn't want to blow it when there were sensitive fox ears, either. "Please howl for me in ten... five... Howl, Scarlett."

Her howl was fabulous, and the two of them took off. Janice made a bee line for the pond. Scarlett ran after Rory and forty seconds later was the first bark. I marked the paper to keep track.

Janice didn't find Elisabeth and Lara and gave up after several minutes. I heard her move off and was disappointed. My only consolation was knowing they were in the foul water, and it was probably more foul to their noses than mine. On the other hand, I wasn't sure I wanted to share a bed with the smelly wolf tonight.

I followed the progress. Hearing the barks was easy. When about twenty wolves were found and there was five minutes left, I heard Janice move back to the pond. There was a splash then I heard two barks from her.

The clock ran down. I stepped into the house, closing the door most of the way with my arm sticking out and hit the air horn.

It was still loud, and my hearing was shot for the next several minutes. I didn't think I could hear much better than a wolf. The wolves all collected and we discovered Angel, Jason and Serena had all remained well-hidden. Final score: fox three, several wolves one each. Kaylee didn't have the most finds, but she had the most of the little kids.

Lara and Elisabeth glared at me, but I said, "Hey, I didn't tell her where you were. Not exactly. In fact, I think I suggested your hiding spot was so good that it wasn't worth much effort."

With both wolves still in fur, I got dragged off the porch, laughing, and then Lara pinned me to the ground. Elisabeth sat on me until I offered Lara my throat. The faster shifters all started shifting. Lara and I sat on the porch steps together.

"That was fun," I said.

"Yes, it was," she agreed.

"Did you pick this game with me in mind?"

"Yes, but as you can see, it's popular. Most of our other games would have left you at a distinct disadvantage, and I didn't want that for your first pack game night. You will not perform well most nights, but I'll want you to participate and be cheerful about it."

"Of course."

"There are some games that are unhealthy for you. We won't play those when you're here."

Once Janice had shifted, I said, "Janice, you said something about a prize for the winner."

"Favor from the alpha," she said.

"Really?" I asked. "How large a favor?"

"Sometimes people ask for big favors. Wasn't it Bernie who asked for help starting his car dealership, Lara?"

"Yes," she said. "But he had a solid business plan, so it wasn't unreasonable. If it had been a poor business plan, I would have told him 'no' and explained why."

"Would you have granted it without the favor?" I asked.

"I don't know. I didn't know him well. I think I would have referred to it as pack business, but I financed him personally."

"What would be the smallest prize someone has asked for?"

Angel had shifted by now and heard my question. "I asked for a bowl of ice cream."

I laughed. "Did she give it to me?"

"She asked Mom first, but yes."

"How old were you?"

"Eight," she said. "It was hide and seek, and I had found a really good hiding place. I used it three times and no one ever found me."

"Do I hang onto this favor or am I obligated to ask right away?"

"It is customary to ask right away, although sometimes people ask if they can present their request tomorrow," said Lara.

"All right," I said. "Alpha, as my favor, will you take me to dinner at the Rittenhouse tomorrow evening?"

She stared at me, then smiled. "Little fox, I can't think of a favor I would more rather deliver."

 **Courting**

"I want a second favor, Alpha."

"Oh? You only won a single favor."

"We both stink. Do you think we could take a bath together?"

She laughed. "Yes, I think that is an excellent idea."

"You'll have to wash my hair."

"I can do that."

"The hair on my head."

She pouted and went into the bathroom to begin drawing a bath for us.

Once we were in the bath, I told her, "The game tonight seemed a little-"

"Immature?"

"Yes."

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes." I laughed. "But I won. That makes it easier to have fun."

"Did it look like I had fun?"

"You were frustrated you couldn't find me."

"A little, but pride was a much bigger emotion than frustration. We were on top of you, I knew we were, and we couldn't find you. Turn around, I want to wash your hair."

I spun around and leaned against her while she washed. Her hands felt amazing. "Lara, I could get used to this."

"Good. So could I. How attached are you to your house in Bayfield?"

"It's too early in our relationship to talk about that."

"Please just answer."

"I like it. If I had occasion to move, I would be fine with that, too, but I will not be kept."

"Fair enough. Why else do you think we wolves play the games we play?"

"To teach the kids and to bind as a pack."

"What you did for Kaylee tonight, she will remember for the rest of her life."

"It was a small thing."

"Not to such a young child. It was the world. And she's special to you now, too, isn't she?"

I thought about it. "So are Angel, Gia and Francesca."

"Scarlett worships you now, little fox. And you and Janice are getting along, too," Lara pointed out.

"She impressed me tonight. I thought she was a bitch."

"She was. She can be. But she's not a bad person."

"A lot of binding going on tonight," I said.

"Afraid of us anymore?"

"No, but that's not entirely a good thing. Fear of wolves is a healthy instinct."

She finished with my hair. I leaned back and let her wrap her arms around me. I should have turned around and offered to wash her hair, but it felt so nice to let her hold me. We cuddled in the water, then I knew I had to take care of her before I could continue to relax.

"Switch," I said, spinning around and moving towards the other end of the tub. "I want to wash your hair."

She slid a foot between my legs. "I have something else in mind."

I grabbed the foot and put my fingernails over it. "Turn around, Lara, so I can wash your hair."

She laughed and spun around, backing up to me. I washed her hair slowly, massaging the scalp, her neck, and her shoulders. I leaned forward and kissed her shoulders, wrapping my arms around her for a moment, then began rinsing her hair for her. When I was done, I slid closer to her and leaned against her back, biting casually at a shoulder.

"Lara?"

"Yes, little fox?"

"We have a lot to work out between us."

"Not so much."

"You're going to wear me down. Is that your plan?"

She laughed. "Yes."

"Could you move to Bayfield? Honey, I really like Bayfield."

"Tomorrow?"

I laughed. "I want to know what's possible. Is that on the table?"

"I don't know. I can't even promise to give it serious consideration, mostly because I can't be alpha from up there for a pack that is primarily located down here."

"I don't want you to stop being alpha for it. So does that mean no?"

"We could see if the pack wants to move."

"For one little fox and her passion for the lake?" I laughed. "Even if they were willing to do it for me, that's too much to ask."

"If you haven't noticed, the pack likes it up there. They might want to go for themselves."

"Mmm," I said, wrapping my arms around her.

"Little fox?"

"Yes."

"Turn around. I like to do the holding."

"All right."

We switched again, and I settled in with my head resting between her breasts, the water to my chin.

"Lara?"

"Yes, little fox?"

"I want courting."

"I know you do. How am I doing so far?"

"Pretty good. I want you to remember that, tomorrow and next week and next month. I want courting."

"I won't forget."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure." She hugged me. "Forever and ever."

"Okay. You remember what I said about waiting, to, well, you know."

"Yes, I think I might know."

"I am done waiting."

"Little fox, I thought you would never ask."


	2. Chapter 2

**Membership Has Its Rewards**

"Nice job, Angel," I told her. "Thank you."

She turned and smiled at me. It was a fine Monday in April, and Angel had been my part time intern for six months, a very rewarding six months for me. I had been hesitant about taking her on, mostly because I had worried about the responsibility of managing a sixteen-year-old werewolf, but she had turned out to be a joy to have helping me at work and sharing my home in Bayfield, Wisconsin.

"If we get done early, may we go kayaking, Michaela?" she asked me.

"Are you sure you want to do that, Angel? There was still ice in the water the last time I looked, and you know I am going to make you practice righting your kayak before we go very far. The water is going to be very cold."

I had taught Angel and several other teens from the pack how to kayak last autumn. Angel then found a used kayak for sale, asked me to check it out, and when I pronounced it better than mine, begged her mother to let her buy it. Francesca had relented, and Angel had been on the water every day after that when the lake wasn't too rough all the way until the ice had come in. Now she was itching to get back out.

"Will you be practicing, too?" she asked me with a smirk. From her body language I thought perhaps she thought she knew the answer.

"Yes."

"So really, you're not worried about whether I'll get cold, but whether you will?"

I laughed. "Have I shown you my dry suit?" I was kidding, but I wanted to see her reaction.

"Yes," she said. "And your portable kayak space heater powered by little were gerbils you caught last spring. What do you feed them, anyway?"

"I chop up smart ass wolves into gerbil-sized bites."

We had a great relationship. She was happy to banter with me but always knew when to knock it off. I was much more comfortable with her than her older sister, Gia, who still thought I should show proper submission to virtually every wolf in the pack.

Like that would happen.

I checked my watch and the schedule for the other river readings I wanted to check. "Yes, Angel, if we finish early we can go kayaking. The weather is too poor to fly to Madison for poker night, so we aren't even losing time on Wednesday."

"Yes!" she said. I still loved it when she jumped in the air, pumping her fist. I think she found opportunities to do it because it amused me so much.

Together we reviewed the remaining readings we needed today, Angel commenting intelligently. "You know, Angel, there is a lot I will start to show you with summer on the way, but by autumn, I won't have much more to teach you. Do you know what you're going to do?"

"Senior year." She frowned. "I like helping you, Michaela, but I don't want to work as a public servant as an adult. I'll have to make sure I'm ready for college."

I could understand that. It worked for me, but only because of the freedom it offered, and Lara had been wearing even me down.

Angel continued. "I don't have any solid ideas, but I've started talking to Mom about it. And the alpha hinted you might be starting a new venture I could be involved with." Angel eyed me expectantly. "Were you going to tell me about it?"

I sighed. "The alpha doesn't like my job and wants me more completely under her thumb. She's been trying to find the right bait."

"Has she found it?"

"Not yet."

"Is she likely to?"

"She's the alpha, Angel. She won't give up."

Together, we headed back to my car, a gift from the pack after my last one was destroyed during an attack on the pack. I let Angel drive; it was good experience for her, and I didn't mind relaxing.

We had just pulled onto the highway, turning back towards Bayfield, when my pocket howled, an eerie werewolf howl that always got my heart racing. Smiling, I fished my phone out of my pocket and answered it.

"Hello, Lara," I said with warmth and a smile.

"Hello, little fox," she replied. "Are you alone?"

"No. Angel is driving."

"I need you to call me back as soon as you're alone."

"Is this the alpha I am talking to?"

"Yes," she replied. "It's important and fairly urgent, but nothing to worry about."

"Angel," I said. "Would you be able to get the next readings and samples if I wait in the car?"

"Yes, Michaela," she said, offering a quick smile. "I didn't see anything scheduled you haven't taught me before."

"Is twenty minutes good, Alpha?"

"Perfect. I'll be waiting. Thank you, Michaela."

She hung up, which disappointed me. I would have liked to have talked to my lover, even with teenage ears listening.

"Did you hear both sides of that?"

"Yes," replied Angel. "Do you think she wants to talk about me?"

"I don't know." We drove along in companionable silence while I contemplated what Lara may need. I realized I didn't have so much as a clue. That was unusual. I usually anticipated her before she did. Something must have come up.

We pulled off the road and drove a mile before Angel pulled to the side of the road, just before a bridge over a river, a mile and a half before it would dump into Lake Superior. Angel reviewed the plan with me again, grabbed everything she would need, and trudged down to the river. I sat with the window open until I couldn't hear her anymore and decided if I couldn't hear her, she couldn't hear me. I rolled the window up and called the alpha.

"I am alone now," I said. "Angel is down near a noisy river and will be busy for twenty minutes or so."

"Thank you, Michaela. I am speaking as the Madison wolves alpha. First, you are invited to poker night this Wednesday."

"The alpha is inviting me?" That was unusual.

"Yes. Michaela, it's a ten-thousand-dollar buy in."

I whistled and then sighed. "There is a front moving in tonight," I told her. "It's going to be too poor of weather for me to fly up. June apologized to me about it this morning."

"We'll come back to that. Next, I know I can't command you, Michaela, but I need you in Madison tomorrow afternoon no later than four PM, and earlier would be more convenient."

I was silent for a moment before asking, "Can you tell me why?"

"No. I'm sorry. This is important."

"Would you tell me if I were in trouble?"

"Yes. You aren't. It isn't any trouble at all. But I can't say more."

"It is important enough that you want me to do a twelve hour round trip drive in poor weather on short notice, but you can't explain why."

"And bring ten thousand dollars in cash."

"That is most of my savings account," I told her. "I presume there is someone coming you want me to fleece."

"Two someone's."

"Are they good?"

"They have that reputation, but they are both wolves." Wolves were nearly always very easy for me to read.

"Lara, I don't believe in gambling when I can't afford to lose." Everyone can have a bad night. "I notice you aren't offering to bankroll me."

"No, I'm not. And I am inviting you as the alpha, not as Lara."

"If were able to command me, would this be an invitation or a command, Alpha?"

She paused. "Michaela, I don't know."

"Well, if my cards are bad, I can play conservatively and limit my losses."

"Unfortunately not, we're playing with no time limit. Last person holding, and every hour the ante goes up."

"So either I am definitely going to lose $10,000 or earn a year's salary?"

"Yes."

"I hate it when you just won't tell me everything, Lara."

"I know. I'm sorry."

I sighed. "All right. You've asked two favors as the alpha. What does Lara, my girlfriend, want me to do?"

"Your girlfriend wants you here tomorrow and wants you a continent away on Wednesday. The alpha needs you here for both."

I took a breath. "Angel is going to be disappointed. She wanted me to take her kayaking. I'll drive down tonight as soon as I can get out of here. Where will you be?"

"The compound."

"Anything else? Can I talk to my girlfriend now?"

"I wish you could, but I'm sorry. Don't bring Angel and don't tell her anything that is going on other than I requested you to drive down."

"But you'll be there when I arrive? It will be around midnight, maybe a little earlier. Maybe early enough for a quick run."

"I'd like that. See you then."

Angel had been disappointed, but she covered it gracefully. I couldn't command her, but I begged her to hold off kayaking. "You don't know the spring currents, and I don't want you to go solo until you have more experience."

"Maybe this weekend?" she asked. "It's supposed to be nice again by Saturday. Is the alpha coming up?"

"Isn't this weekend pack game night?"

"Oh, right. Then you really owe me next week."

I laughed. "Deal." Then we discussed what she would do while I was gone for a few days. Basically she was going to do my job for me, as much of it as she could. I loved having a minion.

The drive was easy with traffic light, and I pulled into the compound shortly after 10:30 PM, a little wired from the sugar and the excitement of seeing Lara. We'd just spent the weekend together, but I missed her from the moment we first parted until the next moment we were together.

It was hard for me to believe that we had originally met under such stressful circumstances. Our first meeting, with me dangling from her hand by the scruff of my were fox neck, hadn't gone especially well. But we had become friends, then more than friends, then lovers.

We still hadn't worked out all our issues. She still tried to play the alpha, and I remained the unyielding fox. And she hadn't stopped her attempts to get me to move from Bayfield so we could be together full time. I kept hoping she would provide a solution that kept me near my beloved lake, but I was almost ready to throw in the towel. Sadly. I loved Bayfield and wasn't that fond of Madison. There was nothing wrong with Madison, not exactly, but it wasn't my sort of place.

Still, we were together as much as our respective duties allowed, and I had spent the entire drive time wondering what we might do tonight. I had a pretty good idea what she would want, and it involved me panting her name in passion and then offering my throat to her.

I was okay with that. More than okay.

No one was in the courtyard when I pulled in and parked, but Lara must have been nearby, as she met me at the side of my car when I stepped out. I immediately melted into her arms, receiving a warm, passionate kiss while I clutched at her with my need to be close to her.

I buried my nose in her neck and breathed deeply, my nose filled with the scent of safety and love.

I had once been deeply afraid of that scent. Now I was addicted to it.

"Hello, little fox," she said. "I have missed you. Last night was horrible."

"Me too," I said. "How are the plans for moving to Bayfield coming?"

She laughed. "They are taking a new turn."

I pulled away and looked at her. "Really?"

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that. No, it's not renewed hope. I'm sorry, it was a misleading statement."

Somewhat dejected, I melted back into her and breathed again, and all was right. I licked her neck and she laughed.

"That better not be a prelude to teeth, little fox. You know what will happen." What would happen is I would find myself flat on my back with her teeth over my throat until I whimpered in submission. Lara was all alpha, and while I could tease, in the end she was who she was.

"I wouldn't mind your mouth on me later," I told her. "Without an audience."

She hugged me tighter. "Let's go settle in, then we can shift for a run."

It was unusual, but we actually got a solo run, just Lara and me. Normally a run involved every wolf who could possibly join us, but for some reason, they all declined this time. We shifted and ran together, Lara holding herself back to a fox's pace. We'd been running for twenty minutes when Lara suddenly bounded in front of me and came to a stop in my path, facing me, her head down and tail up in the traditional invitation to play.

I knew exactly what game she wanted to play, the "Catch the fox" game. It wasn't as bad as it sounded. I was remarkably difficult to catch, and evading the big bad wolf had become quite a bit of fun. However, I was tired and not at my best, so the likelihood of her catching me easily was pretty high. That might be fine, too, but who won the game tended to set the tone for our bedroom activities later, and it was easier to wear her down when I kept her off balance.

I wanted to know why I was really here, and I didn't want to wait until I was being forced to think on my feet. She knew what was going on, and wasn't telling me, so I needed every advantage to work it out of her, one little hint at a time.

I sat down and yawned, declining the offer.

She huffed her displeasure, inching backwards several inches to suggest a minor handicap, and then her muscles tensed. She was about to leap whether I wanted to play or not.

I almost just let her catch me, but then my stubborn side took over. She leaped and I did the last thing she expected. I ran straight towards her, reaching up to snag a rear paw as she flew over me. I actually managed to trip her, causing her to stumble slightly, and then I was off, dashing through the woods.

I was better than Lara at the close game, evading her pounces, and at the long game, obscuring my trail and hiding. She was better than I was at the medium game, running much faster. I could usually evade her pounces, but actually shaking her from my trail long enough to put up false trails was very difficult.

I managed to get some distance from her, then used one of my normal tricks that frequently lost her. This time it failed. I dashed under a fallen tree and immediately spun around to come back out the same side. Normally she jumps over those trees and then tries to figure out where I went, but this time she actually came to a stop and I ran right into her.

Wow, I was even more tired than I thought.

She caught me in her claws and teeth and rolled me onto my back before I could even register my mistake. A large wolf mouth closed around my throat while her paws held me pinned in place and she settled her weight over me.

I went still, but I didn't whimper in submission. She gave me a few seconds to submit before growling lightly and closing her mouth slightly tighter. Then she settled even more weight on me.

She wasn't hurting me, and she would be very careful with me, but the message was simple: submit before it hurt. She wouldn't stop or let me up until I submitted.

She tightened again, and I whimpered. She didn't let go right away, so I whimpered twice more. Then she relaxed, licked my face thoroughly, which she knew I hated, and then let me go.

I stood up and batted her face in thanks for the lick. She licked me again, very slowly and thoroughly, and I stood there accepting it. I'd learned if I didn't, she would make me submit again, and then she was ruthless.

I hated being bathed by wolf tongue.

Once, when I'd been particularly obnoxious, she'd held me down and let half the pack bathe me. I'd come away from that experience as sodden as if I'd gone swimming and twice as slimy. She had finally released me, and I had shifted to human and started bitching, so she had simply pinned me to the ground again and had them repeat the performance on my human body. At least she'd used her own body to offer me a modicum of modesty, but I had been deeply embarrassed.

Later, in private, I told her how I felt about it. Her only response was, "It was a cuffing." Alpha wolves cuff the other wolves for misbehaving, and she needed to be ruthless to maintain her position in the pack. I was normally outside of that, but it wouldn't do to flaunt it, so I realized I hadn't offered much choice.

"You're right," I said. "I shouldn't have complained publicly."

After that, I was very careful to avoid criticizing her in front of an audience. In private, however, things were different.

After having lost the game of catch the fox so quickly, I needed to gain some respect back. Lara recognized that, so when I started moving quietly through the brush, she followed me nearly as quietly, then waited while I caught us both a rabbit. I had stopped hunting them on pack lands because it was too easy to deplete them, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to take one now and again.

I broke it's neck and then turned around and dropped it at Lara's feet. She howled a victory for us then dismembered the hapless creature, offering me first meal. I took as much as I wanted, and Lara finished the rest in a few bites. We cleaned each other a little, then Lara lay in the grass. I prowled around for a minute while she watched me, then I walked straight to her, ducked under her head, and curled up into a tight fox ball between her paws. She lowered her head to rest across me.

I was warm and happy and so in love.

We stayed like that for a while. I had worn the sugar and stress from the car ride off and, in a rare moment for me, I rolled over onto my back, offering her my throat again. I didn't usually do that without prompting. Lara kissed my throat and I batted her muzzle lightly. She chuffed her pleasure and we both climbed to our feet.

I ran under her and headed back towards the house as fast as my little fox legs would carry me. Lara lifted her nose to the air, howled for a long, long time, then ran after me, catching up to me easily. Together we ran into the compound.

In the house, I shifted human while still on the stairs. Lara was still wolf but she shifted behind me, and I pulled her into the bedroom. She closed the door then a glint appeared in her eyes. I had learned that look, too, and I immediately ran for the bathroom door.

She beat me there, putting her back to it and holding her arms away from her sides.

After that, with me shrieking with laughter, she chased me around the room. She could have caught me a half dozen times, but she seemed content to simply cut off my escape. The rule was simple: if I got into the bathroom or out into the hallway, I won. If she caught me, she won. There weren't any prizes, but we were both very competitive.

We never played the game the other way, with me chasing her. If I chased her, she just caught me.

She chased me around for several minutes, then slowly began herding me closer and closer to the bed. Finally I made a dash to get past her, but she caught me easily about the waist, picking me up in both hands and holding me upside down from my hips. I shrieked but instantly stopped struggling.

"Please, Lara," I said immediately.

"Please wait, little fox?" she asked.

"Please-" I was tired of playing. I wanted to feel her touch. "Please be gentle."

"Of course, little fox," she said softly. She set me on the bed and stilled me. I lifted my chin, and she accepted the submission.

And then she showed me just how gentle the big bad wolf could be.

Later, we cuddled with her arms around me, my face buried against her as she held me lightly. She was musky from leftover excitement, and I loved how she smelled. I cuddled in as tightly as I could.

"Is something wrong tonight?" she asked.

"I'm just... I don't know. I think the alpha's phone call left me unsettled, and I want my girlfriend to assure me everything is going to be okay. I can't figure out what the alpha wants. I can't imagine what is so important she would call me down on short notice; she's never done that before. And she doesn't like when I play poker, but now she nearly commands me to play, and for far higher stakes that I am at all comfortable. It might be pocket change to her, but it isn't for me. If there is a political reason she wants me there Wednesday, I don't know why she isn't bankrolling me."

Lara pulled me closer, almost to the point of hurting me. She was suddenly tense. I whimpered a little, warning her of her strength, and she relaxed her muscles. She switched to stroking me gently.

"Do you trust the alpha?" she asked.

"Yes, with my life."

She kissed the top of my head. "You understand she can't always tell you everything she wants to tell you."

"I know she believes that, but why doesn't she trust me?"

"Oh, little fox, she does. Perhaps you should consider reasons why she wouldn't tell you something."

"A surprise, like a present."

"That's one. Do you think that's what is happening this time?"

"No. She may have promised someone else she wouldn't tell me."

"She may have. And if that's the case, she is probably very sad about that. She probably wants to tell you desperately, but told someone she wouldn't. If that's what happened, there are probably politics involved as well."

"I hate politics."

"I know. But you would be exceedingly good at them."

"No one would trust me. Wolves are too direct, and would hate being on the opposite side from a fox. They would be tempted to bite first and ask questions later."

"Which may be why the alpha keeps you away from the politics."

I leaned away from her to look into her eyes. "Lara, do you think I make things difficult for the alpha sometimes?"

"I think when you don't let her protect you, that you do. But I do not believe the alpha would want you to change a single thing about yourself. I think she finds your spirited disobedience refreshing, if frustrating. And she loves you from the bottom of her heart."

We lay together, still, my fingers tracing patterns in her skin. She caught my hand eventually, stilling me, and said, "The alpha won't let me tell you what is going on, little fox, but she said I could tell you a few things that are not going on."

"All right," I said.

"You are not in any trouble. Tomorrow, you may feel like you are, or that you are being put on the spot, but you aren't. You need to remember that."

"Lara, I'm not sure that is reassuring."

"I bought you some new clothes."

"Is that a change of topic?"

"No. I bought you a business suit and everything to go with it."

"You don't have my sizes."

"This suit will fit. I was going to get it tailored, but then this came up on short notice and you'll have to wear it the way it is. The alpha will be in meetings all day beginning at nine. You will be invited to the meeting on short notice, perhaps ten minutes. You should dress and then perhaps Francesca could use your help in the school."

"Trying to keep me busy?"

"I need you ready, so you can't be outside in grubby clothing, and you'll sit here and fret if you don't have something to do."

"You know me too well." I reached up and pulled her mouth to mine for a kiss. It was a sweet, gentle kiss. "I only have one question. I understand if you don't answer. Should I be worried?"

"No."

"All right, then I won't."

After that, she pet me gently until I fell asleep in her arms.

Right where I was supposed to be.

We got up together. Lara wore her own business suit, tailored and expensive. The one she had bought me was nearly as expensive. There was a silk blouse, fine nylons, and stylish but practical shoes to go with it. I put it on and it fit well, but she looked at it and said, "We'll have to make minor adjustments, but it's close."

At 8:30, after we had eaten, Lara chased me out of the house. I walked over to the school and found Francesca teaching the students. When I arrived, she asked Scarlett to take over for a few minutes and pulled me out into the hallway, carrying a clipboard with her.

"The alpha asked me to help out today, but she made me put these on," I said, gesturing to the clothes. "I can't teach a lab like this, so I don't know what either of you expect."

She handed me the clipboard and she had a schedule for me. They were all with the older kids and were all things I could do without getting dirty. The first item was, "a history of conservation in the United States".

"I have notes if you need them," she said. "You can use this class room, I'll take the little kids across the hall."

"Do you know what is going on?"

"I have hints, but please don't ask me."

I sighed. "I don't like being in the dark."

"I don't like the alpha putting me in this position," she said. "But I am sure she has reasons. If you need me, I'll be across the hall."

Once Francesca had taken the little kids away with her, I closed the class door and turned to my four students. We knew each other well, and they had been good kids. I knew they all adored me, three because I had helped rescue them and the last because of a small moment of kindness that had been important to her.

"Francesca asked me to lecture on the history of conservation. Who here thinks that would be a deadly boring lecture?"

No one raised a hand.

"Seriously?" I sighed, then sat down and said, "I don't feel like lecturing. Can we please make it a conversation instead? Do the four of you care about conservation?"

It didn't take long before I got them into a spirited debate. I had learned long ago that the wolves were usually easiest to lead around if I asked the right questions, so I kept the debate heading in the direction I preferred primarily by asking questions. I managed to include the information Francesca had asked me to teach without turning it into a lecture.

It didn't take long before I forgot all about the real reason I had been relegated off to the school for the day.

When lunchtime approached, Francesca told the older children, "Ms. Redfur is wearing very expensive clothing today, and it wouldn't do for the little kids to maul her with sticky fingers. The four of you need to run interference." The kids took her seriously, and they set up what felt like a zone defense around me which only ended when all the little kids were deemed sufficiently cleaned up from lunch to accept a quick hug from me.

For the afternoon, we went over the latest results from our environmental monitoring program. I had created the program, but the kids did all the legwork, and they took it very seriously. The alpha had addressed the class when we announced the program, indicating this was one way we protected the pack. The kids were proud to help.

It was 2:30 when Gia appeared in the doorway. She knocked and entered. "Ms. Redfur, the council requests your presence."

"Immediately?"

"Ten minutes. They are meeting in a conference room in the barracks."

I nodded, suddenly nervous. I turned to the kids. "I don't know if I'll be back. But I want you guys to talk about what we should be doing that we aren't. Formulate a written plan of suggestions, and we'll go over it next time. Whose turn is it to moderate the discussion?"

"Scarlett's" said Derek.

"You all right with that, Scarlett?"

"Yes, Ms. Redfur." Outside my official duties, I was Michaela, but right now, being formal was appropriate.

I followed Gia into the hallway and then stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. "Gia. What council? Are you allowed to tell me?"

"The pack ruling council," she said.

"I thought the alpha led the pack."

"There is a ruling council." She frowned. "I don't know if it's okay to talk about it or not."

"All right. I feel like I'm being called to the principal's office."

Gia smiled, but she didn't say anything. She turned towards the front door of the school and led the way out of the building, across the courtyard, and into the building that served as the third wall of the courtyard, Lara's house being the middle wall. There was no front wall.

She held the door for me then stepped past me once I was inside. I followed at her shoulder as we climbed the stairs and stepped to a set of double doors at the back of the building. Rory and Eric were there as guards, and they greeted me briefly, lacking the normal warmth I usually expected.

"Does anyone know if I am in trouble?" I immediately asked.

"No," Eric said immediately. "But we're on duty."

"I understand," I said. I didn't, but I decided to let it go. "Do I just go in?"

"You wait," Gia said. "Someone will come out."

I tried listening to the conversation on the other side of the door and was surprised to find I couldn't hear a thing. That was unexpected. Perhaps they weren't currently talking, but I should hear breathing and heartbeats from this close. I didn't ask if they were sure anyone was inside; that would give information away I didn't want to share. Patience is a virtue, right?

I waited in the wide hallway, beginning to pace nervously.

Finally, after I had cooled my heels for longer than ten minutes, the door opened and Elisabeth stepped out. Gia immediately said, "Ms. Redfur as requested."

My, we were being formal.

"Come in, Ms. Redfur," Elisabeth said. "You are excused, Gia."

"Ms. Redfur, Elisabeth? Elisabeth, should I have run when the alpha asked me to come down?"

"No, Michaela. She wouldn't do that to you."

I stepped past her and realized that the doors were very thick, and there was another set just a short distance away. I stopped and waited while Elisabeth closed the outer doors. "I'm scared," I admitted. I was used to being scared.

"I know," she said. "Don't be."

"Easy for the wolf to say."

"No one is going to eat you."

"Only because I'm too stringy," I replied.

"Michaela, everything is going to be fine."

But she hadn't hugged me. My heart in my throat, I followed her to the second set of doors, and as I approached, I could hear a variety of heartbeats from inside, deeply muffled. She opened the doors, and I was assaulted by the smell of wolves.

I closed my eyes, trying to push back the panic. I think I whimpered.

"Oh little fox," Elisabeth said. "No, it's not like that."

"Please come in, Ms. Redfur," came a male voice from inside the conference room. "It isn't polite to make us wait."

"Oh god," I said, but I pulled myself up straight and stepped past Elisabeth.

I knew that the moment I stepped into the room, every wolf could tell I was terrified. I looked around, evaluating escape routes and threats. The wolves were clustered around a long conference table with Lara at the head of the table. The foot of the table was open, and there was no chair there. No one stood up. Counting Lara and Elisabeth there were fourteen wolves.

And one frightened fox.

Elisabeth gestured, directing me to stand at the foot of the table. I moved into place while Elisabeth stepped down and took her place to Lara's right. I wondered if that had once been David's seat.

I knew some of the wolves, some better than others, but other than Lara and Elisabeth, none of them well.

"I can smell her fear," said one female I didn't know.

"Yes," said the male who had invited me inside. I didn't know him, either. "She is clearly terrified, but yet she is here, standing straight and, well, not tall, but straight." And then he smiled gently at me. He was clearly elderly for a wolf, but I couldn't have guessed his age. "Does anyone have any other observations to make before we proceed?"

I started to open my mouth, but Lara shook her head just once, and I shut up.

None of the wolves had anything to say.

"Very well," he said. "Ms. Redfur, when something like this comes up as it does from time to time, the council appoints a spokesman. Today, that is I. You will address yourself to me and only to me. Understand that when you do so, you are addressing the entire council. You may address me as Mr. Berg. Do you understand?"

I thought about a smart ass response. His directions were quite clear, but I didn't understand. I decided to hold my smart ass remarks at least until I knew what was going on; I knew my intended remarks were coming from my fear, anyway. "Yes, sir," I said politely.

Lara nodded almost imperceptibly.

"I will be asking you questions. If you do not understand the question, you may ask for clarification. Do you understand?"

"Yes, sir." I took that to mean don't ask any questions of my own.

"Then let us proceed. Ms. Redfur, I know you are very frightened. There is no need." I didn't open my mouth, but I looked around pointedly at fourteen wolves all looking at me, then glanced at the closed door. I'd never make it.

"You present the council with a rather unique challenge, Ms. Redfur. Your status in relationship to the pack is someone unconventional, and this is causing some stress within the pack."

I started to open my mouth, and Lara shook her head again. I closed it, suppressing a sigh.

"The council has discussed your status, at length and repeatedly," Mr. Berg said. "Frankly, we are all weary of this discussion and would choose to reach a conclusion so we may address other issues. Do you understand?"

I thought about it. "No, sir."

"I did not speak clearly?"

"Sir, I understood what you said. But it feels like there is perhaps a great deal left unsaid."

He smiled. "Quite. Let me propose this. I will explain the problem, and I will explain our proposed solution. But before I do that, I would like to offer an observation." He waited for me, and I nodded to him. "You have a certain reputation, Ms. Redfur. You have a reputation for very rapid reflexes coupled with a certain amount of foxy playfulness. I would suggest perhaps this afternoon you may wish to reign these in very, very carefully."

"Yes, sir," I said. "I will do my best. Have I been impertinent? I have not tried to be."

"No, Ms. Redfur. But the day is young, and it was perhaps a very close call several times already."

"Perhaps," I agreed.

"Ms. Redfur, I will speak plainly. You consume pack resources. You attend pack events. Due to your relationship with the alpha, you hold significant sway over pack decisions. You are privy to pack secrets that very few members of the pack know. You exert authority over a number of pack members even to the point of occasionally ordering the enforcers about."

I started to speak, but he held up his hand. "This is the time to reign in your response. I am not done."

"Yes sir. I'm sorry."

"You do these things while actively defying all authority by the pack members, even to the point of defying the alpha and her closest advisors. And you do these things while declaring loudly you are not part of the pack." I started to speak, and he held up a hand again.

"The end result, while frequently amusing to observe, is becoming a problem for the council."

He paused, giving me a chance to say, "May I ask why?"

He frowned. "I will not offer specifics at this time. I will say it is not you that are the problem, but reactions to your indeterminate status that is the problem. At this point it is not a large problem, but it threatens to become one. We would prefer to head that off now rather than allowing it to grow. Can you accept that?"

"Yes. Thank you for explaining. May I ask another question?" He nodded. "What resources do I consume?"

"Ah. That is the least of our concerns, but I shall explain. You consume a very, very small amount of food and occasionally hunt on our lands."

"I never hunt for myself anything a wolf would bother to hunt, except the occasional rabbit I give to Lara."

"Not true. We teach our cubs to hunt the very animals you use for prey."

I looked away. "I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't know. I'll stop."

"We do not want you to stop, Ms. Redfur. We do not begrudge you the small amount you eat or hunt. You are a very polite guest. I am seeking to answer your question, not come to a solution."

"Yes, I understand," I said.

"The food and game is not worth mentioning. There are some pack members who begrudge this, but they are the very least of us, and if it were a real problem, there are very easy solutions. However, you also consume manpower, and that is a larger problem."

"Sir?"

"Specifically, the enforcers assigned to protect you."

"I don't understand. There are no enforcers assigned to protect me, but if there were, I wouldn't accept them. The alpha knows that."

"When you are deep in pack lands, that is true. That is also normally true most of the time. It is not true when you accompany the alpha places that may be of questionable safety."

"They are there to protect the alpha."

"Since last summer, we have doubled the forces that accompany her."

I felt panic rising again. "Why?" My voice cracked.

"Because of threats against you."

I looked to the far end of the table. "Lara?" She nodded. "From your own wolves?"

"No," she said. "From neighboring packs interested in a fox hunt."

My panic returned in full, and I began looking around wildly for escape.

"Mr. Berg, may I have a moment?" Lara asked. I didn't see his response, but suddenly she was beside me, pulling me into her arms. "Breath, honey. You are safe here. Breath." She pulled my head against her neck. "Breath, you are safe."

I clutched at her, her strength driving away my panic. "I'm sorry," I told her.

"Shhh," she said. "You are safe. No one here wants to hurt you. You're safe."

"I'm never safe, Lara!"

"Yes, you are. Right now, you are."

Slowly I finished calming down.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Berg," I said finally. "Bad memories."

"You are very remarkable, Ms. Redfur. It is quite all right."

"I'm so embarrassed."

"No need. Alpha, perhaps she would be most comfortable if you stayed with her." Lara nodded.

"When did the threats start?" I asked.

"How long have you lived in Bayfield, Ms. Redfur?"

"Almost nine years. I heard it might be safer here. The alpha-" I looked at Lara. "The previous alpha had a reputation."

"Then the threats started almost nine years ago. You, and all the lesser weres living in our territory, have been under our protection since the current alpha's father declared our territory a safe haven for all weres."

I looked up at Lara. "That night at the club?" I was referring to the night of my first date with Lara, when I had graphically demonstrated I wasn't as safe amongst her wolves as she thought.

"We are aware of that incident. The alpha's policies are not always communicated as clearly as they need to be," Mr. Berg said. "I would prefer you not attempt a repeat appearance at that locale, but the weres of the Madison pack are now more completely aware of pack policy."

I took a deep breath on my own, then shoved my face into Lara's neck and took two more. I stood up straight and said, "I'm all right now. I'll be all right, Lara."

She squeezed my hand and returned to her place.

"Mr. Berg, is there more? My car, the trips back and forth between here and my home?"

"The car was appropriate compensation for the situation and is not a factor," he said. "The monetary cost of your travels are paid by the alpha's personal funds and are also not an issue. The aircraft belong to her and are not pack resources, either, and the pilots are paid by her as well. The enforcers that accompany her, or who sometimes accompany you, are pack resources, but they tend to volunteer. It appears they enjoy the trips."

I smiled. I had friends in the enforcers.

"Thank you for explaining," I said.

"Do you understand what I said earlier about how you defy the authority of the pack?"

"Yes sir." I didn't offer anything further.

"I believe you understand the problem then, as well as can be explained. I will state clearly, we would not be concerned if it weren't for the reactions these issues are causing, and we would prefer a solution."

I nodded. "Are you expecting me to offer one, or were you going to tell me what I must change?"

"We have discussed solutions. The first is for you to return to Bayfield and stay there."

"No," I said in a very small voice. "Please don't make me do that."

"No one in this room likes that solution. It is crisp and clean but does not take into consideration your relationship with the alpha. This isn't the first relationship we would have chosen for her, but is the relationship she holds dear."

"Thank you," I said.

"Furthermore, we feel you are an intriguing if somewhat vexing addition to the pack, notwithstanding your assistance last September. Indeed, the alpha has asked for you to be more involved in pack dealings, but the council cannot allow an outsider to take part in pack business. We would not have accepted your involvement last September, but you did what you did without pack involvement beyond Elisabeth's company, and you handled yourself amazingly well."

I nodded, not trusting my voice.

"So, at least until the problems become significantly bigger, we are not banishing you."

"Thank you."

"We would at this time like an explanation of something, Ms. Redfur. The alpha reports she has, from time to time, suggested she considers you a member of the pack. She has also, from time to time, suggested you should bow to pack authority. She also suggested you begin paying tithe. You are somewhat vigorous in denying these suggestions. We would like to understand why."

"May I address tithe first?" He nodded. "I can't afford it."

He smiled. "We would never ask you to pauper yourself for the pack. We're aware of your finances, or can make assumptions based upon your position as a public servant. However, you perform a variety of duties for the pack, for which you are not paid. Specifically, you are operating the environment monitoring program, you are overseeing a pack member as a professional intern, and you frequently teach at the school. We would need a somewhat more formal review, but it is likely these activities would more than suffice as tithe."

"Then why is it an issue?"

"Because it would need to be formal, so that if it ever arises as a complaint, we may say that you tithe in the same fashion as an enforcer or as Francesca does, by providing duty to the pack. But it would need to be a formal acknowledgment."

"What happens when any of the things I do is cancelled? If I have agreed I owe tithe, then suddenly would I need to start paying from my salary?"

"Yes, but might I suggest two things. First, that is unlikely to happen. Second, if it does, there are always solutions. As I said, tithe should never be a hardship, and the pack would never allow it to become one."

I looked at Lara and she nodded reassuringly.

"All right. What happens if Lara and I have a fight?"

"And end your relationship?" Mr. Berg answered. "And I presume that also means you would no longer be a constant presence amongst us, reminding young wolves of who you are. Then, if tithe were the only issue, that would be the end of the need."

"I will accept my responsibility to tithe," I said.

"We'll come back to that," he said. "We would like your reasons for the other issues."

I stared at him, suddenly realizing where this was going. "It has all been a smoke screen. You want me under your thumbs. No!"

He sighed. "That was the perfect opportunity for you to reign in your overly-hasty responses," he said. "If you can avoid other similar outbursts, perhaps we can ignore this one."

It wasn't going to change my reaction later. "My apologies," I said. I wasn't at all sorry.

"Ms. Redfur, why do you deny membership in the pack?"

"It would be a death sentence, Mr. Berg."

"That seems like a dramatic response, Ms. Redfur. Would you care to explain?"

"I am a fox. We are not given to either accepting or seeking positions of dominance. We are, shall we say, free spirits. That is completely opposite the position of wolves, who seek to know their place in the pack hierarchy, and who compete actively to hold or improve their positions. I don't even know if I can explain myself. But as a fox, I hold deeply the principle, give me liberty, or give me death."

"So you can not accept the alpha's dominance?"

"That's not it exactly. I am also a fox. Small and delicate. Even your teenagers could kill me with a casual blow. Lara and Elisabeth have both cuffed me as gently as they could, and it is the most I can accept. I'm sure everyone knows about my two concussions last year."

He nodded. "Go on."

"I could not accept being at the bottom of the wolf pack. I couldn't! My spirit wouldn't take it. Lara, I am sorry, but if that is what you are asking, I can't do it. You know that."

"I'm not asking that, little fox."

"I could not be part of the dominance positioning. I can't be part of any of that. Lara has had to find creative ways to publicly chastise me when my independence goes too far in public, because she knows how easy it would be to break my bones from even the lightest contact. And even then, she only does it when I am too obnoxious in front of pack members, and she is worried it will lead to behavior issues with other pack members. She knows if she pushes me too far, I'll run. I can't help it. It is who I am. I can't change that any more than I could expect you to offer a little fox your throat."

"So it is not the pack you are rejecting, Ms. Redfur? It is this issue of dominance, of free spirit, and the legitimate concerns for your safety you would have."

"Yes sir. That is correct. It is already exceedingly difficult for me to allow Lara her dominance, and admitting I'd follow Elisabeth's orders under highly dangerous situations was past what I was willing to promise, but I did it anyway."

He frowned. "You say you do not want to be part of the dominance hierarchy, but you do exert authority over pack members. We listened to a detailed report of a kayaking incident involving Rory, one of our enforcers."

"I was responsible for everyone's safety, sir. And the alpha specifically told everyone to let me handle it."

He smiled. "Thank you, Ms. Redfur. You have explained yourself as well as I believe possible." He addressed the other wolves. "Does anyone else have further questions before we proceed, or perhaps concerns to address?"

No one spoke up.

"Alpha, shall we proceed as discussed?"

"Yes," she said. "Thank you, Mr. Berg."

He turned back to me. "Ms. Redfur, we would like to invite you to become a permanent member of the pack with all rights and responsibilities of a pack member."

I started at him and was about to speak loudly, but he held up his hand.

"We have considered the issues you discussed. Lara and Elisabeth had explained these issues already, but we wanted to hear them from you, and I believe you offered clarity they could not. You would, by and large, be outside the pack dominance hierarchy. You would have no more or less authority than you have now. You would be responsible to discipline only by the alpha herself or occasionally her head enforcer." By that he meant Elisabeth. "The only significant change from your current position is that you would publicly acknowledge the dominance of this council and the individual members. And of course, the alpha. Your relationship with her in private is between the two of you."

"So any of you could give me an order, and I would have to accept it?"

"Yes. That is the public answer. And from time to time, we would do just that, primarily for political reasons. This can't look like lip service. You may also find that the enforcers would become more likely to issue you direction, and you would be expected to follow it. It would be rare and would almost always be in relationship to pack security."

I stared around the room. Lara and Elisabeth were grinning madly. The body language in the rest of the room was also positive.

"May I ask questions?"

"Of course."

"Are there misgivings with this solution?"

"There was discussion. Consensus was reached. That is all we will say."

"Is there precedent?"

"Yes. Francesca is a good example."

"So when I am, for instance, teaching a kayaking class or running the environmental monitoring systems?"

"You would have the authority required to run them correctly."

"No one touches me except Lara."

"No. No one disciplines you except Lara and Elisabeth. An enforcer may lay hands on you if you are not following direction during a, shall we say, stressful time."

"Such as Francesca's threats to physically restrain me when I had a concussion?"

"Yes. Or if you need to be carried from an active battlefield after refusing to run," said Lara with a smile.

"May I have some time to consider this?"

He frowned. "Do you have remaining concerns?"

"I want to talk to Lara and Elisabeth when I know I am not about to offend someone who may be less forgiving of me."

There were chuckles. "We need your response before the end of this council meeting," Mr. Berg said.

"I see. So I'm on the spot."

"Perhaps, Alpha, we could break for a refreshment. I personally could use time away from this chair."

"Shall we reconvene following dinner?" Lara asked?

"Excellent," everyone agreed.

"May I ask one more question first?" I asked.

"Yes," Mr. Berg said.

"What happens if I decline?"

"Then we will ask you to offer as many concessions as you can, but the underlying problem will not go away, and the next time we summon you, the offer will not be as generous."

"I wasn't trying to negotiate," I said. "I wanted to know if this was an ultimatum."

"It's not. Yet."

"I understand, thank you."

Lara, Elisabeth and I went for a walk in the woods. We walked quietly while I struggled with what was going on. They were both in top spirits but understood I was troubled.

I led us to a clean, fallen tree I knew of and asked them to sit with me. I leaned against Lara and breathed in her scent, then reached out and squeezed Elisabeth's hands.

"I smell horrible, Lara. I'm sorry."

"You smell like you," she said. "You're fine."

"Do I have a choice?" I asked them.

"Yes, this is your decision," said Lara.

"You both want me to agree."

"Very much," said Elisabeth. "And your waiting like you did has actually put you in the best position you could be. Lara couldn't have asked for this offer for you, but because the council kept dealing with it, they compromised. They were willing to keep you out of the dominance struggles, but they all wanted you to offer your throat."

"They're not asking for that?"

"No," said Lara. "Publicly to me and to Elisabeth. And do not actively defy council or the enforcers, but the enforcers will get a quiet talking to with me."

"No one hurts me."

"No one," she said firmly.

"You'll be safer," Elisabeth secure. "Ron - Mr. Berg - underplayed the political issues, but you would be solving a big problem."

"Elisabeth," Lara said with a warning tone.

"Cuff me if you want. She deserves to know, but I won't offer details."

I looked up at Lara. "I'm a problem?"

"Not you. You're the focus of a problem. It's not the same thing."

"Are you asking me to change my behavior?"

They both thought about it. "Do not publicly defy either of us," Lara said eventually. "Privately we can discuss."

"Could you order me to move from Bayfield or quit my job?"

"Yes, but I won't."

"If you do, what happens if I refuse?"

"Would you?" Lara asked quietly.

"I don't know. I want to know what would happen."

"If you wished to leave the pack, you would be allowed to do so. If you wished to remain a member of the pack after refusing something like that, you would be subject to discipline until you complied."

I stared to cry. "You're taking my liberty."

"No. You asked a hypothetical. I told you the hypothetical wouldn't happen, but you insisted." She paused. "You wouldn't have any less freedom than you currently have. I can already do that. I can already tell you exactly what I want you to do and exert whatever discipline I want if you defy me. And you can leave and never come back. This is no different. I don't do those things and I am not going to start."

"What would happen if I defy a council member or an enforcer?"

"If it were a dangerous situation, someone would force you to comply. They'll do that now, anyway. Afterwards, both of you would be subject to explaining yourselves to me. Right now, your status makes it very dangerous for an enforcer who lays hands on you, even for your own safety. That adds stress to them. If you accept membership, then they have somewhat more authority and can relax somewhat. Michaela, no one is going to start ordering you about or treating you like a servant."

"But they could."

"And you could leave."

I thought about the implications. "If I agree, then what?"

"A ceremony," Lara said. "During which, amongst other things, you would offer your throat."

"To whom?"

"Me and Elisabeth."

"Not the members of the council?" My questions were becoming redundant, but I had deep misgivings, and I needed reassurance.

"No. They wanted that, but I told them it would push you too hard. Everyone wants you to accept. A few did not want as generous of terms but were reluctantly swayed."

"Thank you." They let me think about it. "Am I asking all the right questions?" I said after a while.

"Yes. Michaela, please accept the offer. It is generous, and it won't get better. If you turn them down, some of them currently on the fence will not respond well."

"One more question. Why couldn't you tell me ahead of time?"

"Because I can not talk about council business outside of council, and this was council business. I am sorry. I wanted to. I did everything I could to assure you not to worry, but I knew you would."

"I was so scared."

"I know."

I pushed my face against her, breathing again.

"Mr. Berg was kind," I said. I breathed some more. "I need you both to tell me what you think I should do and promise me there isn't anything I don't know or understand."

Lara pulled me into a kiss. "Please accept. You know everything you need. Nothing hidden."

I turned to Elisabeth who said, "She's skipping something. Right now Lara is your girlfriend, yes?" I nodded. "She can not marry outside pack."

"Elisabeth," Lara growled.

I smiled at Elisabeth. "Say yes, Michaela," she said to me.

"You both promise I'm safe."

"Yes," said Lara. "You are safe." Elisabeth was nodding.

"Tell them 'yes'."

Lara, for the first time I have ever seen, cried, tears of joy, and hugged me so hard it hurt.

 **Ceremony**

We walked back to the compound together. Just as we reached it, Lara stopped us. "Michaela, if you are going to change your mind, tell me now. It would be very bad to accept and then change your mind during the ceremony."

"My throat only to the two of you," I said firmly.

"Only to the two of us," Lara explained, "but the council members will make a point of asserting dominance in some little way. That will happen often at first and decline over time. You need to be cheerful about it. Some may go further than they should. Remain cheerful and I will find ways to make up for it."

"I will not respond well if they attempt to treat me like a servant."

Lara looked into my face. "They need to send a message you are accepting their authority. Would you rather wait on them a little or have them order you to do something with far more significance?"

I sighed.

"If they carry it too far, it will look petty. But we need to send a message that you accept your position in the pack. If you defy them, it will cause me significant political damage."

I nodded. "What if one of the enforcers tries to order me arbitrarily?"

Elisabeth said, "Other than me, you are not under enforcer authority except regarding issues of security, and even then, any orders from the alpha or me override anyone else, even a council member. That last part is true for everyone, anyway."

I held them both there, a hand on one arm each. "I'm scared," I said. "I am giving up freedom."

"No," said Elisabeth. "You are cementing your position. You are removing ambiguity. You are solving a problem for the woman you love. And you are doing so from a position of strength. You are ensuring you will remain in a position of strength."

I hugged her. "I love you, Sister."

She hugged me back. "Don't jump ahead," she said, laughing. "But I love you, too."

"Knock it off, you two," Lara said, but she was grinning at me.

Then I hooked arms with each of them. "I need a shower."

"Yes. I was going to say something," Elisabeth said.

By the time I had cleaned up and changed into casual clothing, a party had formed on the lawn to the side of Lara's house and the barracks, the common greenway where the pack held most events. The field was large enough for sporting events, and there was a permanent fire ring set to the side. Tables had been brought out as well as a number of chairs. I spotted Mr. Berg. He had changed from his suit into casual clothes and was holding a nearly-empty glass of lemonade, standing along the side watching the proceedings. I stepped up to his side.

"Mr. Berg," I said. "Thank you for your kindness earlier today."

"Is that what it was?" he asked. His eyes twinkled. "I am sure you can guess, if the alpha has not already told you, that you were quite the topic of discussion. A council member does not discuss council business, but we are free to share our persona opinions. I was one of your detractors."

"So you are unhappy with the arrangements? You seemed very considerate to me. I thought perhaps you liked me."

"I do, Ms. Redfur, now that we have met."

"Have I swayed you?"

"I was not unwilling to have you a pack member, Ms. Redur. And I completely understand the need to keep you aloof from some of our more forceful antics." I smiled at the way he put it. "My main concern is one of impressions. The problems that are driving us to this choice will not go away if you appear to give only lip service to the agreements."

"What did you want?"

"Your throat offered, shall we say, more widely."

I started to respond; I thought he deserved an explanation why that couldn't happen. Suddenly, I could hear my sister's voice, the last sounds of her I had heard. She had been killed when I was fourteen, and I still remembered the sounds distinctly. I started to panic again.

"Oh dear," he said, realizing my panic immediately. "Alpha!" It was said loudly enough to cut through the noise, and Lara was beside me immediately, pulling me into her arms.

"What happened?"

"I am not quite sure," he said. "We were talking quite amiably."

"I'm sorry," I said, letting Lara calm me down. I breathed deeply, and she stroked my hair for me. "I'm embarrassing myself."

And then Elisabeth and Rory were there, and the four of them shielded me from any further eyes, surrounding me, and three of them I recognized as safety.

I turned around, still wrapped in Lara's arms, and looked up at Mr. Berg. "You are still being kind."

"You are easy to be kind to," he said. "What did I say?"

"It wasn't your fault. Flashback, that's all." I sighed. "Do I stink again?"

"No," Lara said.

"Would you lie to me?"

"Yes, but I'm not."

"I'd tell you if you stank," Rory said. He pointedly leaned over and gave me a thorough sniff. "Nope. You're fine."

"I can always count on you, Rory," I said.

"Ms. Redfur," said Mr. Berg. "I don't understand what I said."

"It wasn't what you said," I replied. "It was what my reply was going to be that triggered memories, and those turned into flashbacks from when I was fourteen."

Lara immediately tightened her arms. I had told her the story last summer. I hoped he didn't ask.

"Is that when-" he started to say.

"Yes," Lara said for me. "Fox hunt."

I buried my face in her neck, trying to forget. It didn't usually affect me so firmly, but sometimes it did, especially when I was stressed.

"I hate this," I mumbled into her neck. "Mr. Berg, you understand even the thought of a wolf's teeth on my throat does this to me. I can allow Lara, because how deeply I trust her, and Elisabeth. But after that, even thinking about it, you see the results."

I took deep breaths, trying to calm myself, forcing the panic away. Lara held me tightly to her, and I knew I was safe, but I couldn't stop hearing my sister's dying voice, over and over in my head.

I pushed away from Lara and looked up into her concerned face. "It was a long time ago," I said. "A long time ago. They are dead, they are all dead. It was a long time ago." I said it all firmly, trying to convince myself.

Lara reached out with her hand and cupped my chin. "I am so proud of you, little fox."

I took a deep breath, pulled Lara into a quick kiss, and said, "Rory, sniff test."

He laughed. "You're fine, Michaela."

I turned around to face Mr. Berg. "My apologies, that doesn't happen often." I stood up straight. "Your lemonade is empty. Perhaps I could fetch you a glass."

"That is very kind of you, Ms. Redfur," he said, holding his glass out. "And I withdraw my concerns. I didn't understand. I believe I do now."

"Anyone else? Elisabeth, a beer?"

"I'd love a beer," she said.

"Bock for me," Rory said.

"Alpha?"

"Beer sounds good."

I nodded to all of them then stepped away from the group, my head held high, and proceeded to the cooler containing the supplies. I dumped the dregs from Mr. Berg's lemonade and refilled it, grabbing a glass for myself, then dug through the cooler of beer, pulling out everyone's favorites. I tried to juggle everything, but it was at least one drink too many.

Scarlett noticed my awkwardness and rushed over to help, taking the three beers from me. "You must be very thirsty," she said with a grin.

"Hello, Scarlett. Thank you. Those are for the alpha's group." We started back across the field together and I asked her, "How did class go after I left? Were the boys behaved?"

"Yes," she said. "I have all of them wrapped around my little finger. With Angel gone most of the time, I don't have much competition."

I laughed. "Don't abuse that."

"What's the fun of power if you can't apply it playfully?" she asked, laughing. "I'm teasing, you know. They're good boys."

"They are," I agreed. "Any that you like?"

"Promise not to tell?" she asked me solemnly.

"Cross my heart," I said. "Or I would if my hands were free."

She laughed and leaned over to whisper in my ear. She was much taller than I was, but she was sixteen, so she was as tall as she would be. She would continue to fill out for a few more years. "Angel."

"Really?" I asked. She nodded. "Does anyone know?" I whispered in her ear. "The boys will be very, very sad if Angel feels the same way."

"I know," she said. "I don't think she does. I have a runner up." She whispered in my ear. "Rory."

"Those would be about as opposite as you can get and still have both be wolves, Scarlett."

"I know," she said. "And I'm too young for him, but I won't be forever." Then we approached the group, and she clammed up.

"Scarlett, if you want to talk about it some more, you can talk to me."

"Thank you, Michaela," she said. "I might. I may have to talk to someone else first."

"I think it would be good for you to know. The conversation could go poorly though, even though the person in question may actually, deep down, start to think about it later."

She nodded. "Could I talk to you later then? Or tomorrow?"

I nodded. "Any time."

We actually had to stop just short of the group to get the last exchange completed, then we handed out the drinks we were carrying before she scampered off.

"Something I need to know about?" Lara asked me quietly.

"I don't think so. She told me something in confidence."

Lara nodded. "So if I need to know, you'll get permission to tell me."

I smiled. "Yes."

Mr. Berg was shaking his head. "You continue to astound me. You went from a full panic attack to minutes later, counseling one of our youth about, I presume, her love life."

"I will not confirm the topic of our conversation," I said.

He smiled. "If I ordered you to?"

I sighed. "I would ask her permission to tell you."

"And if she didn't give it."

"Then I guess we would see how far you were willing to take it and whether you can convince the alpha to beat it out of me."

He stared into my face. I stood my ground, not retreating to Lara's safety.

"Will you answer a different question then? Why does she confide in you?"

"I once did her a favor. She looks up to me, and she trusts me."

"I think perhaps that is close," he said. "But I think perhaps while she looks up to you figuratively, she looks down to you literally, and that may be part of this as well. Older, wiser, but not a threat."

"Perhaps. Do we have a problem?"

"Oh no, Ms. Redfur. We most certainly do not. She confided in you. It would be reprehensible for me to compel you to betray her secrets."

I retreated to Lara at that point, wanting her warmth but not needing her protection. "Thank you," I said.

"Not at all," he said. "I am very much looking forward to events this evening, more so now than I was a half hour ago." He turned to Lara. "Alpha." He nodded and backed away, leaving in search of another conversation.

Elisabeth was grinning at me and Rory was trying to look very small. "Wow, Michaela. You stood up to him," he said.

"I'm one scrappy little scaredy-fox," I said, earning myself some laughter.

"Who is handling the food tonight?" I asked.

"Serena is overseeing," Elisabeth said. "I'm sure she could use help. She's using the alpha's house."

I nodded. "I'll go check."

I wandered in, greeting a few people I didn't know on the way. They all knew me, of course. I let myself into Lara's house and stepped through into the kitchen. I found Serena and Francesca overseeing the kitchen. Jeremy and Alan were assisting.

"Anything I can do to help?" I offered.

Serena smiled at me. Ever since I'd helped rescue her boys last September, as far as she was concerned, I walked on water. "I think we've got it," she said.

"Please?" I asked. "The yard is filled with wolves I don't know."

"Then you should be out there meeting them," Francesca said. "And I see just the wolf to provide introductions for you."

I turned around and Angel was just entering the front door. I frowned. To have gotten here now, she couldn't possibly have done everything on her list for today, much less Wednesday and Thursday as well.

"Angel," I said somewhat coolly. "I wasn't expecting you here."

She stopped, surprised at my tone. "I am sorry, Ms. Redfur," she said. I was never "Ms. Redfur" to her. "The alpha called me and told me to get my butt here. I explained about the schedule but she told me she understood and repeated her order. So I got my butt here. I just arrived. I got as much done as I could before I left."

I softened my expression. "Quite all right," I said. "I'm sorry. I didn't realize Lara summoned you. I'll ask her about it. She should have told me."

"I assumed she would, or I would have called you."

I nodded. With that settled, Angel stepped past me to hug her mom then greeted Jeremy and Alan.

"Francesca," I said. "Please let me help with dinner."

She laughed. "Angel, we have a number of wolves here that Michaela doesn't recognize. You may assist in the kitchen or introduce her around."

"Kitchen duty or be seen with the alpha's mate. Hmm. Difficult choice. I'll take door number two. After you, Michaela," she said with a flourish.

I looked at Francesca. "I'll remember this," I told her.

She simply laughed, and I meekly followed Angel back out of the house. "Are you angry with me, Michaela?"

"No, of course not. The alpha's word trumps mine. You make everything go so much faster, we won't have any trouble catching up."

"All right," she said. "Who don't you know?" Then she looked around. "Holy shit, the entire council is here."

"I know Mr. Berg," I said.

"He's scary," Angel said.

"Yes, he is."

"Well, that one over there," she said, gesturing with her nose, "Is Vivian Chandress."

"Council?"

"Yes."

"How does a woman land on the council?"

"The same way a man does: by challenging an existing member."

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "She's been on the council forever. Mom says she's brilliant, and if anyone ever challenged her, he would find himself facing a lot of angry wolves. She scares me worse than Mr. Berg does."

"Are challenges to the death, like-"

"Like David?" I nodded. "Sometimes. They don't have to be. If someone submits, that is usually the end of it, but not always."

"So you could submit, but the other wolf might kill you anyway?"

"Yes. But if you get a reputation for that, then you find everyone assumes a fight with you is to the death, and if you kill someone with family or friends, you probably made some enemies."

I was glad I wasn't to be involved in any of that. I did worry about Lara's position, though.

I saw Scarlett hanging around, watching Angel, and it was clear how she felt. I was surprised I hadn't noticed it before.

"You know, Angel, there's something I've never asked you. Do you think of any of the boys as a boyfriend?"

She glanced at me. "Where did that come from?"

"I'd rather not say," I said.

Then she glanced where I was facing and she saw Scarlett watching. Angel began blushing and turned away. Scarlett's expression collapsed, and she turned away.

"Want to talk to me about it, Angel?"

"Scarlett has a crush on me," Angel said.

"Maybe she does. How do you feel about it?"

"She's had it for a long time. It got worse last year, when you and Lara started dating." Angel looked at me. "Please, Michaela, I like being your assistant."

"What does that have to do with it?"

"I. Um. Sorta asked initially because I wanted to get away from her. I thought she'd give up. But-"

"But what?"

"I think I might like her too."

"And that's a problem, why?"

"Because Jeremy is totally in love with her, and Derek thinks I'm going to agree to marry him someday."

"Do you want to marry Derek?"

"I don't think of him that way."

"Do you think of Scarlett that way?"

"I don't know. I might. I don't know."

"Do you want my advice?"

"Please, Michaela. Yes."

"Talk to Scarlett. Soon. Your body language just told her you weren't interested and are embarrassed by her attention, and now she's hurting."

"Mom told me to introduce you around."

"We both know I don't want to be introduced. Please go talk to Scarlett. At least for a few minutes."

"I don't know what to say."

"Invite her to Bayfield for a weekend of kayaking."

"Really?"

"Yes. Not this weekend, though. Maybe next."

"Thanks, Michaela."

I watched Angel cross the field, making a beeline for her friend. Scarlett had her back to us, standing alone, when Angel stepped up and put a hand on her shoulder. I watched the body language. Angel was a little tentative, and Scarlett looked like she'd been crying. The two of them talked, and then I saw Scarlett look straight at me, and she was beaming.

I turned away and found Lara. She was in conversation with one of the countless males I didn't recognize. I worked my way in her direction, then stood off a short distance in case they wouldn't want me in their conversation. I purposely tried to tune out what they were saying, concentrating instead on a story that Elizabeth was telling a group of people.

But Lara turned to me and held out her hand. I stepped to her, and she introduced me to Dominick. "We met earlier," he said.

"Ah," I said. "Of course. Charcoal suit, you sat on my left towards the middle of the table."

"Yes," he said. "Good memory."

"I only remember because you seemed distracted."

"My apologies," he said. "I was listening intently, but I trust the alpha's judgment, so the meeting was simply a formality for me. Please fetch me a chair, though. I see a collection of them there. I hate to admit it, but I have a difficult hip."

"Of course," I said. "Alpha, I need a short moment of your time when you can spare it." I didn't wait for her to respond but found one of the chairs lined up on the edge of the field and fetched it for Dominick. When I provided it, he took it gracefully and settled in, then waved us off. Lara took my arm and pulled me away.

"What's up?"

Scarlett and Angel were talking animatedly to themselves, and I simply looked in that direction until Lara's gaze followed mine.

"Ah," she said. "It's about damned time."

"You knew?"

"Yes. I know all, little fox. Haven't you figured that out yet?"

"Of course, Alpha."

"What are they talking about?"

I found myself immediately listening to their conversation. "Kayaking," I said.

Lara stared at me intently. "I got you."

"What?"

"How good is your hearing, Michaela?"

"I don't know," I said. "Pretty good, I guess. Why do you ask?"

"So you can hear them talking from here?"

I glanced at her. "I told Angel to invite Scarlett kayaking next weekend. Look at their body language. What else could they be talking about?"

Lara frowned at me before watching the girls. "Oh, I see," she said. There was a commotion, and platters of food began appearing on the serving tables, Jeremy and Alan assisting Gia, Serena and Francesca. Francesca caught Angel talking to Scarlett then searched the field until she saw me with Lara.

"Why did you invite Angel down? We're going to be even further behind."

"She deserves to be here for this."

"Who knows what's going on?"

"Just the council. Everyone else knows something is up, and people are guessing, but no one is even close. The enforcers started a pool. Elisabeth is keeping me posted."

I laughed. "What are the choices?"

"Wedding announcement; Adjustments to the council; A change in the tithing percentages; An announcement we're annexing one of the neighboring packs, the Michigan Upper Peninsula being the most popular choice. Someone made a completely wild guess that I am abdicating as alpha to move to Bayfield."

"Are you?" I said it with a grin. "I know a fox with a nice home she would share."

"You'll have to wait for everyone else, if that's what you think the announcement is," she said, laughing. "There are others. Hmm. You're being banished. You're being made into an enforcer. I'm not sure what else. Not a single one is right."

I laughed. "An enforcer. Funny. Is there money involved?"

"Yes. Quite a bit now. Don't even think of getting involved."

"I could drop a hint to Angel."

She laughed. "And I could paddle your naked bottom in front of the rest of the pack."

"I haven't said a thing to anyone!" I said, rubbing my bottom worriedly. Lara smiled at me as if she was anticipating the moment.

Scarlett and Angel came up with plates of food for Lara and me. Angel had another glass of lemonade for me. "Angel, hang onto that," Lara said. "Michaela is going to fetch chairs."

She grinned at me. "Yes, alpha," I told her and retrieved four of the folding chairs, spreading them about.

Angel watched me dubiously for a minute, then I heard her ask Scarlett, "Does anyone know what the announcement is? And if not, is there a pool running?"

I set the chairs up and Lara sat in one. I took another and Angel handed me my plate. She and Scarlett scampered off. "Lara, I did not tell her. I absolutely did not tell her. Who is managing the pool?"

"Elisabeth," Lara said. "And if Angel guessed right, she won't want anyone else to hear."

Elisabeth wandered past, carrying a plate, and took one of the open chairs. "Lara, your little fox is in trouble."

"Angel is going to win the pool?"

"And Scarlett. They're both over themselves with the idea." Elisabeth glared at me.

"She didn't tell," Lara said. "Angel figured it out. The little fox was too quick to acquiesce to a demand from the alpha. No back talk or anything. Couple that with her being invited down separately from Michaela and it wasn't a stretch."

"They won't tell anyone else," Elisabeth said. "They won't want to share the pool."

"What's the most ridiculous guess?" I asked Elisabeth.

"That the entire pack is relocating to Bayfield," Elisabeth said. "Who could believe that one?" She said it lightly, but she was smirking at me when she said it.

"Some of us might want to believe it," I suggested. "But I know it's a dream that isn't going to happen." I turned to Lara. "How soon are you going to insist I move down here?"

"I'm not," she said. "It will be your decision. I felt out a few people about moving the pack, and there were a few who loved the idea, but we're just too heavily invested down here. I'm sorry. To be quite honest, I like it up there, too."

The woman Angel had said was Vivian Chandress walked across the field to us, taking the last free chair. Lara introduced us. She said something kind, I said I'd heard good things about her. She asked me what. I told her, "I believe the word used was 'brilliant'." She seemed to appreciate that.

Three move wolves joined us. I was introduced to Violet, Sexton and Wanda. Sexton and Wanda appeared to be married. They sat down in the grass, forming a rough circle with the chairs already here. Violet remained standing but was looking at me pointedly. I wondered if I had something in my teeth.

"You met Violet earlier," Vivian told me. "This afternoon, I believe."

I stared at Vivian for a moment. Vivian dropped her eyes to my chair. If I'd met Violet this afternoon, that must be she was council. I stood up and said, "Of course. My apologies. Violet, would you care for a seat? I was done eating but would be happy to retrieve drinks if anyone would like anything?"

Violet took my seat and asked for a soft drink. "No caffeine," she said. I got a chorus of requests, but none from Sexton and Wanda, and ran off to fill the order. When I got back I passed out the drinks then sat in the grass next to Lara.

"You know, I wonder if I could talk the council members into wearing a little pin or something so I can recognize you. Or maybe a little bell on your ankles."

Violet frowned at the suggestion. She snapped her fingers at me and said, "Fox. I would like more venison."

"Yes, ma'am," I said. I gave Lara a look though. They were treating me like a servant. She shrugged, and I put up with it, putting on a sweet face.

Mr. Berg caught me at the serving table. "They will push you harder before they back off."

"And you?"

"I do not play petty games. If I order you about, it will be for something more important than a slice of venison."

"Will she be happy with one slice?"

"I'd make it three."

"Thank you."

I returned with the plate of venison for Violet. She took it haughtily, and I decided I didn't like her.

"Little fox," Lara said. "Sit here, please." She pointed to the space in front of her. So I sat on the ground at her feet, and she possessively put her hand on my shoulder. I glanced up at her and smiled, leaning against her legs.

I paid attention to the conversation around us. Eric came up and whispered in Elisabeth's ear. I listened in. "Fifty bucks?" He asked. Paper exchanged hands. "You're challenging Lara so she can move to Bayfield," was his prediction.

"All right," she said. "You're in. That's very specific. If anyone got it half right, you'll have to share a portion."

"You're not going to write it down?"

"I only need to remember the winners, Eric. If you're right, I'll remember."

Around me, I saw the wolves were starting to finish eating, at about the same rate the pile of food became depleted. Angel and Scarlett wandered around, collecting plates from everyone. Scarlett crouched down next to me and whispered in my ear, "Did you tell her?"

"I wouldn't do that," I told her quietly. "I can't tell you what she told me any more than I can tell her what you told me. You should ask her. Are you coming kayaking?"

She hugged me. "Yes. And thank you."

"Don't go overboard. Make sure you both know what you're doing before you lose your heart more than you have. And the alpha already knew, by the way."

"She sees everything."

A male, his face vaguely familiar from the council meeting, stopped by. He complained about his beer being empty while looking pointedly at me. I started to get up, but Lara clamped a hand on my shoulder and asked Scarlett to make sure everyone had the drinks they wanted.

The male looked annoyed then turned away. I looked over my shoulder at Lara, and she said quietly, "Mine."

I laid my head on her leg. "Yours."

She felt nice.

Dusk began to settle in. Lara caressed my head. "We seem to have some pack business to conduct. Little fox, as you have so forcefully declared yourself as not pack, perhaps you can wait in our bedroom."

"All right," I said. "How long should I remain there?"

"When it is proper for you to return, someone will retrieve you. No eavesdropping, Michaela."

I got up, using her leg as a lever, and she squeezed my hand. I walked behind her, brushing my fingers through her hair, and headed straight for the house.

Rory stopped me. "I know you know what's going on," he said. "Tell me and I'll share the pot with you."

"Sorry, Rory. I may know, I may not. But if I know and told you, Lara would be very unhappy with me."

Scarlett and Angel were just finishing in the kitchen. "Angel, do you have your iPod? May I borrow it during the pack meeting they're having?"

"Sure." She pulled it out of her pocket and handed it over. "You know how to use it?"

"Yes. I'm not that old."

She laughed.

"You two better get outside.

"Is it true?" Angel asked. "It's just us, you can tell us."

"Angel, you are very clever, and I'm sure you understand when I tell you, I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Oh my god, it's true!" She ran around the room, jumping in the air and pumping her fist, and I laughed watching her. She hugged Scarlett then they both hugged me.

"Angel," I said. "If Lara thinks I have confirmed or denied any rumors, it will go very, very badly for me. Now please get out there. I did NOT confirm nor deny whatever it is you are so excited about."

"But you know," she said.

"Know what?" I asked.

"What's going on?"

"What is going on is that I am not invited to pack business, so I am going to go upstairs and relax until someone tells me it's over and I can come back outside. So please go outside looking vexed that I wouldn't tell you anything."

"Yes, Michaela," she said. "See you later."

They headed outside, and I plugged the ear buds in and searched for some palatable music. It was quite the search, then I found her section titled "retro" and was shocked it was music from when I was her age. Retro? I was not retro! Still, it was good music.

I played the music loudly enough that I couldn't hear anything from outside the house. Lara had ordered me not to eavesdrop. She might some day learn how good my hearing was, and I wanted to be able to honestly tell her I hadn't listened in.

I also didn't hear when a four-footed wolf entered the house and climbed the stairs. I had left the door partly ajar but had my eyes closed and was somewhat startled when I felt a cold wolf nose against my neck. I almost startled out of my skin, opening my eyes and leaping away from a grinning Gia in fur.

"You startled me!" I told her. "Am I being summoned?"

She chuffed and turned towards the door.

"Feet or fur?" I asked her.

She didn't answer.

"Gia, please. Feet or fur?"

She turned around, returned to my side, and gently took my hand, pulling me towards the door.

"Feet it is," I told her.

It was somewhat intimidating when I stepped out of the house and saw the assembled wolves, every single one in fur except for Lara. The bonfire was going, and she was standing before it, backlit. I stopped and stared at the assembled wolves, all of them looking at me expectantly. There was a clear path to Lara, and there was a circle of wolves flanking her to either side, Elisabeth to her immediate left, and a gap to her right.

Gia had paused briefly, allowing me a moment to take it all in, then she led the way through the assembled wolves, me following behind her.

I followed Gia right to the edge of the circle, perhaps four paces short of Lara. Gia turned to me for a moment, offered a wolfy smile, and stepped to the side, joining the other wolves. I turned back to face Lara.

"Alpha," I said. "I believe you requested my presence."

"Michaela Redfur, alpha fox of the Bayfield foxes, dearest friend of the Madison wolves, close personal friend to many wolves gathered here today, and rescuer of our young, I greet you."

The wolves howled a greeting. I hadn't been near that many howling wolves, and I was forced to cover my ears.

"All right, settle down," Lara said, grinning at them. "Our little fox is so delicate she seems to be damageable simply from our combined voice." There was chuffing at that.

"Thank you, Lara, alpha of the Madison wolves, my protector, my safety, my lover and best friend ever, I am very pleased to greet you." If she was going to engage in flowery speech, I could at least attempt to match her.

Lara looked around before speaking. "The Madison wolves have known of this little fox for some time, since shortly after she first moved into our territory, during the time of the previous alpha. She has lived near us but not amongst us for many years, offering respect during our encounters and displaying a care for our lands and waters like no other. We lived near each other, but we did not know each other, and we would not have called each other friends."

I nodded.

"That changed last summer," she said. "The pack requested your assistance, Michaela, and you offered your assistance along with the hand of friendship. I will never forget our first meeting in your home in Bayfield, and the immortal words."

She grinned. "Alpha, the dishes are in that cupboard."

The wolves chuffed in amusement.

"You were small, and frightened, and your history has taught you to be very wary around wolves, but you fed us a meal and you offered your hand, and that day was a turning point."

It was then I realized I was starting to cry, tears crawling slowly down my cheeks. I brushed them away.

"Since then, at significant risk to yourself, you have continued to help the pack, proving your loyalty and integrity far beyond any expectation. In spite of your diminutive size, you have been brave and strong, and I could not be more proud to have you in my life."

The pack began howling again, somewhat subdued from last time, but again I covered my ears. Whatever would it sound like if they were all here?

The howling turned into chuffing, which I could handle.

"Michaela, the Madison wolves wish to thank you for your friendship and loyalty." Then she stepped past me, and I turned to face her. "I ask you, my wolves, my pack, my friends, shall we set new history? Shall we invite this fox to our pack, to share both our responsibilities and our rewards? To hunt our lands, defend our young, and defeat our enemies? Who here would see this done?"

The wolves howled, and it was beyond deafening. I covered my ears, cringing, but Lara let them howl. She stepped to me and turned me, facing this way and that, and every wolf had nose to the air, howling in approval. She turned me to face the council, and they were also howling for me.

Then Lara held up a hand, and they quieted. I slowly lowered my hands from my ears. Lara walked around me, and I followed her with my head. "It appears, little fox, that the decision tonight is unanimous, or nearly so. One vote remains."

I looked around, wondering who hadn't voted, and Lara grinned. "We have not heard your vote, Michaela Redfur. What say you?"

I looked around, finding familiar wolf faces. I could barely see Angel and Scarlett. Janice was there, standing next to Francesca. Gia had melted into the crowd, and I didn't see her right away, but Eric and Rory were watching me. I turned to look at Elisabeth, and then finally to Lara.

"Yes, absolutely yes."

Again, the wolves went crazy with their howls, but Lara held up her hand immediately. "Let us save her ears for a moment or two, I think." She stepped up beside me. "Me first, then Elisabeth," she said quietly. I nodded understanding.

"Michaela Redfur, alpha fox of the Bayfield foxes, if you wish to henceforth be known as Michaela Redfur, omega fox of the Madison weres, show us your fox and your devotion."

"Omega?" I asked her quietly.

"Later," she said just as quietly.

I nodded, unbuttoning the top three buttons of my blouse. I stepped away from her, towards the right several paces, then in a blink I turned and dashed to her, leaping for her and shifting midair. My clothing fluttered off me, and Lara caught me in mid air, laughing. I had surprised her. She held me for a moment, showing me off. The pack chuffed their amusement. Lara set me down, and I immediately rolled onto my back, offering my neck.

Lara took her time, leaving me there at her feet, while she disrobed. Everyone was silent, and I waited patiently, looking up at her.

She was so beautiful.

Then she shifted, and her wolf stood over me, just as beautiful. She set a paw on my chest and slowly lowered her mouth around my throat. She held me like that, and I waited. She began increasing the pressure on my chest and on my throat, and when it was on the edge of painful, much tighter than I usually allowed, I whimpered softly.

The wolves all chuffed their pleasure. Lara released me, and I climbed to my feet, shaking out my fur. I looked towards Elisabeth, walking towards her, lowering my belly to the ground until I was stalking her. She stared at me, not moving, and then right in front of her, I rolled onto my back.

Elisabeth was more forceful than Lara had been. She lowered her chest to mine, pinning me firmly, almost uncomfortably, before wrapping her jaws over my throat. I whimpered nearly immediately, but she didn't release me until I whimpered again, more loudly.

Lara chuffed. I rolled onto my feet, and she looked pointedly at the ground next to her. I stepped into place and sat. Lara leaned against me, and then Elizabeth was on my other side, also leaning against me, then they both raised their noses to the air and began to howl in pleasure. The entire pack joined them.

And my hearing was protected by Lara and Elizabeth, each pressed against me, my delicate ears shielded with their thick bodies.

The howling went on and on, but finally Lara dropped her nose from the air, looking down at me still huddled between her and Elizabeth, and the wolves grew quiet. She licked me once, then yipped twice before dashing through the assembled wolves and into the forest, nearly every wolf following in pursuit. They were gone in seconds.

If I had been wolf, I am sure I would have been meant to follow, but I couldn't keep up. I looked over at Elizabeth then lay down in the grass, watching the woods.

We stayed like that for some time, the wolves making so much noise I presumed they wouldn't be expecting to catch any game tonight. Lara ran them east for a while, then I heard them double back. When they were still some distance out, Lara barked twice. I looked up at Elisabeth, and she leaned down with her nose and nudged me towards the woods.

I took off running towards Lara, Elisabeth beside me, keeping to my fox pace. I took us straight to Lara, then rolled over on my back in front of her. She licked my face and nudged me to get up, then set off through the woods at a pace a fox could bear. I ran along beside her.

 **Fleecing**

"Time to get up, little fox of mine," Lara said gently. "How are your ears today?"

"Better," I said, stretching before cuddling back into her. "There are parts of me that are still a little sore."

"What parts are those?" she asked me playfully.

"The parts that got the most attention late last night," I replied. "Someone was insatiable."

Lara pulled me closer. "You don't know how happy you have made me."

"Did anyone else guess?"

"Angel and Scarlett split the prize money. It was significant."

We cuddled. "How much time do we have?"

"A little," she responded. "You're expected at the school again today."

"When are you going to tell me about tonight?"

"This afternoon sometime, I believe. I didn't tell you this, but you're going to visit the council again today."

I pulled away from her, looking at her. "Should I worry?"

"No."

"All right," I said. "Lara, what does omega mean? If alpha is first, and omega is the last letter in the Greek alphabet-"

"No, that's not it," she said. "An omega wolf is outside the dominance structure. Rarely there are wolves who are neither dominant nor submissive. It's unusual. And sometimes we have deeply submissive wolves who excel at a job, such as being a doctor, where the wolf would need to give orders and be obeyed but a submissive wolf would be laughed at."

"Well," I said, and I moved until I lay on top of her. "I am feeling my own brand of dominance right now." I bent down and kissed her, then began trailing a line of kisses down her body.

"I thought you were sore," Lara said, squirming. "And you know I'm not going to let you stay on top."

"You could, you know. You might like it."

In response, she reared up. I pushed on her shoulders, trying to push her back onto the bed, but I didn't even slow her down. She wrapped her arms around me, shifted, and I immediately found myself underneath her. She pinned me in place with her body while she kissed me.

I didn't even struggle. Sometimes she liked it when I did, but she also liked it when I submitted to her. But when she broke the kiss I said, "I really am sore, Lara."

"Then what were you starting?"

"I don't mind if you're on top," I said. "But I want to taste you. Please."

She kissed me again then turned around, offering herself to me. I raised my head and began to lick, slowly.

She tasted divine.

It was shortly after lunch that Gia retrieved me from the school. Like yesterday, I followed her to the second floor of the barracks and waited outside the conference room. My wait was brief, and when Elizabeth opened the door, I stepped inside.

"Lara didn't tell me what was going on or whether there are protocols for me to follow," I told Elisabeth.

"Be polite. You'll be fine."

She opened the inner door and I stepped inside.

The room looked the same as yesterday, but this time there was a seat waiting for me.

"Please sit, little fox of the Madison wolves." She said it with a smile. I took my seat and waited to see what they wanted.

"Michaela," Lara said. "What is discussed in these chambers must never be discussed with anyone else. Never. No exceptions. Is that clear?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"The pack has need of your services." She sat, looking at me, and her body language was unclear. So was Elisabeth's. I waited. She hadn't told me anything yet. "Michaela, we find ourselves in need of, well, it's not quite the right word, but it's what we have for words. We need a spy."

I stared at her.

"I have no training in such matters," I said. "You can certainly find a human mercenary who would serve far better than I would. Furthermore, I am deeply hampered by my inability to travel readily outside pack territory."

My mind started moving a million miles a minute, and the first thing I did was shut down my expressions. I made a conscious effort to sit very still in the chair, holding my hands calmly in my lap, and gazing casually at Lara. It took everything I had.

I didn't find it remotely coincidental they made the offer they had yesterday only to ask me to risk my life for the pack today. That wasn't remotely a coincidence. The only thing that wasn't clear was how long Lara had been planning this. Was our entire relationship a sham?

Could she be that good an actor?

She was the alpha. She could be good at anything. I didn't think the entire pack could, but I was sure everyone in this room could be acting when dealing with me.

I schooled my features and waited to learn more. Then I would decide how far I would need to run.

"Spy may not be the right word," Lara said. "And we would not send you into a dangerous setting. Surely you know I could never do that to you. Everything I have ever done has been to keep you from danger."

Perhaps it had all been part of the recruitment plan. I wondered how naive I had been all this time.

"No, certainly, but I don't understand."

"Initially, tonight, we have guests," Lara said. "From Chicago. Relationships with Chicago have been stressed for a very long time. There have been overtures from them lately, but we do not fully trust them."

"They are coming to your poker game."

"Yes," said Lara.

"What do you want from me?"

"Simply learn whatever you can. Watch them and decide if you feel they are being deceitful."

"So a fox lie detector."

She smiled. "Yes."

"I can do that," I said. "I don't promise accuracy. What else?"

"For now, that is all. In the future, we don't know." Lara's body language still had me puzzled.

"All right," I said. "May I ask a question?"

"Of course."

"Why is this a council issue? Why didn't you just ask me quietly yourself?"

Vivian answered, "Because we know you have questions you are not asking, questions that should be asked of the council, not only of the alpha."

"All right," I said. "What questions am I not asking?"

"You are wondering when we knew we would need these services from you. You are wondering how long we have been discussing your status. And I think perhaps, based on how you closed off your features, that you wonder if Lara has been deceitful with you."

Lara looked at Vivian, then at me, and horror crawled into her face.

"Does your lover's expression answer the last question, fox?" Vivian asked.

"I would never doubt Lara's love for me," I replied. I smiled at Lara. "I love you, too."

But somehow I wasn't convincing. Perhaps it was the stiff way I was sitting.

"You doubt me. Michaela, how can you doubt me?"

"I never said I doubted you," I pointed out. "Vivian did."

"She isn't going to admit it, Alpha," Vivian said. "But if you push her, she will be forced to lie to you. Right now she wonders what game we are playing with her, and I don't blame her one bit."

"How can you doubt me, Michaela?"

I opened my mouth to deny it. "Ms. Redfur, perhaps I can explain," Vivian offered.

"Oh certainly," I said. "Be my guest." It was said somewhat sarcastically, and I regretted my tone. I was starting to slip.

"Lara, she doubts you because she doubts herself. She believes, deep, deep down, that the only thing a wolf can see when looking at her is prey. At her core, she can not believe you love her, or at least it is so much easier for her to believe you will hurt her than love her."

My control wavered even further. I felt the tears crawling into my eyes. I tried to push them away.

"Don't listen to her, Lara," I said. "We're fine. What do you need me to do?"

"Lara," Vivian said gently. "She loves you from the bottom of her heart. Michaela, Lara loves you equally as much."

I turned to look at her. "You have raised interesting questions and suggested these are my questions. Would you care to answer the questions you think I have raised?"

She laughed. "Carefully said. All right. Clearly the timing of yesterday's events was not remotely coincidental. They are definitely related to tonight's. The council could not bring in anyone from outside the pack on this issue, and we believe we need you."

"Thank you for being honest," I replied.

"It is clearly obvious," she said. "And thus not evidence of a lack of duplicity. However, you fear yesterday was a sham. It was not. The council has been discussing your status since the unpleasantness in September. The alpha has not been the only one arguing for inviting you into the pack. And I know she has been working on you to accept the idea as well."

"I take it there were issues that complicated yesterday's offer?"

"Yes," she said. "It is unprecedented to invite a non-wolf into a wolf pack. We had to decide if we were willing to set a new precedent, one that could prove difficult for us in the future."

"Because now you've let in the riff raff and might be forced to let in more?"

"Lara," Vivian said. "That's how she thinks we see her. As riff raff. And worse." She turned back to me. "And no. It's because the other packs will cause difficulty for us. That's a guarantee."

"But you offered anyway."

"Yes, and even without the pressures tonight, we would have gotten past that issue, but it would have taken time. The other issues were about your place in the dominance structure."

Mr. Berg spoke up. "I already told you how I had felt."

I nodded to him.

Vivian continued. "Lara has been trying to push the council into making an offer you could accept. On Monday, things came to a head. We were discussing tonight's events, and Lara said casually, If only Michaela were a member, we could lean on her expertise. It's too bad we can't invite her into the pack in a fashion she could possibly accept."

I looked at Lara. She was nodding.

"We would have come to the offer we gave you yesterday," Vivian. "If more of us had taken time to get to know you like some of us finally did yesterday, perhaps it would have happened sooner rather than later. But, bluntly, most of us were rather dismissive of you. A fox? What could Lara possibly see in you?"

"I think I understand."

"Deep down, most of us will always have a hard time understanding you, Michaela," Vivian said. "May I ask some very personal questions?"

"I guess," I said.

"Are you afraid all the time?"

"No," I said. "Not all the time. I'm not afraid when Lara is holding me. Sometimes when I'm out on the lake in my kayak, I'm not afraid."

"Lara, I believe your fox needs you," Vivian said.

Lara got up and was immediately at my side, pulling me into her arms. I clung to her, breathing deeply, and trying very hard not to cry.

"Michaela," Vivian said. "I know you still are wondering if Lara is just an exceptionally good actress and has been leading you on for months. Maybe it is just a small part of you that wonders this. But I want you to look around this room. Everyone in here is asking for your help. We're asking because we trust your judgment. Would we trust your judgment if we knew it was flawed?"

I buried my face in Lara's chest, sucking in wracking sobs. Lara held me tightly, clutching at me as hard as I was clutching at her.

No one said anything for a while. I couldn't believe all these people were sitting here watching me cry. Finally I settled down, and someone had slid a box of tissues to my place at the table. I wondered why wolves needed tissues. I glanced at the box while taking several to deal with my disorder.

"I think for future meetings of the council, the little fox should sit next to the alpha," Vivian said. "We may be able to keep things moving more smoothly that way."

"I am so sorry," I said.

Vivian looked around the room. "We have thrown a lot at you in a short time, and you have a great deal of cause to distrust wolves."

I looked around the room and found Violet. "I am sorry for what I said yesterday at dinner."

"About putting a bell on me?" She asked. I nodded. "Don't apologize. I was put out at the time, but Vivian pointed out you were making a reasonable attempt to cope with a deeply difficult situation, and that it was a mistake to think of you as wolf. In fact," she said. And then shifted and I heard a bell. I stared at her.

Then Vivian shifted, and there was a bell. Then one by one, the other members shifted, and there was the sound of a little jingle bell.

I couldn't help it. I began laughing. They had done something silly just to make me feel better.

"Don't expect us to wear them in public," Mr. Berg said. "But we wanted you to know we have a sense of humor. And to make sure you understand. You are one of us now."

I breathed in Lara's scent again and looked up into her face. I was about to apologize.

"No, little fox," Vivian said. "You had every right to question things. Do not apologize for doing so."

Lara kissed me quickly, then whispered in my ear. "We're fine. More than fine. All right?" I nodded.

"All right," I said. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just pay attention tonight," said Lara. "And lose."

"What?"

"We're playing a long game," she said.

"You're making me lose my own money? I'm not rich like everyone else in here."

"We'll let you win it back," Vivian said. "But there needs to be a paper trail showing you pulled the money out of your own account, and we can't turn around and replace it next week. It needs to look like you lost, and it needs to stand up to a pretty solid investigation."

"Besides," said Elizabeth. "Most of it is Janice's money anyway."

I laughed. "And some of yours, and quite a bit of Malcolm's, and not a small amount of the alpha's. But still, I worked hard for that money!"

"Especially the alpha's," Elisabeth said. "You definitely worked hard for her money."

"Elisabeth!" I said.

She looked at me smugly.

"All right," I said. "Was there more?"

"We're meeting them for dinner," Lara said. "We'll leave in an hour. You'll need to get ready right away. I'll be over in a bit."

"All right," I said. I breathed her in once more then stepped away.

An hour later, I was dressed and waiting for Lara. There was a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said.

Vivian stood in the door. I was surprised to see her. "I wanted to talk to you alone," she said. She crossed the room and stood in front of me, studying me. I looked up at her.

"You are remarkable," she said finally. Then she reached out a hand offering me a business card. Vivian was a psychologist. "I can help. If you do not call me, I will approach the alpha. But I think perhaps you would prefer we keep this between ourselves."

I stared at the card, then looked up at her.

"From time to time, when it's especially bad, I wonder what it would be like to visit some sort of counselor. I can imagine the reaction a human would have when I said, I am a were fox, and when I was fourteen, a pack of wolves killed everyone in my family but me. They chased me down, but I killed them, one by one. After that, I found and buried my family before running, running for years."

"They would lock you up."

"I could prove the were fox part, but I can just imagine the cover up that would cause."

She laughed. "Quite. Will you promise to call me, or do I need to ask Lara to make you call me?"

"I will call, but give me time to get used to the idea."

"A few days," she said. "We can do telephone calls when you are in Bayfield, but we need to start in my office or here."

"Everyone will know," I said. "If we do it here."

"Lara will know, but do you intend to hide it from her?"

"No."

"Call me. Soon."

"I will. Thank you."

Vivian left and Lara came upstairs a few minutes later. I had known she was in the house, of course. Lara entered our bedroom and looked at me.

"I am sorry I doubted you," I told her immediately.

"It looked suspicious," she said. "It was suspicious." She crossed the room and stood in front of me, her presence offering me her body and comfort, but not assuming I would accept it. I moved closer, not quite touching, waiting for her to take the last bit. She did, stepping closer, but her arms didn't wrap around me until I pressed myself fully against her. And then we held each other.

I looked up, seeing her jaw more than her eyes. "I need to know. Are we all right?" I asked her.

She looked down into my eyes. "Yes, little fox. We are perfect. Was what you told Vivian true? This is when you feel safe?"

"It's when I don't fear," I said. "Hold me tighter." She squeezed just a little more firmly, always careful with me. "Lara, there used to be only one thing I feared: wolves."

"Do you still fear wolves?"

"Yes, just not every wolf. But now there is something I fear more than that."

"Oh honey."

"I fear you won't love me."

"You can banish that fear. It won't happen." I didn't say anything. "Honey, you know that, don't you?"

"Sometimes I do. Not often, Lara."

"How can you doubt?"

"Vivian already told you."

I felt Lara smile in victory. "Everything Vivian said was right, wasn't it?"

"Yes."

"Even the part where she told you that I loved you as much as you love me."

I pulled away slightly so I could actually see her face. "You keep forgetting how much I hate losing arguments."

"It's a good thing this wasn't an argument then."

She pulled me to her again, and I felt better, almost as if this might last. Even as I recognized the feelings, I knew they were fleeting. The doubts would return, but for now I was safe and I was loved.

I wriggled against her, settling in a little more, but my confidence returning and, along with it, an unhealthy amount of playfulness. Lara sensed the change but couldn't know what it may portend. I raised my mouth to the underside of her jaw and kissed her. Then I lowered my lips to her throat and kissed.

She stiffened slightly. "If I feel teeth, little fox-" she began to warn.

I nipped her throat.

She knew I was going to do it, and the reaction, as always, was instant. She bore me to the floor, swiftly, firmly, but with a great deal of care. She pressed me against the floor with her body and then her mouth was over my throat.

"Oh, my strong wolf," I said, clutching at her. I don't know when in our relationship I had begun craving it when she did this. I didn't like offering the submission, but when she took it like this, it filled me with happiness.

She held me like that, waiting for the whimper, the whimper I hadn't offered yet. She tightened her mouth slightly, reminding me she could crush my throat even as a human.

"Alpha, please mark me," I told her. "Mark me as yours."

She growled in her throat, a growl she reserved for me. Then her mouth shifted, slightly, and she bit the skin. I felt the puncture, a moment of pain. I gasped from it, but it had been what I wanted. I held her tightly.

She pulled away, and I opened my eyes to look at her. Her expression was glazed, and then she looked at my neck and her brow furrowed.

I reached a hand and caressed her cheek. "Thank you," I told her.

"I hurt you."

"No. You did what I asked."

"You asked me to hurt you." She examined my neck. "Shit, it's not healing."

"I don't heal as fast as you. It will be gone by morning, but everyone will see it tonight. Everyone will know whose teeth did this. Thank you." I smiled. "But perhaps I should lie here until you retrieve a cloth I can use until it stops bleeding."

She flew to the bathroom, returning immediately with a clean washcloth. She pressed it into place, then I put my hand over it, holding it there.

"Did I bleed into the clothing?"

She examined me. "No."

"Please help me up, then get ready. It will be done bleeding by the time you're ready."

She pulled me to my feet, but her brow was furrowed.

"Lara," I said. "This was protection. Listen to me. Protection."

"What?" she said.

"I wear the alpha's mark on me. I can't imagine a clearer message. This is you protecting me."

Her expression cleared, and she kissed my forehead. "You know that means I'm going to start doing it all the time."

I laughed. "Only when I invite you to."

She laughed and hurried to dress.

When we exited the house later, the limousine was waiting for us. Eric was driving, and Vivian was waiting for us by the back door. As I drew closer, she noticed my neck but didn't say anything. Once we were seated and rolling through the gates, she eyed it in a pointed fashion. "When did the two of you have time to get that distracted?"

Lara looked embarrassed, but I laughed. "I wanted to wear a clear message. I didn't think I should count on subtlety."

"So it was your idea?"

"Of course," I said. "You do know who the dominant one in our relationship is, don't you?"

Vivian laughed and Lara looked flustered. In response, I leaned against her in the car, resting my head against one of my favorite places: her shoulder.

"You are remarkably resilient, fox," Vivian said. "I see your confidence now and I compare this to little more than an hour ago. I can't believe this is the same person."

I shrugged one shoulder. "I don't like the person you saw an hour ago," I said. "I don't like being the scared fox. She comes out when I am losing control of my life. This is the fox you will see when I am the one in control."

We rode in companionable silence for a while, Vivian's eyes never leaving me. I knew she was studying me. I decided I didn't mind. Once we were on the highway, I shifted to look up at Lara. "Vivian has offered to allow me to visit her professionally."

"I thought she might," Lara said.

"Vivian, I don't know if I will be able to talk to you without Lara there."

"Will you be able to talk to me in front of her? And Lara, will you be able to hear everything the little fox needs to tell me."

"I've heard it before," Lara said.

"Not all of it," I said quietly.

"Have I heard the worst?"

"In some ways, yes," I said. "In some ways, no." I looked at Vivian. "Perhaps the first few times when she is along. Perhaps there will be days I need to tell you things she shouldn't hear."

"There are no things I shouldn't hear," Lara said firmly.

"There are, and I will be the one to decide, not you."

She pursed her lips but finally nodded.

"How do I pay you, Vivian?"

"You don't. You are pack. Pack helps pack."

I looked at her. "How many of your patients are pack?"

"I can't answer that," Vivian said.

"All right, of those members that are pack, what percentage of them do not pay you?"

She laughed. "Those whose jobs do not pay them enough to pay me."

"My job provides insurance," I said with a smile.

"I do not believe we want to submit paperwork to a human recording system," Vivian said.

"Don't argue with her, Michaela," said Lara. "Say thank you."

"Thank you, Vivian," I said, and we all smiled at each other.

I took a breath. "Who am I meeting?"

"The Chicago alpha and his two sons," Lara said. "They have a modest contingent of enforcers. The enforcers will not be eating and they will not be playing."

"Will the enforcers be in the room during the game?" I asked.

"Maybe two of theirs, two of ours," Lara said. "Six players. The three of us, the three of them."

"How badly are they going to be offended playing poker with a fox?"

"They extended the invitation to our best player," Lara said. "Without knowing who that is."

"And we're sure that's me?"

"Yes. Second best is Janice."

"And you, Vivian, instead of Elisabeth?"

"I am there for the same reasons you are, Michaela. To observe. I will see things you do not."

I nodded.

"Lara, if things go bad, I am not leaving your side."

"If things go badly, you will be whisked out of that room so fast your head will spin," she said in response. "I have already given those orders."

"Listen to me. If things go badly, you need every enforcer you have. And I need to be surrounded by every enforcer you have. If you send me away with two enforcers, that's two that could be helping you, but it's also only two protecting me. Frankly, if I need any protection at all, I need more than two."

"Damn it!" said Lara. "I need you safe."

"The safest place will be with you."

Vivian stayed out of it. "Damn it!" Lara said again. She pulled her phone out and made a phone call. I heard Elisabeth's voice. "Damn it!" she said into the phone.

"What did she do now, Alpha?" Elisabeth asked.

Lara relayed the conversation. "She's probably right," was Elisabeth's response. "Give her the phone."

I held out my hand even before Lara could turn to me. "You heard that?" Lara asked?

"Of course. A human would have."

Lara handed me the phone. "Little fox, will you follow my orders?"

"Yes, subject to the conditions just discussed."

"No. You will follow my orders, or we have a problem."

I thought about it. "You're right, Elisabeth. To the best of my ability, I will follow your orders."

"Good. In all situations, you will protect yourself. You will do everything you can to make sure Lara does not need to worry about you so she can worry about herself. She needs to know you will be safe, and that means you must do nothing foolish. She knows you can be very evasive. She worries when you are not evasive."

"Yes, Elisabeth. I can be very evasive. Is it all right if I bite the occasional hamstring while being evasive?"

She laughed. "As long as doing so in no way hinders your ability to evade."

"It won't. I promise."

"We have an agreement, Michaela?"

"Yes, Elisabeth. Here's the alpha." I handed the phone back to Lara. The two talked for a minute longer while I eavesdropped.

"We're not expecting things to go like that," Lara said to me afterwards. "But it is good to be prepared."

"Can we talk about something pleasant for a while?" I suggested. "Like when you're going to move the pack to Bayfield?"

Vivian snickered. "You know, that came up in council, too. There was even a certain amount of support for it, but economically it isn't feasible."

"I know," I said. "But I don't have a solution for myself. I'm not a Madison kind of fox." I leaned further into Lara. "I am tired of us being apart."

"Do not despair yet, little fox," Lara said quietly.

I looked up into her face, hope seeping back into my bones.

"We can't move the pack, but maybe, and I use that word cautiously. Maybe we can increase our presence there." Suddenly she began smiling, and then more than smiling. Her entire body lit up in joy.

"Tell me, Lara," I told her.

"I have to check some things first," she said.

"Give me a hint?"

"Not yet. It's only an idea, and I need to check if it's viable."

"I have cause to hope?"

"I think I can keep you doing what you love to do while also being with me most nights. Maybe not every night, but most."

"In Bayfield?"

"No more questions, little fox. We have arrived."

I disliked the Chicago wolves on sight. Of course, the feeling was clearly mutual.

We met at a steak and seafood restaurant, another pack business, of course. Elisabeth met us curbside, flanked by a cadre of enforcers. Suddenly, everything was serious. The enforcers looked grim. I felt like I was in the middle of a bad mob movie. I decided to keep my mouth shut about it. I didn't like the idea I was playing the part of the mobster's moll.

Lara caught my expression though and asked me, "What's so funny?"

"I'm just wondering who is going to play me in the movie adaptation."

That broke the tension for just a moment, but then as a group we turned down the sidewalk. At the other end of the block, facing us, was a similar contingent of wolves, all males, and even from this distance, I could tell they were huge.

"Size does matter," I said under my breath.

"Some of the most dangerous creatures on the planet are exceedingly small," Lara said.

"That pack," I said, thrusting out my chin to point, "prides itself on one thing and one thing only. We can use that."

Vivian looked over at me. "Very astute. But don't underestimate their intelligence, little fox."

"Underestimating my foe is not one of my more prevalent weaknesses," I replied. "But look, the middle one, that's the alpha, isn't it? He's already thrusting out his chest, and those two flanking him are even worse. They're going to try to intimidate us with their size."

"Yes," Vivian agreed. "They are."

Then there was some signal I didn't see, and both groups were moving forward, meeting in the middle of the block. Polite words of greeting were exchanged between the alphas and the principals were introduced.

The Chicago alpha was Durian Grant. His sons were Jared and Avery. They already knew Vivian; I was introduced, and the wolves were unhappy to see me.

"You insult us with your plaything's presence," the Chicago alpha said.

"You requested our best player," Lara said. "You didn't specify race. We would not have insulted you with the second string."

"I could snap her like a twig," Avery said, sneering at me.

Lara, standing slightly in front of me, tensed her muscles. I laid a hand on her back before saying, "But you won't because you are a guest in our territory. Lara, is this restaurant everything I have heard?"

I had never heard a word about the restaurant, of course.

"Yes, I believe it is," she said.

There was fumbling at the door with different wolves jostling for position. I solved it by slipping past everyone and being the first through the door. That earned some snarls, and I kept my ears on high alert, but no one leapt after me.

Our numbers were even; four enforcers each for seven pack members total in each contingent, but physically we were at a disadvantage. Neither Vivian nor I were likely to hold our own in a physical altercation. We had brought brains against their brawn. Of course, we were in our territory, and I daresay the majority of the restaurant guests would be on our side, if push should come to shove.

This wasn't a good situation for them to start something.

We were seated in a back room, six of us at a round table large enough to offer some distance, two enforcers from each contingent in the room, two more waiting outside. The alphas sat between their respective lieutenants. I was on Lara's left, Vivian on her right. Closest to me was Jared. So far he had been quiet, and he didn't see to have his brother's testosterone problem. Elisabeth and Rory were with us; Eric and John waited outside. I would have expected Eric inside but then realized that he was the calmer between him and Rory, and we needed Eric to maintain order in the other room.

I decided that Avery was the one most likely to do something stupid. Jared would be the worst enemy but least likely to force us all in that direction. But I also decided Durian assigned greater value to his hothead son than his more contemplative offspring. That said quite a lot about Durian as well.

Waiters arrived, asking for our choice of drinks. Lara and Durian both ordered bottles of wine, and I quietly asked for lemonade and handed my wine glass to the waiter. Jared noticed, but no one said anything until the wine was poured and I was the only one holding something else.

"You refuse to drink with us?" Durian asked me gruffly.

"I am so small," I said, "even a tiny amount of alcohol goes right to my head. That might be all right, but when I get tipsy, I tend to shift. And then I run around the room yapping like a crazed Pomeranian. Lara tells me it is annoying and won't let me drink anymore."

"I hate Pomeranians," Lara said under her breath.

Durian guffawed. "Everyone hates Pomeranians. And not enough meat on their bones to make them worth it, either."

Jared eyed me with speculation, saying nothing.

Lara ordered meals for both of us. I hadn't ordered in a restaurant since meeting her, although sometimes she asked me what mood I might be in. We both enjoyed the interplay, and I particularly enjoyed wondering what she might choose for me. She had made a few mistakes, but she had learned from them, and now I was always pleased with her choices. I ate things I may not have picked, but that was part of the fun.

She ordered a large steak for herself and roast chicken for me. Vivian ordered fish. The other three wolves all ordered steaks. "Bloody," said Durian.

Conversation was tense. Jared and I tended to stay out of it. Avery made comments proving he was both ignorant and stupid. Durian's comments were marginally better.

I didn't like the way he looked at Lara. I imagined they weren't happy to be across the table from three females. And then I asked myself whether that was throwing them off.

Our dinner arrived, all of it in wolf-sized portions. I transferred the amount I wanted onto a bread plate, sliding my big plate in front of me. Lara added a fox portion of her steak to my plate and helped herself to some of the chicken. Jared, Lara and Vivian ate modestly for wolves. Durian and Avery gorged themselves.

"Are you going to eat that?" Jared asked me, gesturing to the chicken.

I glanced at Lara to see if she wanted it. She ignored the exchange, so I told him, "Help yourself. I have a fox sized appetite, as you can see."

Jared took the plate, thanked me, and then slid it down the table to his father. Durian looked at it with disdain and would have shoved it away, but did so in a fashion Avery could grab it if he wanted. Avery wolfed down my remaining chicken.

Inwardly I smiled. Let him gorge himself. What little blood normally made it to fuel his brain would head to his stomach instead, making him even more stupid that he already was.

Conversation throughout the meal was strained. Durian asked about Lara's businesses and the health of the pack. Lara answered with unhelpful answers, directing questions back towards Chicago. Avery spent five minutes bragging about a chain of shopping malls he owned, but I wondered if they weren't falling into a state of disrepair. I started to wonder about the financial status of the Chicago wolves. I thought perhaps Durian and Avery lived off tithe and not their own merits.

"Would it be impertinent for me to ask a question?"

"Not at all," Jared answered before anyone else could. I don't think his father was happy with that response, but he was enough of a father not to contradict him in front of Lara.

"Do your wolves tithe, Durian? If so, what percentage?"

"Of course they tithe!" he said firmly. "They are all lazy, of course, but they tithe thirty percent. A weak leader may demand less, but a strong leader is owed a proper tithe."

Jared looked pained by the response. He wasn't an open book, but he was still a wolf. The Chicago wolves would be far better led by this wolf than their current leader or the presumptive heir.

I wondered if they realized how much they were telling me.

Dinner finally finished and we pushed away from the table. Avery had switched to beer halfway through the meal, and I had to admire his capacity. Jared drank wine with the meal and coffee afterwards. I stuck with lemonade.

"We will play here, but we have a time for a short break," Lara said. "The wait staff can prepare the room." Both contingents retreated to opposite sides of the room. I leaned against Lara and eavesdropped on the other wolves.

"I can't believe these repeated insults," Durian muttered. "Three females, and one not even a wolf."

"You can challenge the alpha here and now," Avery said. "Get this over with."

"Patience," Durian said. "And not so loud. I told you don't get drunk!"

"I'm not drunk," Avery said. "You'll know when I'm drunk. What are we waiting for? Even Jared is bigger than their biggest. We won't even need to shift to take them. Ignore the fox and the old bitch and it's five to three, and two of those three are weak females."

"We are deep in their territory," Jared said. "Sun Tse would suggest, know thine enemy. We do not yet know the enemy. An attack is precipitous."

"That's what you always say," Avery shot back, loudly enough I was sure Lara could hear.

"Keep your voice down!" Durian said, almost as loudly.

"He's a weak coward," Avery said. "I don't know why you are even here, brother."

"He is here to win back the money you will undoubtedly lose," Durian said.

"No one would lose money if we attack now," Avery responded.

"Shut. Up." Durian said. "End of discussion. We stick to the plan."

Avery grumbled after that, but he didn't talk back any further. The wait staff cleaned up the room, and Elisabeth provided Lara with a small package containing poker chips and a dozen fresh decks of playing cards. We sat down and ran into a fresh disagreement.

Who to be banker?

"Let us see your money, gentlemen," Lara said. "The buy in is ten thousand dollars." She pulled out her own envelope and counted out twenty five-hundred-dollar bills in four stacks of five each. She then gave herself her chips, also counting them in front of everyone, and slipped her money into a zippered pouch.

"Who said you're the banker?" Avery asked. "Father should be the banker."

"Our town," Lara said. "Our rules. But perhaps you would prefer if we asked the restaurant manager to bank for us."

"One of your wolves, one we haven't even met?" said Durian. "I don't think so."

It went back and forth and then Jared said, "Let the fox be the banker. It's not like she would be brave enough to cheat us or fast enough to escape us."

Durian really wanted to hold the money, but he realized I was the second best choice for exactly the reasons Jared recommended. And of course, Lara and Vivian would trust me.

So Lara slid the poker chips to me. I counted her money for myself, investigating the bills to assure myself they were not counterfeit, then counted out her chips. That made it impossible for anyone to complain when I did it for everyone else.

When it was time to count my money, I handed the stack to Jared. "If you would, please."

"Where does a fox find this much money?" Durian asked with a sneer. "Perhaps you earned it on your back."

Lara tensed, but I simply smiled. "No," I said. "Most of it I earned at the poker table. Any time I spend on my back is done for the pure joy of it."

Once I had collected everyone's buy in money and distributed poker chips, I wondered what to do with the pouch of cash. I finally took the expedient of sitting on it. Jared smiled, amused. I adjusted until I was comfortable, and we began.

I spend the first hour losing slowly while learning to read the Chicago wolves. I made sure to offer three sets of tells, one set very obvious, one subtle, and one nearly impossible to detect. I hoped I didn't have any I didn't know about. I realized Vivian was offering two intentional sets but also had some subtle tells I didn't think were intentional. Lara was more obvious and easy for me to read.

Of the Chicago wolves, Jared was doing the same thing I was. By the end of an hour, I still wasn't sure I wasn't reading exactly what he wanted me to read. But it took only five hands to have Avery figured out and only a few more after that to know Durian. They both lived off bluff and swagger, and fleecing them would have been easy.

Lara hadn't explained why I was supposed to lose. I realized that was perhaps an important piece of information.

It took a while, but I eventually learned that Jared never raised his brother or father, and if either of them were bidding heavily, he folded, even when I thought he perhaps had a better hand. The only time he took a pot was if both his father and brother had folded or bidding was light enough he had stayed in. I could use that.

By the end of the first hour, I was down twenty percent of my stake, but I was starting to take money from everyone at the table. We played for another half hour, and after a particularly large pot that I won, Lara called for a break.

Avery was steaming. He had tried a particularly poor bluff and lost to the fox.

Each contingent retreated to opposite sides of the table. Vivian begged off for a bathroom break. Avery did as well, but returned promptly afterwards.

And Lara had words for me.

"We told you that you needed to lose," she said. "We need them complacent."

"You never told me why," I said. "And if you aren't going to tell me why, you may want to consider trusting my judgment."

"We're trying to defuse the situation," Lara said. "Letting them win a poker game will help."

"I see. I think we should continue this conversation when Vivian is back and include Elisabeth."

"I think you should do what you are told," Lara said.

"I think you should tell me why you are so upset with me."

She looked down at me. "I am not upset with you, little fox." We leaned together silently.

Avery returned and shot me a look that told me everything. Lara saw it and bristled, but I simply leaned against her more and lifted my lips for a kiss. Durian's body language told me what he thought of two women kissing; it wasn't pretty.

"I want the fox," Avery told his father when he returned. "I haven't been on a fox hunt in years."

"You will need to wait a few more weeks. Stop being such a hothead! I will challenge their female alpha on our territory, not theirs."

"Since when are you afraid of a female?" Avery asked.

Durian almost cuffed him but then saw us watching dispassionately. And now I had their entire plan.

"Lara," I said very quietly. "We are going to lose enough that we are under no obligation to accept a rematch based in Chicago, and under no circumstances are you to accept any invitations to their territory. Do I make myself clear?"

She growled at my tone.

"Trust me or don't trust me," I added. "I will explain later."

"Trust," she said finally.

"Thank you."

Vivian returned, and we resumed the game.

We spent the rest of the evening with money moving around the table, carefully orchestrated by me. I decided perhaps Lara and Vivian were willing to lose their entire stake, but it was too much for me. My goal was to keep half of my money by the time the evening ended. I could win back my losses if I could get the pack council to agree to a night or two. That thought made me smile.

Lara and Vivian were both practically shoving money at Durian and Avery. I kept taking some of it back and finding ways to give back to the Lara and Vivian, trying to drag this out until our two AM cutoff. I didn't want the game to be down to just me and the three from Chicago. As bad as they were, they could play conservatively and still clean me out.

Shortly after midnight, I had just handed a large amount of my money to Vivian, shoring up her supplies, and was down to two thousand dollars. I wasn't worried. I could get that back from Avery any time I wanted.

And then I blew it. Hey, it happens.

I had a good hand, an unlikely straight. I thought Jared had two pair. All his tells were saying the same thing, and I'd had a hard time finding any hidden tells. I had built the pot up a little, which drained my resources lower than I liked, and it was down to just Jared and me when Jared asked me, "How much do you have left over there?"

I counted. "Twelve hundred and... fifty."

Jared counted out twelve hundred and fifty dollars in chips and set them into the pot. "That makes you all in or fold." He said it kindly.

He was holding a full house, and I was cleaned out.

I was gracious about it. It happens. Lara and Vivian didn't last much longer. It was Jared who really cleaned them out, but he made it look like his father had done it. The game was finished by one AM.

I was happy it was over but unhappy about the cash I'd spent months winning. I cashed out their chips. Jared leaned to me and said quietly, "Well played. You would have cleaned us out if you hadn't been keeping your alpha and council member alive."

"If they dropped before I had taken out at least one of you, it wouldn't matter. And I don't think either your brother or father would respond well when losing to a fox."

"No, I don't believe they would. Maybe you and I can play sometime in a more appropriate setting."

I looked at him. He had just offered friendship. "I think I would like that. Perhaps for smaller stakes."

He smiled. "Yes, that would be good."

In the meantime, Durian was trying to lure Lara into committing to a trip to Chicago. She kept putting him off. He couldn't say, "You have to let us win our money back," but all Lara said was, "We'll check our schedules and see what we can arrange."

Durian and his group left while we waited behind. And then we followed.

In the limousine, Lara said, "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have had to carry us. I couldn't believe we couldn't do better. Durian and Avery are so easy to read."

"Yes, but it was Jared who orchestrated that." Then I lay down across Lara's lap. "I don't think they'll do anything untoward tonight."

"I agree," Vivian said. "They are mollified now."

"No, they are not," I replied, but they didn't hear me, and I drifted to sleep.

 **Reporting In**

Lara woke me when we arrived at the compound.

"Does the spy report tonight or tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow to the council," Vivian said.

Lara climbed out first, and I put my hand on Vivian's knee. "Vivian, it's bad."

"I know," she said. "But we have time." Then she climbed out and I followed her.

Lara checked in with Elisabeth, sending me to our room. I waited for her, and when she arrived a half hour later, I think she was surprised to see I was sitting on the couch, fretting. I was nearly in tears.

"I'm sorry," I told her the minute she walked in. She closed the door and hurried to me, but I held my hand out. "I need to confess something to you, and I'm so afraid you are going to be angry."

"All right," she said warily.

"I've kept something from you," I said.

She sat down on the sofa. "Something important?"

"I've let you believe something that isn't true," I said. "I've done so very deliberately."

"Keep going," she said slowly.

"That day when we replaced my monitoring station. You wanted to know how I knew where those wolves were. And I wouldn't tell you."

Her face grew relieved. "Oh, that. I know about that. You haven't explained how you do it, but there are a lot of things in this world we can't explain. I just thought you had some special sense wolves don't have. But you haven't lied about it."

"Sort of I did," I said. "Tell me, how much better is your wolf nose than your human nose?"

"Quite a bit. Three or four times better."

"And your human nose, how much better is it than my fox nose?"

"I don't know. I've never seen you track by scent or anything like that."

"My fox nose is much better than my human nose, but my fox nose is not as good as your human nose."

"All right."

"How about your hearing, Alpha? Human as compared to wolf."

"The inner ears aren't any better as a wolf, but we gain a lot by having large directional ears."

"My fox ears are only marginally better than my human ears, maybe twice as good, but then only for the same reasons. They are easier to point."

"Right."

"Alpha," I said. "Can you hear my heart beat?" I knew she couldn't. She shook her head. "I can hear yours."

She stared at me without saying anything. "I've tested your hearing. You barely hear better than a human."

"I know you've tested it. And I let you believe what I wanted you to believe. At first, it was when you didn't trust me, and I didn't want to give away any advantages I didn't have to. After that, I didn't want to admit how many conversations I have overheard that I shouldn't have."

She looked at me with dawning horror. "Last night," she said quietly.

"No," I said. "You told me not to eavesdrop. I borrowed Angel's iPod and I played it loudly enough Gia walked right up to me and laid her cold nose against my neck. You can verify with both of them. I am sure Gia would have heard the music; I wasn't faking."

"How good is your hearing?"

"I can easily hear you walking in the woods up to four hundred yards. And you are not a particularly noisy wolf. If you are running, it's closer to a thousand yards. You should assume, unless the conditions are particularly poor, that I can pick out any conversation within a hundred yards and most conversations from much further. The distance is less if the people are being particularly quiet, whispering into each other's ears. And of course, it won't work at a rock concert."

And then I whimpered and rolled over onto my back on the sofa, my head next to her, offering my neck. "I am sorry, Alpha."

Rather than taking my neck, she kissed me and pulled me into her lap.

"I thought you would be angry."

"No. And I don't blame you. I'm glad you told me. I take it there is no such thing as a private conversation around you."

"There are enough walls in this house that I can't always catch the details of the conversations in the kitchen from up here, if people are speaking sufficiently lowly."

She swore. "The walls are soundproofed!"

I looked up. "I know."

"Why are you telling me now?"

"Because tomorrow I will relay to the council the Chicago wolves' plans to challenge our alpha. Oh, and Avery in particular wants a fox hunt."

"He won't get one!" she said firmly, yanking me against her. "Mine!"

"Yes, Lara. Yours. Please don't crush me."

She relaxed, but her heart was pounding. And if I was ever unsure whether she loved me, I was sure then.

"That's why you told me don't go to Chicago."

"Yes. I know you probably have to tell the council how I know all this. I wish I didn't have to tell."

She smiled. "We don't. We only have to tell Vivian and Elisabeth. No one else knows where you were in the room compared to the conversations taking place."

We cuddled quietly for a few minutes.

"Lara. Alpha."

"Yes, little fox?"

"I want four enforcers assigned to me full time until they are out of our territory. Can you spare them?"

"Oh honey, yes, of course."

"Please take care of it now. They may have felt stymied tonight. I think the cash will buy them off for a while, but I'm scared."

"Of course." She rose from the couch, dislodging me, and retrieved her phone, then settled back down, lifting me back into her arms. She dialed. "I need you, my room, immediately."

"Yes, Alpha," came Elisabeth's voice.

I buried my face in Lara's stomach, and she pet me slowly. "I won't let anything happen to you."

"I know you won't," I said.

Elisabeth arrived at a run, knocking and not waiting for permission to enter.

"Alpha?" she asked.

"The Chicago wolves want a fox hunt. Michaela has asked for four enforcers while they are in our territory."

"Michaela asked?" she was shocked.

I rolled over. "Yes."

"I will handle it," Elisabeth said.

"Unless I am with the alpha, I want no fewer than two with me even if I'm in the bathroom, two more near by. Alpha, may Elisabeth be one."

"Elisabeth damned well is going to be one," Elisabeth said.

"Lara, I presume we're on some sort of high alert."

"Yes."

"Due to what I told you earlier, they can't get within five hundred yards of this compound if I am outside and awake. I am the best warning system we could have. And to be honest, I don't think Avery would even consider being quiet. I'd hear him at a mile."

"Hear?" Elisabeth said.

I looked at her. "Hear."

She put it together. "Oh, you little fox."

"That's hush hush," Lara said immediately. "She has her foxy ways and we don't understand them."

"Of course."

"Elisabeth, I will follow your orders absolutely, but I am safer if we use my ears as much as we can. But I get bored easily, too."

"Can you listen and be entertained at the same time?"

"Yes, as long as the entertainment isn't loud or too distracting."

"Alpha, if they were going to attack or attempt to steal our little fox, I anticipate the most dangerous time to be after midnight, but the little one is too wiped to stand watch tonight."

"I agree," she said.

"I will set a schedule," Elisabeth said.

"The alpha needs more than standard protection as well, Elisabeth."

"She'll get it. No arguments, Lara."

"No arguments," Lara agreed.

"I want the two of you to stay together," Elisabeth said. "As much as possible."

"I like that plan," I said. "So much for my job."

"They're leaving Friday," Elisabeth said.

"Bayfield won't be safe until this is over," Lara said. She looked down at me. "Under orders until this is over."

"My job."

"I'll handle it. Your boss will get another phone call."

"They will get tired of this eventually."

"We'll have another solution by then," Lara said. "I'd rather you just quit, but I understand why you don't want to."

"Angel would be devastated," I said.

Lara laughed. "Angel would get over it. She would be far more devastated if something were to happen-" She broke off. "Did she go back to Bayfield today?"

"Yes," said Elisabeth. "I'll handle it." She picked up her phone, then waited. I heard a sleepy Angel respond. "Angel, it is Elisabeth. Are you in Bayfield?"

"Yes," she said groggily. "What time is it?"

"Middle of the night. Wake up. Go downstairs, splash some water on your face. I'll wait."

"Michaela, is there a house phone?" Elisabeth asked me.

I nodded. "Kitchen wall. I don't use it much."

I couldn't hear much from Angel's end on the phone, but then I heard her come back online. "I am awake," she told Elisabeth.

"Angel, there is a phone on the wall in the kitchen. Pick it up, dial 9-1-1, and tell them you thought you heard several intruders trying to break into the house. Do it now!"

"Elisabeth?"

Lara raised her voice. "Follow orders, Angel. Do what you are told, we'll explain later!"

"I'm calling," she said.

We heard her end of the conversation. And then it was obvious Angel had a phone in each ear as she talked to the dispatchers. "No, I don't think they're in the house, but I'm scared. Please, can you send someone? Several someone's?" Her voice quavered.

We listened as the police arrived, as the police first searched the grounds, then asked to search the house.

"Do you have any contraband, Michaela?" Elisabeth asked me.

"Absolutely not," I said. "My gun is in my glove compartment here. Everything is legal. I'm a government employee!"

"Angel, listen carefully," said Elisabeth. "Let them search the house. And let me talk to the lead officer."

We listened as the police searched the house, then Angel handed the phone to one of the police officers, a woman.

"With whom am I speaking?"

"This is Elisabeth Burns of Burns Personal Security in Madison," she said. "We have had a credible threat against Michaela Redfur, the owner of that house. Angel Greene is a valuable member of our extended family, and we need her in Madison where we can safely watch her while we investigate the threat against Ms. Redfur."

"Was this a false alarm, Ms. Burns?"

"The threat is to kidnap Ms. Redfur, and it is a highly credible threat.

There was a pause. "My report will show Ms. Greene reported possible intruders who were likely scared off by the sirens. What else can the Bayfield police department do?"

"I need Ms. Greene safely in her vehicle, gassed up and with sufficient supplies that she won't need to stop on her drive here. Can you search her vehicle and then provide a strong escort until she is safely on her way? The potential kidnappers know that Ms. Redfur is in Madison tonight, so we do not feel that Ms. Greene would be a direct target, but we do feel that Ms. Redfur's house could be a good place to wait for her. We need to get Ms. Greene here where we can protect her."

"I will be very happy to assist Ms. Greene," said the officer.

"Officer-"

"Hill, ma'am."

"Officer Hill, the people who made this threat would not send only one or two kidnappers. Protect yourself as well."

"Yes, ma'am, your family member will have a significant escort on her way, and we'll make sure no one is directly following her. We can't escort her all the way down there though."

"Full tank of gas and no excuse to stop, and she'll be fine. Thank you very much, officer. Can you put Ms. Greene back on the line."

There was a pause. "Angel," Elisabeth said. "You will get in your car. The police will escort you to the nearest service station. You will gas up to the brim and buy whatever supplies you need, and you will drive straight to the compound without stopping. I don't care if you wet your pants, you will not stop. Do you understand me?"

Then she handed the phone to Lara.

"You heard her, Angel."

"You're scaring me, Alpha. No stopping. I understand."

"Good girl. You're not in trouble." She handed the phone back to Elisabeth.

"Once you are on the road, I want you on hands free calls the entire way. I'll find someone for you to talk to. If you think you are being followed, you will tell me."

"Yes, Elisabeth. What's going on?"

"See you in six hours. Call me back when you're leaving the gas station."

Elisabeth hung up and dialed another number. "Rory, I need Scarlett in the alpha's house within the next ten minutes. She should bring her phone and charger." She hung up without waiting for an answer.

"We're probably over-reacting," I said.

"No, we're not," said Lara. "We are probably reacting in a fashion that nothing will happen. Better safe than sorry."

I nodded. We moved downstairs. I headed towards the kitchen to find refreshments but Elisabeth told me, "Freeze."

"What?" I said, turning around.

"You're the one who asked for the escort. It hasn't arrived yet. Until it does, you do not walk out of a room unless Lara or I are with you."

"There is no one else in the house," I said. "I would have heard them."

"Maybe," she said. "But we're going to develop the proper habits right now."

"Yes, Elisabeth," I said meekly.

Rory appeared several minutes later with a sleepy Scarlett, who had thrown on some clothes over her pajamas. She took in the tableau and said, "Alpha, am I in trouble?"

"No," Lara said. "We need your help."

"Angel needs your help, Scarlett," I said.

That woke her up. "Is she all right?"

Elisabeth walked to Scarlett, took her by the hands, and led her to the sofa. "Yes," she said. "She's fine." Elisabeth explained briefly, offering no more details than Angel had, then said, "We need you to talk to her. Keep her awake. And be on the phone with her the entire time. We need her watching to make sure she isn't being followed."

"Oh god," Scarlett said. "What's going on?"

"Someone wants to kidnap Michaela," Elisabeth said. "And Angel was at Michaela's house. We're getting Angel back here as fast as we can where she'll be safe."

Scarlett looked straight at me. "You are pack, and on one threatens our pack members!"

"Good girl," Lara said. "Exactly. Can you do this, Scarlett?"

"Yes, Alpha. Can someone tell my parents what is going on?"

Elisabeth turned to Rory. "Scarlett is helping the alpha," she said. "Everything is fine."

"On it," he said.

"Then find Eric and send him in."

Angel called several minutes later.

"I'm ready," she told Elisabeth.

"Okay, you're going to hang up and Scarlett is going to call you. Sit right there until she reaches you." Then Elisabeth gestured to Scarlett, who picked up her phone. Elisabeth hung up, and soon Scarlett was talking to Angel quietly. Elisabeth helped hook her up with her charger so she could talk and not lose charge, and Angel was safely on her way.

"The police just dropped off behind her," Scarlett said. "She says she doesn't think she's being followed."

"Keep us posted, Scarlett," Elisabeth said. "For now, keep her awake and alert. Your job is to keep her watching the road, not talking about boys."

"Um. That won't be a problem," Scarlett said.

"Or talking about girls!" Elisabeth said. Scarlett began blushing.

The girls talked quietly, and then Elisabeth escorted me into the kitchen to take care of refreshments. I puttered in the kitchen, and Elisabeth watched over me, not allowing herself to become distracted trying to help. "Thank you, Elisabeth," I said.

"If you're ready to ask for protection, I know it's serious."

I made a tray and carried it into the room. I waited on Scarlett, which surprised her, but she smiled at me and continued talking to Angel.

"Someone should tell Francesca what is going on," I said.

"She'll just worry."

"Lara, if I were the one driving home like this, and Elisabeth kept it from you-"

"Someone should tell Francesca," Lara said immediately.

"I'll send Rory to retrieve her once he gets back," Elisabeth said. "You two should sleep."

"I'll doze here," Lara said from the sofa. I lay down next to her, curling into her, and she put an arm around me. I actually fell asleep, because the next thing I knew, Lara was struggling out from underneath me, and there was a blanket over me. I sat up and saw Francesca and Gia talking to Elisabeth. Lara joined them. Eric was at the front door, and I could hear Rory in the kitchen. I used my ears, and everything was as it should be. Angel and Scarlett were talking calmly to each other, comparing various Hollywood stars. I smiled.

I climbed off the sofa and joined the adults. "Francesca, I'm so sorry," I told her. "I put your daughter in danger."

"Hush," she said. "You did no such thing. My daughter is fine, and this isn't your fault." She pulled me into a hug. "I'm going to talk to Angel for a few minutes, but I think she'd rather talk to Scarlett than her mother."

"Are you all right with that?" I asked.

"They would be good for each other," Francesca said. Then she stepped away and knelt down in front of Scarlett. She had a brief conversation with Angel before giving the phone back to Scarlett.

I turned to Lara. "Alpha. They. Will. Die."

"Yes, they will," she said. "But we have to be smart about it. I want three dead Chicago wolves and no dead Madison pack members."

"Two dead from Chicago," I said. "Unless you know things about Jared I don't."

She cocked her head. "Maybe you are right."

After that it was a long night. Lara pulled me back to the sofa, and when I woke later, we were both wrapped in blankets. Gia was talking to Angel. Elisabeth was napping, and Francesca was standing near a window, looking outside. The next time I woke up, Gia was on the floor leaning against Scarlett's legs and Scarlett was back on the phone. She and Angel were exchanging what could best be described as sweet nothings. Scarlett caught me looking at her.

"I suppose no kayaking next weekend."

"Do not cancel that," I said. Lara stirred when I talked. "I think it'll just be a bigger party than originally planned."

Scarlett smiled. Lara looked down at me kindly, caressed me, and I fell asleep.

It was full daylight when I woke next. I heard the crunch of car tires in the gravel outside, and I sat bolt upright, waking Lara.

"Angel," I said, and Scarlett nodded at me. She looked tired, but she was smiling.

I climbed for the couch and headed for the front door, but Elisabeth beat me to it, and suddenly I was surrounded by the wolves I most trusted.

"It's Angel."

"Yes," said Elisabeth. "But this is what you asked for, and this is what you're going to get."

And then Angel was standing in the doorway. "Honey! I'm home! What's for dinner?"

I was so happy to see her, but she only had eyes for Scarlett.

At least at that moment, all was right with the world.

A few minutes later, I pulled Elisabeth aside. "Do we have anyone in fur?"

"Yes. June, and John are out there."

"I want four wolves in fur in the courtyard in a few minutes. Can we do that? Not you or Lara."

She nodded. "Gia, Eric, I need you to shift please."

"Gia isn't an enforcer," I said very quietly.

"She's here. You manage you, I'll manage my forces." I nodded.

They took a few minutes, but then we stepped outside. Lara yipped twice, calling June and John to us. I told Lara, "Keep everyone quiet for a minute."

I stepped away, but suddenly had several enforcers around me. "Give me a little space." They backed off a little. I turned slowly in a circle, listening to the sounds of the forest. I heard nothing I shouldn't. I turned to Elisabeth and gestured her closer.

"I want the ones in fur to go stir up the forest. Anyone skulking won't be able to stay still with wolves running around."

"How far out?"

"A thousand yards."

She nodded and gave them their directions. For the next fifteen minutes I listened as four wolves raced through the forest around our compound, stirring up birds, rabbits, squirrels, and countless insects. I heard nothing larger, and I was listening for all I had.

Finally I told Elisabeth, "If they're out there, they're much further than a thousand yards or buried in a hole and very, very still. I don't think they're here."

"I don't either," she said. "But I like including you in this. Can you really hear that well?"

"Can you hear our wolves running around?"

"No."

I pointed. "Gia. John. Eric. June. June just stopped, she's sniffing something." I turned to Elisabeth in alarm. "I can't tell what."

"Alpha!"

"Screw this," I said. I shifted to a fox and didn't even bother climbing out of my clothes. I swiveled my ears. June came in more clearly. She was sniffing. I whined quietly.

I shifted back, almost strangling myself in my clothes. "Call her back. I don't know what it is. Call her back."

Lara immediately began howling. June paused, then turned around and began running for the clearing, along with the other wolves. More wolves appeared from the houses around us. But June was safe.

Two minutes later, all four furry wolves were back with us.

"June," I said to her. "I don't know what you were sniffing. I got scared."

She chuffed and offered a wolfy smile, then lay down and yawned.

"Patrols are in twos," Elisabeth said. "Anything unusual you report back and we send larger groups to investigate. No one investigates alone." She turned to me. "You are stressed and over tired. Alpha, make her sleep a little longer. John and Rory, escort the alpha and the fox to their bedroom, search it, then stand watch in the hallway."

They let me sleep until midmorning, most of it in Lara's arms. Then we cleaned up and I apologized repeatedly for being a scardy-fox. Lara told me to be quiet about it. "It's about time I saw you take security seriously."

"They want a fox hunt and they want you dead, Lara."

"I know. We'll deal with it. Let's get some breakfast then go meet with the council."

I was invited to the council meeting from the beginning, and I was given a chair at the head of the table with Lara. Lara pulled Vivian to the side and spoke quietly to her, but I heard every word. She told Vivian about my hearing but explained why we wanted her to go along with a slightly distorted version of events. Vivian was very understanding, then looked at me and smiled.

"Thank you," I mouthed to her.

Lara called the meeting to order, and Mr. Berg immediately asked, "What was the commotion this morning?"

"We have a credible kidnap threat on our fox and a credible death threat against me."

That brought a general hubbub of conversation. I let them talk until Vivian said, "You know, we set historical precedent so as to have access to our little spy. Perhaps we should ask for her analysis from last night."

I stood up.

"The Chicago pack is run by assholes."

I sat back down.

They all stared at me.

"I think, young lady, we may need more than that," said Mr. Berg. His eyes were twinkling.

"I'm sorry. That was my sense of humor. I shouldn't do that."

"It's a reasonable coping mechanism," Vivian said. "And I must say that is as accurate a statement as can be made."

I stood back up. "I am going to provide an overview of my beliefs. Some of these are guesses. Then I will relay everything as verbatim as I can. Then, if my conclusions are not obviously derived from events, I can describe how I came to them. Is that acceptable?"

"Perfect," Lara assured me. I reached down to hold her hand for a moment.

"We met Durian, the Chicago alpha, and his sons Avery and Jared. Durian and Avery are thugs, plain and simple. Jared is much more thoughtful and intelligent and could be a powerful ally or fearsome enemy. Avery is particularly crude and ruled by his testosterone first, foremost and always."

"I agree completely with that assessment," Vivian said.

"The Chicago pack finances are a mess. Durian and Avery are doing particularly poorly financially and live as leeches off the other wolves. I have no evidence of Jared's standing. I believe that they are under pressure from the other wolves, and only their fearsome fighting skill is keeping them alive."

"That doesn't last forever," Dominick said. "If you have enough challengers, they eventually wear you down."

"But it takes enough wolves early on to risk themselves," Mr. Berg said. "They won't do that unless it gets bad enough or Durian is deemed sufficiently weakened somehow. Then they'll come out of the woodwork."

"The worst thing that could happen for us," I went on. "Would be if Durian started listening to Jared enough to set intelligent plans but not enough to make sane plans."

I thought about it. "Their plan was to lure the Alpha to Chicago, where Durian was going to challenge her. We have temporarily thwarted that. They also wish to hold a fox hunt."

The room broke into conversation. No one was happy about either of those pieces of information. I finally got them to settle down enough to finish my report. I concluded with, "They may or may not have been temporarily mollified by taking some cash from us last night, but even if they are, I do not believe it will last long. Avery in particular is a brute and will eventually attempt to kidnap me. They may believe they can still lure us to Chicago, or they may already be coming up with plan B. But if they aren't, I believe they believe their only option is to challenge the alpha and begin draining the financial resources of the Madison pack."

They had questions. Finally Violet asked, "How did you learn all this?"

"Foxy ways," I said. "I believe I have been clear between what I feel is conjecture and what is based directly on things they stated flat out."

"Foxy ways?" Violet said. "That is not good enough."

"It will have to be," Lara said. "Michaela has discussed her foxy ways with me, Elisabeth and Vivian. We are satisfied."

After that, I sat down. I told them everything I could. Vivian had a few more observations about the various personalities but stated I had gotten more than she had, but everything I said fit with what she saw.

They went around and around for a while, but they finally decided my analysis was as accurate as they could get. They tried to get rid of me, but Lara and Elisabeth vetoed that. "She's part of it, and she doesn't leave my side," Lara said.

They went around and around multiple times. I kept my mouth shut but finally said, "Might I make some suggestions?"

Fourteen pair of eyes turned to me.

"I don't have any great revelations, but I thought perhaps we could expressly rule out certain courses of action."

"Excellent suggestion," said Mr. Berg. "Did you have any in mind?"

"We do not ignore it and hope it goes away." That was met with a chorus of agreement. "The alpha doesn't go to Chicago to be ambushed far from home." That was also met by agreement.

"We do not give up our fox," Lara said. "She is ours!" The chorus of agreement brought tears to my eyes.

"Thank you," I said quietly.

"Nor do we use her for bait," Lara said.

"Wait." I said.

"No!"

"Do not rule that out. It's not a first choice, but at least it has the merits of a plan."

Lara tried to dominate me into shutting up. I let her stare me down, then just said, "Elisabeth?"

"She's right. Leave it on the table. For now."

"No!" Lara said.

"Lara, I just asked for you to put four enforcers on my ass around the clock. Did you ever think I would ask for that?"

"No, but-"

"I'm not offering to walk into a trap."

"I won't ever agree."

"Then find other plans."

She grumbled.

"I would like to add one more item to the list of actions we will not consider," Vivian said. "I will not have a Chicago wolf as alpha over the Madison wolves. We do whatever it takes to prevent that."

That was met with one resounding voice. "Agreed."

After that, they went around and around again and again. Elisabeth pointed out we couldn't stay at high alert indefinitely. They agreed we didn't have enough information, but didn't know how to obtain it.

I sighed and raised my hand. It took a while, but soon they were all staring at me again.

"Isn't she annoying?" Lara asked, a twinkle in her eye.

"Quite," said Dominick.

"Just some suggestions. These aren't complete solutions. First, hire humans."

"What? That's ridiculous. A human can't survive against a wolf," said Elisabeth.

"Of course he can't. However, humans are exceedingly good at gathering information. And they are plentiful and unnoticed. I presume we have or can get photos of the gentlemen in question?"

Once I threw that out there, they were very good with running it. The ideas came a mile a minute.

"Throw money at it," I said in a lull. "Hire a LOT of very smart humans. Computer experts to crack into their computers. Investigators to begin identifying and tracking every member of the Chicago wolves, with a goal to identify the ones we need to watch. Heck, maybe we can get tracking devices on their cars. Maybe we can bug their houses. Gather information."

They were in danger of breaking for the day when I said, "Then, go after their money."

Lara immediately began smiling gleefully. I let my words settle in and set, "Go after their money. Identify their best businessmen, the ones who are paying 30 percent tithe. Point out Madison only charges 10 percent and is a significantly nicer place to live. For the ones who don't jump ship to us, go after their businesses. Prop up human businesses that compete, for instance. Or just buy them out and close them down. Hire off anyone you can. Go after their money supply."

Violet was all over that idea, and it quickly became apparent who the business people were in the room.

I spoke over the noise. "Don't wait for them to take us over. Take them over."

And then I curled into Lara and let the conversation happen around me. After a while I whispered into her ear, "I'm tired, but I don't want to leave you."

She immediately said, "I have a few suggestions. First, I think we should break and let these ideas percolate. We can talk about them in smaller groups, and I think we have a few things we want to start right away. We can get started on those. I suspect if we take some time, we can build on these ideas." They liked that.

"The other suggestion I have is going to be controversial. I think we should seriously consider inviting Michaela as a non-voting member of this council."

"Oh god, no," I said.

Elisabeth chuckled.

"We have her," Lara said. "We could really use her perspective. She doesn't think like us."

"This idea has merit," Vivian said. "But I do not want to rush this decision."

"Neither do I!" I added.

"Ms. Redfur," said Mr. Berg. "Are you going to continue to have these intriguing ideas for us to discuss?"

I sighed. "Probably."

"I believe that the fox is already in this issue up to her whiskers," he said. "And it would be foolish of us to give her up now. After this has been resolved, we can discuss at greater length the alpha's suggestion."

Not everyone was comfortable with the idea, least of all me, but in the end they agreed they wanted me there for the duration of the current crisis.

I sighed. "And now I am going to demonstrate why you just agreed to that. You need to give them a reason to believe they're going to have their chance at the alpha. Set up another poker night, here a few weeks for now or something." I turned to Lara. "If you hinted you are getting bored with me, that I'm too clingy, and maybe hinted you might be willing to sell me, that may do it."

"That isn't going to happen!" she thundered, yanking me into her arms possessively, earning me a few bruises in the process.

"Can't breath," I said. "Can't breath." When she relaxed slightly, I told her, "Just hint. If he thinks you'll let him win me in the poker game, you know he'll be here. Put it off later or something. We're trying to buy time to make them hurt, so they don't do anything until we're ready."

"It's a good idea," Elisabeth said.

After that, I zoned out. They had enough to think about, and my head hurt.

 **Humans With Surprises**

I sat in on Lara's telephone conversation with Durian. Durian repeated his demands for us to come to Chicago for a rematch in two weeks.

"I have an alternate suggestion," she said. "We could have our rematch in two months, here."

"I was hoping to show you our city," he said. "It really is our turn to host, after all. And I was hoping that our spirit of friendly competition could continue sooner than two months."

"I understand, but the schedule doesn't work for up. But I think I might be able to sweeten the pot, Durian."

"Oh? I don't mind a sweetened pot," he said.

"My little fox. She is getting clingy. I only keep her around because she has her moments, and she is very good in bed. But it may be that two months from now, it may be she isn't just at the table, but ON the table, if you catch my meaning."

"Oh, I do," he said. He tried to be nonchalant about it, but he failed. "That is definitely a sweetened pot. Are you sure we couldn't achieve something sooner in Chicago?"

"We could try, but I just don't see how it's going to work out. The fox is popular within my pack, and it will take me some time to undermine her popularity. If I trade her to you now, it would cause political problems for me. I do dislike unrest."

"I understand," he said.

"And of course, she is a unique find, I believe you will agree. This gives you an opportunity to think of your own sweetener for the pot. I certainly would not part with her for money, after all."

"Of course you wouldn't," he said. "All right. Two months in Madison."

They hung up, and I hugged her. She pulled me tightly to her. "I won't let him touch you," she said.

"I know you won't. We were just buying time. Two months is plenty."

My boss received a phone call from the US Marshall's office. He was asked to allow a certain amount of flexibility in my schedule, that I would get my job done, but perhaps not on a fixed schedule. He was very cooperative especially when he was told there were threats against my life due to my cooperation with an investigation completely unrelated to my job.

When I called my boss, he asked me what was going on. "I was visiting friends in Madison and stumbled upon information on a Chicago crime boss. He found out. No one is sure why. It's a very hush-hush investigation. I'll be around, but I'm going to have like four hundred bodyguards until it's over. It might be a few months. I'll get my job done. Angel has been working out great, and I have offers from her school for more interns through the end of the summer. I've been training them in their science classes already, and I know we can work together."

He liked the idea I had free help and told me to use my judgment. "Michaela, we need more citizens like you. I applaud your courage. I will let you know personally if there are issues from this."

After that, Francesca gave me permission to approach her students. The students, especially Scarlett, were more than enthused to help. Lara and I sat down with the students and all their parents and explained what was going on, what we hoped to do, the benefit to the students, and the steps being taken for their security.

"Why are we having this conversation?" Serena asked. "They threaten a member of our pack. That is unacceptable. I trust the alpha will protect our children, and I believe this is at the same time an excellent training opportunity."

That was the consensus.

"I think we should give the outward appearance of normality," I said. "This is a field trip. The reason we have all the adults along is because we're treating it like a vacation. Complete with sailing, fishing and kayaking as well." And after that I let Elisabeth worry about the security.

She was earning her money.

We stayed on high alert through Friday. I stayed up Thursday night on outdoor patrol, furry wolves nearby at all times. Elisabeth and Gia kept me company and entertained.

The Chicago wolves left us alone, and by afternoon on Friday, they were out of our territory. For now.

When I got the word I almost collapsed in Elisabeth's arms, thanking her over and over for keeping me safe. Then I hugged and clung to all the other enforcers, in and out of fur. Rory especially seemed to enjoy it.

That was when Gia approached Elisabeth about joining the enforcers. At first, Elisabeth turned her down flat. Gia was not a large wolf. So then she approached me.

"I am good at coordinating information," she said. "I can work with the humans. I'm closer to standard size for a human, so they won't be as put off by me. Michaela, I am at loose ends. I have almost no status in the pack, so I am left as a gopher. I can do far more than that, and if I'm doing it, it means one of the real enforcers doesn't have to."

So I pulled her into a meeting with Elisabeth and Lara. Elisabeth just said, "No," before I could even open my mouth. I ignored her and presented Gia's position. It was easy to say "no" to Gia, but much harder to do so with me.

When I was done, Elisabeth said, "You can not be an enforcer."

Gia's expression dropped.

"But you and Michaela are right," Elisabeth said. "You would be excellent at those duties. But we would have to call you something else."

"I don't care what you call me," she said. "I would be good at this, but I would need the authority to do it. Please, Alpha."

"I will accept Elisabeth's decision on this," Lara said.

"For the record, I don't take orders from Gia," I said. Everyone snickered. "I think I should be involved in what she is doing, too. Alpha, perhaps I am sort of a free floating consultant. I'll see things no one else does. I don't want authority to order anyone around, but I want to be able to ask questions and not have to wait to get answers."

"Yes on Gia," Elisabeth said. "Alpha or council decision on Michaela, as that is more far reaching."

"Do it, Michaela, whatever you want. I'll talk to council. This is temporary. It may become permanent, but it's just for the current emergency."

"I don't want it permanently. I want to go back to a nice peaceful job where the biggest danger is poison ivy and rabid chipmunks."

"Ever met a rabid were chipmunk, fox?" Elisabeth asked. "Those are nasty."

I threw a pillow at her. She had me on my back and her mouth over my throat two seconds later. I was shocked beyond belief but she had me pinned and tightened her hold. I started trying to beat her away, so she grabbed my hands and increased the pressure until it was on the edge of painful. I whimpered and she climbed off of me immediately.

"Lara?" I asked. "You're going to let her do that?"

"Me and her, Michaela," Lara said, offering a casual expression. "That was the agreement you made." I looked around and Gia was smirking.

"Never thought you'd see that, Gia?"

"Not when we first met, no."

"Michaela," said Elisabeth. "When a dominant wolf has you by the throat, submit first and ask questions later." She had moved away and was watching my expression warily.

I walked over and brushed my body against her like a wolf in fur would do, squeezing her arm. "Did I offend you throwing the pillow?"

"No, but I thought you needed the reminder."

"I probably did."

She nodded. "Don't get physical with a wolf, Michaela. Stick to your words. They are your best weapons anyway."

"You're right. Thank you." I looked at Gia. "Would you have done that to her if she'd tossed a pillow at you?"

"Probably not. Gia doesn't need reminding."

Together, Elisabeth and Gia began contacting human information companies, specifically voiding any located in Chicago. The pack used its network of businesses to get referrals, and those referrals went up food chains, and finally we reached some companies that were operating by former members of military special forces. On Tuesday, we sat down with a group of two members of a company called "Lima Consulting."

Greg Freund was the president of the company; Hillary Iverson was one of his top project coordinators. We met in the conference room in the barracks.

"Let's cut to the chase," Greg said to Elisabeth. "You're werewolves." He looked at me. "I don't know what you are."

Elisabeth stared at him in shock. "Gia, find the alpha." Gia fled the room. The four of us remaining stared at each other without speaking until Gia returned with Lara. Lara introduced herself, and then she and Greg eyed each other carefully.

"Do you want to explain how you came to that ludicrous conclusion?" Lara asked him.

"Let's not insult each other," he said. "That one," he said, pointing to Elisabeth, "referred to you as the alpha. I know what that means. We had wolves in special forces, and I have a half dozen in my organization now. Wolves are very solid and very direct. Not very subtle."

Lara and Elisabeth eyed each other. It wasn't a good look.

"Let's hear what he has to say," I suggested.

Lara nodded and waited.

"All right," he said. "I am making guesses. You came to us. You spent some effort finding the best, or someone amongst the best. My guess is you have a problem with another wolf pack. Chicago, Minneapolis, something like that. You need humans because we can go where you can't. No one notices another human, but the wolves would recognize another wolf. How am I doing so far?"

"Let us say you're doing all right," Lara said. "How do we know you aren't working for this other mythical werewolf pack?"

He smiled. "Because I have an impeccable reputation. I never work both sides. You would have checked my references before inviting me to visit. I am currently not doing anything with any wolf packs that have indicated any interest in the mid-west, although I do have clients on both coasts and a few overseas."

"So you do not expect a conflict of interest?"

"None."

"I am inclined to trust him, Elisabeth," Lara said.

"This might actually be even better than expected. They would know what they're getting into. We wouldn't have to protect them."

I sighed a breath of relief. We all settled down at the table, and Lara said, "How does this work?"

"You give me an exceedingly high level overview. I decide if I want to help. You do not provide names or details. If I decide to help, you tell me everything. You answer every question I ask. We agree on what I can do and what it will cost."

Lara nodded. "You summed it up. Hostile takeover attempt. The ones attempting the takeover are unwelcome. This isn't just me wanting to keep my job. There is not a wolf in Wisconsin that would want this change. Furthermore, they also wish to kidnap Michaela."

"Why?"

I spoke up. "You are right. I am not a wolf. I am very rare and represent a rare and, to me, fatal form of entertainment."

"In other words, they want to hunt you, and you are challenging enough to be interesting."

"Yes."

He turned back to Lara. "So you want, what? Information on their plans?"

"Yes, and surveillance. And assistance going on the offensive."

"What type of offensive?"

"Financial leading eventually to regime change."

"And you will become their alpha?" he asked.

"No. We were thinking a younger son, although he may hate us too much for our safety. But if not, he would be a good leader and a good friend."

"All right," he said. "What about enhanced security. Something like this can drag on for weeks, and it is difficult to maintain the level of alertness required if a surprise arrives."

"Your humans won't be much good during a wolf attack."

"Don't count us out. We can discuss details if this is part of what you're asking for?"

"Yes," Lara said. "All of it."

"I can provide all that," he said. "It will be expensive. Retainer is five million. That may get you through. If you are going up against someone like New York it won't remotely be enough."

"We have reason to believe they are poorly led, poorly structured, and having significant financial issues. We also think their structure is crumbling internally."

"So it's Chicago. I hate that asshole Durian, and his eldest son is worst. Jared's not so bad though," Greg said. "I'll give you a ten percent discount if you tell me it's Chicago."

Lara smiled and held out her hand. "Chicago." Greg shook hands.

"All right," he said. "Normally I prefer to set up a base of operations locally."

"A house?" Lara asked.

"A big house?"

She nodded.

"Perfect. Hillary will be here permanently until this is resolved. I will be here quite a lot, as well as other of my immediate employees. We outsource some of the work, but our subcontractors are reliable. I need a wire transfer and everything you can tell us."

It was a very long day, but by late in the evening, Greg's people had started to arrive and set up in David's house. They had a lot of equipment with them, and I wondered how they arrived so quickly with so much.

"Private jet," he told me when I asked.

We gave them every piece of information we had and answered every question. We told him our plans for subverting the Chicago wolves rank and file, and he thought that was an excellent suggestion. "Hers," was all Elisabeth said, gesturing to me.

By six PM, we started receiving our first surveillance photos from Chicago. Durian and both sons were seen in Chicago, and we began expanding our network of knowledge.

One of the first things he did was check personal security for Lara and me. He immediately yelled at Elisabeth. The end result was Lara and I were followed everywhere we went by no fewer than two wolves each.

"With your permission, Alpha," Greg said. "I would like to bring my guys in for that, but it'll take a day or so to get them here. It will take pressure off your wolves, and my guys are more used to it." Lara agreed.

Things moved rapidly for a couple of days, then they settled down. For now Greg focused on building our security, collecting every piece of information he could from Chicago, and identifying the wolves we would first subvert.

On Thursday, Greg asked for me to attend him at David's old house. I arrived with my security detail. He and I met in the kitchen and he asked, "You're a fox, aren't you?"

I nodded. His wolves probably already told him, anyway.

"Had one of you as a scout once. Amazing. Tiny guy, but best scout I've ever seen."

"Sounds about right," I said.

"I've never met a were who was willing to give up all of his or her personal safety to someone else. How do you feel about it?"

"I am not entirely defenseless," I said. "I run and hide really well."

He laughed. "No doubt. What about when you can't run?"

"Then I am in trouble."

"Let's see what we can do about that," he said. "What weapons do you carry?"

"My wits."

He laughed. "That's it?"

"I have a gun in my car with silver bullets."

"It doesn't do you much good in the car."

"I'm pretty sure it wouldn't do me much good, anyway. The spaces here are too confined, I'd never use it fast enough. I have it for when I'm in the field and have more time."

"Have you fired it?"

"A couple of hundred rounds when I bought it and a box every four to six months. I hit what I am aiming at, but a furry werewolf is really fast, and I am exceedingly fragile."

"All right," he said. "I want to give you some surprises." He turned to the countertop and retrieved a small bag. He opened it, and there were two slender knives in sheaths. The sheaths had straps hanging off of them. He pulled out one of the knives. "Silver," he said. "Watch the blade." He set the knife down firmly on the counter, and I picked it up. It was sized well for my hand.

"If you cut a wolf with those, the wound won't heal quickly. It leaves trace elements of silver behind. If you leave that stuck in a wolf, he can pull it out, but in the meantime, it will be burning him and poisoning him."

"I'm familiar with what silver does to wolves."

He spent about an hour and a half, teaching me to use the knives. They strapped to my forearms and were hidden under my shirt, but I could reach in and pull them out easily.

"Just don't stab the wrong wolves," he said. "Or yourself."

By the time we were done, I was panting, but not as much as he was. "You're faster than a wolf," he said "You can dance rings around them."

"I know," I said. "I've done it."

"But one hit and you're down. So dance a lot and don't get hit."

"You got it."

"Now, I want to show you something else. Do you know how to juggle?"

"Juggle?" I said. "I actually have never tried."

He had a bag of bean bags. He demonstrated the basics, then he handed the bags to me. "Your reflexes should make this easy," he said, and he was right. Soon I was juggling just fine.

"Toss one of those to me," he said, so I did, and then I was juggling two. "Catch," he said, tossing the bag back to me. I merged it in and kept going.

"Hey, this is kind of fun," I said.

He had me toss the bag to him and sent it back to me a dozen times or so. Then he took the bean bags away from me and said, "Catch" and threw a knife at me.

I caught it by the handle. "Start juggling," he said. Once I had the knife going up and down, flipping over and catching it by the handle, he tossed another one at me, then the third, and soon I was juggling knives.

"I don't see how this is useful," I said.

"Keep juggling," he said. "I'll be right back." He stepped outside and came back with two of my keepers, both female wolves.

"Teaching her the knife toss trick?" said Karen.

"Yes. Give me those knives, Michaela." I tossed the knives to him one at a time.

"Wendy," Greg said. "You're the target. Karen, go."

Karen stepped several steps from Wendy, then suddenly charged her, dropped to her knees in front of her, and Greg threw a knife at Karen. Karen snatched it out of the air and slammed it towards Wendy's foot, pulling short. I winced. Karen tossed the knife back. Then Greg threw a knife, Karen caught it and slammed it towards Wendy's stomach. Wendy met it with her hands, trapping the blade, and Karen released. Greg had already thrown another knife, which Karen grabbed out of the air and shoved towards Wendy, letting Wendy take it. The third knife arrived, and Karen mock-stabbed Wendy a third time.

"Get the idea?" Greg asked.

"Why do you want to teach me this?" I asked. "I thought you wanted me to avoid fighting."

"I do. But I want you trained in case you have no choice. Everyone on my team carries silvered knives, and if you ever need one, you can count on someone providing one."

"Okay, but if there is an opportunity to throw me a knife, why isn't the person throwing it the one using it?"

"What if the person is too far away to help in time? Or what if your closest guards are dead?"

So we worked on that for a while. I dropped the first few knives thrown to me, but my fox reflexes were much faster than a wolf's. If Karen could do it, I could. It took a while, but I got it figured out.

"Enough," Greg said. "You've got it."

"There's something else I want to try, but we have to go outside. Is it safe?"

"Yes," he said. "No visitors."

We headed for the door. I loosened my clothing. "I shift a little faster than someone might expect," I told them. "Spread around a bit. I am going to shift to fox on the run. When I do, throw a blade about three steps in front of wherever I am. Every time I am a fox, I want a blade thrown where I'll be in three steps."

They didn't understand, but I stepped away from them, then I began running. I took four steps, then I dived forward, shifting to fox in the middle of the air. I landed, rolled to get rid of the clothing, then rose and shifted, catching the knife flying through the air where I needed it. I slammed it to the ground, shifted to fox, bounced, shifted, caught the knife, dropped it, changed directions, shifted, bounced twice, shifted human and caught the knife.

I stayed there, crouched down, breathing heavily, and looked over at them.

"That might come in handy," was all Greg said.

"Spread the word," I said. "I won't want every knife, but when I shift fox like that, I will expect one three paces in front of me in just the time it takes to get there."

He nodded. "Now, let's hope you never need this."

"Let's hope no one tells Elisabeth or the alpha what we were doing."

He laughed nervously.

 **Time Out**

On Friday, with Greg's crew settling in at the compound, the information arriving fast and furious, and with absolutely nothing left for us to do until more information arrived, a caravan departed for Bayfield.

Lara rented an entire resort on Madeline Island. Our contingent was huge, a mix of pack leadership, students and their families, our enforcers, and a number of Greg's people, including my own personal security detail. Lara had one too.

Lara had seen the knives Friday morning as I strapped them to my wrists. She hadn't been happy about it, but all she said was, "You will keep yourself safe."

"Yes, Alpha. Absolutely. Last line of defense."

During the drive, Francesca and I made a plan. I mapped out all the work I had for the next several weeks, and we divided it into things the students could easily do with parental supervision, things that Angel or Francesca could do, and things only I could do. My list was very small.

Then we made teams and defined work orders. We paired Angel and Scarlett up; they were inseparable anyway. Serena and Emanuel were there with both their boys, so we grouped them together. Francesca went out alone just with guards. Derek and his mother were there, so they partnered and took guards. Counting me, that was five groups all with a clear plan.

Greg's wolves handled security. We brought no humans with us except Scarlett's father, who was human. Anyone watching us wouldn't realize we had hired a human company to help with security. The would just see a lot of wolves helping me with my job, then a lot of wolves learning to kayak or renting a sailboat. No groups went anywhere with less than two enforcers, and all enforcers were in constant communication with home base.

We arrived Friday with enough time for a couple of hours of work before dinner. Once we reassembled, spirits were high. Francesca, Angel and I checked all the work, and it was great. Lara rented two speedboats and a larger workboat to serve as ferry back and forth to the island. We kept our cars on the mainland and rode the boats across the bay.

At the resort, we held a picnic, and I thanked everyone for their help.

"I didn't know being in a pack would be like this," I said, and I felt the tears arrive. "A year ago, I couldn't imagine letting a group of wolves anywhere near me, and now I am surrounded by all of you, and you're family."

I received a lot of hugs and gentle reminders whispered in my ear of the things I had done before. And then Scarlett stood up and said, "Besides, this is fun!"

"See if you still say that by the time we catch up to my current work load."

She glanced at Angel. "If I get to spend it with Angel, it will be fun."

Derek, Alan and Jeremy looked deeply chagrined. Derek stood up and faced Lara. "Alpha?"

"Yes, Derek?"

"Those two are the only females near our ages. And I don't think we guys are going to get very far courting them."

"No, Derek," she said. "I don't believe that you will."

"And Alan and Jeremy are pretty cool, but I don't think they're as cool as Scarlett and Angel, if you catch my drift."

She smiled. "Yes, Derek, I catch your drift."

"So, I know you have a lot of spare time on your hands and all, and I'm sure you lay awake at night trying to think of solutions to this little problem, so I know you'll eventually come up with a solution."

She laughed. "I will take your comments under consideration, Derek. And while we have a lot of larger distractions right now, I know this is important, too. I can't make any promises, but if, for instance, we had a job opening at the compound, and there was a qualified individual with a few teenage daughters, I may just have a talk with that qualified individual."

"See?" he said looking around. "This is why Lara is our alpha. Even a brat like me can present an inconsequential problem like this, and she listens." He turned back to the alpha. "Thank you, Alpha."

"I must say, Derek, I wish the rest of the pack brought me problems like this instead of the sort our little fox seems to find for me to solve."

I stood up again and roamed around the enforcers, asking who had unsilvered knives. Just about everyone did. They were heavily armed, and Greg's enforcers even carried guns.

"Alpha, I have a new skill that may be of some entertainment value."

"Oh?" she said. "When did you learn this new skill?"

"Oh, here and there," I said. "It's been a dull week."

I stepped into the space before our small bonfire and said, "Knife!" One flew to me, and I snatched it out of the air and threw it straight up. "Knife!" Another one arrived, and now I had two I was juggling. I asked for a third, and I was juggling three knives. Then I asked for a fourth. I dropped one of the knives in the transition, but then a fifth was thrown towards me, and I was juggling four.

One of the enforcers stepped forward, snatched the knife off the ground, and threw it in the air in front of me. I grabbed it, and I was juggling five.

"That's it," I said.

I juggled for another minute before Lara asked, "Is that all?" while moving in front of me. She grinned at me and held a hand up, and I tossed three knives at her and called for another knife. It turns out Lara knew how to juggle.

Lara threw a knife at me and I sent one to her. Soon every fourth knife we tossed across to the other one.

"You know," I said. "I don't know how to stop."

Everyone laughed lightly.

"I'm serious," I said, "And my arms are getting tired."

Lara grinned at me.

"Oh hell," I said. "Karen, catch!" I tossed her my knives. Lara tossed me her knives, I juggled them, and kept throwing knives to Karen. She collected them all for me, and we all took a brief bow amongst the chuckles.

Lara walked over to me and threw an arm around my neck. "That was fun," I told her. She pulled me to her for a kiss. "Yes, it was."

We told stories. We played a few easy games around the fire. We sat together and enjoyed each other's company.

In other words, we were pack.

I felt like I belonged.

The enforcers managed security, Greg's wolves coordinating with Elisabeth, and she ensured us it was handled readily. "Lara, we're in security riches right now. I can't believe how much better I feel. I want to talk to you about asking Greg's guys to help us set up our long term needs as well."

"Use your judgment, and if we need to train up more enforcers, let's do it. Also, see if Greg wants to test the training of our existing enforcers, including yourself. I bet we can learn a lot from them."

Lara and I disappeared into our room, after a thorough search by Karen and Wendy. We slipped out of our clothes and under the covers, curling up with each other.

"Thank you," I told her.

"For what?"

"Making me pack."

She squeezed the stuffing out of me.

"It's been so long since I've had a family, Lara," I told her when I could breath again. I offered my throat, and she kissed it. "Do it for real," I asked her, so she opened her mouth. Squeezing until I whimpered.

"You're asking for that more often."

"I know. I can't explain it. Does it bother you?"

"No. You know it doesn't. Quite the opposite."

"Lara, I didn't ask you. How hard was it to write the check to Greg?"

"I wouldn't want to do it very often, but the Chicago pack has been a thorn in our side for a very long time. I'm tired of it. And I think we might actually come out ahead financially in the long run. We'll see what happens when we go after their businesses. As badly as the pack is run, I bet the businesses are doing far more poorly than they would under proper management."

"I feel guilty. I know I didn't cause this problem, but I feel like I just cost us five million dollars."

"No," she said. "He was coming after me, with or without you. You gave us a solution to resolve it. This is a win for Michaela."

"But you have to spend more on security for me."

"No. If not you, it would be someone else."

We lay together, Lara caressing my hair like she always did. I drew circles in her skin, not going anywhere erogenous, just enjoying the contact.

"That was sweet what you said to Derek," I told her.

"He had a legitimate concern, and it's one we can't expect him to solve himself," Lara responded. "It's my job to not only deal with the big issues, but also the small ones. This may only affect three members of our pack, but it will affect them dramatically for their entire lives, and I will solve it."

"I love you." I thought about it. I loved how she took care of everyone around her. I can't imagine someone like Durian worrying about his wolves the way Lara did. All he would care about was whether they were paying tithe and offering their throats.

"Lara, what do I smell like to you?"

"Spring."

"Really?"

"Yes. With a hint of oak bark. Just a hint."

"I like listening to your heart beat," I said. "It's so slow and strong. I sleep better to it. When I listen closely, I can hear the blood wooshing through your veins."

"Can you tell when someone has a good poker hand by their heart beat?"

"Only those who get really excited, but all I can tell is excitement. That can be excitement from attempting a bluff. Or excitement from looking at someone attractive in the room. It can be hard to tell them all apart. And by the way, your heart rate just increased."

"What does that tell you?"

"It suggests that you are thinking about something you find stimulating," I said.

"What do you think I might be thinking about?"

"You are hoping I will start a tickle fight. You were thinking about lying very still while my fingers explore all your most ticklish places."

I started moving on top of her. I knew she wouldn't allow me to stay on top, but she would let me be playful for a moment or two.

"Where do you think you're going?" she asked.

"Climbing the mountain. Oh look, I found the twin peaks." I lowered my mouth to a nipple and nipped playfully. She gasped. I brought a hand up to play with the other breast.

I pulled my lips from her breast. "Oh, and your heart rate went up another twenty points."

"You know you smell different than you did three minutes ago, too." She breathed deeply. "God, that's intoxicating."

I moved my lips to the center of her chest and began kissing my way to her neck.

"Don't do it!" she warned me.

I nipped her, and she flipped us over. She shifted in an instant, and her entire furry wolf lay across me, pinning me to the bed, and then she lowered her head, taking my entire neck in her mouth.

She held me like that, gently, and chuffed, a wolfy laugh. Then she tightened, and I whimpered immediately. She pulled her mouth from my neck and licked my face.

"Eww! Stop it!" I complained. In response, she settled more heavily on me and licked me, over and over. "Stop it, Lara!" Pushing against her had no effect at all. She continued to lick until I went limp, surrendering to her. Then, in an instant, mid-lick, she shifted again, and it was her wet human tongue that slipped between my lips and into my mouth.

She chuckled as I moaned and clutched at her.

Saturday morning, Marty, one of Greg's enforcers, gave us a status update. The Grants were in Chicago and appeared to be going about their business. We had a growing collection of photographs, and Greg's people were watching the photos from Chicago to see if any particular faces disappeared for any period of time. He set up security systems around the house in Madison and the compound, with software that automatically caught faces and compared them to the collection of photographs.

The information experts continued to pull in information. I had nailed it when I had predicted the state of their finances.

"We think we could get them arrested for tax evasion," Marty said. "But it's not like a wolf would do time."

We hadn't approached anyone to subvert yet; we were still gathering information. But so far, that information gathering was yielding a vast amount of data.

"In short, we feel you are probably currently safe. It may be that your ruse has bought you the full two months. We will of course, remain fully vigilant."

"Thank you," Lara told Marty. "Is Greg working with Gia back at the compound?"

"Yes," he said. "She is helping with digging through financial information. We have paired her with our other information specialists. They say she is untrained, but a delight to teach."

Lara smiled. She took pride in all the pack members.

"One more thing," he said. "Greg recommends a proper security system at Ms. Redfur's home. We know you won't use that home until this is resolved, but he is uncomfortable with the thought of leaving her unprotected over the long term."

"I am not opposed to that, but I would need to be there."

"Rest assured," Marty said. "We can install a secure system without damaging your house."

"I have no doubt," I said. "But my house is trapped. I would rather disable the traps."

He smiled. "The silver over the front door was ingenious. The trap at the back door was flawed. We fixed it for you. Are there others?"

"No. Just caches of weapons."

"They're a little crude, but effective. I liked your super soaker, but the switch on the kitchen sprayer to route the silver nitrate through the hose was especially genius."

I sighed. "I wasn't as clever as I thought."

"You prepared to be ready for invasion, not for a very well prepared security team."

"Did you make Angel's bed for her while you were there?"

He laughed. "Yes, actually. We wouldn't have investigated the house so carefully, but we were doing the study for the security system, and that's when we found the trap over the front door. That got us curious."

I looked at Lara. "You know I can't pay for it."

"Do it," she told him. "Michaela, this falls under future favors that we talked about last fall."

We wrapped up the briefing, and it was time to begin the morning activities. Everyone took their assignments from me and we all spent several hours in the field. Lara and Elisabeth joined me, and we had a lovely time.

People finished their tasks for me at different rates, and the boats we had rented were used to ferry people back to the island.

About 11:30 while we were driving to the last site I had hoped to hit that day, Lara started playing with her phone. She was texting someone. Then she turned to Elisabeth, who was driving. "Take us back to Bayfield." Lara was smiling.

"We have one more site," I said. "Then we're done. We'll be back for lunch."

"Take us to Bayfield, Elisabeth," Lara said. "Sorry, Michaela."

Parking at the marina was limited, so we parked in my driveway and walked down the hill, all the wolves alert. I used my ears, but it was nearly impossible to pick much up in town. I traveled in the center of a square of four very dominant wolves. "She's just as much at risk as I am," I muttered, nodding towards Lara.

"She's not as fragile," Elisabeth replied.

"Bite me," I told her.

"Later," she said. "I'm busy right now. Stop fussing."

We arrived at the marina. Our large ferry was tied up with Serena watching over it, but we stayed on land, waiting for something. Lara wouldn't comment, and Elisabeth didn't look concerned, but all four wolves remained alert. I kept my ears going too.

Then I heard the distinctive sound of an SUV crunching on my gravel driveway three blocks away. I stiffened and edged up between Lara and Elisabeth. "I thought everyone else was back. Someone just pulled into my driveway."

Lara glanced at me. "You can hear that over the noise?"

"SUVs on my driveway are distinctive. I couldn't explain it. There were two of them."

I heard a variety of car doors slam, and I was sure they were also from my driveway. After that, I didn't hear anything specific, and it was my eyes that identified the wolves approaching us, not my ears.

"Shit," I said. "Alpha, wolves, and I don't recognize them."

She glanced over at me. "That's why I am the Alpha and you are the Omega."

I counted the wolves. There were eight, only one male. Then I realized one of the females was human. I relayed that. Lara turned around and smiled. "I know. Her name is Michele. She is very sweet."

"You invited more people."

"Who did you think they were?"

As the group got closer, I realized that four of them were teenage girls; one of the girls appeared to be 13 or 14, the rest were 16 or 17. Lara had solved Derek's problem from last night.

"You did this since last night?" I asked her, incredulous.

"Heavens no," she said over her shoulder. "I've been planning this for a while." She turned to face me. "As I said. This is why I am Alpha." She grinned at me, and I immediately felt a fresh rush of love. I pulled her to me and kissed her soundly. When I released her, she seemed particularly pleased.

Our enforcers watched the approaching wolves warily. "They're pack," Elisabeth said, and the enforcers relaxed only marginally, but I realized they were watching far more than the approaching wolves. I was happy to have them.

"Elisabeth, I hate to say this-"

"I know," she said. "They're good. Really good. They make me feel like I can actually relax."

"You know I feel safe with our enforcers," I said. "I know that they will stop any random attack. But Durian represents an attack by organized crime, and that's a whole new level of threat."

"I know," Elisabeth replied. "Greg and I are talking about that. We're going to get everyone some pretty solid training. But alertness like this is hard to maintain when nothing ever happens."

The eight wolves finally reached us, stopping several paces in front of Lara. The male nodded to Lara. "Greetings, Alpha." I was still behind Lara, flanking her, so I didn't see if she offered any expression, but the male said, "Um. Greetings, Lara." I caught Lara's nod.

"It's good to see you, Donald," she said. "It's good to see all of you." Lara handled greetings. Donald Lassiter was married to Michele, the only human in the group. They had two daughters, Abigail and Chloe. Abigail appeared to be about Angel's age, 16 or 17, and Chloe was a few years younger.

Hadley Smith was there with her 16-year-old daughter, Ava. Ava seemed shy, and she seemed fascinated by me. I guess I had a reputation.

Harper Armstrong had her arm around her daughter, Sophia, who was 15 or 16. Sophia was somewhat plain, although she had the physique that all the wolves seemed to have. She was also clearly very outgoing, with a quick, friendly smile and friendly personality.

With the introductions completed, we all moved to our work boat and had soon cast off.

The four girls all rushed to the front of the boat, standing at the rail and soaking up the sea breeze. Serena drove the boat, and the adults hung out in the open area at the back, talking over the noise of the engine.

I found myself fascinated with Michele Lassiter, the human. She seemed exceedingly relaxed around the wolves. Her husband was extremely solicitous of her, maintaining a level of watchful alertness even once we were out on the water. Michele caught me watching her and she smiled.

"We're the odd ones out," she said. "I bet you are still getting used to it. Congratulations, by the way."

"Thank you," I said. "And yes. There are times that I am struck by how odd this is."

"Imagine my first years. Donald and I met at college. He tried to remain aloof from me, but I pursued him with, if you'll excuse a pun, dogged determination. He didn't stand a chance."

"How long had you known him before he told you about his furry side?"

She smiled. "We'd been dating for two years. He didn't tell me. I caught him."

"You caught him?"

"I screamed my head off, too. I had stopped by his house to surprise him - this was after graduation. His parents' house, really. He was in the back yard just starting a shift, and I stared out the window while he shifted. When that huge wolf stood up, I began screaming. It didn't get better when he stared at me and got even worse when he came in the house. I was never more terrified."

"What happened?"

"He stalked me into a corner of the kitchen, me backing away and screaming my head off, then he rolled over onto his back and presented his belly to me. I learned later it was really his neck he was offering me. Then his mother rushed into the house; she had been running errands. She took in the tableau and calmly said, He won't hurt you."

"What a way to find out," I said.

"Oh, it gets better. Then Dorine, that's Donald's mother, picked up the phone and said simply, This is Dorine Lassiter. We have a breach. Then she hung up. Dorine offered me a drink, which I took happily, and told me I should rub the wolf's belly."

I laughed. "Did you?"

"Hell no. I told her maybe I should leave, and she told me, I'm sorry, dear, but you need to stay. I thought she was a total fruit loop if she thought I was staying, but she was, shall we say, rather insistent. Twenty minutes later, five more men, very, very, very large men stormed into the house. It was the old alpha and four enforcers. The alpha took in the situation and said simply, We'll take her with."

"Oh my."

"They tossed me into the back of a panel van. Oh, they were very gentle about it and made an attempt to be polite, but there was no doubt I was going with them. Dorine kept saying, Don't hurt her, she's a sweet girl, and Donald is hopelessly in love."

"I was, too," Donald added. "I was out of my mind with worry. Mom and I went along as well."

"The alpha talked to me. Told me werewolves were real. Told me he was a wolf. Told me they were everywhere, absolutely everywhere, and I would never know when I was talking to one, but that if I ever told anyone about them, a werewolf would be the last thing I ever saw."

I glared at Lara. She glanced over and shrugged, then turned away to continue her own conversation.

"Then he became very kind," she said. "He asked me how I felt about Donald. He asked me if I thought I could handle this. He told me there were advantages to being in love with a werewolf." She glanced at Donald. "I was already aware of some of those advantages."

Donald was the one who began blushing.

"Then he drove me home. I spent three days thinking about all of it."

"The hardest three days of my life," Donald said.

"And then on the fourth day, I called Dorine and invited myself to lunch. I told her I hoped I could meet the wolf that had so startled me."

"She spent lunchtime treating me like a dog," Donald said. "And talking calmly to my mother."

"Then I told him, Donald, just to be clear. I wear the pants in this relationship."

"So I rolled over and offered my throat again."

"And now we have our little nightly ritual, don't we dear?" She patted his hand.

"You're the dominant one in the relationship?" I asked her.

"Totally," David said.

I eyed Lara with a great deal of speculation. She turned to face me and said, "Don't even think about it. You know what happens when you try to turn the tables, little fox. Get used to it."

We grinned at each other.

Michele smiled. "What is it like to date the alpha, Michaela?"

"Challenging, Michele," I said. "Very challenging. She keeps thinking she's in charge."

"I heard that!" Lara said over her shoulder.

"See?"

The boys were, to say the least, pleasantly surprised when we showed up with four teenage girls. The girls eyed them, then turned away dismissively. I knew the boys were in trouble. While I was watching the introductions, Elisabeth stepped up next to me.

"So, Michaela," she said in a calm tone. "Have you forgotten the lesson so quickly?"

I glanced over at her. "I don't know what you're asking." I didn't.

"I believe the words you used were 'bite me'. I am happy to oblige."

I laughed, but she looked serious. I stilled. "Are you mad at me for a little banter?"

"Not mad," she said. "Concerned. If there had suddenly been a real emergency, would you have kept your promise to follow my orders?"

I thought about it. "I'm making you worry about that?"

"Yes. And if you act like that in front of other wolves, you will force me to discipline you for it. I don't think that would be good for our relationship. Add to that, you embarrassed me in front of Greg's wolves."

"I'm sorry. I'll try to hold back the banter."

"Only when it's about security or how I do my job. We're friends, Michaela, and I enjoy bantering with you most of the time. Just not in a way that looks like you are undermining my authority. That tends to be catchy."

I considered it. "I'm sorry. I can't promise it won't happen again, especially when I'm nervous. I was put out by the change of plans, and whenever I get put out, I try to find ways to take control back. But if in the future you need to publicly discipline me, please don't hit me."

"I couldn't have disciplined you properly with all the humans around, Michaela. I can now, but delayed discipline is usually much harsher than something that can be done right away. You understand."

"What are you going to do?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Nothing, this time," she said. "But if there is a next time, you will crawl away from it feeling exceedingly humiliated. I think it would destroy our friendship, and I would hate that. But if I don't, then the effects will ripple throughout the pack. Eventually I will start receiving challenges. I don't think you want any of this, Michaela."

"I'm so sorry, Elisabeth."

She smiled. "Forgiven." She pulled me into a hug, holding it long enough I knew we were okay with each other.

After that, we had a lovely picnic and announced the afternoon activities. "Our little fox is taking us kayaking."

Michele tried to beg off. "I couldn't keep up, after all," but we offered her a seat in one of the speedboats so she could still hang out with us. We used all three boats to transfer everyone back to Bayfield. Benny had been warned, and he already had boats waiting for us. He was tickled pink; it was actually early in the season, and he wouldn't normally have more than the occasional rental yet.

Once the boats were in the water, Lara stated clearly, "Michaela is in charge. We will do what she says. Period." She looked specifically at Rory when she said it.

The first question I asked was, "Who would say they have significant kayaking experience?" I raised my hand as did two of Greg's people, Aaron and Rebecca. I asked them how much, and they each had more than I did.

"Do either of you want to run the safety seminar?" I asked.

"Nope. Just let us know if you want us to help demonstrate."

"How about if one of you tests out the advanced beginnings and the other helps me with the raw recruits?"

"I'll help with recruits," Rebecca said.

"Elizabeth, can you help as well? Angel, I know you know this stuff, but please demonstrate with Aaron. It's been six months, and you might be rusty."

"Will you teach me an Eskimo roll, Michaela?" she asked.

"Sure, when we get a break." She nodded, appeased.

I made sure everyone know all the procedures. Some of the advanced beginners had a little trouble, but Aaron and Angel got them straightened out. Soon we were paddling the waterfront, and everyone got in the groove. And after that, we were off to explore the Apostle Islands.

I kept an eye on the boys. I was worried they would act up to impress the girls. When I asked Lara about it, however, she told me, "Elisabeth already had a chat with them. But if they act up, you don't need to worry about it. Either their parents will deal with it or Elisabeth will."

It was the little fox that slowed everyone down, although Francesca seemed happy with my pace. I warned Aaron and Rebecca about the open water if we went too far north, but otherwise told them to feel free to give folks a real workout. The two of them organized a series of competitions that soon brought out the competitive spirit amongst the wolves.

Angel and Scarlett stayed together, avoiding the competition. The two paddled over to me. "Eskimo roll?" Angel said.

"I've never taught it before, Angel, but I can try. If I can't teach you, maybe Aaron or Rebecca can."

I actually had to do one a couple of times myself. For me, it was so automatic. In nice weather, I sometimes tip my kayak intentionally just so I can cool off for a minute, then roll back upright. It's not something I could do slowly, so it took a couple of tries to work through it for myself.

"All right," I said. "But I want all three of you to practice assisted recoveries first."

"All three?" Lara asked.

"If they both tip," I said. "I'd rather have you pulling them upright than me. Ms. Mountain."

She laughed.

So the three of them each tipped twice and asked for an assist upright, and thus each of them helped upright each of the others as well. They were fine.

"All right," I said. "Once you tip, you may try to upright as many times as you want, but remember it will take several seconds to ask for an assist, so don't get too stubborn. You can always get pulled upright and catch your breath for several minutes before you try again. And if you don't get an assist in the time you need, bail out and pop up. We'll get you back in your boats."

And then I explained the procedure, as clearly as I could. It's actually not hard to do, but it was really hard to explain. The idea is that you use your body and your paddle to pull the kayak under you, popping out of the water again.

Angel wanted to try first. She gave it a good, solid five tries before reaching up and tapping the side of her kayak several times, then holding her arm there until Lara paddled into place and pulled her upright. She sat in her boat, panting hard, then turned to me. "That's not easy!"

"You'll get it," I said. "Scarlett, did you want to try?"

"Yes, but I don't think I'm going to be able to do it."

"If humans can do it, you can do it, Scarlett." She grinned at that and flipped her boat.

She tried twice before asking for assistance. Lara pulled her upright, and Scarlett was sputtering.

"Sorry," she said after catching her breath. "I started to panic. I'm fine. I'll try again after the alpha."

"You're really going to make me do this," Lara said.

"Anything I can do, Lara, you can do better."

She laughed. "Damned straight." She flipped her kayak.

She was stubborn. Very stubborn. "Be ready to help her, Angel," I said. Lara tried it over and over, seven tries in total, before she tapped the bottom of her kayak, asking for an assist. Angel dug a paddle in, was beside her in seconds, and pulled her upright.

Lara gasped for air then looked at me. "You made it look easy."

"It is, but there's a trick, and I don't know how to teach it."

"I'd like to try again," Angel said.

"Then me," said Scarlett.

Angel flipped over. I could tell she was close, but I couldn't tell what she was doing wrong. She was close twice, but both times she tipped back upside down. Scarlett helped her upright when Angel gave up.

By the time Scarlett gave up, Rebecca had paddled over, and it was she who pulled Scarlett upright.

"How did you explain it?"

"I know I'm teaching it wrong." I went through it.

"Ah," she said. She explained it in her own words, and she also knew the mistakes people make. She explained those.

Lara nodded and immediately flipped. Six tries later, Rebecca gave her an assist.

Lara sighed, panting.

Angel flipped, and on her third try, she came fully upright.

"I did it!" She began pumping her fist with a great deal of exuberance. "I did it! I did it!" and she flipped.

It took her two tries again, but she popped back up. She was sputtering, but she waved her fist. "I did it!" she howled, and suddenly the lake was full of wolf howls.

The rest of the wolves clustered around. "Mom! Look!" Angel flipped and popped upright immediately.

Scarlett took a deep breath and flipped her kayak. She gave it four tries, and I was sure she was going to ask for help. She hung upside down for a good ten seconds, and I was about to go in after her, when suddenly she popped upright. She had a look of joy, and Lara led the wolves in a howl for it.

"Catch your breath and do it a few more times," I told her. "It will help fix things in your head."

She nodded, panting. And all eyes turned to Lara.

"Your sister can do it," I said.

"And I can do it," said Angel.

"And me!" said Scarlett.

"Not to mention the little fox," said Elisabeth.

"But no pressure," I told her.

And then we watched alpha stubbornness. And on her eighth attempt, she popped upright like it had been nothing.

I howled for her. Everyone turned to me, and Elisabeth said, "What the hell was that, fox?"

I hung my head. "Can't blame me for trying."

I made them practice a few more times, then I said, "New contest! Those of you who can do the roll, cluster around, give yourselves some room. We're going to see who can flip upright fastest. We need three judges." I looked around. "Derek, Alan and Jeremy. Spread yourselves around us and make sure you can see all of us."

We got into place, and I told Derek, "Call it three-two-one-flip. First one back fully upright and settled is the winner."

"Ready?" he said. "Three-two-one-flip!"

We all went over. I popped upright as fast as I could, but I felt like Aaron and Rebecca were both faster. But I looked around after I was fully settled, and all of us had done it the first time.

"Boys?" I asked.

"It was too close," Derek said. "Elizabeth and Lara were slowest, that's all I can say."

Angel grinned widely.

Neither Alan nor Jeremy wanted to call a winner, either.

"Well then, I guess that's a really big tie," I declared. "And two of them brand new beginners at it. Very well done. Rebecca, good teaching. Thank you."

"Yes, thank you, Rebecca," Angel added. "I've been thinking about that maneuver for six months!"

After that, we ran more races. Rebecca recommended an obstacle course using kayaks as obstacles. I frowned. "I don't know," I said quietly to Lara.

"You're the boss. Don't let her experience intimidate you."

"Guys," I said in a loud voice. "I am going to veto that one. Maybe once we're all a little more experienced."

"You're worried about flipping?" Rebecca asked.

"Yes. They're wolves. They get pretty competitive."

She laughed. "Yeah, you're right. Once everyone can reliably roll, then it might be okay."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking. Or if we had something else for obstacles, so contact isn't dangerous. I wouldn't want someone to get smacked with a paddle."

"Yeah, I didn't think of that. I've done it before, but only with people all with at least Angel's ability. I did hear something about a race between the fox and the alpha though. I hear the alpha is itching for revenge."

"She isn't remotely tired enough for me to have a chance," I said. "But if she wants to humiliate me, I can take my lumps."

Lara laughed. "You better believe I want a rematch. And none of those foxy tricks of yours, either."

It was my turn to laugh. "You can try setting rules like that, but you know I won't follow them. Don't worry, most of my tricks require me being in the lead, and you're going to leave me in the dust. Eddy. Whatever."

Francesca served as our midpoint. The race was to Francesca and back, with Elisabeth and Rebecca serving as goal posts two boat lengths apart from each other. Everyone else gave the finish line some space; they knew the kinds of tricks I played.

Then just before Elisabeth could tell us to go, Angel said, "Wait! Alpha, something is wrong with your boat, let me check it." She paddled up to the stern of Lara's boat. She made a point of looking all over the stern before she said, "Sorry, false alarm. It must have been a shadow."

"You better not have tied something on back there," Lara said, turning her body to look critically at Angel.

"Not a thing, Alpha," she said. "See?" She lifted the carry handle, showing nothing was attached anywhere. "You guys can race." But she didn't move away from Lara's boat.

"Ready!" said Elizabeth. "Set! Go!"

I dug the paddle in and heard Lara do the same thing. I expected her to flash out in front of me, but it was like she was sitting still, and her boat immediately disappeared behind me field of view.

"What the hell?" I heard her say. "Angel! Let go!" The order was yelled with the full power of the alpha's voice. I heard laughing and finally Lara's boat moving cleanly through the water.

Lara and I were neck and neck by the time we reached Francesca, but I turned faster, gaining a half length. My tricks weren't useful on the first half, and Lara was ready for me on the return trip. I wondered if she had figured out how to counteract my ploys.

As soon as I saw the tip of her boat in my peripheral vision, I began edging that way, forcing her to turn off course to avoid hitting me. The passing boat had the responsibility to avoid the boat being passed, even if the boat being passed was being driven by a maniac fox.

"That's not going to work this time, fox," she said.

"We'll see," I said.

I turned her further and further off course, but still she slowly began to pass me. Finally I turned back towards the finish, almost ninety degrees from our current direction, and in doing so, effectively gained a half a boat length. Lara turned in the same direction, but she was now further behind me than she had been.

After that, she pulled in immediately behind me. I heard her following me and I peeked around. She was inches behind me. "Can't win from back there," I said.

Then I heard a grunt, and I could tell she had dug into the water especially strongly. I wouldn't have thought it possible, but she managed several exceedingly strong strokes in a row, and then she was beside me, the muscles in her neck bulging from the exertion of each stroke. She pulled a quarter length ahead, and I knew the race was over.

Then she began turning into me, and I started laughing. "Insult to injury?"

"Just. Making. Sure." she said, panting hard. She pushed me slightly off course, then slowly pulled ahead, winning by two boat lengths.

Angel was still smirking. Her trick had almost been enough and would have been if not for Lara's determination. I paddled up to Lara, who was leaning over her boat, panting. I was winded as well, but not like that.

"You were stunning," I told her. "Simply stunning."

She glanced over to me. "Did you put her up to that?"

"No. Although it seems like something I would have thought of. But I wouldn't put her between you and a winning race."

Lara smiled at that. "Angel!" she yelled.

Angel paddled slowly over, and she had the grace to look contrite.

"Scarlett, you too," Lara said.

"I didn't do anything, Alpha," Scarlett said.

"Do not argue with me!" Lara said. Scarlett paddled over next to Angel. The rest of the pack watched quietly. "Scarlett, do you wish to deny foreknowledge of Angel's plan?"

"No, Alpha."

"Thank you for your honesty," she said. "It was pretty damned funny, Angel. But I'm not sure I would have found it as funny if the fox had won."

"Yes, Alpha," Angel said. "Or. Um."

"I know what you meant," she said. "You two will be serving meals and doing the cleanup afterwards for the rest of the weekend. That's through dinner tomorrow."

"Yes, Alpha," they said in unison.

"Have we learned a lesson from this incident?" she asked.

"Yes, Alpha," Angel said. "If you are going to handicap the alpha so the little fox has a chance, better be prepared for the consequences."

"Do not be impertinent," Lara said.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," she said. "What lesson was I to have learned?"

"Oh damnit, Angel, I think that you summed it up quite well. Cleanup duty tonight, then back to a regular rotation tomorrow. It was pretty funny."

They both smiled. "Thank you, Alpha."

That was the last race for a while. I took over as guide, directing our little group around the islands and describing some of the things we were looking at. Lara stayed close to me and whispered so quietly no one else could hear, "You love this."

I looked back. "I am going to miss it."

Finally it was time to head back to Bayfield. Everyone had worked off a goodly amount of energy, and we kept to a comfortable pace for me. Francesca looked tired, so I edged to Lara. "Do we need to tow her?"

"She would hate us for offering," Lara replied. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Francesca made it back, but I thought she would be stiff in the morning. I slipped up next to her.

"I'm fine, Michaela," she said. "I'm not as old as it may seem."

"You did well today," I replied. "A good soak might feel good."

She smiled. "Seeing as how Scarlett and Angel have the cleanup duty, I'll have time. When I saw what my daughter was doing, I was amused and horrified at the same time. If that had been some other activity, where Lara could have cuffed her readily, I don't know how hard she would have hit her."

"Has Lara ever hit someone too hard?"

"Not a teenager for a harmless prank like that. If there had been a chance of someone getting hurt though, she can lose her control. She broke Rory's arm once."

"Oh my!"

"He shifted, it was fine in a few days, and he deserved it. But she admitted to me privately she hadn't meant it to go that far. She's been learning a great deal of control dealing with you."

"She is very gentle with me."

"She is very in love with you."

I sighed. "Me, too."

We stood and watched while the gear was put away. June especially was helping Benny and seemed to know her way around the boathouse very well. It was cute seeing the looks he gave the large female wolf. I wondered whether how soon we'd tell him the full truth. I wondered if he could take it.

"Francesca," I said quietly. "Am I a bad influence on Angel?"

"What? No. Why would you ask that?"

"What she did today. Would she have done that if not for my influence?"

"Probably not," Francesca said. "And she knew Lara would have to discipline her for it. But it was good for both of them. Lara sometimes stands more aloof from the pack than is good for her. No one ever pulls practical jokes with her, and almost no one jokes with her at all. For Angel to have been brave enough to do that says something good about both of them."

"I wonder if she would have done it if Lara could have cuffed her immediately. With Angel hanging on to the back of Lara's boat, she effectively kept Lara six feet out of striking range."

Francesca smiled. "That probably helped fuel her bravery. But to be clear, I do not believe you are a bad influence. An influence, yes. Sometimes good, sometimes unexpected. Never bad."

I offered a one arm hug and we stood quietly together.

That night in our room, I told Lara, "Thank you for this."

"You don't have to thank me for everything," she replied.

"Is it odd? We're basically at war with organized crime, but I have never felt safer in my entire life. Or happier."

"I'm glad," Lara said. "I hope you aren't angry with Elisabeth."

I didn't answer right away, but kicked off my shoes and wandered around the room for a moment.

"No. I'm sorry I put her in that position."

"That's all right, then. It'll be fine. Come here, little fox."

I turned to her in time to hear a knock at the door.

"Ah, saved by the knock," she said. "Enter!"

The door opened, admitting Elisabeth and behind her, June. June closed the door.

"We're sorry to interrupt, Alpha," Elisabeth said. "We have a personal issue to discuss with you."

"I'll go for a walk," I said.

"I think you should stay," said June.

I glanced at Lara and she nodded. "All right, let's grab some seats."

"I think I'd rather stand, Alpha," June said. I looked into her face, and she was deeply nervous. "Alpha, I want to tell him."

"Benny?" I asked. June nodded.

"Alpha," she said to Lara. "I really, really like him. And he feels the same way. But I've been holding myself back a little, you know, because if he couldn't handle it, it would hurt too much. He is starting to think something is wrong, and he has been asking why he can't come visit in Madison before the busy season. He was put out when I wouldn't let him come this winter. It's to the point I either have to tell him or lose him. I don't want to lose him."

Lara paced around the room for a minute. June tried to say more, but Lara held up her hand. She did the same thing when I tried to speak. Finally she turned back to June.

"I want you to be happy, June."

"Alpha," she started to say.

"Hush. Have you been feeling him out?"

"Yeah. Stuff like, I told him I believe in things we don't really know about. He thought I meant god and angels. I told him my grandmother used to tell stories from the old world, and I meant things like that. And he thought that was pretty cool and admitted science can't explain everything."

Lara turned to me. "You once said he was a good man, and you didn't seem ruffled when they showed interest in each other."

"If I were going to expose my fox to a human, Benny might be the first I would pick. He is kind and gentle." I thought about it. "That may be the way to do it. My fox is a lot less intimidating than a wolf."

"Elisabeth?"

"I trust June and Michaela," she said. "But I would rather not repeat Michele's experience."

"No, I think we can do better than that."

June's entire body lifted when Lara said that. "I can tell him?"

"I'm not sure, June. Invite him to dinner. Let me get to know him a little better."

"Thank you, Alpha!" she said.

"June, don't thank me yet. This may be very dangerous information for him. You need to be as sure as you can."

"He hasn't broken any promises to me."

"This is a very shocking secret to keep."

"I know," June said. "But Michaela said he's a good man. He is."

"I will decide after spending some time with him. Any night this week, if he is free. Otherwise it will need to wait until we can give it more attention. Things will heat up again soon."

She nodded. "It will be this week. Thank you, Alpha."

Once June and Elisabeth were gone, Lara turned to me, and she carried a look of deep concern. "This is going to be one of the most difficult decisions I've ever made. If he responds badly-"

"I know," I said. "I don't think he'll respond badly. He may not be willing to maintain a relationship, but he won't respond badly." I thought about it. "Start with me. Then all that is exposed is one little, harmless, far-from-intimidating fox. See how he responds."

Lara nodded. "And I think we need to talk to Michele and Donald."

"And probably warn Greg Freund. He won't want to be blind sided."

"Who is watching us?"

"I saw Karen and Wendy." Lara stepped to the door, opened it, and yipped once, quietly. I heard footsteps then Karen asked, "Yes, Alpha?"

Lara invited her in and gave her a high level overview. She nodded. "I'll tell Marty, he'll tell Greg. We've been involved in this before, you know. Greg has a team that helps sometimes. I'm sure if he has suggestions, he'll get back to you."

"Thank you, Karen."

"You are welcome, Alpha." She paused. "I like it here, Alpha. This is the first pack I've seen that is run like this one. The LA pack isn't bad, but you know how it is."

Lara smiled. "Dominant males everywhere?"

"Yes. I'm sort of unaligned right now. Lima Consulting is my only family, and I sort of miss having a real pack. If you know what I mean." Lara smiled. "So, Alpha, I was wondering if there were some sort of application process or something?"

Lara frowned, which I didn't understand. Karen thought she did immediately. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked."

"Wait, Karen," Lara said. "Let me think about this. First, I would love to have you, but I want to think it through."

"You're worried I will challenge the head enforcer."

Elisabeth was the head enforcer, taking over from David last fall.

"Yes," Lara said. "I wouldn't be able to stop you, and I am not sure what the results would be."

"And you want your sister in that position."

"Yes."

"I don't want the position," Karen said. "If I were the only qualified individual, or if it were going to go to someone who I thought was bad for the pack or bad for the role, I would fight for it. But I don't want it. I don't want to deal with the politics. And frankly, I don't want to be the one to be forced to manage the fox." She looked at me and smiled. "I wouldn't have the patience, and I'd hurt you."

I nodded. "No offense taken. I know I'm a pain in the ass."

"I am very happy to be guarding you, Michaela. I like and admire you. But when the chips come down, I don't believe you would follow my orders, and I don't want that responsibility." She turned to Lara. "I'd agree to not challenge Elisabeth. If she needs to step down for some reason, we would have a fresh conversation. If she becomes bad for the pack, we would have a conversation. But she is good for the pack, and I don't think that will change."

Lara considered her. "Do I need to talk to Greg Freund?"

"Yes, but he won't object. I already talked to him about it. I was just waiting for a chance to ask you."

Lara sighed. "This is going to be an interesting conversation with Elisabeth." She picked up her phone, paused, and invited Elisabeth back to the room.

"Do you want me to go?" Karen asked.

"No."

Elisabeth must not have been far. There was a knock, then she entered. She looked around and asked, "What is going on."

"Karen has asked to join the pack," Lara said.

Elisabeth's lips tightened, and I watched her muscles tense.

"I don't want your job," Karen said. "I absolutely do not want it. Second after you, maybe, but I don't want the politics of your job. I promised the alpha I wouldn't challenge you, and I would never break a promise to the alpha."

"I do not need my sister to protect me from challengers!" Elisabeth said hotly.

"No," Karen said. "You don't. But the positions in the pack should be filled by those best able to fill them, regardless of whether there is some hothead who is a better fighter. You are a better head enforcer than I would be. The pack is stronger with you as head. The pack is stronger if the alpha trusts the head enforcer. Point me at who needs to die, and I'll handle it. Point me at who to protect, and I will protect her. Tell me who needs training, and I will train him. But you are head enforcer, and I will fight to keep you there."

Elisabeth took a breath. "You will offer your throat?"

"Willingly and often. And I won't backtalk like someone we know." She stared at me.

"I apologized!" I said.

Elisabeth turned to me. "I told you."

"I'm sorry."

Elisabeth turned to Lara. "I have no objections. I think she'd be an amazing member of the pack. What about her job?"

"I'd cut back," she said. "You would need to pay for me through the current difficulties. After that, I am happy to be a full time enforcer or part time, and part time working for Greg. Maybe full time for pack except when Greg has a particular need, and you can afford to do without me."

Elisabeth said to Lara, "I do not want a bad relationship with Greg. That is more important to us than one enforcer, regardless of her qualifications."

"Greg won't mind," Karen said. "But the alpha should talk to him. She could offer something in return."

"What would that be?" Lara asked.

Karen turned to me. "It's not often, but there are times he could really use a scout."

"No!" Lara said, and I didn't even notice when she crossed the room, but I suddenly found myself in her arms. "Mine!"

She was crushing me. "Lara!" I said. "Lara!"

Her heart was pounding, but slowly she relaxed and gave me enough space to catch my breath.

I reached up and kissed her jaw. "She's a little possessive," I told Karen.

"I see that. I won't mention it again."

"I would have to go along," Lara said quietly.

I kissed her jaw again, and slowly she relaxed and released me, but stayed close.

"You talk to Greg, Karen," Lara said. "Let me mull this over a little longer, but I am inclined to welcome you. I'll talk to him before making a formal offer."

"Thank you, Alpha. That's all I can ask."

Karen let herself out, and Lara turned to Elisabeth.

"I think it's a good move. But you do not need to protect me, Alpha." Elisabeth looked pissed.

"She offered," Lara said. "And I am going to hold her to it. You are my head enforcer, and it will remain that way. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth said meekly. Then she smiled. "I love you, too."

They bumped each other, then Elisabeth ruffled my hair before slipping out the door.

"So," she said, "Where were we?"

"Well," I said. "I think you were about to take your clothes off."

"I was?" she asked. "I don't remember it that way. I believe I was going to take yours off."

"But Alpha, you know how you get when you take my clothes off, and then we have to interrupt the mood to get yours off. Don't you think we should do yours first?"

She stepped closer, and her fingers were reaching for the hem of my tee-shirt. "I don't like this shirt," she said.

"Lara," I said. "I do."

She knotted her fingers in the material at the neck of the shirt, threatening to rip the shirt into shreds. "In fact," she said. "I don't really like you wearing tee shirts at all."

"I suppose you want me in frilly blouses and dresses?"

"Yes. Especially when out kayaking."

I heard the material start to rip, and my hands flew to Lara's. "Please, Lara. Not this shirt. It's important to me."

"It's a tee shirt for some band I've never heard of."

"It was my sister's favorite band."

"Oh honey," she said, her expression softening. She adjusted her grip and removed the shirt very, very gently.

I let her undress. She was very gentle about it. "I think you tore the material, Lara."

"Can I make it up to you?"

"Will you let me be on top?" I tried to summon some tears for good effect.

"I'm sorry, honey. If that will make you feel better."

Together we pulled her clothing off and she pulled me gently to the bed, pulling me down on top of her. We kissed, our passion rising, and I began to stroke her body. She was tense. We never made love with me on top. She would let me pleasure her, but never like this. I slid my hand down and began stroking her, sliding between her lips, wet and ready for me, and teasing her clit.

Kissing her, I slid two fingers in her, then a third, and used my thumb to continue to tease her clit.

"Lara," I said, moving slowly over her. "You maybe don't need to believe every little thing the little fox tells you. I'm fairly certain her sister has never heard of a bluegrass band called the Bayfield Callers."

Her eyes flew open. "What?"

I grinned at her, still moving.

I knew what would happen, of course. She flipped us over immediately, and then I couldn't reach all her delectable parts. She pinned me to the bed and slid a leg between my thighs, pressing against me. She knew exactly what it took to get me exited. And then, while her leg continued to press against me, she shoved her head down and her mouth opened over my throat.

She clamped down savagely, growling, and I immediately began to whimper in complete submission. She relaxed her mouth, but kept it over my throat as her leg continued to press and rub against my labia. I began to squirm under her, completely lost to what she was doing to me.

I moaned and whimpered, lost in a mix of pleasure and submission. Then she pulled her mouth from my throat and said, "No! This is too much like a reward for you!" Without any other warming, she flipped me onto my stomach, roughly pressing me into the bed. Then I felt her mouth on the back of my neck, and she held me in place like that while sliding an arm under my hips. She lifted my ass into the air while holding my face and chest pressed into the bed. Lara shifted her position, sliding a leg between mine, forcing my legs apart, then her arm reached around me and between my legs.

She didn't hesitate. I was dripping for her, and she invaded me with two fingers, sliding in and out of me roughly, her thumb teasing my clit, and I started to go crazy from the amazing sensations.

Lara continued to growl, biting the back of my neck. I whimpered and moaned while her fingers drove me closer and closer to the cusp of an earth shaking orgasm. Just as I was about to come, she growled, "No!" and pinched me roughly, painfully.

I gasped and crashed away from my orgasm, suddenly deeply frustrated.

And then her hand was moving again, sliding in and out, her thumb pressed against my clit, the pressure intense, just shy of painful, I was so sensitive. I could barely breath and barely move, and I couldn't think at all, and my dominant alpha was pushing me further and further into submission as she drove me closer and closer to an orgasm.

And, just as I reached the cusp, she said, "No!" again, and her mouth on my neck grew rough, painful, and she shoved her hand inside me painfully. The pain shoved away the orgasm, and I whimpered in earnest.

"Please, Lara."

"Shut up," she said, and then her hand was moving again.

Lara was always firm with me, but sweet and gentle. This was harsh, rough, and I wasn't being made love to, I was being taken, and there wasn't a thing I could do about it. There wasn't a thing I wanted to do about it.

But she took me, she took me right to the cusp, and then I begged and pleaded, and she told me, "You will behave!"

"I'll behave!" I promised. And then with each rough stroke inside me, I told her, "I'll behave. Behave. Behave." When the orgasm came, it came hard, and I screamed her name, and then, shuddering, I whimpered out, "Behave, behave."

And then for a long time, I didn't have a single coherent thought. Sometime while I was lost in having been taken so thoroughly, Lara had shifted us, and I eventually realized we were under the covers, cuddling, with Lara on her back and my head on her chest, her arm curled around me protectively.

She must have realized when I came back to earth.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I hurt you."

"No," I told her. "No. You didn't."

She didn't answer right away, and I tried to curl closer to her. She held her muscles stiff, tense, and I said, "I'm sorry."

"You pushed me too far, little fox. I could have really hurt you."

"I'm sorry, Lara. I didn't think you would believe me. I mean. The shirt says Bayfield on it in big bold letters. We lived in New Hampshire, and we didn't own a single electronic device. The shirt is from last year. Where would my sister ever have heard that band?"

She relaxed slightly.

"But I realized you believed me, so I tried to go over the top teasing you, and you let me. I didn't think you would, I thought you would see through me. But then you let me be on top, and I started to feel really guilty. Because I really, really wanted to be beneath you, Lara."

She pulled me to her, not saying anything.

"Lara, what you did-"

"I'm sorry."

"What you did, I wouldn't want it like that all the time. But sometimes. Don't feel guilty. You're right, it hurts, but..." And then I couldn't get close enough to her, I kept clutching at her, trying to practically crawl inside of her. "Please hold me tighter and tell me you understand."

And she did.

 **Exposed**

I was sore in the morning. When Lara saw me trying to walk, she flinched herself. I walked straight to her, slowly, and told her, "Lara, I am very good at pushing your buttons. Do you think I push them because I hate the results?"

"You weren't counting on that."

"Did you listen to what I said afterwards? Did you?"

She smiled. "Yes."

"Good, because I have every intention of pushing you like that again. Not often, but not rarely, either. And if you dare to feel guilty about it, it's going to ruin it for me. So knock it off."

And then I stepped into her arms and demanded a kiss. She happily complied, and when she released me, she looked more relaxed.

"I'm still going to feel guilty, Michaela, every time you flinch trying to walk."

"Do you know what I'm going to think every time I flinch?"

"How much I hurt you?"

"No. I am going to think about how much I want to be between your legs, thanking you for what you did. Now, put on a self-satisfied smile or I swear, you aren't touching me for a week."

She laughed and hugged me, and she looked pretty pleased with herself.

And then, when she wasn't looking, I took some Ibuprofen.

Breakfast at the lodge was, shall we say, awkward. I am not by nature an exhibitionist. I am openly affectionate not only to Lara but to all my friends, and the entire pack sees me naked on a regular basis; it's a side effect of losing my clothes when I shift.

But I was collecting my breakfast and overheard Scarlett and Angel talking. "Michaela is walking funny," Scarlett said.

"Lara looks pleased and guilty at the same time."

"I wonder when I'll get you to scream like that," Scarlett replied.

"No way. You'll go first," Angel said.

I started blushing terribly.

"Do you think she'll really behave?" Scarlett asked.

"Elizabeth has a pool going for the next time she publicly defies Lara or Elisabeth. I've got noon today. No way will she last a week. I don't think she'll make it until dinner."

My face steaming, I left my plate where it was on the edge of the serving table and went in search of Elisabeth. She was sitting on the front porch of the lodge, drinking a cup of coffee and taking a rare moment to relax. She glanced up as I stepped outside and grinned.

"Have a nice night after we left?" she asked. "You seem to be walking funny."

"Was I that loud?"

"Yes. The enforcers almost burst in from the screaming, but it was obvious what was going on."

"Is Lara strutting around somewhere?"

Elisabeth chuckled. "A little. You're good for her, you know."

"Who do I thank for starting the pool about me? You?"

"No, and I won't tell you. It's in fun. Be a good scout."

"Would you be a good scout?"

"I don't seem to attract as much attention as you do. I'm boring. You're not. Consider it a compliment."

"That was evasive, Elisabeth."

She didn't answer right away, but sat, drinking her coffee. I waited in vain. "Are you thinking about a response or trying to make me more upset?"

She glanced over. "I was being evasive because I don't want to admit the truth. No, I would not be a good scout. My reaction wouldn't necessarily be the right reaction. The right reaction is to be a good scout about it."

I took a breath and thought about it. "You're right. I will strive to follow your advice. Why are you managing the pool?"

"You and your damned hearing," she said. "I manage it because there isn't anyone else to do it. They came to me. It's not the first time."

"About me?"

"About everything. Sometimes about you; sometimes about Lara; sometimes about council decisions. Sometimes the pool is about me, and then they go to Francesca."

"What time slot do you have?" I asked her.

"I don't. First off, I wouldn't bet about you. Second, I'm the judge. Third, Lara and I are the only ones who could skew the results by pushing you, so it would be a conflict of interest for us. And I wouldn't want to be tempted. I'm pretty sure I could push you to defy me, but it all goes back to our conversation yesterday afternoon."

"What was the earliest slot someone picked?"

She laughed. "It already expired. The last one is three days."

"No one thinks I'll make it three days?"

"No one betting does."

"What happens if I blow past everyone's predictions?"

"You won't last forever. Once someone's slot has expired, they can make a new wager."

"I want you to put a time limit on it. No one has more than three days out? We're here until next Sunday. I'll make it until we leave. If we do, it's mine."

She laughed. "Fifty bucks."

After breakfast, we sent teams out to collect more of my samples and otherwise do my job for me. Lunch was on the island, and after lunch, Lara rented a couple of large sailboats from the marina and we went sailing.

The boys, of course, wanted to be on the same boat as all the girls, so we largely ended up with a kids boat, along with a few of the adults, and an adult's boat. It was a breezy spring day, and it was nice to be out on the water.

I brought my laptop and all the data with me that had been collected. I wasn't able to analyze any of the samples, but I had everything back at the compound to do that. I spent time collating the data until Elisabeth found me hiding in the cabin.

"You need to socialize," she said.

I looked up at her. "Is that an observation, advice, or an order?"

She smiled. "Call it the start of a conversation that is going to end by you putting everything away and going out to socialize. There are people here you don't know. They deserve to get to know you. Hadley and Harper are returning to Madison in the morning."

"The boys will be disappointed."

"The girls are staying. I think the plan is you will be having house guests, by the way."

"Lara didn't tell me."

"She will. Give her a chance."

I nodded. "You understand, Elisabeth, I am not a small talk kind of fox. And I don't have anything in common with anyone up there. And as you know, I get bored easily."

"I don't know how you can do all this," she said, waving at the papers spread out around me. "And say you get bored easily. It looks deadly dull to me."

"It's a puzzle," I said. "Collating the data, tracking trends, trying to find interrelationships between the trends. But I admit: I like the outdoor work a lot more than this. But this is better than sitting like a lump in a group of people and not being a part of the conversation."

"Lara hates your job."

"Lara isn't the one who has to do it," I said. "But are you say she's ashamed to be dating a public servant?"

Elisabeth shook her head. "Why would you ask something like that?"

I looked down. "Why is she with me, Elisabeth?"

"Oh hell, Michaela, don't go there. She loves you deeply and you know it."

"All right. Why does she hate my job?"

"You should have this conversation with her."

"Ah, but you brought it." I looked back up at her. "Tell me what you're willing to tell me, and if there is more, tell me to talk to her. Fair?"

"You are going to take this the wrong way, so you need to put it in perspective." I nodded. "She thinks your job is pointless. She doesn't understand it. She doesn't think anyone values what you do and doesn't think anyone uses whatever information it is you're collecting all the time. She thinks you should be doing something with clear value. And now that you are pack, she would prefer that value be directly to the pack, if possible. Or at least financially lucrative and worthy of someone with your intelligence and skills."

"The thinks I'm under-employed?"

"Deeply under-employed."

"Anything else?"

"If you let her give you a job, then when things like the current incidents come up, we don't need to bow to some human interest to keep your job. And of course, she would prefer you didn't spend so many nights away from her."

"But she also says it should be my choice."

"Yes."

"She has offered me four jobs over the last six months. Every single one is a fake job that she made up just to get me to quit my current job."

"They were not fake jobs!"

"They were all for some company she was going to form, some company that couldn't possibly make money. She was basically going to pay me herself, even if she disguises it. She wants me kept. And on low self-esteem days, it feels like she's trying to buy me."

Elisabeth frowned then finally said, "You and I aren't going to solve this. That's what I can tell you. You should still talk to Lara, and keep talking until you come to a solution."

"Why does there need to be a solution? Why can't she accept my job for what it is? She may be right about everything she thinks about my job, but it's still the best job I could find and it makes me happy."

"You've heard my advice. You'll follow it or you won't. Now, please, Hadley Smith and Harper Armstrong deserve to get to know you. Please go up on deck and make that possible."

"All right, Elisabeth. Let me put everything away and I'll be right up."

"How about if I stand right here glaring at you until you head up?"

I laughed and began collecting papers. Elisabeth helped, then chased me out of the cabin.

After that, I kept myself available for anyone who wanted to talk to me, although I didn't intentionally join the conversations going on. It was nice to be on deck. And it took me about ten minutes to get bored.

So I began eavesdropping. Listening to the conversations on our boat was too easy, so I listened for the other one. The kids were grouped up into three separate conversations. Scarlett and Angel were actually in different groups, but I didn't think that would last. Then I smiled, as I heard Derek and Jeremy both attempting to talk to Sophia, the girl I thought may not be fully appreciated. They were both bragging about their exploits, which wasn't the right way to win her affection, but she was being sweet and encouraging them. I decided she was going to be all right.

Chloe Lassiter, the 13-year-old, was talking to Scarlett. She sounded nervous, and Scarlett was telling her how great it was to live at the compound. And then my heart melted when Scarlett told her, "The best times are when Ms. Redfur teaches a class. The other classes are good, too, but she's great. Everyone loves her."

I didn't notice the shadow right away, but then a hand was holding out a glass of lemonade. "I hear this is your favorite." I looked up, and Hadley was standing there. She gave me the lemonade and sat down on the bench next to me. "I wasn't sure if it was all right to disturb you."

"Of course," I said. "I don't bite."

"I've never met a fox before," she said. "What is it like?"

"It's great, most of the time." I didn't know how to really answer her question. She didn't seem satisfied, but we moved on.

"I was surprised when I heard we had a new pack member, and she wasn't a wolf or a human mate."

I judged her body language; she didn't appear hostile, just curious. "Lara has been working on me about it for a while, but to be honest, I didn't think she was serious, either. I can't imagine why the wolves would want a fox in the pack."

Her eyes glinted and she grinned at me.

"Oh, do not go there!" I said. "Did you get in on the wager?"

"What wager?"

"Apparently, there is a pool for when I next publicly define the alpha or the head enforcer."

"Does that happen often?"

"Noon yesterday was the last time, but I was only a little mouthy. I'm not sure if it would have counted."

"You're actually serious?"

"Yes. And apparently, no one thinks I'll last very long."

"I don't know you well enough to comment," Hadley said.

"Well, someone who knows me very well had taken the slot ending two hours ago. If that tells you anything."

She laughed.

"If you want to get in on it," I told her. "Talk to Elisabeth."

"Got a hot tip for me?"

"Well, I will only point out I am still walking funny from the repercussions of my practical joke last night. Note that the practical joke would not have qualified as public defiance and maybe not even private defiance."

"So you're cowed for a day or two, and I should pick, say, noon on Wednesday?"

I laughed. "I wouldn't say cowed. I would say satiated."

"You aren't giving me good feelings about my daughter living with you."

"Excuse me?" At first, I thought she meant at my home in Bayfield, but then I realized her daughter, Ava, would be taking a room in Lara's house. "Ah, right. I wasn't sure which of the girls was staying in Lara's house."

I would have to talk to Lara about clueing me in.

"You should talk to Francesca, perhaps," I suggested. "Her daughter, Angel, lives with me."

Confusion ran across her face.

"She's my intern, and she uses a room in my Bayfield house."

That didn't clear anything up at all.

"Perhaps I should start over?" She nodded. I explained things as efficiently as I could, and her expression cleared.

"That is the girl who interfered with your competition with the alpha yesterday?"

In a small voice, I said, "I suppose that isn't going to reassure you about me, either."

"Not particularly."

"Well, I seem to be making a right mess of things. I'm sorry. I'm really not as bad as all that, but I can see how I am giving that impression."

"I think I may need to think about this arrangement further," she said. "No offense."

"No, of course not." Bitch. To say it to my face? I schooled my features. "Perhaps you'll excuse me."

I didn't wait for a response but got up and moved forward, sitting on the deck in front of the mast, hoping everyone would leave me alone.

I was safe for a good fifteen minutes before Francesca found me and sat down next to me. I glanced over. "I take it you had a nice conversation with Hadley Smith? She's my newest anti-fan."

Francesca didn't say anything. "I meant what I told you yesterday."

"I know. I put my foot in it. I was aiming for charming and slightly self-deprecating."

"Don't worry about it."

"How can I not? She's making decisions about her daughter's life based on my unusual sense of humor. The only good thing about her taking her daughter back home is that I won't be required to have another conversation with her."

"Didn't like her?"

"No."

"No one does."

We sat quietly for a while. "Too bad the boat captain isn't a wolf. I wouldn't mind going furry for a while. No one would expect me to say anything intelligent."

"You're too hard on yourself."

I shrugged. "What's it like to have kids?"

"It's amazing and scary and wonderful. Gia was the difficult one. Angel is more precocious, but I always knew she would be okay. Gia was lost, not sure where she might fit in."

"Were they difficult births?"

"Well, Angel was. Gia practically popped right out. But the first time I held either of them, helping her find a breast, hoping she can latch on and feed properly, and then she does. It felt so amazing, this small life, clinging to me."

"I'll never have kids," I said.

"Why not?"

"Seen any foxes around to mate with? And Lara would kill him, anyway. Wolves can mate with a human and produce a wolf, but that would be dangerous for a fox." I didn't tell her I wouldn't want to bring fox children into a world ruled by werewolves.

Francesca smiled broadly. "You just told me you expect your relationship with Lara to be permanent."

I thought about it. "I guess that's what I want. I don't know what she wants."

"I think she has been clear, Michaela."

"Doesn't she want children?"

"I honestly don't know," Francesca said. "But there are ways. You know that. But even if there weren't, I'm pretty sure she'll take you over kids."

"I'm sort of the size of a child."

"True." She bumped her shoulder against me. "Ready to give Harper Armstrong a chance to alienate you as well?"

I sighed. "Poor boys. If I scare away both Ava and Sophia, that just leaves Abigail. Unless Chloe is a fair target, but she seems a touch young."

"Don't rule out Ava. Hadley was probably trying to put you in your place more than anything else."

We got to our feet, somewhat unsteadily on the shifting boat, then returned to the main cockpit. There was an open seat next to Harper, so I sat down next to her and said, "Hello, I'm Michaela."

"Yes, we met," she said. "I had a very nice time kayaking yesterday. Will you be taking us again?"

"I hope so," I said. "It is one of my favorite activities. It's not fishing season yet, but I have my favorite fishing places, too."

I managed to avoid inserting my paws in my mouth with her, and we actually seemed to get along. We'd been talking for about fifteen minutes when she said, "I was worried when you were talking to Hadley."

"Were you listening?"

"No, just watching body language. It started out so well, but then I saw her turn pissy, and I knew you must be okay."

I laughed. "Does she know how popular she is?"

"Oh, she believes she is very popular."

"Her daughter seems-"

"Ava is a good girl," Harper said. "She's Sophia's best friend."

"Sophia seems remarkable."

"I know. It's all her doing. I wish I could take credit, but she raised herself after her father left us."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Good riddance," she said.

"I didn't know wolves divorced."

"We were never married. Just, you know. Active. I think I always knew he wasn't a good choice, but he was a smooth talker. At least I got Sophia out of the deal."

"If Hadley takes Ava back to Madison, will Sophia still want to live at the compound?"

"Are you kidding? She loves the sciences, and she makes friends at the drop of the hat. Besides, there is no way Hadley will pass up an opportunity to leave Ava with the alpha. That is just too much of an opportunity for her."

I offered a confused look. "What does a love for the sciences have to do with it?"

"Oh, you didn't know? All the girls are here to apply to your new school."

"My new school?"

"Oh," she said. "I know it's still all very quiet, and you're not supposed to talk about it, but the alpha told us all about it."

"Oh, she did?" I asked. "She didn't tell me. Just to make sure I don't let out anything I am not supposed to, what has she told you?"

"That you're starting a new school that will focus on the natural sciences, especially biology, with a strong focus on conservation. I guess you'll partner with Francesca for any remaining graduation requirements you can't teach, English and that sort of thing. And she mentioned significant hands on experience."

"Of course," I said. "I can understand why she would tell you now, so that we could line up students soon, but it might be premature. I'm not sure if the council has approved yet." Man, I was pulling this out of thin air now.

"She did say not to talk to anyone about it. I guess we're getting ahead of ourselves, if the council hasn't approved it yet."

"Yes," I said. "There are kinks to work out." Like the fact she hasn't asked the new teacher if she was interested.

"Sophia and Ava are both so looking forward to it," Harper assured me. "And with your qualifications, I imagine the experience will be singular."

"Oh something will definitely be singular," I said. "Harper, it has been nice to talk to you. I think perhaps I should talk to the alpha and see what else she's told people, so I know what to expect."

"Of course. We can talk more later."

I looked around and saw Lara talking to Serena and Emanuel. I wandered in her direction and said, "Alpha, I hate to interrupt, but may I have a moment of your time?"

She glanced over to me and smiled. "Of course, little fox."

"Perhaps we can step forward," I said, gesturing to the front of the sailboat, then leading the way. Lara followed me, and I waited until we were as far forward as we could go before I turned on her.

"School?"

I hadn't actually worked myself up. Yet. Maybe Harper had misunderstood my involvement. I could wait to see what she said before I flayed her alive.

"I was going to tell you about it last night," she said. "But we got distracted."

"Tell me about it, or ask me about it?" I asked coldly.

"Share my idea and see how you felt about it," Lara said, suddenly wary, as she should have been.

"Was this before or after you finished lining up the students and set the first year's curriculum?"

"Before, of course. I thought you would want to meet the girls, get to know the parents, and then you could make a decision about whether you wanted to teach them."

"I am not qualified to teach them!"

"Of course you are," she said. "You're great with the kids. They love you. And you know your material."

"God, Lara! You keep acting as if I'm this super woman. That I'm under employed. I am in the best, highest paying job someone gets who has never been to high school, much less college!"

She stared at me. Now I was worked up.

"You know my history. I left home at fourteen, and did you think I went to school then? I was on the run for years. When would I have gone to high school? When would I have been in one place long enough to even learn what a high school education was? And college? Seriously?"

"Michaela-" she started to say.

"Damn it! Lara! You told me this was my decision. You promised me, more than once. But you hate my job, so you're going to swoop in and present me with a fait accompli?"

I started seeing red. I knew I'd been yelling, and now everyone knew, I had less education than anyone, to go along with being a tiny, weak fox. That was when I realized Lara's back was to the edge of the boat, and I was so angry with her.

"Do you know how I got my job? I saved a girl's life. I interrupted a rape, kicking the asses of three men trying to rape a fourteen-year-old girl. I tried to leave before the police showed up, but she was sobbing so badly that I stayed to hold her. And it turned out her father had connections, and he got me my job, the best job I could ever have. Ever, Lara!"

I was so angry. I pushed her. With everything I had.

I caught her completely by surprise. She started to fall backwards off the boat. She flayed, reached out to me, and grabbed me, trying to find her balance. But she was going over the edge, if I had to go with her. I pushed again, and together we tumbled into the water.

It was cold! I'd never been in Lake Superior, even in high summer, without a wetsuit.

Lara and I separated even before we hit the water. The boat bumped against my back, and I was pushed under the cold, cold water.

I kicked, scrambling for the surface, as the cold bit into my bones. It hurt! A cold that much hurts! It's not like stepping outside in cold weather, even in the dead of winter, this was far, far worse.

I found the surface, then shifted to fox, trying to get some fur around me, but I was tangled in my clothing, and I went under the surface again. The clothes were wet, and they tangled around me instead of sliding off. I couldn't squirm out of them, and I couldn't swim with them dragging me deeper.

I shifted again, back to human, and dragged myself towards the surface, my limbs already growing numb.

I was tired, tired already. I made it to the surface, but I was tired, and I started to sink again.

Then Lara was there, pulling me back to the surface, throwing her arm around me and kicking strongly.

"I've got you," she said. "Michaela, I've got you."

"No," I said weakly. "Just let me go."

"No! Mine!"

"No," I said weakly, but now too cold to resist, and she dragged my tiny, limp form. I didn't know where she thought we were going, anyway. It was so far to shore.

But then I banged against something hard, and there were hands pulling me out of the water, then strong arms picking me up and carrying me into the boat cabin. Hands removed my wet clothes, and then a large hot body was wrapped around me, and blankets around both of us.

They tried to pour coffee down me. I wasn't interested, I just wanted to sleep, I was so cold and tired.

Another warm body climbed inside the blankets with me, and there was a little fox cold cut sandwich: wolf, fox, wolf.

Someone was rubbing my hands. Someone else was rubbing my feet. And then I heard the Alpha's voice speaking firmly, "Drink this, Michaela! Now!"

I drank. It was tea, and I let them pour the entire cup inside of me.

I opened my eyes. Lara was in fresh, dry clothes, her short hair already drying, looking at me with concern. I recognized Elisabeth behind me, and it was Francesca in front of me.

"Who won, Elisabeth?"

"Um. One of the kids, I think."

"More tea?" Lara asked quietly.

"Get her something hot to eat," Elisabeth said. "Then more tea."

Lara disappeared, and I zoned out, not caring anymore. Elisabeth was trying to talk to me, but it didn't register.

I wondered if they'd kick me back out of the pack. I wouldn't blame them. I'd nearly killed the alpha, and I was just a stupid, uneducated fox, anyway.

Lara returned and tried shoving food at me. I turned away, but she grabbed me by the jaw and said firmly, "Open!" When I clamped my jaws together, she squeezed at the sides of my jaw, her hand so large compared to my small face, she was able to force me to open my mouth. She slipped a piece of chicken into my mouth and ordered, "Chew that and swallow. You do not want to see what happens if you spit it out."

I gagged it down, and when she reached for my jaw again, I told her, "I'll behave."

"Good," she said. "Open." I opened, and she gave me another piece of warm chicken. After the third piece, I said, "Please, enough."

"She's warming up," Elisabeth said. "But she's still cold."

I opened my eyes and found myself staring into Francesca's concerned expression. "I made a mess of things. Again." Francesca reached up and caressed my face, not saying anything.

I turned to Lara. "What are you going to do to me?"

"Feed you more hot food," she said. "And pour this tea into you. Open."

I let her pour the tea in. But once I swallowed I told her, "Please don't be evasive."

"I don't know what you're asking," she said.

Elisabeth answered for me. "She wants to know what you're going to do to discipline a pack member that pushed the alpha into a freezing cold lake during a justified moment of anger, almost getting herself killed in the process."

"I'm going to beat the crap out of her for scaring me to death," Lara said. She was smiling when she said it.

"You promised you would never hit me," I told her.

"Smart ass," Elisabeth said. "She's feeling better, Alpha."

I turned away from them, but there was nowhere to look where there wasn't a wolf face watching me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see them.

"I'm fine," I said after a while. "Crisis averted. I'm sorry I ruined everyone's fun."

"It takes more than this to ruin everyone's fun," said Elisabeth. "Use your ears."

So I did. On our deck, I heard gentle conversation. And barely in the distance, the laughing of teenagers enjoying a beautiful day.

"We whisked you in here so fast, everyone just thinks we're warming you up and talking," Elisabeth said. "I think we're sailing around one of the islands right now. If you're ready, we should go up on deck. The sun will feel good."

Francesca slipped away from me, and I immediately missed her warmth. Then Elisabeth helped me sit up, wrapping the blanket around me. "I don't have any dry clothes." I looked at Lara. "Where did you get those?"

"My jacket," Elisabeth said. "And Harper had a change of clothes. Parents always seem to be prepared for the weirdest things. She has a change of Sophia's clothes, too, for you."

Elisabeth slipped out of the room, and Lara helped me get dressed in the borrowed clothes. I couldn't look at her.

"You never answered," I told her.

"I'm the one who needs to apologize," she said. "You were justified to be angry, and I should have let you push me in. I'm so sorry. I pulled you in after me."

"I went in willingly if it meant you were going in," I said. "I was so angry. Now I'm just deeply humiliated. Everyone knows how stupid I am."

"Jumping into Lake Superior in late April is definitely stupid. Damn, that was cold."

"I wasn't talking about that," I said. "And you know it."

"You're not stupid, Michaela. You are as smart as anyone I know."

"All right. Uneducated."

"You're not that, either. Your education has simply been unconventional. Michaela, is this why you've been resistant to everything else I've suggested."

"I wanted you to be proud of me. I didn't want to tell you."

"All right," she said. "Sometimes you're stupid."

"Thanks," I said. "I needed that."

"Do you like teaching the kids?" she asked.

"What does it matter, Lara?"

I turned away, still cold, and pulled the blanket around me. I stepped outside to find a place in the sun. Lara followed me. Everyone turned to face me when I stepped out on deck.

"I'm fine," I said. "I'm sorry for the excitement. I was a little worked up." I picked a sunny spot and sat down, closing my eyes. Then I felt Lara sitting down next to me.

"Are you still mad at me?" she asked.

"No. I feel dead."

"Oh honey." She pulled me to her, and I let her, but I didn't curl into her like I usually do. "Will you talk to me about it?"

"Not much to talk about. That's the whole point."

"How is it someone with nothing past an eighth grade education can fool everyone?"

"Fool them how? I don't pretend to have more education than I do."

"No, but you use phrases like fait accompli. You talk as if you are well-educated, and I know you didn't learn the things you do for your job by the eighth grade."

"I read a lot," I said. "And I even used to audit classes at Northland College in Ashland. For a while, I audited two a term, but there wasn't anything I wanted to take last fall, and then we were too busy together, I decided I was done, at least for now."

"Will you please let me hold you properly?"

"I want to know what you're going to do to me. Can you please get it over with? Are you throwing me out of the pack?"

"Is that what you think?" she asked quietly.

"I don't know what to think if you won't tell me."

"Do you think there's anything I can do that would be worse than what you're doing to yourself? Besides, you went in with me."

I curled up next to her, and she was so warm.

"You were right to be angry with me," she said. "I should have talked about it with you, but we got caught up with everything, and it all got away from me. I didn't intend it this way. I wasn't trying to blindside you or put you on the spot. I wanted to see if it was feasible."

"It's not."

"I am sorry. Will you forgive me for letting it get away from me, and for you finding out about it this way?"

"Yes," I said.

"Good." She lifted my chin and stole a kiss. I didn't put any passion into it, but it felt nice anyway.

"Can we talk hypotheticals for a minute?"

"That's not practical."

"Humor me?" she asked. I nodded. "Let us say we could magically wave our hands and give you all the diplomas you needed to be legally entitled to teach, and Francesca were to help you. Would you want to do it?"

"It doesn't matter," I said.

"Hypothetical, and I have a magic wand. Please play my game, Michaela."

"All right. Magic wand. Zap." I thought about it. "Would I be locked inside a school?"

"You would be teaching the natural sciences with an emphasis on hands on experience. You tell me?"

"It would still be more time in a building than my current job."

"True. But a whole lot less in a car."

I smiled weakly. "Point to your side. I don't mind that part, but it's not the best part." I considered it. "I like teaching Angel."

"I thought you might."

"I like the kids."

"They respond well to you, and Scarlett thinks you walk on water. She probably does especially now after you pushed me into the lake."

"Hmmph." I thought some more. "It doesn't matter what I want."

"Do you forget my magic wand? Yes or no. Would you want to do it?"

"Only the sciences?"

"And maybe math."

"All right," I said. "Yes, I'd want it. But it doesn't matter. I can't."

"Forget teaching requirements and think about qualifications. What aren't you qualified to teach?"

"Lara, I audited the teaching classes. I know the requirements. And an 8th grade education isn't it."

"Yeah, yeah. The material. Do you know the math?"

"At a high school level? Of course."

"Chemistry. Physics?"

"I don't know about the physics. I might have to read up a little."

"Biology? Conservation? Geology?"

"Yes, of course. Those are my job."

"Lab work?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so what can you NOT teach?"

I thought about it. I knew these topics inside and out to the college level, except the physics was light, and I had only take a few college math classes over the years, maybe four or five. Of course, I didn't have a single college credit, but I had learned the material nevertheless.

"I guess I could teach all of it. But I don't have the credentials."

"So, magic wand waving in the air still. If I got you the credentials, would you want the job?"

"Yes, but-"

She held out her hand. "Shake on it, then."

"Lara, we can't get me false credentials. It will catch up to the kids eventually."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she said. "If I get you legitimate teaching credentials, will you teach my school?"

"Yes."

"Shake on it, little fox." So I shook her hand. It wasn't like she'd get me the credentials.

Then she began squishing me in a tight hug.

"Of course," I said. "I wouldn't have any students."

She laughed. "Yeah, right." Then she lifted her voice. "Francesca, can you pull yourself away?"

Francesca turned around, then excused herself from a conversation with Michele Lassiter. She came and sat on Lara's other side.

"Francesca," Lara said. "Can you explain the state legal requirements for teaching at a private high school?"

"There aren't any."

"What?" I said.

"What matters is that the students are taught the required material sufficiently to pass the state exams. But we're accredited, so it's a little more than that."

"How much more?"

"High school diploma or the equivalent and demonstrated competence in the material being taught."

"I don't have a high school diploma. Or equivalent."

"Francesca, do you think that's a problem?"

She laughed. "Probably not. She might have to read a few books before taking the GED exam. Or she could earn a diploma from Wolf Valley if she tests out of all the subjects. The GED exam might be easier, but if she does it my way, then if there are any subjects that she's weak, I'll know what they are and what she needs to study."

"How long doing it that way?"

"Well, it's not like she'll have trouble with the sciences or math. I don't know about the other subjects. We have an intentionally difficult curriculum."

"By fall?"

"Oh, I thought you were wondering about this week. Probably by the end of May, maybe sooner."

I stared at her.

"From working with her, are you comfortable if Michaela teaches math and sciences."

"Absolutely."

Lara smiled sweetly. "I would like you to start immediately. Perhaps you can give notice tomorrow morning. We'll get you caught up with your backlog so your boss is left with a happy taste."

"This is crazy," I said. "They deserve better than me."

Lara's face darkened. "Do you know the material we're talking about?"

"Yes, but-"

"Can you teach that material to these kids?"

"Yes, but-"

"Do you want to teach these kids?"

"Yes, but-"

"Do you want to spend every night in my bed?"

"Lara-"

"But what?" she asked.

I turned to Francesca. "Shouldn't I student teach?"

"You have been," she said. "What do you think we've been doing?"

I stared at Francesca. She shrugged and smiled.

I turned to Lara. "You win."

She smiled. "I usually do."

We sailed until five. I eventually warmed up. We sailed back to the marina and docked, and the kids all descended on me.

"Wow! Michaela," said Angel. "What did Lara do now? I wasn't looking, but suddenly everyone said you pushed her in and she pulled you in afterwards. And couldn't you have done it about three hours earlier?"

I smiled. "I'm sorry you didn't win."

"Was it cold?" Scarlett asked.

"Horribly," I agreed.

Sophia and Ava stepped up. "Angel and Scarlett have been telling us about your classes. We want to know what sort of interviews you're going to need to accept us as students. And are you going to have any camps or anything this summer we can attend?"

I sighed. "You'll need to talk to your parents first. I'm not sure they're going to want you studying with me."

"What?" said Ava. "Why not?"

"People who push the alpha into the lake aren't necessarily the first people you want teaching your kids," I said.

Ava laughed. "I saw the whole thing. That was so cool."

"Your mother may not agree, Ava," I said. "For now, I am letting the alpha handle it."

"Is she really mad at you?" Ava asked.

"No. She apologized for what made me so angry. But the last time I went too far, she threatened me with a spanking on my bare bottom in front of the entire pack. It could still happen."

"She wouldn't!" said Angel.

"My experience is that the alpha rarely bluffs," I said.

After that, I let myself be herded, along with everyone else, onto the boats back to the island.

Dinner was another large picnic. After the third person asked me what Lara had done to get pushed into the lake, I was ready to find a beer or three and let them put me to sleep.

But then I turned around, and June and Benny were walking across the lawn towards us, holding hands. He looked nervous. I forgot my own issues and focused on his.

"Hey, Benny," I said. "It's good to see you."

"Heya, Michaela," he said. "I heard you went swimming earlier. How was the water?"

"Oh god. June!"

"I didn't tell him," she said.

"Does the whole town know?" I asked.

"Pretty much," said Benny. "Glad you're okay."

"Michaela, will you help with introductions?" June asked.

We didn't introduce Benny to everyone, but of course he needed to meet Lara and Elisabeth. I made a point of introducing him to Donald and Michele Lassiter as well. After that, I hung out nearby and watched how he interacted with everyone.

Lara came up beside me. "Feeling better?"

"I'm still not qualified," I said.

She sighed. "You know I'm going to win. Stop struggling. Francesca and I will get you qualified, and you'll be great."

"All right." I watched Benny. "What do you think so far?"

"I think we'll tell him. I don't know how it's going to go. Are you sure you want to go first?"

"Yes. He knows me, and I'm far less threatening. I can shift slowly, make it take a few seconds, and that might help him believe, too."

"I'll have some blankets ready afterwards. The humans can be touchy about nudity."

"Yeah. I am sometimes, too. I don't like to be naked around strangers, at least not standing around naked."

We stood side by side, leaning lightly against each other. "Are we all right?" she asked me.

"I'm worried you don't respect me."

"How do you feel about me?"

"I love you, Lara."

"And I love you. And respect you deeply. Nothing has changed. Your only flaw, as far as I am concerned, is your lack of self-esteem."

"How about my ability to fly off the handle?"

"If the situation had been different, do you think I would have been calmer?"

I laughed. "Maybe not."

"Are we okay?" she asked me again.

"Yeah. We're okay."

"Good."

Dinner was ready shortly after, our usual huge platters of food. Sophia and Ava brought plates to Lara and me. Mine was wolf sized. I ate what I wanted, and Lara took care of the rest for me.

We lit a bonfire. The pack loved its bonfires. Lara spent some time talking to Benny. I edged away and people watched for a while, then Lara caught my eye, and I saw June disappearing into one of the cabins. I walked over to Lara, suddenly nervous, and sat down on the ground in front of them.

"Little fox," Lara said. "Benny and I were having the most interesting conversation. We were talking about secrets."

"Secrets. That can be complicated."

"Yes. He said some things that suggest he is amazingly good at keeping secrets."

"Benny's a good man," I said. "I'd trust him with my secrets."

Lara nodded to me, and I turned to address Benny directly. "So, want to see a really big secret?"

He laughed. "I imagine it's not that big a secret if you're going to show it to me while everyone is watching so intently."

"Oh, I think you might be surprised. You're a good man, Benny. I am going to show you something. Do you promise to never talk about it to anyone else without my permission?"

"What's going on, Michaela?"

I took a deep breath. "Just promise. It's nothing illegal or immoral."

"All right, Michaela. Sure."

I was already wearing loose clothing, so I didn't bother undressing. I simply shifted, making it take a few seconds, and then when I was done, I stepped daintily out of my clothing and sat back down in front of him.

Benny stared at me. And stared. And stared. Then he said, "That is so cool!" He looked at Lara. "Is that really Michaela?"

"Want to pet her?" she asked. "Her fur is really soft." I stood up and jumped into Lara's lap, then stretched across both their laps. I startled Benny a little, but then he reached out and ran his fingers through my fur. I shifted around until he found the right spots, then closed my eyes in bliss.

"She likes this, too," Lara said, then showed him how I licked my ears scratched.

"A tame fox," Benny said.

"No. Michaela. Were fox."

I opened my eyes and looked over my shoulder, then leaned up and licked Benny's face real quick before settling back down.

"Were fox. Like, werewolf."

"Yes, but a fox. Isn't she glorious?"

I preened. My fox loved being complimented.

"Yes," Benny agreed. "She seems big for a female fox."

"She is," Lara agreed. "Weres are usually bigger than their natural counterparts."

Benny looked around. "Are you all were foxes?" he asked.

"Oh no," Lara said. "Michaela is quite unique. How are you doing with this, Benny?"

"Does it hurt?"

"Not for Michaela," Lara said. "Would you like to see her do it again?"

"Could I?" The anticipation in his voice was obvious. I slithered off his lap. Elisabeth was waiting nearby with a blanket, and she stepped forward. I turned sideways to Benny, then shifted and Elisabeth wrapped the blanket around me.

"Am I a pretty fox, Benny?" I asked him.

"It's real." He said, dumbfounded. "Really?"

"Yes," I said. "Want to see again?"

"Yes."

"Don't blink." I crouched down, wrapped in the towel, and then said, "One, two..." And on three, I shifted.

"She's really a fox," Benny said.

"Were fox," Lara said. "Yes."

Benny looked around. "June disappeared. Does she know?"

"She knows," Lara said. "Benny, you understand the significance of this secret, don't you?"

"Yes. No. I don't know."

"Can you imagine what would happen to Michaela if the wrong people found out about her?"

"Ohh," he said. "I would never tell. But where is June? She should see this!"

"Benny, are you sure you're okay with this?" Lara asked. "Are you sure you can keep Michaela's secret?"

"Yes," he said. Then he addressed me. "Will you do it again?"

I grinned a fox grin and shifted to human, then immediately back to fox.

"Where is June?" Benny asked again.

"She's coming," Lara said. Lara yipped twice, and I turned around to see June in full fur step around the corner of the cabin.

"Oh shit!" Benny said. "That's a wolf! Oh my god, get those kids out of there!"

"She won't hurt anyone, Benny," Lara said calmly. "She won't hurt the kids. She won't hurt you."

I got up and bounded over to June, who gave me a quick lick before turning her eyes back to Benny. I ran back, then turned and waited for her. Slowly, June walked towards Benny, approaching him at a small angle.

"She's huge!" Benny said.

"Yes," Lara said. "She is."

June came within three paces of Benny, then turned around in a circle so he could see all of her. She was a glorious wolf. She finished by sitting down, panting lightly.

"She's tame?"

"Benny, she's June."

"She's- June is a werewolf?"

"Yes."

"Oh my god! She's been... when we make love."

"Biting you a little?"

"Yes! Is she trying to turn me into a werewolf, too?"

"No, Benny. You're safe. It doesn't work that way. You are either born a were, or you are not. Ignore Hollywood."

"That's really June?"

"Yes."

I imagined the sorts of things going through Benny's mind, disbelief being first and foremost, wondering how we were doing such an elaborate trick, wondering why we would, wondering if we were going to eat him in his sleep. He was taking it all far more calmly than I may have in his situation. I was proud of him.

"June?" She gazed straight into his eyes. "May I touch you, June?"

She chuffed.

"That sound is agreement," Lara said.

June stood up and stepped closer to Benny, then turned sideways. Slowly, he reached out and put his hand on her neck.

His fingers explored, and she stood there quietly.

"She's amazing," Benny said. "June, you're amazing." He looked at Lara. "Has she eaten?"

Lara laughed lightly. "Yes, but you wouldn't need to worry if she hadn't. It's still June, the June you know. Just wearing different clothes."

"So she knows who I am?"

"Of course. Our brains process things a little differently when we're wolves. It can be hard to read, for instance, but you wouldn't believe the sense of smell. But it's still June, with all of June's memories and June's personality."

Benny turned back to her. "All right. But I think I need to see it. June, can you shift back?"

"She can," Lara said. "But it takes her several minutes. Michaela's speed is somewhat unusual."

I fox-smiled at Lara.

"Although not unique," Lara added. "Michaela, please shift back."

I shifted immediately and pulled the blanket around me.

"How are you doing, Benny?" I asked. "I know this is a shock."

"Yes. Why are you telling me?"

"Because June wants a complete relationship with you," Lara said. "And she can't go forward any more than you have while keeping this part hidden."

"Oohhh," he said. "That's why she's been reluctant."

"Yes," I said. "Are you okay, Benny?" I asked.

"Yes, I guess," I said. He bent down and pulled June's face towards his.

"Careful," Lara said. "She's a dominant wolf."

He leaned back. "I don't know what that means."

"That means she isn't going to let you push her around too much without asserting her dominance."

"Would she hurt me?"

"Lara never hurts me," I said. "And I am pretty fragile."

He turned to look at Lara. "You're-" He paused. "Of course you are. Is anyone here not a were-something, other than me?"

"Yes. Michele is." Lara indicated Michele, sitting on the other side of the fire, watching. "That's her husband, Donald." Lara nodded, and Michele got up and walked over, bringing her chair with her.

"It can be a shock," Michele said after she sat down.

"How do you handle it?" he asked.

"Oh, I just smack him around and he does what I tell him," she said with a laugh. "But that won't work for you. If you try that with her, she'll give you hell on four paws."

"Would she hurt me?" Benny asked.

"She'd knock you down. You might get bruises."

Benny looked down at June. "June?"

She looked up at him.

"I've always know there was something special about you, from that first day in the boathouse. Does this mean I can come down to Madison with you now?"

She jumped up, chuffed, then put her paws on his shoulders, startling the heck out of him. He fell backwards off the chair with a yelp, June following, standing over him.

"She won't hurt you" Lara said quickly.

And then June was licking Benny's face while he tried to fend her off. Instead she settled her weight on him, and he began laughing.

"June, stop!" he said. "Okay, okay. Stop!"

She chuffed and stopped licking, but then she slowly lowered her jaws to his neck.

"She won't hurt you, Benny," Lara said. "But she needs to be dominant. You are safe."

He grew very still, and then she opened her jaws and wrapped them around his neck.

"Oh my god," Benny said.

"She won't hurt you," Lara repeated again.

"I surrender, June," he said. She immediately let him go and licked his face once more before climbing off of him. Lara helped him disentangle himself from the chair, and then he crouched down in front of June. Slowly he reached forward and hugged her. She leaned into him and chuffed.

"That means she's happy," Lara said. "Or agreement. Or any of a number of similar things. It's not a precise language."

Benny looked over at Lara. "Now what?"

"You have to decide. You can't tell anyone. You understand that. I cannot stress this enough. You don't want to think about what would happen if you tried to tell anyone."

"I wouldn't. I wouldn't." He looked at June. "She's magnificent."

"All right, Benny," Lara said. "I believe you. I think June would love to take you to her cabin here and spend the night with you, but if you aren't ready for that, then we'll put you up in your own room."

"With her. As a wolf?"

"Not for sex," Lara said, smiling. "She can stay wolf if you like, but she probably would rather shift back so you can see for yourself, then talk. After that, it's not our business. But I must insist you remain on the island tonight, and you and I will talk in the morning."

"She understands everything I say?"

"Well, you are a man, she is a woman. I wouldn't say she understands everything. But yes, she understands you perfectly."

"Oh this could be a great party game!" he said.

June began growling.

"That means-" Lara started to say.

"No, I think I got that one." He laughed.

Benny stood up suddenly. "Thank you for telling me. I know it will take time for you to fully trust me, but I have no intention of telling anyone." He turned to June. "June, if I am invited, I would love to spend the night. We should. Um. Talk."

June nudged him with a shoulder then began walking to her cabin Benny walking beside her.

I moved over next to Lara and cuddled against her.

"Are you going to get dressed again?"

"Won't that just slow you down in a little while?"

She laughed. "I suppose it would. Are you up for it after last night?"

"I need to feel you on top of me, Lara," I said. "And other things."

Lara stood up. "Everyone. It's been a long day. Michele, thank you for your help. Little fox, shall we?"

Back in our room, Lara let me feel her on top of me. And other things. And I didn't embarrass myself too badly this time.

 **Telling the Story**

I called my boss in the morning. We talked for a while. I thanked him for years of a good job and for his understanding of recent events. I told him what I would get done before my last day.

He sounded genuinely sad I was leaving. "You've always kept to yourself, Michaela, but everyone likes you, as much as you let them. We'll miss you. Is everything going to be all right?"

"Yes, Jim," I said. "I'm in love."

"And is he?"

"Yes, she is. It's amazing. But I am tired of long distance, and I've been offered a teaching position."

"That's fabulous."

We discussed arrangements. "If we can do things remotely, that would be best," I said. "I have a rather large security contingent right now, and I don't think you want us descending on the offices. My bodyguards are rather intimidating. You wouldn't see me around their bodies."

He laughed. "How is that investigation going?"

"Still going. It's a little scary right now, but it will be fine in the end."

"All right," he said. "You take care. If the teaching thing doesn't work out, you look me up."

"I will. Thanks, Jim."

And for all practical purposes, that was that. There was paperwork, but I was no longer an employee of the U.S. Government.

I was going to miss it.

We ran into Benny and June at breakfast. They looked love struck. Lara let him eat then pulled him to the side and talked to him for a while. When they were done, she clapped him on the back and made sure he knew he was welcome any time. He walked over to me and stood next to the table while I looked up at him.

"A fox."

"Yes."

"I trust you, Michaela," he said. "Werewolves are supposed to be monsters."

"Some of them are. These ones aren't."

"I know. You wouldn't associate with monsters." He pulled up a chair and sat down.

I smiled. It made me feel good for him to say so. "No, I wouldn't."

"Your secret is safe with me, Michaela," he said.

"I know, Benny. You're one of the good ones. Benny, you're going to start to recognize wolves when you see them. Not every wolf that comes to Bayfield is part of the Madison pack. They won't bother you, but do not be too familiar with them."

"You mean, no 'Hey you are a werewolf!' looks?"

I laughed. "Exactly. How are you feeling about June now that you know?"

He smiled broadly, and I had my answer. "We're going kayaking today. She's going to kick my ass, isn't she?"

"Yep."

He laughed. "She's been holding back."

"Yep."

"This dominance thing - June has, when we, you know."

"Yes, I know."

He started to blush. It was sweet. "Last night wasn't the first time she had her mouth on my throat. I didn't know what it meant before. It was different as a wolf mouth."

"Are you okay with it?"

"I've never been one of those guys who needs to, I don't know."

"Push women around?"

"Yeah. You know me pretty well, Michaela. I'm easy going. Out on the water, when I'm leading a group, that's different."

"Yeah," I said. "For me, too. Because of the responsibility."

"Right. But in my relationships, not so much. Most women I like have been frustrated by that, I think. The ones who haven't been have turned out to be sort of bitchy."

"I don't know many human women, Benny, not well enough to know what you mean, but I think I understand."

"Is June going to turn bitchy?"

"Has she been bitchy so far?"

"No, not at all."

"This isn't bait and switch, Benny. June is very nice. And as wolves go, not that dominant, but still, dominant."

"Not that dominant? It sure felt dominant when her jaws were on my throat last night."

I laughed. "You want dominant, you should try Lara. Take June times ten."

"Lara sort of scares me, Michaela."

"She used to scare me, too. We do story nights around the fire a lot. If you're around, she and I will tell the story of when we met."

"I'll be here," he said, grinning.

"Good.

He started to get up from his chair, then paused. "Benny, you can talk to me any time. Any time at all. And Michele Lassiter would be a good friend to make, too.

"She gave me her business card this morning," he said, patting his pocket. "And Lara told me to expect an upswing in business in the future from people who need very large wet suits."

I laughed. "Good advice. Benny, I know you're closed today-"

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his keys, then slid a key off and handed it to me. "You keep that. If you ever use it, leave a note and we'll settle up later."

"You don't have to do this, Benny."

"You're trusting me with something big, Michaela. I think I can trust you, too. You know where everything is. And you know me. I love watching people get out on the water."

"Thanks, Benny."

Benny walked away, collecting June. The look they gave each other was endearing. I decided we'd have a new pack member soon. Lara returned to my table.

"What was that last part?"

I showed her the key. "Could you and I go out alone today? Or do you have other things you need to do?"

"I'll do my things today while you're out and about, if you don't mind. I'd love to go out with you, but we'll take guards."

"All right." I looked across the table at her. "I'm going to miss Bayfield. I want to enjoy as much of it as we can while we're here this week. To me that means the water."

Lara smiled. "Does Benny sell kayaks?"

"We won't be here to use it, Lara, and I don't like paddling the little lakes half as much. There's something about Lake Superior that has a draw to me."

"Does he sell kayaks, or would you recommend I go somewhere else?"

"I had Angel buy hers from him."

Lara immediately pulled her phone out of her pocket and made a call. I heard June's voice, and Lara said, "June, may I speak with Benny?"

"Lara, this is silly."

She held a finger to me, then I heard Benny's voice. "Lara? Um. Am I supposed to call you Alpha?"

"This is personal, so Lara is appropriate. Benny, if you were going to sell me a kayak, do you have the one you would recommend in stock, or do you have to order it? Assume money isn't an issue, but I wouldn't want to spend a lot just to spend a lot."

"For the lake, or rivers, too?"

Lara looked at me. "The lake," I told her. She relayed that.

"Lara, why don't I talk to Michaela for a minute?"

She handed me the phone, and he and I talked for a minute, then I gave the phone back to Lara. "Yes, Lara, I have the kayak I would sell you, in stock, along with everything else you would need. I don't carry fishing gear though."

"If you were going to sell one to Elisabeth, would it be the same model or a different one?"

"The same," he said. "I wouldn't normally recommend an expensive kayak to a beginner like you, but you said money didn't matter, so I upscaled you to the one I'd sell Elisabeth."

"I'll take two, then, Benny." The two of them made the arrangements; she would ride to the mainland with me shortly and handle the transaction then. She hung up, and I said, "That was silly, Lara."

"You made a commitment to me, Michaela. I am making a commitment to you. You love it up here. So do I. Unless you don't want to go kayaking with me, I'd call it the end of the discussion."

Every day, I fell more and more in love with her.

After breakfast, we gathered all my assistants and officially announced the school.

"I would like to leave my current job having done the best job I can, but this is no longer about keeping my job."

"No," Hadley Smith said. "It is now about teaching our children. And before I commit to sending my daughter to study with you, I would like to see how you teach them."

"Not me," Harper Armstrong said. "I have to get back to Madison. Sophia will be staying here, if that is still all right, Alpha? I believe she still needs her interview with the new head of your natural sciences department at the school."

I shifted my gaze back and forth between the two of them, finally settling on Harper. "After yesterday?"

"Especially after yesterday," she said.

"Thank you," I said.

She shrugged. "Sophia knows her mind. I trust the alpha, and I talked to Francesca." She grinned. "Not many wolves get the opportunity to be welcomed into the alpha's household. I'd be a fool not to accept that offer, even if you're a terrible teacher."

That took me down a peg. "Thanks. I think." That garnered laughter.

Michele Lassiter said, "Donald and I were going to return to Madison as well, leaving Abigail and Chloe with Francesca, but I think we'll stay another day or two. Benny-"

"Thank you, Michele," Lara said. "That is very generous."

"All right," I said. "Pack for the field. Can we bring lunch with us today? I'll hold class in the field today. Students bring pads and pens. Wear grubby clothes, we're going to get wet and dirty."

That afternoon as we gathered in the marina, Hadley Smith stepped up to me. "I am heading back to Madison tonight. Ava is staying here. She threatened to ask the alpha for emancipation if I didn't let her attend your school for her last two years. I have misgivings, but not a single one of them is about your ability to teach."

"You are worried I will teach Ava to push the alpha off a boat."

"Yes. Or her mother."

"I am fox. I cannot be something other than that. I cannot do it for Lara, and I will not do it for you. But Ava is sixteen, and I suspect you have done a good job raising her. She will learn from me there are other ways than brute force to achieve her goals."

"Harper is right about something. I would be a fool to disallow my daughter to grow closer to the alpha. But if you get her hurt, your status as omega will not save you from my anger."

"If I get her hurt, I won't want my status to save me."

She nodded. "Then we understand each other."

She began to turn away, then turned back, shaking her head for a moment. She offered a smile. "You are a fox. Why are you not cowering from me?"

I smiled back. "Practice."

She laughed. "I imagine."

"Ms. Smith," I said.

"Hadley."

"Hadley, what do you do for a living?"

"I'm a lawyer."

"Why am I not surprised?"

She paused, looking at me. "My law office handles most of the business for the pack. The alpha protects the pack in one way. I protect the pack in another way."

I searched her face. "Have I misjudged you?"

"Oh, I doubt it," she said. "I'm a bitch. So if that's how you judged me, you got it right."

Hadley and I nodded to each other once more, and then she stepped away to talk to her daughter. Ava's body language was obvious, and she ended up hugging her mother, then ran to join her friends. "I get to stay!" I heard her say gleefully. And then I watched Hadley walk up the hill towards my house and the waiting cars.

We all waited around a little longer, then our large boat arrived. Lara hopped off immediately and walked straight to me. I melted into her arms. We kissed, then she turned me away. Together, with Elisabeth, Aaron and Rebecca in tow, we walked to the boathouse.

"I have to collect my stuff," I said.

"It's already waiting," she said. "I have your swim suit. You can change at the boathouse."

Lara hadn't told Elisabeth about the kayak, and she was surprised by the gift. "Thank you, Sister," she said. "Oh wow, this is going to be a lovely ride, so much better than a rental boat."

My phone rang. When I looked at it, I saw it was Angel. I answered.

"Are you going kayaking without me?"

I looked at Lara. "Angel wants to join us."

"And Scarlett!" Angel said. "I know you want to be alone with Lara, but may we come? We won't bring anyone else, and Mom says it's okay if it's okay with you."

Lara was grinning at me and held out her hand for the phone. "Angel, you will go back to the island with Scarlett. But if you happen to find a kayak or two waiting around, maybe you could get it wet. I'm sure a couple of strong wolves could catch up with one little fox."

I heard squeals of joy, and I could imagine Angel pumping her fist.

After she hung up with Angel, I raised an eyebrow. "Did you buy Scarlett a kayak?"

"Who, me? No. Her father did. I asked Benny to give him a good deal, and he did. It's the same model as Angel's."

I grinned. "I have corrupted you all. We'll move to Bayfield yet!"

Lara laughed. "Honey, I can't begin to tell you how much I would enjoy that."

Ten minutes later, we were all on the water. I asked Lara to practice Eskimo rolls a couple of times, and she did them perfectly. She was so amazing.

We paddled away from the waterfront. I heard a motorboat, and I looked out. "Who is in the boat?" I asked.

"Karen and Wendy," Lara said. "And I talked to Greg. He's cool with Karen joining us. He actually sounded pleased about it."

We paddled casually. It felt good to be out on the water. And I realized it felt good to not have to watch over everyone for a while. Lara moved effortlessly, and Elisabeth's joy in her new kayak was clear.

"Two kayaks coming," Rebecca said. "They move well."

I looked over my shoulder and saw Angel and Scarlett heading towards us, paddling strongly. They would be tired by the time they crossed the bay to us.

"Did you plan it that way?" I asked, gesturing.

She grinned. "Yep. Is the open water safe?"

"Today, yes. Other days it might not be. It can be pretty choppy between here and the island."

We followed the shoreline, and from time to time I glanced over my shoulder to keep an eye on Angel and Scarlett. I realized no matter how good they both got, I would always feel protective and responsible for them. I realized also, I was okay with that.

Rebecca paddled closer to me. "Angel's good," she said. "You taught her well."

"It was all her," I said. "At first, she tried to watch me, but a fox has different muscles than a wolf. She figured out what works for her. Now she kicks my ass."

Rebecca laughed, and together we watched the two girls approaching us, their paddles flashing in the mid-afternoon sun. I was struck by how beautiful it was and found myself stopping to watch. Soon we had a little cluster of kayaks all facing out into the lake, watching the approaching kayaks.

But when I glanced over, Lara wasn't watching Angel. She was watching me.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing," she said. "I just enjoy looking at you when you're happy."

"What's not to be happy about? The only thing that could make this better is if it were fishing season."

She laughed.

"Hungry?" she asked me.

"Yea, a little."

"Those two should be bringing us snacks. If not, we'll send them to the deli in town."

Finally, Angel and Scarlett, both panting heavily, glided in amongst us, drooping over their boats. But then Scarlett said, "My dad bought me a kayak! Just like Angel's!"

"It's a beautiful boat," I said. "And he got you a wet suit, too."

"It's a used suit," she said. "He wants to let me fill out a little more before we buy a new one fitted just for me."

"That's what I'm doing," Angel said.

Lara laughed. "I'm using a rental. Benny ordered one for me." She turned to Elisabeth. "You're on your own, sister."

I turned to Scarlett. "Angel can teach you how to care properly for your boat. The best advice is don't drag it over rocks and don't drop it. Keep it clean, too."

The girls had caught their breath by now. I told Angel, "Lead the way."

Two hours later, we ran into Benny and June. Benny looked tired but exceedingly happy. We collected together and he said, "Michaela, you weren't kidding. She's amazing."

June preened.

"I've never been with a woman who could kick my ass out on the water before," he said. "She just keeps going!"

Everyone chuckled. "Most human men would find that intimidating," Lara said.

"It is," he said. "But I'm okay with it. I just worry she'll get bored. I can't keep up with her."

"As it should be," June said with a smirk. "God, it's nice to not have to hold back."

"But aren't you bored? I know you can go so much faster."

"Benny," she said. "I am not bored. If I need more exercise, I don't have to take a straight line, you know. Does it bother you?"

"That I can't keep up with a supernatural creature?" he asked. "No. All right, I won't worry about it. I just want to make sure you have a good time."

"I'm having the best day of my life today, Benny," June said.

"Oh god," Angel said finally. "If you two start making out, Scarlett and I are so out of here!"

There were more chuckles.

"Paddle with us?" I asked. "Or are you done in, Benny?"

"I can paddle all day," he said. "Just not as fast."

"We're not in any hurry. Should we show them the caves?"

"Oh!" said Angel. "I love the caves!"

Angel led the way.

A while later, I cut Benny out of the pack. He recognized the maneuver immediately. So did everyone else, I'm sure. They let me pull him to the side, but I noticed Aaron and Rebecca repositioned themselves to keep an eye on us.

"Benny," I said quietly. "Remember. She knows you're human. She knows your limits. She knew them when she started this. If she had a problem with it, she wouldn't be here with you. If you stress about it, it will taint the relationship. You have to decide if you can handle being with a woman who is physically your superior."

"I'm not a big guy," Benny said. "I've never been one to let testosterone make my choices for me. My ego will remain intact."

"You're a good man, Benny," I said. "Coming to the bonfire tonight?"

"I wouldn't miss it," he said.

I led him back to the main group then cut Lara and Angel away. Scarlett tried to stick with us, but I asked her for a few minutes. When we were clear of the group enough to talk, I said, "I want to tell our story tonight at the bonfire, Lara."

"All right," she said.

"I think it would be fun to reenact it."

She laughed. "Complete with you hanging from your scruff?"

I sighed. "Yes. And with biting you."

"And with biting Eric?"

"Definitely."

She laughed. "All right. You want to ham it up?"

"Yes. It's really a funny story, if you think about it."

"So, what's my role?" Angel said. "I wasn't there."

"Narrator," I told her. "I'll be a fox for most of it. You need to tell people what I would have been thinking. You know the story, you've made me tell it a half dozen times."

She looked back and forth between Lara and me. "Alpha, am I going to get in trouble for that?"

Lara laughed. "No. Ham it up."

I turned to her. "Can you do it?" I asked her.

"As long as I know I won't get in trouble," she said. "Yes!" I laughed at the fist pump.

"Don't tell Scarlett. Let her enjoy it."

"She knows the story."

"Not the way we're going to tell it," I said.

Benny was exhausted by the time we got back to his boathouse. I was refreshingly tired. The wolves looked calm and relaxed. We stowed our gear in a space Benny provided for us, then he asked if we thought there would be more sales, and should he stock up in anything.

"I can't promise that, Benny," Lara said. "I think you're going to get a healthy amount of business from us. But be cautious about any financial decisions you make. I don't want you stuck carrying inventory we don't buy from you."

We left Benny and June with promises they would be along shortly, and we rode over to Madeline Island.

Dinner was our usual picnic. Benny and June arrived, both of them looking particularly pleased. Benny had changed clothes, and they disappeared for a few minutes while June did the same.

Over dinner, the kids, my future students, waited on me. I asked Lara about it, and she assured me it was safe to get used to it. We clustered around afterwards, and the kids had no end of questions about what we had done that day.

I was amazed with the attitudes. Then the parents started asking questions about the classes I had planned.

I didn't have answers but promised to have them quickly. "You all saw the moment I learned about this yesterday, after all."

They laughed. Someone from in back said, "splash, splash!"

The sun went down, and it grew chilly. We lit the bonfire, and the stories started.

Lara, Angel and I waited until a few stories had been told and the crowd was warmed up. Then Lara said, "Michaela has a story for us."

I stood up. "I think it's time to share the story of the day I met Lara. But rather than just tell the story, we're going to reenact it."

I looked around and found Eric and Rory. "You two. You need to reprise your roles." John wasn't there, and of course, David was dead. "Elisabeth, can you play David's role? Karen, can you take a small role as well?"

"I don't know the story," she said.

"Just stand next to Eric most of the time," I said. "It's a non-speaking role."

She laughed. "I can do that."

"And as our narrator, sharing my thoughts throughout the incident, we have our very own Angel." She stood up and took a bow. "She will be speaking as my voice."

"It was early on a Tuesday morning last July," began Angel, "when I was rudely awoken from pleasant dreams chasing tiny woodland creatures, creatures far too small to be worthy of a real hunter, but exactly a match for me."

I turned to Angel and glared. She shrugged.

Rory and Elisabeth stepped up, side by side, and Elisabeth mimed knocking on a front door. "Knock knock," she said. She looked self-conscious about it.

"You can imagine my great annoyance," Angel said. "I had been out late carousing with were frogs and were crickets and other sorts of inconsequential were creatures half the night."

I glared at her again. "I had not! I'd been out running and had a nice meal."

Angel continued. "And, as everyone knows, it is a horrible, horrible mistake to annoy me in the mornings before I have had my cup of tea."

"That part is true!" said Lara.

"So it was with great annoyance that I threw some clothes on and stepped downstairs to see who was stupid enough to wake me up."

I got into my role, miming a descent down the stairs and peeking out the windows.

"Oh my god!" Angel said. "Wolves! Wolves! Oh my god! Run away! Run away!"

I turned around and ran straight towards Eric and Karen, supposedly waiting by my back door. I mimed looking out the back window.

"But there were two more big, tall, strong, and amazing wolves, as all wolves are," said Angel. "Waiting at my back door. I knew I was way too small and foul tasting to make a good meal for four wolves, but they were wolves! Worse, they were wolves stupid enough to wake me up without holding a cup of tea. I ran back upstairs, wondering what to do."

The crowd was enjoying the story. Angel was doing a good job, injecting humor into a story that had terrified me at the time.

I mimed running quietly back upstairs.

"Ms. Redfur," Rory said from beside Elisabeth. "Open up. We just want to talk. We won't eat you. We promise." He drew out that last word.

"I knew I couldn't trust the wolves. They were wolves, after all." Angel smiled. "Hey, don't blame me. I'm Michaela right now." Then she went on. "But I have an advantage. Two advantages. I have a door from my bedroom to the rickety scary deck on my roof, and I shift into my fox faster than a blink of an eye."

I glanced at Angel. "Well it is rickety. I wish you would let Eric fix it."

"No way," he said. "I touch that deck, and next I'll have to reroof, and while I'm at it, the house could use some paint."

"Ahem," I said. "Standing here while the wolves break in."

"Oh yeah," said Angel. "So I opened the door outside and shifted into a fox." I immediately shifted, then dragged myself out of my clothes. "This next moment was almost my undoing," continued Angel. "I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I am, of course, a truly stunning, beautiful, pretty, attractive, gorgeous, amazing fox, and I couldn't help but admire myself in the mirror."

I turned to glare at her, but then played the role the way she was narrating.

"And I'm not even at all vain," Angel added.

I pretended to flirt with my own reflection in a mirror, earning me chuckles. I heard June say quietly to Benny, "Yes, she's gorgeous, I know. You're allowed to appreciate her, and you can even tell her she's gorgeous. But remember, you belong to me."

Angel said to the crowd, "Now, we need to pause in the story at this point. Michaela insisted. She knows it's been an entire twenty-four hours since any of us have seen her fox, and she knows you'll need a minute or two to admire her before we can go onto the story. Again, don't blame me, I'm just repeating what she told me to say."

There were chuckles, but I played it, prancing around in front of them. What the hell, I am truly a gorgeous fox. Even June thought so. I posed for Benny, then finally walked back to my place.

"Now, everyone tell her how gorgeous she is, or she'll sulk the rest of the night," Angel said.

They laughed, but then I heard appreciation for my appearance.

"All right," Lara said. "That's enough. She's my fox!"

"Don't be greedy, Alpha," said Elisabeth. "She's the pack fox!"

I pranced around once more, then resumed my place, ready to move through the rest of the story.

Angel spoke. "I finally tore myself away from the mirror and stepped out the door and up onto the roof. But, in spite of being a very clever fox, somehow I had forgotten that it's a very, very long fall off a two story roof, and the only other space to jump down was the one story roof over the front entrance, and there were two big, mean, nasty, and presumably smelly wolves down there. Not that I would know about the smelly part, what with this worthless nose of mine."

I ran back and forth as if I were looking for a place to jump down.

"But then I heard the sound of breaking glass. Those horrid wolves were breaking into my house!"

Rory and Elisabeth mimed bashing my front door in.

"We've got you now, little fox!" Rory said. And he howled.

"Don't sensationalize, Rory," Angel said.

He glared at her. "And what is it you are doing?" The crowd laughed. "Oh, all right. David said..."

"Ms. Redfur. We just want to talk."

"Pretty scary demand, isn't it?" Angel said. "But with the wolves inside my house, it was safe to jump down onto the lower roof, then down onto the ground. This would have been a simple game of hopscotch to a real were, but to a little fox like me, it was quite a jump, and I rolled on the ground for a moment after jumping down."

I rolled over twice, then came to my feet and shook my head and fur, shaking the dirt out.

"Ha! Stupid wolves! You won't catch me now," Angel said.

Lara was waiting on the other side of the fire from me. I began creeping along the side of the fire between us. "I ran around the house, looking over my back to make sure the wolves hadn't seen me."

I ran around the fire, looking backwards, and ran right into Lara. She immediately grabbed me by the scruff. "Got her!" she said. Then she turned me to face her.

I hated being picked up by the scruff. Lara winked at me.

"What a stupid fox I was!" Angel said. "I run away from the wolves only to run right into the biggest, baddest, smelliest wolf of them all! And then, like a helpless kitten, she picked me up by my scruff. Why, I ought to..."

"We just want to talk, Michaela," Lara said in a small voice. And I did what I had really done. I went crazy.

People gasped. We'd made the entire story one of humor, but suddenly I was reminding them I was fox, dangling from my neck like this. I spat and tried to bite Lara.

"Knock it off, Michaela," she said. "We only want to talk."

She knew it was coming, but when I sunk my teeth in her arm, she winced. I hadn't meant to do it so hard, and I immediately whimpered an apology. She leaned forward and kissed me on the nose, forgiving me.

"I'm pretty sure there weren't any kisses the first time, Alpha! Please, can we get back to telling the story with some degree of accuracy?" said Angel.

Lara scoffed at that.

"But still," Angel said. "The horrible and foul-tasting alpha wolf was stubborn, far, far more stubborn than I was, and I am the most stubborn fox any of you have ever met, that big smelly wolf refused to drop me, but instead she shook the stuffing out of me."

Lara shook me, but far more gently than she had originally.

"You call that shaking the stuffing out of her?" Angel asked, her hands on her hips.

"Poetic license," Lara said. "Let's move on."

"Shocked and stunned after having my delicate fox brains rattled around in my skull like a pair of dice, I hung limp, pretending to be dead."

I fell limp, dangling from Lara's arm by my scruff. I whimpered a little, and Lara kindly pulled me into her arms properly, supporting me. I licked her briefly.

Angel made a dramatic sigh. "The wolf, perhaps not quite as bad as anyone thought, pulled me into her arms, but I bit her, hoping she would drop me."

I licked Lara's hand.

"Bit! Bit! I bit her," Angel said. "I didn't lick her."

I put my mouth over Lara's hand.

"That's better," Angel said. "The wolf didn't drop me, but she swore at me."

"Knock it off, Michaela," Lara said. "We're only going to talk. We already had breakfast."

"And then she dangled me by my scruff and carried me into the house." Lara held me properly, not by the scruff, and mimed walking into the house with me. Angel glared at her. "By the scruff."

"Poetic justice. Or perhaps the narrator would care to experience being carried around by her scruff," Lara said.

"I mean, she carried me sweetly into the house, because she's a sweet, kind, lovely alpha who would never carry someone by her scruff."

"That's more like it," said Lara with a smile.

"The wolves from the back door walked in, and one of them remarked at how beautiful I am."

Eric stepped forward and said, "Oh good, you caught the mangy thing."

I lunged for him, Lara nearly dropping me, and snarled.

"In the original story," Angel said. "When I was being carried by my scruff, and when Eric didn't realize how fearless a fox I really am, I actually managed to bite him."

Eric turned to face her, and there was blood on his face.

"Oh dear," Angel said. "Maybe you shouldn't have called me mangy."

"Damned fox!" he said, and he raised his fist. Lara immediately shielded me with her body.

"The alpha fox, who I had by now decided didn't smell at all as badly as I thought she would, shielded me from the wolf who smelled badly enough for the rest of them. And suddenly, I was fourteen fifteenths in love with her. I would have been fifteen fifteenths in love, but, well, she was a wolf, after all."

Lara chuckled.

"And then she carried my upstairs and gave me a bath because, unlike the wolves, I did smell," said Angel. "But afterwards I shifted to human and fed them breakfast."

Lara shielded me with her body while I shifted back human and quickly pulled my clothes back on. We mimed going back downstairs.

"Over breakfast, I ordered the alpha to set the table, ordered two of the other wolves to cook, and told the last one to fix my front door or he'd find fox fur in his breakfast."

Angel got a series of looks from that.

"After breakfast, the big mean wolves shoved me rudely into a chair, shined bright lights in my faces, and told me to answer all their questions or they would break all the mirrors in the house so I couldn't look at my own reflection anymore. So I answered all their questions and begged them not to break my favorite mirrors, of which I only have eleven."

Lara laughed. "I told her why we were here and then she went for a run while she decided if she was going to help us. She came back and told me everything she knew about why I had come to visit. Then she asked if we were going to be friends, and I couldn't imagine my luck. Because while Michaela wasn't fourteen fifteenths in love with me, I was at least five fifteenths in love with her."

We kissed, and Angel said, "And that's how Lara and Michaela met."

We took our applause, then Lara and I pointed to Angel, and she took a second, separate applause.

Later, Benny caught me. "How accurate was the story?"

"We hammed it up. At the time, I was terrified."

"You really bit her."

"Every chance I could. It didn't do me a bit of good."

"And now look at you."

"Yeah." I rubbed my neck. "I hate being carried by the scruff."

He smiled. "I imagine. Good story."

"Thanks."

"How is your neck?" Lara asked. "You've been rubbing it."

"Maybe if you kissed it and made it better," I suggested.

We were in our room. It was late, but I felt loved and was insanely happy. Lara stepped up to me and drew me into her arms, reaching over me to kiss my neck. I pressed into her, enjoying her strength.

"What's the word from Greg?"

"Progress," she said. "No sign his investigations have been noticed. No sign anyone from Chicago is going to bother us immediately. He thinks we'll be able to start taking our first real action by next week."

"I feel a little guilty. We're basically on vacation here while they are doing all that work."

"I know," she said. "But we couldn't do it ourselves. So I hired the best people we could find, and now I am staying out of their way while they do their jobs."

I stayed pressed against her, loving the feel of her arms around me. I don't think she noticed when I used one hand to undo the buttons on her shirt. But when I brushed it off her shoulders and down her arms, she said, "Sneaky fox."

"I want to see you naked," I said. "You have an amazing body, Lara."

She did, and I marveled every time I saw it. She was tall and broad, with taut muscles but silky skin. I kissed her shoulder and ran my fingers along her back, releasing her bra and pulling it off her. I moved to a nipple, taking her into my mouth.

It was always clear that Lara is all woman, even with her athletic figure and small breasts. They weren't as small as mine, of course, but small for her size. And absolutely perfect. I loved taking them into my mouth.

"Little fox," she growled. "You are being very forward."

"I want you," I said. "But my neck is sore. I don't think you can be on top."

She laughed and reached for my shirt. In response, I dropped to my knees in front of her and began working at her jeans. She ran her fingers through my hair while I pulled her jeans and panties down her body, and then she stood in front of me in all her magnificent glory.

Still on my knees, I looked up at her. "I can never get enough of you, Lara."

I ran my hands up to her chest, kneading her breasts, while I fastened my mouth to her stomach, sucking at her. Then I moved down, nudging her legs apart.

She growled.

"On the bed," I said. "Sit on the bed. Let me do this. Please, Lara, I need to do this. I need your taste in my mouth."

She backed up and I crawled after her. She smiled languidly as I crawled up to her and between her legs. I fastened my mouth over her vulva and began to tease her, too impatient for real foreplay.

She growled and leaned back, granting me better access, and I used my lips to open hers, then slid my tongue into her slit. I licked, all the way up to her waiting clit.

"You taste wonderful," I told her. I fastened my mouth over her and sucked, flicking at her with my tongue the way I knew she licked. "Let me do this," I said again. "I need you, Lara."

I slipped fingers into her and then, slowly and steadily, brought her passion forth.

"I am yours," I told her as she drew close to her orgasm. "Your fox, Lara." Then I pulled her into my mouth, drawing heavily on her.

Lara didn't actually like giving me this much control, but my words helped push her over the edge. She clutched at the bed, and I felt fresh wetness as she came in a burst, gasping with her pleasure. Her entire body shuddered, and she pulled my fingers deeper inside of her with her contractions.

Afterwards, with her panting, she pulled me to her, licking her taste from the outside of my mouth, and we cuddled. Her heart was pounding, she was flushed, and I was happy.

Once she caught her breath, I expected her to need to fully dominate me. She usually did, reasserting control. Instead, she was gentle, and I asked her if something was wrong.

"I hurt you so badly the other night," she said.

"I see," I said. "Do you know what I want?"

"For me to be gentle?"

"For you to take from me everything you want."

She kissed my nose. "I like being gentle."

I sighed then dipped my chin and surprised her by wrapping my mouth around her throat.

She growled in surprise, shoved me away, and slammed me onto my back onto the bed. I lifted my chin, and her mouth was on my throat. She growled, and I whimpered submissively.

She stilled, and then she began laughing.

"Seriously?" I said. "You're laughing at me?"

"No." She sat up. "I'm laughing at myself. I am so predictable."

"Hello. Horny little fox here. Small, delicate, helpless, but scrappy fox who won't submit to a wimpy wolf but only to a true alpha wolf."

She shifted her weight, pinning me to the bed with her weight. "Oh, little fox, you will submit to me all right," she said. She bent down and kissed my jaw very delicately. "On my terms." She caressed my side. "Slow." She twirled a finger across my nipple. "Gently." She kissed my nose.

I tried to push her away. It was like trying to move a brick wall. She smiled sweetly then kissed me a chaste little kiss.

"What's the matter with you?" I asked her.

She shifted, and her leg slid between mine, spreading my legs, and then there was a delicious pressure against my clit. She rocked, slowly, and I gasped.

"Oh," I said. "Yes. That's nice, Lara."

"I know it is," she said. "Little fox."

I tried to clutch at her, but she grabbed my wrists and shoved them to the bed above her, clasping them together in one strong hand. I struggled, but she just smiled at me. "You look so hot when you struggle, little fox."

"Stop messing around, Lara."

She continued to rock against me, sliding her leg against me just a little, and it was driving me crazy.

She took her time. She never touched me with her hands, but just used her leg, pressing, releasing, and sliding, teasing me, and my body climbed towards an orgasm.

"I wonder if you can come this way," she said.

"Please, Lara. Use your hands. Please."

"Not yet," she said. "Not until I'm ready for you to come."

"I'm ready now!"

"Oh, not anywhere near ready enough," she said. And still she rocked, and still she pinned me to the bed, and still I couldn't move.

She got me close like that, talking quietly while, equally quietly, I asked her to take me properly. She got me really close, and then she stopped moving.

"What are you doing? Lara. Please, I need to come."

"I know you do, little fox. But you'll come when I say you can come."

"Finished it," I said. "Or I'll do it myself."

She chuckled. "Go ahead," she said. "I'll wait."

But she held me pinned, and I couldn't move, and my attempts to press my crotch against her leg did nothing but amuse her.

"You can't hold me like this all night," I said, opening my eyes to look at her.

"Little fox," she said. "Which of us is more stubborn?"

I closed my eyes and whimpered, and she pressed her thigh into me for a moment, sliding against me. "Yes, more, Lara. Please. I want you inside me."

"I want to hear you tell me that you are mine, little fox."

"I'm yours, Lara. Yours."

She slid her hand down my side, tickling me, and then her hand slid between us, and I felt her fingers part my lips. "Again," she said.

"Yours, Lara," I whispered.

And she slipped one finger inside of me. I gasped.

"Keep saying it, Michaela. If you stop saying it, I'll stop, and I won't start again for a long time. You know I can out stubborn you, Michaela."

"Yours, Lara," I whispered. "Yours." Over and over, and she began to move her hand, slowly, bringing me to a crest, then holding me there.

"Louder," she said. "I want our guards to hear you."

"No, Lara! Please don't embarrass me."

Her hand stilled.

"Yours! Lara! Yours!" I said in desperation, and her hand began moving.

"Louder," she said. "Or I stop. Convince me you mean it. Convince everyone you mean it, and you may come."

I was so close, and she held me right there at the edge, and then I began screaming it, over and over, and then she pushed me over. "Come now, little fox," she ordered. "Come right now!"

And I did, screaming that I was hers.

She held me as I shuddered, over and over, intense waves of pleasure driving into me. And when I grew still, and my voice was hoarse, she lay back in the bed, pulling me into her chest, and I panted, exhausted.

I drifted there, unable to think anything beyond what she'd had me screaming. And it felt so good.

I came back to myself, I'm not sure how much longer. Lara was still awake, still holding me. "I hate you," I said.

She chuckled. "No you don't. But if you say it enough, I might believe it."

"Oh Lara, I don't hate you," I said. I curled more tightly, clutching at her. "I just don't want to admit how good you make me feel."

"And how much you enjoy when I make you scream to the world."

"Be gracious, Lara. We both know. Do you have to tease me?"

She didn't say anything, and I thought she was waiting for me to say something.

"I have pride, Lara."

"I know you do."

We lay together like that, my thoughts drifting, still filled with the bliss she'd given me.

"I am yours," I said quietly.

"Yes," she said.

"Are you mine, Lara?"

"Yes, little fox. I am yours as much as you are mine."

"And no one else's!"

"No," she said. "No one else's."

I cuddled even tighter, then whimpered slightly.

"Oh honey, what is wrong?"

"I am going to miss Bayfield, Lara, but you are worth it."

She hummed softly, stroking me, and we slept.

 **Back to Reality**

Sunday came, the day I was dreading. We'd spent over a week on Madeline Island, teaching the kids and many of the adults science they never knew existed, sailing, kayaking, hiking the woods on two feet, telling stories, growing closer, making love. But our day to return had come.

As happy as I was to be with Lara, and even knowing we would be coming back from time to time, it still made me sad. We packed most of my clothes; I had more help than I would have thought possible. I had few things of memory that were important to me, so little else from the house needed to go to Madison with us.

When there was nothing left to do, I sent everyone else out of the house, then climbed the stairs to my silly deck on the top of the house. I sat down, looking out over the town to the bay beyond, and Madeline Island past that.

Quietly, I cried.

It was Angel who found me there like that. She joined me on the deck and sat down next to me, not touching me, not trying to sooth me.

"I love it here, too," she said. "Not the house. The house is okay, but it's the town, the area, the lake that make this a home, a second home for me."

My gentle tears turned into sobs.

"You taught all that to me, Michaela. I never knew this world existed. I don't know if anyone in the pack knew this world existed. I know some of us came up here, spending a few days here at a time, but I don't know if anyone knew how magical it was here."

I turned to look at her through my tears.

"Michaela," she said. "There is no way this pack is giving up on this place. There is no way I am, or Scarlett is. And I don't think the alpha is, either. She knows you're up here, and your heart is breaking, and she doesn't look like she feels guilty. She looks determined, Michaela. I think you should give her time."

Then I opened my arms and she moved into them, and I clung to her while I cried out a few more sobs.

Finally I said, "It would be nice to believe she'll find a way I can have her and Bayfield both. But I can't cling to that thought. But knowing you see what I see of this place, that means a lot to me. Thank you, Angel."

I squeezed her tightly and leaned away. She stood up then used her wolf strength to pull me to my feet. Then, with our arms around each other, we descended the rickety stairs. I cleaned up, but anyone looking at me would know I had been crying. Angel plucked at my hair and smiled. Then I followed her out of the house, locking the doors and setting the new security system that hadn't been necessary after all. I wouldn't be here if anyone broke in, and there was nothing here worth stealing.

I stood in the back yard for a minute, looking into the woods in the back of my heard. And I realized by moving to the compound I was getting a better deal in that regards; the pack's lands were a much better run. I smiled, then moved to my garage. There was a rack where I normally parked my car, a rack with four kayaks and their related gear. We were leaving them here. I wondered when they'd next get used. I walked over to mine and set my hand on it for a minute, then stepped away and closed the door. It felt symbolic, and I was reminded how big symbols could be to me.

I had been ignoring everyone. They were being nice, letting me have my last few minutes, but I could see some sad faces, hurting with me. But Angel had been right; Lara didn't look sad or guilty. She looked determined. I walked straight to her.

"What are you thinking?"

"Nothing I haven't told you before, if you were listening."

I didn't understand that, but I didn't think she would tell me more.

I turned to my car, a small SUV, and was surprised to see Scarlett behind the wheel already. I glanced over at Angel. "She asked if she could drive. She's a good driver, so I said yes."

"Is that exactly how the conversation went, Alpha?"

"Well, close enough. The end result is she is behind the wheel with the alpha's approval." Lara smiled. "And there is a nice place waiting for us in the back seat where we can cuddle together and not be worried about driving."

I let her lead me to the car and climbed in the back seat, Angel taking shotgun and reaching over to hold hands with Scarlett. Lara took her seat, hanging out the door first and saying loudly, "Let's go home, everyone."

As our caravan drove slowly away from my home and turned south, I buried my face into Lara's chest, closed my eyes, and just breathed. Behind us, the sounds of the marina slowly faded, and I tried to not notice.

We arrived at the compound. I'd been quiet the entire time. Scarlett and Angel had talked to themselves. Twice I heard Lara begin to growl quietly, and each time when I looked forward, the girls were holding hands. The driver snatched her hand back and set it firmly on the wheel.

The third time it happened, Lara said firmly, "Are you trying to piss me off?"

"I'm sorry, Alpha," Angel said from the driver's seat. We had switched a while ago. "I just can't stop touching her, and there's nothing out here requiring two hands."

"I need to know that the two of you can do what needs doing, or I will forbid this relationship," she said.

Angel's hands were suddenly clutching the wheel.

"I am counting on the two of you to help each other make the right choices, even about something small, like, I don't know. Your lives and the lives of the passengers riding in the car with you."

"I'm sorry, Alpha," they both said. We drove quietly for a minute, then Scarlett turned around.

"This wasn't about hand holding," she said.

"No. Once you guys start holding hands, pretty soon you are looking at each other, too. If you keep your hands away from each other, it seems to be easier to keep eyes on the road, too."

"Ohhh," said Scarlett. "Alpha, I'm sorry. You are right. I'm supposed to help her be the best driver she can be."

"Yes."

And that was the end of that problem.

Our convoy pulled into the compound. Everyone seemed happy to get home. Elisabeth and Lara especially seemed ready to get back to work. I felt lost. The kids helped carry my things to our bedroom.

Ava and Sophia were to move in with us as well; Lara had rooms picked for them but asked me to manage it. She and Elisabeth disappeared with Lara's renewed escorts in place, and suddenly I found mine in place as well. I'd gotten used to them not being quite so obvious. Karen and Wendy stayed with me but asked Jason and Rory to secure the house. They went inside, searched it, and ten minutes later declared the house secure. Only then was I allowed into my home.

The students carried my things to my room then took great delight in unpacking for me. Alan opened the suitcase that contained my more personal clothing. Sophia saw his expression before I did and chased him away, taking care of my things for me. She offered me a smile, which I returned in gratitude. I hadn't asked them to put everything away; they just did it, and I'm not sure I could have stopped them if I wanted to.

It was nice to be taken care of.

Afterwards I collected them all in the living room. "Interviews start tomorrow. I am going to ask about your background. I am going to get a feel for your current abilities. And I am going to try to get a feel for what you are hoping to accomplish. Do not stress about this. If you belong in my program, then you will get in. If this is the wrong program for you, we will discover it together. Don't worry about what I want to hear; worry about giving me the truth. Any questions tonight?"

They had a few, easily answered. I sent them packing, then showed Ava and Sophia their rooms. They were upstairs on the opposite end of the hall from Lara and me. I had gotten used to having Angel around a lot, and I was hoping that I wouldn't suffer culture shock having twice as many teenagers underfoot. Little did I know.

Suddenly, there was no one around. Ava and Sophia were upstairs helping each other unpack, giggling together. I tuned out their conversation. If they were talking about me, I didn't want to know.

And suddenly, I was at wit's end. I had spent the last week and a half with every minute scheduled, and suddenly I had nothing that I needed to do. I wanted to go for a run, but I wanted to go with Lara.

But we had just spent a week and a half collecting data for US Fish and Wildlife. I had an amazing amount of raw data, none of it correlated or in remotely the right format for reporting. I may as well work on it. I lost myself in solving the little puzzles buried in the data.

Ava and Sophia came downstairs sometime later. I was so buried in my work, I didn't realize they were there, standing side-by-side and looking at me expectantly. They must have stood there for some time before Sophia said, "Michaela? Ms. Redfur?"

I looked up. "Sorry. I get a little focused. At school it's Ms. Redfur. At home it's Michaela."

"Michaela," she said. "We were wondering. What are the rules?"

"Rules?" I squeaked. Oh god, suddenly I was supposed to act like a parent. It had been easy with Angel. I treated her like an adult and she acted like one. An excitable adult, but an adult nevertheless. I had no idea how to be a parent. Then I realized I didn't have to know. These two had parents; they had rules. I fished two pads of paper and pens out of my laptop case and handed them out. "Sit. Write down the rules you have at home. I will feel free to check with your mothers, so I expect you to be thorough."

The two girls sat down and began to write. They each filled two sheets of paper, slowing down as they stopped to think between each rule. "That's all I can think of," Ava said finally. Sophia wrote down one more and said, "Me too." They handed their pads back to me and I compared them.

The first rule they each wrote down was the same: obey mom and dad. I smiled at that. They each had a "no boys" rule, worded somewhat differently. They each had a curfew with similar but not identical hours. There were rules for homework and keeping the house clean. I tore off the three sheets Sophia had written and handed the pad back to her. "You can write," I said. "Rule One: Obey those adults in a position of authority over me." She wrote it down and I asked them if they understood.

"That means you and the alpha," Ava said.

"Your parents, me, the alpha, Francesca, Elisabeth, and probably some of the enforcers. Is that a problem?"

"No, Michaela."

"Two," I said. "Treat everyone in the household with respect." I waited until Sophia had written around. "Tell me who that rule excludes." They looked at me with confusion. "Does that rule offer an exclusion for Chloe Lassiter?" Chloe was thirteen.

Both girls understood. "No," Ava said.

"Is that a problem?"

"No," they agreed. I smiled. These were good girls.

"Three. Homework before fun." They expected that as well. "Four. Keep your rooms neat and clean and do your share of household chores."

"What are our household chores?" Ava asked.

"You know, I don't know. I think the vacuum cleaner works automatically." I received quizzical looks. "I have never touched it. I have never seen Lara touch it. I have never seen anyone in here cleaning the house, although the kitchen gets used by almost everyone living on the compound, and it's always spotless afterwards. I have no idea who is cleaning the house, but it is always spotless. Someone is doing it while I am not here."

They smiled. "This is the alpha's house," said Ava. "The younger members of the pack takes turns. It's considered an honor to clean the alpha's house."

"All right. For now, that means whatever your judgment says it means, but one thing it definitely means: do not mess up the common areas of the house." I indicated the papers I had spread around. "I will clean up after myself when I am done, and you won't be able to tell I was here. I would expect you to both do the same. Also, you are sharing a bathroom. Do not give the other cause to complain to me. And do not embarrass the alpha by letting your rooms become messy."

"No, Michaela," Sophia said. "Absolutely not."

"Good. Five. Curfew. Ava, you seem to have an earlier one than Sophia by a half hour on school nights, and you both have the same curfew on weekends. Do you know why?"

She looked pained, and I didn't understand.

"It's because she takes longer in the morning than I do," Sophia said. Suddenly I understood why Ava hadn't wanted to answer. She hadn't wanted to point out the differences in their appearances. "Michaela, I know I'm not pretty. Ava's tried to, you know, fix me up, but it always just looks fake."

"I think you look great," Ava said.

"No you don't," Sophia said. "But it's nice of you to say so."

"Well, I notice the boys pay more attention to you than to me."

"The new guys always go straight to you," Sophia said. "Ava, I'm okay with it. Do I wish I were beautiful? Doesn't everyone? Most of the time I am okay with who I am. It's okay, Ava."

"All right," I said. "Are your current curfews based on being home or being in bed with lights out?"

"School are lights out," Ava said. Sophia agreed. "Weekends are home, in my room, and reasonably quiet."

"All right. Sophia, write down Ava's hours as curfew for both of you, same meaning, except Sophia, if you want to read for an extra half hour before you turn your light out, that is your choice. Does that work for both of you?" It did.

"Six. No boys in your rooms. Period." Sophia wrote it down. They were expecting it. "Don't write this down, and please don't repeat this to your mothers. Please, please, please don't do anything that has a risk of getting pregnant. Promise me."

They both looked at each other, comparing notes, then Sophia asked me, "Does that mean no sex or don't get pregnant?"

I was not qualified to have this conversation. I really wasn't.

"You wouldn't tell Angel no sex," Ava said.

"Maybe we should hook up, Ava," Sophia said. "That would take care of it."

I buried my face in my arms and the two of them started to chuckle.

"Is there a rule in this house that you have to scream during sex?" Ava asked.

"Enough!" I said, coming out from my hiding place. The two of them looked amazingly pleased.

"You are blushing, Michaela," Sophia observed. "You're almost the same color as your hair."

"You two are enjoying this far too much," I said. "We're not done writing down rules, and I bet I can come up with some you'll both hate."

"We know you've never had kids," Ava said. "We know this is new to you. And we know why you made us write down our current rules. But we're both on the pill. We've been on the pill for two years. So far, for me, it hasn't been necessary."

I could not believe I was having this conversation with them.

"It has for me," Sophia said. "I don't have any steady boyfriends, but I've had unsteady boyfriends."

"My mom was actually worried about me for a while," Ava said. "But then the alpha started dating you, and suddenly she stopped making little comments. I think she thinks Sophia and I really are hooked up and are hiding it from her. We aren't, by the way, but I think if we were, she would be okay about it."

I sighed. "Ava, call your mother for me."

"Am I in trouble?" she asked.

"No. I'm going to ask her what I'm supposed to do."

Ava laughed. "All right." She fished her phone out of her pocket and hit speed dial. "Hey mom. Michaela wants to talk to you."

"Is she in trouble already?" Hadley asked immediately.

"No. We were going over household rules, and we got to the 'no boys' rule. From their reactions, they were deeply amused."

Hadley started laughing.

"It's not funny," I told her.

"Yes, it is," she said, still laughing. "You tried to tell them something about no sex, or don't get pregnant, or don't get caught, or something like that, didn't you?"

"Yes," I said in a small voice. "Why is that so funny?"

"Michaela, an important rule in parenting. Never set a rule you can't enforce. Tell them 'no boys' and then look the other way. They won't get pregnant and they can't catch a social disease."

"I told them 'no boys in their bedrooms'. Am I supposed to disallow dating, or having friends over?"

"Oh, you are a woman after a lawyer's heart," she said, laughing again. "Your rule is fine. They're both good girls, Michaela. They know the right choices to make. The rules are for household harmony. If they don't know the right choices by now, rules won't help."

"Thank you, Hadley," I said.

"You're welcome. Anything else?"

"If there is, we'll call you back."

She laughed again. "I'll have my phone handy." She hung up, and I looked at the girls. They were smirking.

"Shut up," I told them. Then I scanned their rules. The rest seemed pretty specific.

"Next rule," I said. "Don't do anything that if your mothers found out will make them angry."

"Damn it!" said Ava.

Sophia wrote it down.

"Last rule," I said. "And girls, this is absolutely the most important rule. No leaving the compound without permission. You may talk to Derek, Alan and Jeremy if you want to know the reason for that rule."

"We know about that," Sophia said.

"I will tell you, violations of that rule will be met with the strictest consequences I can come up with. I know one little fox isn't going to be able to enforce the resulting consequences, but I think that little fox has an awful lot of influence over wolves who can."

"Don't worry, Michaela," said Ava. "We understand. We might break the no boys rule, but we won't break this one."

"Next rule. No teasing Michaela," I said. Sophia started to write it down. "Oh for heaven's sake, I was kidding."

She grinned at me.

"All right," I said. "If your mothers see those rules, are they going to accuse me of bad parenting and yank you both home?"

Ava grinned. "No."

"So if I call her back and read her the list, she'll be satisfied, Ava?"

"Yes."

"Do you both agree to follow those rules?" I asked.

"Yes," they said together.

"All right, sign it." Sophia signed at the bottom then passed it to Ava. She signed, then I took it from her and signed it.

"Now, you both know the alpha is dominant in this house, and she may not agree with this list. So this is the list subject to her review."

They nodded, then Ava said, "So, um. What's for dinner?"

I looked at her. "Oh my god," I said. "Not only do I have to buy you both chastity belts, but I'm supposed to feed you as well?"

"Like we couldn't figure out how to get out of a chastity belt," Ava replied. "Shift, slither, done."

"All right. Dinner. I wonder if I should have gone grocery shopping. You know, I don't even know where the grocery store is. I haven't cooked a thing in this house more complicated than tea."

They started to look a little nervous.

"I suppose I can go catch you each a rabbit."

"Now you're just teasing," Sophia said.

"Yeah, I am. Let's go see whether there's anything in the kitchen to make." We got up and moved towards the kitchen. Wendy spoke quietly to Karen, and my escort moved with me, Wendy taking a protective stance.

"Does she think the milk is so old she has to protect you from it?" Sophia asked.

"Ava, call your mother for me again."

"Now you did it," Ava told Sophia. "She's going to tell mom we dissed the milk." She handed me the phone without even talking to her mother.

"Michaela?" Hadley said, laughing again.

"Girls, take inventory," I said. Then I stepped away to the corner of the kitchen and spoke to Hadley. "The girls are curious about my security detail. Do they know what's going on?"

"Yes, but they don't think it affects them, so it's been in one ear, out the other."

"Do they understand why I need a personal protection detail? Do they know what a fox hunt is?"

Hadley's tone changed. "Who wants to engage in a fox hunt?" she asked coldly.

"Oh god, I thought all the parents knew."

"We know that asshole in Chicago is gunning for Lara. I'm already setting up shell companies that will be used to fight back. You're saying they want a fox hunt? I knew he was barbaric. Damn it!" She sounded pissed. "Let me think for a minute, Michaela."

I could hear her pacing and she swore from time to time. Then I heard her sit down. "All right. First, you are our fox, and there will be no fox hunts."

"Thank you, Hadley."

"The girls deserve to know. No, I don't think either of them has heard that phrase before."

"Hadley, if you know what's going on, why are you trusting your daughter here? This has to be the most dangerous place for them."

"We are pack, Michaela. My daughter is as safe there as she would be anywhere. All right. I think this is something I want to explain. Give me back to Ava and tell them to go up to her room. I'll take care of their questions. If they ask anything else, you may tell them whatever you think is best subject to whatever secrecy is necessary."

"Thank you, Hadley," I said, then handed the phone to Ava. "Your mother wants to talk to you."

I heard Hadley tell Ava to grab Sophia and go upstairs, she wanted to talk to both of them. The two disappeared from the kitchen, and I started poking through supplies. We were well-stocked. I sent a text to Lara asking how soon she would like dinner, then started pulling things out.

Several minutes later, I heard a shriek. "What? Who would want to do that?" There was more yelling and some crying, and then it grew quiet again.

Lara texted back. "Wrapping up now, hungry, run later. Need to hear you screaming for me, too."

I replied. "As if. Starting dinner now."

Several minutes later, the two girls were back in the kitchen. From their eyes, they had both been crying. "I'm sorry," I said in a small voice.

Ava stomped straight to me and pulled me into a hug, Sophia joining in. "You are our fox!" Sophia said. "No one is touching you!"

"What she said," Ava added. The two of them let me go and walked over to Wendy. "We're now part of her security detail. Tell us what to do."

Wendy smiled. "You will need to talk to Elisabeth. And now you know why if an enforcer tells you to do something, you will do it."

Sophia turned back to face me. "No one is touching you. No one!"

"Thanks, girls." It was nice to be pack. "For now, please help me with dinner. Wendy, I don't know what I'm supposed to do about feeding you and Karen."

"If you could, make enough for all of us, but expect us to eat in shifts," she said.

The girls helped me make dinner. When Lara arrived, they both immediately peeled off, even before she could greet me properly.

"Alpha," said Ava. "When are we killing him?" She made it a demand for information, and Lara was somewhat taken aback.

"Killing who?" she asked.

"The brutish asshole who wants to hunt Michaela," Sophia explained. "When? Why isn't he already dead?"

"Girls," I said. "That's the alpha you are talking to."

"The alpha is very pleased to see the members of her pack fiercely defending a pack member," Lara said. "Girls, are you willing to believe I will do everything necessary to protect Michaela?"

"We're helping," Ava said. "We're pack, too."

Elisabeth stepped into the room, having heard the last exchange. She growled. "Do not take that tone with the alpha," she said.

Both girls looked at the floor, but they didn't back down. "We're helping," Sophia said quietly.

"They asked to be on the security detail," Wendy said to Elisabeth for clarification.

Lara sighed. "Girls, I am handling the threat. You will not be privy to the details unless there is some reason you need to be. Do not ask about this again."

"We are helping to protect Michaela," Sophia said but the tone was polite and she kept her eyes to the floor.

Lara turned to Elisabeth.

"Girls," Elisabeth said. "You are untrained, but you are fierce. If there is any sort of attack, I want you to flank Michaela immediately. Whatever orders she gets you will follow as well."

"We want to help."

"You will. If anyone gets past the enforcers, then she'll need your help as the last line of defense. But you are untrained, and I cannot put you on the front lines. Now, this is where you tell me you will follow my orders and that of any enforcer. If you can not follow orders, you will go home."

"We will follow orders," Ava said. "Promise."

"Do you understand your orders?"

"Yes. Protect Michaela and don't let anyone touch her."

"Good," said Lara. "Now, what's for dinner?"

"Dinner in fifteen minutes," I told her. "Lara, there is a set of rules for the girls. I need you to review the list, please."

"I'll get it," said Sophia. She disappeared and returned in a moment with the list, handing it to Lara. Lara scanned it and seemed satisfied.

"Someone come stir this," I said. "I left a mess in the other room I need to clean up."

Later, we went for a run, complete with our escorts. It was nice to be in fur. I left the rabbits alone. Back in our room, I told Lara, "Do you think you could possibly take me without shocking the girls?"

She grinned. "Wolves are not easily shocked by matters of sex." She began prowling towards me. "They might worry if they didn't know we had a happy sex life."

"Lara," I said, backing away from her. "I'm serious. I want slow, gentle, QUIET lovemaking tonight."

"There's a song about that, little fox," Lara said. "Two out of three ain't bad."

I jumped over the bed to get away from her. "Lara-"

"I love when you play hard to get," she said, coming around the bed after me. "It makes it so much more fun to make you scream."

"I am serious, Lara!" I said, jumping back over the bed. She made a lunge for me but missed. I think it was intentional. "There will be no screaming tonight."

She grinned. "Then there won't be any orgasming, either," she said.

"You made that word up. Stop it. If you can't do it quietly, we aren't doing it at all."

"All right," she said. "If that's what you want." She stopped chasing me around the room and turned to the closet.

"Where are you going?"

"You said you weren't interested. You don't think I'd force you, do you?" She stepped into the closet, and when she returned, she was wearing the most hideous pair of pajamas I had ever seen.

I sat on the bed and sulked.

"I'm horny," I said.

Lara shrugged and walked across to the bathroom. When she returned, I was naked and under the covers. She turned off the lights and joined me, still wearing the hideous pajamas. When she found out I was naked, she said, "Oh ho, what is this?"

"I'm pretty sure you won't be able to keep your hands off me," I told her.

"Oh good, lots of screaming coming right up," she said, reaching for me.

"No! Lara!"

She sighed. "All right. I won't force you." And she rolled over, ignoring me.

I rolled onto my side to face her, staring at her back. "Don't you want me?" I asked into her back.

She didn't answer me.

"Lara, I don't understand."

"I know you don't."

"So explain it to me."

"I'm sorry, Michaela, but I need you to figure this one out on your own."

I moved closer to her and snuggled into her back. She let me. But when my hand move down to cup her ass, she growled, and it was a serious growl, not at all playful. I snatched my hand back and lay quietly.

"Are you mad at me?" I asked.

"No, honey."

"Your growl sounded like it."

"Don't start something I'm not allowed to finish any way I choose."

"You're mad because I put one tiny, almost inconsequential restriction on our lovemaking?"

"I'm not mad. But we will not be making love with that particular restriction."

I lay next to her for a full two minutes. Then, as quickly as I could, I shifted to fox, grabbed the neck of her horrible pajamas in my teeth, and used my sharp little teeth to ravage the hem, puncturing holes in it. I instantly shifted back, grabbed the neck of her pajamas in my hands, and ripped them wide open right down her back.

I managed to do all that before Lara could react, but once she did, it was done as least as rapidly as what I had just done.

She rolled over, shoved me onto my back, and had her mouth on my throat.

"Restriction rescinded," I told her. "I need to know I'm yours, Lara."

She pulled her mouth from my throat, panting slightly and with a wild look in her eyes. She focused on my face, then smiled. "Thank you, little fox," she said before she began kissing me.

We made slow, quiet, passionate, and very, very quiet love. I fell asleep in her arms, missing my home but very satisfied to be in Lara's arms.

 **Next Steps**

We woke together in the morning; it was early, and we made love again, quicker than last night but just as quiet. We showered together and were actually businesslike about it, then dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast.

Ava and Sophia had breakfast ready for us by the time we descended. "I could get used to having minion teenagers if this is what they do every day," I told Lara in front of them.

"Michaela, there is a full briefing at three this afternoon. I need you there."

"All right," I said. "Alpha, I need an office. May I have one at the school?"

"Yes. I think Francesca is already working on that." She checked the time. "I have a meeting. I'll see you at three." She kissed me with the girls watching and headed out, collecting her security detail on the way.

I sent the girls ahead to school, grabbed my things, and headed there myself, Wendy and Rory acting as my security. I found Francesca and asked for an office. "How about the one next to mine?" she said. She showed me the way to my new office, then said, "I'll be right back." She headed to her office then returned after a few minutes, closing the door behind her. Wendy and Rory waited in the hall.

"This," she said, placing a book on my new desk, "Is a study guide for the GED. Do you know what that is?" I nodded. "I suspect you can skim it just to verify there aren't any unexpected holes."

"I didn't pay much attention to human history or social sciences," I said.

"All right," she said. "Use your judgment. The easiest route for you is to take the GED exam." Then she set a small stack of papers on the desk. "This is the complete curriculum of the school and represents your other choice. You may earn your high school diploma by satisfying those requirements."

"Four years of school?"

"I've indicated the completion requirements for each class. Attendance at classes is not listed. Most of it is taking exams and writing papers."

I picked up the list and scanned through it.

"The list includes all the textbooks that are used for the classes, and there are copies of those books in the library. Michaela, you may take the easy approach." She pointed to the GED study guide. "If you take the hard approach, you will have at the very least a passing knowledge of the entire curriculum taught at this school."

"You want me to do it that way?"

"I think you would feel more confident if you did."

"I'd do all the work for all the classes?"

"You could, but that would be overkill. There are a lot of electives. The first page lists the graduation requirements. You will see that I teach more math than is required."

I skimmed it again. "So I would test out of, say, the math classes. Labs and exams for the science classes. Papers for the English classes."

"Right. And Michaela, even for the material you think you know very well, you need to skim the textbooks. There is probably material you don't know."

"This would take, what? Months?"

"If I were doing it, and I know all the material, yes, probably about two months or so. It may take you longer because you will undoubtedly need to spend more time at some of it."

"I think Lara wants me to teach right away."

"She does. You would be teaching under my direct supervision until you have satisfactorily completed the requirements of a full teacher at this school. I would want you to do the math and science classes in grade order, starting with freshman classes. Go back and do the other subjects once you were done through senior year classes."

"This is the better way," I said with conviction. Francesca didn't say anything, making it my decision. "I'm going to earn a real high school degree? Not a fake degree?"

"A GED is perfectly legitimate," Francesca said. "But if you do it this way, it will not be fake. You will have earned it, completing the same requirements any other student must complete. You'll just have done it in far less time."

"This is more work for you."

"Yes. I don't mind."

"I want to do it this way, Francesca."

She smiled and said, "I thought you would. Now, I need to say a few things, and please don't take offense. But I don't know that you know these things, so I am going to tell you. Exams are supervised. I know you wouldn't cheat, but it's a requirement of the school."

I laughed. "Of course."

"And when you write a paper, it has to be your work."

"I don't understand."

"It hasn't been a problem in this school, but students from time to time manage to find work on the Internet to turn in."

I smiled "I will write every word myself."

"I will be grading all your work very critically, Michaela. I expect only your best work. If you feel you do not understand a subject well enough to give me your best, you will learn the material. You will earn straight A's. Do I make myself clear?" She stressed the word "earn".

I laughed. "Yes."

"All right. I have a class to teach. You have one more week of work as a government employee."

"I need to start interviewing the kids though," I said. "Did you want to be involved?"

"Not unless you need me. Let me show you how to use the computer to review their transcripts." She set me down at the desk and we fired up the computer waiting for me. I had a network login, and she ran me through the transcript system. "I can show you the rest sometime, but this should be enough for today."

"All right. Send them to me. Expect me to spend about two hours each. And I need to be done before 3:00. I'll do the rest tomorrow or later in the week. We'll need to spend a lot of time together after that."

"Perfect. Anyone you want to start with?"

"Angel. After that, whoever is free."

Francesca stepped out, and I began setting up my office. We were on the first floor of the school near the front doors, and I had a beautiful view out my window. It was a generously-sized office with a nice, wooden desk, two bookcases, and a small table that I could work at or use during conferences with my students. There was a filing cabinet and enough space to move around without bumping into everything.

Angel knocked at my door a few minutes later. "Mom said you wanted to see me. Oh, nice office."

"Good morning, Angel. Sit down. I wanted to ask you something." I waited until she had settled. "I realize I have been assuming, so now I'm going to ask. Is it your intention to be one of my students?"

"You have to ask?" She laughed. "Yes."

"I wasn't sure whether you have had enough of me, and I didn't want to assume." Angel and I had talked about a lot of what I wanted to ask all the students, but I wanted to start with her as a warm up. I told her that and asked her to help me practice for the other students. She enjoyed that.

We talked about her career goals; she wasn't sure yet, but she loved the work we've been doing. "I like being outside," she said.

"I know what you mean," I agreed.

Of course, it wasn't my job to prepare her for a career. It was my job to prepare her for college, but I wanted to give her the best chance for success as possible. And if I could expose her to as eclectic a set of choices along the way, it would make it easier to narrow down what she might like to do.

I'd been taking notes specific to Angel, but I grabbed a second pad and wrote down, "Course in science-based job opportunities. Guest speakers?"

My conversation with Angel went faster than it would with the other kids. I knew what she was capable of, after all. I switched gears. "Did you hear why I pushed Lara into the water?"

"No."

I took a breath. "I don't know if the other kids know this or not. If it ever comes up, I don't expect you to lie. But I don't want you to bring it up. I don't have any formal education past the eighth grade."

Angel stared at me. "How do you know everything you know?"

I gave her the one-minute overview and then told her what we were doing about it.

"You're a student and a teacher." She was grinning.

"We need to go find in the library all the textbooks from the ninth grade math and science classes and you can show me how to check them out." We headed upstairs, security detail in tow, and Angel helped me find all the books I needed, then she showed me how to check them out, and we carried them back down to my office.

"Michaela, if you ever need tutoring, or just want to hang out and study, you can call me."

"Brat." She laughed. "Thanks for your help, Angel. And please don't mention this around."

"Michaela, I am happy to tease you in private. Well, and in public, too. But you also know you can trust me."

I did know that.

"Okay, go on back to class and if it's a good time, send down the next student."

At 2:45 I received a text. "Head over to Lima Consulting's base." I sent back an "omw" and chased Jeremy out of my office. "We'll finish in the morning, Jeremy."

I walked to the house that used to be David's old house and now served as the on site headquarters for Greg Freund's team from Lima Consulting.

Lara and Elisabeth were waiting there along with a number of enforcers. Gia was scurrying around, collecting last minute data, and Hadley Smith was there. I was surprised to see her. I didn't see anyone from the council beyond Lara and Elisabeth.

I got a kiss from Lara and inquiries into how my day was going. Then, as soon as Gia finished printing out handouts for us, we collected in what had been the living room but was now equipped as a conference room. A large computer screen was set on the end of a table, and I took a seat next to Lara.

"We can start, Greg," Lara said, "If you're ready."

He nodded. "All right. I'm going to give an overview, then we'll discuss the two basic sides of what we're dealing with. Of those, Durian's enforcer team is the first side, and the economic side is the other. First, the assumptions that were made have all turned out to be dead on. The pack finances are in terrible shape. Durian and Avery are at best, horrible businessmen. Jared is a different story; we'll come back to him. The pack holdings are all in complete disarray. Durian has been skimming from them to support his own lifestyle, and they are now all heavily leveraged. He has a complete house of cards, financially speaking, and a light breeze will blow it over."

Lara smiled at me. "You nailed that one."

"Durian and Avery's private holdings are even worse or non-existent entirely. The pack is being run on what anyone would agree are egregious tithes. There is evidence that Avery made a run selling drugs, but from what I can tell, he screwed even that up. I'm not sure, but I believe he's paying off the drug cartel's in an attempt to avoid them collecting on debts he owes. I don't have any solid proof of that, just hints."

"If Durian and Avery aren't the ones selling drugs in Chicago, who is?" I asked.

"Looks like humans. It looks like for a while, the wolves were shaking them down, but that appears to have changed. We're not positive, but we believe the wolves have grown afraid of the drug dealers."

He looked around the room before going on. "The wolves in Chicago are at wit's end. I've been putting a few things together, and it looks like there may have been some attempts to take out a hit on Durian. The people doing the asking don't know how to find a hit man capable of taking down a wolf. I would bet that anyone with a small business in Chicago, like a restaurant, would be happy to pack up and leave given half a chance, and we've found several wolf-run businesses up for sale. The professionals, doctors and lawyers, are not quite so mobile, but these are the ones who would be happiest with a regime change."

"In other words," Lara said. "Exactly as expected."

"Yes," he said. "So, let's talk about the power structure."

For the next forty minutes, Greg talked about Durian, Avery, and their enforcers. We looked at pictures of all of them. At the end, he said, "The enforcers are the only wolves in Chicago that seem happy. Durian pays them well and turns a blind eye to anything they do as long as they don't steal from him. They will fight to maintain the status quo, and there are several who would immediately challenge any alpha who stepped in and wished to change things. There appear to be twenty-two total. I recommend a clean sweep. It won't be easy."

"We can take out Durian and Avery and let the rest fight it out. They'll be weaker before a leader emerges, and then we can decide what to do," I suggested.

"That's worth considering," Greg said. "I'd rather take them all out, but that may be a larger military operation than we want to attempt."

"We?" said Lara. "So you're in for that part, too?"

"Yes, unless you don't want us." He grinned. "You won't spend your five million without some combat, unless you sit back and let me bleed you dry for a long longer than I think you should."

"We'll appreciate the help, Greg," Lara said.

"However, your plan is to make him bleed financially first. And this is where it gets fun." Greg gave us an overview of the wolf-owned businesses in Chicago. Then he said, "Of course, a good share of the wolves in Chicago work at other businesses. We believe there are one hundred and thirty seven wolves in Chicago working for human businesses or local government, representing forty percent of the tithes."

"That would be a lot of wolves to absorb into Madison," Lara said.

"I have ideas about that," he said. "Now, let's look at the businesses. Five restaurants, two bakeries, a medical clinic, three law firms, and one multi-national. I think we should lure away the small businesses first."

"Why?"

"Because they're run by nice guys. The guys at the multi-national are crooks, and I would rather just make sure the FBI knows more about them. I could just send them my information, anonymously of course, and let the FBI make life difficult for them."

Lara laughed. "All right, but wait."

"Yes, agreed. We need to take care of the little guys first. They don't deserve to be in the crossfire. And I think we should start with this business."

Greg brought up a photo of a place called Bailey's Steak and Wine. "This is Durian's favorite restaurant. He eats there three or four times a week. Bailey is a good restaurant owner, but the tithes mean the restaurant finances are in a shambles. He'd sell for a hundred thousand and plane tickets for his family to anywhere far from Durian."

Lara smiled. "All right. I'd like to send him somewhere safe for a while but then have him reopen elsewhere. What do you recommend for me to talk to him?"

"I don't. I'd recommend a human buyer broker and one of your shell companies."

"I have fourteen set up so far," Hadley pointed out, "and I guarantee they won't trace back to us."

"I know that Steamboat Springs just lost a good restaurant when the chef died in a helicopter accident," Greg said. "The Colorado wolf pack are friends..."

Lara laughed. "You seem to have a lot of friends."

"That's part of the reason you hired me."

We made plans to one in fashion or another buy out the five restaurants and both bakeries. Greg also indicated it's easy to offer lures to medical professionals. That left the law firms, which we decided to leave alone.

"This will start to put pressure on them. Then if we can start luring the other wolves away with jobs across the country, we can do a real number on their finances."

Then he smiled. "And then we call the IRS. The local IRS office is corrupt. Durian has been paying them off, but he doesn't declare his tithes. He is living well beyond any possible means from his reported income."

"Tax evasion." Lara left. "Al Capone paved the way on that one."

"That's what I have so far. I can have specifics for you by end of the week and we can begin approaching people immediately."

"Do it," Lara said.

"We haven't talked about Jared."

"Ah, Jared," Greg said. "He's hiding his business interests from his father. Daddy dearest doesn't know it, but Jared is quite the businessman. I think he'd be very hard to go after. But he isn't paying tithe, and when the time comes, we could tell Daddy all about dear Jared's holdings."

"I think we should consider who is running Chicago when this is all over," I said. "Do we want to leave Jared there?"

Everyone looked at me.

"It's a reasonable question," I pointed out. "He doesn't seem at all like his father."

"I don't know if he could hold it," Greg said.

"The Chicago pack has always been run this way," Lara explained. "Durian isn't the worst they've had. It's the culture of the pack, and it's not something we can change from the outside."

"Why are we so different here?" I asked.

Lara turned to me, grinning.

"What did I say?"

"You said 'we'. It pleases me to hear you consider yourself pack."

I returned her grin. "I guess I do."

"To answer your question, we started as an extended family, and no one was interested in us for a long time."

"Couldn't we be taken over, though? If all you need to do is challenge the alpha to take over the entire pack?"

"Theoretically," Lara said.

"Except if any outsider challenges Lara and wins, he needs to be able to challenge every enforcer in the pack, because one by one, immediately after each other, we will challenge him. No one can take that. One of us would wound him and the next one will kill him. The only way you could take over is if you bring enough enforcers in to immediately deal with all of us. A lone wolf couldn't do it, and we make sure anyone who sniffs around knows it."

"So it takes a pack like Chicago to do it."

"Yes, and this isn't the first time they've tried," said Elisabeth. "The last time, they killed our father."

I stared between the two of them.

"How many enforcers did it take before you could give the pack to Lara?"

"None," Elisabeth said. "She was the first to challenge him. He was big and fast, but Lara was faster. It's not always size that matters." She looked over at Lara with pride in her eye. "I was so angry at her. I should have been first. But he would have beaten me just like he did father. She was right to challenge before I could."

I reached over and took her hand. She squeezed my hand briefly before we turned back to Greg.

"We can table this part of the discussion for now. I want to begin siphoning their financial resources. We need to identify businesses and people that can be relocated with minimal investment on our part."

"We're working on it. Do we want a complete list before we start implementing plans?"

"Unless you advise otherwise, I'd like to start immediately. Even a small drain will hurt them."

He nodded. "I've identified a dozen well-paid technology geeks. I can get them better jobs elsewhere. We don't even need to offer them raises, as anywhere else they go is automatically a fifteen to twenty percent savings in tithes. However, will you sweeten the pot for some?"

"Yes," she said.

"I intend to offer jobs to two who are computer security experts, with your permission."

"I would prefer they do not know about our arrangement until this is over," Lara said.

"Of course."

For the next half hour, Greg provided his initial recommendations. We would start with Durian's favorite restaurant.

"Is a pack member allowed to sell a business outside pack?" I asked. "What would Durian do to a human who bought a bakery formerly owned by a pack member?"

"If he harassed the human, he would have the elders from every North American pack on his ass the next day," Lara said.

"Find human owners, then, and we can supplement the purchase prices enough to make them viable choices to buy. That reduces our cost. Then offer business loans to anyone starting new businesses in our territory."

"That last part is a little direct," Lara said. "But Hadley, could we hide the origin of the loans and allow them to start over anywhere they want?"

"Yes," she said.

They went around that idea for a while.

"I will tell you this," Greg said. "None of the other pack leaders will directly interfere, but most of them would happily accept transplants from Chicago, probably to the point of helping get new businesses started. I haven't directly asked anyone about it, but I have friendly contacts in several packs." He paused. "Down the road, you understand I could easily be coming to you and asking if you would take new members, perhaps under similar circumstances."

Lara nodded.

"We'll spend the money we must for the smaller businesses. I can flat out buy them if we have to, but if we can finesse it, all the better."

And with that, we had a plan. I sighed.

"What's wrong, little fox?" she asked.

"There's nothing for me to do to help."

She laughed. "This is all happening because of you, and you've been offering good suggestions. There isn't much for me to do, either. This is why we're paying Greg such an insane amount of money."

Greg was grinning. "Yep. And it's been a long time since I've enjoyed a job this much, either."

"You're earning your money," Lara said.

"We always do." He laughed.

"Anything else we need to do?" Lara asked.

"Are we actually going through with the poker game you offered?" I asked.

They all looked around the table. "Can you beat him this time?" Elisabeth asked?

"Last time, we had to lose. I was just trying to slow it down for my own selfish reasons. If you let me win, yes. Especially if we can get Jared out of the game."

"I'll engineer a crisis in his companies," Greg said. "No promises, but maybe he'll be too distracted to come."

"Then it's not a lot of money, but yes, I think we should do the game," Lara said.

"Then I'll need a stake. Lara, you need to talk to Janice and get me invited."

"Damn it!" said Elisabeth. "I've been winning lately."

I grinned at her.

 **Building a Program**

I interviewed all the kids who were interested in my program. I tied their goals, as best they knew them, with the current curriculum that Francesca taught and identified additional opportunities for classes I thought the kids would like. It took me a week, and even then, most of the class descriptions were only a few words. Then I got together with Francesca.

"Correct me if I am wrong," I said. "But it strikes me that the traditional program is designed for some sort of average."

She smiled at me. "Yes. Even programs designed for college bound students are aimed at the 60th percentile or so."

"But these kids are 90th percentile or even higher," I said.

"Yes."

"So we can cover the core material faster."

"Yes. And these kids could be more driven to spend time, meaning they can shove more in. They will do the homework faster, too."

"The state does not dictate how we teach the material, just that we teach the material?"

"Right. If we were a public school, that would be different. But we're private."

"All right," I said. "That's what I thought." I gave her a sheet of paper." This is what I am recommending for fulfilling the core requirements." I accelerated everything so that the kids were completing all their senior year requirements by some time in their junior year. Francesca looked it over. "This could be tighter."

"Yes, for these kids. But I wanted to leave a little room."

"All right."

"Can you do something similar with the courses I'm not teaching?"

"Yes."

Then we discussed each of the students and what I was proposing. Francesca had good suggestions, including restructuring when I taught some of the classes so as to not be teaching a particular class to only one student.

"All right," I said. "Do we present this to the parents individually or group?"

"Pack play night is this Saturday," Francesca said. "Let's get them here in the afternoon and they can join us in the evening."

During that time, I also worked my way through the ninth grade textbooks. I'd actually had to study some of the material. There were holes in what I knew. At lunch on Wednesday of the first week, I asked Francesca when I could take the math exam. She grilled me verbally for a few minutes. When we were done, she grinned. "You really did study."

"Just a few chapters. It seems, I don't know. Stupid."

She laughed. "Yeah, I know. But it helps some kids understand the material better, so the standard exam includes it. Why don't I invite my household for dinner tonight? You can take the exam while I'm cooking."

I frowned. "All the kids will see me working on it. It will be difficult to hide what I'm doing. Unless you weren't serious about supervising me."

"I'm sorry, no, I wasn't kidding about supervising you. But the kids already know about it."

I sighed.

"It isn't Angel's fault, and she came to me in tears about it. Sophia asked her mother why you pushed the alpha off the boat. Harper told her the gist. So Harper asked Angel if she knew anything about it, and she did it in front of all the other kids."

"Angel shouldn't have been that upset," I said. "I'd asked her not to bring it up but told her to be honest if she had to say anything at all."

Francesca nodded. "By the time they understood everything that was going on, according to Angel, Derek stood up and said, She is going through high school for us! No one better tease her about this. She is doing it for us."

"So I guess it's okay if they see me taking the exam." I sighed, then smiled. "Francesca, thank you for this opportunity. I always wanted to go to high school. Do you think when I take my last senior year exam, I can attend the prom?"

She laughed. "Yes. Bring a date. We always need chaperones."

That afternoon in Lara's kitchen, Francesca cooked, asking Angel, Ava and Sophia to help. Scarlett phoned Angel, so we invited her, too. Francesca gave me the exam and started a timer. I sat at the small kitchen table and started on the exam.

It took me twenty minutes. It was, unsurprisingly, very easy. "Done," I declared.

"Angel, take over," she said. Francesca took my exam from me and went into the living room. She was back fifteen minutes later. "Michaela, please come into the next room."

She made me sit in the sofa, and I wondered what was wrong. "It was easy, Francesca. But you don't look happy."

"Congratulations. You passed. Barely."

"What? I got every answer correct."

She handed my exam booklet. I had scored a 71. "That's a low C," she said. The paper was filled with red marks.

I looked through them. "This answer is right!" I said. "So is this one!" I looked through all of them. "They're all right. What the hell, Francesca?"

She reached over with her red pen and circled the top of the exam where it said, "Show your work." She sighed. "Where is your work, Michaela?"

"There's no work to show. I got these answers right, but you're saying they're wrong."

"You didn't follow directions, Michaela," Francesca said very gently. "Show your work. I know it seems silly. But later classes are built on earlier classes. At the college level, it becomes all about proving what you're saying, not just getting the right answer. If you can't do a proper proof, you will do very poorly at college."

I looked away from her, trying not to take all this personally, trying hard not to cry. She'd just told me I had nearly failed a simple exam. "I'm not qualified to teach these classes, Francesca."

"Don't jump to conclusions. Here, do that first one again. Do it properly."

She slipped a piece of paper to me. I did the first problem. It was very hard to not just write down the answer; it was obvious. It was much harder to go through the steps one at a time. When I was done, she took the paper from me. "Better," she said. "For this exam, even smaller steps. Do the next one."

I did. Then the third, and the fourth, and it felt like I was learning to crawl.

"Can you do the entire exam like that?" she asked.

"I already took the exam."

She took my exam book and tore it up.

"Isn't that cheating?" I asked her.

"I call it something different. I call it teaching."

We moved back to the kitchen. Francesca gave me a fresh exam book. The kids looked over. "Oh, oh," said Scarlett. "Someone didn't show her work."

I looked at her. "And how do you come to that conclusion?"

"Because there is no way you don't know ninth grade math," said Angel. "And mom has had years drilling 'show your work' into our heads."

"It was hard following some of your lessons," Scarlett said. "You jump too many steps."

I looked up at Francesca. "Now you understand?"

"Yes, Francesca. Now I understand. How can I teach them if I can't do it the way they need to be taught?"

She started the timer.

Lara arrived at home before I was done, and dinner was ready. "We'll just let it simmer until Michaela is done," Francesca said quietly. I tried to hurry.

She graded it in front of everyone, her bright red pen poised over the paper. When she was done, she said, "Better." She turned it to me. 94.

"I showed my work! And I know the answers were right."

"Near the end, you got flustered by the time it was taking, afraid we were all waiting for you," she said. "Just like kids do when other kids start finishing the exam and they still have a dozen problems left. So you started cutting corners to hurry."

I sighed.

"I've done that," said Ava. "Sophia always finishes faster than I do, so whenever she finishes, I start rushing."

"You do?" Sophia asked. "I'm sorry."

Ava laughed. "Mr. Peters told me that's what I was doing, so I stopped."

"Self awareness is a powerful tool," said Lara. "Can we eat now?"

I had my thousand dollar buy in for Wednesday's poker game. Janice had taken to hosting them last fall. She only invited me when she was inviting someone she didn't like and wanted to make sure that person lost. I didn't always take their money, but I did it reliably enough it made Janice happy.

I was always happy to take Janice's money, too.

On Wednesday, we were short some of the usual crew. Malcolm and Liam weren't there. Janice had warned them I was coming. Vivian and Violet were there instead. Elisabeth volunteered to serve as enforcer so that Karen could get her first introduction to poker with the pack.

"That's very sweet of you, Elisabeth," I said.

No one told Karen that Elisabeth was tired of letting me take her money.

To round out the six players, Lara and Janice both played.

Karen was a good player, but she didn't realize that I'd been trying to make Lara a better player. I had made sure that Lara knew all her own tells, and midway through the evening, she was able to convince Karen she was bluffing, cleaning Karen out. Karen was a good scout about it.

That put Lara up, which is a nice position to be in, especially the first game after the fox has told you all your tells.

I slowly took Vivien's money. When she finally gave her last two hundred dollars to Janice, I told her what her tells were. She was shocked. "I do not!"

"You do," said Janice. "It's subtle, and you don't always do it."

Violet was slowly losing money to me, as well. I had been taking a little from Janice and Violet had been as well, but she held in until midnight when she let Lara buy one pot from her and then, the very next hand, took the rest of her chips. Lara was up big, Janice was down a little, and I was up moderately.

I was proud of Lara. She was doing well, and a cash advantage like she was holding was powerful.

Then she let Janice take a big pot from her. I didn't have a clue until the reveal what Lara was holding; she had mastered control over her own tells. But she didn't know how strong a hand Janice was holding. Lara still wasn't as good at reading the other players as I would have preferred.

I lost pots to both of them. I was proud of Lara, but if I lost my buy in tonight, I was going to be forced to play poker with the kids before I could come back another night.

I could still read Lara's heart rate. I folded out a hand she tried to play casually, but her heart gave her away to me. She took a large pot from Janice.

I got two good hands in a row, very good hands. Lara folded both of them, but I played Janice for everything I could, and soon she was out.

"You know I always play to win," Lara said. "I know you need this money, but if you want it, you're going to have to win it."

"If I can't take it from you, I don't deserve it, Lara." I paused. "Alpha, if I need a loan, I'd like to point out my house in Bayfield is paid off. Is it sufficient collateral for a loan? And is my credit good? I think you know whether I have a reliable job."

She stared at me. "What are you telling me?"

"Play to win. This isn't my only option. It might be my favorite option, it's not my only option. In fact... If you can clean me out, I will remove all objections to that little thing we've been discussing lately." I was referring to letting her make me scream when we made love.

"And if you clean me out, you expect me to do it your way?"

"Nope. I want to know you're playing to win, and I suspect that reward will make sure."

"You have figured out this is important to me."

"Yes. I don't know why yet. I'll figure that out, too."

"I'm playing to win, little fox. And if I win, you know what that means."

"I do, Lara. I'm looking forward to it with a certain amount of embarrassment."

She grinned. "Deal the cards, Michaela."

She didn't win; she didn't clean me out. But by two AM, she was still holding as many chips as I was. We were each up about fifteen hundred dollars. I thought perhaps she was building a new tell, but I realized it was mostly frustration because she knew she wasn't going to win without a foolish, lucky play.

Vivien had hung around for the night. Violet had gone home. When we finished, I told her, "You need to come give me more money next week."

She laughed. "Not intentionally."

Janice gave me a permanent invitation until this issue was settled and promised to have more council members each week. When I thanked her she said, "Are you kidding? I have council members coming to my house and giving me money. I'm in heaven, Michaela. But I'm still going to try to take your money."

The next week, a council member named Aaron attended. Violet was unable to make it. We played with five. Vivien did better, and poor Aaron didn't know what hit him. It took ten minutes for all of us to know his tells, and the only ones he learned were our fake tells. He played his last hand and Janice called a break after our first hour.

I almost felt bad for him. But he was a wolf, so I didn't feel too badly.

The three of them proceeded to clean me out. I can't even blame bad cards. Vivien put the final nail in my coffin, outplaying me nicely. I was impressed with all of them but chagrined at the same time.

"You have a tell," Vivien told me after raking in my chips.

"I do not!"

"You do," Lara said. She made a point of sniffing.

"You aren't serious."

"We are," Lara said.

"I figured it out last week," Janice said. "I told them."

"She didn't have to," Lara said. "That's how I held my own last week. But it's subtle, honey. And we know you very, very well. I don't think anyone else is going to be able to use it."

"But every wolf in the pack can."

"The ones who know you," Lara said. "Or the ones we tell."

"You're saying I smell, and that's my tell."

"Yep."

"We won't tell anyone," Janice said.

"If-" added Lara.

"If what?" I asked.

"I want a favor," Janice said.

I sighed. "What favor?"

"I don't know. You'll owe me. At some point in the future."

"An unspecified favor. That could be anything."

"It will be fair value, and if there is a dispute, I will agree that your girlfriend can adjudicate for fairness."

"Fine, but only if these two stay silent as well."

"Agreed," said Janice.

"I want the same thing," Lara said. "An unspecified future favor. It will probably get spent begging your forgiveness for something I have done."

I laughed. "You're not going to use it for that little thing you want?"

"No."

"Vivien?" I asked.

"You already know what I want," she said. "You were supposed to do something, and you haven't done it. You will do so."

I was supposed to call her.

Janice looked between us. "I take it you are being obscure because you don't want me to know what this is?"

"Yes," said Vivien. "I am sorry."

"I need a fresh beer. Anyone else?" She headed upstairs, and Lara chased the enforcers out as well.

"I have an opening tomorrow at six," Vivien said. "Another at eleven on Friday. Pick one. After that, you will attend twice a week, and at least one of those will be in my office. I would prefer both, but I will accept phone conversations for one day a week if necessary for schedules."

I sighed. "Lara, I want you to come. Please."

"Tomorrow at six, Vivien," she said. "I'll bring my schedule and we'll set up the next several weeks."

"Can you teach me to control the tell?" I asked them.

"Maybe," Lara said. "Or maybe teach you to disguise it, but that is dangerous as well. Maybe teach you to produce it as a lie. You're telling us when you have a good hand, and you tell us every single time you have a good hand."

"That's why you're folding out early and can tell when I'm overplaying my hand."

"Right."

Janice returned. The three of them played for another hour but agreed to end the night early. They were all up, having my money and Aaron's to split between them.

"Do wolves have scent tells?" I asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "We usually learn to control our scent as adolescents though. We're so attuned to scent it's easy for us to focus on it. The visual tells actually aren't part of our normal thought processes, so they aren't automatic for us to fix."

Vivien smiled. "I spent most of last week trying to convince these two I had a scent tell, and then this week I had hoped they would believe it."

"We knew she was lying," Lara said. "There is no way Vivien would be so uncontrolled with her scent. So we ignored it."

"And it was worthless against your fox nose," Vivien said. "It's too bad the reverse wasn't true."

I sighed. A tell, and one I couldn't even recognize.

We met with the kids and their parents on Saturday afternoon. Lara attended as well, along with my security detail. I thanked everyone for coming, explained how I'd spent my time, and then gave an overview of what we were doing.

"Several of the kids don't know what they want to do for a living, although I think we might end up with a few engineers. That implies heavy math and physics, and I'd like to do an introduction to engineering class as a taste, but I'm not qualified to teach it."

"We have pack members who can help," Lara said. "You'll need to coordinate. That sounds like multi-disciplinary, and you will need to work with several of them."

I nodded.

"The packets I've passed out show our proposed enhanced curriculum, and I have attached to the back of each packet the suggestions I am making for each student and my reasons why. If you want to take time to review everything, I can answer general questions as a group and then questions that are specific to each of your children individually."

The parents had questions, and I felt I provided satisfactory answers. Then Lara spoke up. "Ms. Redfur."

Oh shit, I thought.

"Alpha?"

"I want to state first, this is my fault. I wasn't sufficiently clear." She hated it. Oh god, she hated it.

"Yes, Alpha?"

"I thought I stressed that I wanted this to be a very hands on program, and extremely extensive."

"Yes," I said. "The individual classes will involve substantial lab work, and, where possible, field work."

"Ms. Redfur," Lara said. "Can you give me an overview of the skills that you have used in your job, to use as a basis for our discussion?"

"All right," I said. I gave a two minute review of the skills used to collect my field data and analyze it in the lab. I mentioned computer skills and basic lab work. By the time I was done, Lara was frowning.

"How do you get to the locations you need to be when collecting your data?"

"I drive." I paused. "You want me to teach them to drive?"

"No. Is driving the only way you get there? I understand many of your sites are well away from roads."

"I walk." I didn't know what she was getting at.

"So you have never, for instance, used your kayak in relationship to your duties?"

"Sure she does," Angel said. "Sometimes we had to go fishing. You know, for scientific research."

"You're not helping, Angel," I said. She grinned at me. "But Angel is right. Yes, sometimes I kayak, but that would be an unusual skill to be required."

"How about driving a boat? Navigating waterways?"

"Yes, I guess," I said.

"Snowshoe? Ski? Camp out in the field, even in the winter?"

I thought about it. "Yes, alpha. All of those."

"Why are they not in this list of classes?"

I stared at her. "Because they're fun," I said.

She smiled. "So? I think these kids expect to learn all the skills they would possibly need for the types of jobs they are considering, and to be blunt, I doubt they'll learn many of them in college. I want these subjects taught, Ms. Redfur."

I stared at her. Why hadn't she said this sooner. I looked down. "We'll have to drop classes to make room. We've filled the schedule."

"Even the weekends?" she asked.

"Well, no, not the weekends."

"Well, I believe every student in this room expects to learn these skills. Kids, are you willing to give up some of your weekends to learn how to kayak?"

"Yes!" they yelled.

"And Ms. Redfur, are you willing to give up some weekends to teach them kayaking and these other skills?"

"Is the alpha offering to help chaperone these weekends?"

"Yes."

"Then I am willing to teach them."

"Good. I want them as official classes in the curriculum. Don't give them names like kayaking. Call them things like Field Skills and Aquatic Navigation. I expect every student who goes through the entire program to, by the beginning of his or her senior year, to be able to use these skills as part of their senior level classes."

"Yes, alpha," I told her obediently.

After that, I stepped aside, and parents came up to me one at a time with questions specific to their child. In the end, there were some minor adjustments, but everyone was by and large satisfied.

Lara disappeared, but she caught me later. "I'm sorry to have blindsided you, Michaela. I had all that in my head, but I didn't properly explain it to you. It was just so obvious to me, but it was stupid of me not to explain it."

"You can make it up to me later," I said. "What's the game tonight?"

"I'm sorry, honey. You can't play tonight. Tonight is too rough for you. June wanted to bring Benny, but I had to ask her to spend the weekend in Bayfield. Michele Lassiter will be sitting out as well."

"All right, Alpha," I said quietly. I'd been working my tail off, and my head hurt. I'd been working through the 9th grade science, much of which was new to me, and I had to do all the lab work. Francesca was making me turn them in one at a time and wouldn't let me do the next one until she graded the last one. So between setting up the classes for the kids and working on my own academics, I was ready to let loose. Being told I couldn't at the last minute added frustration and I didn't know what to do about it.

I turned away. I suddenly didn't want to be around anyone, but there wasn't anywhere I could go, either.

"Hey," Lara said, grabbing my arm. I let her turn me to face her. She studied me while I stood there quietly.

"It's okay, Lara," I said. "I can't always have what I want. The pack has been good to me, but I know I'm not a wolf, and I can't partake in everything you do. I know your responsibilities extend beyond me."

"Knowing that doesn't necessarily mean it's always easy to be reminded," Lara said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," I said. "I guess I'll go find something to do."

"You don't need to hide, Michaela. There's the picnic, and you can watch from the porch."

"I'll see you at the picnic then," I said. And that time, she let me go.

I hid in our room, just me and, out in the hall, my protection detail. I tried to chase them away, but gave up after they refused. When the picnic started, they knocked on the door and told me, but I said I wasn't hungry and suggested I'd be safe in the room. I didn't pay attention to whether they went.

Twenty minutes later, Elisabeth knocked and entered without waiting.

"Lara isn't here," I told her.

"I am your guard tonight, along with Wendy. I sent Karen and Rory to go have fun."

"This is ridiculous," I said. "I'm perfectly safe here. I'll stay in my room, I'll be fine."

"Come to the picnic," she said.

I stared at her. "Is that an order, Elisabeth?"

"Would it have to be?"

"Yes."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because I'm in an unreasonable, selfish mood, and I don't want to subject anyone else to it. Please, I don't need guarding tonight. Can I please have one evening of privacy?"

"You're the one who asked us to protect you," she said. "You knew what it meant when you asked."

"Well, it's proven unnecessary," I said. "And now I feel very guilty keeping you from the fun."

She sat down on the opposite end of the sofa from me. I glared at her.

"What's wrong, Michaela?"

"I haven't had a minute alone in weeks. I'm a fox, solo by nature. I also haven't had any proper exercise since we left Bayfield, and I was hoping for some tonight. But I can't even go for a proper run, much less anything more strenuous. I don't even get to go hunting here because I don't want to completely deplete the small game."

"We have twenty square miles we own," she said. "I hardly think one fox can eat every rabbit in twenty square miles."

"My preferred game may be smaller than the wolves, but I'm not the only person here who hunts the small game."

"So you're going stir crazy?"

"Yes. And I can't even go for a drive, much less pop my kayak in the water and paddle the stress away. I told you I'm in a mood, there's nothing anyone can do about it, so I'm going to stay up here and sulk like a properly immature fox."

She smiled at that last part, but I didn't.

"Come with me," she said.

"Go away, Elisabeth."

"Come with me," she repeated. "That's an order."

I stared at her. "Seriously?"

"Yes."

I huffed. "Fine." We stood up, and she led the way out of the house, picking up Wendy from the hallway outside my room on the way. We went to the picnic, and I started bitching.

She turned around. "Shut up. I'm not making you go to the picnic. I'm picking up more security." I followed her sullenly, and she found Karen and Rory. Then she led the way past the barracks and past David's old house to a building I'd never visited.

"What's this?" I asked her.

"Gym," she said.

"We have a gym?"

She smiled. "Of course we have a gym. Didn't anyone give you a proper tour?"

"I guess not. What are we doing here?"

"You need exercise."

"So you're going to make me lift weights?"

Her smile turned predatory. "Not exactly, Michaela." Then she held the door for me and we stepped inside.

I had never been to a gym before, but I recognized it easily enough. "Go look around," she said.

I stepped deeper into the gym. I found a swimming pool and a hot tub. There was a basketball court, two racket ball courts, and a large area for lifting weights. Around the perimeter upstairs was a running track. By the time I got back to the front entrance several minutes later, my entire security detail had turned furry.

I stopped and stared at them. "I don't feel like lifting weights," I said. "But thanks for the suggestion." I tried stepping past them, but Wendy and Karen moved to the doors in front of me, growling.

"Seriously?" I asked.

Then Elisabeth lowered her head in a bow, telling me she wanted to play.

"I'm not in the mood, Elisabeth." I said.

She pounced. I flinched away from her, and she took me to the floor, earning me some bruises, then climbed on top of me and shoved her mouth past my defending hands to wrap her jaws around my throat.

"Get off of me!"

She began tightening her grip, growling lightly, and I whimpered submissively. But she was pissing me off.

She released my neck and licked my face twice before she let me up. I watched her warily, but she stepped away and nudged Rory. He went into a wolf bow.

"Oh hell!" I said. I began running, and Rory pounced at me.

I ducked under him and shifted while still dressed. He overshot but turned around immediately. I got tangled in my clothes, and he bowled me over before I could slip all the way out of them. He knocked me onto my back and pinned me to the floor, then went for my throat.

I snapped up at him, but a little fox is no challenge for a wolf, if the wolf catches her. His teeth met my throat, and I began bitching.

"No!" I was thinking. "I am not submitting to Rory!"

He began to tighten, slowly, growling, and I growled back, trying to squirm away from me. He settled more weight on me, and his teeth on my throat began to hurt.

I whimpered, and he immediately released me, but licked my face several times before walking away.

I struggled to free myself from the rest of my clothes, and then Karen was there, bowing to me. She pounced at me just before I got my hind quarters clear of the last of my clothes. I tripped when I tried to evade her, and she took me down.

I tried to scramble away from her, but she grabbed me by the scruff then rolled on top of me, my stomach in the air, and she pinned me there, her mouth over my throat.

Now I was pissed. This was Elisabeth's idea of fun? For her, maybe.

Karen didn't release me until I whined, then she licked me before she let me up.

Climbing to my feet, I growled at all four of them and was about to shift back to human when Wendy stepped forth and bowed.

I ran.

I gave Wendy a run for her money, but I was pissed, and getting away wasn't the only thought I had.

I led her through the gym, scrambling away every time she pounced at me. She caught me a glancing blow once, causing me to tumble and yip twice, but I dashed under a rack holding a collection of weights, and she slammed directly into it. It was a good thing it was bolted securely to the floor. She bounced off it and sat down, shaking her head.

I offered a fox laugh and ran.

Wendy almost caught me twice more, but she ran into a support pillar once, and I dropped a weight on her once, clobbering her pretty good with it. I ran back towards the entrance and almost ran right into Rory, his head down and tail up. He pounced, and I dashed underneath him. Suddenly I had two wolves chasing me around.

Oh, that was fair.

I managed to get them tangled up in each other once. Rory knocked Wendy off her feet, and she reached over and cuffed him a good one in return. I offered a fox laugh and ran off, Wendy in hot pursuit and Rory soon following.

I got Wendy to try to dash under a weight bench, but she got stuck, and I smacked her a good one on the nose, but then Rory came over the top and almost had me. But another minute later, they managed to herd me into a corner, finally coordinating their chase, and I was out of places to run. Wendy rushed me, and I smacked her a good one on the nose again, but then she had me on my back, pinned me, and I was forced to whine when her teeth closed over my throat.

Elisabeth and Karen had followed us around, not interfering, and after Wendy had washed my face and let me go, Elisabeth and Karen both bowed to me. They let me make a dash to the right before giving chase.

But if I had all four wolves at this end of the gym, no one was guarding the front door.

I managed to drop a weight on Elisabeth, which she shrugged off, and slashed across Karen's hamstrings. My claws weren't enough to bury themselves, but she yipped, so I felt good about that. And suddenly the doors were directly in front of me, twenty yards away. I ran for them, intending to shift at the last moment to open them, but Elisabeth got there first, actually leaping over me, then spinning around to guard the door. She and Karen herded me away from the entrance methodically, and after that there were always two wolves between me and the exit.

They caught me eventually. I mistimed a leap from Karen and ran smack dab into Elisabeth's jaws. She flipped me over.

I bit her.

She shoved me onto my back and settled her weight, and I bit her again, but she put her mouth on me and squeezed tightly, and I was forced to submit again.

When she let me up, I went after her. I couldn't win this game, and she'd made me angry. I clamped my teeth around her leg and began to savage it as badly as I could. Which wasn't much, but that didn't stop me from trying. And she would heal from any damage I could cause, anyway. But as angry as I was, that didn't matter.

I actually did quite a bit of damage while she tried to shake me off. She could have hit me, of course, and thinking back, I'm impressed she didn't. She eventually shook me off sending me flying several feet. I yipped when I tumbled, but I bounced to my feet and launched myself directly at her. She was expecting me to attempt to escape, but she still rose to meet me. I slammed into her and she wrapped her paws around me as she tumbled backwards onto the floor, bring me with her. She used her body to cushion my fall, but then continue the roll until I was under her again. Again I felt her teeth, and again I whimpered.

When she let me up, I bit her and ran. She chased after me. Alone she wasn't able to catch me, but then she chuffed twice, and Rory and Karen started herding me around. They didn't try to catch me, but they cut down on my choices.

I ducked under a weight bench. Elisabeth went over the top. I shifted directions, dashed out the head of the bench, then shifted to human and picked up the empty weight bar I found waiting for me. I swung it at Elisabeth, narrowly missing her. I'd have seriously hurt her if I'd connected.

"Oh fuck," I said. "I could have really hurt you." I put the barbell back but glared at Elisabeth.

She huffed and stood back. She barked twice, and Karen peeled off while the other three watched me.

"I don't know what you're trying to prove, Elisabeth. Is this punishment for being in a mood? This is fucking ridiculous. I can get away from any single one of you working alone, but I am no match for all of you, and eventually it only takes two of you to catch me. I hate getting licked! And I'm not supposed to have to submit to anyone but you and Lara. Why are you pissing me off?"

Karen came back and she was carrying some sort of padded stick about the same length as the barbell I had swung at Elisabeth. She dropped it at my feet and backed away.

Elisabeth looked pointedly at the weird stick. Then she lunged at me and backed off bowing to me.

"If I hit you with that, will I hurt you?"

She chuffed.

Watching her the entire time, I picked it up slowly. Karen turned away, heading to the back of the gym, and she came out with another of the padded sticks. She dropped it off to the side, then I watched as she did it four more times, dropping them all around the gym.

I looked around the room quickly, then Elisabeth growled playfully, tensed, and launched herself at me.

I used the stick to fend her off, or tried to, but as a wolf, she still weighed a lot more than I did, and I went down backwards. But I was able to use the stick to send her to the side, shifting to fox on my way down. I landed on my back but bounced to my feet and fled from Elisabeth.

I almost ran directly into Wendy, who took a playful swat at me and pounced, but I ran underneath her and shifted human in time to pick up one of the sticks. This time I used it to deflect Elisabeth's leap after me instead of holding her off directly. She went flying past my left side, and I continued the spin and used the stick to smack Wendy hard across the head. She shook her head for a moment while I watched, then she turned to me and grinned before leaping at me.

That's what I get for waiting to make sure she wasn't hurt. I barely fended off Wendy, but Elisabeth got me from behind and down I went, Elisabeth hugging me in a wolfy hug and spinning us both around so I landed on her. That had to hurt, but she flipped us over and then the two of them together pinned me to the floor. Elisabeth let Wendy take my throat while Elisabeth bathed my face with her tongue.

"Damn it! Stop it!" I said. Then I whimpered for Wendy and the two of them went to town on my face with their tongues. "Stop it!"

They let me up, and Rory growled from behind me. "Sure, give a girl a chance to breath, Rory." I shifted to fox and ran.

In twos, they chased me around the gym for another half hour. With the sticks and shifting back and forth between human and fox, I actually held my own against one, but against two, they eventually caught me. Still, I was laughing. These were some of the best fighters in the pack, and it took two of them to catch me. I was giving them some pretty good smacks with the sticks, and I didn't think it was because they were letting me do it.

Then I made a real mistake. It was a misstep really. I was human and had just used one of the sticks to knock Karen a really good one then shifted to fox just as Wendy leapt at me. She missed, mostly, but she smacked into me with her body badly enough I went flying, deflected into one of the racks holding the weights. I yipped from the contact with her body and was offering a second yip as I smashed into the rack. It knocked a very loud yip out of me along with my wind.

Immediately Elisabeth was standing over me, concerned as I lay gasping, trying to bring air back into my lungs. I shifted to human hoping that would help, but it didn't. But as I lay gasping for air, the gym door slammed open and Lara yelled, "What the hell did you do to her?"

I tried to gasp out that I was fine, but was still struggling for air. Lara ran into the gym, shifting wolf on the way, and the growl that came from her throat echoed off the walls and ceiling. She leapt on Elisabeth, bashing her away from me, then stood over me, growling at the four of them. Immediately all four rolled over onto their backs. Lara continued to growl threateningly, and I finally took my first breath, then my second.

I leaned up and wrapped my arms around her. "Lara," I said. I held her tightly. I worked on breathing. "I'm okay." Breath, breath. "We were playing. I got the wind knocked out of me, that's all. They've been very gentle." I made soothing noises and kept telling her, "I'm fine, I'm fine."

Lara slowly calmed down, then shifted back to human and pulled me into her arms, glaring at the four wolves. "What the hell was going on?"

"I was in a mood. I bitched to Elisabeth." I told a very brief version of the rest of the story.

"You three," she said, indicating Rory, Wendy, and Karen. "Guard the building. From outside. Elisabeth, shift human, NOW!"

Lara began checking my body. "You have bruises!" She glared at Elisabeth, growling.

"They're just bruises, honey."

"They could have hurt you."

"They didn't."

I clutched at her, trying to calm her down. "Get dressed," she finally said. I found her clothes and mine, and we dressed while Elisabeth finished her shift. I gave Elisabeth her clothes, and she dressed while Lara glared at her.

"This is the game I wouldn't let Michaela play with the pack, so you brought her here to play behind my back, Elisabeth?" Lara said, not quite yelling. "You could have gotten her killed, or at the least, badly hurt. She shouldn't be playing rough and tumble with one wolf, much less four."

"Alpha," Elisabeth said. "May I explain?"

"You damned well better explain," Lara replied.

"Michaela was trying to ditch her security. She was upset she couldn't get any privacy. She misses her home. She hasn't had any proper exercise since she got here."

"She and I went running the other night."

"Days ago, and a run doesn't give her the exercise she is used to. She's small, but you've seen her shoulders better than I have. I can only imagine how much kayak paddling it takes to build an upper body like that on such a small frame."

"So you decided to play rough with her for exercise?"

"I decided that if she stayed in her room and sulked, she was clever enough to find a way to ditch her guards. And I decided the mood she was in, she might do just that. Or maybe she would decide to join the entire pack, and I wouldn't want her playing rough with just anyone."

Lara turned to me. I said in a small voice. "I was trying to get her to leave me alone. If I could ditch them, I was going to go for a drive."

"God damn it!" Lara bellowed. "Where would you have driven?"

"I don't know," I said, looking down.

"She'd have turned north," Elisabeth said. "Everyone here knows it."

The room was quiet for a minute.

"We were just playing," I said finally. "Having fun. Well, not at first. They really pissed me off at first. I almost hit Elisabeth with one of those steel poles." I pointed at one of the barbells. "That was when I calmed down, and it's when Karen pulled all these sticks out."

"Bo sticks," Lara said. "How'd she do, Elisabeth?"

"She gave me bruises. Smacked Wendy hard enough to stun her once. She did pretty good for someone untrained."

"Don't let her fool you. I got my ass kicked," I said. "But I feel better. Thank you, Elisabeth."

Lara turned to her sister. "This is the game I specifically forbid her to play. You knew that."

"You forbid her to play with the pack. I picked a team I knew would watch out for her. If we took her off her feet, we made sure she landed safely."

"Then explain those yips loud enough I could hear them."

"She got some bruises," Elisabeth said. "But she's not thinking of ditching her security now. And she got some much needed exercise. She may even have learned a little more self defense."

"Don't play games with me, Elisabeth," Lara spat. "What did you think my reaction would be if I caught you like I did?"

"About what it is," Elisabeth said. "But unless you intend to kill me over it, I'll take my lumps, Alpha." She spat the last word. "I kept her safe. She's safe, and on the path we were on earlier, she wasn't going to be. I was doing your job, Alpha. It is your responsibility to see to your mate's needs, all of her needs, a responsibility you've abdicated since we left Bayfield."

"Stop it, both of you," I said before Lara could respond. "Lara, Elisabeth is right. I was going to ditch them. You know I could have done it, once I set my mind to it. I'm here, I'm not ditching anyone, and while I have a few bruises, I feel pretty good. And Elisabeth, Lara isn't responsible for my mood tonight."

"Yes she is," Elisabeth said.

"She's not responsible for entertaining me. I am perfectly able to do that myself."

"Are you? You told me yourself, you can't even go for a proper run, and a run isn't the exercise you crave anyway. Lara, were you listening to her when she told you why she loved her old job? It's because it got her outside every day, ranging far from home, and then when she comes home, it's just long enough to grab her kayak and slip it into the water for a few hours. She's been cooped up in her offices, trying to make you proud, instead of doing the things she loves. Things we wouldn't let her do if she asked."

Lara hung her head. "You're right, Elisabeth."

"She's not," I said.

"She is," Lara said. "And the worst part is, until we deal with Chicago, I don't have a solution."

"I've locked myself in my office," I admitted. "But it was my choice to get the diploma instead of just take the GED."

"You are still fox," Elisabeth said simply.

"Yeah," I said. "I am."

Lara reached out and pulled Elisabeth into a hug, and Elisabeth snagged me into it. Then they released me and both looked at me.

I hung my head. "If I start thinking about ditching my guards again, I promise I'll tell one of you with enough warning to offer distraction."

Lara took a breath. "Let's clean this place up, then I believe there is a game in progress that is missing an alpha."

"We'll take care of it, Lara."

I need to back up in my story two days. Lara and I met with Vivien as we'd promised. With quite the retinue of enforcers, we drove to Vivien's home. The enforcers checked over the house then set up outside while Lara and I gathered in Vivien's office. Lara and I sat on the sofa, and Vivien took a comfortable chair facing us. She offered us coffee and tea, then said in a very professional fashion, "Let's get started."

I clutched at Lara's hand.

"There are some things I need to explain," Vivien said. "Psychology is not an exact science. To complicate it, the psychology of a human and a were can vary dramatically, between wolf and fox also dramatically. What we can learn in psychology books and university classes is about human psychology, and it's still a lot of guessing. There are only a half dozen were psychologists worldwide, that I know of, and they are all wolves."

"In other words, you don't have a clue how to cure me?"

Vivien smiled. "I wouldn't phrase it that way. But yes. However, there are some commonalities between human and wolf psychology, and I am cautiously going to assume that the same commonalities exist with fox. One of them, and the entire basis of psychology, is that allowing fears to fester in the mind is unhealthy. Both humans and wolves need to take those fears out and look them in the eye."

"So you want me to look all my fears in the eye, and I presume you want me to tell you about them." She nodded. "That's going to take a long, long time."

"Are you afraid often, Michaela?" Vivien asked me gently.

I stared at her. "Often? Often!" I turned away. "All the time. Nearly one hundred percent. Often? It never goes away."

"Are you afraid right now, Michaela?"

"Terrified."

"Honey," Lara said. "Why?"

"I am in a room with two wolves," I said. "Either one of them could decide to eat me on a moment's notice."

"Lara," Vivien said immediately. "Do not respond to that."

"Or Lara could find out just what a sniveling thing I am and grow bored of me and remove her protection. Or she could turn her back and you could decide to eat me without her. Or we could meet some wolves on the way out the door, and they could eat me. Or you could ask a question and Lara could become offended by my response and-" My voice broke.

I took a breath, shoving a panic attack back. "That's a sample, and it's on top of everything else that is always there."

"That's all ridiculous," Lara said.

"Is it?" I turned to her. "You listen to your family get torn to death by wolves and then tell me it's ridiculous. Wolves love, absolutely love to hunt. Don't they, Lara? Admit it. It's true, and we both know it."

"Yes, it's true."

"And I am the ultimate prey. Sure, not as tasty as a deer or as dangerous as a bear or a tiger, but I give the best chase, and wolves surely do love to chase. And it's not like I can fight back."

"All right," Vivien said. "Are there times you don't feel afraid, Michaela?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes when Lara holds me. Most of the time it pushes the fear down but not all the way out. But sometimes. Or sometimes when we make love."

"Only sometimes?" Lara asked.

"Only sometimes," I said. "Most of the time I'm afraid you'll grow tired of me, and then all the safety you've offered me will evaporate. I'll be back where I was, except I'll be deep in wolf territory, and the entire pack has gotten a taste for chasing me in a friendly fashion. Why not do it for real?"

I was squeezing Lara's hand in both of mine, holding on so tightly, and I began looking for the exits, looking to run away.

"Do you want Lara to hold you now?" Vivien asked.

I looked at her. "I always want her to hold me."

She didn't need to be told twice. She pulled me into her arms, and I suddenly didn't care that Vivien was watching. I began crying quietly, burying my face against Lara's chest. "Tighter," was all I said.

They let me cry myself out. As crying jags go, it wasn't bad. Finally I pulled my face out of Lara's chest but stayed snuggled tightly against her.

"Vivien, there is nothing you can do about these fears. I understand some of them are far less likely than others. I don't think you want to hurt me. I don't think Lara does. They are both possibilities, but distant possibilities. I do not believe the wolves in the pack that I call friends would ever want to hurt me. But I absolutely know there are wolves in the pack that would love a fox hunt."

"No!" said Lara.

"Yes. You know there are, Lara. Not to mention Durian and Avery and the vast majority of other wolves I might encounter. I bet there are wolves on the council that have been involved in fox hunts in the past and remember them fondly. I know that I am safe from all those wolves only because you are protecting me, or if I can run, run, run away faster than they can find me."

Then I buried my face and began sobbing. "And someday you're going to grow tired of me."

I sobbed for a while, disgusted with myself, especially knowing that I was hastening that day when Lara sent me away to fend for myself. She spoke soothingly, attempting to reassure me, but she didn't know the future.

Vivien spoke once I had calmed down. "Michaela, I wonder if we can put some of these fears into perspective for at least a short while."

I turned to look at her.

"If you absolutely, all the way down to your soul, knew that Lara wasn't going to let you go today, would you feel safe today?"

"I don't know," I said. I looked up at her. "Safer. Not safe. She can't watch me every minute of the day. And something could still happen to her. Then there's tomorrow."

"Do you believe she loves you?"

"Yes," I said. "Today at least, she loves me."

Lara sighed.

"Lara," Vivien said. "She has had her entire life to be afraid, with very good cause. She is going to need time."

"I know," Lara said. "She isn't hurting me, I'm just so sad she hurts so much herself."

I looked up at her. "You make it better."

"Who else makes it better?" Vivien asked.

I looked at her. "You do, a little, but if Avery walked in here right now, I don't know if you would try to protect me. Lara would, I know that. Elisabeth would. I don't know if there are any other wolves that are able to protect me who actually would, knowing the risk to their own lives."

"Angel would protect you," Lara said. "So would Scarlett."

"I couldn't let them. They would die trying. If Avery came for me, I'd go with him before I let him kill them."

"It would break Angel's heart," Lara said.

"She would mend."

"Today," Vivien said. "You are safe. Lara won't let anything happen to you. Neither will I or Elisabeth or Angel or any of your other friends."

"What about tomorrow?"

"You'll be safe forever," Lara said. "I promise."

"You can't promise that," I said. "You don't know how you are going to feel next week or next month or next year. You don't know the council won't order you to find a real mate or that we won't have a huge fight and you'll want to be rid of me."

"I will love you forever, Michaela," Lara said firmly. "And the council knows if they ever order something like that, they better be ready to challenge me."

"The council isn't going to order that," Vivien said. "But let us try this. Michaela, do you know that right at this very moment, you are safe?"

I thought about it. "Yes."

"And tonight, at home with Lara. Safe?"

"Yes."

"And if Lara promises tomorrow that, for all of tomorrow, you are safe, will you believe her?"

I looked up into Lara's eyes. "I believe if she promises it, I will be as safe as she can make me."

"Good," Vivien said. "Lara, every morning, you know what promise to make. For that day, no matter what happens, even if you have a fight, you promise Michaela is safe."

Lara lifted my chin. "Today, little fox, you are safe. And tomorrow you will be safe, too. And I will tell you that, every day of our lives until we are old and grey."

"Speak for yourself," I said. "You're already grey."

She smiled and kissed me on the nose.

After that, Lara and Vivien agreed to a schedule for my visits. I sat there quietly, agreeing when they asked me if the schedule was fine with me.

We got up and I slipped from Lara's arms and stood in front of Vivien, looking up into her eyes. "Vivien, I know you're not supposed to have a personal relationship with your clients, that because we interact in other settings, you should have referred me elsewhere."

"Yes," she said. "But there is no elsewhere, and pack doesn't always follow human rules."

"As long as we're breaking the rules, can we break one more? Will you hug me?"

She pulled me into her arms and held me for a moment. "Thank you," I told her.

Then I stepped away, back into Lara's warmth.

Later in bed, Lara told me quietly, "I will keep you safe forever, Michaela."

"I know you believe that, Lara. For now, you keep me safe tonight."

"Yes. And tomorrow."

Friday morning, before we climbed out of bed, she pulled me into her arms and promised me, "Today I will keep you safe. No matter what happens, you are safe with me."

And every morning thereafter, she pulled me into her arms and promised me, "Today you are safe, and tomorrow too. You are safe with me."

I spent my days working on my high school diploma or teaching the kids. I assembled a completed curriculum, and Lara offered her approval. The parents were satisfied, and the kids were ecstatic.

We recognized there were certain difficulties in beginning the implementation. Trips to Bayfield for kayaking were too large an extravaganza, but if the Chicago threat were dealt with, we would have significantly more freedom.

I finished the ninth grade science curriculum, and later I checked my transcript and found another A recorded. It felt nice to see that. I told Francesca that I wanted to work on the ninth grade English in conjunction with the tenth grade math and science. It would give me some variety to study. She told me I was free to study how I felt would work best for me.

The math was easy. I needed to study a few of the chapters from the book. Francesca administered the test in my kitchen like she had last time, again with distractions in the room, and I believe she engineered an artificial rush to complete, but I took my time. When she returned the exam, I had made one small mistake, but the paper was otherwise void of angry red marks. The kids all congratulated me.

We played poker again on Wednesday. I lost, and suddenly I didn't have enough cash for next week's buy in, and I had gotten my last paycheck from my old job.

I was quiet on the way home. "I don't have a buy in now," I said. "And if I can't stop giving myself away, it won't matter."

"Good thing payday is Friday," she said. "And Vivien and I won't be playing. I'll be there for moral support only. Several other council members are invited."

"Payday?"

"You know, for your teaching job. You realize you get a paycheck, don't you?"

I laughed. "It doesn't matter. Janice and I will fleece them then she'll take it all away from me."

"I am going to sit next to you and signal to you when you are giving away your tell. You'll learn to control it."

"You know, the first game was what it was, but we don't necessarily need a second game. Or Janice could play instead of me."

"We're sticking with the plan for now," Lara said.

 **Underground War**

The following Monday afternoon, we met at the command center that used to be David's old house. As he had in the weeks past, Greg was there to provide the briefing. Greg appeared to be all business.

"Let's start with this man," Greg said, and a photo of one of Durian's enforcers appeared on the computer screen. "Lawrence Hale. He was last seen entering Durian's compound at 8:52 Saturday evening." There was a photo. "In the company of these two wolves, James Friesen and Greg Halloway." Two more photos appeared. We saw a series of photos of the men climbing out of a car and entering a house I knew was Durian's. "None of them have been seen since."

"Should we be worried?" I immediately asked. Lara appeared calm. I was wondering if they were on their way here to cause trouble.

"My belief," Greg said, "is that Mr. Hale went in search of a promotion, backed up by Misters Friesen and Halloway. I believe his request for a promotion was met with a resounding no. I find it unlikely we will find the bodies."

"I presume we will still be on the watch for these men, in case your theory should prove to be faulty?"

"Yes," Greg said. "I feel good about this, but clearly I have no proof."

"Is there a motive?" I asked.

"Yes," he said. "It appears the Chicago wolves are having additional financial difficulties. It seems several businesses owned by wolves in the area have recently closed. Poor Durian Grant has had to dine elsewhere for a while. Even his favorite bakeries have closed, one due to remodeling and the other received an unpleasant visit from the health inspector."

"What a shame," Elisabeth said.

"In addition, seventeen wolf families have suddenly moved out of Chicago representing twenty eight working males and seventeen working females representing a combined annual income of six point seven million dollars."

I did the math in my head. "I want a raise, Alpha!"

She laughed. "I suspect a few of them skewed the results, little fox."

"Twelve had salaries well in excess of a hundred thousand a year," Greg said. "Mr. Grant, I'm afraid, has no idea where these wolves have gone, and he is reportedly livid. The order has gone out to all other wolves they are not allowed to leave Chicago."

"How has that been received?"

"Six more families will be moving out this week, including one highly-paid cardiac surgeon. Doctor Hanes will be taking an extended vacation in a warm climate before taking up a new position in a new location."

"In addition, the law offices of Chestnut, Branson and Oaks have unfortunately suffered a major fire. A significant amount of damage was done to the offices while also leading to structural integrity problems with the entire office building. The building has been vacated until repairs are completed. Repairs are expected to be in the millions, and this all happened just days after the insurance company officially notified the building owners the building was no longer under coverage due to non-payment of premiums."

Lara grinned. "Would Chestnut, Branson and Oaks be the name of leading wolf families in Chicago?"

"Yes," said Greg.

"And the building?"

"Owned, it appears, although the paperwork is dicey, by one Durian Grant."

"How much is this costing us," Lara asked.

"Other than Lima Consulting's fee," Greg said, "Not a dime. Everyone approached has been happy to accept opportunities to move across the country, and we haven't had to offer any special inducements. We didn't even have anything to do with the fire. Which of course, would have been arson, and thus illegal. But we note that the law firm in question handles the work for Durian Grant and that James Freisen's sister worked there. She has not been seen since several hours before the fire was detected."

"I wouldn't want to be her if they catch up to her," Elisabeth said.

"Would you like to meet her, Elisabeth?" Greg said.

"You have her?"

He grinned. "She's safe at the Lima Consulting compound outside Denver. We're keeping her under wraps. She wasn't very bright leaving the city, so we offered a little assistance."

"You're having fun, Mr. Freund," I told him.

"Candy from a baby," he said. "I'd almost not charge you, we're having so much fun. Don't worry, we are charging you. But it seems almost a crime."

Lara laughed.

"We figure in the last two weeks, we've cut his long term income by fifty percent, give or take. The income from the office building would have been significant. We didn't find the office building the first time around. We thought it was owned by the law firm. Alpha, we have a few more employees we are luring away, and we think others will find ways to leave without our influence, but I am recommending we hold our operations for a while after that. Stick to information gathering and let things work on themselves for a while."

"A few things are possible," Lara said. "The enforcers will leave, kill each other, kill Durian and Avery, or get killed by them."

"Yes."

"Or they'll look for fresh income," she added.

"Yes."

"We're the nearest source."

"Yes."

"How is our security?"

"Strong," he said. "And we'll have advance warning if they head in this direction."

"All right," Lara said. "I wouldn't mind letting him become weaker before we have to deal with him physically. What else do you have for us?"

"Well, it seems Durian Grant isn't a complete idiot. Only mostly an idiot. He tried to hire private detectives to spy on you, Alpha."

"And you learned of this how?"

"He tried to hire one of my subcontractors. The man said yes and immediately informed me."

We all grinned. "So what sort of misinformation are we sending back?"

"I do believe we should discuss that," he said. "We can either make you look weak and ripe for the pickings or strong and a difficult target."

"And we can also make him believe Lara and I are having troubles, which increases the likelihood he'll believe her ruse about selling me," I added.

Lara bristled and pulled me into her arms. "Mine!"

"So predictable," I told her. "Are all wolves this predictable, Greg?"

"Most of them," he said.

"What are the risks, Greg?" Elisabeth asked.

"He's desperate, and my guess he doesn't have any choice. He's coming after you, Alpha," Greg predicted. "The question is when and how."

"I wouldn't mind him weaker when he does it," Lara said. "We should hold him off as long as we can."

"I don't want him thinking he needs outside forces," Greg said. "If he took every enforcer he has and stormed this compound tonight, he would lose badly."

"But what would we lose?" Lara asked. "Can't we use more time to prepare?"

"Alpha, I believe we are as prepared as you can be. I believe you would rather have him underestimate you and come in cocky than overestimate and build up before coming in."

"So, he needs to think we're weak and unprepared," I stated.

"That is my recommendation," Greg said. "There are risks either way. If he engages in a frontal assault with his current forces, we will win, but we will take casualties. But I believe that is a better choice than if he hires mercenaries, especially if he manages to hire smart mercenaries."

Lara considered her choices. "We really believe the pack leader and the pack itself have virtually no business income, it's all from tithing?"

"There may be other surprises," Greg said. "But if there are, they are well-hidden."

"Elisabeth, comments?"

"I don't mind being underestimated," she said.

"Michaela, I know how you feel."

"I absolutely love being underestimated," I agreed.

"Yes, that's what I thought. All right, Greg, do it that way. What do you need from us?"

"We can handle most of it. I think if we can get the two of you having a public fight, a very public fight, that wouldn't hurt."

I sighed. "Lara, I won't have any problem looking very upset if you take me to dinner tomorrow evening." We would be meeting with Vivian at five tomorrow. "It won't take much acting on my part."

"It's not your acting I worry about," she said. "It's mine."

"Oh honey, you know I can piss you off. Just remember I'm doing it for us, and forgive me later."

The session with Vivian went pretty much as I expected it would. I told Lara I didn't want to spoil my memories of the sushi restaurant, so we went back to the steak house afterward my session with Vivian. In the car, I picked a fight.

"I can't believe I let you talk me into quitting my job," I told her.

"Excuse me?"

"You knew I loved my job. Maybe it was beneath your notice. Did my being a public servant embarrass you, Lara?"

I had warned her I would piss her off, but still she walked right into it. "You said you wanted to teach."

"What I wanted was an outdoor job. What I wanted was to stay in Bayfield with my beautiful view-"

"From the roof of your house?"

"I could see further from my roof than I can see from the tiny window in your bedroom. Wow. Trees. The lake is beautiful, and you knew how I felt about it, and yet you still made me move down here."

She gritted her teeth and didn't say anything. If I let it sit, she might calm down by the time we reached the restaurant. "I don't know why you couldn't just run the pack from Bayfield. How much does it really take, anyway? Seems to run itself. You hardly do anything."

"I hardly do anything?" she asked. "I work my ass off holding this pack together. I work my ass off making sure your precious Bayfield is safe for you. The least you can do is show a little appreciation."

I thought maybe that would do it. We sat quietly for the rest of the ride, but I made sure to rub my eyes so they would look nice and red.

As soon as we got out of the car, I draped myself over her. "Don't be like this, baby," I said.

The look she gave me was one of, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

I kept up the airhead routine, acting as clingy as I knew how. Then I demanded she take me jewelry shopping later, and by the way, when was she going to buy that sports car she promised me.

She almost lost it then. "Sports car?"

"It's not like the money means anything to you, baby. You promised." I dragged that last word out, turning it into a proper whine.

Shortly after we were seated, she started to giggle. "I can't believe you," she said.

In response, I leaned across the table, nuzzling her, then whispered into her ear. "You're a shit actress. You need to react to me the way I'm behaving. This is real."

"Lara! You promised me that car!"

"Keep your voice down," she said. "And quit with the PDA. You know how I feel about it."

I ordered an expensive meal, then in fox fashion, I barely picked at it. I made her buy champagne and barely drank any. And every chance I got, I touched her, flirted with her, and was as clingy as I could be.

When she was kind to the waitress, I accused her, quietly, of having eyes for someone else. That caused a real flash of anger in her eyes, and I hoped whoever was taking photos caught it, and that we were at the right table. This one was supposed to have been bugged.

By the time dinner was over and paid for, she didn't want anything to do with me. I draped myself over her on the way out the restaurant, and she practically shoved me off of her. "Baabbyyy," I whined. "Don't be like that."

The thing was, I wasn't sure whether she was playing the role, or if I had really pissed her off. I thought perhaps it was a bit of both, and I was hoping I could cajole her back into a good mood by the time we arrived home.

We got into the car, and I tried to sit next to her, but she practically threw me into the other seat. We drove a block, and she began laughing.

"Shitty actress? I am not a shitty actress!" she said. She grabbed me and pulled me onto her lap, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a kiss that left absolutely no doubt in my mind how she felt about me. When we finally came up for air, she said. "Okay, maybe I was being a shitty actress, but following your lead made it almost easy."

We made love in the car on the way to the compound; she left me quivering with need before she finished me, then opened her legs and allow me to taste her. I think she intentionally held back as long as she could, her own orgasm coming only as we pulled into the courtyard.

I reassembled my clothes hastily, barely pulling myself together by the time Karen opened the door for me. Elisabeth stopped me as I got out of the car and said, "You have something on your face," and wiped it off with her finger.

"I did not!" I told her.

She laughed. "Are you sure?"

We all assembled at the command center. Greg was on the phone when we arrived. He finished the conversation and was laughing. "I've already received the pictures and audio. Lara, I know it was an act, but even I was wondering whether you really were planning on selling Michaela."

"Don't worry," Wendy said. "They made up in the car."

"How would you know?" I asked.

"I have a nose," she said.

"Makeup sex is the best," Karen replied. "If I had a lover, I'd totally pick fights just for the sex afterwards."

I glanced over at Lara to see how she was taking it. She looked smug. I decided she was just like a man and stormed off, my escorts scrambling after me.

As I left the house, I heard Wendy say, "Alpha, you might get more make up sex tonight."

The door closed to Lara's pleased chuckles.

When I got home, I was somewhat taken aback; it was filled with teenagers. Every teenager in the compound, from Chloe Lassiter on up, was hanging out watching a movie and eating pizza and popcorn. I stopped just inside the door and stared at them.

Sophia noticed my expression. She popped out of her seat on the sofa between Alan and Chloe and crossed the room to stand in front of me. "Is this all right, Michaela?"

I was still stinging from the embarrassment and teasing. I couldn't understand why Lara insisted on flaunting our sex life to the entire pack, and I didn't understand why they felt it was any of their business. I didn't understand why people who knew I was embarrassed by it, and who otherwise treated me very kindly, went out of their way to enhance my embarrassment.

All of which meant I was ready to say no, it wasn't all right. There must have been something in my expression, because Sophia said, "We were done, anyway," and turned to tell them to go home.

"Wait, Sophia," I said. It wasn't her fault I was in a mood. "No, it's fine. I was just surprised. It's fine. Enjoy the movie. Try to limit the volume to a manageable level."

I passed through the living room into the kitchen, retrieved a bottle of wine and headed upstairs. By the time Lara got home, the bottle was empty and I was passed out.

Lara woke me early the following morning, holding a glass of water and some aspirin. I mumbled grumpily at her but took them. Once the glass was empty, she took it from me, set it aside, then sat on the bed. I lay back down and rolled away from her.

"What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing is wrong," I said.

"What you mean to say," she said, "so that we don't get in the habit of lying to each other, is that something is wrong but you either don't want to talk about it or want me to drag it out of you piece by piece. Until I hear otherwise, I will assume the later."

Well, I didn't want to talk about it. I didn't want to think about it, much less talk about it. I didn't want to look at her smug expression.

"It's the former, then," I said. "Not the latter."

She sat there for a moment, not moving. "I am going to believe that you are back to telling the truth to me and that you wouldn't have said that if I shouldn't take you at face value. When you are ready to talk about it, I am ready to listen."

"Thank you," I said sullenly.

She sat there for a moment, then she lay down on the bed, cuddling behind me, her on top of the covers, me below them. "May I tell you something?" she asked. I nodded. "I love you, Michaela. Your happiness is paramount to me. Do you believe that?"

"I guess." I felt like a sullen teenager. I was certainly acting like one. But I couldn't help it. My own behavior was pissing me off, but I couldn't get my emotions under control.

I rolled over and told her all of that.

Lara reached out and caressed my cheek. "Vivian taught me something once. I've found it to be remarkably true. It seems obvious when I look back, but it wasn't obvious to me at the time." She stared off into space for a moment, then said, "There's a concept called resiliency. When we are at our most resilient, then it is easiest to take everything in stride. Little things don't bother us and we cope well with the big things. When our resiliency crumbles, than even tiny things, inconsequential things, can seem devastating."

She gave me time to think about it, and it made sense.

"The pressures of life chip away at our resiliency," she said. "Moving, changing jobs, starting therapy, and finding out someone wants to kill you, these things can do serious damage to your resiliency."

I started to cry from it all. I shrugged off the covers and reached for her, pulling myself to her and clutching.

"I'm tired of crying all the time," I told her while crying.

"I am sorry you are hurting, Michaela." She held me, caressing the back of my head. "I promise all the big things will get better. That will make the little things much more manageable. And I will tell you this as well. I don't like to see you cry. I don't like to know you hurt. But I can't tell you how much it means to me that you turn to me for comfort." She rocked me a little and slowly I calmed down again. "Would you like to go to Bayfield for a long weekend? We can leave Thursday evening."

I started crying again but nodded.

"This is probably the last weekend we can do this until after we finish dealing with the current crisis," she said. "But I would really like to go kayaking, honey. I have a little business on Friday to handle, but after that, I am all yours. We'll need to return early on Sunday."

I clutched at her and said, "Angel and Scarlett will be upset if we don't invite them."

"We'll invite everyone."

"Do you think Vivian would like to come?"

"I think she might."

She held me until I pushed her away and looked into her eyes. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me. I love it up there, too."

"We should reserve kayaks," I said.

"You find out who wants to come and then call Benny," she said. "If we go sailing Saturday afternoon, are you going to push me into the lake again?"

I laughed. "No. I promise."

She kissed me then said, "Michaela, today you are safe. I promise. Tomorrow you are also safe. I promise. With me, you will always be safe."

I started crying again, but I we feeling better. She kissed me once more then put on a playful expression.

"You realize you need a shower." She pulled me into her arms and picked me up. I tossed my arms around her neck, shrieking.

"Put me down! No! Lara!"

My squirms and struggles meant nothing to her. She carried me into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and I renewed my screams. "No!"

She was dressed already in a light shirt and jeans, and I was sure she was going to toss me into the shower. I was also sure it was cold water that was running. But then she stepped into the shower with me, and the temperature was perfect. She set me on my feet, but I kept my arms around her neck, plastering our bodies together.

I'd gone to bed in just my undies. I didn't remember stripping out of my clothes from our date, but I must have at some point. Lara kissed me, then I helped her out of her wet clothes and she stripped my undies from me. All the clothes landed in a heap in the bathtub with a soggy splat, and then I couldn't take my hands off her hard, amazing body.

She washed me. I knew she was late, but she took her time, and everywhere she touched me, she kissed me as well.

"How can it take you so long to wash such a small body?" I asked her.

"Good things should be savored," she replied. "Unless you would prefer I hurry."

"No," I said. "I do not prefer you hurry."

Soon I was clean, but she smirked at me and pressed me against the side of the shower before lowering herself to her knees in front of me. She traced a line of kisses down my body, then nudged my legs wide and placed her mouth over my vulva.

"Lara!" I screamed immediately.

She pulled one of my legs up over her shoulder so I was partly sitting on her, partly standing on one foot, and her lips parted me, her tongue immediately finding my clit. She flicked at it twice, then ran her tongue up and down my slit, slowly. I felt myself grow wet with need.

"Oh Lara," I said. I clutched at her head, not directing her, just wanted to hold her, and it was all I could reach.

She brought my passions to the fore slowly, her tongue teasing me as the water ran over both of us. Finally she reached up with one hand and slipped two fingers inside me, and I screamed her name.

I could tell she smirked, but her tongue continued it's insistent dance against my clit, and then she pulled me into her mouth, sucking at me.

The orgasm arrived, hot and hard, and I pounded a hand against the wall screaming, "Oh god! Lara!" And I rode her mouth, her amazing mouth, as she gave me waves of delicious pleasure.

She pulled the last few shudders out of me with her fingers, then pulled away and looked up my body. I looked down at her. "You're amazing," I told her. "You make me feel so good."

And then I slumped, my leg sliding off her shoulder, and I would have fallen if she hadn't caught me. She held me up until I could stand, then washed briefly under the water. "I'm going to taste you for hours," she said.

I had a great day, and it was poker night that night. I needed to win but was sure Janice wouldn't make that easy on me. My own scent would give me away every time I had a good hand.

Lara sat next to me and slightly behind me. We'd agreed she would trace circles on my leg with a finger when I was giving off my scent. The way we sat, Janice would see it, but the others wouldn't. Vivien had other commitments, but the table was filled out to six with four more members of the council. Violet was there again, and with her were Dominick, Dennis and Taylor. Dominick was relatively young to be on the council, but Dennis and Taylor were older wolves. They were businessmen, and I got the impression they were very good at what they did.

Everyone at the table was at the very least a decent poker player. I let my scent tell do whatever it wanted while getting used to the new arrivals. Of them, I already knew Janice and Violet, so I focused on the three men. I offered a new set of false tells and slowly lost money for a while.

Of the males, Taylor was the easiest to read. When he tried to bluff me out of a pot, I happily took his money. Suddenly I was even again.

After that, Janice and I took turns taking money from the three men. They picked up on my false tells fairly quickly, and I used it against each of them. In the meantime, I avoided going head to head with Janice, and she used that to her advantage, taking small pots she probably shouldn't have won, but I folded out. I tried to control my scent.

Janice and I delivered a one-two punch to Taylor, cleaning him out. Janice bluffed him, and I just had that good a hand. He was gracious about it and asked if we'd invite him back in the future.

Then I was dealt a good hand, and I decided to see if I could keep Lara from twirling her finger on my leg. I imagined I had a poor hand, and Lara's hand was quiet. I stayed in the bidding one round longer than I should have for the cards I wanted them to think I had, then I folded, which meant I didn't have to show them I would have won the pot.

A few hands later, I had a poor hand and could tell Dennis thought his was good. I imagined a moderately good hand, and a minute later, Lara began twirling her finger slowly on my leg. I played it like I had a good hand, but then looked at Dennis, sighed, and folded. He looked disappointed by the size of the pot he won.

After that, I folded down two more hands I should have played, and Lara never twirled. Then I had a good hand, and I both thought of it and played it that way, and I took a sizeable pot from Dominick. Lara's finger was twirling on my leg the entire time.

I let my scent play straight after that, in spite of how excited I felt inside. I imagined my cards exactly like they were, and Lara twirled her finger exactly as I grew to expect. She seemed subdued. I wasn't showing her my cards, and she didn't know I'd been playing it.

Janice finished out Dominick and several hands later, I cleaned out Dennis. It was down to the two of us, and Janice declared a break while Lara walked the council members out.

When Lara got back, Janice suggested, "You've done well tonight, but you're still showing your tell. Maybe we should call it a night. You know I won't go easy on you."

"Let's go for another hour," I said. "And see how it goes."

"It's your money," she said. "For now."

We shifted our seats at the table so we were sitting across from each other, and Janice dealt.

I played it straight, and we traded small pots back and forth, Janice folding out every time I decided I had a good hand.

Then I dealt myself a pair of aces and imagined a two of clubs and nine of diamonds. In other words, the worst hand imaginable. The first three up cards included another ace. I bet like I had a winner hand, but Lara didn't twirl her finger on my leg. Janice pointedly sniffed the air then called my raises.

By the time the five up cards were dealt, there were two sevens showing. I had a full house, aces over sevens, and the cards on the table were such a mismatch the best hand Janice could possibly have was another full house, sevens over jacks. It was my pot.

I bet like I would if I were trying to bluff her. She raised, I raised, she raised, and then she seemed emotionally invested. I frowned, glancing at my cards, and imagined a two and a nine. I sighed and shoved all my chips into the center. "All in," I said. "May as well get this over with."

Janice immediately called my wager, and I started thinking about what cards I was really holding.

"Let's see 'em," Janice said. "I want to know what you were bluffing on."

I concentrated on my aces, I concentrated on them really hard, and then both wolves were pointedly sniffing the air.

"You. Little. Fox!" Janice said. "Let's see."

I flipped over my aces.

Janice stared at my cards and showed her seven and jack, a smaller full house. Then she began grinning, and I'd never seen anyone loose several thousand dollars and be more pleased about it. "You did it!" They both high-fived me, then I raked in my chips.

"Was that a fluke?" Lara asked once we had calmed down.

"I don't want to think about the good hands I folded down tonight while trying to convince both of you I had crap."

"How did you do it?" Janice asked?

"I imagined my cards to be what I wanted you to believe they were rather than what they really were. This hand, for instance, was a two-nine. I don't think I can turn off the scent, but I can use redirection. It's not that much different than setting false tells. Do you think I need to do it with Durian?"

"I doubt it," Lara said. "You don't smell like a wolf or a human. It's a subtle scent, and I just don't think they'll pick up on it."

"Well, if they do, I know what to do about it," I said. "Janice, thank you for the lovely money."

Over the next several weeks, I played cautiously, but I had my buy in before our scheduled game.

We drove up to Bayfield on Thursday as planned. We took all the teenagers with us, a significant presence of enforcers, and Vivian. Lara, Vivian and I, along with the female teenagers, slept in the house, Vivian taking Angel's room. The teenager girls camped out downstairs, and all the males and the enforcers stayed in tents set up in my yard. I made them move the tents every day to avoid killing the grass.

Once we were alone in my room, I folded into Lara. "I want you," I told her quietly. "Do you think we can do this quietly?"

"I think we can try," she said.

We started pulling clothes off each other, kissing passionately, then I pushed her onto the bed and said, "I want to thank you."

She let me.

As she lay gasping in bed, I crawled up next to her, tasting of her, cuddling into her while she caught her breath. Then she looked over at me and said, "You are so beautiful, little fox. I could eat you right up."

I didn't even struggle.

She used her weight to pin me to the bed, and then she brought me to a peak using her hands and mouth. I buried my face in the pillow, trying to hold the sounds back. Lara took the pillow away, throwing it across the room.

"I want to hear you, little fox," she said.

"Everyone is-" I gasped. "Going to hear me."

She back off what she was doing.

"Hey!" I said.

"You may come," she said, "as soon as the pack knows what a healthy sex life we have."

After that, she was merciless. She brought me closer and closer to the edge, but try as I might, I couldn't squeeze an orgasm out of her. I began begging quietly.

"You know what it's going to take, little fox."

It took her another ten minutes, but I was begging loud enough for Vivien and the girls downstairs to hear. She continued to tease, and before I came, not only did everyone in the house hear me, but I was sure the wolves out in the yard did and probably some of my closer neighbors.

As I began to shudder, I realized maybe I didn't care.

She made the orgasm go on and on, and just when I thought I was done, she raised me again, her mouth hot against my clit, and I screamed her name for the I-don't-know-how-manyth-time.

Lara collected me in her arms, and I opened my eyes long enough to see the smug expression.

"If you weren't so good at that," I gasped out. "I could be angry at you."

"But I am that good," she said. "You know, little fox, so are you."

I slowly caught my breath, wrapped in her arms. "I can't make you do that," I told her.

"Only because I won't give up enough control," she said. "If you ever dragged me out like that, I'd take control and take what I wanted from you."

"Someday, wolf. Someday."

She laughed and pulled me more tightly to her chest, and I drifted to sleep.

When we descended Friday morning, I got the types of comments I was expecting, some combination of, "It took forever before I could go to sleep last night" to more direct speculation as to what it might be Lara did to elicit such vocalizations from me. I found it didn't bother me as much as it usually did.

I also noticed everyone seemed more relaxed than they had in a while and more comfortable with both Lara and me. I thought that meant something, and perhaps more than the joy of being in such a beautiful place; after all, we hadn't experienced the beauty up close yet.

My kitchen wasn't big enough to feed everyone at once, so we ate in shifts. They'd been eating for a while before Lara and I descended. The teenagers were all on kitchen duty, and they made sure everyone was properly fed. I was proud of them.

Lara then said, "I have business," and took Elisabeth and several enforcers with her. She refused to tell me what it was. "I'll catch up to you on the water."

I made everyone either show me a fishing license. Those who didn't have one I made walk into town and buy them. We also bought more fishing gear and met up at Benny's boathouse. Benny was greeted warmly and invited to join us.

"I think I will," he said. "I hired an assistant for the summer, and she can handle the boathouse for the day."

Vivian was the only newcomer to kayaking. She had tried to beg off, but we wouldn't have it. Benny taught her the basics. The kids wanted to work on Eskimo rolls, so I sat back and let Rebecca teach them. A few weren't getting it, so when Benny finished with Vivian, he paddled forward and began making suggestions.

We had a lovely morning on the water. Shortly before noon, Lara and Elisabeth connected with us as we were fishing for dinner. We caught a few fish, but when I tried to attach them to the back of Lara's boat, she told me, "Try it and you will suffer." I had Benny attach them to the back of my kayak.

After fishing, Benny surprised me. He led us into shallower water and then drafted June to help him set up an obstacle course, using floats and weighted lines for obstacles. He set up two parallel courses of a short one hundred yards. The goal was to weave in and out of the floats, paddle around the last one, and return. He intentionally set the floats up so they were not in a straight line, meaning you would have to weave, and each course had two cones that were so significantly offset you would have to take a dramatic turn almost backwards to navigate around it.

We ran race heats for an hour, the wolves all being very competitive. Everyone raced, even Chloe Lassister, Vivian, Benny and me. The course was short enough and complicated enough that Benny and I were competitive. I watched while Elisabeth distracted Lara, then Scarlett paddled soundlessly behind Lara's boat, deftly attaching the stringer of fish to the back of Lara's kayak with hardly a pause while gliding past. Lara didn't even notice.

"Alpha," Angel said. "You and I haven't raced yet." It was close, but Angel's turns were sharper and the fish provided just enough drag. Angel crossed the finish line a quarter boat length before Lara did. Lara didn't notice the extra drag.

Several races later, Benny asked her for a race. He ran an exceedingly good race, but he couldn't compete with Lara's strength, even with a small handicap. She won, but not by as much as she thought she would have.

Then she lost to Elisabeth, and a half dozen races later, to Rebecca.

"Lara," I said. "Do you think you've dragged those poor fish through the water enough?"

"What?" she asked sharply. She turned her body to look. I paddled to the back of the boat and pulled the stringer off. Lara glared at me.

"Don't look at me," I said. "I didn't put them there."

She looked around and spotted Angel trying to look innocent. "Angel," Lara said quietly. "Did you have something to do with this?"

"I'm not sure how to answer that," she said. "I haven't touched the fish, if that's what you're asking."

"No, I am asking what role you played."

"Maybe it was my idea," she said in a small voice.

"Scarlett!" Lara bellowed. Scarlett actually cringed. "Good one." Lara laughed. "I didn't even notice you doing it. Michaela, Scarlett has just offered to drag the fish home with us. She and Angel will be cleaning them."

"I'll drag them," Scarlett said. "But for the love of all that is fishy, please don't let Angel clean the fish. She butchers them."

We ran a few more races then headed home.

We had a lovely late afternoon and evening hanging out at my house. Eventually everyone wandered off to their beds, and I let Lara lure me to ours. Our lovemaking was gentle. I was only a little vocal.

Saturday morning, we went kayaking again, intending to kayak until lunch and go sailing afterwards. Vivian begged off. "I haven't used those muscles before. But I'll meet you for sailing later."

Everyone was in a good mood. We skipped fishing. With Benny working the boathouse and Vivian staying at my house, I was the only slow one, and I wasn't exactly slow. Aaron and Rebecca set up a distance race for the wolves, four miles round trip with me as the judge for the finish line. I quietly told Chloe she could hang out with me if she wanted, but she wanted to race. Aaron won with Lara second and then a huge pack that was too close to call. The teenagers lagged the adults by a few hundred yards. It was a close race between Derek and Angel; most of the other teenagers came in on an extended line, and far in the back, Chloe Lassiter paddling for all she was worth, her older sister Abigail paddling along next to her, cheering on her little sister.

Shortly before they reached the finish line, Abigail tipped over. It was intentional, but no one was going to tell Chloe that. Chloe crossed the finish line, Abigail successfully rolled upright after a few tries, then she paddled last across the finish line. I was proud of both of them.

With everyone in high spirits, we headed back.

Sailing was far less dramatic than the last time. I knew everyone by now and didn't feel a need to hide. We sailed for a few hours then rafted together and swapped people around between the two boats we had rented. At the end of the day, Lara and I sat together at the back of the boat, watching two of the boys trying to chat up Abigail. She was flirting with both of them. It was cute. I sighed, leaned back, and closed my eyes. Lara pulled me against her, and I leaned over to kiss her check. "Thank you," I told her. "I really needed this."

"We all did," she said.

"Where did you go yesterday?"

"I just had some business to take care of."

"That's evasive."

"Yes, it is."

I sighed and cuddled under her arm.

Sunday we left, and I felt calm and relaxed. This time, I knew I wasn't saying goodbye, but instead "see you later" to my house.

 **Rematch**

We increased the size of the Wednesday poker game buy in to two thousand dollars. I had a bad night and then a good night, and suddenly I had the buy in I would need for our upcoming rematch.

Everything else was coming together as well. Greg's group set up cell phone surveillance around Duran's compound, and we began listening in to a lot of his calls. They weren't pretty. He was leaning even harder on his people, threatening them if anyone else "committed mutiny" has he put it. Another enforcer disappeared, and Greg's people photographed two more driving out of Chicago heading south.

Durian's hold on his pack was effectively broken, and it was only a matter of time before something drastic would happen.

Something did. He set up a voice call with Lara to which the rest of us listened.

He was tense and gruff. "How is business, Durian?" Lara asked, a glint in her eye.

"You worry about business in Madison," he said. "I have Chicago well under control."

"Of course," she said. "I was only making polite conversation. Are we still on for poker next week? I thought perhaps you would care to stay overnight at the compound instead of a hotel in Madison."

"That last hotel wasn't very good," Durian complained. We could hear him thinking. "Yes, but if we're coming to the compound, I'll need to bring more of my own enforcers."

"Completely understandable. I'm sure you'll keep them well in rein, just like I do with mine. How many did you wish to bring? Six?"

"A dozen," Durian said immediately.

Lara didn't respond immediately seeming to consider it. "That's not an honor guard, that sounds like an invasion force, Durian. If you distrust us that much, maybe we should call this off."

"Perhaps twelve guards is overkill," he agreed instantly. Ten might be better."

"Perhaps eight would be good," Lara proposed. "After all, your enforcers are so much larger than mine, and I can house eight so much more readily. But if you'd rather pay for a hotel, we can stick with that plan."

"Eight enforcers plus me and my sons will be perfect," Durian said immediately. How did this moron get to be alpha?

"Excellent. We'll have a lovely house for you. It won't be as grand as your house in Chicago, but we'll make you as comfortable as we can," Lara told him.

We received one more group briefing before the big day. Financially, the Chicago pack was in trouble. Individual members could recover from the damage Durian had been doing for the last several years, but Durian's finances were rapidly turning into a mess. Once we had started the hemorrhaging, his own pack members had helped him along, with more and more leaving town on no notice. Two more enforcers deserted, and it looked like Durian couldn't have fielded the dozen enforcers he had wanted to bring even if we'd allowed it.

Greg's team intercepted a phone conversation between Durian and Avery. "We'll get the fox during the poker game," Durian said. "And afterwards our enforcers will rip through theirs; we'll kill everyone who might get in our way, including that bitch alpha and her sister."

After he played it, he said, "They are going to be in for a surprise."

We shipped the kids to Madison, staying with Hadley Smith and Harper Armstrong. Angel wanted to stay. Lara told her flat out, "No" and very quietly we needed her to set an example so we could get all the other kids to safety.

"All right," she had agreed. "But alpha, we know what is going on, and you better call us when it's all over. You personally. And I want to hear Michaela's voice, too."

Lara had agreed with warmth in her voice.

Tuesday night, I lured Lara upstairs early. "I want to spend the night making love," I told her.

We did. I spent much of it screaming her name. I didn't care who heard.

The kids left at noon, and I changed into the clothes I would wear. I wore loose clothing, a blouse and skirt I knew I could shift right out of without getting tangled. I had my knives on my forearms and two more strapped around my ankles. The skirt hid the ones on my ankles as long as I didn't cross my legs.

Durian's convoy arrived late at the compound in the afternoon. It was agreed that keeping me safe from eleven wolves was riskier than anyone liked, and I stayed in the school complete with a good percentage of Greg's enforcers. Lara's security was handled by our own enforcers. Greg and his operations team stayed in their headquarters, monitoring everything.

Lara showed them to the two houses we had available to them; both were used by visiting council members and were quite pleasant. Greg's folks thoroughly bugged the houses ahead of time, promising us we could hear if they dropped a pin, but that they wouldn't be able to detect his bugs. We would have liked to have had video as well, but we decided that might be too easily detected.

Lara hosted a picnic. I stayed out of sight in the school. I tried to work, but mostly I fretted.

And then, it was time. Elisabeth came to retrieve me, and I picked up two more enforcers outside the school. They were subtle, but if any of Durian's enforcers had tried to approach me, I would have been surrounded by my own protection team. Greg's wolves were just seconds away, ready to exit the school on a moment's notice; most of them were already in fur with a few still human so as to keep hands free and operate the radios.

Elisabeth led the way across the small parking lot to the barracks; we would be playing in the council chambers. I had my ten thousand dollar buy in ready and was insanely nervous.

"Elisabeth," I said. "Please tell me this is going to work."

"It will. You stay safe. Those are your orders. Will you follow them?"

"Yes, Elisabeth."

"I don't want to waste any enforcers to worry about you."

"You keep Lara safe, Elisabeth. I'll follow orders."

She nodded.

"There's a wrinkle," Elisabeth said. "I don't have time to explain. You will need to decide if you trust Lara."

"Of course I trust Lara."

A minute later found us inside the council chambers, passing two of Durian's enforcers matched by two of ours standing guard outside the barracks, and two more inside the barracks matched by two of ours. Inside the council chambers, I stopped and stared.

There were two hulking wolves standing against the far wall. Durian, Avery, and some huge wolf almost as large as Durian were talking to Lara and Vivian. Jared was not in sight. Eric was standing quietly against one wall. Elisabeth announced me before joining Eric.

I paused in confusion.

"Ah, the fox," Durian said.

I stepped forward to stand next to Lara. "We seem to be missing a wolf," I said. "I was looking forward to seeing Jared again."

"Jared was unable to attend. My head enforcer is taking his place. This is Garth."

"Pleased to meet you," I said. He ignored me. I was fine with that.

"I hope we're done wasting time," Durian said. He pulled out a large packet of money. "There's my fifty thousand," he said, throwing it onto the table. Avery and Garth's packets followed.

I stared. "Ten thousand," I said. "It was to be ten thousand. I don't have fifty. I have ten."

Lara turned to me, and her expression was cold. "I can loan you the difference," she said. "You can take out a loan against your house in Bayfield. I had it appraised and am satisfied of its value."

I stared at her. She had known this was happening and was prepared, but she hadn't told me.

"You want me to wager my house?" I asked her.

She shrugged. "Or Elisabeth can take your seat. She has the necessary funds without needing to borrow from me."

I stared for a minute. "All right," I said. "Fine."

Lara slipped a set of papers to me. They were a loan agreement for forty thousand dollars with my house as collateral. The interest rate was twelve percent, and she could foreclose on my house if I grew more than three months behind in payments.

"Twelve percent in this market?"

"You are free to search for better terms elsewhere," Lara told me. "Or as I said, Elisabeth can take your place."

This clearly was the wrinkle Elisabeth had warned me about. I signed the papers, Lara handed me a packet with forty thousand dollars, which I counted carefully, and then Durian signed the papers as witness, smiling broadly.

I wondered how much property he had stolen in just this fashion, offering loans at outrageous terms and then foreclosing on the resulting property.

Lara collected the paperwork.

"I do not want the responsibility of holding the money this time," I said.

Garth laughed. "Like we would trust a fox."

"We'll use the safe," Lara said. "It is biometrically controlled. Durian and I will both be required to open it afterwards."

Lara provided a box for the money. She counted Durian's money and set it in the box. Durian counted hers. Lara counted Avery's. Vivian handed her money to Lara, who handed it to Durian, and he counted it. Lara counted Garths and added it to the substantial stack of cash in the box. I gave Lara my money and then watched as she counted it, twice, before giving it to Durian.

I looked away. It wasn't hard to display hurt at the insult she'd given me. Durian counted my money, and it went into the box. Lara closed it, then she and Durian together moved to the end of the room. Lara slid aside a painting. "It's unlocked," Lara said. She demonstrated that it would indeed require both of them to open it, then they put the money box in and locked it tightly, sliding the painting back into place.

There was a bar set up in the room. It wasn't normally there. "Michaela, bring me a bottle of water."

Suddenly all the wolves added their orders to the mix, with Durian's and his two wolves ordering beers. His enforcers demanded beer as well.

Lara and I hadn't discussed this, but again, I trusted her and followed her lead. I moved to the bar and brought the alpha's their requested drinks. Then Lara said, "Better yet, bring me a beer, too." So I returned with a beer for her as well, then set beers on the table for Durian's wolves. No way was I crossing to that side of the table, not with the way they were all looking at me.

I sat back down after retrieving my own water, and I felt Lara's hand waiting for me. She squeezed once and released.

Lara passed out the poker chips and invited Durian to deal.

Lara and Vivian spent the next hour displaying their false tells. Durian and Avery did the same, but their real tells hadn't changed, and I could read them easily. Garth though, Garth was dead stupid. He didn't even have false tells. He had nothing but real tells, and they were based on one simple principle: he was a bully.

Lara took money from him. So did Vivian. I bided my time, folding down hands I should have kept while establishing my scent tell. I didn't know if it would matter, but I wanted to be prepared.

Avery took a large pot from Garth and Vivian and was pleased with himself, but Vivian had taken several from Garth, and she was doing okay.

Durian demanded another beer, looking pointedly at me. I retrieved fresh drinks for everyone.

I drew a good hand and played it, taking a modest pot in which only Vivien and Durian had folded, but no one had bet heavily. Garth said, "The fox smells funny."

I shrugged. "I smell like a fox, I suppose," I said.

He began to smile, and it was clear he thought he had my scent tell.

It was a dozen hands later when Garth had a good hand, but mine was better. We both bid it up, everyone else folding out, and then he smiled at me. I was imagining the lousy hand I wasn't holding and was sure I wasn't giving away my scent tell.

Garth went all in. I had more money than he did by then and matched his final raise. When the cards were exposed, he stared. He was cleaned out, the last pot I'd taken from him holding twenty thousand of his dollars, the rest spread around to the rest of us fairly evenly.

"You cheated!" he screamed and launched himself across the corner of the table at me.

What happened next was gruesome. The attack had come out of nowhere. We'd known that Durian wanted me for a fox hunt, we absolutely had known that, and none of us had considered that I would be the target of a sudden attack of rage. It had never come up in any of our conversations.

There wasn't an enforcer remotely close enough to protect me. Lara was close, but I was between here and Garth.

Lara started to scream, "No!"

Durian reached out a hand to pull his enforcer back into his seat, but found only open air.

Lara began to move from her seat, but she was going to be late, way too late to protect me.

Werewolf reactions are fast, exceedingly fast, but there are certain laws of inertia that still need to be overcome. Fox-sized inertia is much lower than wolf-sized, and fox reflexes were much faster than a wolf's. To top it off, Garth was incensed with anger and accustomed to fighting based on brute strength, probably with absolutely no finesse at all.

Garth was still in his chair, just leaving it, by the time I slipped sideways out of my chair.

Durian's hand was just closing on empty space when Garth's hand reached through the space that I'd occupied a few milliseconds previously.

And my silver daggers were in my hands.

I ducked under Garth's reach and stabbed upwards with my right hand as he passed over me, my silver dagger penetrating his throat, ripping out sideways due to his own motion as I hung onto the handle.

My left hand shoved upwards after that, entering his stomach immediately under his ribcage. I shoved upwards as hard as I could, my hand disappearing into his stomach up to my wrist. I felt when the tip of the dagger pierced his heart.

That dagger was wrenched from my grasp as Garth's body, fueled now only by inertia, continued past me. I dropped to the ground, pulling my hand out of Garth's stomach, his blood spraying me as he flew past. I reached under my skirt and withdrew a third dagger to replace the one still buried somewhere in Garth's body.

Elisabeth and Eric were both in motion, moving towards me.

Lara's attention remained on Garth, her hands grasping for him, and she followed him to the floor, landing on top of him, but he was already gurgling out his last breath.

I crouched, grasping my daggers, facing Durian's wolf, my heart hammering in my chest. Elisabeth was suddenly in front of me, and Eric too, and then no one moved.

I listened as Garth died, Lara's growl filling the room. There was noise from the hallway, but Elisabeth and Durian both yelled, "Stay outside!"

Lara straightened. I glanced over briefly. There was blood on her hands and in her clothes. She had gotten sprayed, although perhaps not as badly as I had.

"That was against orders," Durian stated.

Lara faced him. "We both know you have a different plan than that. Are we agreed he engaged in an unprovoked attack, and my fox was fully in her rights to lethally defend herself.

"Yes," he said.

"Daddy," Avery whined. "She should pay!"

"Shut up, Avery," Durian said. "Garth was a fucking idiot."

I hadn't moved from where I was, crouched down, covered in blood, holding my two daggers in front of me, peering between Elisabeth's and Eric's legs.

Durian turned to his two enforcers. "Stand down."

They both relaxed against the wall.

"May I suggest a break while we clean up the mess?" Lara said. "Thirty minutes?"

"Of course," Durian said.

"Perhaps it would be best if your enforcer from the hall took care of the body."

"I want my dagger," I said in a small voice. "I want my dagger!" I probably wasn't thinking clearly, but that dagger had helped save my live, and I wanted it back.

"There's no dagger, honey," Lara said gently.

Without taking my eyes off Durian and his wolves, I stepped sideways then reached down with my bloody right hand into the wound in Garth's stomach. I found the handle of my dagger, but it was lodged inside, and I couldn't draw it out.

"Lara," I said, and I began to shake.

Lara reached down, wrapped her hand around mine, and together we pulled the dripping dagger from Garth's body.

"Don't touch it," I told her. "It's silver."

"Give them to Elisabeth, honey," she said quietly. "Give all of them to Elisabeth."

I set them on the table, everyone in the room watching me, staring at the blood along the tip of the dagger from my right hand, the blood on the handle of the one I'd drawn from my ankle, and the third one bathed entirely in Garth's blood.

Durian called to his enforcer to come in and clean up the mess. The enforcer looked shocked, but Durian told him, "Get that piece of meat out of here," and the enforcer had bent to the task.

Then Lara picked me up. I clutched at her, and she carried me from the room, Elisabeth following. She ordered enforcers into the room to help secure it, but by then I was shaking so badly I couldn't think straight.

Lara carried me home. I held my tears in long enough to get into our house, then I began sobbing. Lara carried me straight to our bathroom, set me down in the shower, and removed my clothes by the expedient of tearing them from my body. She turned on the water, stepped into the shower herself, and then removed her own clothes the same way she had removed mine.

I sobbed the entire time she gently washed me, and I realized she was checking me over to make sure I wasn't hurt. Then we clung together.

Francesca and Serena arrived at our room; they were waiting with warm, fresh towels. I let myself be treated like a child; they dried me off then sat me down and dried and brushed my hair.

Lara couldn't stop touching me, and I clutched at her. Serena and Francesca just worked around that, everyone making soothing noises.

I got myself under control even before Lara did. I looked into her eyes, and she was livid, but when she looked at me, it was with the deepest pride.

"Number eight?" she asked.

"What?"

"You killed seven when you were fourteen," she said. "Was that your eighth?"

I stared at her and didn't answer. It wasn't my eighth. I didn't intend to tell her how many I'd killed during the time I'd been running. I began to shake again, thinking about it, but I breathed deeply of Lara's scent and calmed myself.

They dressed me. They tried to put me in tight clothing, but I said, "No!" And wouldn't relent until I was dressed loosely. But I wore a shorter skirt, then strapped my dagger sheaths in place. Elisabeth stepped forward and slipped my now cleaned and dried daggers into their sheaths, then she put her hands on my shoulders and started into my eyes.

"You follow orders for shit, little fox." Then she pulled me into a crushing hug. "And I'm so glad you do."

"You ordered me to stay safe," I said. "I think I followed my orders to a tee."

She laughed. "Yes, little fox, perhaps you did."

All four of them fussed at me. I stood up straight and said, "We have two more wolves to fleece, and I am not sure the excitement is over. I wouldn't suppose I could get a little bite to eat?"

"I'm warming some chicken," Francesca said. "Will that do?"

"Thank you."

"You are staying here," Lara said.

"Like hell I am!" I said. "I am finishing what I started."

"Do not argue with me," she said.

"I'm not arguing," I said. "I am stating a fact. I think I earned it, Alpha."

"I think she did too," said Elisabeth. "Damn, Michaela, you were fast."

"You could have gotten killed," Lara said.

"Durian was almost as upset about it as you were," I said. "He tried to stop Garth, but he wasn't fast enough."

"I didn't see that," Lara said.

"I did. Let's go."

Francesca fed me, and as long as we were in the kitchen, Lara and Elisabeth ate a little to settle their stomachs as well. I turned to Francesca and thanked her for the food, then suggested, "Word gets out fast. You may want to call Angel and tell her you just fed me a huge fox sized meal of an entire chicken thigh."

She smiled. "I'll call her."

Once we stepped out of the house, every pack member currently on the compound was waiting for me. As I walked towards the barracks, they reached out and touched me. Gia stepped into my path and pulled me into a hug. Then so did Rory and Karen. I whispered into Karen's ear, "Thank you." It was her training that helped me. "Tell Greg I'll be thanking him later."

She nodded, and then Elisabeth held the door for the barracks.

"You don't have to do this," Lara said.

"Are you kidding? There's another hundred thousand dollars with my name waiting for me, and I want it!"

Lara laughed nervously. "Please don't joke," she said.

"It's either joke or cry."

"Tell me this isn't about the money, Michaela," she said.

"This man threatened my pack. He threatened me. He threatened the woman I love. We are going to embarrass him and then let his own wolves tear him apart, just like we planned. But I'm glad it's not Garth who will be doing it."

She nodded, and we proceeded into the conference room.

The atmosphere was tense. Eric and Emanuel were watching the room. Vivian was at her chair, sitting calmly. Someone had made at least a small effort to clean up the mess from Garth's death. Durian was talking to Avery in the corner, and I heard Durian to tell his son to "shut the fuck up. We have a plan, and we're following it."

"We don't need this poker game. Just challenge the alpha and be done with it," Avery said.

"Mind your place. I want to wipe the smug look off that bitch not just once, but twice." Then he told Avery the false tells that Vivian, Lara and I had been setting. "Those are false tells," he said. "Here are the real tells." And he told Avery about the second set of false tells.

What a moron.

Avery started grinning.

I quietly relayed the conversation to Lara, and she whispered something into Vivian's ear.

We all sat down at our places at the table. Someone had slid all my winnings from Garth into my pile, and I stacked my chips methodically.

No one asked me to fetch drinks.

"Whose deal was it?"

We let Durian and Avery take a few hands, confirming their trust in the false tells. Then Vivian took a large pot from Avery and, several hands later, Lara took one from Durian.

I looked over at the piles. Durian and Avery were down about half their stake. Vivian and Lara were holding that money, and as far as I was concerned, that money was mine.

Several hands later, I let Durian bid up a hand; Vivian and I hung in. Then I dropped a tell to Durian, letting him think I had a solid hand, and he folded. I bid the pot up against Vivian, and she folded. I'd been bluffing. I smiled sweetly at Vivian as I collected chips from her, chips I was feeling very possessive about.

On the very next hand, I gave a portion of it to Lara. She grinned at me and twirled a finger on her leg. My tell was showing.

Oops.

On the next hand, I intentionally gave my scent away, thinking about a stellar hand when I had a good, but not stellar hand. I gave up a modest pot, but both Avery and Durian sniffed, then looked at me in recognition. "She does smell funny," Avery said. He grinned when he saw my hand even though Durian took the pot.

Fresh tell established. After that I bided my time, holding my own, and establishing my scent tell as having a good but not great hand.

Then I had a great hand while both Durian and Avery had good hands. I gave out my tell, and the bidding grew intense.

Finally I looked over. "Avery, you look like you have about eight grand left over there?" I slid a matching stack of chips towards the center. "Durian, you have about twelve." I added four thousand more. The first stack was for both of them, the second one was only to cover Durian.

They both stared at me, sniffing, then one after another, both Durian and Avery pushed their last chips into the table.

"Thank you, gentlemen," I said, revealing my cards.

They both stared. Durian's expression grew dark, but it was nothing compared to the malice in Avery's eyes.

I calmly collected my chips.

"I believe that is the end of our game tonight," Lara said. "But Durian, you and I have unfinished business. Perhaps we can handle it outside."

"Alpha, do you mind if I cash out tomorrow? I believe my money is safest in the vault tonight. Perhaps you can verify I am holding my initial fifty thousand dollar investment plus another hundred and seven thousand, two hundred and forty." I slid my chips to her.

"I trust your count," she said, not even glancing at my chips.

I stood up and stepped from the room. I wanted to be out of the building well before Durian and his thugs.

No one molested me on my way out of the building. Vivian followed immediately behind me, Lara behind her, and then we collected our enforcers while exiting the building.

"Don't you need me to open the vault?" Durian asked.

"Don't be ridiculous," Lara said. "I can open it with any single council member. We'll erase your records tomorrow."

"You bitch!" he said.

I exited the building, already having a good idea what I would see when I got there. Durian's five enforcers were huddled together, still on two feet. Greg's wolves were guarding them, and every adult wolf on the compound was in the courtyard. Nearly all our wolves were in fur. An exceedingly large male wolf on two feet can be as strong as just a large wolf while in fur, but we outnumbered the Chicago wolves four to one. I smiled.

Wendy and Karen, both still in skin, stepped up to cover me. Rory and Serena in fur stood in front of me.

Elisabeth exited the building, then Lara. Lara took a position halfway between me and Durian, and he stopped in the doorway when he stepped outside.

"Durian," Lara said. "Did I mention we've been monitoring your phone calls? I assembled a few friends to make sure everything stayed peaceful. Now, do we have any remaining business?"

"Yes," he said, stepping forth. "We had an agreement you would give me the fox. If you give her to me now, I won't challenge you."

Lara laughed, crossing to me. She stepped between Rory and Serena, pulled me into her arms, and gave me the deepest of kisses. "Michaela is MINE!" she bellowed.

Then she turned back to Durian. "And she will always be mine," she said calmly.

"Dad!" Avery whined. "You promised me the fox."

"Shut up, Avery."

"No!" Avery turned to me. "I challenge you! And none of your silver daggers, either. Get rid of them and face me!"

Lara narrowed her gaze at him. "She is omega; she is not obligated to accept your challenge or any other."

Behind Lara, I bent down and unstrapped the knives from my ankles. I handed them to Wendy. The ones on my wrists went to Karen. "I'll need those back very, very soon," I told them.

"Don't be a fool," Karen said.

I stepped away from them. "Avery!" I said. "Challenge ACCEPTED!"

And then I charged him.

He stood dumbfounded as this fox, smaller than even a small teenage wolf, ran straight at him. He began laughing. Five steps in front of him, I leapt to the ground, shifting on the way, ran two steps just past him, spun around, shifted human, and caught the first dagger Karen had thrown for me. I snatched it out of the air and slammed it into Avery's foot with every ounce of strength and weight I could muster.

He hadn't even moved.

He began to howl and turn towards me. I stepped behind him, shifted, ran one step away, shifted, caught a dagger from Wendy, and slammed it into Avery's hamstring.

Avery wasn't done, but he was howling from the pain and made a grab for me. I dashed away, spun, shifted, missed the dagger, but caught the next one and slammed it into his stomach, yanking fiercely on it as I fell away from him.

I shifted, ignored the thrown dagger, and turned around. Avery was howling in pain and pulled a dagger from his leg, dropping it to the ground. I ran towards it, shifted, grabbed it, and stood up behind him, shoving it into his armpit before I pulled away.

Wolves heal fast. But wounds infected by silver don't heal until they are cleaned out of all taint, and Avery was losing blood fast. If he caught me now, he could get medical attention and live. But he was bleeding profusely, and now I just had to let him bleed out. I ran away from him. He pulled all the daggers out, dropping them to the ground, then turned towards his father.

"Daddy?" he said.

Durian didn't say a word. Avery stepped towards his father, stumbling. "Daddy?"

"You imbecile," he said. "Getting beat by a fox, getting beat by prey. Go ahead, Avery. Finish your challenge." He backed away from his son, and when Avery tried to follow, Durian shoved him away.

The resulting game of keep away was predictable. Avery couldn't have caught me as a healthy wolf; he wasn't going to catch me in human form, especially not with the damage I'd already done to him. I ran him around for a minute, then hesitated over the pile of knives he had left on the ground. I shifted and picked one up. I tossed it to Wendy. "Hold this," I told her. Then I tossed the rest to Wendy, Karen and Elisabeth.

Avery launched himself at me clumsily, and I easily evaded him just on two feet, then shifted to fox, took two steps, shifted human, and there was a dagger flying through the air; Elisabeth had thrown it. I snatched it out of the air and raked Avery's buttocks with it, then fled.

I played with him for ten minutes before I finished him off. I could have ended it far sooner, but he deserved to be humiliated.

I finally killed him. I could have let him die from blood loss; he was beneath a killing blow. But I didn't want there to be any chance he would rise again. I ripped out his throat with one knife then slipped another one between his ribs to puncture his heart. I left it sticking out of his chest as he lay on the ground, twitching for a minute.

I stood up and wiped the blood from my face, smearing it more than anything else.

"Challenge completed," I said. "Elisabeth, will you be my voice?"

She raised her mouth to the sky and began to howl my victory. The entire pack joined her.

I really wished I could howl like that.

The wolves stilled. Someone, I didn't see who, draped a blanket over my shoulders. I pulled it around me, then turned to Durian. He was staring at the body of his son.

"Lara, you asked me earlier whether that was my ninth wolf kill. No, it was not. This piece of shit was my seventeenth. Fox hunt me? No one hunts me!" I screamed.

I stepped to Lara, giving Durian ample distance, and slid under her arm. She was shaking and pulled me to her, but never took her eyes from Durian.

"I did the son," I said very quietly. "Let the pack have the father." I kissed her, smearing blood on her. "I'm fine. We need the alpha now. Lara, finish this."

She stood up straight and I stepped away, retreating to the safety of my security detail. I accepted hugs from Wendy and Karen. "Thank you," I told them. "Where did all those knives come from?"

"Greg had six," Wendy said quietly. "We each had four more. We never got to give them all to you."

"Durian!" Lara yelled. "Where have you been eating lately? Your favorite restaurant closed. Your favorite bakery closed, too. And the health inspector had a visit at the second favorite. Something about dog fur in the food. You have lost half your pack in the last two months. Where did they go?"

"You!" He said. "You did this!"

"You came into my territory. You threatened my mate. You threatened my pack. You better believe I fought back! You are unfit to rule; you are unfit to rule your own household, much less an entire pack, once strong and proud, and now broken."

"I challenge you!" he screamed at her. "I will kill you, then I will rape your mate and take your pack!"

Every wolf, with the exception of Durian's seven living enforcers, began to growl.

Elisabeth stepped forward. "Our alpha does not accept challenges from someone unfit to rule. The rest of the pack makes sure of that. Kill him."

He didn't have time to scream.

Lara turned to Durian's enforcers. "You may take your vehicles and leave. You will exit Wisconsin by the most expedient route. If you return to Chicago you may gather your personal belongings and any family members, and you will leave. You will not return to any location within five hundred miles of Chicago or Madison. If you do, you will die. Leave now!"

They were gone thirty seconds later.

Lara turned to me, and I ran into her arms.

 **Aftermath**

"Little fox!" Elisabeth yelled. I turned my face to look at her. "You follow orders for shit!"

"Oh please," I said. "If Lara can't catch me during a game of keep away, do you really think he could have?"

I turned my face back into Lara's chest and breathed deeply, the scent of safety. I tried not to show it, but I was quivering with leftover fear. I knew I was spreading blood all over her clothing for the second time that night, but I didn't care. From the way she held me protectively, I don't believe she cared, either.

"Accepting a life-or-death challenge from a large dominant wolf is not following the order to see to your own safety!" Elisabeth said, advancing on me.

I felt Lara releasing me from her grasp, her hands wandering over my body once more as to ensure herself I was unharmed. Then she stepped away, leaving me to her head enforcer's judgment. I watched her step away before turning back to Elisabeth.

She came to a stop, towering over me, and she honestly looked pissed off.

I sighed. "You are right, Elisabeth, but I am not sorry. And I would do it again. I will take my lumps."

I shifted to fox, rolled onto my back, and presented my throat to her. Elisabeth, still in skin, dropped down on top of me, wrapped her mouth over my furry throat, and used her hands to pin me to the ground. It took her two adjustments before she could actually start closing her mouth around my throat, and I didn't whimper until she did.

Then she held me there while every furry pack member stopped by to lick me clean with their long, wet tongues.

Eww. Wolf slobber.

As punishments go, it could have been worse. I took it without complaint.

Elisabeth finally let me up. She draped the blanket back over me and said quietly, "Shift back, little fox." I did, and she wrapped the blanket around me.

I looked up at her. "Is there more?"

She laughed lightly. "No. I know how much you love being tongue bathed."

I climbed to my feet. Lara was smirking at me. Everyone else was standing around.

Lara turned to Greg. "We stay on high alert until you report those wolves are well clear of all territory we claim."

He nodded.

"Greg Freund, and everyone from Lima Consulting, the Madison Wolves thank you from the bottoms of our hearts. This would not have been possible without you. Our pack's security is ensured."

Greg stepped forward, slipping a check out of his pocket. "We didn't remotely spend your retainer. You made this easy." Lara glanced at the check and nodded while she folded it and slipped it into a pocket. The two clasped hands. Then Greg pulled his phone out of his pocket, played with it for a moment, then handed it to Lara. She glanced at it, pressed the screen once, and held it to her ear.

"Jared," she said after a moment. "This is Lara Burns, alpha of the Madison wolf pack. I wish to inform you that your brother and father and one enforcer named Garth have died during challenges."

"I see," he said. "How is the little fox?"

"Bloody but not blooded," Lara said, grinning at me. "She killed the enforcer and your brother; they both challenged her."

I heard him whistle.

"She made fools of both of them, Jared. Do you have a problem with that?"

"No," he said. "I have nothing but respect for your little fox. What now?"

"Chicago is in need of an alpha."

"I'm sure one of the other enforcers will stop by to claim it," he said.

"I doubt it. I told them they had until this time tomorrow to be at least five hundred miles from either Madison or Chicago. They didn't look like they intended to challenge that. If they do, we will stop by and eliminate the threat to our pack. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, alpha," he said. "So do you intend to hold Chicago or perhaps appoint an alpha?"

"I have no intention of ruling Chicago either personally or by proxy," Lara replied. "But I will be ruthless if Chicago is ever again ruled by an enemy of Madison."

"Perhaps you would accept a hand of friendship from me, then," he said.

"I would support your bid for alpha of Chicago," she replied. "Support in word only, you understand."

"I will consider your words and discuss the issue with the other members of the pack. Speaking of other members, do you know anything about recent departures of a large number of wolves from Chicago?"

"I heard something about that. I may even have one or two in Madison. But I have not had a large influx of new members. If you had messages for them, I could see about getting word to them. I don't know how effective I will be."

"If you run into any, ask them to call me. That's all I ask."

"Would you care for me to pass on what they could expect to tithe, if they were to return to the fold?"

"What do the Madison wolves tithe?" he asked."

"Ten percent."

"Well then, if I should ascend to become the alpha of the pack, I will ask for five percent for the next five years and ten percent thereafter."

"Very wise," Lara said.

"Please say Hi to the little fox, and thank her for me. I hated my brother, and Garth was just as bad."

"I'll pass that on," Lara said. "Good luck, Jared."

"I'll need it."

"I believe," said Lara with a raised voice after hanging up her phone. "That the Madison wolves may consider themselves at peace again."

The entire compound shook with the sound of howling wolves.

"Everyone here plays a role in the safety of this pack!" Lara yelled, then let them howl. "I am proud of all of you!"

She looked towards Greg. "The former enforcers?"

Greg held his finger to his ear, receiving a report. "Well on their way to Chicago," he said. "My teams will monitor them until they have cleared both territories, and we will keep permanent tracers on them."

"Francesca!" Lara yelled. From the pack of furry wolves, Francesca, also furry, stepped forth. "Francesca please organize a large party for Saturday. We have much cause to celebrate." Then Lara looked around for Karen. "Is it still your wish to join the Madison pack?"

"It is, Alpha."

"Even more reason to celebrate. I guess there won't be as much secrecy as there was for the last fresh recruit."

The wolves chuffed their laughter.

"It's late," she said. "Elisabeth, will you see to it the trash is burned? I am taking my little fox and cleaning her up. Please ignore any noises she makes later."

"Lara!" I said in protest, but she pulled me to her and, arm-in-arm, we stepped into our house.

 **Proposals**

Lara was up to something. I could tell. She was taking phone calls, then pointedly making sure I was well out of listening range before talking. She was disappearing into conferences. And she went for two overnight trips without me, refusing to tell me where she was going.

Every effort to unearth what she was up to got me nowhere, but that didn't stop me from pestering her.

One afternoon in our living room, she finally snapped. "I am not going to tell you until I am ready. If you do not want another full pack tongue bath, you will stop asking."

"You wouldn't."

She raised an eyebrow.

"That's abuse of power!"

"I will drag you out into the courtyard right now, pin you to the ground, and hold you there the entire time it takes each and every one of them to shift." She stared me down.

"Yes, Alpha," I said quietly. "I am sorry."

"That's better," she said gently. "Would you like to go to Bayfield this weekend?"

I laughed in joy. "Yes, I would."

We flew up Thursday afternoon: Lara me, Scarlett and Angel in one airplane, June, Elisabeth and Eric in the other plane. June disappeared to spend the night with Benny; the rest of us walked to my house.

I asked Lara to keep the noise down. She made me scream her name over and over. She had been doing that several times a week for the last several weeks since defeating the Chicago wolves. Our sex life had never been better.

Friday morning Lara kicked me out of bed early. I reached for her, but she told me, "You don't want to start something."

"Maybe I do."

"Listen."

I lay there in bed, waiting for her. Then she offered a pointed look, and I opened my ears. I sat up straight. "How many people are in my yard?"

"Oh, about fifty," she said.

"Fifty? They drove all night?"

"No." She was grinning. "You were too distracted to notice, but most of them heard you screaming my name last night. But now they want to see what I've been up to. Maybe you do too."

I stared at her.

"Or you can stay in bed. It's up to you. We leave in thirty minutes."

"Leave?"

"To show whoever is ready to go what I've been up to."

Then she turned about face and walked out of my bedroom.

"Lara!" I listened to her giggle as she headed downstairs. She was giggling?

I showered quickly, got dressed, and made it downstairs with ten minutes to spare. Angel shoved food and hot tea at me, grinning at me. "Have a good night last night?"

"I did, thank you. I believe Scarlett did as well."

"Word to the wise," Elisabeth said. "Don't compete with the alpha, Angel."

My yard was full of people, most of them familiar faces. Lara grabbed my arm and we worked the crowd. No one seemed to know what was going on, only that Lara had summoned them. She refused to answer any questions.

Shortly after, we piled into the available cars. Lara drove the lead car. "Where are we going?"

"One more question and I'm pushing you out," she said. "I might come to a full stop first."

I decided to take her seriously and shut my mouth.

Lara drove us west out of town about ten minutes, then we pulled onto a dirt track and eventually unto a rutted, barely navigable drive. We came to a stop, and Lara turned off the car.

I stared at a large, professionally produced sign on two posts next to the road. "Northern Wolf Run" it said. I looked at Lara. She didn't say a word, but simply climbed out of the car.

I followed her. "Lara?" I said. She grinned and held out her hand. I crossed in front of the car and took it. She led me to a spot in front of the sign. Everyone else joined us, clustering around.

"I've gotten the impression everyone likes the area," she said. "But Michaela's house is a little small. Furthermore, we needed a field location for some of our classes. So I bought some land."

"How much land, Alpha?" Elisabeth asked.

"So far, just shy of three thousand acres. I have offers right now on another eight hundred, and I'm starting to negotiate with points north and east, hoping to get us closer to Bayfield. Now, if you will all follow me..."

"Lara?" I asked.

She took my hand. "If you will all follow me, I'll show you where the initial building site will be."

"You bought this for me?" I asked.

"Don't be silly," she said. "I bought it for pack. Well, I guess for you. You're pack now, after all."

I followed along as Lara showed me where the new science center would be, next to a small pond and a large, open field. "We'll build guest cottages here, and over here will be the main residence. We're doing it lodge style. With three wings. Designs are not finalized, but I expect one wing for the students, a wing for instructors, and a wing for the alpha, when she is in residence."

She waved around. "Anyone else who wishes may build a home here subject to good design. We'll work out details later."

"Alpha?"

"We have enough land for a small landing strip a half mile in that direction." She pointed. "It will be long enough for our current aircraft; anything bigger will need to use the airfield on Madeline Island or in Ashland."

"Lara?"

She grinned at me.

"I realize that this location is not as optimal as if we could be right on the lake, but I decided being a little more isolated was best. I couldn't get remotely as much land in town. I almost bought the resort on Madeline Island, but we aren't isolated enough to be able to run. We can't run here like we can at the Madison compound, but with time, we will acquire more land. Maybe eventually we'll have land stretching from here all the way to a proper view of the lake."

"Lara?"

She turned to me. "Ms. Redfur, do you feel a fifteen minute drive to hold your water activities classes, or simply to take us all kayaking, is too far?"

I started laughing. "No, Alpha, I do not."

"All right then!" she said. "Welcome everyone to Northern Wolf Run."

Everyone began talking at once with Lara and me standing together, facing each other. I looked up into her eyes. She was smiling broadly.

"Yes, little wolf," she said quietly. "I bought this for you. Do you believe now I will keep you safe forever?"

"Oh Lara!" I said, throwing myself into her arms.

Lara sent Francesca into town for picnic supplies, sending several of the kids to help. Then she took out a map and showed me what she'd purchased so far. It was a hodgepodge of properties, but she expected to fill in the gaps over time.

We had our picnic. Lara disappeared for a few minutes, and I knew she was up to something else. Several minutes later I found myself surrounded by teenage wolves, all of them bigger and stronger than me. Angel knelt down where I was sitting and took my food and soda can away from me, handing them to Chloe. "I'm not done with that," I said.

"Grab her," Angel said, and I found myself hoisted in the air by six wolves.

"Put me down!" I shrieked.

"Don't struggle," Scarlett said. "We're on the alpha's orders."

I relaxed, and they bore me easily to the cars. Lara was waiting with Elisabeth. She didn't say anything but simply opened the side door of one of the SUVs. The kids carried me inside, laughing. Lara and Elisabeth took the front seats. Several of the kids climbed in with me. Chloe handed me my soda, grinning. Then we had a small convoy heading back to Bayfield.

"Was that really necessary?" I asked.

The kids giggled. "It was fun," Sophia said from behind me. "You know we wouldn't hurt you."

"I thought you were going to introduce me head first into a smelly pond," I replied.

We drove back to town, everyone refusing to answer any questions. Benny was waiting for us, and they said, "We're going kayaking."

I laughed. "You could have just asked."

"Like Sophia said," Lara repeated from the front seat. "This was more fun."

We had a lovely time out on the water.

Most of the wolves camped out on our new lands, but Lara and I along with our closest friends stayed at the house.

"I can't believe you did all this for me."

"We can't be here all the time," she said. "Probably only about half."

"Half?"

She grinned "Maybe a little more. But not all the time. You can stay here if you like, but I need to spend at least some time in Madison. We're not moving the pack. We're just offering the pack a second home."

"Not everyone could work up here. They need to be close to Madison."

"Yes."

I rose and stepped into her embrace. She lifted my chin and kissed me deeply. "Were you hoping to thank me?"

I smiled. "Actually, Lara, I wanted to ask you about something. It's important."

"If it's going to ruin the mood, can it wait?" her hands began exploring my body, and I squirmed.

"I don't think it will ruin the mood." I paused, still not sure how to ask this. "Lara, I wanted to talk to you about the screaming during sex."

She stilled and began to withdraw, but I clutched at her.

"I haven't been complaining," I said.

"No, but I can tell you don't like it."

"I didn't understand. Lara, I've noticed. The pack seems more relaxed when you've made me scream."

"You've noticed that, have you?"

"And the comments that are directed towards me could all be rephrased to a single comment?"

"What comment is that?"

"Isn't it amazing how virile our alpha is?"

She began to grin.

"This is important to the pack, isn't it?"

"Yes, little fox."

"And there's something else. You want me to be proud of you. Proud of how you make me feel. Proud of how you, well, how much I belong to you, and how right that feels. You want me to be happy shouting it to the world."

"Yes."

"And the pack needs to know that, too. The pack needs to know that we're good, that our relationship is healthy, that they can know the alpha is in a strong relationship with her mate."

Lara pulled my mouth up for a kiss, and it was full of passion. When we broke, I asked her, "Why didn't you just tell me?"

"I needed you to figure it out for yourself. I needed to know my needs were so important to you that you would take the time to puzzle through them. If you hadn't figured it out, I would have started dropping more hints."

I hugged her again, then laid my head on her shoulder, my nose buried in her neck. I loved breathing in her scent. I loved being held by her.

"Lara, I don't think the pack would want me to make it easy for you to make me scream."

"No, I don't imagine they would."

"Still, I hope you'll make me scream and beg and cry out and demand to belong to you, so loudly they hear me, every single night starting immediately. Right now. Go. I don't want to wait."

She laughed and pulled me tightly to her.

"Honey," she said. "Can you hold off five minutes?"

"That's a long time."

"For me?"

"All right, Lara."

Lara got down on one. "Michaela Redfur, would you do me the honor of being my mate, my wife, until the end of our days?"

Tears started to leak from my eyes and I said simply with no fanfare, "Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Capture**

I didn't get away. The numbers against me were overwhelming, and Karen and Elisabeth guarded the door. There was absolutely no getting past Elisabeth, and I didn't even try. I did manage to kick her as firmly as I could a few times, just to see what would happen, but she didn't even budge. Unarmed hand to hand combat was not something I was ever going to be good at, and I had relinquished all my weapons.

Angel and Elisabeth had picked the kidnap location exceedingly well.

I struggled as much as I could. I wasn't completely without weapons. Scarlett received a stiletto heel in her thigh. Ava took a scratch to the face. And I broke my hand on Angel's jaw. I screamed when the bones broke. She rocked her head back, but a wolf jaw is a lot firmer than a fox fist.

After that, they piled on, pulled me to the floor, and pinned me, face down, my arms and legs pulled roughly away from my sides. They held me like that while everyone caught her breath.

"No tattoo," Elisabeth said. "Damn."

I tried to laugh, but I ended up coughing and groaning instead.

"May I heal my hand before you touch it again?" I said. "It's crushed."

"Do you agree to cooperate while I look at it?" Elisabeth asked.

"Yes."

She moved to me and knelt down where my right hand was held out, and we looked into each other's eyes. Then she looked at my hand.

"Michaela, do you wish to beg the alpha to ransom you?"

"No."

She lifted the phone back to her ear. "Alpha, are you sure? Twenty million is a good deal. She broke her hand. The bones are not aligned. I think I best align them." She handed the phone to Angel, then took my hand and began pushing the bones into place.

I screamed and screamed, and then she was done.

"You may heal that," Elisabeth said quietly. "They will heal straight now."

"They would have healed straight without that," I said, panting. I concentrated on my hand, although it was difficult through the lingering pain.

Elisabeth took the phone back. "We'll call you in a few hours, Alpha. Expect us." Then she hung up. "Michaela, I did that so Lara would know we were serious with you. We are going to start trussing you while your hand heals."

I nodded and felt my bones knitting slowly.

I didn't pay much attention when they cut my clothing from my body. I had liked that dress, too. I lay on the floor, naked, ignoring them while I concentrated on my hand.

"Michaela," Angel said. "Michaela, come back to us." She waved her hand in front of my eyes.

"Sorry," I said.

"How is your hand?"

I flexed it. It was tender. "Elisabeth, please check it. It feels okay."

Elisabeth poked at my hand. It was sore, but not bad. "Everything feels like it's in the right place."

"Michaela," Angel said. "We are offering to tape your arms to your sides with your hands taped to the outside of your legs. If we do this, we have to do it before we tape your ankles. The price is your complete cooperation while we do. Otherwise we're taping them behind your back, and we will not retape them."

"Agreed," I said immediately.

They pulled me to my feet. I was utterly naked. They held me firmly and moved my hands where they wanted them, then they wrapped me with tape, pinning my arms to my sides, wrapping me as completely as they had the first time, then taped my hands to each leg separately, the tape passing between my legs with each pass.

They picked me up and thoroughly wrapped my legs tightly together, then set me back on my feet. Angel stood in front of me. "You will be gagged, blindfolded, and have some nice music to listen to. We've already agreed to protect your hair."

I sighed. "All right."

"Music at your preferred volume, but loud enough you can't hear is a new dress for Ava. Otherwise we will play it at full volume, which we know you can't tolerate, and I know what music you hate."

"Agreed."

She smiled and held the iPod in front of me. "This is mine. You know what I have."

"If you haven't changed it, I like your retro list."

"I've added some, but it's similar to what was there already," she said.

"All right," I said.

Scarlett wrapped my hair in the scarf. Angel held a cloth in front of my lips, and I opened to let her stuff my mouth with it. She gently closed my chin, then they taped my mouth closed. The blindfold was next, taped in place.

"You are riding in the trunk," Angel said. "If you want to ride in the car with us the way we did last time, that is two medium favors. Two total, not too each. If you ride with us, we will treat you kindly during the drive. Will you pay it?"

I nodded.

"Michaela, are you all right?"

I nodded.

The ear buds went in like last time, then Angel said, "I set the volume to the same level as last time. We are trusting you. Nod if it's fine, shake your head if too loud." She hit play, and it was fine. I nodded. They taped the iPod to me, and then they picked me up and spirited me away.

They turned the iPod off. "We're here," Angel said. "You are going to receive your first punishment. We'll talk again soon." The music turned back on.

They placed me on my feet then bent me over something sturdy. Someone held my legs, two other wolves held my upper body in place, and then I felt a firm strike across my bare bottom. I yelped into the gag.

It wasn't a hand, and it didn't just sting, it hurt! I could feel a welt rising, and I concentrated on healing it. Then there was another strike, and I healed that one. Then two more, and I healed them, but I was starting to tremble. Two more, and I healed them. They stopped. There was a long pause before the music was turned off.

"Stop healing them!" Angel said. "We are trying to get a picture. We are going to keep this up until we have ten nice welts. If you heal them, we'll keep this up."

The music went back on, and then I felt them strike me. I counted to ten, squirming after each one. They really hurt, especially when one welt crossed the next, and soon I was hissing into the gag.

They stopped and I lay there on my stomach, my bottom in flames, and I waited.

I hand caressed my bottom, and I took that as permission to heal. I did so, but it took time. They continued to hold me like that until I nodded that I was done. I was picked up and placed on the sofa.

The music stopped, and the ear buds removed. Two wolves sat next to me. I leaned over and sniffed Scarlett on one side, Angel on the other.

"Two medium favors to remove the gag," Angel said. I nodded. They cut the tape, yanked it from my mouth, then pulled the cloth out.

"Thank you," I said.

"You are welcome," Angel said.

"May I have something to drink?"

"Water for the duration is one medium favor for each of us. If you want your choice of any beverage we can provide, that is one major favor each. Beverages do not include things that could be counted as food as well."

"So no ice cream drinks."

There were chuckles. "Correct."

"I wish to ask questions, and I am not trying to be insulting. Will you forgive me if I am?"

There was a pause. "Yes," Angel said. "If you are at least polite."

"Angel, are you allowed to lie to me?"

"No. Everyone else can. Elisabeth is going to be taking over soon though."

"So that means Elisabeth can't lie?"

"No, it means it will be difficult for you to wheedle information from me."

I laughed. "All right. I presume you all cleared your schedules for this. How long did you clear?"

"I arranged a week. I believe everyone else did, too. We think you are going to be difficult to crack."

"I am concerned about the number of the favors you are requesting. I am willing to pay of my own doing, but I am concerned you will ask to cash them in for favors on pack business, and I can't do that, and I'm not even comfortable with favors that might affect Lara."

"She's right," Elisabeth said. "All favors we accept from you will be personal favors. Nothing that affects pack business."

"Thank you," I said. "I will pay the major personal favor, each, for unlimited beverages, although right now I would like cool water."

It took a minute, and then a straw was inserted into my mouth, and I drank slowly. "Thank you."

"You are welcome," said Ava. "Michaela, thank you for doing this. You should know, I have my eye on a really nice sports car."

I laughed.

"Michaela, we're going to ramp this up slowly," Elisabeth said. "You know how to make us stop if it gets to be too much."

"Yes."

"You must not let this hurt our relationships."

"I won't, Elisabeth."

"All the food you want until noon tomorrow is a medium favor each. We don't promise to cook whatever you ask for, but we will be reasonably accommodating. The price tomorrow will be significantly higher, and we will not be telling you the time."

"Agreed." I sighed. "You already know it takes energy when I heal, don't you?"

"Yes," she said. "And we'll stop feeding you eventually. You'll lose the ability to heal if this drags out more than a few days, especially as the punishments ramp up. That's why we're not just giving you unlimited food."

"None of the rest of us can heal without shifting," Angel said. "Anything we might do to Lara would be cumulative unless we let her shift, which of course we wouldn't. We think you're going to go a long time. Aren't you?"

"Yeah," I said. "At least until you stop feeding me. After that, I don't know."

Someone caressed my face. "The pack is going to be so proud of you, Michaela."

"Are hugs free?" I asked.

"Yes, honey," Angel said. "Hugs are definitely free."

They set up a full time video feed, streaming to anyone in the pack who wanted to watch. Gia managed security and assured me only the pack could watch. It cost a favor to have it turned off for five minutes but they agreed not to film bathroom breaks. The current ransom demand was listed on the same web site.

At first, after the initial punishment, they alternated the rules. Either they did something unpleasant to me, and the level of unpleasantness increased each time, or they offered something playful. When they offered something playful, they told me they would all pay the same price if I also accepted an unpleasant punishment, and they wouldn't always tell me what it would be.

The first time, it was a waxing. We all got waxed, and I also got ten firm swats across the bottoms of my feet. I was still blindfolded, and couldn't see them coming. I flinched after each one, but I didn't stop smiling.

The second time it was pedicures with bright pink nail polish, and everyone vowed to wear it for a week. There wasn't a person in the room who would normally have worn pink, and Karen was especially unhappy about it. She delivered my punishments that time, and she wasn't kind. I heard Elisabeth later telling her to be a good scout or leave. She stayed and was fine after that.

They kept me blindfolded for a long time. When I asked the price of having it removed, they told me it wasn't on the table yet. Then they finally offered to remove it, they asked a major favor each. I offered a medium favor each, and they accepted but told me they reserved the right to re-blindfold me for short durations during some punishments.

"But don't get used to it," Elisabeth said. "We just wanted you to see what we're going to do next."

"Next" it turned out was Elisabeth setting onto the coffee table the belt and the chopsticks I'd been wearing. "These are pack secrets," she said. "You will tell us what they are."

She held up the wooden chopsticks. "Why did you ask us to remove these?"

I smiled sweetly, and she slapped me hard enough to knock me onto my side. I lay there, stunned for a moment, until Karen, leaning over the sofa, sat me back up.

That's when I looked around the room and realized the teenagers were all missing. I was alone with Elisabeth and Karen, our top two enforcers.

"Did you send them away? Or did they leave on their own accord."

"They left. None of them want to watch this. Angel looked a little sick."

I nodded understanding, then wondered if she was trying to psych me out.

"Why did you ask us to remove these?"

I was woozy when they gave up. I had healed myself so many times, my blood sugar was gone. As soon as Karen said, "Enough," I begged for food.

"If we hadn't stopped, would you have told us?" Elisabeth asked.

"No."

Karen went upstairs while Elisabeth bathed my sweating face. Angel and Scarlett came down almost immediately and went straight to me, checking on me. "I'm fine," I said. "Weak. Food?"

"Sophia and Ava are on it," Angel said.

I looked at Elisabeth. "How long was that?"

"Two hours."

I closed my eyes and nodded.

"You realize we're not done asking," she said. "But frankly, this isn't fun for me. I am very proud of you, but I don't like doing this to you."

I nodded. "What are we going to do next?"

"Feed you, clean you up, and play some poker."

I stared at her. "I was hoping to be somewhat fresher."

She smiled. "Consider it a handicap. We'll give you time to recover, and your next punishment isn't too bad."

The rest of the girls came down carrying food. "Nothing greasy or spicy," I said, "and no garlic." I let them feed me whatever else they wanted, washed down with cool water.

I felt better after a while. I asked for a bathroom break. Angel took care of my needs. I'd already paid a major favor to each of them for bathroom breaks and a minor favor to Angel to take care of me.

They set up a poker table and set me in a chair with my back to the corner. The buy-in was only a thousand dollars, all on account. Everyone got a tray for their chips with their name written on it, and people subbed in and out as they wanted; we didn't all play at once.

To allow me to play with my hands bound, they dealt the cards, then whoever was seated to my right would carefully expose my cards to me. No one tried to cheat by peeking, and I could ask to see my cards as often as I wanted. I slowly took money from all of them, although the teenagers were especially easy to both read and bluff. Ava was out of chips by the time Elisabeth declared a break.

"It is time for your next punishment," Elisabeth said. "We are going to tattoo you."

"What and where?"

"A set of wolf tracks either on your ankle or forearm, your choice."

I smiled. "Do I have an option to make all of you accept a similar tattoo?"

"Yes, but it is a very large price," she said. "We spin you."

I sighed. "For how long?"

"Until you beg Lara to stop us, or you are sick, or a time limit is reached. We will not tell you the time limit, and it is long. We will not stop if you beg us to stop; you must beg Lara."

"That is indeed a large price. May I have a bathroom break while I consider it?"

"Yes."

"And in exchange for a minor favor to you, Elisabeth, will you attend me rather than Angel?"

"All right," she said.

They carried me into the bathroom, leaving me standing. Elisabeth bent down to cut my legs free.

"Don't bother," I said. "I don't have the vaguest need to go. I wanted to ask you something and I didn't want Lara to hear."

She stood up and looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"The tattoo you intend is relatively small? A pair of feet or something?"

"Four feet, small, discrete. We have a drawing I can show you."

"I want something else. Will you listen to my offer?" She nodded. "I want a set of wolf tracks side by side with a set of fox tracks, starting at just above the ankle bones, and going as high as you want. Avoid my crotch and all bony areas. Do it however you think is attractive and artistic."

"Wow!" she said. "You know that is going to take a long time."

I nodded. "But Elisabeth, I want it to be your idea. I don't want Lara to know it was my idea."

"Are you going to have us swing you?"

"Yes, but I do not expect all of you to match my tattoo. At least two fox tracks on each of you, and if anyone wants longer than just four wolf tracks, then the fox tracks should be much more subtle than mine will be."

"I have a counter-offer," she said. "I will match the length of yours. I will add fox tracks periodically to represent you in my life as my sister."

I started to cry, and she hugged me.

"But everyone else has the option of what they want. They will get a tattoo based on this motif, but it may be small and there may not be fox tracks."

"I want that discussion off camera, please."

"Yes. We'll do it upstairs." She looked at me critically. "I do not know what to do with you while we are gone."

"I'm not exactly going anywhere."

She smiled. "I don't want you on camera unattended."

"Turn them off, gag me again, hang me from the hook, bring me with you…"

"We'll hang you and turn the audio off. People can watch your face slowly turn red."

"Someone needs to listen in case I get sick."

"Gia will watch the feed. Scream if you become distressed and are able to do so."

"All right," I said. "Let's do it."

Elisabeth opened the bathroom door and carried me out. "Get her in the harness," she said gruffly.

"She's letting us spin her?" Ava asked.

"Put her in the harness. We have something to discuss as a group and I want to know she can't cause mischief. Gia, once she's hanging, turn off the audio feed, leave the video feed, and monitor her."

Gia nodded. They put me in the harness, then they lifted me and hooked me up by my feet to the ropes which in turn were hooked to the ceiling. Soon I was dangling upside down, the harness distributing my weight throughout my body, not just my ankles. My head was two feet above the floor.

"Does this count against my time limit?"

"Not hardly," Elisabeth said. Then she lifted me by the shoulders until I was at a forty five degree angle and released me, causing me to swing around uncomfortably. "Let's go."

I closed my eyes and tried not to get sick. I concentrated on Lara. I wondered if she was watching, I wondered if she had watched while Elisabeth had questioned me. She hadn't paid my ransom, so she must be handling it.

The swinging stopped eventually. I wasn't sure that was better. The swinging had actually been kind of fun. I tried to get it going again, but all I ended up doing was wriggling and sending too much blood to my head.

Karen came down, sat in front of me, and asked, "Are you sick?"

"No," I told her.

"You were squirming around. Is everything all right?"

"I was trying to get the swinging going again. It was kind of fun. Could you swing me?"

She stared into my face. "You aren't serious."

"Absolutely. Please? I'll kiss you on the cheek later, after I throw up, if you don't."

She laughed. "All right."

"I have a question first. You left earlier. Will you tell me why?"

"None of us enjoys hurting you. Some of this is fun. And we're proud of you for doing it. This is duty for us, not pleasure. The games in between are fun. The tattoo is fun. Very clever of you. But hurting you isn't fun. I needed to compose myself."

"The pack needs to see this, don't they?"

"Yes. You are a kidnap target. They need to know you are tough."

"I break easily."

"Your body does, but you aren't giving us anything except paying for favors with favors. This is what you should do: trading favors with your kidnappers give them a vested interest in keeping you alive."

"Please don't spin me; just let me swing."

"All right. Then I have to go upstairs and change my mind."

I laughed.

"You shouldn't look like you're enjoying this."

She stood up, lifted me like Elisabeth had, and released me. I closed my eyes and swung back and forth, back and forth.

Angel came down and asked me, "More?"

"Swinging? Please."

She lifted me, and I swung.

It was some time later that they all returned.

"Turn the audio back on. Unhook her," Elisabeth said.

They carried me back to the sofa.

"May I have a tiny amount of water?" I took just a few sips.

"If you want fox tracks in your tattoo," Elisabeth said, sitting down on the coffee table. "Then it will extend from your ankle up the outside of your leg to your hip."

I looked at her, considering. "That is excessive unless you all match me."

She pursed her lips. "No." She paused. "I will match your length."

"I will match half your length," Angel said. "And Scarlett will."

"The rest are only on their ankles," Elisabeth said.

"I see. And what about fox tracks on each of you, hmm?"

Elisabeth sighed. "I will take one pair of fox for four pair of wolf."

"I'll do one for two," said Scarlett.

I glanced at her in surprise.

"Mine will be a mirror of Scarlett's," Angel offered.

I looked at the other women. "I am your alpha," I said. "Am I not?"

Elisabeth smiled. Her back was to both cameras, so they wouldn't see it.

"You are," said Ava.

"And you are not all willing to show your love and devotion to your alpha while I show mine to you?"

Oh, that got them. They were all silent. Elisabeth grinned though.

"Furthermore, fox feet are far smaller than wolf feet, and a fox steps a much shorter distance per step, so the steps are closer together. If you wish to show your pride, love and devotion, you will offer more than you have. Perhaps you are not proud of me. Perhaps you do not love me. Perhaps you have no devotion."

I closed my eyes. "Spin me. I will show you pride. Then I will accept whatever tattoos you wish. They are your bodies, and I will not dictate how you adorn them."

"We only have one tattoo artist," Elisabeth said. "The tattoos you are suggesting will take one person far too long. You will, after all, break when we swing you."

I laughed.

"You will spin me. We will all take a small tattoo we each feel is appropriate. When that has been done, then you will finish mine. The rest of you may adorn your bodies as you feel is appropriate. Will your artist fill me with pride in her work?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "You will be very pleased, Alpha."

"Spin me," I said. "Or tattoo me first, if that is your pleasure."

"We will spin you first," Elisabeth said. "We will begin the tattoos on ourselves while you spin, if you last more than a few minutes. If you beg to be ransomed, or if Lara ransoms you, you will accept the entire tattoo we have agreed."

"Yes."

"Spin her," Elisabeth said.

Many strong arms picked me up from the sofa. They attached my feet, and before they released me, Scarlett whispered in my ear, "I will wear fox feet to match yours, to my hip."

"Oh Scarlett," I said. "You don't have to."

"I will."

Then they lowered me until I hung from my feet. I closed my eyes when they began to wind me up.

I tightened my stomach, attempting to hold the bile at bay, and clamped my mouth closed.

They turned me around and around, twisting the ropes from which I hung, twisting the ropes around and around themselves, and when they released me, the ropes untwisted, causing me to spin in a circle, slowly at first, but then faster and faster. The ropes would become untwisted and then my own spinning inertia would cause the rope to twist in the other direction until I came to a stop. Then the rope would untwist, and I would start to spin in the opposite direction, going past the untwisted point again, but not as far, and I spun this way, and that, until finally I came to a stop, my breath heaving.

They spun me, and they spun me. I didn't count. I tuned them out. I thought about fox tracks entwined with wolf tracks. And I spun.

There was talking around me, but I ignored it. I thought perhaps the world had grown still, but I was so amazingly dizzy, I couldn't have told you.

I felt arms on me, and I knew the spinning was to start again. But then I was lifted and carried, and I was almost sick. They lay me on the sofa, and I willed my body to be still. I was dizzy, very very dizzy, and I ignored them.

Someone slapped me. Not hard. I ignored her.

There were voices in my ear, my name was called, and I ignored them.

Then there was Lara's voice. "Little fox. Talk to me, little fox."

"Lara?"

"You are scaring them, Michaela. You need to come back to them now."

"Good. Let them know, I am alpha, and I am not to be bested."

She was silent.

"Lara, are you here?"

"I am home, waiting for you," she said. "You need to respond to Angel. She is scared."

"No, I think I'll go back to the hidden place," I said.

"No, Michaela. These are your friends, come back to them."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes."

"If they spin me again, I will go away and I won't come back."

"I don't think they will spin you again," she said. "I love you, little fox. Please, open your eyes now."

I took a breath and opened my eyes. I lay in Angel's lap, and she was looking down at me. I saw other concerned faces.

"I love you, Lara." I sighed. "Don't pay."

Elisabeth snatched the phone from my ear. "Gag her!" she screamed.

"I've paid for my hair to be protected," I said, then accepted the gag graciously. Scarlett wrapped my hair in the scarf and they wrapped the tape around and around.

Elisabeth had long since hung up on Lara and was storming around the room. I would have apologized; it just slipped out. But all I could do was watch her.

"Where are her knives?" Elisabeth finally asked.

"Upstairs," Abigail said.

"Get them," Elisabeth said.

Abigail ran upstairs and returned a minute later carrying the bag they'd put my things in. Elisabeth snatched it from her hands, dug through, and found one of my knives.

"Hold her down," Elisabeth said. Strong arms held me, still lying across Angel's lap, and Elisabeth pressed the silvered blade against my cheek.

Of course, I tried to pull away, but they held me firmly. And then I looked Elisabeth directly in the eye as the silver burned me and I pushed my cheek more firmly against the blade.

I would have been smiling sweetly if I hadn't had my mouth taped. I was healing the silver burn as fast as I could, and when she finally removed it from my cheek, the girls gasped. I felt the last of the burn fade away in the seconds after Elisabeth pulled the blade away.

"Shit!" she said. She tried the blade against her own skin and hissed, then showed the silver burn to the cameras.

She leaned down, her mouth inches from my ear.

"Did those words just slip out? Not planned?"

I nodded.

"If I hadn't gagged you so quickly, would you have apologized?"

I nodded.

"I have to punish you. Let this burn. I need to leave a good mark on each cheek."

I nodded.

She grabbed a second knife.

"Hold her down now!" she said firmly, then both blades were pressed into me, one across each cheek above the tape from the gag.

I could smell the burn this time, and I couldn't have healed both fast enough to keep up. I began to whimper, just lightly, and Elisabeth finally pulled the blades from my skin.

She smiled. "Do not do that again, Michaela. Or the next time it will be worse!"

I nodded understanding then concentrated on healing my burns. I closed my eyes and zoned out while doing it. I didn't notice when they removed the gag and pulled off the tape, but concentrated on healing my burns.

"Come back, Michaela," Elisabeth was saying in my ear. "Come on. It's time for more fun."

I opened my eyes and turned my head to face her. I smiled. "How long did you spin me?"

She offered me a look of gratitude, then she stood up and set her leg on the coffee table where I could see it. She had a set of wolf tracks on her ankle, and next to it, a smaller set of fox tracks.

"Ah," I said. "Very lovely. You honor your alpha."

Gia showed me her ankle. Wolf and fox tracks. Then Karen, then Ava. All the women had wolf and fox tracks on their ankle.

"Mine too," Angel said. "But I can't show you until you get up."

"I have to wait," Scarlett said. "I'll get mine done when I can."

I nodded understanding. I didn't think Scarlett could do her own tattoo. "You all honor your alpha," I said. "That is good. I feel honored. Thank you. My turn?"

"We did yours to match ours," Elisabeth said. "Our artist requested a break."

I nodded understanding. "How long did you spin me?"

"Two and a half hours."

I began to laugh. "Lara told me she didn't think you would bother again. Was that the time limit?"

No one answered.

"May I have a little water?" I asked. I took a few sips through the straw. "Now what?" I asked.

"A new game," said Scarlett. "More poker after your next punishment."

They slept in shifts, those awake tasked with keeping me awake. I made it difficult for them. I zoned out. I could feel them trying to wake me, but I ignored it.

Then Elisabeth's mouth was at my ear. "Come back, Michaela, or I shave your head."

My eyes snapped open.

"There you are," she said. "No sleeping."

"Just resting my eyes," I said.

"New rule. If someone asks you a question, and you do not respond in a reasonable fashion, we shave a portion of your hair."

I looked at her. I smiled. "I have paid to keep my hair. We had an agreement. You will honor our agreement or you won't."

And then I closed my eyes.

They left me alone for some time and then Elisabeth asked me a question. I didn't respond. Her mouth moved to my ear. "If you sleep, we will not allow you food after noon today, at any price."

It took a while for my brain to process that. I opened my eyes later, and she was no longer next to me. "Elisabeth?"

"She's sleeping," Karen said.

"How long has she been gone?" Karen didn't answer. "Karen, it took this long for the last thing she told me to register. I am now awake. I would like to know if I should bother staying awake. If it is too late, it is too late. But I will only accept an answer from Angel."

"Why should we answer you?" she asked.

"Because you don't want me to sleep, and you can't stop me, so you can only bribe me. So. Bribe me or don't bribe me. I will remain awake for ten minutes, and if I am unbribed, then I sleep."

"Watch her," she said. I looked around, and the only other person there was Abigail. Karen disappeared upstairs. Abigail looked tired. She was sitting in a chair, watching me, her chin in her hand.

"May I have some water and some food? Something mild."

"I have water here. Food is upstairs, and I can not leave for it until someone else returns." She slipped over to sit on the sofa with me, offering me water. I drank sparingly.

"All right," I said. "But I believe it is well within the cutoff time for food, so I presume this delay will be short, and if I sleep without eating, I will expect mild food available when next I wake, whenever that is. I have paid for this food."

She nodded. "You'll get it as soon as someone returns."

"Thank you, Abigail. You're a good woman."

She smiled.

"My eyes are sore," I said. "I am closing them. I am not sleeping. You may talk if you want. I will answer." I closed my eyes and relaxed. Abigail was silent for a minute.

"What is two plus two?" she asked.

I smiled. "You can do better than that. Pick a topic."

"What is your favorite thing about being fox?"

"Ah. I am very vain. I love my fox appearance."

"You are a beautiful fox," she said.

"Thank you. I am very vain about it, and I never hear it enough. I love moving silently while hearing everything else around me. And I love that my reactions are so much faster than yours are. Well, probably not right now, my body is abused, but normally."

We continued to talk, and after some time, Elisabeth and Angel came downstairs with Karen.

"She requested food," Abigail said.

"Did she sleep?" Karen asked.

"No. We've been talking the entire time."

"And you were gone longer than ten minutes," I said.

"Cheeky fox," Elisabeth declared. "Karen told us what you said. Repeat it."

So I did. I finally said, "I came awake as soon as my brain fully registered what you said. You made a threat. If I was gone so long the threat is activated, I would like to know. I have paid for food until noon today, and I will point out I have not received any per my latest request."

"Get her what she asked for, Abigail," Elisabeth said.

"I would negotiate now for food through noon tomorrow," I said. "If we can not reach an agreement, I will respond accordingly."

"You will remain awake," Elisabeth said. "The price is one major favor each and five thousand dollars."

The had asked for a few payments that would cost me money, but not an enormous amount. This was the first favor that had a significant cost. I was about to protest but then realized that was almost as much as I'd taken from them in poker so far.

I smiled. "I will not strive to sleep," I said. "But I may zone out during punishments. I probably can't help it. The rest as you stated."

I opened my eyes and looked at her. Finally she nodded.

"I would prefer to hear a verbal agreement," I said.

"Agreed as you stated."

"You will need to entertain me or I will sleep from boredom."

She smiled. "I believe we can do that."

"Angel," I said. "I am sorry for getting you out of bed."

"It's all right. I was due for my shift anyway."

Abigail returned. She had cold meats and bread. They fed me a few tiny little open-faced sandwiches until I was satisfied. "Thank you," I told them.

"Abigail and Angel, you may go to bed. Karen and I will take the next shift."

"I'm awake," Angel said. "I can stay."

"Angel," I said. "She's going to start questioning me again about the chopsticks or the belt."

Angel didn't say anything, but she soothed my face, then both girls headed upstairs. The door closed.

Elisabeth sat on the coffee table facing me. Karen handed her the belt and chopsticks. She set the chopsticks down and examined the belt carefully. Finally she asked me, "Why did you remove this?"

"A girl has her secrets," I said.

Elisabeth grunted. "So be it," she said. "One of her knives and the tape please."

"You risk silver poisoning me," I told her calmly. "I won't be able to heal it indefinitely."

"You can call it off any time. Answer the question."

"Elisabeth, I would die before giving away real pack secrets." I sighed. "Have it your way."

Karen returned with one of my daggers and the tape. Elisabeth moved onto the sofa next to me, pulled my feet across her lap, then took the dagger and placed it flat against the bottom of my foot.

It began burning immediately and I began healing it just as quickly.

Elisabeth wrapped my foot and the dagger in tape.

"Give her whatever food and water she asks for. If she agrees to answer the question, remove the dagger as fast as you can and treat her foot in any fashion she requests."

"Karen, please bring enough mild foods to feed three wolves. It is all for me, so if you want any yourself, bring more. I will also be going through a lot of water."

Karen ran upstairs while Elisabeth stared into my face. I smiled at her. She shook her head. "You're a cold one."

"This is what I was for a long, long time, Elisabeth. I don't like this fox. I like the fox you normally know. I am starting to think of ways to fight back."

She scoffed at that comment.

She was still sitting on the sofa with my legs across her. She was wearing only a tee shirt and undies. And I had a silver dagger taped to the bottom of my foot. I smiled and pulled my feet up, snaking them under her tee shirt and pressing the bottom of my foot to her breast. She screamed, shoved me away, and flew off the couch, putting distance between us. The dagger was not completely covered by the tape, and I had pressed the silver against her sensitive breast.

"I know that was very foolish of me, Elisabeth. If this were a real kidnapping, and I thought it were hopeless, I would be trying to either free myself or force you to kill me. I'm worth nothing dead, so Lara wouldn't have to pay some horrendous price."

She was panting from the pain in her breast.

Karen came tearing down the stairs, then stopped, staring between us. "What happened?"

"The fox has fight in her," Elisabeth said. "Damn, that hurts." She narrowed her eyes at me then glanced at Karen. "Finish getting the food. I need to shift."

"Don't be such a baby, enforcer," I said. Okay, maybe that wasn't the wisest comment to make, but I was getting crabby.

"Finish getting the food," Elisabeth said. "And then tape a second dagger to her other foot. Make sure someone holds her down tightly while you do it."

Elisabeth slipped out of her clothes, lay down on the floor, and began her shift. I glanced over and saw a raw red mark on the side of her breast. I didn't think I'd touched her that long with the silver. Karen went upstairs, and I looked between the two cameras and smiled before closing my eyes.

Karen returned about the same time Elisabeth was finished shifting. I opened my eyes and looked at her. "Are you ready to answer our questions?" she asked.

"What did you bring me for food?"

"More little bites."

"May I have a little before you add the second dagger?"

She nodded, then knelt down in front of me and fed me and offered me water. "Thank you," I told her.

"Doesn't it hurt?" she asked.

"Of course it hurts. But I am Alpha." I smiled. "I will win."

Her lips tightened. "No, Michaela. You won't. Not eventually."

"One more little bite, please, and a little water, then you have your orders for another dagger."

She fed me and let me drink. "She told me to hold you securely."

"I fought back, only to demonstrate I could. She is worried I will do so again. If you sit on my legs, there is little I can do."

It was awkward, with me sitting sideways on the sofa, but Karen climbed on top of my legs, facing my feet, and lowered her weight.

"Your full weight might break them," I warned her. "But maybe that's what you want."

"No," she said. "It isn't."

I hissed for a moment when she placed the second dagger in place. "Answer the questions!"

"No. Tape it there. You have your orders."

It was difficult to heal two burns at the same time. Karen taped the dagger in place then climbed off of me. I closed my eyes, healing the burns, but it hurt too much to offer to be pleasant.

"Please, Karen, keep feeding me," I asked.

I was burning through the energy from the food as fast as my body could absorb it, and I was falling behind on healing. Karen fed me. I chewed, swallowed, and healed. Opened my mouth for more.

Elisabeth shifted back to human, and my feet felt like they were on fire. I was falling further behind.

"Are you ready to answer our questions?" she asked.

I shook my head slowly, then lay my head against the sofa and tried to heal. I wondered if Karen was right; would I lose in the end?

Perhaps, but it wouldn't be now.

I healed and burned, healed and burned, and the burns grew worse with every second.

Elisabeth lay down to shift again. Karen fed me as much as I asked.

"You made her mad," Karen said.

"She is embarrassed. I shouldn't have embarrassed her. I will apologize if you remove the daggers."

"Answer our questions."

I began to zone out, fighting the burning.

"Answer," Karen said.

I didn't respond.

"If you answer one question, I will remove one knife," she offered. "Why did you surrender the chopsticks? Or the belt? Answer, and I'll remove a dagger from your foot and rinse it."

"I am falling behind," I told her. "I will start to silver poison soon."

"You will beg to end this all the sooner, then," she said.

"I won't beg, but are you willing to let me die?"

"Damn it, Michaela! Answer!"

I zoned out, I don't know for how long. The next voice I heard was Elisabeth's.

"Michaela, you need to heal. Come on, honey, heal."

The pain from my feet began crashing through me, and I screamed. And then I began to beg. "Please stop, please stop, I'll tell you, please stop!"

"Promise, Michaela, promise and we'll stop."

"Promise! Please stop, I'll answer!"

"We stopped ten minutes ago, Michaela," she said. "Answer, then you need to heal ."

"It hurts, oh god, it hurts!"

"Answer us," she said. "Why the chopsticks."

"They're pretty! Okay. I like them! I didn't want them broken. That's all. I didn't want them broken." I started to cry. "I didn't want them broken."

"And the belt?"

"Gift from Lara. Shiny. I didn't want it scuffed. Gift from my wife."

"She's lying." It was Angel's voice.

"Call her! She'll tell you where she got it! Some shop. I don't know where. It was expensive. Oh god, my feet."

"Heal, Michaela. You need to heal."

I tried. Elisabeth kept insisting I heal myself, and I tried, but I didn't have anything left to heal with.

"I can't," I said, and began crying. "I can't."

I felt fingers on my face. She turned me to face her, then she pushed food against my lips, I whimpered, but she ordered me to swallow, so I let her force the food into me, and I choked it down. Then there was water, and more food, and more water. And slowly, I began to heal.

Finally, I was healed, or as well as I was going to. The pain wasn't gone entirely, and I felt silver inside me.

I opened my eyes. Karen, Elisabeth and Angel were hovering over me.

"Everyone breaks, Michaela," Karen said. "You lasted a long time."

I hadn't broken, I had lied, and done so convincingly. But I looked at Angel, and I thought perhaps she still didn't believe me. Perhaps I hadn't been entirely convincing.

"Elisabeth, is silver poisoning part of your plan?"

"No."

"So you will help me flush the silver from my body?"

She nodded.

"More food," I said. "Will you promise not to swing me for at least three hours?"

"Yes," said Elisabeth.

"Or anything else that might make me throw up."

"I can't promise that, but I can promise we won't do things with the intention of making you sick."

"Fruit juice," I said. "Orange is best, but whatever you have."

Angel ran upstairs and returned with a jug of orange juice and a glass. Karen fed me, Angel gave me juice, and when I felt I was ready, I told them enough.

"Elisabeth, you will need to free my arm. I think I prefer my left. You will need to let me watch. I need a regular knife, no silver, and I need a long cut along the inside of my forearm. I will push the silver out the cut."

"She's full of shit," Karen said.

"There is enough silver in me to kill me," I said. I closed my eyes. "Choose."

"Get me a knife," Elisabeth said. "A regular knife."

Angel ran back upstairs and was down immediately. In the meantime, Elisabeth was cutting my arm free from the tape. Karen handed her several towels to catch the blood.

"You may carry me somewhere else if you need to," I said.

"We'll do it right here, if you're ready."

"Tell me when you're ready, then I will need several minutes to collect the silver there. Show me where you will cut. Four inches, and deep."

I opened my eyes, and Elisabeth showed me where she would cut.

"I'm going to thrash," I said. "You need to cut fast, but you need to hold me down. There aren't enough of you to do all you need to do."

"Get Gia and Scarlett," Elisabeth said. Angel ran back upstairs again, was gone several minutes, then Gia came downstairs, and shortly after, Angel and Scarlett together."

"Scarlett and Gia, follow Elisabeth's orders for this. No questions, just do it," I told them.

"Yes, Alpha," Scarlett said immediately.

"Good girl." I smiled weakly at her. "Elisabeth, someone with a steady hand to cut, and fast. It doesn't need to be pretty, it needs to be deep and long, like we discussed. It's going to bleed, that's the whole idea. Make it bleed. Someone else is going to need to hold my arm. The rest of you to pin me down firmly."

She nodded. "Karen, hold her arm. Gia, her shoulders. Angel and Scarlett, her legs and hips."

They shifted around, and once they were ready, and Elisabeth nodded, I said. "All right. I will say when. Do not hesitate, Elisabeth."

"I won't."

I closed my eyes and began to concentrate. I began to shudder almost immediately as the silver flowed through my body and, a tiny bit at a time, began to collect all in my arm, right below where Elisabeth would cut.

"Her arm is blistering!" Karen said.

"Not yet," I said. I took the silver waiting in my feet, and moved it into place, and I thrashed and bucked. My arm was burning, and I couldn't wait anymore. "Now!"

Elisabeth slashed instantly then clamped a towel over the wound, and the silver fled my body along with the rush of blood. I pushed all the silver waiting in my arm out, and then I slowly healed the slash.

I collapsed against the sofa, panting. That's when I realized I'd been screaming.

Elisabeth's phone rang.

"No," I said in a small voice. "Tell her no."

I started to cry.

"Tell her no, Elisabeth."

Angel answered the phone and relayed my request before Elisabeth could stop her. Elisabeth hissed at her and demanded the phone. Angel handed it to her meekly.

"Were you calling to ransom her?" Elisabeth asked.

"Yes," I heard Lara say from the phone. "I'll pay your price."

I started sobbing.

"No, Elisabeth, please." I begged. "Tell her no."

"You broke, honey," she said gently, caressing my face. "So did Lara. It's over."

Lara knew I hadn't broken. Angel suspected. I had fooled Elisabeth and Karen. I looked at Angel pleadingly.

"Give me the phone, enforcer, please," Angel said.

Elisabeth handed her the phone, and Angel said, "Alpha, we will tend to your mate, and we will call you back shortly. We love her. Will you trust us?"

"It's hard, Angel," she said, and I heard the pain in her voice. "Yes, I will trust you."

"We'll call back, it might be an hour. We're going to kill the feed. She is here with us, she is coherent, and she is looking at me hopefully. I won't let anything happen to her, Alpha."

"All right." And they hung up.

"Kill the feed," Angel said. "You three go upstairs. I am going to talk to her."

"She broke," Elisabeth said. "So did Lara. They both broke."

I didn't respond.

"Please, Elisabeth," Angel said.

Gia did something with her computer, then the three of them got up and went upstairs. The door closed.

"Water, please," I said. Angel shifted me so my head lay in her lap, then she gave me a little water.

"I am your friend now, not your kidnapper," Angel said. "There are no pack secrets between us. You must keep them from everyone but me. If this continues, I will not share your secrets. You lied."

"Yes."

"You haven't broken."

"No."

"You don't want Elisabeth to know you lied. Did you lie to stop the pain?"

"No, I lied to stop the poison. It was killing me, and I knew that was further than anyone wanted this to go. Angel, there's more silver. We only got half. I need more food."

She fed me a few small sandwiches, leaning past me to the coffee table to reach them. They were only two or three bites each. Fox sized.

"Lara broke," Angel said.

"She thought you were killing me, too. She's not stopping my pain, she's stopping the silver."

"She knows you lied?"

"Yes. She knows the secrets. She knows all my secrets."

Angel caressed my face while thinking, then she reached past me and picked up Elisabeth's phone.

"If you say a single word, Michaela, I will accept Lara's offer."

I nodded my understanding, and she called Lara.

"This is Angel," she said. "I am talking to Lara, not the Alpha."

"Is she okay?"

"Mostly. Why did you stop us?"

"You were killing her. Angel, let me pay for her. You have to stop. She's not going to break. She didn't break. You know that."

"I know," she said. Angel looked at me. "Michaela, I am going to ask you yes and no questions. If you say any word other than yes or no, then we accept Lara's offer, and this is over. Do you understand?"

"Yes."

"Were we killing you?"

"Yes."

"Is that why you stopped us?"

"Yes."

"If it were not for silver poisoning, would you have stopped us?"

"No."

"Are you in immediate danger of dying?"

"No."

"Will you beg to be ransomed before we might accidentally endanger you like that? Understand we wouldn't do so intentionally."

"What was the question?"

"Will you make sure we don't kill you?"

"Yes."

"All right. If the price of your life was someone's in the pack, would you have stopped us?"

I couldn't answer that as yes or no. I looked at her pleadingly.

"I will rephrase. Would you have traded Lara's life for yours?"

"No!"

Elisabeth's? Angel's? Kaylee's? No to all. Angel gave more names, names of people I barely knew. No to all.

"I will allow a long answer, but do not anger me," she said. "Whose would you trade for yours?"

"I don't have any names," I said. "But there are still members who would hunt me if they were allowed. I'd kill them myself in a heartbeat, and I would easily trade their lives for mine."

She smiled briefly. "No more words now." She spoke to Lara. "There will be no more risk of silver poisoning. We will do nothing further that might be truly dangerous. Withdraw your offer, Lara."

"Oh Angel, I can't," she said.

I started to cry again.

"Alpha, you need to trust your mate."

"Angel," Lara said. "When I call and offer to pay the ransom, you are supposed to say yes. Bring me my mate!"

"She thinks you dishonor her, Lara. She thinks this is not enough."

"Angel. I am not paying for her, I am paying for me. I can't watch anymore. Bring me my mate."

Angel looked at me. "I'm sorry," she said.

"May I talk to her?"

"Yes," she said. She handed me the phone, and I took it clumsily with my free hand. Angel helped steady it against my ear.

"Hello, Love," I told her.

"I'm sorry," she said, and she started to cry.

"Honey, I won't let them kill me."

"You might be too far gone to stop them."

"Stop underestimating me!"

"There's more silver, isn't there?"

"Yes, I'm holding it in my leg. The sooner you withdraw your offer, the sooner I can stop hurting for a while." I looked at Angel. "Another sandwich, please."

She fed me a sandwich and I listened to Lara cry.

"Please come home to me," she said.

"I'll come home in a few days, Lara. Stop watching."

"I can't. Honey, come home now. I need to hold you. The stress, honey. Think."

"Michaela," said Angel. "It's the middle of the afternoon."

I stared at her. "You were all asleep when this started."

She nodded. Then she took the phone from me. "Lara, she doesn't remember. We'll bring her to you; it will be a little time. We'll turn the video feed back on in a little while, after we've cleaned her up, so you can see her, then we'll bring her to you."

"Thank you, Angel," Lara said. "I love you, Little Fox. I'm sorry, but I can't let this go on any longer."

Then they hung up. Angel set the phone aside.

"It was 4:30 in the morning when the first dagger was taped to your foot," Angel said. "It was 2:00 in the afternoon when we removed them. It is now about 3:30."

"Only one day."

"How long did I hold your silver knife in my hand last year?"

"But you can't heal it," I said.

"How long did Elisabeth hold one, and then it took how long to heal?"

"A minute, and about thirty minutes, I guess. But Angel, I zoned out and let all the damage happen."

"No, you didn't. Elisabeth kept begging you to tell. You would take a minute or two, but say no, and ask for more food. You ate it. Elisabeth would order you to tell, and you would scream no, and then there would be a burst of healing — we could see it around the tape. Karen ordered you to tell. I begged you. Scarlett begged you. We all came down and begged you. You responded slowly, but you kept saying no."

"I don't remember."

"We kept begging you to tell. Then you started to talk about Flora and Fauna, and how you were protecting them."

"I don't remember. Did I scream?"

"Sometimes. You whimpered and thrashed a lot. You seemed incoherent when you talked about Flora and Fauna, but you told them to run to Lara, that she would protect them. But when we begged you to tell, you would say after a while, quite clearly, no, you will never tell pack secrets. We asked what secrets, and you told us clearly we wanted to know about the chopsticks and belt, and you weren't telling."

"Water?"

Angel held it for me.

"Shortly after noon, you sat straight up, opened your eyes, and stared straight at Elisabeth. You said, 'I can hold the poison back a while longer, Elisabeth. I love you.' And then you were out of it again."

"I begged Lara to pay the ransom. We'd been dropping our demands for hours. I begged her to let us stop. I did it on camera, and then I called her. She refused. Scarlett led a revolt. She and the other girls dragged Gia away from the computer and adjusted the ransom. I called Lara. She refused."

Angel caressed my face. "Scarlett tried to turn the revolt on Elisabeth. The other girls weren't ready to follow her against the head enforcer. Elisabeth told Scarlett to talk to you."

"Was I coherent?"

"It took a few minutes. You opened your eyes, and you said, 'Oh Scarlett, I'm not going to die. I love you all. I promise, I will make Elisabeth stop in time. How can I pay all your favors if I die? Now, you girls go outside and have a nice run. Later, we'll play more poker. I probably won't play as well as I did last night.' Then you asked them all to hug you."

"Are they all right?"

"Scared out of their minds. I don't think any of them will volunteer to become enforcers."

"It's the wrong job for them. It might be the right one for you."

"You think so?"

"Yes, maybe. You're not as big as Elisabeth, but you have a cool, clear head. But go to college first. Promise me." She nodded. "What happened at 2:00?"

"You opened your eyes again. You hadn't for a long time, but you kept telling us no, you wouldn't tell, and when Elisabeth asked about the silver poisoning, you said you had it under control, but not much longer."

I shook my head. I didn't remember.

"What happened, Angel?"

"You looked straight at me, and you said, 'Tell Lara I loved her.' Not love. Loved. Past tense."

"Ten seconds later, Elisabeth's phone rang. It was Lara, and she was screaming incoherently at Elisabeth. But Gia and I had already ripped the daggers from you, and we were scrambling to wash the wounds, but there was no silver, just the burns."

"No, Lara called later, after I pushed the silver out." I glanced down at my leg. It throbbed. "I can hold that a while, but I need more food." She fed me, but then said, "We're out. I'll get more."

"No, is there more to the story?"

"Just a little. You told us you would tell the secrets, but then you were incoherent. Elisabeth calmed Lara down and told her you deserved the chance to see this through. Lara screamed at her, but she didn't offer to ransom you. Elisabeth told her not to."

I smiled. They had let me have my honor.

"You faded out after that, and you scared the crap out of us. We were begging you to heal and trying to feed you. Then you began to whimper and begged us to stop."

"I think I remember that. I offered to tell."

"Yes."

"I remember the rest, then." I smiled. "But I lied."

"You did. But honey, it's over. We accepted the ransom. It's over."

"I kept my secrets." I smiled.

"You did," she said. She pulled me into her arms. "And now you understand this tradition, don't you?"

"Yes. Angel, thank you."

She released me after a minute. "I'll cut the tape now."

"No," I said. "We have to fix the silver first. I'll be easier to hold down this way."

"All right. I'll go get everyone."

"Is there more food upstairs?"

"Yes. We called Mom. You ate us out of house and home, Michaela. You ate a month's worth of your normal food. She's upstairs. I can smell fresh chicken."

"Did she see me?"

"No. She couldn't handle this."

"Angel, I should have soiled myself. Or did I get bathroom breaks, too?"

"No, you didn't. But we cleaned you up."

"Did I ruin the sofa?"

"No. Ava asked a particularly disgusting question, and we realized the effects all the food and water would have. We managed it."

I laughed. "Thank you." I sniffed. There was a faint odor.

"Yeah, we did the best we could. I'll get food and help. Are you going to be okay for a minute without me?"

"Yes. Please hurry though. It hurts, and I can't hold it too much longer."

She didn't wait; she flew up the stairs screaming for Elisabeth. They passed on the stairs, Angel going up, Elisabeth coming down, Karen immediately behind her.

"I'm fine," I called out.

Elisabeth didn't bother going around the sofa, she jumped over it and spun to look at me, crouching down.

"I'm fine," I said again. "But we need to get the silver out."

"We did that," Elisabeth said.

"We got half. It's going to take two or three more times to flush the rest."

"How are you doing this?" she asked me. "And I saw how much silver was in the last one. How can you do this?"

"Elisabeth, have you seen how much silver I play with? You don't think I haven't made mistakes? Or tested what it does?"

"You've intentionally silver poisoned yourself before?"

"I wouldn't say that. I have been splattered with molten silver a number of times. That hurts like a son of a bitch; I don't recommend it. And it burns right into you, pure silver in liquid form. Gets pulled into our blood stream instantly. Pain in the ass."

Elisabeth shook her head while looking at me. Gia, Angel and Scarlett descended the stairs rapidly, and I looked over the couch, I saw they were laden with trays of food.

"Give me!" I yelled. "Chicken! And I'm not sharing!"

They shoved the food into me as fast as I could eat it, and once I was calm, I looked at Scarlett. "You. Come here and give me a hug."

She fell to her knees at my side, weeping, and I pulled her to me. "I hear you led a revolt. I'm so proud of you, Scarlett. I love you. Stop crying now, I still need your help."

She released me slowly. "I was so scared."

"I know. Let's get rid of the silver now and we'll talk more. It hurts, Scarlett."

"Oh god," she said.

"Elisabeth, same thing as before. Everyone get ready. Do not video this."

"We're not."

It took four more times before I got it all out. I screamed a lot. It wasn't fun.

Finally I lay back on the sofa, dripping in sweat. They tried to feed me, but I waved them away weakly. I looked at Angel. "I am going to fade away for a while. Please don't be afraid. Cut me loose. Remove the tape. Clean me up. Dress me. Get everyone down here. I want all of you holding me."

I turned to Elisabeth. "Me on your lap, Scarlett and Angel next to me." I looked back at Angel. "Then call Lara and she'll call me back."

Then I faded away.

I was out of it for a while.

"Come on, Little Fox," Lara said. "Talk to me. Come back to me, Michaela."

"Water," I said weakly. There was a straw at my mouth.

"Are you back?" Lara asked.

"Soon. Head hurts."

"You're dehydrated," Elisabeth said. "Drink more water."

Lara talked softly to me, holding me there, and finally I opened my eyes. I was dressed, cuddling in Elisabeth's lap, with Angel's head on my shoulder and Scarlett next to Elisabeth, her head against my back. The other girls were surrounding me, several kneeling on the floor with their heads in my lap.

"I am Alpha," I said.

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "You are most definitely Alpha."

"I love you all. Thank you so much."

"We are not doing this again," Elisabeth said. There was weak laughter.

"And I will kill anyone who suggests it," Lara said. She wasn't joking.

I rested my head against Elisabeth's chest. "You all cleared your schedules for a week, and it was only a day. I didn't do very well."

"Oh for crying out loud!" yelled Lara. "The tradition is a few minutes of punishment every half hour to hour. You spun for over two hours and laughed it off, and then you let them nearly kill you over a ten-hour period. That's two weeks compressed into one day."

"Alpha," said Scarlett to me. "Shut the fuck up."

I laughed. "Language, Scarlett."

"I'm not your student anymore," she said. "I graduated. With honors, I will remind you."

"All right. I guess I did okay. I didn't break, after all."

"I'm sorry," Elisabeth said. "You did."

"I never asked to be ransomed."

"You gave pack secrets."

"Did you verify them?"

She froze.

"Cause I'm pretty sure I was coherent, and I don't recall you verifying them."

"I know Lara gave you the belt. I was there when you opened it."

Lara was chuckling in my ear.

"Turn the feed back on," I said. "Gia. Do it."

She climbed off the floor and crossed to her computer. She clicked for a minute. "It's on."

"Are people watching?"

She clicked some more. "A hundred and twenty four active viewers."

"Some of them probably walked away. Is it being recorded, too?"

"Yes."

"Good enough. If you can, set a marker or something at this point. Someone hand me my chopsticks."

"Damn it!" said Elisabeth.

The women holding me stayed where they were. Gia rose from her chair, rummaged in a bag somewhere, and then she held the chop sticks to me from over Elisabeth's shoulder.

I looked at them. "Can I see the feed?"

"There are two," Gia said. "One per camera. One is wide angle, one is close up on you. It was a medium shot earlier, but it's a close up now." She brought her laptop over and set it on the coffee table, and I could see myself on her screen. "Or do you want the other one?"

"No, that's good." I waved at myself in the camera. "God, I look like shit. But my hair is gorgeous, all matted down and stuff."

They chuckled weakly.

"Damned fox," Elisabeth said, "joking like this."

I leaned backwards, turned my head, and my mouth was directly against her jaw. I kissed her quickly.

"I saw that!" Lara said.

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "It's what I could reach. Get over it. I'm not her type anyway. She likes boys."

"Are you sure?" Elisabeth asked me.

I glanced up at her to see if she was serious.

"I have a lap full of warm fox," she said. "If Lara throws you over…"

"Now who is joking?"

Lara spoke very quietly, too quietly for anyone else to overhear. "Honey, she likes boys, but she would have made an exception for you. She doesn't know I know. Don't tease her."

I turned to face the camera. "So. I gave up pack secrets at the end. I am told I should not be ashamed." I waved the chopsticks at the camera. "I said these were pretty, and I didn't want to break them. They are made out of wood and are very delicate."

I explained about removing all my silver. "And I agreed to give up all my silver."

"They are wood," Elisabeth said. "Surely you're not talking about the paint. That much paint, even if it's all silver, wouldn't be a threat."

"I am sure you are right, Elisabeth," I said. "Hold this." I gave her the phone. Then I set one chopstick in my lap and held the other in both hands, making sure it was clearly visible on camera. I pushed together, twisted once, and pulled it open, exposing a four-inch sharpened spike. The thick end of the chopstick served as the handle. "I'm sure you're right. They're just wood."

I leaned forward and slammed the point into the table. The chopstick stood quivering in place. "I hope that made it on the wide angle view."

"It did," Gia said.

I opened the other chopstick the same and waved it around a little.

"Son of a bitch," Elisabeth said finally.

"Pack secret now exposed, I guess, but we are all pack, after all, so it is okay to share our secrets together. I did not break over the chopsticks."

"Fine. The belt."

"The belt, Gia, if you please," I said.

"It's just a belt. A very nice belt," said Elisabeth. "I examined it for a half hour."

I leaned forward and wrapped the belt in place above my hips. I was wearing jeans and a blouse, and the belt didn't look right, but that's where it was supposed to be worn.

"Gia, can you adjust the wide angle view to a close-up of my waist, then change the computer?"

"Yes," she said. "Just a minute." She walked over to one of the other cameras and played with it, then she knelt on the floor and typed on the computer. When she turned it to face me, I could see myself from my chest to my knees, not counting where I was obscured by the wolves."

"Perfect," I said. "This belt was custom made for me. It was a very, very nice present from Lara. Thank you, honey."

"You're welcome," Lara said from somewhere near Elisabeth's ear. "I thought you might like it. It's very stylish with the dress you wore."

"Will you buy me a new dress? Your sister ruined the old one."

Lara laughed. "I'll buy all the dresses you can wear."

"Now, as I said, this belt is custom made for me. It fits here perfectly, and it knows where it belongs. And when it has just the right amount of tension on it, you can do this."

I reached down with both hands, pressed the right places, and then I began pulling a small piece of the belt away with my left hand, my right waiting at my waist. There was one little click, I clasped the other end, and then, in front of everyone, I held between my hands an eighteen-inch cable.

"Don't touch," I said. "It's steel with a silver coating."

Lara was laughing in Elisabeth's ear. "She is such a showoff."

Elisabeth didn't say anything at all.

I turned to the camera with my close up. "I. Will. Never. Divulge. Pack. Secrets." I stared into the camera then said quietly, "Gia, turn them off now."

"Yes, Alpha." She clicked twice. "They're off."

I held the chain out. "Where is the shopping bag?"

Gia stood up and tried to take the chain from me.

"No!" I yelled. "Just get the bag."

She pulled away when I yelled, then got the shopping bag, and I dropped the chain in it. The chop sticks followed. Then I looked at my fingers on both hands and healed the silver burns.

Then I sighed and slumped against Angel. "I still only lasted a day."

"Shut the fuck up," Scarlett said again. "We allowed a week because we have a surprise for you. One that doesn't involve torturing you."

I looked at Angel. "You lied to me."

"I didn't. You asked how much room we cleared in our schedules. We cleared a week. I made sure you knew we intended to use the week. I didn't explain how."

I looked over at Elisabeth. "You let me negotiate for food. You knew I'd last as long as I had food."

"I didn't. But I was sure we'd break you tomorrow if we got serious enough."

"I would just have faded out permanently."

"I know. I was wrong."

I looked at the computer, still on the table. The video feed was blank, but there was text below that. "What's that below the dead video feed?"

"The ransom," Gia said.

"I can't read it."

Ava turned to the screen. "It says, one minor personal favor to each and one hug each."

I smiled. "What did it say before Scarlett's revolt?"

"One hundred dollars and a major personal favor each," said Gia.

"Why, Elisabeth," I said. "Should I interpret that as admitting defeat?"

"Yes, Alpha, you should."

"Then give me your throat."

I turned to her, she lifted her chin, and I kissed her throat.

"Do it right," she said. "We've talked about this."

"I am your Alpha through love and cunning," I said. "Not strength. You do not make the rules here. I do."

"Yes, Alpha," she said.

"All right," I said. "As comforting as this is, it isn't as comforting as being held by Lara. Tell me what my surprise is, then blindfold me and carry me to the car. I don't think I can walk."

"Actually," said Angel.

"We aren't telling you," said Scarlett.

Elisabeth began to chuckle. "Lara, Alpha, will you allow us to kidnap both of you if we promise to be gentle?"

"Oh god, not again," I said.

"Yes," said Lara.

"Tomorrow," I said.

"Tonight," Angel said. "We have a drive."

"Angel, I need to sleep."

"You can sleep during the drive. Please, Michaela."

I sighed. "Are you going to tape me up again?"

"No, but we're going to blindfold you, and earphones, but only at the end."

"Nothing like giving a girl a break. All right. But I want my tattoo finished."

"Agreed," said Elisabeth. "All right, ladies, blindfold her. Skip the ear buds. Let's go home."

 **Not Again**

"What time did they say?" I asked Lara.

"They didn't. They said we could sleep for a while. Come to bed."

I was standing in front of the mirror wearing nothing but a camisole and panties, admiring my tattoo. "In a minute." The tattoo started at the outside of my right ankle and ran all the way up my leg, a pair of wolf tracks in a gently curving line. Weaving in and out were the fox tracks.

"God, you are vain."

"Yes, yes, I am. An utter narcissist. Can we install more mirrors? I don't believe I should ever be more than a few feet from a mirror. In fact, we should put some out in the woods, so when we're on a run, I can stop and admire my reflection from time to time."

She laughed. "We can do that.

I turned to the bed where Lara waited. "Honey, I'm not up for any fun stuff."

"I know."

"I didn't get all the silver out. It still kind of hurts. It'll be gone in the morning, if they don't hurt us too much."

"They aren't going to hurt us at all."

I crossed to the bed. Lara was under the sheets. "I want to see yours again."

She laughed, but she let me uncover her. I looked at her left leg, the mirror of mine, the wolf tracks leading straight up, the fox tracks entwined. I brushed it gently with my fingers.

I turned off the last light then slipped into her arms. Lara pulled the covers over us. I rested my head on her shoulder and my hand over her tummy.

"Is this okay?" I asked.

"Yes."

I brushed my hand across her tummy. "Did you know they were going to offer the rematch?"

"I asked Angel to tell you about it."

"Would you have been disappointed if I had declined?"

"No, honey. But I was pretty sure you would want it."

"And did you ask the doctor if it was okay?"

"Yes," she said. "But I paid the ransom earlier than I might have. I was worried about the stress."

"That's good," I said. I bent down and kissed her very slightly bulging belly. "Has anyone noticed yet?"

"I don't think so. How did you last so long, honey?"

"I kept thinking about these two, and how I had to protect them. I called them Flora and Fauna, because those are the only names I know, but when I envisioned them, I imagined two wolves, not two foxes."

"We could call them that if you want," she offered.

"No." I thought about it. "Will we have more than these two?"

"I hope so."

"Then I think we know their middle names. These two are Elisabeth and Angel, and the next girl's middle name is Scarlett."

"I think they would like that."

"I kept our secrets." Lara kissed the top of my head.

"Yes, honey. We need to tell them soon. I am showing, and Elisabeth needs to protect me now."

"That's my job!"

"I know, but it's hers too, and all the other enforcers."

"No one challenges you! They go through me, and no one gets near you! I need all my silver back. I'm not leaving your side now until you are able to properly defend yourself."

"You are so fierce."

"Do not patronize me," I said. "I have a higher body count than the rest of the pack combined, including you."

"I would never patronize you," she said. "Honey, I have a wager with Elisabeth, and it's very significant. I want to win. She has told me you are going to cry when you see their surprise. Please don't cry."

"All right," I said. "Do you know what it is?"

"No," she said. "Ready to sleep?"

"I am restless. Do you think-"

"Very gentle, very quiet?"

"Yes. I won't be able to return the favor for a day or two."

She caressed my face, and then she slowly, gently made love to me.

We slept for a few hours. I woke instantly when there were footsteps on the stairs. I caressed Lara. She was snoring softly; it had started a few weeks ago, after she became pregnant, but she promised me it was due to the pregnancy, and that it wouldn't continue. I pinched her arm gently, and she woke up.

"We have company," I said. "I can't tell who, but there are a lot of heartbeats."

I reached under my pillow and found my dagger.

Lara's nose was sniffing. My ears were going. "It's probably our kidnappers," Lara said.

"Damned well better be, and they better identify themselves, or they're getting a silver shower."

"Give them a chance," she said.

I transferred the dagger to my left hand and reached behind the nightstand for one of my super soakers. I sat up, facing the door. "You hide now, Lara."

She began chuckling.

Someone tried the door handle. It was locked. I heard Angel swear.

"Guys!" she said. "Come on! You said we could do this."

"Who is out there, Angel?"

"Me!" said Scarlett. And there was a flurry of voices.

"There is one more heartbeat unaccounted for!" I said.

"It's Michele Lassiter," I heard, recognizing her voice.

I climbed from the bed, crossed to the door, and said, "I am opening the door, but I am armed, and it will go very badly for anyone who so much as twitches."

"No twitching," said Elisabeth. "Got it."

I unlocked the door, opened it, and pointed my super soaker directly into the face of the first person standing there, which was Angel. I waved it back and forth between her and Elisabeth.

"A squirt gun?" she asked. "Seriously?"

"Do not move," I said. I stepped straight backwards, flipped on the light switch, then lifted my left arm and gave myself the briefest of squirts. The silvered water struck me and began to burn immediately.

"Shit!" said Angel. "Okay, okay, I won't belittle your squirt guns. Heal it!"

"Towel!" Lara said from behind me. It was a perfect toss right over my shoulder.

"Angel, step forward one step. Take the towel and dry my arm."

She did what I said. "A little paranoid?" she asked quietly. "Change your mind? Are you having bad dreams?"

I glanced down and healed the arm. Good as new. I pointed the gun at her. "Back up now."

She stepped back to Elisabeth's side.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Michele said, stepping past the wolves. "Got anything in there that is going to hurt a human?"

"No, but this dagger might do a number on you," I said, waving it at her.

"Hell, I'll wait in the hall," she said, backing away from the madwoman.

"What are your terms?" I asked Elisabeth.

"You agreed we could kidnap you," she said. "Did you change your mind?"

"I will not allow violence," I said. "You will treat us gently."

"All right. If you agree to go quietly, we will allow you to get dressed, then we will blindfold you and carry you to the car. It's a long drive. We can have fun during the drive or you can sleep."

"No," I said. "We will agree to go quietly. You may carry me if you want, but Lara goes on her two feet. You may blindfold us once we are in the car, and you will not separate us. And I want all my silver back before we leave this room. I will remain armed, and you will not tape me up. And Elisabeth, at no time will you take me more than ten feet from Lara."

"Oh honey," she said. "We won't hurt you."

"Those are the terms, or I start squirting."

"Agreed!" she said immediately. "Gia, go get her bag of nasty tricks."

"In a minute," I said. "No tricks!"

"No tricks," she said.

"You can all come in." But I held my weapons ready, not pointing at anyone, and stayed between them and Lara.

"So fierce," Elisabeth said.

Scarlett was watching me warily, then she glanced at Lara.

"Not a word, Scarlett," I said.

"But-"

"I. Am. Alpha!"

"Not a word," she said.

The women filed in slowly, eying me warily.

"Angel, go pick out clothes for both of us. We don't know where we are going and did not know what to wear."

"Comfortable clothing," she said. She disappeared into the closet and came back with jeans and casual summer shirts for both of us. From our dressers, she retrieved the rest of our clothes for us.

I backed away from them, set my weapons down, and dressed quickly. Lara waited until I was done and had my weapons in hand again.

"Michaela, are you all right?" Elisabeth asked quietly. "No one is here to hurt you."

I pointed my gun right at her. "No one better be here to hurt Lara! I can take care of myself."

Elisabeth began to grin. "May I?" she asked, gesturing towards her sister. I nodded. She crossed to the side of the bed, slipped her hands under the sheet, and put her hand over Lara's stomach.

"Who are the enforcers?"

"It was going to be me, Karen and Gia," Elisabeth said.

"More."

"Yes, I agree," she said. "Karen, we need Serena."

"Emanuel, Rory, Eric," I added.

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "All of them, Karen."

"What do I tell them?" She asked.

"Tell them, quietly, we have a pregnant Alpha and a fiercely protective mate."

"Don't tell them which is which," I said.

"She's pregnant?" asked Ava. "Oh my god! Can I feel?"

She started forward, and I immediately pointed my gun at her. Angel grabbed her.

"What part of 'fiercely protective mate' didn't you hear, Ava?" Angel asked.

"Oh for heaven's sake," said Michele Lassiter. She stepped sideways away from the others. "Michaela, calm down."

"I am calm," I said. "Just no sudden movements around my mate."

"She's worse than Lara!" said Sophia.

"You should see what I would be like if Michaela were pregnant," Lara said. "This is way toned down. None of you would be allowed in the house."

"Did anyone not see me ask permission to go to my own sister?" Elisabeth said. "Humor the fox." She turned to Lara. "Congratulations. Boy or girl?"

"Two girls," she said. "I couldn't be happier."

I took a deep breath. "Elisabeth, I'm not thinking clearly, am I?"

"No, honey, you aren't."

"Maybe you should take the super soaker," I said. "But no one move!" I waved it at them.

"Maybe I should," she said. "Alpha, will you trust your closest enforcers, and your very, very closest friends near your mate?"

I glanced down at her briefly.

"Maybe," I said. "But no one moves!"

They started chuckling.

"No one laughs at me, either! She's pregnant! You could bump her or something. You could make her laugh, and she might stumble. Anything could happen!"

Lara was starting to laugh. "Michaela, either you calm down, or I am bringing this up from now and, well, forever whenever you get mad at me when I protect you."

"You would, wouldn't you?"

"Honey, you woke up with strange noises in the house. You have verified the strange noises did not bring danger. You can come off high alert."

I looked at all of them. Sophia's eyes looked a little shifty. Or maybe that was just left over from the yawn.

"Dad was like this when Mom was pregnant with you, Lara," Elisabeth said.

The front door opened. "Francesca," she said, and then she stepped in. "I am coming up, Michaela." She spoke in a normal voice knowing I could hear her. I listened as she climbed the stairs.

"Who called her? Angel, I know it wasn't you, I've been watching."

"I did, Alpha," Gia said.

Francesca stepped into the room, took one look at me, then said right to Lara, "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

Francesca weaved through the wolves and walked to me. I pointed my gun at her as she drew closer.

"Going to shoot me?"

"Keep your hands where I can see them."

"If you give me the gun, we can help your lovely, pregnant mate to get dressed. We can fix a nice snack, and then you can all go for a lovely drive. I promise you that you will enjoy it, and you will be surrounded by all your friends, helping you keep your mate safe."

"I think I'm a little stressed," I said.

"I imagine. Now, give me the gun, Michaela."

"These are our friends," Lara said. "They will never let anything happen to me."

"Elisabeth could challenge you!"

"No, honey," Elisabeth said. "I am here to protect both of you."

I took a deep breath. And then I handed the gun to Francesca. "But I want that back!" I said.

"You can have it back once you are being reasonable," Francesca said. "Now the dagger, too."

"No," I said. "It's the only one I have."

"You need to put it away," Francesca said. "We're going to have a snack, then you can put all your weapons on, but you need to trust your friends."

I took another deep breath then turned the dagger around, holding it by its blade, and handed it to Francesca. Without a thought, I healed the burn on my hand.

"That's better," she said. She held my weapons behind her, and Angel took them.

"I want those back, Angel!"

"When you're calm," she said.

I closed my eyes, pushed away my panic. "I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't be," Scarlett said. "I'm so excited. May I feel them?"

I nodded, and one by one, all the women knelt next to Lara and put their hands over her stomach.

"It kicked!" Sophia said when it was her turn.

"Sorry," Lara said. "No. That was my stomach."

Even I smiled at that.

"All right," I said. "You've all felt her up. Gia, you may keep my weapons for now, but they are going with us, and I will want them before we get out of the car. Elisabeth, your enforcers will provide the outer rings of security. You and I will be inner ring. When you need a break, you will pick someone I trust."

"Yes, Alpha."

"She goes nowhere without me. Nowhere."

"That is between you and her," Elisabeth said.

"Permanent guard, too," I said. "Enforcers I trust."

"Of course," she said.

I looked at everyone else. "Our alpha is pregnant. No one gets near her except our closest friends." I blinked slowly. "I'll try to be calm around all of you."

"May I please get dressed now, little fox?"

"You need a shower," I said. "Elisabeth, verify the safety of the bathroom. Personally."

Elisabeth rose to her feet and searched the bathroom. "Clear!"

"Make sure the floor is dry, too. I don't want her slipping. I think we should install a stool in the shower, too."

"Oh for crying out loud," said Lara. She climbed to her feet and strode to the bathroom. I grabbed her by the arm.

"You will obey me!" I yelled at her.

She smiled and pulled me into a hug. "I love you, too. Calm down, the babies are fine."

"All right," said Francesca. "First stage of dealing with a problem is recognizing you have it. Second stage is eating something."

"I'm not through the first stage yet," I said.

Angel laughed. "Come downstairs, Michaela. You know she's safe. Elisabeth is with her."

Angel stepped closer and took my hand. Scarlett took the other. I let them pull me downstairs, everyone else following behind. Francesca made us some food. I ate slowly, listening to every noise.

As the food settled in, I began to calm down.

"All right," I said. "Maybe I was just a tiny bit over-protective."

"Just a bit," Angel said. "But we love you for it."

I looked around. "Gia may I have my weapons now?"

"Alpha, if you insist, I will give them to you. But you are still a little wild around the eyes. Will you let your enforcers protect your mate?"

"If I finish calming down, may I have my weapons?"

"Yes. Maybe once you've napped a little more."

I looked at Angel, and she nodded.

After a while, Lara came downstairs, Elisabeth at her side. She stepped into the kitchen, and I ran to her, making sure she was okay.

"You know," Lara said. "This is kind of funny. Honey, now I understand how I make you feel."

I kissed her quickly. "Are the babies okay?"

"Yes, honey," she said.

"Maybe we shouldn't let them take us. It sounded like a long drive. Away from the hospital."

"Honey, that is insulting," she said. "Do you think I am too weak for my body to protect our growing young?"

I stared into her eyes. "The pregnant one is supposed to be the unreasonable one."

She laughed.

"I want some food," Lara said. "Then I believe there is a kidnapping."

"Yes," said Elisabeth.

I hovered nervously while Lara ate. "I wasn't this crazy before," I said.

"Stress," Lara said between bites. "It gets me, too. I am more used to dealing with the protective instincts, so I cover it better."

I leaned against her back, then pulled away. "I didn't hurt them, did I?"

No one was stupid enough to laugh.

I leaned against Lara, breathed in her scent. She smelled right. She looked right. My friends were here. I took deep breaths and analyzed my own body.

"Oh hell," I said. "I have a month's worth of adrenalin pumping through me. I need a beer and twenty minutes. Can we wait?"

"Yes," said Elisabeth. "Clever solution."

Francesca handed me a beer. I drank it straight down and asked for a second one. I chugged that. Then I asked, "I don't ever drink that much. Will that make me go to the bathroom?"

"Takes four for me," said Elisabeth. "But you're smaller."

"Give me one more," I said. And I slammed that and hiccupped.

It didn't take too long before I felt a need. I let it build. "Elisabeth, I am counting on you to defend my mate!"

"She is safe," Elisabeth said. "I promise."

"No one enters or leaves," I said. "I will be listening. I can hear all your heartbeats."

Then I went to the bathroom. I sat in place, then I started pushing the adrenalin through my system, and with it the alcohol that was in my bloodstream. I forced it all to join the urine I was producing, and then I released it all.

Ahh, that felt better.

When I was done, I took several deep breaths. Much better.

I got up, cleaned up, and headed for the kitchen. I checked on Lara with my eyes, verified all was safe, and said calmly. "So." I held my arms out and closed my eyes.

I felt hands on me, hands on my arms first, and Angel's voice. "Are you sure?"

"Lara walks, Elisabeth guards, and do not separate us. Yes, I am sane now or as sane as I am going to be for some time."

And with that, they lifted a giggling fox into the air and carried me behind my mate to the car.

 **Surprise**

We used the limousine. The extra enforcers took an SUV to follow us. I checked Lara carefully once we were in the car. I wanted to sit next to her, but I let them separate us to opposite seats.

"If you decide to nap, you can cuddle together," Angel said. "But we have games to play if you want to stay awake."

"She'll sleep," Lara said. "She's on the edge of crashing."

I nodded.

"All right," Angel said. "But we're blindfolding you."

I let Scarlett wrap my hair in a scarf. Angel pulled a blindfold in place, and then they taped it there. From the sounds, Lara was treated similarly.

"Lara?"

"I'm fine," she said. "Relax, little fox."

"You may go to her now," Angel said. I crossed to Lara's side of the limousine. We were in the middle with Elisabeth on the outside and Angel was beside me. Scarlett, Ava, Sophia and Abigail sat on the other side. Gia and Michele were up front, Gia driving.

I curled into Lara, one hand on her tummy. She leaned against Elisabeth, I leaned against Lara, and I curled my feet up, tucking them under Angel's legs.

I dozed a little while they talked quietly around me. Lara was quiet too, and when I woke, I could tell she was sleeping soundly.

"Angel," I said. "I know you want to sit with Scarlett."

"We're fine," she said. "We're playing footsie."

"Footsie?"

"Yes. Scarlett has a blanket over her lap, and my toes are currently trying to unzip something."

"Angel!" Scarlett said. "Don't believe her, she's lying."

"So whose zipper did I hear a few minutes ago?"

"No way did you hear that," she said.

Lara stirred. "Go back to sleep, fox," she said.

I dozed, then slept. But when we came to a stop, I was awake instantly. My hands flew to my forearms, but there were no daggers strapped there.

"Shhh," said Angel, clasping my hands. "Just swapping drivers."

Soon we were moving again, and I slept.

I woke later, and there was quiet talking. Lara was awake and shifting uncomfortably.

"Lara needs a bathroom break," I said.

"Coming up to one," Elisabeth said. "Will you trust me to protect her?"

"If you take all the enforcers with you," I said.

"Karen stays with you," she said. "Five of us will be enough."

"All right."

We pulled off the highway we were on, crunched on some gravel, and then sat in the car for a while. "Serena is getting the key," Elisabeth explained. Then, "All right. We have all the enforcers surrounding the car. I will get out first. Ava, you will help the alpha step out. Everyone else stays here until Lara is back. Then if anyone else needs to go, you may."

No one else did, so the break was short. I clutched at Lara and verified she was fine, which brought a chuckle from her.

"Just remember this, Michaela," she said. "Just remember."

"Yeah, but I'll calm down," I said. "You never will."

A minute later, we were on the road. "What time is it?" I asked.

"Not telling," said Angel. "You have no idea how long you slept, which means you don't know how far we've driven."

"Brat."

"True."

"All right, how about this? How much longer?"

"Ninety minutes," Elisabeth said after a pause. "Or so."

"Lara, did you want to sleep?"

"They said something about games," Lara said.

We played a word game. We were all given two small objects, a six-sided die and a marble, both made from wood. Then the game was simple. Someone would say a word and offer the definition. We would each move one of the objects into our hand, hiding it. No object meant it was a made up word. The die meant it was a real word but the wrong definition. The marble meant the right definition. The person who picked the word then said which it was, and then we displayed which item we were holding. Disputes involved looking them up.

Sophia kept score.

It was a silly game. People knew the craziest words, and most of the time I didn't have a clue if they were lying or not. I guessed randomly. When my turn came around, I used biology terms, and I made sure I used terms I hadn't taught the kids. I named a type of scum that grows on ponds, then I named a type of seaweed. I gave scientific and common names on each. Both were true. After that, when my turn came around, I lied or told the truth haphazardly. Only once or twice did people absolutely know whether I was making up words or not, and the rest of the time, they were guessing.

Lara was the winner with Scarlett a close second. I was a distant last. It made me feel ignorant. "You guys know all these words," I said eventually. "I don't know any of them. I just know scientific words."

Angel giggled. "You've never played this game before, I bet. We have. All of us have gone out of the way to learn weird words no one ever uses."

I laughed. "All right, I won't feel too bad."

The game ended when Elisabeth declared, "Time for the headphones."

Angel fitted me. Elisabeth did Lara. Before they turned on the music, Angel said, "We have another game. It's really silly. One of us will touch you, somewhere on your bare skin. You will say who it is. If you get it right, we'll caress your cheek. We'll alternate between the two of you. Did you two want to wager on which of you wins?"

"A backrub," Lara offered.

"All right. Whoever wins will get a backrub from one of us," Angel said.

"I meant I'd give her one," Lara said.

"Too bad, this is my game, my rules."

Lara laughed. "All right."

The music turned on. As soon as it started, they all scrambled around from their seats. I could tell by smell that Ava had moved to my left, but I didn't know where anyone else was. Not once did I know who touched me, and I resorted to guessing. I lost the game badly, but I knew Lara needed the backrub.

It was clear when we entered a town. The car drove more slowly and made turns and stops. Eventually we came to a stop and didn't start moving right away.

After a few minutes, the door opened. I could feel it. I felt as people began to exit the car, then Lara pulled away from me slowly. I clutched at her, but she patted my hands and stepped out. I followed her immediately, someone guiding me. Then they put my hand in Lara's. Someone clutched my other arm, and I leaned over to smell Scarlett. Then we were pulled forward.

We walked up some stairs and into a house. We navigated through the house, and then we were back outside.

Someone moved in front of me, and then my face was caressed before I felt familiar scissors cutting the tape over the blindfold. The tape was removed first, a hand holding the blindfold in place. Then I was hugged, Angel first, then Elisabeth, then each of the other women. After the hugs, Lara and I were urged slowly forward a little further, and my hand was placed on a wooden railing. We stepped forward until we were leaning against the railing.

Then, at the same time, the music was turned off, the ear buds pulled out of my ears, and the blindfold raised from my eyes.

I blinked in the bright morning light.

We were standing on a wooden deck. Out in front of us, but below, were the tops of trees. I realized we were near the top of a hill. And beyond the trees, I saw the Apostle Islands.

I glanced at Lara. She looked confused. "We're in Bayfield," I said. "Well, just north of it. That's Lake Superior."

I turned around. We were at someone's house, a large, beautiful house. The women were watching us carefully while smiling broadly. I looked around, and I recognized my outdoor furniture from my house in Bayfield. I'd left everything there when I'd given the house to the enforcers last year. It all looked cheap compared to the grand house.

I looked at Elisabeth, then Angel, and they couldn't have looked more pleased with themselves.

I started to cry.

Lara didn't understand yet.

"You rented a house for the week?" she asked.

"No, Lara. They didn't rent it. They bought it. And I think they're giving it to us."

"Technically," Elisabeth said. "It belongs to the pack and is held for the alphas. But yes."

"Everyone in the pack chipped in. Some more than others," Angel said.

"The council bought the land across the road," Elisabeth explained. "It connects all the way to the rest of our property out of town. As long as you cross the roads carefully, you can run from here all the way there, the whole way on pack land."

"It is fairly isolated," Karen said. "There are no immediate neighbors, and we've been doing everything we can to buy all the immediate land."

"Vivian bought the parcel to the north," Elisabeth said. "Dominick has the piece south of us. All told, pack owns almost three quarters of a mile of lake front."

"Michaela," said Angel. "We know you miss the water. Even being at the lands Lara bought, while good, wasn't the same."

"We wouldn't have done this without the connection to the land Lara bought."

Lara turned to her sister. "You've been snatching up the land I've been trying to buy!"

Elisabeth grinned. "Yes."

"No way did you have this kind of money," Lara said.

"I was tired of running the grocery stores," she said. "I sold them. And I am about to sell the shares I just won from you when she cried."

"Have the enforcers searched the house?" I asked.

"Before we let you out of the car," Elisabeth said.

"Then I want a tour. But first." I grabbed Angel into a hug, then Elisabeth and all the rest. "Thank you." I started crying again. "Is there access to the water?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "Over the hill, but you need to ask the owner."

"Who?"

"Me, as soon as I sell the rest of the grocery stores. But today we'll drive to Bayfield to go kayaking."

"Angel, may I have a tour?"

She grabbed my hand and pulled me away. Elisabeth took Lara. They went in one direction; we went in another, Scarlett following behind.

The house was rustic, in keeping with its environment, and huge. The kitchen was amazing. "Mom designed it," Angel said. The living room had an amazing view of the lake. Also on the main floor was a generous bathroom and two offices, side by side, one clearly for me, one for Lara.

"We gave her the lake view, because when she sits in there, she'll see the lake you love and think of you. We gave you the side facing the woods so you'll see the woods and think of her."

Downstairs was a recreation room and two bedrooms plus utility room, laundry, and storage. "This area belongs primarily to the enforcers," Angel explained. "Which isn't to say you can't come down, but we wanted a place they would be comfortable. We let them design as a group what they wanted and how to decorate it."

I started to cry again, and got pulled into a three-way hug.

Finally they pulled me upstairs. There was a loft over the living room with a place to sit and talk or read. Beside it was a large closet. "Those of us who will be here a lot may keep things here," Angel explained. "We'll put names on the space we're claiming. Scarlett and I have claimed this space." They had a section of built in dressers and an area for clothes to be hung up. I recognized Angel's clothes from my house and more clothes I decided belonged to Scarlett.

"There is a large garage with our outdoor gear," she said. "The kayaks are there with the wet suits, fishing gear, etc. We bought more gear, too. It's kind of full."

They pulled me out of the room. "When we're here, this is my room and Scarlett's," Angel said. We stepped into a bedroom, and I recognized some of the decorations. "When we're not here, it belongs to whomever needs it. That's why are clothes are in the communal area, so you can have other guests, and they don't think they're taking someone's personal space."

Elisabeth had a room the same way.

There were two more bedrooms, not necessarily assigned to anyone in particular.

Back in the hallway we encountered Elisabeth with Lara. We were pointed to the door at the end of the hall. "Go on," Angel said. "You know what that is."

We stepped forward together and opened the doors.

It wasn't as big as our room at the compound, but it was beautiful, with a lovely view of the lake and another of the woods. The furniture was new, and there were two closets and a bathroom.

Lara wasn't saying anything, but she was clearly stunned. "You hate it," I told her.

"Oh god, no," she said. "I can't believe they did this. The entire pack did this. Those three organized it, you can see from their expressions. I don't know how they did it behind our backs. But the entire pack helped. I recognize the architect they used, and the designer. I recognize some of the furniture. The entire pack did this, honey."

"I know."

Angel, Scarlett and Elisabeth gave us a moment then followed us in.

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "The entire pack did this."

"Whose closet is whose?" I asked.

Angel looked confused, but Scarlett smiled. She stepped to one of the closets. "This one is the alpha's."

She opened the door, and some of my clothes were there along with some of Lara's.

Angel smiled and walked to the other closet. "And this isn't a closet." She opened the door, and the room inside was equipped as a large nursery.

I stepped forward, dragging Lara behind me. We stepped into the nursery. It was already well equipped with two cribs, a changing table, a place for a mother to sit and nurse her babies, and the other things a new mother might need.

"Did you know?" I asked.

"No," said Elisabeth. "But it was only a matter of time."

We stepped back into our bedroom, and I pulled Lara to the view. She was still very quiet, and I didn't understand. "What's wrong?" I asked her. "You don't like it, but now you don't know what to do."

"No, honey," she said. "I wanted to do this for you, but I couldn't afford it without liquidating some of my businesses, and they're how I pay for all the things an alpha has to pay for."

"Is that because you put the pack first, when you bought all that other land?"

"Yes. I could have done this if I had neglected the pack, but we couldn't have this place and not have pack lands too."

"So you took care of the pack, and the pack took care of us."

"Elisabeth sold her inheritance from father to make this happen."

I glanced over at her, and she was smiling, but looking worried. Angel and Scarlett looked nervous, too.

"Stay here," I told Lara. "Enjoy the view for a minute."

I left her standing there and walked to stand in front of my three friends. I moved into their personal spaces, my tiny little fox looking up at them, and looked at them fiercely.

"This is the most beautiful house I have ever seen, and it could not be more perfect."

Elisabeth's eyes darted briefly to Lara.

"She agrees with her mate about the beauty of the house but fears her sister paupered herself to make this happen, and she is upset."

"I hated the grocery store chain. Absolutely hated it. I let it run itself, and it wasn't going anywhere. Lara you know I hated it. Father left it to me because when I was a child, I liked working the soda fountain counter, so I was always asking questions about it. But I hated being upper management. Good riddance. And now I don't have to manage your share anymore, either."

Lara turned around. "But Elisabeth-"

"Hush," she said. "I don't spend a dime on anything. I got a very, very good price. I am still, by almost any standards, a wealthy woman. I have enough money to start a new business, if I want to, but frankly, I don't see how I can possibly devote attention to a business and be head enforcer at the same time. And I love being the head enforcer. It is what I was born to do, and you know it."

"But-"

"And this is where I want us to be," she said. "I love it up here, too. The parcel I am buying for myself is smaller, and we are separated by Vivian, but it's a short run, and we'll put a road across all the properties so we can travel without using the highway. I have enough money to buy that land and build the house I want for it, and I will have your shares from the grocery stores as my nest egg. I will invest it carefully. Pack will lose my tithe. Tough."

I looked at Angel and Scarlett. "Did you pay anything you couldn't afford?"

They looked uncomfortable.

"You will go to college!" Lara thundered in full alpha mode.

They both cringed, but then they stood up straight. "The papers you signed made Hadley Smith the executor of our escrow accounts," Angel said.

"I'm going to kill her!"

"Hush," I said. "Let her explain before you fly off the handle."

"I don't want a doctorate," Angel said. "Scarlett and I will get our four year degrees. Hadley made us keep enough in our accounts to pay for a four-year program for me and a master's degree for Scarlett. Alpha, I have already talked to the head enforcer-"

"No!" Lara said.

"And she has indicated she thinks I would make a fine enforcer. Your mate also thinks so."

"You knew about this?" Lara thundered, turning to me.

"Calm down, Lara, it's bad for the babies. No. It was something I said yesterday, with how well she was helping with me. I could see how she was leaning. Now, let them finish."

She growled.

"Hadley let us use the rest to buy some of the land. Our money went into a general fund, we don't own a specific piece, but we have an agreement that we will be allowed to build our own home here. So we helped buy land. Land we love."

Lara turned to Scarlett. "I know you think you know who designed the house, Lara. You are wrong. I designed it."

Lara stared at her.

"Not alone, of course," said Scarlett. "Clearly, he helped me. I told him what I wanted, and he helped me with all the engineering choices, and helped me solve some of the problems. I didn't donate a dime to the house itself, but it's my design."

"You designed this?" Lara asked in a small voice, and then pulled Scarlett into a tight hug. "Honey, it's beyond beautiful."

"We started with a list of requirements, and we had the site survey. I did a lot of drawings, just rough things. I knew right where I wanted the deck, and we worked backwards from there. I couldn't have done it alone. I didn't know anything about mechanical systems. My first several designs were laughable. But he told me what was wrong with them, and I refined, and refined. He said I have the natural artistic eye, but I need to learn the engineering."

"Lara," I said quietly. "An architect is not a doctorate level program. Now, you are going to stop being a poop and thank our friends."

I stormed out of the bedroom and went to the common closet. I took Scarlett's clothes, and I carried them to her bedroom. Then I went back and got Angel's. Then I emptied the dresser drawers, moving them into place. They finally stood in the hallway to see what I was doing.

"No, Alpha," Angel said. "No."

"Yes!" I said. "There are enough other rooms. This one is yours."

Then I did the same thing with Elisabeth's clothes, moving them from the common closet to her room.

"There," I said. "Much better. That was the only flaw." I grinned at them, then I scowled at Lara. "I have not heard you say 'thank you'. Do I need to teach you your manners like I will be teaching the babies in your tummy?"

"Thank you," she said quietly, reaching for all of them. We made a big five-way hug there in the middle of the hallway.

"All right," I said. "I think it's time for breakfast, then someone said something about kayaking."

 **A Few Years Later**

I crept into Angel and Scarlett's room, Lara and Elisabeth following quietly. There were more wolves waiting in the hallway.

Angel and Scarlett were to marry in two weeks. I was to be Angel's maid of honor, and Abigail Lassiter was Scarlett's. Tonight, there was to be a kidnapping.

I crept to Scarlett's side of the bed. Elisabeth and Lara crept to Angel's.

"You two can stop faking," I said. "You woke up the moment I opened the door."

Scarlett opened her eyes to look at me.

"Do you know why we are here?"

She smiled. "But you're at least a week early."

"And shouldn't you be on my side of the room?" Angel added.

I looked across at Angel. "We're not taking you tonight."

She looked deeply disappointed.

"We're not kidnapping you until next week. I didn't want anyone to have to pick between you, so tonight we're taking Scarlett."

She began to smile.

"Angel, I don't believe you can stand by while we take Scarlett, but I believe Lara and Elisabeth can handle you. They will drag you from the bed and hold you." I looked at Scarlett. "They will, by the way, be in front of the window. I don't believe you will find that a feasible escape route."

She nodded.

"I am a non-combatant," I said. "I will back into the corner behind me, and you should not touch me. I have silver and I'm not afraid to use it. But my hair is at risk, as I have orchestrated this."

Scarlett began to smile.

"Scarlett, Lara and Elisabeth will drag Angel from the bed to pull her clear of you, and you may then attempt your escape the moment you feel her move away."

"Questions anyone?"

"No," said Scarlett. "Thank you, Michaela."

I backed into the corner, well clear of the impending action.

"Do it," I said.

Lara and Elisabeth immediately grabbed Angel and dragged her from the bed, tangled in the bedding, which they used to wrap her up. They dragged her backwards to the window and held her firmly.

Scarlett, naked, flew out of the bed, ran two steps towards the door, and spun around as the remaining wolves began to enter the room. She ran to the furthest wall, an interior wall, and jumped, striking the wall with her feet first. She burst through the drywall, struggled for a moment, and barely missed being pulled back out by Karen and Abigail. Her head disappeared as Karen and Abigail began to climb through after her.

"Angel, that loud sound is what drywall sounds like when your lover kicks her way through it."

There was another loud bang, then several more, following by swearing and a yelled, "Michaela!" from Scarlett.

"Angel, that was your mate discovering I have reinforced the walls of her escape route. Very clever, by the way, building that into the house when she had the house built."

Then there was a creaking sound. I'm not sure anyone else would have heard it.

"That is the sound of a trap door being opened."

There was a thump.

"And that was Scarlett dropping into the narrow space directly below."

There was more banging, and then Scarlett yelled my name again.

"Oops. Those walls are reinforced, too. Lara tested them for me. Scarlett could get through, but not in the time she has."

There was a bang and the sound of wood cracking."

"Go, Scarlett!" Angel yelled.

"Ah she found the wall we didn't reinforce," I said.

There was more wood cracking, then a moment of silence, then a loud metallic clang from outside followed by Scarlett swearing at the top of her lungs.

"And that, Angel, is the sound of your mate discovering that Sophia and Ava were waiting by the cage we left in front of the only weak spot in the wall. The clang was the door slamming shut, presumable with Scarlett inside."

I walked over to Angel, struggling in Lara and Elisabeth's arms. I smiled at her.

"Angel," I said. "We have your mate. The ransom is one million dollars, three major favors to each of us involved, and babysitting services on demand for the alphas. Will you pay this ransom?"

"I respectfully decline, Alpha," she said to me.

"Very well. Lara will remain with you. Elisabeth will leave with us, but we have a wolf to truss first. Enjoy your evening, Angel. We will be in touch."

I turned around and calmly walked out of the room, Lara and Elisabeth chuckling.

"Damn, she's a cool one," Angel said quietly. I grinned.

Outside, Scarlett was in the cage, slamming against it. Ava and Sophia stood next to it, making sure she couldn't escape.

"Hello, Scarlett."

"You!" she said. "You did this."

"Your hair is safe, Scarlett. That was an admirable plan. I am impressed. But let this be a lesson to you. You can not outfox the fox."

She grinned at me.

"I'm not trussed yet."

"I had this cage constructed special for you," I said.

The cage was full size, seven feet high, three feet wide and six feet long. It was built over a steel platform, and there was a power cord extending out of the side and plugged into an exterior outlet of the house.

Karen and Abigail finally joined us, having crawled out of the hidden passage in the house. I stepped to the cage and flipped a switch. There was the sound of motors coming from the base of the cage, and the cage began to vibrate as the top of the cage began to descend.

"As you can see, the top is suspended above you by these remarkably large threaded rods, which are now rotating."

Scarlett looked up, then lifted her head and tried to push upwards as the top descended.

"You can try, but Lara and Elisabeth helped to test it. They couldn't hold it up. I don't think you will."

She dropped to the floor and tried to reach for the switch, but I immediately pulled out one of my daggers and stabbed at her. She snatched her head back.

"No no no," I said.

"The lid goes down to one foot from the floor," I said. "You can lie down now or wait until it shoves you to the floor."

She looked at me wildly.

"I told you, you will not outfox the fox, Scarlett, but I am impressed at your efforts."

"Michaela, don't let it squish me!"

"I'll stop it if you put your back to the cage and thrust your arms out behind you." I paused the top. "Decide."

"Will you bind my arms comfortably?"

"Well tape your arms outside the cage. We will come inside and bind your legs completely. Then if you promise to cooperate, we will allow you to place your arms where you want them when we bind you."

"My hair is safe?"

"Yes."

"I will cooperate."

I smiled. "We are going to have fun, Scarlett. I love you so much."


	4. Chapter 3,5

**Announcement**

I woke slowly, my body still satiated from last night's lovemaking. Lara had taken me, thoroughly taken me, and she'd let me have her body however I wanted as well.

That was unusual for her.

And so I woke slowly, Lara's taste still faintly filling my mouth, my favorite taste in the world. The room still smelled of the musk from our lovemaking. I smiled and sighed a happy sigh.

I stretched, and Lara rolled over to face me.

"Good morning, my Forever Love," I told her.

She smiled, still not talking, staring at me.

"What?" I asked.

"You've made me so amazingly happy, Michaela. You did say 'yes', didn't you? That wasn't a dream."

"Yes," I said. "You asked. I said yes. Then we wore ourselves out consummating the agreement."

"I remember that part."

Lara and I decided the wedding announcement needed a proper buildup. I asked her whether she needed permission from the council; she told me "no". We finished our stay in Bayfield prepared our return to the compound outside Madison.

We told Lara's sister, Elisabeth, of course. She grinned and hugged us both, expressing not even the smallest amount of surprise. For the flight home from Bayfield, the three of us flew together, with Lara at the controls, but Elisabeth begged to ride up front. "If you put the fox up there, she'll want to fly, and I'll get sick."

Lara was willing to relegate Elisabeth to the back seat, but I said, "If Elisabeth promises to stay off the controls, I'll take the back." Her look of gratitude told me even more; she wasn't simply teasing me. I had not been sure, but now I was.

I waited until we were in the air before I said, "So. Are we married?" I knew the human marriage customs, but I hadn't a clue about werewolf customs. I didn't know werefox customs, either, having spent so little time around any foxes at all since I was fourteen.

Lara glanced over her shoulder at me. "Wolf customs about marriage are similar to human customs, although divorce is exceedingly rare."

"So big ceremony?"

"Yes," said Elisabeth.

"Engraved invitations, flowers, white dresses?"

Elisabeth and Lara exchanged silent glances. "The alpha will wear a tuxedo," Elisabeth said.

I smiled. "You're going to look fabulous, Lara. Do I have to wear a dress?"

"Yes," they said together.

"Can it be simple?"

They conferred but didn't answer. I sighed. "I'll wear a dress," I said. "A simple dress. And I want a simple ceremony. And I want some privacy for the wedding night. That's all I ask. Otherwise just tell me when and where."

The two conferred again. Then Elisabeth reached over her shoulder and unplugged my headset from the plane's intercom. Lara did something to the airplane's controls, making it louder.

"That's rude!" I said loudly.

The two talked for several minutes. Between the headset over my ears and the sounds of the airplane, I couldn't make out a word. My fine fox hearing wasn't enough to make out their voices over the drone of the airplane engine. Finally Elisabeth plugged my headset back in, and Lara made the plane quieter.

"All right," Lara said. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled. "Once I know when and where, I will tell you."

I returned her smile.

I presumed Elisabeth and Lara planned the announcement. I presumed they did it while I sat quietly in the back of the plane. I didn't listen in, didn't know what the plan was, and didn't particularly care.

I decided I knew their plan the following Thursday when Angel and Scarlett pulled me to the side after classes. While I was their teacher, Angel also lived part time with me in Bayfield, and she had become an important friend. Since Angel and Scarlett had started dating, that friendship had expanded to include both wolves.

"What's going on?" Angel asked.

"I need more context than that, Angel," I replied.

"Saturday."

"Keep going."

"The alpha has invited a lot of people to the compound for a picnic Saturday night. We're having a previously-unscheduled event. That never happens unless there's something new to discuss. Is it about the new land near Bayfield?"

Something changed in my expression, and Angel said, "You know! Tell me."

"I suspect," I said. "I don't know. And I won't share what I suspect. I'm sure if I did, I'd get the paddling Lara promised me the last time you tried to ask me what was going on." I made sure I schooled my features, knowing they wouldn't be satisfied with that answer. I didn't want to give anything away.

"Pack is moving to the new compound?" Angel asked. Both of them studied my reaction.

"Wedding announcement?" suggested Scarlett.

They both watched me, then Angel swore.

"Hey!" I said. "Watch the language."

"She didn't react to our guesses," Scarlett said. "But she got up in arms because you swore. Weird."

"Yeah," said Angel. "Michaela, who is your best friend?"

I smiled. "Lara."

"After that?"

"Elisabeth."

"Third?" she was starting to droop.

"You."

She perked up. "Michaela, if I find out you're engaged at the same time the rest of the pack does, I'm going to be very hurt."

I stared at her, not offering a real reaction. "You're fishing," I said finally. "The only reason you said that is because you want to win the wager." The pack was fond of wagers, especially wagers involving Lara or me.

"Actually," Scarlett said. "While she is fishing, and she does want to win the wager, she is also telling the truth."

I looked back and forth between the two of them, and I could tell Scarlett was right.

"I am not saying that Lara is about to announce an engagement," I said. "But I will admit that is the direction our relationship is going. So if that's not what Saturday is about, it could be for a future Saturday. For the sake of this conversation, let us pretend that's what is happening." They both nodded. "Angel, how do you think the council would feel if you knew before they did?"

"Oh hell," she said. I let the swearing go that time.

"So you understand that if and when Lara does ask me to marry her, and if there is to be an announcement, you may not be the third person to find out. And that's not my choice."

She slumped.

"On the other hand, if I were about to ask someone to be my maid of honor, it would be you."

"Really?" she began bouncing. "Me?"

"So, if Lara does ask me to marry her, and I agree, and there is an announcement, but we don't tell you ahead of everyone else, do you think your ego will settle for being the maid of honor?"

She hugged me. "Yes."

I smiled. "That being said, I'm not admitting a thing about Saturday's event. This is the first I knew something was scheduled."

"But you know," Scarlett said.

"I suspect I know."

Scarlett turned to Angel. "She'd know if it were a wedding announcement."

"She could be lying," Angel said. They turned to me. "Would Lara really paddle you if you told us?"

"I believe her threat is real," I said. "She hasn't threatened anything about this Saturday, but she has in the past."

"She could definitely be lying," Scarlett said.

"Michaela, would you tell me if it weren't a wedding announcement?" Angel asked.

"No. I won't confirm or deny any rumors."

She sighed dramatically before taking Scarlett's hand and pulling her away. I listened as they agreed to pick their top two choices if either won, they'd share the prize.

Between Thursday evening and the picnic on Saturday, I had several more, similar conversations. I deflected all of them.

Saturday dawned wet and dreary, but it warmed up over the course of the day. The woods would be muddy if everyone went for a run, but the field dried out enough to be used for the picnic. I found a beer and a coke and went in search of Elisabeth. When I found her, she was in conversation with two of the council members. I stood outside a wolf's hearing range but in sight of Elisabeth. She knew about my enhanced hearing and would know I could hear every word. They were discussing a business opportunity, which didn't interest me, so I tuned it out. Elisabeth saw me waiting and invited me into the conversation. I stepped into their circle and handed her the beer, feigning interest in their conversation.

Several minutes later, one of the males asked, "What do you think?" He was looking directly at me. I wracked my brain and then remembered this was Brady Nelson.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Nelson," I said. "I arrived late to the conversation, and I don't have much of a head for business."

"Call me Brady," he said. "And I would like to hear what you think."

I looked between the four of them. "I'm sorry," I said. "When I said I don't have much of a head for business, what I should have said was that it's not an area of particular interest to me, so I wasn't paying enough attention to the conversation to speak even remotely intelligently."

There were several smiles, some of them condescending. Brady's wasn't condescending. "So you tell the truth rather than try to bullshit us. That speaks well for you."

I shrugged. "It only means I'm smart enough to know you would see through any bullshit I might offer."

That earned some chuckles.

"If it wasn't the scintillating conversation that drew you to us," said Dominick, another council member. "And it wasn't your desire to be seen amongst the rich and powerful, would you care to share your interest?"

"You know me too well, perhaps," I said. "I was hoping to talk to Elisabeth about today's wagering."

"Ah, you won't get her to talk," Dominick said. "Lord knows, we've all tried. But I believe we've finished this conversation, and so you are free to make your attempt to pry her secrets from her."

Elisabeth smiled, thanked them, and drew me away.

"You can't bet," she said. "You already know."

I smiled. "No. I have a strong suspicion. I was just wondering what Angel and Scarlett have wagered."

"Scarlett got it right. Angel thinks we have a new pack member. She doesn't care to hazard a guess who it might be."

"They're going to share the winnings," I said.

"Ah," Elisabeth said. "That makes sense."

"How many other people have guessed correctly?"

"About half."

I laughed. "So they'll get their money back."

"Yep. I should have just refused to accept wagers against tonight's event, but that would have given it away for sure."

"Do I need to do anything?"

"No," she said. "Just don't disappear. You realize you won't be able to avoid politics in the future. And you might want to start paying more attention to business discussions, too."

"Why?"

Elisabeth lowered her lips closer to my ear. "One of your future unspoken responsibilities will be to stand in as Lara's proxy from time to time. And I also think you may want to be seen as an equal, not a pretty trophy."

I looked at her sharply.

"No one is going to forget the things you've done, Michaela, but memories do fade. You can't rest on your laurels. And I will be spending most of my time making sure you never are required to replicate your past accomplishments."

My past accomplishments for the pack had all been of a violent nature. I nodded in understanding.

"She's not even marrying me for my ability to give her pups," I said quietly.

"No," Elisabeth agreed. "Or to protect her while she is having pups. She's marrying you because you make her feel like no one has ever made her feel in the past. And your unique abilities don't hurt."

"How much trouble is she bringing on herself?"

"Nothing she can't handle," Elisabeth said.

I asked Elisabeth about other unspoken duties. We were still in discussion when Elisabeth suddenly broke off and began talking about fishing spots. I used my ears and realized there were people approaching us from behind me. Lara, along with Vivian and Violet, joined Elisabeth and me; my mate slipped an arm around my waist. She kissed my cheek and I laid my head on her shoulder.

"Dinner is ready," Lara said. I glanced over and realized the tables were piled high with the usual wolf-sized banquet. I wondered how many council members would expect me to wait on them. "You stay with me, Little Fox," Lara said.

Violet gestured to a clump of teenagers, catching a couple of eyes. I watched as they immediately retrieved chairs for the five of us, plus a few spares, and spread them around for us. One of the chairs was built for two, and Lara pulled me to it. A few minutes later, the kids brought over plates piled with food. Scarlett had mine, and it was perfectly sized for a fox.

"No wonder you're so small," Violet said, but there was kindness in her voice. She looked at Scarlett. "You. Girl. What's your name?"

"Scarlett, ma'am." Scarlett chewed her lip, her eyes darting around as if searching for a route of escape.

"Come here, Scarlett," Violet ordered. When Scarlett walked over, Violet said. "Do not loom over me, child!" Scarlett knelt down in front of Violet's chair. Violet leaned forward and cupped her mouth over Scarlett's ear. "In the future, bring the fox something extra to share with the alpha." It was said so quietly only Scarlett and I could hear.

I almost gave my hearing away; I was so surprised.

Scarlett leaned away. "Yes ma'am," she said. "Thank you, ma'am."

I decided then that Violet may be intimidating, but she also could be kind. And I hadn't thought about sharing with Lara.

I stole a chicken wing from Lara's plate. Lara grumbled playfully. "Oh like you'll notice one little chicken wing."

I wondered whether it had been left on Lara's plate for me. I cut my venison in half and pointedly slipped some of it to the edge of the plate closest to Lara. Then I cut that half into pieces that were easily stolen before eating the other half. Lara's fork stole over and speared some of the venison, and I grinned up at her.

Mr. Berg and Dominick walked up, Jason carrying two chairs and Alan carrying two plates. Jason set the chairs down, and the two council members sat down, accepting their plates. Greetings were exchanged along with some small talk. I sat quietly and listened.

"Michaela," Mr. Berg said eventually. "You seem to have become more comfortable with us."

He looked around pointed. The last major pack night I had attended had been the night I'd been inducted into the pack. I had been quite nervous surrounded by so many werewolves. Yet tonight I was relaxed even though attendance was even greater than it had been for the event the night of my induction.

"I guess you're right," I admitted. "It helps when I see how fiercely everyone in the pack protects me. And no one plays dominance games with me."

"Except me," said Elisabeth. "And the alpha, of course."

There were chuckles.

"Yeah," I said, agreeing. "I even let you two win sometimes."

That resulted in outright laughter, then Lara said, "You all realize she's serious."

"Omega fox suits you," Dominick said. Werewolf packs had a hierarchy, a power relationship between the wolves, with my fiancé, Lara, at the top of the pack. But from time to time, a pack member could be outside of the power structure, immune to the dominance challenges the other members of the pack performed. When that happened, she was referred to as "omega". And that was my position.

"It may not be that absolutely everyone in the pack is fond of you" Dominick went on to say. "But your approval rating is significantly higher than I would ever have guessed."

"Approval rating?"

"Ignore him," Lara said.

"I couldn't possibly be so rude as to ignore a council member, Alpha," I said. "I am sure it is my responsibility to hang on every word he says. Please, Dominick, what approval rating?"

"Nothing," Lara said. "Right, Dominick?" Lara squeezed my hand tightly and offered me a stern look.

"I only meant that you seem to be very popular with at least eighty percent of the pack," Dominick said. "Maybe even more than eighty percent."

"I'm sure that's due to my fine, fox coat," I said vainly. "Who could resist?"

That earned me chuckles and a relieved look from Lara.

"Of course, I think Violet is wondering about a fox fur stole." Violet was a member of the pack council. I found her to be stern, almost severe, and felt she approved of me.

"How can you say such a thing?" Violet said. Then she took in my expression. "Oh. Humor. Ha ha."

"I'm sorry, Violet," I said.

Vivian leaned over to Violet and said quietly, "She's trying to cover up after finding out about the surveys. She uses humor when she's nervous." Vivian was another member of the council, but more important to me, she was my therapist; she knew things about me no one else knew.

I tried not to glare at Vivian. She knew I could hear her. But she was right.

"Quite all right," Violet said after a moment. "But to be clear, I think fox fur looks best when it is still worn by a breathing fox."

I nodded my thanks to her. That was kindly said.

"And how does my rating compare to the alpha's?" I asked with a glint in my eye.

Dominick glanced at Lara before answering. "The alpha seems exceedingly popular of late as well."

"Of late?"

"Well, her popularity has been up and down in the past, but it has solidified significantly over the last year."

"Was there a dip last year?" I asked. "Perhaps in the autumn." Last autumn was when it had appeared the pack was under attack from external forces; instead, it had been David, making a play to take the role of alpha away from Lara. I had thwarted him.

"Yes," said Dominick. "But then a significant spike upwards. Then steady growth until an astronomical spike several weeks ago. That spike corresponds to a similar spike in your rating."

"I suppose eliminating an outside threat could do that," I offered.

"Perhaps," said Dominick. "But perhaps knowing the alpha's companion is so amazingly able to fend for herself had something to do with it as well." I had killed single-handled, and quite dramatically, two very powerful wolves with my silver knives.

Lara wasn't happy with the turn of conversation. "Dominick," Lara said, almost a growl.

"I hope her ratings won't suffer too badly in the future when I choose to hide behind the alpha and her enforcers rather than demonstrate my independence," I said. I was looking at Lara when I said it, and some of the tightness left the corners of her mouth.

"The council doesn't make decisions based on approval ratings," Mr. Berg said. "I do hope the little fox won't, either."

"The only approval rating that matters to me is the alpha's," I said.

That took care of the rest of Lara's tension. I watched as she visibly relaxed.

"If you don't make decisions based on approval ratings," I said. "Why track them?"

"Prudence," said Mr. Berg. "It also gives us an indicator of when we may need to manage expectations better."

"If there is a segment of the pack that is feeling particularly aggrieved," Vivian said, "we may find ways to mollify them."

"During periods of low approval," Elisabeth added, "I used extra enforcers on the compound."

"If your approval rating were low," Mr. Berg went on. "The council would be more likely to provide additional guidance, shall we say, over the alpha's choices."

I smiled. "Thank you for explaining."

The teenagers ate their own dinner, then several wandered back to our group to ask whether anyone needed anything. Most of the wolves took seconds. When Scarlett presented Lara with a fresh plate, there was a small chicken thigh waiting on it. Lara hadn't asked for it. I reached over and cut off half of it, leaving the rest for Lara.

Lara glanced at me.

"It tastes better from your plate," I said with a smirk.

"Alpha," said Mr. Berg. "Are you going to tell us why we're all here?"

"Of course," she said. "In about an hour."

Vivian chuckled softly.

"Michaela," he said. "Why are we all here tonight?" Lara stiffened next to me.

"Because the alpha summoned us," I said. Lara immediately relaxed.

Elisabeth bit off a laugh.

"And," he said. "Why did the alpha summon us?"

"I presume she has an announcement of some sort," I said. "Although perhaps she thought it was a pleasant day and wanted to share it with everyone."

"Michaela," Mr. Berg said. "What do you know about tonight's announcement?"

"The alpha has not specifically told me anything she hasn't told the rest of you," I said. "I could share the rumors I've heard."

He started to open his mouth again. "Mr. Berg," I said. "Lara did not tell me why we're meeting. The first I heard there was to be this picnic was when two of my students asked me about it on Thursday. I have my own suspicions, but I would not share them without Lara's permission."

At that, Mr. Berg smiled triumphantly.

"Damn it!" I said. "I just got played." I had just admitted I was submissive to Lara, something I rarely admitted outside the bedroom.

"Yes, honey, you did," said Lara. "But I love you for it."

"She's going to-"

Lara clamped her hand over my mouth. "I will paddle you, Little Fox," she said. "Think carefully before you speak further."

She took her hand away and I looked up at her. "Would you really?"

"Yes."

"In public?"

"Yes."

"Even knowing you wouldn't get any for a month?"

"Yes."

If I had thought she was bluffing, I would have called her on it. I thought further then smiled. "That's fine," I said. "You're wrapped around my finger as badly as I'm wrapped around yours."

"Isn't that the truth," Elisabeth agreed under her breath.

Ava wandered by, collecting plates and replenishing drinks. I kicked my sandals off and curled my feet underneath me, cuddling into Lara. She put her arm around me. I felt warm and safe and very much at peace. I closed my eyes and breathed deeply.

"I love you, Lara," I said in front of everyone. I'd never done that before.

"I love you too, Little Fox," she said. She kissed the top of my head.

After that, I listened to the conversation. It remained fairly innocuous. Elisabeth talked to a few stragglers making wagers about the reason for the get together. With great amusement, I listened in on each of the predictions.

Francesca stopped by, "How soon would you like us to light the bonfire?" she asked Lara.

"Whenever you're ready," Lara said. But I was listening to her heartbeat, and it sped up. I realized she was nervous. I opened my eyes and looked up to her.

"Are you all right?" I asked her quietly.

"Yes," she said. She lowered her lips towards my ear then spoke so quietly even a wolf wouldn't have heard her. "You know the alpha can't divorce. And you know the alpha's mate can't publicly rebel. Are you sure, honey?"

I leaned up and kissed her jaw, cuddling closer to her. She lifted my chin, turning my ear towards her, continuing to speak quietly. "After tonight, at least in public, you must always stand as one with me. If you can't do that, Michaela..."

I shifted so I could nibble on her earlobe. "I can't give you pups," I said. "We will fight in private. And you will never be heavy-handed in public."

"I can't promise that last one," she told me, kissing my ear as cover for our conversation.

I pressed my head into her, wrapping my arms around her, thinking about my response. Finally I pulled away, sitting up properly, but clasping her hand. "I love you, Lara," I said.

"You already said that," Violet said.

"Yes, I did. I'm sure I'll say it again, too."

Lara squeezed my hand.

"Oh look," I said. "Fire." Faces turned to see Francesca lighting the bonfire. Instead of one big bonfire, we actually had several medium fires, and Francesca lit them one after another. Having several medium fires allowed everyone to sit their preferred distance from the fires. It was a warm night, so I didn't imagine there would be competition for the closest seats.

As a group, we got up and carried our chairs towards the fire. Lara and I sat down towards the end of the fires, facing our chairs along the length of the row of fires. Everyone would be able to take a seat and still see us. We could watch the fires as well as all the assembled wolves. Elisabeth set her chair next to ours. Everyone else gave us a little bit of room. Some people sat in lawn chairs; others sat on the grass. A few had blankets spread out. They all looked happy and comfortable.

"Elisabeth," Lara said quietly. "Will you officiate tonight? Do a few stories or games before asking me to speak."

"Nervous, sister?" she asked quietly.

"Yes."

"And you, Little Fox?" Elisabeth asked.

"No."

Elisabeth waited a little longer for people to settle before she stood up and strode in front of the fire.

"Hello everyone," she said in a firm voice. "I bet you are all wondering why you're here tonight."

"What's the pool up to, Elisabeth?" I heard a voice from the middle of the pack ask.

Elisabeth laughed. "About half of you placed wagers," she said. "I haven't counted the total, but I've twice had to empty my bulging pockets. And yes, there is a winner. I hate to disappoint you, but the rumors I am challenging my sister for leadership of the pack are misplaced."

There were some chuckles.

"No one really bet on that, did they?" I asked loudly enough to be heard.

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "A certain troublemaker did. I won't mention Eric's name."

Eyes shifted around, looking for Eric, and it was clear where he was just by watching everyone turn towards him.

"I wanted something no one else would pick," he said in defense. "At least if I'm right, I'll win the entire pot."

There were chuckles and a few good-natured ribbings before Elisabeth took control back. "Well, you will all need to be patient for a while. The alpha has demanded entertainment from her loyal subjects." That earned more chuckles. "Who has a story?"

Mr. Berg shifted slightly, and Elisabeth caught the movement out of her eye. She turned to him, and he nodded.

"Ron Berg has a story," she said. "Councilor Berg?"

The councilor rose from his chair, thanked Elisabeth, then waited for her to take her seat before he began talking. He told a story of Lara getting into trouble as a young girl. As soon as he started, Lara said, "Oh hell."

I listened, rapt in attention, as I learned about Lara, in fur, getting chased by a Rottweiler through the neighborhoods of Madison with both of them being picked up by animal control. Mr. Berg told the story with a great deal of humor, and soon had the entire pack laughing at the escapade, including myself.

"Of course, she wasn't wearing a dog collar," he said. "No tags. No dog license."

"Oh god," she said again.

"Luckily, some of the other kids had seen her run off in wolf form."

"Probably the ones who dared me to taunt the Rottweiler in the first place!" Lara said.

"So her mother, the alpha's mate, contacted animal control. She had to pay a fine for having an unregistered dog, but luckily, Lara hadn't bit anyone."

I turned to her. "Did you enjoy your stint in a cage?"

"No more than you enjoyed yours," she told me. As part of my subterfuge in last autumn's investigations, Lara and Elisabeth had stuffed me into a cage; I hadn't taken it kindly.

Mr. Berg finished the story with a warning to the younger wolves before sitting back down, relinquishing the space to Elisabeth.

"Who wants to go next?" Elisabeth asked.

Vivian cleared her throat.

"Oh bloody hell!" Lara said.

Vivian got up, thanked Elisabeth, and told a story about Lara borrowing her mother's car when she was eleven. Lara tried to hide her head.

"It seems Lara was upset because her mother wouldn't let her have? What was it, Alpha?" Vivian asked.

"A pet hawk," Lara said. "All right? I wanted a pet hawk."

"What were you going to do with a pet hawk?" Vivian asked her.

Lara looked away.

Vivian turned back to the assembled wolves. "I believe she expected to train the hawk. Something about pigeons."

"The pigeons used to roost outside my bedroom window, and they would begin that infernal cooing at sunrise every damned morning," Lara said. "I was going to use the hawk to catch the pigeons."

"Very resourceful," Vivian said. "So, undoubtedly suffering from a shortage of sleep, only getting nine hours a night instead of the eleven she wanted, Lara stole her mother's car, determined to drive to the pet store and buy a hawk. Alpha, I am pretty sure the pet stores don't sell hawks."

"Now you tell me!" Lara said, earning some laughs.

"But of course, she got lost. And didn't exactly know the traffic laws. How did that end, Alpha?" Vivian asked.

"I got arrested," Lara said.

"Another stay in a cage, Alpha?"

"No," she said. "They hauled me to the police station. When I refused to tell them my name, they simply called the registered owner of the car. Mom and Dad both came down to pick me up."

"What was the end result?" Vivian asked.

"A hundred hours of community service," Lara said. "And another two hundred of pack service. And no one did a thing about the pigeons. They would still be there, but once I was alpha, I took care of them myself."

"How did you do that?" I asked.

"I make an annual gift to a local animal shelter under the agreement they make sure I never wake up to another cooing pigeon."

"Alpha, how do they keep the pigeons away?"

"They put up this damned plastic owl at one corner of the house and a plastic hawk at the opposite corner. It keeps the pigeons away. Every spring someone comes out and repaints them so they look fresh."

The pack loved that story. Vivian sat back down and Lara said, "The next story better not feature the alpha."

Elisabeth scanned the audience and called on Francesca.

"As many of you know, I am Elisabeth's and Lara's aunt. They should call me Aunt Francesca and offer far more respect than they do, but I've learned not to expect too much from them."

"This story better be about Elisabeth," Lara said with a growl.

"Oh it is," Francesca said. She proceeded to tell a story about what a difficult baby Elisabeth could be, soon having the audience laughing loudly over a story involving Elisabeth's and Lara's father trying to change a set of diapers.

"How did the story end?" Vivian asked.

"Elisabeth ran into the room, took one look at the mess, and asked her father, 'would you like me to change her, Daddy?'" Francesca paused. "Oh, my mistake, I could have sworn it was Elisabeth who had been difficult, but now that I think about it, I guess it was Lara."

She sat down. Elisabeth got up and asked, "Who is next?"

"I am!" Lara said firmly, rising to her feet. "Story time is not embarrass-the-alpha time."

"Maybe you shouldn't have made us wait to hear your announcement, Alpha," Vivian suggested.

"I think she should make you wait longer," I piped in. "I bet there are a bunch more stories out there. Elisabeth hasn't told any yet."

"Hush, you," Lara said. She turned to the assembled wolves and began talking. She talked about duty to pack, looking to the future, the importance of teaching our young, and was still going on ten minutes later when I realized she was babbling. I hadn't been paying any attention to anyone else, but I finally glanced over at Elisabeth, and she was looking at me pointedly.

Lara was nervous.

When she started in on yet another version of duty to the pack, I stood up. I walked to her, took her hand, and said simply, "Yes, Lara, I will marry you."

The assembled wolves immediately grew silent.

Lara turned to me. I saw a tear in her eye.

I suddenly wondered if she was filled with doubt. "If you still want me," I said more quietly.

She stared into my face, and the tear began to slide down her cheek, and with it, my own smile. "Oh god," I said.

I started to back away, but Lara reached out and pulled me into her arms, saying firmly, "Mine!"

The wolves weren't sure what was going on. Neither was I anymore. Lara held me tightly, then whispered into my ear, "Yes, I want you. Fourth Saturday in August?"

"Yes," I said back.

Lara turned to address the wolves. "Fourth Saturday in August. Here."

At that, the assembled wolves began to howl their pleasure. I buried one ear into Lara's chest, and she wrapped both her arms around my head, protecting my delicate hearing as best she could. She turned us so we could both see, me peeking out under her arm, and every single face was raised to the sky, howling, even that of the council members.

The howling went on for a goodly while, at first all the voices together, but then it morphed, voices coming in and out, the low male voices shifting into the higher female voices, modulating up and down. I hadn't heard them do that before. I shrugged Lara's arms off my ears so I could hear for a moment, then wrapped her arms around my head again. They were still loud, even though it was very beautiful.

The odd singing went on for a while, and then slowly voices began to drift out. As the sound grew to a manageable level for me, Lara stepped away from me, smiling at me, then she lifted her own face to the sky and began to howl, modulating her frequency. The other voices grew still, and only Lara was howling. She lowered her nose, still howling, and her gaze settled on Mr. Berg. He stood up, and the two of them howled together, shifting in and out, sometimes only Lara, sometimes only Mr. Berg, most of the time both of them.

I wondered if he was filling in for her father.

Lara looked at Elisabeth, and she immediately joined in, her voice fitting between Lara's and Mr. Berg's. Then Lara found Francesca, and she stood up, and her voice was higher than Lara's, Francesca substituting for Lara's mother. Then Lara looked at me.

I couldn't howl, and they had all laughed whenever I had tried in the past.

But then I heard two new voices, and I turned to see Angel climbing to her feet, pulling Scarlett with her. The two stepped forward, flanking me, each wrapping an arm around my waist, and it was clear they were singing my part for me.

They howled like that for a minute or two, then Lara looked into the assembled wolves, still howling when it was her part, but it was clear she was looking for someone. She finally located Eric and pulled him to his feet. When he began to howl, I understood he was taking the place a brother may have taken.

But I didn't have a father here, and I didn't have a brother or a mother. But Lara grabbed Rory. He didn't start howling but instead he walked until he was standing behind me. He put a hand on my shoulder, and then he joined in, an adoptive brother, at least for the duration of the song.

Scarlett stepped away from me, but put her hand on my shoulder, and she took a different place in the song, and I knew I had a sister. Angel stayed plastered to me, singing my part for me.

Lara was looking around, wondering who to fit as my father and my mother, but I caught her eye and smiled. I had her, and I had my friends. We could share Francesca as our stand in mother. We could share Ron Berg as our stand in farther. I held out my hand, and Lara came to me.

The voices began to drop out, one by one. Eric and Rory dropped out together, then Scarlett and Elisabeth. Ron Berg and Francesca, Lara and as my voice, Angel, continued to sing. And then Ron and Francesca dropped out, first growing quieter before becoming silent.

I realized then I was crying, and so was Lara, tears steaming down both our cheeks, and when I looked at Angel, she was crying too, right along with me. Lara stepped very close to me, looking down into my eyes, and slowly she and Angel grew quieter and quieter. And then their voices were still.

I turned to Angel, kissed her cheek, and said, "Thank you for being my voice, Angel."

I looked back to Lara. She pulled me into her arms and kissed me. The pack picked a human expression of approval this time, clapping enthusiastically.

Lara's kiss lasted a very long time, and then she hugged me. "I didn't have any doubts, Little Fox," she said. "I was just so nervous."

I squeezed her in understanding, and slowly she released me. I became aware of the people clustered around me. I hugged Angel again, offering another kiss to the cheek. Then I grabbed Scarlett. "You were my sister's voice?" I asked her.

"Yes. I'm sorry-"

"No." I interrupted. "I haven't had a sister in a very long time. I'd love to think of you and Angel as my little sisters. Thank you."

After that, I turned to Rory. He looked a little embarrassed. I pulled him into a hug. "You make a good brother," I told him.

"You realize a brother gets to tell his little sister what to do."

I laughed. "You're free to try, but you know I'll kick your ass."

He laughed and made a point of checking my wrists. I was still wearing my silver daggers. "I believe you," he said.

"I wouldn't use the silver ones on you," I told him. "The ones at my ankles are steel."

He laughed.

Elisabeth was next, and then Francesca and Mr. Berg. "Do I call you Ron now?"

He laughed. "I should have invited that some time ago."

Lara and I spent the remainder of the evening accepting our congratulations. I didn't notice a single false look. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased we were getting married. During a lull, I asked Lara about it. "Surely someone isn't happy the alpha is marrying a fox, and a female fox at that."

"They're wondering about pups," she said. "And kits."

"No kits, Lara."

"But-"

"You'd kill the fox that tried to mate with me," I told her.

"There are other ways."

"And I'm not bringing more foxes into this world, Lara. I won't do it. I will help you raise pups. But they better be conceived through those other ways you mentioned."

She laughed. "They will be."

Elisabeth disappeared for a while then reappeared, visiting briefly with wolf after wolf. They looked chagrined as she walked away from them. I watched when she found Scarlett and Angel. As soon as she moved away from them, they headed to Lara and me. "We actually lost money!" Angel said. "Worst kept secret in the history of the pack."

Lara laughed.

"Sorry, Angel," I said.

They moved away, and I said to Lara, "Please tell me Elisabeth is your best man, or whatever the title is going to be."

"Two maids of honor." Lara smiled. "Yes. You already asked Angel?"

"Yes. I assumed Elisabeth was already taken. I'd feel terrible if I'd guessed wrong, but I didn't think about it until later."

Eventually everyone who was going to congratulate us had done so. I pulled Lara towards our house. Reaching the front step, I held back as if I were waiting for her to open the door. When her back was turned towards me, I loosened my clothing and said, "Lara. Catch me."

I jumped away and shifted to fox, slipping out of my clothes easily and immediately bounding away, back towards all the other wolves.

Lara laughed, then I heard a chuff after she had shifted and began chasing me.

I was well amongst the pack by the time Lara was fully on my tail, but it only took her a few leaps to close most of the distance. I used the wolves, all of them still in human form, as obstacles for her, quickly searching for Elisabeth.

Everyone noticed the ruckus almost immediately. I thought some of them would try to help Lara, but Elisabeth said in a firm voice, "No interfering!"

I led her on a merry chase amongst the pack, weaving in and out of legs, hiding behind Vivian for a moment, ducking under a chair that Dominick was sitting in, and getting Lara tangled up in more than one wolf. I dashed behind Elisabeth then turned around and peered out from between her legs.

The pack was clearly amused by our antics.

Lara would catch me eventually. She would guess one of my feints and I wouldn't realize it in time to shift direction. But with this many obstacles, I thought I could keep this up for a while. Lara chased me out from behind Elisabeth, chuffing at me, and I ran her around for another minute. Then I heard her shift back to human. I dashed behind Ron Berg, looking around him at Lara.

"Michaela," she said. "Care to add a wager?"

I chuffed, offering a foxy affirmative.

"Think you can last five minutes?"

Easily. I chuffed twice.

"Does that mean you think you can last ten minutes?" she asked.

I growled at her.

"Okay, okay. Five minutes. If you're still free five minutes from now, you win one large favor from the alpha. If you lose, I get to pick your dress."

I stared at her, considering it, then chuffed agreement.

"You have to stay in this field, Michaela," she said. "No running away." I chuffed. "Ron, will you time it? Start it when I shift back to fur."

"Certainly," he said.

"Oh, one more thing," Lara said. "Anyone, twenty years old or younger, who can catch the fox and give her to me wins a favor from me. You'll share a favor if it's an assist in the catch, such as helping to corner her."

I stared at Lara. She cheats!

She grinned at me and shifted back to wolf, immediately leaping towards my position behind Ron.

"Five minutes!" he said immediately.

I scanned the crowd quickly. All the teenagers were looking at me, advancing towards me, even Angel and Scarlett. Oh shit.

I took off, dashing back and forth for all I was worth. Lara was closest on my tail, but the kids were all helping to herd me, cutting off my escape routes. Jeremy made a grab for me, then Derek. I headed straight for Angel. Time to see whose side she was really on. She crouched down, waiting for me, with Scarlett to her side, both of them holding their arms out.

I barked at them. Traitors!

Lara made a leap at me. I cut to the right, but Scarlett was right there. She got a hand in my fur, but I pulled away and dashed past her.

"Four minutes!" Ron yelled.

I ran around behind Elisabeth, who was bending down, laughing. I shifted to human. "Alpha! You cheat!" I yelled.

Lara shifted to human and said, "You have most of the pack helping you. I only recruited..." she counted. "Twelve of them." She continued to walk slowly towards me.

"Council ruling!" I yelled.

"Looks like a great game to me," said Vivian. "I think Angel and Scarlett are trying to sneak up on you, Michaela."

"Those two couldn't sneak up on an elephant," I said.

All the kids were fanned out, spread equally on either side, cutting off my routes of escape.

"Will you help?" I asked Elisabeth quietly.

She nodded, just once.

"Spread your legs for me. But when you feel my hands on your shoulders, stand straight up as quickly as you can."

She nodded again.

Lara got closer, and Elisabeth spread her legs very pointedly. Lara smiled, shifted to wolf, and sprang at the obvious opening. She should have known better.

I jumped onto Elisabeth's back, put my hands on her shoulders, and pulled, shifting to fox just as Elisabeth stood up. I leapt over Elisabeth.

Lara anticipated the move. The dash between Elisabeth's legs was a feint. She shifted back to human and snatched at me with her arms, but she hadn't anticipated the extra height from Elisabeth standing up, and I sailed, barely, over Lara's head, my back feet actually kicking against the back of her head at the end.

It was a very high jump for me, so I tucked and rolled then ran amongst the adult wolves. I received claps of approval at my leap, as well as continued laughter.

I ran them around for another minute, but it was clear I wasn't going to last the full five minutes.

"Three minutes," Ron called.

They'd herded me to the edge of the pack again, and I was basically out of obstacles to use. I backed up slowly, eying my options.

Little Kaylee and Thomas were trying to help. They were the youngest kids present and were standing together in the mix of kids to my right. Lara was stalking me slowly, and we both knew this was the end of the game. She chuffed at me, then paused. I looked at her, chuffed once good naturedly, and made a dash to the left.

Lara leapt to cut me off, and I immediately turned right, barely slipping past her, letting her trip me as I went past. I controlled my stumble and came to a rest immediately in front of Kaylee and Thomas. The two of them immediately pounced on me, and I offered only the most token of squirms until Lara bounded over, flipped me onto my back, and wrapped her jaws around my neck.

Kaylee and Thomas were jumping up and down saying, "We caught her! We caught her!"

I whimpered in submission to Lara, but she held me there until she had me firmly pinned to the ground.

If she let everyone lick me, I was going to bite someone.

She licked my face thoroughly before climbing off me. I climbed to my feet, licked her once, and chuffed. She nudged me and shifted to human. Francesca appeared, wrapping a blanket around Lara, then held out a second one for me. I shifted straight into the blanket, pulling it closed around me.

Weres weren't prudes about nudity, but still, I was always a little self-conscious about it.

"You cheat," I said quietly to Lara.

She pulled me into her arms. I went, somewhat reluctantly. She kissed my head and said equally quietly, "I never would have caught you."

"I was going to let you, eventually."

"Before the five minutes were over?"

"Well, no, of course not."

She laughed.

"I'm not accepting any future wagers with you, Lara," I said. "You cheat."

"Can we talk about it in private?"

"All right. But you cheat."

"That was a nice thing you did for Kaylee and Thomas."

"Do you think anyone else realized it was intentional?"

"Probably, but the kids don't."

"Tripping me almost blew it for me. I almost landed right at Derek's feet."

"Well done then," she said. She released me and turned to Kaylee and Thomas. "You two have earned a favor. A modest favor."

"A favor each?" Kaylee asked.

"Yes, Kaylee," Lara confirmed. "A favor each."

"All the big kids get to go kayaking," she said immediately. "I want to go, too!"

"Me too!" said Thomas.

"Oh Kaylee," Lara started to say.

"That's an excellent favor to ask, Kaylee!" I said. "Alpha, when are we going?"

Lara turned to me, her brow furrowed in concern, but she smoothed her features and said, "Let's see how the weather looks next weekend."

"It will have to be a quiet weekend," I said. "Not too much wind. So we'll have to watch the weather. You two might need to be patient."

"We get to go kayaking!" Kaylee said, jumping around. She found her mother. "Mommy! The alpha is taking us kayaking!"

Kaylee's mother looked nervous, offering me an expression I interpreted as "are you serious?" But I said simply, "It will be fine." She studied me for a moment then bent down and picked up her daughter.

"Yes," she said. "I heard. You will have to be an especially good girl and do everything exactly like the alpha or Michaela tell you."

"I will, Mommy," Kaylee said.

Lara and I separated for a few minutes, moving through the crowd. I had more than one friend tell me quietly, "Lara doesn't play fair."

"No," I agreed with each of them. "But it's all in fun."

One or two wolves told me, "That was a gracious way to lose, Michaela." Those I thanked.

I found Vivian. "A good game?" I asked her.

She smirked at me. "I had to back the alpha," she said quietly. "But it was a dirty trick. She never would have caught you without help."

"If she puts me in a horrible dress, I'll make all of you pay."

"What would constitute horrible?" Vivian asked.

"Something long and flowing," I said. "With lots of ruffles."

"I am sure you will be beautiful," Vivian replied.

I stared at her.

"You are marrying the alpha, Michaela. You can't wear a gunny sack. You will be beautiful, and you will be gracious. And if you can't be, then you are the wrong mate for the alpha."

I opened and closed my mouth repeatedly. She was looking at me kindly, but she was serious at the same time. "It's my wedding, too," I said finally.

"Probably shouldn't have abdicated planning it then," she said. "Or taken a wager you weren't willing to lose."

I sighed and turned away, but Vivian reached out a hand to my arm. "Think about what I said. If you can't resolve this for yourself, talk to me again, and I'll try to intercede."

I nodded, not looking at her, and scanned the crowd for my fiancé. She was talking to Elisabeth. I began moving in that direction. She saw me coming, finished the conversation with Elisabeth, then met me halfway. Lara took my hand and, without a word, began drawing me towards our house. We collected our clothes from the front steps and then ascended the stairs to our bedroom.

When we arrived at the bedroom, I dropped the blanket on the floor and stepped into the closet, pulling on the grubbiest-looking clothes I was willing to sleep in. When I stepped out, Lara looked at me, pursing her lips.

"You'll look beautiful, Michaela. I promise."

"I asked for two things. A simple ceremony and a simple but elegant dress."

She looked away, refusing to look me in the eye.

"I see," I said. "You are also training me not to trust you."

"What?"

"You repeatedly demonstrate to me you don't play fair. If I can't trust you on the little things, how am I supposed to trust you on the big things?"

She didn't respond. Nor did she look at me but instead stood there, staring into space, the blanket still wrapped around her. I picked up the one I had dropped and folded it, setting it aside where it could get returned to the supply cabinet later. I fetched a robe for Lara and exchanged it for her blanket, folding that one and adding it to mine. I considered it a peace offering, letting her know we'd be all right.

"Lara, I was almost ready to let you catch me when you made the wager. You were starting to get desperate, and I wouldn't have wanted anyone to get hurt."

She turned to face me. "I wouldn't hurt anyone."

"You play to win, Lara. I know that. I wouldn't embarrass you in front of the entire pack."

"You know I can't catch you like that. With fewer obstacles, yes, eventually, but not with that many. Not when I have to be careful."

"I won't be taking any more wagers with you," I said.

"Honey," she said. "It was all in fun."

"Yes, if you had won the wager fairly, or if you had won the game without first suckering me into a wager, yes, it would have been in fun."

I headed into the bathroom, closing the door in her face. When I returned, she was sitting on the bed, waiting for me.

"Little Fox," Lara said. "Are you willing to admit a few things?"

"Depends on what they are?"

"I love you."

I smiled. "Yes, I believe that."

"I am better at politics than you are."

I stared at her. "Politics."

"Yes."

"Explain where you are going, Lara."

"If you walk down the aisle in a fifty-thousand-dollar wedding dress, what will people think?"

I said in a small voice, "That I picked out a fifty-thousand-dollar wedding dress."

"And now?"

"That you picked out a fifty-thousand-dollar wedding dress to try to please me."

She laughed. "You were right up until the end. Do you think anyone is going to believe I picked the dress to please you?"

I sighed. "I hate it when I lose arguments!" I paused. "Is that really what you were thinking about?"

"Yes."

"Why does the dress need to be something horrible, Lara?"

"Who said it would be horrible?" she asked. "It needs to be elegant and expensive. That doesn't mean tasteless. Quite the contrary."

"It's my wedding too, Lara," I said. "And I don't want everyone saying, 'what a beautiful dress'. I want them saying, 'what a beautiful bride'."

"Well then," Lara said. "We are in agreement."

I looked at her critically for a while. "You promise?"

"I promise."

I moved closer, still not quite ready to forgive her.

"Now, about the way I won."

"Cheated!"

"I agree. I cheated."

"Ha! You admit it."

"Everyone there tonight knows I cheated. What message did I project when I cheated so obviously?"

"That you were willing to win at all costs, even the cost of pissing me off."

She smiled. "What else?"

I looked at her. "That you didn't think you could win without cheating."

She nodded. "What else."

"That you really, really wanted to pick my dress."

"Tell me, which of those do you have a problem with."

I didn't answer right away. Finally I said simply, "You suck."

She smiled, and I stepped into her waiting arms.

 **Paper**

The next several weeks went quickly. We took the kids kayaking using two-person kayaks. Kaylee rode with me; Thomas rode with Angel. The kids had a blast. I kept Lara close to me and Elisabeth near Angel, ready for immediate assistance in the exceedingly unlikely event either of us tipped over. We had no incidents.

The kids knew about the races and demanded a race. I did my best, but I wasn't willing to risk my usual tricks with kids in the boats, and Angel was much stronger than I was. She beat me easily, but she was kind and only won by a boat length.

I had been working steadily on the requirements for my high school diploma. I was thirty-one years old and earning my diploma, which was odd because I was already teaching the kids. I completed the entire math and sciences curriculum easily. Once I had completed those, Francesca had me start on English, business, and the social sciences: history, geography, and civics. She made me go slow at first.

"I want you to earn A's, Michaela." For the English, she had me read "Romeo and Juliette," and write two papers. I talked the play over during dinners with Francesca, and all the girls, and the papers were easy. After that I read, "To Kill a Mockingbird." At dinner the next night, I was quiet. I empathized deeply with Tom Robinson. Francesca tried three times to draw me out.

"What's wrong?" she finally asked.

"There are parallels between how he was treated and how some wolves treat the lesser weres," I said.

Every wolf at the table stared at me.

"She's right," Elisabeth said eventually.

"Can you write a paper on it?" Francesca asked.

"I don't know," I said. "It's a little close to home. I'll try."

In the end, I wrote the paper. It took me three nights. Francesca read the paper prior to dinner the next night, sitting at the table while the girls helped me make dinner. When I glanced over, there were tears in her eyes.

She read the paper out loud over dinner. I wasn't happy about that; I really didn't like thinking about it. Lara sat tight-lipped through the reading. The girls were very quiet, and I saw Scarlett brush tears away twice. Everyone sat quietly when Francesca finished reading. I had my head down, not saying anything, but I knew they were looking at me.

"Have you finished grading it?" Lara asked Francesca.

"It's an A paper," Francesca said. "Michaela, you write at a professional level. There are language features I need to teach you, and books you need to read, but unless you insist, I don't intend to have you write any further papers."

"May I have that?" Lara asked, pointing to my paper. Francesca looked to me, and I nodded. She handed the paper I'd written to Lara.

"My pack isn't innocent," Lara said.

I looked up at her. "No, but they're better than anywhere else I have been."

When I asked Lara about it later, she said simply, "I'm going to read it during council." I nodded, not saying anything further.

I got through the rest of the English requirements fairly quickly. I ended up writing a few more papers only to demonstrate my understanding of some of the language elements Francesca tried to teach me. After that, I attacked the social sciences. I breezed through most of it, needing only to study some of the American history and quite a bit more of the world history. Civics and geography were both easy.

By late June, I thought I'd completed everything. I handed in my final social sciences paper and sat through an oral geography quiz. Francesca asked me the final geography question, smiled at the answer, and said, "Congratulations." She marked down an A in my transcript.

"I'm done?" I asked. "That's it?"

"Almost."

"Almost?"

"I wouldn't suppose you have any demonstrated experience in the fine arts."

"Fine arts?"

"Art, dance, music, or theater."

"Growing up," I said. "We had a piano."

"Did you take lessons?"

"My mother taught my sister and me to play."

Francesca smiled. "Do you still remember?"

"It's been a long time."

She pulled me out of her office and to the music room. I'd seen it, but I'd never been in it. There was a grand piano to one side of the room. "Sit down," Francesca said, gesturing. "See what you remember."

I sat down. I hadn't touched a piano for a long time. I looked up at Francesca with sad eyes.

"Honey," she said. "You could always take the GED."

I looked down at the keyboard and let my fingers roam over the keys, reacquainting myself with their feel. This was a far finer piano than the simple upright Mother had owned.

I made random noise for a minute or two, then I played a portion of a song I remembered. I played about a third of it, but I couldn't remember the rest. "I'm sorry," I told Francesca. "That's all I remember."

"Can you read music?" she asked me gently. I nodded. Francesca went to a cabinet at the side of the room, rummaged through a drawer, and came back with some sheet music. She arranged it before me. I realized it was the piece I'd been playing. It was by Beethoven and called "Für Elise".

"I remember the name now," I said. "I remember it amused me. Fur. Like fox fur. Mother used to play it for Father."

I looked through the music, running my fingers over the keys, remembering the fingering. I began playing again. The song starts so beautiful, but there is a portion in the middle that is almost harsh. Then it turns beautiful again. I played it through, making a few small mistakes, but I kept going, just like mother had taught me.

When I finished, Francesca was smiling at me. "Do you remember any other pieces?" she asked. "Even only a portion?"

I played the first several measures of Brahms' "Lullabye." Again I faltered. Francesca retrieved music from the cabinet. I played the song, slowly and carefully. "Again," she said. I played it again, reaching what I thought was the right tempo. It was still a slow song, as it should be.

"What else?" she asked me.

I grinned at her and played the introduction to "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen. Francesca laughed and told me she'd have to find singers for me if I were going to play that.

I remembered smatterings of two more pieces. Francesca recognized one of them and found the music for me. It took me fifteen minutes before I was satisfied with it.

"Francesca," I said. "Do you know if Lara has a favorite piece?"

She smiled and found a copy of Pachelbel's "Canon in D". "Work on that, I'll be right back." She stepped out of the room, and I learned the piece she gave me. It wasn't difficult, and I played it through several times by the time she came back.

"In this school," Francesca said, "music students give a recital."

"I'm supposed to play for other people?" I asked. She nodded. "Please don't make me, Francesca. I'm not very good. Don't I embarrass myself around here enough?"

Francesca had left the door open, and I heard voices in the hallway. I glared at Francesca. "No. You didn't."

Angel and Scarlett walked into the room.

"Who did you call, Francesca?"

"Everyone," she said.

There were more voices, and soon all the kids from the school walked in, and shepherding them into the room were Lara, Elisabeth, Eric, Rory and Karen. I was watching the exit, wondering if I could get past them all without anyone noticing. Lara saw my expression and left Rory and Karen at the door with a quiet word. Then she walked right over to me and said, "So. You are full of surprises, Little Fox."

"Lara," I said. "Don't let her make me do this."

Lara exchanged a look with Francesca then she bent down and kissed me. "Break a leg," she said.

"What?" I said, shocked.

"You don't wish a performer good luck," Francesca said. "You wish them bad luck so you don't jinx them." Francesca fiddled with the sheet music then said, "Play them in that order."

"Francesca, I didn't think you would be one to set me up. I want to take the GED instead."

"Honey," she said. "Don't you trust me? Play them like you played them for me."

"I swear," I said. "I am going to teach your daughter to drink."

She laughed then turned around. "Thank you all for coming," she said. "We have a special treat today. Michaela is going to play a little music for us. Now, we've all heard the recitals offered by students attempting to squeak through their fine arts graduation requirements." She looked pointedly at Angel. "Now it's Michaela's turn."

She stepped to the side and began clapping. Everyone joined her while watching me expectantly. I sighed and turned to the piano.

Francesca had put "Für Elise" up first. I looked through the music once more then began playing.

I let the last note linger and fade, and when it was done, everyone was clapping enthusiastically. I thought that was nice of them. I'd made a few mistakes, and Mother used to play the piece far better than I just had.

I played the next two pieces, receiving more clapping in between each. Then came "Bohemian Rhapsody."

Francesca stood up. "We're all going to help with this one," she said. She passed out sheet music, and there were pleased expressions from most of the kids.

"I love this song!" Ava declared.

"We'll play just through the ballad," Francesca said. "Without a solo guitarist, the song loses something after that." Francesca walked over and tapped the music where I was to finish, and I nodded.

I began the introduction. It really is a fun piece to play. I put some emotion into it, thinking of Freddie Mercury for a moment, and then everyone began singing. I played through to the end of the vocal portion, allowed a pause, then played the conclusion, not exactly following Francesca's directions, but it sounded nice, even though I sang the last few words alone. "Any way the wind blows..."

When the last note faded, the room erupted as the kids cheered and high-fived each other. Lara was beaming at me. I thought it was misplaced. It's not that difficult a piece to play, although I had to admit I enjoyed playing it.

Francesca quieted the kids down, got them seated, and I said, "This next song shouldn't be played for another hour, but here goes." I played the "Lullabye," and as soon as the last note faded, I went straight into Pachelbel's "Canon in D."

I didn't notice until I was done, but Lara had moved down to stand beside me while I played the last song. When I finished, I stared at the keys. I'd made two mistakes, and I thought I could have put more passion into it.

"Honey?" Lara said. "Play that one again. For me."

I looked up at her, and she was smiling. So I played it once more, and this time I felt better about it. When I finished, I looked up at Lara. She bent down and kissed me deeply, and the rest of the room began their applause.

Kaylee said, "You're supposed to bow, Michaela!"

So I climbed from my seat. Lara backed away, and I made an awkward bow to the audience. "Please tell me I don't have to do that again," I told Francesca when the applause quieted down. "It was nice of you all to clap though."

"Michaela," Francesca said. "When did you take your first lesson?"

"I don't know. I was too young to remember. Maybe four or so."

"And how long did you take lessons?"

I looked away, sad. "My last lesson with my mother was two days before-" I couldn't finish. Before my mother had been killed.

"You were fourteen?" she asked. I nodded. "You haven't played since?" I shook my head. "Honey, the graduation requirement is one year of music. You've had ten or eleven. The pack has several professional musicians, but this school hasn't had a single student who took more music than was required. You just gave the best recital ever played in this room."

I smiled wanly. I didn't think I had played that well, but Lara was smiling broadly at me.

"We have one more thing we need to do," Francesca said, "then we can all go have our dinners." I hadn't been paying attention, but she was holding a manila file folder. "Alpha, I have something I'd like you to sign."

"All right," Lara said. Francesca handed her the folder. Lara looked at it for a moment, smiled at me, then found a flat surface and signed whatever was in the folder. She handed it back to Francesca.

"Michaela, will you play the Beethoven once more?"

"Do I have to?" I asked, whining. The kids snickered.

"Yes," said Lara.

I sighed, returned to the piano and played it. I accepted my applause then turned to Francesca. "Are you done torturing me?"

She grinned and nodded. "Michaela, our little omega fox," Francesca said. "I apologize if I am misjudging, but I believe you would not prefer a more elaborate ceremony." I offered a puzzled look, which she ignored. "Having completed the high school graduation requirements of the State of Wisconsin and the somewhat more stringent requirements of Wolf Run High School, I wish to congratulate you and offer this diploma." She handed me a beautiful leather-bound folder, and when I opened it, I discovered it contained a high school diploma with my name. Francesca and Lara had both signed it. I realized she had slipped the diploma into the leather folder while my back was turned, playing the Beethoven once more.

I stared at it. I knew this was what I had been working on, but I hadn't really thought about being finished, about ever holding so much as a high school diploma. I looked up at Francesca. "I really did it? This is real?"

"It's real, Michaela," she said.

"And it's about time!" said Angel, who immediately stood up and began clapping. Everyone else joined her. Kaylee ran forward and hugged me then ran back to her brothers, Alan and Jeremy.

I looked down at the diploma, reading every word. I stared where Francesca had written very clearly, "Michaela Redfur".

I looked at Lara, and she was beaming at me. I didn't think I deserved that smile. It was just a high school diploma. Everyone gets one, right? But I was proud. I turned back to Francesca. "Did I really earn this?"

"Yes, honey," she said. "Our requirements are for you to demonstrate competence in the material of each class. And you have demonstrated far, far more than basic competence. You earned it."

"Woo hoo!" Angel said. "A high school degree in three short months." She looked at Francesca. "Why do the rest of us need to go for four years?" There was laughter, and Francesca treated the question as rhetorical.

"Because," I said, "You don't want to miss my sailing class this summer."

"True," Angel said. "So true. Alpha, if I win the next pack night, is it too big a favor to ask the pack to buy a sailboat?"

Lara laughed. "You win, and we'll talk."

I tuned the rest of the conversation out but instead stared at my diploma. The conversation went on around me, and I received hugs I barely noticed, and then in the middle of things, I said, "I want a college degree."

The room grew silent.

"What?" asked Lara.

"Um. I want a college degree."

Lara grinned at me. "I rather thought you might say that."

 **Therapy**

I continued to meet with Vivian for my therapy twice a week. We varied the schedule and the location. Lara's involvement became less frequent as I grew more comfortable with Vivian.

Vivian told me right away this was going to take time. She told me I would need to confront my fears and my memories from the past. I couldn't continue to hide from them.

"I don't want to confront them," I said. "I want them to go away."

"How has that worked for you so far?" she asked. I didn't have an answer for her.

In some ways, it was easier for me when Lara was with me. When I started to panic, she could calm me down, and I was less likely to panic while she was holding me.

But in other ways, it was also easier when Lara wasn't there. There were things I didn't want to say in front of her. But Vivian had to be careful, because poking into my past always generated an overwhelming need to run and hide.

During one solo session, Vivian asked about my younger years. "What's your earliest memory?"

I thought about it. "I don't know."

"Sure you do. Think of a memory. Tell me about it."

"All right. I remember one night playing 'Für Elise' on the piano. Mother seemed pleased at how well I played, but I knew she played it far better than I did."

"'Für Elise' doesn't seem like an easy piece to play," Vivian suggested.

"It's not bad."

"Tell me about learning to play it."

I tried to think about learning to play the song. I tried to think about learning to play any song. I couldn't imagine I just sat down, looked at the music, and played it. But I couldn't remember struggling with any pieces. I made mistakes, and I remember mother giving Jean and me lessons.

"I don't remember," I told Vivian. "It was a long time ago."

"Of course. Did you play simple pieces on the piano?"

"'Für Elise' is simple."

"I mean children's songs. 'Mary Had a Little Lamb', for instance."

I smiled. "If a wolf played that song, wouldn't it be 'Mary Ate a Little Lamb'?"

"Perhaps. Tell me about the children's songs you played when you were younger."

"I suppose if Mary was a lesbian, and her girlfriend was really innocent and sweet, then maybe 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' would be the right words for a wolf."

Vivian didn't even crack a smile. "Michaela," she said firmly.

"Although I guess a dominant lesbian wolf still might prefer 'Mary Ate a Little Lamb'."

"Michaela!" Vivian said. I grinned at her. "Tell me about the children's songs you played when you first learned to play the piano."

"I don't want to talk about this, Vivian."

"Why not, Michaela? We're just talking about piano songs."

"I just don't," I said somewhat belligerently. I didn't look at her when I said it. "Aren't we almost done today? May I go?"

"In a minute," she replied. "Right after you tell me of a children's song you played."

I thought about it. "Fine. 'Brahm's Lullabye'."

"That's a very pretty piece. Can you envision yourself playing it?"

"Sure."

"Close your eyes," she said. "And imagine your fingers are on the piano keyboard. Can you show me how you play it?"

"All right," I said. "But this is silly." I placed my hands on my lap, thought about the piece, and began playing air piano, both hands moving through the notes and chords of the song for as much of it as I remembered. "I'm sorry, I used to have it memorized, but now I guess I need the sheet music."

"That's all right, Michaela. You did well." She handed me the box of tissues.

Vivian seemed preoccupied with my childhood. It seemed like she brought it up at every session. I had to hand it to her: she was at least as stubborn as I was.

She came to the compound for sessions sometimes. Lara would attend if she could, but she frequently had other duties. We had set up Vivian with an office in the school; it was small but quite comfortable.

"Did you ever have a boyfriend, Michaela?"

I looked at her. "You know I like girls, right?"

"Yes. But oftentimes teenage girls don't figure that out about themselves right away. Did you ever have a boyfriend?"

"I-" I stared at the floor. "I like girls."

"I know you do, Michaela. Tell me about your boyfriends."

I didn't look at her. "I like girls," I repeated again. I couldn't figure out why she always wanted to talk about all this ancient history. I looked up at her. "Nothing about my past matters," I said. "You're supposed to be helping me cope better, not dredge up things that are best forgotten."

"The best way to cope," Vivian said. "Is to confront the fears."

I glared at her. "The best way to confront the fears is with silver! You lure the fear into the trap. You kill the fear. Then you kill the memory of the fear." I punctuated my remarks with a slicing motion.

I looked up at her. "You're always trying to lure me into traps."

"No traps, Michaela. Why do you talk about fears when I asked about old boyfriends?"

I looked away. "I like girls."

"When you were young, did you have a crush on any boys?"

"I guess," I said. "Once. His name was Jimmy."

"Tell me about Jimmy," Vivian said.

"There isn't much to tell. He lived near our family, a valley or two further east. I used to watch him and wish-"

"Wish what?" Vivian said when I didn't continue.

"Nothing. Just that he liked me. I was very pretty, even at twelve. He should have liked me."

"When did you first meet Jimmy?" Vivian asked.

"I guess I always knew him," I told her. "I don't remember not knowing him."

"So you remember being twelve, and wanting him to be your boyfriend, but you don't remember meeting him?"

"He was older than I was," I said. "Do you remember the first time you met people you've known your entire life?"

"All right," she said. "What happened to Jimmy? Did he become your boyfriend?"

"No," I said. "He- Um. His family moved. I don't know where. One day they were there, the next day they were gone."

"Did your parents talk to you about why they moved?"

"No," I said. "We didn't talk about people who moved."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. We just didn't. I was twelve. I didn't ask my parents questions like that."

"Do you remember the last time you saw Jimmy?"

"Sure," I said. "I was- I'm not proud of this. I was spying on him."

"What was he doing while you were spying on him?"

"He was- I- I don't remember. I remember hiding in the tree. I was hiding. I didn't want them to see me."

"Them?"

"I hid in the tree and was very quiet, high in the tree where they wouldn't smell me."

"I thought foxes hunted by sound and sight," Vivian said.

"We do."

"Who were you hiding from, Michaela?" Vivian asked.

I began rocking back and forth in the chair, then pulled my feet underneath me and hugged my knees. I didn't answer her.

Vivian waited a while then asked, "That was the last time you saw Jimmy?"

"Yes," I said. "I watched him leave, and then I listened for a long time. And he went home. The next day they were gone."

"You were in a tree?" Vivian asked.

"Yes. I liked climbing trees."

"You still like climbing trees."

"Yes. Trees are safe."

"I imagine," she said. "What did you do when you climbed down from the tree?"

"I- I went home."

"Straight home."

"No, I don't think so. I had something to do. Then I went home and told Mom and Dad that Jimmy and his family had moved." I looked at her. "I was crying. He was the only boy I knew, I guess."

"What did your parents say?"

"Mom wouldn't hug me at first. She made me take a bath. I was dirty. The water turned dark brown. Then while I was in the tub she told me over and over never to talk about it. To forget it happened."

"To forget Jimmy moved?"

I looked away. "I guess."

"What did you do between climbing down from the tree and going home," Vivian asked. Her eyes were boring into me, evil wolf eyes, and I couldn't tell her. She was wolf. I couldn't tell her.

"Nothing," I said in a small voice. "Daddy did it." I began rocking. "Daddy did it. It wasn't me. Daddy did it."

"Honey. Michaela."

"Secrets! Don't remember. Don't remember. Mommy said don't remember! Don't remember. Don't remember." I began keening and rocking back and forth. Vivian leaned forward and I shrunk further into the chair. "No! Don't think about it. Don't remember!"

I don't know what else I said. Lara wasn't there, and then she was. I tried to pull away from her, screaming, "No! Secrets! My secrets!"

And then I was in Lara's strong arms. She pulled my face to her, and I buried my nose, breathing deeply.

"What set this off?" she asked Vivian.

"No!" I said. "My secrets!" I glared at Vivian. "You can't tell my secrets! I won't tell my secrets!"

I tried pulling away from Lara. I needed to run away, run away before she found out. She couldn't find out, but Vivian wanted to make me tell.

But Lara held me tightly, not letting me go, and I began keening again.

"Shhh," she said. "Shhh. Michaela, shhh... No one is asking any more questions today."

It took her a long time to calm me down. Finally I apologized to Vivian. "I'm sorry. I guess I just really miss Jimmy and his family."

"You're an amazing woman, Michaela," Vivian said. "You've been so brave."

"No," I said. "Foxes aren't brave. We're just very good at hiding. But it's kind of you to say so." I allowed Lara to lead me home.

I refused to see Vivian for our next meeting. For the one after that, I scheduled a conference with Scarlett's parents to talk about her academic progress. She was doing amazingly well, and I thought it was important for them to know.

I cancelled the third meeting, claiming I had too much grading to do.

Lara stopped by my office in the school. I looked up to see her standing in the doorway. "Hey," I said. "I wasn't expecting to see you until later."

"I finished early. Walk with me?"

"I have all this grading," I said.

"Short walk."

"All right," I said. I came around my desk and folded myself into her arms first, accepting a strong hug and brief kiss. Then she wrapped an arm around me and pulled me out into the hallway.

Elisabeth was there. So were Karen, Eric and Rory. The latter three were in fur.

"I don't have time for a run," I said.

"Just a walk," Lara said. She pulled me to the entrance. The other wolves followed us in flanking positions, keeping a respectful distance, but clearly on protective duty.

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Nothing."

"Then why do we have such a sizeable protective detail in our own compound?"

"Don't worry about them," she said. "Walk with me."

She led me across the courtyard to our athletic field. We wandered the field; it felt aimless. The enforcers followed us at a careful distance, and it was making me nervous.

"What's going on, Lara?" I asked. "Whatever you have to tell me: just spit it out."

"There's nothing to tell. I had a few minutes and I wanted to spend them with you."

She was full of shit, but it was clear she'd tell me in her own time. I told her she was full of shit, then bumped her with my hip so she knew I was okay. She squeezed my shoulder with her arm, and we walked around quietly, not talking.

Finally she led me back to the school. But instead of bringing me to my office, we went upstairs, the enforcers flanking us.

I didn't realize where she was leading me until we were standing outside Vivian's office door. I looked up at her. I looked at the enforcers. They were between me and the exits.

"Shitty trick, Lara," I told her.

"I know."

"No one is supposed to know about this," I said.

"No one does," Lara replied.

"Well they do now."

"No. I told them to escort me around for a while, that there was something troubling me, and I couldn't figure it out, and just to give me some time."

"But they're here so I won't run."

"Yes," she confirmed.

"And they know that?"

"No, but if you run, I'll order them to stop you. And then they'll find out."

"Lara, don't make me do this. I don't want to talk to her."

"Then don't. Go in and stare at her for a while, then leave."

I glanced at the enforcers. "Do I have a choice?"

"Please, Michaela," Lara said. "Don't think of it that way. Go in. Talk. Don't talk. Tell her what you had for breakfast. Tell her you're mad at me for tricking you. I don't care. But you need to keep seeing her, and you know it."

"She isn't helping. She's delving into things that are best forgotten."

Lara kissed me on the forehead then pulled me forward and opened the door, gently ushering me inside.

"How long do I have to stay?"

"Half hour," she said.

"Fine," I said. "But you're not getting any tonight."

I pulled out of her arm, stepped into the room, and plopped down in the chair, sulking. The door closed behind me, and I heard the wolves in the hall walk away. I glanced over my shoulder at the door.

"She'll bring you back," Vivian said.

I turned to face her. "I don't want to talk to you anymore."

"I know." She looked at me sadly. "Will you talk to me about your house?"

"My house?"

She nodded. "Yes. I gather you are very proud of it, although you don't ever really say so."

"You don't really want to know about my house," I said.

"Why not?"

I looked into her face. "Will you answer some of my questions for once?"

"You can ask," she said. "I may not have answers for you."

"Are you a good psychiatrist?"

"I believe so," she said.

"And a psychiatrist is a type of medical doctor. You went to med school." She nodded. "You have patients that pay you."

"I can't talk about my other patients," she said immediately.

"I'm not asking about anyone in particular, just in general. You have patients that pay you."

"Yes. And I supervise a group of psychologists."

"So, you make the same kind of money a doctor makes."

"I am a doctor."

"That's evasive. You know what I'm trying to ask."

"Yes, I make the kind of money you expect."

"How much did you make last year."

"Michaela," she said. "I'm not going to talk about that."

"I made thirty-one thousand dollars last year," I said. "That's pretty good for a public servant without a high school diploma. Francesca said I'll make thirty-eight beginning next school year and more if I get a four-year degree. I bet you make ten or even twenty times that much."

She looked away. I'd never gotten her to look away before.

"More," I said.

"Yes, if you count investments."

"In one month, you make more than I paid for my house," I said. "I've done a lot on it in the eight years I've had it, so it's worth more than that, maybe even two months' salary for you. And you want to hear about my house? You don't care about my house. Why aren't you being honest with me?"

"I want to hear you tell me about your house," she said, looking straight at me. "And that's the truth."

I stared at her for a minute. I didn't trust her. "So, I start talking about my house, and then you ask a few harmless questions. And then you're going to ask about the places I lived before."

"No. Unless you bring it up, I don't intend to talk about anything from before you moved to Bayfield. Can we talk about your house, and Bayfield?"

"No tricks?"

"No tricks."

"All right," I said. "We can talk about my house, and about Bayfield. I'll even talk about the Apostle Islands, if you like."

"I would like that," she said. "Will you tell me about buying your house?"

"All right," I agreed. "I'd had my job for a while, and I was saving all my money. Robert and Virginia helped."

"Who are they?"

"Bree's parents. Bree is the girl I saved. I think you know about that."

She nodded.

"So, they helped. I didn't know much about money then, but Virginia declared me a fast learner. One evening over dinner, I told them I hoped I could buy my own house one day. And Robert said I could, and it didn't need to be 'one day'. It could be 'next week' if I really wanted."

I sighed, remembering. "I didn't know what he was talking about. I didn't have anywhere near enough money for a house, even a really bad house. He told me about loans. I laughed and told him no one would loan me money. He assured me they would. He said, 'you have a good job and good references', and then he if necessary, he would co-sign a loan with me as long as I was sure I could make the payments."

"That was very generous," Vivian said.

"Have you always had money, Vivian?"

"Yes."

"So it's difficult for you to imagine not having money, I bet. Not having a home."

"Yes, it is."

"I didn't want his help," I told her. "I stayed late at work the next night and researched buying houses, loans, and everything. I saw that you need a credit rating, and I didn't have one. I hadn't done anything to build one. But I started wondering what a house would cost. I was living in a little apartment in Ashland, but I already knew I liked Bayfield better. So that weekend I found a realtor. I told her I didn't have much money, but I just wanted to know what houses cost. She told me if I promised to come back to her when I was ready to get serious, she'd give me a tour of what was available."

I sat back, remembering. "She started with expensive houses. Not expensive for you, but far too expensive for me, even now. Then she showed me more modest houses. They were cute, I guess. I asked her to show me the cheapest houses available. So she showed me some trailer homes, but I didn't like those at all. They looked like they would fall apart, and I wasn't going to spend my money on something that wasn't going to last."

"Very prudent," Vivian said.

"You really don't care about any of this."

"Yes, Michaela, I do. Please keep going."

"I told her no more trailers, but if she had any other cheap houses to show me, I wanted to see them. She said, 'I have one, but it is in really bad shape, and you wouldn't want it.' But I asked her to show it to me anyway. She was right. It was in really bad shape. The garage was falling apart, and I was afraid to even go in or lean against it. The yard was filled with weeds, there were boarded-over windows, and there were vermin in the attic; I could hear them scampering around."

"Yuck," she said.

"Yeah. The roof leaked, the basement leaked, the plumbing leaked. Well, you get the idea."

"So you bought it."

"Yeah. It had been on the market a long time. The previous owner had died and it now belonged to some distant relative from Minneapolis. They'd never even seen it and certainly hadn't put any effort into making it presentable. So I asked Julie, my agent, 'Do you just pay the asking price?' And she said, 'Oh no, you can make an offer.' So I told her, 'I bet this property is on the verge of being condemned. The house isn't worth a dime, and the proper selling price is whatever the value of the lot is minus what it would take to tear down both structures and haul everything away.' Julie smiled and told me that was about right."

Vivian was smiling. "I've seen your house, Michaela. The description you just offered doesn't remotely describe your house now."

"I know. But I didn't have enough money to buy even the lot the house was on. So I invited myself to dinner at Robert and Virginia's and asked them if they were serious about helping me. They went to see the house with me the next afternoon. Virginia took one look and didn't want to go inside. Robert went in with Julie and me, and he examined the entire house very carefully. Then he said, 'Let's go to dinner and talk about it.' And I was sure he was going to tell me I was being very foolish, and that I had disappointed him by even suggesting this house."

"But that's not what happened," Vivian said.

"No. He outlined everything that was wrong with the house. He had taken notes. And he told me what was right about it, too. The basic structure was still sound. The foundation seemed sound. And he said, 'Everything can be fixed. It would be a lot of work, and some of it might be expensive.' He told me what I would have to do first - the various forms of water leaks. I asked him if I had to hire someone or, if I learned how, could I do it myself. He said I could do it myself, but I would need building permits for some of it and some of the supplies would be expensive."

"It's hard to get a loan for a house in that condition," Vivian said. "Even with an excellent credit rating."

"That's what he said next. Then he told me to go to the bathroom."

"He wanted to talk to Virginia."

"Yes. I came back and they told me they were strongly encouraging me to look for another house. That the only way I could buy this house was if I were willing to do an awful lot of work, and I'd have to do it myself. 'Darling,' Virginia told me. 'This is a good house for someone who works in construction and knows how to fix it.' I told them I was willing to learn, that I could do anything I set my mind to, but I understood they wouldn't recommend such a risk. Then they looked at each other and Virginia said, 'You won't be able to get a bank loan, Darling. We'll have to loan you the money.' I couldn't believe they were willing to do that."

"You saved their daughter, though. They would have done anything for you."

"Yes, but they weren't going to let me be foolish. Robert told me there would be strings. The first string was I had to fix the roof immediately, and that I would have to either hire a professional to do it or accept help. And there were other things I had to do immediately, and he didn't think I could learn to do all of them at once."

I started to cry. "They loaned me the money. And they loaned me extra money to pay for the repairs I would need to do right away. They were going to do it without interest, but I insisted on paying what the bank in town was charging. They offered a twenty-year loan, but I wanted ten, and I paid them off in four. I hunted nearly all my food for four years, but I paid them off in four years. I did all my repairs myself, but Robert insisted I had to accept help for the roof, and I had to do it the weekend after I moved in. I thought he'd come over and show me what to do. But instead he, Virginia and Bree came. And his brother and nephew. Virginia's father was there, and a cousin. The cousin was a contractor, and he brought all these tools with him. He got all of us going, and then he disappeared. Later I found him inside, and he was fixing the plumbing. By the end of the weekend, we had fixed the things Robert told me I had to do right away. And the cousin had done a complete inventory of the entire house, telling me everything I had to do and how to figure out how to do it."

I dried my tears. "Robert and Virginia gave me a house warming gift. They bought home repair books, several of them, plus all the basic tools I would need. Hammers, screwdrivers, saws, all that stuff."

I sat up straight. "But after that, I did the rest. I fixed everything. The walls were plaster, but they were rotted from water damage, so I stripped them, one room at a time, and replaced them with drywall. I didn't want to work with plaster, but drywall seemed easy. I painted, I learned how to fix the electrical. I replaced both toilets." I paused. "Well, you get the idea. I spent years fixing the house, making repairs and improvements as I could afford to pay for the materials."

"You have a right to be very proud," Vivian said. "I've never done anything like that. Neither has Lara."

"You don't have to," I said.

"No," she said. "But you did, and you did an amazing job. You should be proud."

"I am, I guess, but it's not like millions of people don't do the same things I did."

"That doesn't belittle the accomplishment," she said.

"I guess."

I had been talking for a long time. "Why did you want to know all that?"

"Because it's part of who you are. And maybe I suspected some of the story, and I wanted you to remind yourself of what you've accomplished."

There was more. "And you don't want me to avoid you anymore."

"No," she agreed. "I don't want you to avoid me anymore."

"All right," I said. "I won't make up any fake excuses anymore."

She smiled. "Good."

"No, I'll make sure I have real ones."

"Michaela-"

"Teasing!" I said. "You're always so serious."

I didn't avoid Vivian anymore. Some days were harder than others. Some days I'd arrive for our session, and I would tell her, "I am having a bad day," and we would talk about Bayfield, or how I felt about Lara, or whether I felt I was integrating in with the pack. One day she tried to get me to brag about all the ways I lose the wolves when we're playing our games out in the woods, but I fed her a line of bullshit a mile wide. She knew I was doing it but kept a straight face the entire time. When we got done that day, she asked, "Was a single word of that true?"

I laughed and replied, "I'm sure if you rearranged the words very, very carefully, you might arrive at something resembling the truth."

And, slowly, I told her the things she wanted to know. She pursed her lips a lot, and I thought perhaps she didn't believe me. Nothing about telling her any of the things she asked made me feel better.

But every morning, Lara told me, "Today, with me, you are safe." And she would pull me into her strong arms and make sure I knew how much she loved me. And that helped.

I started to wonder whether when she promised to keep me safe forever, it might actually happen. But I knew it wouldn't.

But for now, for the first time in my life, I felt safe.

 **Shopping**

The summer continued to zoom past. Lara acquired more land near Bayfield and was working with a team of architects. We wouldn't start building until next year. I was worried that meant I wouldn't see much of Bayfield, but we ended up spending far more time up there than I expected.

The school was a year round program, although the summer sessions offered a reduced workload. All my kids, except Chelsea, were now juniors or seniors, and they'd had a year of biology, so I taught an introduction to marine biology class as well as math. The rest of the summer's studies were devoted to hands-on classes, including a month-long introduction to sailing. The kids loved it.

So did I. I had never captained a sailboat before. By the end, I decided if I had my choice, I would still rather be in my kayak, but the sailboat was great fun, too.

Lara took me dress shopping. We made a party of it with Elisabeth and Angel coming along. Elisabeth pulled me aside as we were piling into the cars.

"This is important to her, Michaela," she told me quietly. "You're already acting sullen. I don't get it."

I looked away, gathering my thoughts.

"Well?" she asked me, moving into my line of vision.

"It's the fuss, Elisabeth," I said. "I've lived this long by avoiding notice. It's not my nature to seek attention. And she pretty much told me she's going to spend an insane amount of money on my dress. If I had my way, we'd have a simple ceremony with about fifteen people in attendance and I'd wear a dress I might actually wear again some day."

"All right," she responded. "I can understand. Michaela, you realize, you are marrying the alpha. Not just Lara. You're marrying two people at once. You understand that."

"Yes."

"Do you like that she's the alpha?"

I'd never thought about it like that. "I'd marry her either way," I said.

"But do you like that she's the alpha?" Elisabeth asked again. "Michaela, I've watched you when she goes all alpha. Your eyes shine with pride. And as alpha, she makes you safer than she would if she were an enforcer and Ron Berg were alpha instead."

I looked into Elisabeth's eyes, then glanced over at Lara. I caught her watching Elisabeth and me, but she looked away when I caught her looking. Lara was tall and strong, and I felt safe in her arms, and some of that safety was because Elisabeth was right; Lara was the alpha.

"You're right," I said. "I like that she's the alpha, and I'll do anything to keep her there!"

Elisabeth smiled. "Good. Marrying the alpha means you have responsibilities. And you can either accept those wholeheartedly or you can be miserable."

"And that includes politics." I said the last word with a certain amount of disdain.

"Yes."

"And being visible." I said that word with even more disdain.

"Yes."

"But there are perks, too," I said.

"Yes."

"And I should enjoy those as compensation for the responsibilities."

"Yes."

I hugged Elisabeth. "Do you think Scarlett and Francesca should be joining us?"

She laughed. "Yes."

"Angel!" I said loudly. "Do you think Scarlett would like to join us? And perhaps also the alpha's aunt?"

Angel turned to me with a smile. "I know Scarlett wanted to go, and I think Mom did too."

"Call them, please," I told her.

She pulled out her phone and turned away.

"Tell them they have time to dress," Lara said. "But to be quick if they can."

Five minutes later, Scarlett and Francesca came out of the school together. Scarlett was dressed like a teenager, Francesca like a school teacher. Scarlett ran over. Elisabeth intercepted her, spoke to her quietly, and she ran off. Francesca walked straight to me. "So not only do you think you can drop your teaching duties for a day, but you think I can too?"

"Um-"

She grinned. "Thank you for inviting me. I had already arranged for Hadley Smith and Harper Armstrong to teach today." Then, right in front of me, she made adjustments to her clothing, and she went from prim school teacher to surrogate mother of the bride.

Scarlett took ten minutes, but when she returned, it was a complete transformation. I didn't notice her at first, but instead I saw Angel staring and smiling. When I followed her gaze, I saw Scarlett walking straight towards her wearing a simple white blouse with a bit of lace peeking out over the top and a black skirt. She was wearing tennis shoes but carrying a pair of low heels and a stylish purse.

She walked straight to Angel and kissed her briefly then turned to Elisabeth. "Better?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said.

I sidled under Lara's arm, kissed her cheek, and said, "There's going to be another wedding in a year or two."

"No," she told me quietly. "They'll both finish college first. I already talked to them. But other than timing, I think you're right."

We took the limo.

"We need a designated driver," Elisabeth said.

"The girls are too young to drink," I pointed out.

"Not today they aren't," Lara said.

Karen drove them limo, but Lara asked Eric and Rory to take a second SUV.

"For the record," I said, once we set out. "I am not trying on dresses in front of the guys."

I earned chuckles and assurances they would be stuck outside the shop and probably bored silly.

"They won't be bored," Karen said. "We undoubtedly won't be the only people shopping today, and there's going to be some single bridesmaid hitting on them, or some mother of the bride trying to hook them up with some daughter or niece."

I laughed. "Oh my god," I said. "Someone get video of that!"

"I won't have video," Karen said. "But I put a bug in both their pockets. We'll have audio. I'm recording it."

"Are you serious?" I asked.

She fished her phone out of her suit pocket and handed it back to us. "Elisabeth," she said. "Eric is 71. Rory is 89." Lara took the phone and handed it to Elisabeth. Elisabeth punched buttons on the phone, and then we heard Eric's voice.

"She's just so hot," he was saying.

"I know," Rory agreed. "If you mess up with her, I'm next in line."

"Oh my god!" said Angel. "Whom are they talking about?"

"Shhhh!" I said.

"Turn it off," Lara said. Elisabeth immediately silenced the phone. There was a round of complaints. "I know," she said. "And I would have loved to hear the rest of that conversation myself, but think about how all of you would feel if it were you. Worse, there's the distinct possibility they're talking about someone currently in the car, and I don't think this is how she should find out both of them are interested in her."

I looked back and forth between Karen and Elisabeth and realized they were both amazing catches.

"Don't look at me!" said Elisabeth. "I'm taken."

I stared at her. "Who?" I demanded.

"My job."

"Enforcer!" Lara said.

"Alpha?"

"If you are asked out on a date by someone you find attractive, You. Will. Go."

Everyone in the car laughed, everyone except Elisabeth.

"Lara."

"You heard the alpha," I told her sweetly.

"Yes, Alpha," she said meekly. But she was glaring at her sister. "Little Fox, I can't wait to see you in some frilly dress."

I immediately went into air head mode. "Me, either! It will be, I mean, just so super! And you're going to look lovely in the bridesmaid dresses I pick out, with a big bow right over your butt."

The car grew immediately silent. Elisabeth stared at me. "You. Wouldn't. Dare."

I smiled sweetly at her.

"Alpha, will you be wearing a tux?" Elisabeth asked.

"Yes," Lara said.

"Then I believe I will also be wearing a tux," Elisabeth said.

I immediately said, "Lara, I will cheerfully wear any dress you pick as long as I get to pick the bridesmaid's dresses."

"Elisabeth, you'll be wearing whatever Michaela picks for you."

I smiled sweetly at Elisabeth. "Let's see," I said. "There's the time you helped stuff me into a cage. And there's the times you wouldn't let me go outside just because I had a silly concussion. And there's the time you helped Lara trick me into that wager about fighting her instead of Eric or Rory. And there are all those times you licked me knowing how much I hate being licked." Elisabeth's expression filled with horror. "Big. Ass. Bow." I said.

"Oh god," she said.

"Michaela," said Angel from the back seat. "Please don't make me wear a bow on my butt."

I turned around to look at her. Scarlett was smirking. "You look familiar," I told Angel. I snapped my fingers. "Now I remember. You're one of the people who helped the alpha cheat during a recent game of catch the fox."

"But-" she said. "But-"

Scarlett's smirk grew even wider. I turned to her. "Don't think I have forgotten your role. I suppose you think you're going to my wedding as my maid of honor's date."

Scarlett's expression froze.

"I believe that means I get to pick your dress, too."

I turned around and settled into my seat. I grabbed Lara's arm and wrapped it over my shoulder. "Ahhh," I said. "The day is looking up already."

Karen snickered from the front seat. "I heard that, enforcer!" Elisabeth said.

I glanced up at Lara. She was holding a straight face, barely. I winked at her before settling more firmly against her.

We finally reached the bridal dress shop. It was a human establishment. They were expecting us. We parked in the lot and climbed out of the cars, the enforcers establishing a perimeter before they would let the rest of us out of the car. I thought it was an unnecessary amount of caution, but I didn't say anything.

We climbed out, and I took Lara's hand. She leaned down and whispered to me, "Are you really going to make Elisabeth wear a dress?"

I turned and spoke into Lara's ear. "No way. She'd look ridiculous. Tux, right?" Lara nodded. "She'll look stunning," I added.

As a group we began moving towards the shop entrance. Angel and Scarlett caught up to me and pulled me to a stop. "Please, Michaela," Angel said. "I'll wear a dress, but please!"

"You're going to look so cute," I told her. "You too, Scarlett. Don't worry, though. Lara's paying for everything."

Lara stiffened for a moment then began to chuckle. "Right," she said. Then she took my arm and drew me to the store. "Having fun?" she asked me quietly.

"Yes," I said. "Was that last bit too far?"

"It would have been, except neither of them can afford a new dress. You were absolutely right."

"I'll pay for their dresses," I said. "But I can't afford to pay for mine."

She looked over at me. "It's all right," she said.

"No, I want to." She nodded and smiled.

I stopped us outside the door. "Who has a camera?"

I couldn't believe it. No one had brought a camera. "I have my phone," Angel said. Everyone had a camera on her phone.

"Hand them over," I said. "Every single one."

"What?" said Karen.

"Hand them over," I said. "The only person taking pictures today is me. Give, or we can all turn around right now."

Lara was the first to hand me her phone. Karen and Francesca immediately handed me their phones, and my hands began to fill up. "Wait," I said. I looked around. Scarlett was the only one carrying a purse, and it looked like it might barely be large enough to hold all the phones. "You!" I said. "Can I trust you?"

She nodded.

"Put these in your purse," I said. And one by one, we put everyone's phone in Scarlett's purse except my own. I closed the purse myself and said, "If your purse rings, you will hand it to me. If you do so much as open that clasp, I will-" I tried to think of a good threat.

"It's best to leave your threats unstated," Elisabeth said. "It gives you more options later." Elisabeth looked at Scarlett. "No games. I can't tell if she's serious about the dresses, but she's serious about the pictures."

Scarlett nodded. "I'll keep them safe," she said.

"Thank you, Scarlett," I said, smiling.

And then we stepped inside.

We were met immediately by a woman named Georgia. She approached the wolves slowly, eyeing them up and down carefully. I thought perhaps she was intimidated by their Amazonian physiques. But then she saw me, the diminutive fox, and she smiled broadly.

"I am Michaela Redfur," I said, stepping forward to shake her hand.

Georgia looked at me then looked at the women clustered around me. I was wearing flats, which meant I was just barely five feet tall. I smiled. "I know, they're intimidating, aren't they?" I clutched at Lara's arm. "This is Lara Burns, my fiancé. She will be picking my dress, and hers is the only opinion that matters."

"The bride-" Georgia started to say.

"I know, but I lost a little wager. Even if she cheated. So you are to ignore anything I say about any of the bridal dresses. Lara's opinion is the one that matters. Lara will be wearing a tuxedo. We haven't talked about your shop, so I don't know. Is this where we're also getting Lara's tux?"

"Yes," Lara said.

"Georgia, I presume you can fit my future wife in a tuxedo that will properly display her feminine features and amazing body."

Georgia smiled. "Absolutely."

"Good. Lara gets to pick my dress, but I get to pick everyone else's outfit." I introduced Elisabeth next. "Elisabeth is going to look lovely in the bridesmaid dress I pick for her. I think some frills here." I gestured to Elisabeth's chest. "I want to see some proper cleavage. And to help add some feminine curves, a big bow right here." I patted Elisabeth's lower back.

Georgia's face grew tight. "I'm not sure-"

I made sure Elisabeth couldn't see, and I winked at Georgia, then I stamped my foot. "I am the bride! It is my wedding!"

"Yes, of course," Georgia said.

Elisabeth growled at me, quietly enough only I could hear.

I introduced Angel next, indicating her dress should complement Elisabeth's, also with a big bow. Angel looked glum.

Francesca was next. "Francesca is Lara and Elisabeth's aunt, but I hope she will serve as surrogate mother to both brides."

Francesca wasn't expecting that, and I watched her reaction. It took a moment, but then she smiled warmly. "Michaela-"

"Will you?" I asked her.

She nodded. "Yes."

"She'll need an appropriate dress," I said. "No bow."

"Thank god," Francesca said.

Scarlett was last. "Scarlett will be attending as Angel's date," I explained. "She doesn't need a bridesmaid dress, but I'd like to see her in something sleek and elegant that releases her natural beauty. Do we get that here as well or will you send us elsewhere?"

"I am certain we can dress Scarlett," Georgia assured me.

"All right," I said. I released Lara's arm and crossed to Georgia, putting my arm around her. "Let's you and I talk tuxedos." I pulled her away, and when the rest of the women tried to follow us, I glared at them. I pulled Georgia as far away as I could then said very quietly, "From my size compared to theirs, you can guess I am the one who gets picked on. They've all be teasing me lately. Will you help me tease them back?"

"Please tell me you aren't going to make the bridesmaids dress like that."

"Elisabeth in a tux to complement Lara's. Angel in a dress to complement mine."

Georgia smiled. "I'm sure we can mock together several hideous examples before you let them off the hook."

"I think I'm going to like you," I told her. "I want pictures of Elisabeth wearing something horrible. I know her size will be a challenge."

"To be clear, I will not actually make anything horrible."

I laughed. "I wouldn't want you to. I love my future sister-in-law. But she is due some payback."

Georgia laughed lightly.

"How does this work?" I asked her.

"We have a lounge waiting for you," she said. "We'll bring dresses in. There's a screen for you to dress behind. Normally we pick the bride's dress first, then everything to complement."

"All right, but I want to torture Elisabeth first, while I'm fresh enough to enjoy it."

Georgia moved all of us into a large, comfortable lounge. The decor was white, and there was a large sectional sofa for us to lounge on. One of her assistants poured champagne for each of us; they weren't sure what to do about Scarlett and Angel. Lara took care of that by taking my glass from me and handing it to Angel, handing hers to Scarlett, and the assistant poured new glasses for us.

"Let's start with the bridesmaids' dresses then," Georgia announced, once we were comfortable. I was curled up next to Lara and pretending to ignore the looks Elisabeth was giving me. "If you two would both stand up, please."

"Please don't make me wear a bow on my butt," Angel said.

"Be a good scout," Lara told her.

"Yes, Lara," Angel said.

Georgia walked around both of them. Assistants came forward and took their measurements. "We will get more exact measurements later; these will serve for the samples we bring forth. If you ladies will relax for a few minutes, we can bring out the first dresses."

Georgia and her assistants stepped away. Elisabeth and Angel conferred. "She wouldn't really," Angel asked.

"I don't know," Elisabeth said.

Scarlett's purse rang, and I reached out my hand. Scarlett dug through the purse, found the offending phone, and handed it to me.

"That's mine," Francesca said, and I immediately passed it to her, but I kept an eye on the phone. She spoke for a minute or two then handed the phone back to Scarlett. I watched it go back into the purse.

Georgia came back several minutes later, her assistants in tow. They were wheeling a rack with dresses on it. Georgia pulled out the first. "We don't have these in either of their sizes, but we have a few others they can try on shortly. Now, here is our first recommendation." She pulled a dress off the rack. It wasn't horrid. Not really. Georgia described the dress and showed off the bow, prominently displayed on the back.

"Can you hold it up in front of Angel?" I asked.

"Of course."

I pursed my lips. "Hmm. I like the bow," I said. "But I think something a little frillier across the chest."

If looks could kill, I'd have been dead right there.

The dress went back. The next one had a frilly chest, and it was horrid, but there was no bow. Georgia showed us each of the dresses, each more horrible than the last. I commented on what I liked and didn't like for each, and I took what were already horrible dresses and made them worse. Angel at least was willing to wear a dress, but Elisabeth had donned a permanent scowl and I could hear her heart pounding in her chest.

"You know, Georgia, I think I need to see them wearing something. Can you help with that? I know their sizes are somewhat unusual."

"I'm sure we can do something," she said. She wheeled the cart of dresses out. One of the assistants started to refill our champagne glasses, but before she could get to me I stood up as if I were stretching my legs. The assistant followed after me, and I told her quietly, "I would like to switch to non-alcoholic. I am a total lightweight."

"Of course," she said. "We have a special vintage waiting for you."

"Excellent."

I wandered the room while waiting for Georgia to return and soon found a glass of sparkling grape juice in my hand. When Georgia returned, I sat back down next to Lara.

"We'll need to make some adjustments to achieve the look you desire," she said. "But we have two base dresses to begin with. Ladies, if you will step behind the screens, my assistants will help you change."

Angel tossed me a look of despair when she saw the dress she was about to put on. Elisabeth glared at Lara before disappearing behind the screen.

"Enjoying yourself, Francesca?" I asked.

"I admit, I am a little nervous," she said.

"Oh, your daughter is going to look divine!" I said. "Trust me."

Scarlett's purse rang again. She fished out a phone and handed it to me. Lara glanced at it. "That's Elisabeth's." I handed it to Lara. I ignored the call as Lara handled whatever it was, but I made sure the phone went back into Scarlett's purse.

Elisabeth and Angel were both grumbling loudly enough for me to hear them. Angel was dressed first but said, "I'm not coming out!"

"You already came out earlier this year," I replied immediately. There were several chuckles. "Get your butt out here, Angel."

She poked her nose around the screen. "Michaela, please-"

"Front and center," Lara told her in a commanding tone. "You too, Sister!"

Slowly they both slinked from around their screens. Angel looked mildly ridiculous, but it would have been difficult to make Elisabeth look worse. I was going to try. I didn't see a bow on her butt yet.

I made them both turn around slowly. Georgia stepped forward and described the features from these dresses they would use and what they would change. She succeeded in making them sound even worse.

"All right," I said. "Is there some way you can pin a big red bow right here," I said, pointing to the small of Elisabeth's back.

"Of course," Georgia said. She gestured, and an assistant stepped forward with a bow and a set of pins in her mouth. She stepped up behind Elisabeth, who tried to squirm away from her. The assistant pinned it in place, and I made a point of walking slowly around Elisabeth.

I looked at Georgia. "You know what would make this dress really unique? Two bows! Maybe a nice pink one just below the red one. No! Wait! Fuchsia! Can you do a fuchsia bow so I can see it?"

"We have pink," Georgia said. "I don't know if we can do fuchsia today."

I sighed. "Well, show me pink then."

Lara was having a hard time keeping a straight face. The assistants looked truly horrified, but they did what they were told. Elisabeth looked like she was wondering how she was going to pay me back. Angel and Scarlett both just looked sick.

But Elisabeth stood still and let the assistant pin a second bow in place.

Elisabeth moved in front of a mirror and looked at herself. I knew she hated it as much as the rest of us. She turned to look at her backside and then she caught my eye in the mirror, examining me carefully. She began to smile. Maybe I'd gone too far, and she realized I was bluffing.

I walked over to her and carefully examined her bottom. "Georgia, I think maybe two bows aren't quite it. I guess that was a bad idea. Let's lose the top one; we'll keep the pink one right over her ass. I like that better."

Elisabeth's grin disappeared as the assistant removed the offensive bow.

I walked around both of them, pulling Elisabeth back to the center of the room and turning her around a few times. Finally I said, "Lara, what do you think?"

"I think I'm keeping my mouth shut," she said.

"Francesca?"

Francesca paused before speaking very carefully. "I'm not sure that entirely suits Elisabeth."

I sighed. "I suppose you agree with her, Elisabeth."

"Yes," Elisabeth said.

"I suppose you would rather wear something else."

"Yes."

"Perhaps a tux."

Elisabeth looked at me intently. "I knew you wouldn't actually make me wear this!"

"You want to wear a tux?" She nodded. "All right, on one condition."

"What?"

I pulled my phone out of my pocket. "Pictures."

"No way!" She started backing away from me. "There's no way you'd ruin your own wedding by making me wear this."

"You're right, Elisabeth. But I am perfectly willing to put you in something a little less garish. But there will be a bow on the butt. Do you think I'm bluffing?"

She stared at me. I smiled serenely. Finally she said, "I can't tell."

"Lara, am I bluffing?"

"No," she said. "Sister, she's serious."

"So that's your choice, Elisabeth: Pink dress with a pink bow, in public, in front of hundreds and hundreds of people. Or you can wear the tux and I take a few little pictures."

"What are you going to do with them?"

I grinned and didn't answer.

She sighed. "Tux," she said.

I didn't wait but immediately began taking pictures. I took a half dozen, then checked over them. "Please, Georgia, get that thing off of her, would you?"

"Gladly," she said, pulling Elisabeth behind her dressing screen.

I turned to Angel. She was smiling. "May I please change out of this dress, Michaela? Or do you want photos first?"

"Scarlett already saw you in it," I said. "I suppose I could take them and show them to the boys if I ever need blackmail material."

Angel's smile faltered for a moment, then she shrugged, resigned to whatever fate I dished out.

"Go change, Angel," I told her. "But the next time Lara tries to lure you into one of her plans to embarrass me, remember that I did not take pictures when I could have."

Angel grinned and immediately disappeared behind her screen. I sat back down on the sofa and said, "Scarlett, please hand me your purse." I took the purse and set it in my lap then clandestinely emailed myself the pictures I'd taken of Elisabeth. I worried that Elisabeth or Karen could hack my phone and delete the photos, so I hoped they didn't consider I might have emailed them. I changed my phone's unlock password then powered it off and slipped it into Scarlett's purse. I held the purse until Angel and Elisabeth both came back out from behind the screens, dressed in their original clothes.

I handed the purse to Lara.

"What am I doing with this, Michaela?" she asked.

"Whatever you want," I said. "Pass them back out. Hold them yourself. Ask Scarlett to keep them. It's up to you."

"And if I pass them out, and everyone takes photos of you?"

"It's not a trap, Lara," I told her. "Your choice, and I am fine with whatever you decide." I sipped my grape juice.

Lara looked at me for a moment then opened the purse. She dug through it and found her phone, slipping it into her pocket. "You really don't mind?"

"No," I said.

I could tell she wasn't sure.

"What do you want?" I asked her.

"Honey, I want pictures."

I smiled. "All right. I will ask that people delete any that aren't entirely decent. And I don't know the politics of early release of the dresses we see today." I shrugged.

Lara pulled out a phone. "Mine," Angel said. Lara looked at me, but I simply looked away. She handed Angel her phone, and I didn't react, so one by one, she handed out the rest of the phones. With the rest of the phones returned to their owners, Lara offered mine to me.

"Will you keep that for me?" I asked. "Please don't let Elisabeth have it though."

"Damn it," Elisabeth said.

Lara chuckled and slipped my phone into her pocket, then returned Scarlett's purse to her.

"We may really take pictures?" Angel asked.

"If Lara lets you," I said.

After that, I did whatever either Lara or Georgia told me to do. Georgia seemed very pleased to have my body to fit rather than Elisabeth's. She had countless dresses in sizes approaching mine, although many of them were far too busty for me.

Georgia conferred with Lara after the first three dresses. She was speaking quietly, but I could hear every word. Lara knew it, too.

"Angel," I said. "Do you have your ear buds?"

"No," she said. "I'm sorry."

"I do," said Scarlett. "Well, I have mine."

"Angel, do you have your music on your phone, or just on your iPod?"

"On my phone, too," she said. So I borrowed Angel's phone and Scarlett's ear buds. Angel seemed sad to lose control of her phone, but I suggested she could borrow Scarlett's for photos. I stuck the ear buds in my ears, found Angel's retro music on her phone, and turned the volume up until I couldn't hear Lara talking to Georgia anymore. Lara flashed me a smile. I could hear normal conversations, but not whispered anymore.

I tried on dress after dress. I didn't even bother with the screens; I stood in the middle of the room and let the assistants do to me whatever they wanted. From time to time, Lara asked me what I thought about the dress I was wearing. I found something pleasant to say about each of them.

I wouldn't have picked any of them. Oh, they were all gorgeous and I was sure, amazingly expensive. I'm sure I would have looked stunning in almost any of them.

One of the assistants put my hair up. I frowned, but I let her do it. I tried on more dresses, some of them repeats. And then I reached up and removed the pins from my hair, letting it cascade down over my shoulders again. I looked at Lara and said one word. "Please."

She nodded.

They wheeled out another rack of dresses. I was standing in my undies and bra, Angel's phone in one hand. The assistant handed me my champagne glass, freshly refilled with more grape juice. I sipped from it then sat down next to Lara.

She said something, but it was said quietly, and I didn't hear her. I pointed to the ear buds and shrugged. Lara reached over and gently removed them from my ears. "How many of those have you had?" she asked, gesturing to my glass.

"Um. Four. Five? I'm a little nervous."

She took it away from me.

"Hey! Get your own!" I reached for it, but she pulled it away.

"You've had enough," she said.

I sighed. "You think I'm tipsy?" I hiccupped.

"I think you're beyond tipsy."

"Wager. Francesca to judge."

"What do you want? I am picking your dress. That's not on the table. What do you want?"

"You to start teaching me about all your businesses." I looked at Elisabeth. "And she teaches me hers. And both of you start teaching me about the politics."

Lara smiled. "And if I win, you stop complaining about the wolf licks."

"Agreed. The wager is, I am no more tipsy than if I've had one glass of champagne."

Lara laughed. "All right."

"Hand Francesca my glass." I watched to make sure she gave Francesca the correct glass. "Try it, Francesca."

Francesca sampled my grape juice. She grinned at me and handed the glass to me. "Michaela finally won a wager. Congratulations."

Lara raised an eyebrow, so I handed her my glass. She took a sip then grinned. "Grape juice."

"May I have it back?"

Georgia reentered the room with a fresh rack of dresses. I finished my glass of juice and stood back up, replacing the ear buds, and stepped to the middle of the room. I watched while Georgia unwrapped the next garment. I stared at the dress.

It was simple, sleek, and absolutely stunning. I knew it was the dress I wanted.

Georgia saw my expression, but my back was to everyone else. I schooled my features before I turned around. They slipped the dress on me, the assistant grinning as she held the phone out of the way, then handing it back to me once the dress was in place.

I ached to look at myself in the mirror. Instead, I closed my eyes and let Georgia lead me where she wanted me, turning me this way and that. The dress wasn't perfect, but it was the first one I coveted, and it wouldn't need many changes to be exactly what I wanted.

I could hear Georgia talking to Lara, so I turned the volume up higher, then closed my eyes again. Georgia led me around the room again. There was a pause, then I felt her hands at my ears, and she pulled the buds from my ears. "Open your eyes, Michaela," she said very quietly.

I opened, and I was standing in front of a mirror. I was in bare feet, but there were a pair of low heels waiting for me. I stepped into them, and one of the assistants did the clasp. I stared at my reflection in the mirror.

This was the only dress I'd actually looked at.

Georgia picked at my hair for a minute, rearranging it around my shoulders, then said quietly, "You have such beautiful shoulders. I think we should reduce the fabric through here. You have a small chest, but very feminine. We can accent that a little bit more." She described several other changes. The dress she described was perfect.

I looked over at her. "No," I said. "Lara's choice, and she can't pick this dress. Please, get this off me." I put the ear buds back in and turned the music up even louder. I closed my eyes and let them do with me as they would.

I didn't open my eyes after that. I moved where they put me, I changed shoes when I felt hands on my feet. The phone was taken from my hand and then given back. And then, finally, I felt my own clothes being pulled back into place.

I opened my eyes, and Lara was standing in front of me, smiling. She was holding my glass for me. I tried to take it from her, but she kept her hand on it while I lifted it to my lips, preventing me from drinking quickly. It wasn't grape juice, it was champagne. Once she was sure I knew what I was drinking, she released the glass.

"All done?" I asked, probably far too loudly. She nodded, then took Angel's phone from me, turned the volume down, then gently pulled the buds from my ears. She held the phone behind her, and Angel stepped forward to accept it. Everyone was smiling.

"Do you want to know which one we decided on?" Lara asked me.

"We?"

"Other than you, everyone in the room agreed on the right dress. Do you want to know?"

I thought about it, then smiled. "No." I looked at Georgia. "Will there be a fitting?"

"Yes," she said.

"You can blindfold me or something," I said.

"You really don't want to know?" she asked.

"I know Lara picked the right dress," I replied. "I know I'll look beautiful."

"That you will," Georgia agreed. "That you most certainly will."

"All right," I said. "We have two tuxes, a bridesmaid dress, and two other dresses to pick out." I sat down on the sofa and waited for Georgia to bring in the tuxedos.

The tuxes were easy. Georgia didn't have in stock any women's tuxedos that would fit either Lara or Elisabeth. She brought in several feminine tuxedos and two men's tux's in Lara's and Elisabeth's sizes. She had them each put on a tux, then she explained how Lara's wedding tuxedo would actually look.

"Could one of your assistants change into one?" I said. "Would you have their sizes? I'd like to see."

"Of course," she said. The one who had been giving me grape juice disappeared, returning a minute later. She stepped behind a screen, changed clothes, and then stepped out.

"This isn't quite the right look for Lara," Georgia explained. "The cut is a little wrong for her body type." Then she described what she would do differently to better fit Lara's physique. Even in the man's tux, Lara looked amazing. Looking at the assistant and thinking about what Georgia was describing, I knew I would have a hard time keeping my hands off my mate.

"Perfect," I said finally. "And something complementary for Elisabeth?"

"Yes," she said.

"Lara?" I asked. Lara smiled but didn't say a thing.

I sighed. "This isn't fair. You must have changed my clothes seventy-four times, and Lara tries on one fancied up suit and she's done. Not fair."

"I know," Georgia said. "Doesn't it just suck?"

I laughed. "Yes, Georgia, it does."

After that, it was Angel's turn. She tried on a half dozen dresses, including two with bows on the butt. "I only included these because of the neckline," Georgia said. "And all of you have such amazing shoulders. I'd like to show them off." In the end, Georgia and I narrowed it down to five.

"Angel, any you hate?"

"No," she said. "But I like this one," she said pointing, "and that one less than the rest."

Lara and Francesca had little to say. "All right," I said. "Scarlett, you pick."

"Really?"

"Yes."

She got up from her place and walked over to the dresses.

"May I see her in this one again?" she asked, standing in front of one. The assistants pulled it into place. Scarlett walked around Angel. "All right," she said. "Now may I see that one?" she pointed to another dress. The assistants swapped Angel's dress.

Scarlett turned to Georgia. "I like the top part of the first one, but the skirt on the second one. What do you think? Would they go okay together?"

"We've done that before," she said.

"But I think this color," Scarlett said, pointing to one of the dresses with a bow.

"Yes," Georgia said. "Good choice."

Everyone turned to me. "Perfect."

"For Scarlett," Georgia said. "We can do a custom dress that will clearly blend with Angel's but not compete. Unfortunately, I don't have anything to show you that is remotely close. You would have to trust us."

"Scarlett, do you trust her?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. Scarlett turned to me. "Do you mind if we look like a couple?"

"Not at all," I replied. "That just leaves Francesca."

Francesca turned out to be the most difficult. They kept showing us dresses I hated. Francesca kept gravitating towards boring dresses. Beige dresses. "No, no, no," I finally said. "Why are you trying to dress her like a wallflower?"

"Because, honey, that's my job," Francesca said.

"No," I said. "Put her in a dress that leaves no doubt how proud I am to have her at my wedding. Angel, go with Georgia and find a dress you'd like to see your mother wear."

"Yes!" she said, doing a fist pump. She followed Georgia out of the room, and Francesca turned to me, trying to argue. I ignored her.

In the end, Francesca would wear a simple but elegant, light blue dress with a small jacket. It was cinched at the waist and gave her a stunning figure. She looked fabulous in it.

And with that, we were done.

 **Privacy Invaded**

After that, we went to a much-needed late lunch. I retrieved my phone from Lara, turned it back on, and verified the photos I had taken were still on it. I took a bathroom break, leaving my phone on the table. When I got back, it was clear my phone had been moved. No one said anything. I pretended I didn't notice. Elisabeth avoided looking into my eyes for the next ten minutes.

I hadn't planned on doing anything with the photos I'd taken, but if she had deleted them, that might change.

I ordered wine and let myself get a little tipsy, flirting shamelessly with Lara, but whispered quietly to her, "Don't let me drink any more than this, and take me for a run later. Don't let me nap."

We had a pleasant meal. I started to fade out from the alcohol I'd had. I went with it for a while, then woke myself up, rejoining the conversation at least in part. I couldn't recall what we talked about.

It was late afternoon when we returned to the compound. As we pulled up, I quietly said to Lara, "Run?"

"I'd like that," she said.

"Lara and I are going running," I said. "We would like company. You have fifteen minutes to be in fur or you can catch up." As soon as we came to a stop, I popped out of the car and headed into the house, Karen and Eric scrambling to get there in front of me.

"Search the house," I told them. "Then get ready to run." I let them do their job, then I stepped into the kitchen and slammed down two glasses of water before running upstairs. I changed into casual clothes, leaving my phone on the dresser. I grabbed my laptop, logged into my email, and verified I still had possession of the pictures I had mailed myself. I saved the pictures to my hard drive, then inserted a thumb drive and copied them there. Then I marked all the email as unread and stashed my laptop, putting it away seconds before Lara stepped into the room. I made it look like I was just stepping into my clothes.

"Lara," I said. "Shouldn't you ask me for a pre-nuptial agreement."

"What?" I caught her by surprise. "Honey, you know wolves don't divorce. And it's not a legally binding marriage, anyway."

"I don't want anyone to ever think I am with you for your money," I said. "I don't care how you do it."

"All right," she said. "Will you let me handle it?"

"Yes."

"I don't want this conversation again," she said. "Get it out of your system now."

"You said you're handling it," I said. "But I want you to call Hadley Smith about a pre-nup. I'll sign anything she thinks I should sign."

"It's not necessary."

"Tell me you'll call her and follow her advice, and I'll never ask about any of this again. Otherwise I'll hound you."

"I'll call her," Lara said. "And I will follow her advice."

"Thank you," I said.

Lara looked at me with a cocked head. "That easy?"

"Yes," I said. "I had fun today."

"Did you?" she asked. She crossed the room and pulled me into her arms. "You didn't look like it."

"I'm sorry," I said. "It was overwhelming. But I still had fun. Kiss me now, and then I want to run. I have a new game to propose."

So she did, and it was a nice kiss, a really nice kiss, and it felt good to be held tightly in Lara's strong arms.

"This is where I belong," I told her when I could breathe again. "Right here, with you. I love you so much, Lara."

She held me more tightly. And I was happy.

"All right," I said, pushing away. "Change clothes. I have something else I want to ask while you get dressed."

"I'm just going to turn furry," she said.

"I know, but you don't want your nice clothes in the dirt when you shift, and I need you human until you agree to my game."

She laughed. "You could tell me now."

"Nope. You'll learn the game the same time everyone else does." I pointed at the closet, then followed her to the doorway while she changed clothes.

"Do you have anything in particular you want to tell me, Lara?"

She stood up, stiff. She knew it was a loaded question. She turned to face me, but I was offering a relaxed stance, not giving anything away.

"About?" she asked me.

"I don't know," I said. "Anything you would rather tell me now instead of waiting for me to find out on my own, perhaps."

"Is this about the dress?" she asked.

"No," I said. "It's not about anything. I'm giving you a get-out-of-trouble-free card. But I specifically do not want to know about the dress. No hints, nothing. I think I know which one you picked, anyway."

"I doubt it," she said under her breath.

"No hints!" I hissed.

"Sorry. No hints. No, honey, there's nothing I need to tell you."

I studied her. "All right, honey. Please hurry. I want to run."

I stepped away. She only took a minute before she joined me in loose, casual clothing. I took a quick kiss, then grabbed her hand and led the way downstairs. Halfway there, she stopped me.

"What's going on?" she asked. "You're awfully complacent."

I turned back to look up at her. She towered over me more than usual, being two steps above me on the stairs. I climbed back up until I was a step above her, turning her to face me. We were almost eye to eye. "Do you like it when I'm a pain in the ass?"

"No," she said. "But I do like your fire."

I smiled. "Did I demonstrate fire today?"

She laughed. "Yes."

"So don't worry." I kissed her quickly then ran past her down the stairs. "Catch me, Lara!"

"Oh hell," she said, dashing after me. I ran out of the house then waited for her on the porch. She was only two seconds behind me, and she immediately pulled me into her arms, my back to her front. The other wolves were down in the grass, shifting, and not paying any attention to us. Elisabeth was near the end of her shift, but not quite there.

"You caught me," I told her. I tipped my head to the side. "Now you have to bite me."

She laughed before lowering her head and kissing the side of my neck.

"Do it right!" I told her. "Right. Now."

"Michaela?"

"Mark me, Alpha. I want you to mark me."

"Honey?"

I looked over my shoulder at her. "Lara. I belong to the alpha. I belong to you. And I want everyone to know how proud I am to belong to you. To belong to Lara. To belong to the alpha. Please. Mark me." I tipped my head to the side and tapped my neck where I wanted her to bite me.

"It will heal, anyway," she said quietly. "When you shift."

"A little. It will stop bleeding. Honey, please bite me."

She lowered her mouth over me.

"Do it before we have an audience, Lara," I said quietly.

She bit me. Even though I was ready, I gasped. She pulled away immediately. "Michaela," she said, and there was pain in her voice.

"Is it bleeding?" I asked.

"Yes. Honey, I don't like doing that."

I pulled a tissue from my pocket and wadded it over my neck. Lara took it from me and adjusted it, then I held it in place. I turned to her. "In the future, you must not argue with me. If I tell you to bite me, I want you to bite me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Michaela," she said. "Little Fox."

"You send your messages, Alpha. I send mine." I paused. "I think I'm going to ask you to use your wolf teeth in the future though. Your human teeth aren't as sharp."

"I have better control with my human teeth, Michaela."

"All right. Your choice which teeth. But if I ask you to bite me, you will bite me. Are we understood?"

"Yes, Little Fox."

I smiled at her. "Good."

"What's the game?" she asked.

"Patience."

We watched the wolves shift, Lara wrapping me in her arms again. I leaned against her. Elisabeth finished her shift first, then jumped onto the porch with us. She looked up at me and huffed her displeasure.

"Hush you," I told her. "I have photos, and I'm not afraid to use them, one at a time."

She chuffed, and I knew. They had deleted them.

Karen and Eric finished next. We waited a few more minutes, and then Angel, Scarlett and Francesca were in fur. I let them all bounce around the courtyard for a minute.

"Who wants to play a game?" I asked, once they were all ready. I listened to several chuffs. "All right, here's the game. We're going running. If I manage to lose you, you each owe me a favor. A big favor."

Lara laughed. "All right. And if you don't lose us you owe us each a favor?"

"Oh please," I said. "The alpha, three enforcers, Mom." I looked right at Francesca. "And two little sisters." I looked back and forth between Angel and Scarlett. "If I manage to lose all of you, you should all be ashamed. The odds are so far against me it's unbelievable."

"This does seem like a pretty one-sided game," Lara said.

I actually had no intention of even trying to lose them. I just didn't want them losing me, either. "All right," I said. "But you admit the odds are against me by more than seven to one, yes?"

She turned me to look at her, studying me closely. "The odds are well against you," she agreed.

"All right. If I manage to lose you all, I get my favor from each of you. If I don't, then I owe you all one free apology, no grudges."

Lara laughed. "All right. That's fair. What's the definition of losing us?"

"Hmm. Five minutes with no physical contact from at least one of you. But if anyone licks me, I'm biting her."

"Agreed, as long as you don't hide somewhere too small for us to follow you."

"I may go through small places but I won't linger in them," I agreed.

"Deal," Lara said. Everyone else chuffed.

"One last thing," I said. "No howling. I don't want to scare all the game."

"We are allowed any communication necessary to keep track of you," Lara said.

"All right, but try not to scare the game." And then, still in her arms, I shifted to fox. She clutched at me to avoid dropping me, and I'm sure I looked silly, my clothes hanging off me, clutching at Lara. She adjusted her grip, and I gave her jaw a quick lick.

Hey, I may not like getting licked, but Lara enjoyed it, and I enjoyed licking her.

She set me down gently and helped me slither out of my clothes, then she loosened her own clothing and shifted. As soon as she was ready, I began bounding for the woods.

They all stayed close to me. I ran significantly more slowly than they all preferred, but I had two or three wolves in touching distance of me at all times. The rest would range away, chasing each other around, and then switching off who was watching me.

I realized that Elisabeth and Lara were trading off; one of them was next to me at all times. They were taking my wager seriously. I bumped into them periodically and chuffed, expressing my pleasure at their company.

I led us two miles north, well away from the compound. I took us to a small clearing surrounded by evergreen trees, then yipped twice, drawing them all back to me. Scarlett and Angel were busy chasing each other, so when they didn't come back right away, I turned to Lara and yipped at her. She howled twice, briefly, and I listened as Scarlett and Angel turned back towards us. I tracked their progress, yipping twice when they turned in the wrong direction. After a minute, they bounded into the clearing, side by side. They came to a stop, sitting down, touching each other.

Eric and Karen were still in enforcer mode, alert and watching the forest. Elisabeth, Lara and Francesca were watching me to see what I was going to do. I walked over to Scarlett and Angel, then stepped between them, bumping Scarlett to the side. She shifted away from her girlfriend, and I chuffed. I moved them further apart, then stepped away. I looked between the two of them, then I bowed down in front of Angel in the "let's play" posture.

I had never played with Angel before, and she was surprised by it. I waited a second, tensed my muscles, and flew at her.

She stood there, staring at me. I tried to bowl her over, but she stiffened at the last minute, and my thirty pounds of fox bounced right off her hundred and thirty pounds of wolf. I landed in the pine needles, and Lara was immediately over me, sniffing at me.

I pushed her away and climbed back to my feet, chuffing.

Angel was looking at me too, lying down now with her chin between her feet. I walked over and nudged her until she stood up. Then I walked away, bowed, and flew at her. Again, I bounced off her. I flew at her twice more, and each time I felt like a tennis ball being thrown at a brick wall.

The last time I climbed to my feet slowly shaking my head. I walked over to Angel and cuffed her nose with a paw, then licked her.

I didn't give Scarlett any warning at all. I bounced twice and landed directly on her. I caught her by surprise and managed to flatten her to the ground, but I hadn't knocked her over. She shook me off. She was actually gentle about it. I tried it twice more, and it wasn't much different than bouncing off of Angel.

The other wolves were all watching me. I think Lara was convinced I'd gone insane.

I walked away from Scarlett, sat down, and eyed both of them. They both lay down, watching me, perhaps wondering what insanity I had planned next.

I had actually thought I could knock one of them over. Thirty pounds of fox may not be much compared to a wolf, but I had thrown myself pretty hard at them. Okay, time for a new game.

I stood up, turned to Lara, and then began pushing her away from Elisabeth. She stepped to the side, then sat down when I stopped pushing. Then I shoved Elisabeth away from Francesca. I turned to Scarlett and bowed to her. She didn't bow back, so I barked at her. Finally, she bowed to me, and I turned to Angel, and got her to bow.

Then I ran away from both of them.

The two of them immediately set off in pursuit.

I used the adult wolves as my obstacles. It took them a moment, but Angel and Scarlett realized I was playing the game I usually played with Lara. Catch the fox.

If they worked properly together, they might be able to catch me. I wasn't sure. What I was hoping to do was get them to tangle each other up. It took them only a couple of leaps before they began working together, but they weren't perfect at it yet. I feinted left, and Angel made a leap at me. I shifted to the right, and Scarlett was waiting for me. I barely danced away from her, then ran directly underneath Angel, Scarlett in hot pursuit. She knocked Angel over for me, and I dashed underneath Elisabeth. Scarlett ran right into Elisabeth, and I circled around and threw myself on Angel just as she was getting to her feet. I was too late, and didn't knock her over, bouncing off, but now they knew the real game.

Lara started chuffing in amusement.

Twice more I got Scarlett and Angel to tangle each other up, but neither time badly enough that I could take real advantage of it. But then I feinted around Francesca, and Angel bowled her mother over.

Angel immediately rolled onto her back, turning submissive to her mother. I still had Scarlett right behind me, but I ducked underneath Lara and threw myself on Angel, wrapping my small fox jaws around her throat for just a moment before I bounced off of her and ran away.

Francesca immediately pounced on Angel, pinning her to the ground. Angel had been tagged, and now only Scarlett was left.

She chased me mercilessly, but she was very, very careful not to run into any of the adults.

I bounced around the clearing. Scarlett managed to trip me a few times, and I tripped her once, but neither of us caught the other. I noticed that Francesca had allowed Angel to roll over and watch us, but she was still pinning her daughter to the ground.

Finally, I let Scarlett trip me until I went rolling underneath Lara. I immediately began yipping, climbing to my feet slowly. Scarlett came to a stop, a foot away from Lara. Lara looked down at me.

I was trying the same trick I'd used on Elisabeth. I wondered if Lara would let me get away with it.

Lara looked at me, and I really hammed it up, yipping and standing on three legs, holding the other limply. Lara looked at Scarlett, gave her a big lick, then bent down and gave me two big licks. She chuffed.

Well, it was worth a try.

I made a feint out from underneath Lara away from Scarlett, then dashed back, running directly underneath her. She tried to follow me but I tangled her legs and she went down. I immediately pounced on her. I tried to get my mouth on her throat, but she rolled us both over and immediately pinned me to the dirt.

She didn't put her mouth to my throat, but she gave me a quick lick and settled her weight more firmly. She'd caught me. She licked me once more before climbing off of me.

I climbed to my feet, chuffing repeatedly. That had been fun. I licked Scarlett, then pranced over and licked Francesca and Angel. Elisabeth got a shoulder bump, and then before Lara knew I was going to do it, I jumped straight up and landed on top of her. I wrapped my legs around her as best I could and buried my teeth in the skin at the back of her neck, determined to hang on.

I had surprised everyone. Lara was actually slow to respond, but then she went nuts, trying to knock me off of her. I held on for about five seconds before she realized all she had to do was roll over. As soon as she went down to her side, I jumped away then immediately pounced, landing on her chest and diving my mouth to her throat. I actually got my teeth around her throat before she rolled us both over and settled her weight on me completely, squishing the wind out of me. I let go immediately, then she adjusted her weight, holding me down but letting me breath. I gave her my throat, which she took leisurely, then she tightened just as leisurely until I whimpered my submission.

Then she held me there until everyone had licked me.

I climbed to my feet, chuffed twice, then froze. I cocked my ears as if I were listening, then I dropped to my belly, facing northwest, my ears swiveling.

I hadn't heard a thing, but I was sure I could convince Lara and Elisabeth I had.

I slinked forward, my belly in the pine needles, three steps, then I turned to them. I used a gesture Lara had used on me before. I reached out with a claw and dug a line in the dirt. Well, in the pine needles. But Lara understood. She crept up next to me, her toes just against the line, and chuffed very quietly.

I swiveled my ears, listening for nothing, then slinked out of the clearing traveling directly upwind. All the wolves let me go.

I sped up once I was out of sight then was running. I found a fallen tree, set an obvious false trail leading away to the west from it, then took off north, circling east and south, downwind, and finally came to a rest thirty yards to the east of the clearing where I left them. I'd been gone about two minutes, and they hadn't moved yet.

It was at least another minute before I heard Lara shift to human. "I don't smell anything. I don't smell the fox anymore, either." I heard the other wolves sniffing. Then Elisabeth huffed displeasure twice, and Lara swore. "That little fox! Go!" Lara shifted back to fur on the run, and I listened as all seven of them took off on my trail out of the clearing.

Silly wolves.

I waited until I was sure they had all left then I crept quietly back to the clearing and lay down, listening to them and waiting for them to find me.

It didn't take them that long. Lara knew my tricks well enough by now. When they got to the tree I had used, I listened as Elisabeth, Eric, Angel and Scarlett followed my false trail. Lara, Karen and Francesca sniffed around the tree, searching for my real trail. Elisabeth huffed her displeasure at losing my trail the same time Karen chuffed at finding my real trail. Soon all seven of them were racing along my real trail, but they were forced to follow the same path I had taken.

By my guess, it was five minutes when they found the place I had stopped and waited for them. Lara immediately howled and ran straight for the clearing. She dashed into the clearing, saw me, and pounced on top of me. I think she expected me to evade her, but I waited for her and let her roll me over without resisting. Once she'd settled her weight over me, I shifted to human. I had shifted underneath her before, and she adjusted her position, using her body to offer me some modesty and being careful not to scratch me with her claws.

"Lara," I said, "I don't care if that was over five minutes or under. Alpha's call. I just wanted you all to stay with me when we ran. You normally dash off without me."

She chuffed at me, and I couldn't tell which way she had decided. I wrapped my arms around her neck.

"I want to catch a deer. If I find one, will you catch it for me?"

She chuffed.

I shifted back to fox, took some licks from the wolves, and then Lara let me up. I ran off to the northwest, listening intently.

The wolves were loud, louder than a fox, that's for sure, but not so loud I couldn't listen for deer. I heard rabbits and squirrels, but it was twenty minutes before I heard what I thought might have been a deer. I brought us to a stop.

I listened intently. I thought it was a deer, still quite some distance. I began moving us closer, stalking rather than running, and taking a path oblique to the deer, aiming us for a point more directly downwind. I thought perhaps the wolves would begin to smell the deer about the time I was sure whether it was a deer or something else.

Lara stopped and began sniffing intently. Elisabeth joined her, and they both chuffed, turning approximately in the direction of the deer. They were off a little, or at least I thought so. I turned in the correct direction and drew us closer. They let me keep the lead, and I hunted fox style, with stealth, rather than wolf style, in a rush.

I took us another three hundred yards before I was sure. It was a deer. I couldn't tell how old, but I had direction and distance.

All of the wolves had the scent now, and they were facing the right direction, but still they let me lead the hunt, and I halved the distance. We were directly downwind of the deer. It was moving slowly through the wood, traveling east. The wolves wanted to head directly to the deer, but I turned us more to the east, keeping us directly downwind, and soon I had us within seventy five yards.

I sat down and shifted to human very quietly then spoke even more quietly. "If it's young, let it grow up," I said.

Lara licked me then nudged the other wolves into motion. I shifted back to fox and followed them.

It was a short hunt. Elisabeth and Francesca cut to the east. Lara sent Angel and Scarlett to the west. She sent Eric all the way west and then north, and I could tell the instant the deer smelled Eric. The deer ran straight at us.

I immediately dashed behind a tree. Karen hot on my heels. She jumped between me and the deer. Lara glanced over once, making sure I was safe, and then she was bounding through the woods to meet the deer.

It was a large buck. Lara didn't try to kill it. Instead she scared it directly towards Angel and Scarlett, then stayed on its heels. The deer ran straight into the other two wolves, Elisabeth, Francesca, and Eric closing in as well.

I couldn't tell who got the kill. I heard both Scarlett and Angel leap. Two wolves and a deer went down, and then I heard Lara leap. There was a brief struggle, and then silence.

All this may seem gruesome, but they're wolves, and even I am a hunter.

Angel and Scarlett began the howl.

I stepped out from behind the tree and licked Karen in thanks for watching out for me then led us through the woods. When we got there, the deer was down and still. We got there about the same time that Eric did.

I shifted to human and asked, "Whose kill?"

Lara also shifted to human. "Angel and Scarlett stopped it. I killed it." She looked at the girls. "You two will spend time with Elisabeth. You are both old enough you shouldn't have needed help. Scarlett, I saw it kick you. Are you all right?"

Scarlett chuffed. She was fine.

Elisabeth and Francesca stepped into the clearing. Lara turned to Elisabeth. "Angel and Scarlett stopped it, but they couldn't kill it. You will fix that."

Karen stepped forward and huffed mild displeasure. Lara turned to her. "Karen, if you want to teach them, talk to the head enforcer. I am fine with her decision. Understand you would be responsible for their safety." Karen chuffed.

"Alpha," I said. "It is my opinion we should bring the deer back and share with everyone for dinner."

Lara turned to Francesca. "How about fresh, roast venison for Saturday?" Francesca chuffed agreement. "Angel and Scarlett, do you want to gut it?" Two chuffs. "Karen, make sure they do it right." Then she turned to Elisabeth. "I don't want to drag it. Pick someone to go get transportation. We'll need a four wheeler to get it to the road and then be able to toss it into a car without anyone seeing. Stupid humans and their stupid hunting seasons."

Elisabeth turned to Eric, and he turned south for the compound.

Lara turned to me. "How much warning can you give us of an oncoming car on the road?"

I laughed. "If it's going slow, a mile. If it's going fast, a lot more than that. Lara, how is it that there are always deer?"

She smiled. "The pack owns three deer ranches. That's where most of our venison comes from, and we release enough deer every now and then to make sure there are always deer but not so many it doesn't take at least a little work to find them. We run the ranches so the deer think they're wild and not tame. This guy would have been a trophy buck. Stupid humans."

I laughed.

Karen huffed twice, catching Lara's attention.

"Oh good lord," she said. "Angel what did you get your paw caught on?"

Angel was half disappeared into the deer carcass, and she began to whine. I started to laugh. "I wish I had video!" Angel whined louder.

Lara climbed over the deer and crouched down next to Angel. "I'm here," she said quietly. "You're all right. I'm going to reach in and see what you're caught on." Lara knelt closer then slid her hand into the deer, reaching in almost to her shoulder. "All right, relax, Angel. Come on, Angel. Relax. If you yank out, you're going to rip my arm open. Okay, better. A little more. All right, I'm going to free you. You do not want to rip me open when I free you." There was a shift, and then Lara and Angel both withdrew from the deer. "Your claw was stuck between the ribs," she explained. "That happened to me, once, too."

They were both bloody now. If it looked gruesome before, it was even more so now. Angel nursed her paw for a moment.

"Let me see it," Lara said. Angel gave Lara her paw. Lara looked at it carefully. "Extend your claws, honey." Angel's claws slowly extended to their three-inch length. Lara manipulated the paw. Angel winced once. "I think you'll be fine if you shift a couple of times," she said. "Even on three paws, you shouldn't have any trouble keeping up with the fox."

"Hey!" I said.

Lara looked over and grinned at me.

"Scarlett," she said. "Finish cleaning it out. Don't repeat Angel's 'trick'."

Lara stood up and walked over to me. I stared at her. She was so beautiful, with rippling muscles that I never got enough of. She sat down on my left, her left arm the messy side. "You knew where the deer was long before I smelled it."

"Yeah," I said. "Almost ten minutes, but I wasn't positive it was a deer, and I didn't have the range until about when you smelled it."

"That's amazing," she said. "You made it easy."

"You guys were probably bored, doing it my way. You've never watched me hunt before. I never let you watch because you scare the rabbits."

"I loved watching you," Lara said. "I knew when you found it. I couldn't smell anything except forest, but you shifted direction. I thought you were taking us straight to it."

"I took us directly downwind," I said. "I wanted you to smell it and him not to smell or hear us. I doubt we found it any faster than you would have, but I got to be a part of it. I've never helped hunt a deer before."

She leaned against me. "Thank you for taking care of your own safety."

"Hey, an adult deer can kill me almost as fast as a wolf can," I said. "Were Scarlett and Angel in real trouble?"

"I was going to let them struggle with it, but he got a real good kick at Scarlett."

"That's evasive," I said.

Lara thought about it. "I don't think it was life threatening, but they weren't winning, either."

"You drove it to them."

"Yes. And it was a good take down. I think their first, and it was beautiful to see them in action together." She bumped me. "What was that game you tried to play with them at first?"

"I really thought I could knock them over, especially if I surprised them. They were both like brick walls. Was it okay I played with them?"

"Yes. It was fun to watch. But honey." She paused. "Don't do the fake hurt trick again. If you sound hurt, you need to be hurt."

"All right," I said. "I almost had Scarlett."

"Almost, but she got you."

"She did. I was proud of her." I put my head on her bare shoulder. "Lara, the truth. Is the reason no one catches me because you're all trying too hard not to hurt me?"

"It's a factor," she said. "But you are damned hard to catch. In open ground, Elisabeth and I can catch you easily, even without hurting you. Karen, too, and probably Eric. Don't get too cocky."

"So if I were as tough as Angel but as small and agile as me, I'd be easier to catch?"

"Yes. Every time I trip you, I worry."

"I notice it doesn't stop you from chasing me."

She laughed. "No, it doesn't."

I cocked my ears. "They're coming," I said. "Damn, the four-wheeler is loud. It's going to destroy the vegetation."

"All right," Lara said loud enough for everyone else to hear. "Shove the good bits back in, then the girls can drag the deer a short way." Lara pointed. "Back to the open field."

Still sitting, I watched. Angel and Scarlett took hold of the deer with their mouths and began dragging it, walking backwards. They dragged it ten feet then each went around opposite sides of a sapling. They kept trying to drag it. I immediately started laughing.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Lara said. She rose to her feet, still naked in human form, took four steps to the deer, bent over, and with a grunt, heaved it onto her shoulders. "Pick a path for me, Angel," she said. "If you run me through some poison ivy, you will not be happy."

I shifted to fox and followed along behind. Elisabeth ran off, and I listened to her as she set an intercept course with the four-wheeler. We reached the clearing, and I tracked Elisabeth until her track merged so closely with the four-wheeler I couldn't hear her anymore. Then it shifted direction, and two minutes later, it burst into the clearing, driven by Rory, Elisabeth in the lead. He drove straight to Lara and came to a stop, then jumped off the back and helped Lara lower the deer onto a rack mounted to the front of the four-wheeler.

"Nice one!" he said. "Who found it?"

"The fox," Lara said. "Scarlett and Angel took it down."

"Oooh!" he said. "Congratulations!" He turned to them. "First kill, isn't it?"

They both huffed displeasure.

"Not first kill?" he asked.

"First deer kill," Lara declared. "But their technique needs practice."

They huffed again.

"First kill," Lara said firmly. "Congratulations girls. You had him, I just made sure."

At that, they chuffed.

"All right," Lara said. "Get this thing to wherever you're meeting the car. Michaela, go with him. We'll catch up at the road."

I backed away from the four-wheeler. It was loud, and I didn't see anywhere for a fox to sit. I wasn't going to climb on behind Rory in my birthday suit.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Lara said. "Michaela, come here." She pointed to the ground. I slinked over to her. She bent over and picked me up, which was okay. Rory climbed onto the four-wheeler, and Lara set me down on the seat in front of him. "Rory won't let you fall off, Michaela. Will you, Rory?"

"Absolutely not," he said.

I whimpered and jumped off.

"Michaela!" Lara said. "What's the matter with you?"

I lay down in the grass and put my paws over my ears.

Lara sighed. "He'll go slow enough it won't be that loud. Get back up there."

I huffed, but did what I was told. Rory gave the obnoxious machine some gas, and soon we were bouncing away to the southwest. I whimpered, but I didn't try to jump off again.

Rory knew where he was going, and he brought the machine to a stop thirty yards away from the road. "Go see if it's clear. Yip once if it's safe, twice if it's not."

I jumped off and ran the rest of the way to the road. Eric was standing next to one of the SUVs with the rear gate opened. I looked in both directions and tried to listen, but my hearing was shot from the four-wheeler. I didn't hear any cars, so I yipped once. Rory gave the machine some gas and was on the road moments later. He and Eric promptly tossed the deer into the back of the SUV and closed the gate just as I heard a car approaching. I yipped twice and dashed down into the ditch, out of sight.

The car didn't even slow as it went past. Eric got into the SUV and drove away. I ran back up and looked at Rory.

"Want another ride?" he asked me, smiling.

I growled at him and backed away.

"Does it hurt your ears, Michaela?"

I chuffed.

"Even human?"

I chuffed again.

He knelt down so we were near the same level. I approached. "Michaela," he said gently. "How good is your hearing?"

I stared at him. He knew. I turned away, hanging my head.

"Michaela," he said. "I won't tell anyone, but everyone is starting to suspect. It can't be avoided. Your ears are delicate, and you can tell things when no one else can. Two and two, Michaela. If I figured it out, you know a lot of the others already have."

I looked back at him, hanging my head.

"No one will use it against you, Michaela. But if we know, we can protect you better."

I shifted to human, turning my back to him and looking over my shoulder. The wolves thought nothing of casual nudity, but even after a year with them, I wasn't entirely used to it. I looked at Rory sadly.

"I don't have many advantages left, Rory," I said.

"How good is your hearing?" he asked softly.

"I can hear a mouse at a hundred yards, if there isn't too much other noise. As a human. I can hear your heart beating. I can hear the blood rushing through your veins. I can tell you that Lara is four hundred yards and closing. Angel is limping slightly, so they're moving slower for her."

"Is she all right?"

"She will be. Rory, I can hear that after your infernal machine destroyed my hearing for the next hour. Can you hear them?"

"No, and I don't smell them, either."

"The wind is left to right," I said.

"The alpha-"

"She knows. It's how I knew the Chicago wolves' plans. I told her and Elisabeth. Lara told Vivian. How long have you suspected."

"It just came to me, but suddenly it all made sense."

"So others might know," I said. "And the rest will figure it out."

"Yeah," he agreed. "Am I the first you know of to have figured it out?"

"Lara suspected. I was good at misleading her. But I'm around a lot more now. I guess I couldn't keep it secret forever. It's not like you could have hidden your sense of smell from me."

Lara was coming closer.

"What do you want me to do, Michaela?" Rory asked.

"Pretend you don't know," I said. "Don't change anything. For heaven's sake, don't jump to my defense if anyone is loud."

"All right," he said. "Now I realize some of the things Lara does to help you, too. I can do some of those."

"If I let you wrap your arms around my ears, people are going to suspect. When she does it, it just looks like an awkward hug."

Rory laughed. "I guess."

I turned to see Lara emerging from the woods, the other wolves following behind. Angel was limping, Francesca and Scarlett walking next to her. Lara saw me standing there, talking to Rory. I never stood around in my birthday suit, especially not in front of the guys. She bounded up the incline to me and began sniffing me over to see what was wrong. She tried to stick her cold nose where it didn't belong, and I pushed her away, then knelt down and wrapped my arms around her neck. "He knows about my hearing," I whispered into one ear. "I bet everyone does."

She chuffed and licked me. I pulled her close, her head hanging over my back. "I don't know what to do, Lara."

The rest of the wolves walked up. Angel nudged me, then on the other side, Elisabeth. I reached over and scratched their ears. "Scarlett, Francesca," I said. "Come closer. There's something I need to tell you."

Lara chuffed gently at me.

I told my closest friends about my hearing. Angel immediately sat down and yawned. I looked at her. "I can't tell if that's a wolf yawn or a human yawn, Angel. Are you telling me to calm down? Or did you already know?" She chuffed at the second one.

I turned to Scarlett. She yawned. Francesca yawned.

"You all knew?" They chuffed. "You didn't say anything."

Angel looked at me for a moment, then she rolled over and exposed her throat for me. She'd never done that before.

"Oh Angel," I said. "I am Omega and happy to stay that way." I reached over and scratched her fur. "But thank you."

I looked around. "How's your foot? Can you keep up with a fox, Angel?"

She rolled upright and held her paw to me. I took it in my hand, marveling at how big her paw was. "Look, Angel, your paw is as big as my human hand. Do you want to ride back with Rory?"

She growled at me.

I laughed. "I guess no one trusts your driving, Rory."

"Yeah, yeah," he said. "Honestly, it's the smell they don't like. Why do you think I had to ride the four-wheeler and Eric got the car?"

"Oh," I said. "It does kind of stink, doesn't it?" I wrinkled my nose.

The wolves all huffed.

"Well," I said. "We need a new game for the trip back to the compound."

Lara chuffed, then backed away and bowed to me. Then they were all bowing to me, demanding to play.

"Five minute head start!" I demanded. Lara huffed. "Two!" Huffed. "One!" She chuffed for that.

"I'm timing!" Rory said. "Go!"

I shifted and immediately began to run.

I gave them a good race. We were far enough from the compound that they would have easily caught me if I had run straight for home, so I used my normal tricks to hide from them. Lara gave me a quick howl when they started after me, although she wouldn't have needed to. I could still hear them.

Bunch of elephants.

I ran into the woods heading towards the compound but then left a few false trails and turned to parallel the road. I listened for Rory on the machine, but he didn't start it up. Once the wolves were firmly in the woods, I ran back onto the road and immediately doubled back towards Rory. From the sounds, I knew I'd lost the wolves twice, but I only gained a few seconds; there were so many, they simply fanned out and found my fresh trail nearly immediately.

I yipped once when I grew close to Rory. He turned to face me. I got close, jumped, and shifted to human on the run. "Rory! Start it up. Will the smell hide me?"

He laughed. "Yes. But you'll need a shower before Lara will want to get near you."

"Take me two hundred yards that way," I said, pointing the way I was running. I hopped onto the machine behind him, he hit the starter, and we were off. As soon as we came to a stop, I hopped off. "Thanks, Rory!" I shifted on the run and made a straight line for the compound.

They never found me, and I was in the shower by the time Lara got home. I didn't hear her over the sound of the water - the four-wheeler had destroyed my hearing for a while. She burst into the bathroom, laughing.

"That was a dirty trick!" she said. "Very clever."

I turned to her. She was naked, having just shifted back to human. I pulled her into the shower with me and let her back me against the wall.

"Make love to me, Lara," I said.

I didn't have to ask twice.

She pressed me against the wall of the shower with her body, and a knee slid between my legs, spreading me for her. She pressed against me, my breasts fitting below hers, and I lifted my lips for a kiss.

Lara crushed our mouths together, her tongue invading, and I could tell she intended to possess every inch of me. I became wet with the thought. She growled in her throat, and I moaned in anticipation. I wrapped my arms around her, but she reached for me and shoved my hands against the wall, holding them over my head in one hand, her mouth never leaving mine.

I squirmed, rubbing my crotch against her knee. She let me do that. My need fueled hers, and even my nose picked up her scent of arousal.

She broke the kiss, and I tried to chase her mouth with mine, but she pressed me more firmly against the wall, then grabbed my chin with her free hand.

"Possess me," I told her. "Take me, Lara. I am going to fight you on this, but make me scream your name. Do it."

She smiled. "I will, Little Fox."

And then the teasing began, the delicious, lovely, exquisite teasing. She used her leg at first, pressing into me, but she shifted her weight so I couldn't grind against her, as much as I tried. And while her leg teased me, her eyes held mine captive. So I closed my eyes, and she stopped moving, pinning me against the wall, not allowing me to move, not moving.

"Open your eyes," she said.

I opened them, looking into hers again.

"If you close them again, I stop and I won't start again. Do you understand?"

"Lara-"

"Do. You. Understand?"

"Yes, Lara."

She smiled, and it was a feral smile. And then her leg shifted, lifting into my crotch, and she ground her knee into me, just right, and I tried to squirm.

"Alpha," I said, then gasped. "Did I win? Was it five minutes?"

"Yes," she said.

"Then for my favor, by morning, I want to be too sore to move from everything you do to me tonight. Don't hold back. Will you do that, Lara?"

"Honey," she said.

"Please, Lara," I said. "That's what I want. If you don't give me what I want, you know I'll push your buttons until you do."

She ground her knee into me, suddenly, causing me to gasp again. "Yes," I said.

"I won't hurt you," she said. "Will you allow me to pleasure you the way I want?"

"Please, Lara, I need to be yours."

"You are mine, Little Fox!"

To punctuate, she pressed her knee into me again, and I gasped. Again.

"Yes, Lara," I said. She began moving more rhythmically, and the more I squirmed and moaned, the more her own passion rose. She wouldn't finish me like this, but she could get me worked up to no end.

She continued to hold my hands with one hand. I knew from past experience I couldn't free my wrists, and physically she could do whatever she wanted to me. A year ago that thought would of terrified me. Now it drove me insane with need.

Her free hand moved down my body, caressing my wet skin and sliding over a nipple. I gasped with the sensation. She teased the nipple, causing it to stiffen.

All the while she stared into my eyes, and I couldn't pull my gaze from hers.

"Oh Lara," I said. "I love what you do to me."

She smiled, her hand moving lower, and she began to tickle me, very lightly, lovely tickles that I never wanted to stop. My whole body began to quiver from the sensations she was giving me.

"You are mine," she said again.

"Yes, Lara."

"Say it," she commanded.

I knew she loved when I pledged myself to her. "I am yours, Lara. All, entirely yours."

"Keep saying it, or I stop. Louder. Convince me you are proud of it. Convince the pack you are proud of it."

And so, over and over, I said, "I am yours! I am yours!" and I got louder and louder. And then her fingers entered me, and I gasped, loudly, and then all I could say was, "Yours, Lara! Yours! Yours!"

The orgasm hit me hard and fast, and every muscle in my body clenched, and I screamed I was hers, in time with the waves of pleasure, until it was little more than a continuous scream of pleasure.

And then I fell limp, Lara catching me in her arms, pulling me to her body and wrapping my arms around her neck. I draped around her, limp, unable to support my own weight, and she held me like that, chuckling, as she washed her hair one-handed. I clutched at her, almost sliding out of her grip three times, my body limp pasta, but each time she caught me and held me to her.

It took a long time to catch my breath and even longer before I could stand, leaning against the wall.

"Will you let me finish washing your stunning body, Lara?"

She grinned at me. "Are you up for it?"

"No, but I want to do it anyway."

She laughed and handed me the soap. Then she turned around, and slowly I washed her, everywhere I could reach. I didn't trust I could stand up if I knelt down, so I only got so far.

When I reached between her legs, she stopped me.

"But I want to-"

She smiled. "I came when you did, love." She took the soap from me and finished washing herself, then we rinsed together.

I let her dry me, barely able to stand, and when I almost fell over the third time, she sat me on the edge of the bathtub to finish it. She brushed my hair for me.

"It feels good wet for now," I said. "Don't dry it. Is there food?"

She laughed. "Yes. Everyone is downstairs."

"So they all heard me."

"Honey, everyone in three counties heard you."

"Good," I said. "Good."

She lifted my chin to look into my eyes. "You mean that, don't you?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Only because I'm the alpha?"

"No, Lara. But you being alpha helped me understand."

She finished drying herself then helped me into the bedroom, sitting me down on the bed. "What do you want to wear?"

"Anything," I said. "Whatever you want me in, Lara."

She grinned at me. "So if I told you to go naked?"

"For you? I'd go naked."

I looked up at her and climbed unsteadily to my feet, turned to the door, and almost fell over. She caught me, laughing. I draped myself into her arms. "God, you did me good. Oh, will you do that again later?"

"Yes, Love."

"Good. Kiss me."

And she did. Afterwards, she said, "How about jeans and a blouse?"

"All right," I said.

She found sexy undies for me, then slipped a camisole over my head. After that came the jeans and a blouse, which she buttoned halfway for me, allowing the camisole to show.

"I love you," I told her.

She laughed joyfully. "And I love you, Little Fox." I watched as she dressed, and then she helped me to my feet. Together, with her arm around my waist, we descended the staircase.

When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we received applause. Ava was laughing. "Do you two realize I was on the phone with my mother?"

I started to blush immediately.

"Alpha, she congratulates you on taming the shrew."

"She did not!" I said. "I have never been a shrew! Although I admit Lara has tamed me." I looked around. "Am I really a shrew?"

"No," Francesca said. "A pain in the ass, but I don't expect that's going to change."

I laughed. "Well, that part is intentional. Please, someone tell me I don't have to cook. Because I can't stand."

That gained me more laughter, and when I glanced at Lara, she looked exceedingly pleased.

I looked around. Angel wasn't in the room. "Angel?"

"Kitchen, icing her hand," Francesca said. "It will be fine by morning. Alpha, maybe set Michaela on the sofa. Ava, Sophia, please go check on dinner. It should be about ready."

Lara picked me up, causing me to screech and everyone else to laugh, and carried me to the sofa. She sat down, me draped across her lap, and that was fine with me.

Francesca, Elisabeth and Karen sat down facing Lara and me. "I knew," Francesca said. "So did Angel and probably Scarlett."

I nodded.

"The enforcers are figuring it out," Elisabeth said. "I've told them they are not to discuss anything about you with anyone else, and if they have questions, they are to see me, not talk amongst themselves."

"I knew before I met you," Karen said. "Greg gave everyone who was protecting you a run down of fox abilities."

"So it's not the secret I thought it was, anyway."

"Probably not," Karen said. "I would say the average wolf doesn't know, so it's not common knowledge, either."

"Before we met, I assumed you heard about as well as we did, maybe not quite as well," Lara said. "And you kept me guessing for a long time."

"All right."

"No one who spends significant time with you is going to share what they learn with anyone else," Elisabeth said. "But your story about firing a gun inside a house and damaging your hearing goes a long way towards explaining why you're ears are so delicate now."

"All right," I said. "The story is true, anyway, and my ears were certainly ringing for a while afterwards. But, well. Werefox. Healed."

They laughed. "Yes, just not as fast as a wolf."

I settled into Lara, burying my face in her neck for a moment, then I looked at Francesca. "Thank you for pinning Angel."

She smiled. "My pleasure."

Ava and Sophia stepped back into the living room. "Francesca, we think it's ready, but we're not sure."

"All right," she said. "Set the table." She looked around. "Someone call my other daughter and invite her to join us, please."

"I've got it," Elisabeth said.

I laid my head on Lara's shoulder while the wolves handled everything around me. "Should I feel guilty I never help in the kitchen?"

"You help," Lara said. "And you shouldn't feel guilty about the amount."

"You don't see me in there," Karen said. "Ever."

I smiled. "All right." I closed my eyes and breathed in Lara's scent. "Lara?"

"Yes, Little Fox?"

"What are you going to make me scream later?"

The room erupted in laughter.

"I don't know," she said, once it settled down. "Maybe that you'll behave."

"We saw how well that worked last time. Did you enjoy the swim?"

She chuckled.

"Come to the table," Francesca said, returning from the kitchen. We had an open floor plan this side of the kitchen, the living room morphing into the dining area, so it was a short walk. Gia, Francesca's eldest daughter and Angel's older sister, arrived as Francesca set a platter down on the table.

I struggled to climb out of Lara's lap, but she held me tightly to her and said, "Lend a hand, Karen."

Karen reached down, clasped Lara's elbows, and lifted Lara to her feet, me still in Lara's arms. I screeched and giggled.

"I can walk by now," I said.

"This is more fun," Lara said. She carried me to the table and set me into a chair, then pushed the chair into place for me before sitting down to my right.

Everyone filed in, the kids bringing in the rest of the food. Scarlett was with Angel, and I was happy she was with us instead of at home with her parents.

"We should just adopt her," I told Lara, looking at Scarlett.

She chuckled.

Scarlett looked at me and smiled. "I'm helping to nurse Angel back to health," she said. "Otherwise I would have been summoned home."

We settled in. Everyone passed the food around, and I took a little extra of a few things so Lara could steal from my plate. I had started doing that after hearing Violet tell Scarlett to serve me extras. Lara seemed to love it.

"I had fun today," I announced.

The table agreed with me, with the exception of Gia. I felt badly she'd been excluded, but she and I had never bonded that well. I respected her, but I wouldn't have called us friends. She didn't seem to like my irreverent attitude, and that caused stress in our relationship.

I looked at Scarlett. "You caught me."

She grinned. "You almost had me. I couldn't believe it; the Little Fox actually tripped me onto my back. If I hadn't tucked my chin, you would have had your teeth on my neck."

"You were a gracious winner," I told her. "Thank you."

"I want a rematch," Angel said.

"Maybe you shouldn't have bowled your mother over," I told her.

"What?" said Gia.

Francesca laughed. "That was well-played, Fox."

"Anyway," I said. "I had a wonderful day. Thank you for being so gentle with me, Scarlett and Angel."

"Gentle, hell," Angel. "We couldn't catch you. Wow, you're fast! Now I know how you stay away from Lara so easily."

"Oh, it's not at all easy," I said. "And you two would have easily caught me if I had not use the adults the way I did. You have to be gentle with them or they'll let you have it. I don't have to worry about it. You saw I can't knock one of you down if I try."

"Oh god," Angel said. "That was funny. You surprised the hell out of me, and then bam, there you were on the ground."

We spent the rest of the meal chatting amiably. I was biding my time, waiting for everything to be cleared away. Finally, the meal was over, the kids cleared our places, and I sent Sophia to my room for my phone and my laptop. She returned a moment later, and I thanked her.

"Well," I said, punching in my phone. "I am curious."

Most of the people at the table grew nervous.

"You know," I said. "I didn't think I'd win the wager today, but the alpha said I won. I really suspect y'all are going to wish you hadn't let me trick you."

"What's she talking about?" Gia asked.

Lara explained the wager and how I'd won it. Gia just shook her head, but Ava and Sophia were amused by it.

I turned my attention to my phone, and just as I suspected, the pictures of Elisabeth were missing. The tension at the table was tight.

"So," I said. "Other than Ava, Sophia and Gia, do the rest of you have anything you want to say to me?"

"No," said Lara. "I can't think of a thing."

"Alpha, what part did you play in the disappearance of photos from my phone?"

"What photos are those?" Lara asked me.

"The photos I took of your sister."

"They're missing?" she asked. "Maybe you deleted them."

"Someone deleted them, most likely while I was in the bathroom. Are you denying involvement, Lara?"

"Yes," she said.

"Seriously?"

"Honestly, Michaela. I didn't touch your phone."

"Who did?"

"I didn't see anyone touch your phone after I gave it back to you."

"Did you delete them while you had my phone in your possession?"

"No."

"Did you relinquish possession of my phone to anyone while I wasn't looking?"

"No."

"Someone moved my phone while I was in the bathroom. Who was it?"

"That was me," Lara said. "It buzzed. I looked at it, but nothing was on the display, so I set it back down. Michaela, no one else touched your phone, and I didn't delete the photos."

"They're not here, and you're acting guilty about something." I sighed. "But no worries. I mailed them to myself."

I pulled out my laptop and opened it. The room remained tense. I opened my mail, and the mail I had sent myself was missing. I checked where I'd copied the files, and the copies were missing. Someone was being complete.

"I'll be right back," I said quietly. I closed my laptop. "No one move, or 'Taming of the Shrew' will take on a whole new meaning."

I climbed the stairs and retrieved the thumb drive I'd hidden. It was exactly where I had left it. I descended the stairs slowly, listening for conversation, but they were all sitting quietly. The cat was out of the bag about my hearing, so I gathered I was going to overhear a lot fewer conversations than I had in the past.

I sat down at my space at the table, toying with the thumb drive and trying to decide what I was going to do.

"Lara," I said. "I practically begged you to tell me earlier while you were changing clothes. I gave you a free pass."

She didn't say anything.

"And then I gave you that wager, never expecting to win. And then I even let you decide I hadn't. You all would have had a free apology."

I set the thumb drive on the top of my closed laptop. "Is that empty?" I asked, pointing to it.

"I have no idea," Lara said.

"Anyone else?" No one had anything to say.

"Let's find out." I opened my laptop, bypassed the security, then turned it to Lara and handed her the thumb drive. "Please let me know what is on that thumb drive."

She glanced at me, then slid it into the side of the computer. There was a pause, then she began clicking. "It's blank," she said.

I sighed and reached over to close my laptop case. "I was going to give you the photos, Elisabeth. You didn't have to do it this way."

And then I got up and climbed the stairs to my room. I locked the door when I got there. I found a book then filled the tub. I added some bubble bath and started the jets. The resulting noise would surely drown out any conversation from downstairs. I shucked out of my clothes and lowered myself in the water. I tried to read.

I kept reading the same page over and over, but eventually I was able to actually read. The water grew tepid, so I added more hot water and continued to read. Eventually, weariness from the day and the warm water lulled me, and I fell asleep in the tub.

I woke to Lara caressing my cheek. She was kneeling next to the tub. I turned my head to her. "If you had asked me to delete them, I would have," I said.

"It started as a prank," Lara said. "Karen said she could hack your phone."

"I gave you outs. Why didn't you take them? You had to know what I was asking about."

"Had you already checked your phone?"

"No. But I saw it had been moved, and I was pretty sure Karen could hack it. You were all acting guilty. I was pretty sure I knew why, but I wasn't going to make accusations until I was sure. Why didn't you take the out?"

"Because my head of computer security asked for six hours."

"Gia?"

"Yes. She has been telling me our network security is lacking, and Elisabeth said this was the opportunity to prove it. If Gia could outfox you, there was no doubt."

"You had to know I wouldn't respond well."

"I have copies of the photos. You may have them back."

"Keep them," I said. "I was never going to use them. I wouldn't embarrass Elisabeth like that. Surely you know that."

"Then why are you so upset?"

"I have private things on my computer," I said quietly. "Private thoughts. Things you don't know. Things no one knows. How do I know Gia doesn't have all that now?"

"She doesn't. Only the pictures."

"How do I know that? How do I know the next prank won't be to find my private files, if she doesn't already have a complete backup of my computer? Gia doesn't like me much, I have no reason to believe she'd honor my privacy."

"Gia loves you," Lara said.

"Oh please, she thinks I'm a bad influence on her sister and the other youth in the pack, she thinks I am disruptive, and she's the last person in the pack who wants an omega fox pack mate. She probably had a great deal of fun hacking my computer."

"It wasn't like that, Michaela," Lara said. "And she loves you."

"Yeah, whatever." I turned away. "Where is my computer now?"

"On the bed."

I climbed out of the water. Lara moved to help me, but I hissed her away. I didn't bother with a towel but went out to the bedroom, grabbed the computer, and returned to the bathroom.

"What are you doing?" Lara asked.

I held the computer over the tub and dropped it. Lara lunged, barely catching the computer before it hit the water.

"No!" she screamed. "Michaela!"

"I can never trust that computer again, Lara. Drop it."

"No." She stood up and tucked the computer under her arm.

I stared at her. "Lara, there is evidence on that computer that I am a serial killer."

 **Clearing the Air**

Lara stared at me for a good ten seconds.

"Wolves?" she asked. I nodded. "Self defense?"

I turned my back on her then walked into the bedroom and found some pajamas and a bathrobe. I pulled them on. I turned around and stared at Lara. She was on her phone. "My room," she said. "Bring Gia."

"Gia hates me, Lara. If she found those files, she'll find some way to use them."

"She doesn't. I swear, Michaela, she loves you."

I turned away. I didn't believe her. Lara tried to put her arm around me, but I shrugged her off. I stood quietly, not at all sure what to do, but really hoping Lara could fix this.

There was a knock, then Elisabeth entered with Gia behind her. The two saw my body language.

"I had permission!" Gia said immediately.

"Not from me," I said quietly.

"Permission from the Alpha is sufficient," Lara said. "Gia, Michaela isn't angry at you. She's deeply frightened."

"Michaela is angry at all of you," I said. "That was an extreme invasion of my privacy. I now have to run. Will you give me a day's head start, Alpha?"

"You aren't going anywhere," she said. "Stop being so dramatic. Gia, how did you do what you did today?"

"I had permission," she said quietly. "Cyber security is my responsibility now."

"I know," Lara said. "Tell Michaela what you did."

"Elisabeth called me. She said you had probably mailed some pictures to yourself from your phone. She told me to delete them."

"You went a lot further than deleting some mail," I said.

"I told her it would be tricky and I would probably have to hack your computer. So she gave the phone to the alpha. The alpha gave me permission to run the security intrusion I'd been asking for permission to do, but to make sure I copied anything I destroyed."

I turned to her. "What did you do?"

"You guys were gone. Your laptop was here. I installed a program that would log everything you did and mail it to me. I installed another one that would delete files on any removable media, but I didn't trigger it. Then I waited. As soon as you got home, you logged into your mail. I have a complete log of everything you did, including the files that you put on the thumb drive. After you left, I took control of your computer, deleted the files you copied, and told your computer that if you installed that thumb drive again, to delete those specific files."

"Sophisticated," I said.

"Not really. An inside attack is easy. It would have been much harder if I had to come in from the outside."

I turned to Lara. "She has been complaining about network security. This was not about security intrusion. This was about hacking my computer. Mine! Not the pack network, not your computers. Not even pack computers. Mine!"

I turned and glared at Gia, daring her to state otherwise.

"I had permission," Gia said again.

"You copied the pictures?" I asked coldly.

"Yes."

"What else did you copy?"

"Nothing! One copy of the photos. That's all."

"Did you look around? You had the fox's laptop right there, filled with who knows what? I bet you were curious."

She looked away.

"Fuck!" I said. "God damn it!" I stormed into the closet, evading Lara's grab for me, jumped up to grab a duffel bag from the top shelf, and began shoving clothes into it.

"Calm down," Lara said. "Please, Michaela, let's talk about this."

"Go ask her!" I screamed. "Ask her what she found!"

"I didn't find anything!" Gia said.

"Fuck!" I screamed. "She won't even tell the truth!"

Lara was blocking the closet door. I had all the clothes I wanted from the closet. I tried slipping past her, but she shifted to block me. I'd expected that, and I slipped around her the other way. I evaded her twice more on my way to my dresser. I opened it and poured undies, bras and socks into my duffel bag, now overfull. I shoved everything in tighter and tried to pull the zipper closed. Lara hovered over me, not touching me.

"I didn't find anything that should have you this angry, Michaela," Gia said.

I turned to look at her. "What did you find?"

"Tell her," Elisabeth said. "Don't be evasive. She has something on her computer that she's terrified you found. If you found it, tell her so we can work it out."

"You have class notes," Gia said. "Lesson plans, science experiments. That directory is huge. You've only been teaching for a short time and you have all that built up."

"I also have comments about the students," I said. "Notes I take about them, what they're strong at, where they need help. Did you read them?"

"I found them," Gia said. "I glanced at them, but as soon as I realized what they were, I closed them all." She paused. "You should encrypt those."

I stared at her. "You're right," I said. "I should have. What else?"

"Financials. Your tax returns."

"Did you look at them?" I asked.

"No. I found the directory and did a list of the files. That's all."

"Keep going," I ordered.

"I found a directory with notes about your house. I poked around for a couple of minutes. I looked at some of your photos." She looked at Lara. "She has a lot of pictures of you. A lot of my sister." She looked at Elisabeth. "Some of you that I bet you didn't know she was taking. A lot of photos going back years."

I knew what was in the photo directory. While I wasn't pleased she'd poked through them, there wasn't anything frightening in them. And if Lara found out I had dated a human for a few months five years ago, it served her right. I hoped it gave her ulcers thinking about another woman touching me.

"Let's cut to the chase," I said. "Did you find any encrypted files?"

"Yes," Gia said immediately.

"Those files were buried pretty deeply," I said quietly. "You didn't just look around, you dug through everything."

"I ran an automated trace looking for files that appeared to be garbage or were clearly encrypted with the known encryption tools. Garbage files tend to be encrypted. Encrypted files are usually something interesting. It took a while to run."

"Did you decrypt them?"

"No."

"Did you try?"

"Briefly," she admitted. "You didn't use a simple encryption key."

"No, for those files, I wouldn't have."

"Gia," Elisabeth said. "Did you make copies? Tell the truth."

"No," she said.

I studied her. I'd played poker with her. Gia was a horrible liar. Oh, the wolves couldn't tell, but I could. She was telling the truth.

I started to cry. Lara pulled me into her arms. I stood stiffly and didn't hold her back, but I didn't push her away, either.

Gia stepped closer. "Michaela," she said softly. "I'm sorry. I was ordered to delete the photos, and I guess you can be mad about that, but that's between you and the alpha. Looking through your computer was beyond what she told me to do, and I'm sorry. I didn't copy anything except the pictures of Elisabeth. I didn't break your encryption."

"What's in the files, Michaela?" Elisabeth asked. "This is a security problem, isn't it? It's not just your private notes about Lara's bad habits."

"Gia," I said, pointing to the computer. "Show Lara the encrypted files." I waited until Gia had pulled up the directory with the encrypted files and given the computer back to Lara. "The password is: fucking wolves killed my family."

Gia took a loud breath but didn't comment.

Lara, sitting on the bed, began digging through the files, one by one, her lips growing tighter and tighter together. There were pictures I had taken of some of the wolves I had killed over the years. Not all, just some. I had journal entries describing the situations for each.

She looked at me. "May I show Elisabeth?" I nodded. So Lara showed Elisabeth everything as well. When they were done, Lara looked up at me.

"It's all self-defense," Lara said.

"Check the notes for July, eleven years ago."

Lara dug through the files, found the journal entry, and found that those two wolves had killed a family of werebeavers. It wasn't self-defense; it was retribution.

She looked back at me. "That was the most egregious," I said. "But four of the other wolves I killed were disabled. I could have run. I didn't absolutely have to kill them."

"You are thinking about human laws," she said. "They challenged you, and it was mortal combat. By were laws, you are justified to kill them."

"Gia hates me, Lara!" I said. "If she had copied those files, all she had to do is release those files to the human authorities, and my life would have been over!"

"Michaela. I don't hate you. I love you. How could you think I hate you?"

I stared at her. "You think I am a terrible influence on the pack and don't understand how anyone could possibly want me around. You want to be rid of me."

"That's ridiculous," she said. "I don't understand you. But Lara is my cousin, and I love her! And you saved her life. Michaela, you saved my cousin's life. You saved the pack. Twice. You've made our alpha happy. You've made my sister happy. I love my sister. I love my pack. I love my alpha." She started to cry. "I could never hurt you, Michaela. Oh god, how could you think that?"

Lara took a breath. "Michaela," she said. "Does that settle that part?"

I crossed the room to Gia, put my hands on her shoulders, and turned her to face me.

"Michaela," she said. "I don't understand you. I don't understand why you get away with your insolence. But you are our fox. Ours! And no one touches you. If I'd decrypted those files, I would have reported them to the alpha, but I would never, ever give them to anyone else or use them against you. I'm so sorry. Oh god, I'm sorry."

"Michaela," Elisabeth said quietly. "Even if Gia hated you, which she doesn't, she is immensely loyal to Lara and the pack. She would never turn a pack member over to human authorities. There are wolves in the pack who would be deeply incensed at the contents of these files. None of them live in the compound or are in the slightest position of authority. And Gia would never share Lara's secrets with any of them."

"How about my secrets?"

"Your secrets are Lara's secrets," Gia said. "You are her mate."

"You shouldn't have done it," I told her. "This wasn't about security. This was entirely about invading my privacy, what little I have remaining to me. The only security you were testing was mine, and I should be able to trust you."

"You're right," Gia said quietly. "You should be able to trust me. I'm sorry."

I paced around the room for a few minutes, no one saying a word, the three wolves practically holding their breaths. Finally I asked quietly, "Do I have to worry about this happening again?

"No," Gia said. "But Michaela, do you know how easy it is to steal files off a laptop? You have to scrub that computer. Not just delete the files, but use a real scrubber. Do you have other copies?"

"No. Just those."

"Why did you keep these files, Michaela?" Elisabeth asked. "They're dangerous. You had to know that."

"I needed them," I said. "Some days I needed them to remind myself I wasn't helpless. Some days I just needed to remind myself that the wolves that killed my family were all dead. And then some."

"Do you still need them?" Lara asked.

"No. Gia, will you scrub them for me?"

"Yes," she said. "Like they were never there."

"Please remove the programs you installed."

"I did that after dinner," she said. "But I can tighten your security if you let me keep the computer until tomorrow."

"Thank you. I am going to bed now."

Lara chased Gia and Elisabeth out and then locked the door. I turned to her. "I feel deeply violated. You may think you had a right to do that, but I firmly disagree. You knew I was going to be angry when I found out, and you did it anyway. Why?"

"A mistake, Michaela. Pure and simple. A mistake. I'm sorry. If Karen had hacked your phone and deleted the photos, but we'd stopped there, would you have been angry?"

"I took them as a prank, so it would be ungracious if I didn't accept another prank to delete them," I said. "If Gia could have deleted the emails without invading my laptop, that would also have been a fair prank, although I would then be obligated to find a more secure way to receive email. But invading my laptop went too far."

"I agree," Lara said. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have authorized it. We started with what you agree was a fair prank, and then it went too far a little at a time. I'm sorry."

I moved to her and looked up into her face. She was concerned, but I was ready to accept her apology. "You consistently go too far when trying to outfox me. You beat me plenty by being a wolf. Isn't that enough? Can't you let the fox win by being a fox?"

"I don't know," she said in a small voice. "It's hard. I can't help it sometimes; I am driven to play to win."

"Don't you have rules for that?" I asked. "Basic things you won't do just to win?"

"I am Alpha," she said. "I make the rules. I can change the rules."

"Is that the nature of the relationship you want with me?" I asked her. "One where I routinely feel violated?"

"Oh honey," she said.

"Here is something to consider. If the fox is going to feel violated, perhaps it's a bad idea. Do you think that you can at least keep that as a guideline?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "Yes, that's a good guideline."

"Thank you," I said. I wasn't quite done with her. "When you do something that I consider cheating, it makes me feel like you want to take my spirit away from me."

"Oh god, Michaela," she said. "No!"

I thought about what she had just said. Accepting someone's flaws is part of loving that person.

I stepped a little closer. "Lara, I love when you beat me fair and square. I love what you do to me there." I pointed to the bed. "I love your strength and speed. I am terribly amused when you outfox me, even if sometimes I am ungracious about it. But when you cheat, it cheapens everything. Will you please at least think about what I've said?"

"Yes, honey," she said. "I'm sorry."

I moved into her arms, pulling them around me. "Tonight, you will pamper me. You will hold me. You will make me feel safe." Then I shifted to fox as the fastest way to slip out of my clothes, stepped out of them, jumped onto the bed, and shifted back human, slipping under the covers.

Lara stripped out of her own clothes in a more traditional fashion, turned out the lights, and climbed into bed, pulling me into her arms.

"No," I said. "Back rub. Soothe me."

"All right," she said.

I rolled over, and she used her big strong hands on my small body, gently soothing away my cares. After a few minutes, I began to relax and gave sounds of gratitude, little moans and purrs.

I let her pamper me for a long time. It felt so nice. But I wasn't completely settled yet.

"Lara?"

"Yes, Little Fox?"

"Did I over react?"

"No. But it wasn't wise to keep those files. I am glad they're gone."

"Did Gia lie?"

"No. And before you ask, yes, I'm sure. It's not like I never talk to my cousin, Michaela."

"Do you think she'll read everything before she destroys them?"

"She might. Would it bother you?"

"No," I replied.

I moaned under her hands. Her touches grew more erotic, which was a step in the right direction.

"Lara?" I said.

"Yes, Little Fox?"

"Do you like my body?"

She chuckled. "Very much."

"It's not big and strong like yours."

"You are perfect, Michaela."

"Do you like... owning my body."

"Yes. Very, very much."

"Do you like making me scream?"

"Yes." She started to chuckle again.

"Is it true I make you happy?"

"Yes."

"Would it make you even happier if I told you I like when you make me scream?"

She laughed. "I was starting to understand that."

I giggled. "Did you really come in the shower?"

"Yes. I like when you take care of me, but every time you give yourself to me completely like that, I come, and they're the best orgasms I ever have."

"You understand, there are times I need to do the love making."

"I like the love making," she said.

"There are times I want you in my mouth."

"You have a very clever mouth," she said.

I squirmed a little from what her hands were doing, massaging my bottom.

"Lara," I said. "Do you want to make me beg tonight?"

"Yes."

"Will you roll me onto my back and make me taste you?"

"Yes."

"Will you make me scream your name?"

"Yes."

"Good."

And then, slowly, she did everything she said she was going to do.

 **Tradition**

The summer flew by. I settled more and more into my roles within the pack. When I'd first started dating Lara, I'd been nervous of all the wolves all the time. Over time that softened, but by mid-summer, I found their presence comforting, even that of wolves I didn't know very well, as long as I knew they were pack.

Lara accepted a delegation of wolves from the Minneapolis alpha, and there was a "state dinner" so to speak at the steak house in Madison. Lara requested I attend but told me she understood if I chose not to. Of course I went. And as soon as I saw the Minneapolis wolves, I could tell they weren't from our pack. Their presence unsettled me, but I was gracious and charming, and the evening was pleasant. When I told Lara about it in the car, she was ecstatic.

I started paying attention to the business conversations. Lara, Elisabeth, and half the pack council took it on themselves to educate me. If I joined a conversation that involved business, they all made sure I knew I was welcome, and they all encouraged me to ask all the questions I wanted. In late July, I repaid their kindness.

It was a pack play night, and we were enjoying the dinner and conversation before the games were to begin. It was to be a night of games too rough for one little fox, but I was okay with that. I'd gotten a good run in during the afternoon, although I'd lost all the wagers I'd set. I still owed everyone on the run a small favor from it. Lara had already collected her favor in the shower.

At the picnic, I joined a conversation with Dominick, Ron Berg, and two wolves who I learned were managers for a business venture co-owned by Dominick and Ron. It was a startup company, but the company hadn't been doing as well as expected, and morale was beginning to lag; lagging morale led to lagging productivity. "If we can't fix it, we may as well shut down," Ron said.

"It's a great company," Dominick said. "The sales cycle is just longer than expected."

I'd been listening for several minutes, not saying anything. "I'm sorry," I said. "I think I must misunderstand."

Both Dominick and Ron had been very kind about helping me understand business issues. "What don't you understand?" Dominick asked.

"Well, it sounds like you have a product you're proud of, and you have good people and a good business plan. You don't think you need to change any of that. You're even happy with marketing and how you're approaching sales. The only thing is there is some frustration and some morale problems."

"Right. But people are starting to slack off because they're giving up hope," said one of the managers. "We've been cracking the whip at them, but that seems to be making it worse."

"Oh hell," I said. "Of course it is. Look, people do a good job because they want to. I bet half the company has their nose in the help wanted pages, and it's going to get worse if you don't give them reasons to be happy."

Ron and Dominick were looking at me closely. The other manager said, "No disrespect, but that is pretty obvious to all of us."

"All right," I said, one hand on my hip. "And what are you doing about it?"

"We're already paying good wages," he said. "And everyone has stock options. They need to suck it up and hang in there."

"Well, more options they think are worthless aren't going to help," I said. "And if you really are paying competitive wages, more money isn't going to accomplish what you want. People are happy when they feel fulfilled and when they feel needed and appreciated. What are you doing about those?"

I turned to Ron. "I didn't say anything you don't already know. What are you doing about it?"

The four of them looked at each other. "Not a thing," Dominick said.

"Emotions aren't logical. Morale is an emotion, and it requires an emotional repair." I looked at Dominick and Ron. "Show your appreciation. You both have vacation property somewhere, I bet. Give away weekends to people. I assume some of your employees are pack; invite them to these play nights. Invite them to dinners at your homes. I bet if you asked, you could get Lara to meet you for lunch, or ask me. And invite employees to those lunches. Spend time with them, find out what they like, and give out little surprises. They won't cost you anything, but you will build loyalty and you will show your personal commitment to making the company a success."

After that, Lara and I began receiving invitations to small social events. I couldn't make lunches, but I made dinners, and time with one or the other of us became part of the employee appreciation program for a number of companies. I would never have guessed time with me would matter that much to anyone, but apparently the competition to be invited to small events I would be attending became quite fierce, all in the matter of a couple of weeks in July.

August arrived, and the wedding was close. I'd attended my dress fittings blindfolded, but I could tell by the way the dress hung on me that it was a long, flowing dress that would drag on the ground. I smiled cheerfully, drank my grape juice, and teased Lara by flirting with Georgia's assistants. She took it good naturedly; they were human, so she couldn't go alpha all over them, after all.

Remarkably, I wasn't at all nervous. This was what I wanted. Lara and I had never done any better. I felt I'd found my place in the pack and was treated exceedingly well. My opinion mattered, something that had never been the case in the past. It was odd, as I was surrounded by people who could break me with little more than a backward glance, but I had more control over my life and my surroundings than I ever had.

I was safe, I was in love, I was happy.

Still, when it was Thursday night, two days before our wedding, and my bedroom door opened, I was immediately wide awake. Whoever was at the door was trying to be very quiet, but I woke up to the sound of the knob turning.

I was wrapped in Lara's arms. I lay very still, listening, one hand reaching silently under my pillow to clasp one of my daggers. I could hear several heartbeats outside our door, and my own heart began to pound. I pinched Lara's arm to wake her.

"Shhh," she said very quietly. "It's Elisabeth and Angel."

"More than that," I said. "On the stairs."

"I know," she said. "You are being kidnapped. I will ransom you. It's traditional to struggle, but you should let Angel identify herself first so you know it's in fun. We're safe, Michaela."

"Lara-"

"It's in fun, Little Fox. Pretend you're asleep, let Angel wake you."

I caressed Lara's arm to let her know I understood, and I released the dagger.

I listened as several heartbeats drew closer. The strongest heartbeat moved to Lara's side of the bed. Two moved to mine. The wolves were being quiet, but I could hear their footsteps as they crushed the carpet. I couldn't smell them; my nose was too full of Lara's scent and the remaining scent of our passion from two hours previous.

One of the wolves crouched down at the side of my bed. Then, at the same time, I felt a finger brush my cheek while I heard Elisabeth whisper into Lara's ear. "Alpha?" she said. I opened my eyes to see Angel's face in front of me.

Elisabeth asked Lara, "May we?" and Lara answered, "Yes."

Angel was smiling. "Do you know this tradition?" Angel asked gently.

"Kidnapping me," I said. "I am supposed to struggle. That's all I know."

Elisabeth said to Lara, "There are two brides, Lara. We're taking both of you."

"Once we touch you," Angel said, "it's real. Struggle hard but no shifting. If you make it easy, we get to cut your hair and do other things you won't like. If you get away from us, you get to cut our hair. Michaela, once we touch you, play to win. Don't make me cut your hair."

I nodded.

"It's too dangerous," Lara said to Elisabeth.

"You shouldn't have shared a bed tonight, Lara. You knew better. We're taking both of you. To protect the fox, you may need to go easy; you might have to let us cut your hair. We won't let Michaela get hurt."

"We got distracted," Lara said.

Elisabeth chuckled. "So I heard. You two don't help each other now. Two separate kidnappings. You should have been in different rooms."

Lara kissed the back of my head. "Good luck, Little Fox," she said.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "There is a great deal of pride when the bridesmaids show up in short hair. Try to escape."

I nodded.

"Do it," said Elisabeth in a normal voice.

No one asked my opinion.

The room exploded into action, filling with wolves. As soon as I felt hands clasp my ankles through the bed covers, I kicked away. I snapped my teeth in Angel's face, and she fell backwards away from me in surprise. I rolled off the bed at the same time I felt Lara pulled away from me. I fell to the floor and narrowly avoided Angel pouncing on me. I rolled, rolled, rolled, and came out on Lara's side, surrounded by legs. I bit an ankle and heard Karen howl in surprise, then jumped to my feet and ran for the bathroom. It was a sturdy door, and I thought I could get out the window.

Instead, I felt a hand in my hair, and Elisabeth pulled me into her arms.

"Nice try," she said and threw me onto the bed.

I bounced once, jumped up, and felt strong arms wrap around me from behind. "Got you," said Scarlett. "Surrender now and we won't cut your hair tooooo short."

I got a chance to look around the room. Every female enforcer in the pack was concentrating on Lara. I had Abigail and Chloe Lassiter, Angel, Scarlet, Ava and Sophia concentrating on me. Six to one. Oh, that was fair.

Ava and Sophia made a grab for my legs, lifting them up, and I was suspended above the floor with Scarlett's arms around me and the other two girls holding one leg each. I bunched my legs to my chest, Ava and Sophia struggling with me as I squirmed, then I pushed off as hard as I could.

Scarlett fell over, landing on her back, her arms still wrapped around me, all hundred pounds of me knocking the breath firmly out of her. She gave an oof and released me. Ava lost hold of my leg. Sophia had managed to hang on, but I twisted, and she lost my leg.

I rolled over and looked at Scarlett. "Are you all right?" I asked her. She nodded.

"Worry about yourself," Angel said, and then she pounced at me.

I rolled underneath her, and she landed on top of Scarlett, adding insult to Scarlett's winded injury.

I tripped Ava, tangling her in Sophia's path, and then I saw Chloe and Abigail Lassiter guarding the door.

I heard a snap and a howl of pain, and I glanced over. Lara had just broken Serena's arm. It would heal. Karen had a bloody nose, then I had to pay attention to my own situation. Angel was climbing off of Scarlett, Ava and Sophia were both climbing to their feet, and I had two wolves between me and the door.

I feinted for the bed, dashed at Abigail, then pulled back. She clasped at me, allowing me to draw her away from the door. I grabbed her little sister, who was still smaller than I was, and thrust Chloe into Abigail's arms. I ran out the door, no one between me and freedom.

Or so I thought.

I turned towards the stairs in time to see Gia standing two feet away, and I didn't have time to react when she threw a heavy net over my head.

A net? Seriously?

I lifted my hands reflexively to ward it off, which was exactly the wrong choice. I got myself tangled, and then the net dropped around me. Gia threw herself at me, taking me to the ground, and then rolled me over several times, completely tangling me in the net.

I squirmed and struggled, but Gia was a full sized wolf, outweighing me by half my body weight, and I was thoroughly tangled in the net.

"Got her!" she yelled as my share of our kidnappers streamed out of the room. Sophia and Abigail immediately added their weight to Gia's, and I found myself face down in the carpet, tangled and not going anywhere. Someone sat on my legs. I heard the sound of tape being pulled off a roll.

"No!" I yelled, and began to kick. But strong hands clasped my feet, and someone firmly taped my ankles together, working her way up until I was wrapped in tape all the way to my knees. I continued to struggle and kick, but they all outweighed me and they were all far stronger than I was. "No!" I yelled again. "Stop this!"

Scarlett lay down on the floor, her face in front of me. "Michaela," she said softly. All other movement stopped except enough to counteract my struggles. I turned my face to look at Scarlett. "You couldn't have done better. Your hair is safe. We won't hurt you."

"How do I know you're not lying? If I stop struggling, maybe that's permission to do things to me." I bunched my legs and tried to kick out while trying to untangle myself from the last of the net.

"We weren't sure how well you understood the customs," Gia said from above me. "Scarlett or Angel aren't allowed to lie to you tonight. The rest of us are."

"Angel?"

"She's right," said Angel. "Scarlett and I don't get to lie. But we're not obligated to answer questions, either."

I relaxed my struggles, catching my breath.

"We're sorry," Scarlett said. "You should have been in pajamas tonight. The tape is going to hurt coming off. But we're still taping you. You can thank Lara for forgetting. If you were in pajamas, we could have taped only to the cloth and not your skin."

"Who do I thank for ambushing me?" I spat.

I heard a roar and the sound of something breaking from my bedroom.

"Is Lara okay?" I asked.

"She's fine," said Angel. "They finally subdued her. It took all of them. Finish wrapping her up now."

Weight shifted. Hands shifted. They lifted me awkwardly, my chest and face still in the carpet, peeled the net back, and taped my upper legs. I renewed my struggles, but they were entirely ineffective. The girls were giggling and having a good time.

"No higher," Gia said when it was close to getting really personal.

Angel crouched down next to Scarlett. "Your arms are next, Michaela. If you promise to cooperate, we'll tape them to your sides. If you don't promise to cooperate, or if you struggle, we'll tape them behind your back. You are going to be like this for a while. Choose carefully."

I began to hyperventilate and panic. I knew struggling was futile, but I renewed my efforts, squirming underneath them. My arms were pulled firmly across my back, and I went crazy when I felt the tape begin to wrap around my wrists. My struggles didn't even slow them down. Angel and Scarlett remained where I could watch both of them, and I focused on them.

I screamed and spat "No!" at them, but they ignored me demands.

They wrapped my wrists thoroughly, but I thought I could work them free eventually.

"Michaela," Angel said. "You must not shift now. Your fox legs don't bend that way. If you shift, you will dislocate your shoulders."

I nodded understanding.

They rolled me over and sat me up. I tried kicking at them with my bound legs, but Sophia sat on them, pinning them to the floor. Scarlett and Angel clasped my arms while Abigail and Ava wrapped the tape firmly around me, pinning my arms against my sides. I tried to bite them, but Scarlett and Angel pulled me back, and Angel weaved a strong hand tightly in my hair. Abigail and Ava avoided my breasts but otherwise encased me in the tape from my navel to my shoulders, my small breasts poking out. Every time their hands got close, I tried to bite.

"This is embarrassing," I said, still squirming.

"Don't be angry," Angel said in my ear.

"Easy for you to say!" I glared at her.

"But it's all in fun," Scarlett said. "Please have fun, Michaela."

"Fun?" I tried to bite her, but Angel yanked me away. "This fun seems very one-sided."

They finished taping me. I struggled against the tape, but I was firmly bound and would stay that way until someone released me.

"We're going to gag you, Michaela," Angel said. "We have a soft cloth that goes in your mouth, and then we are going to tape it in place."

"No!"

"Yes."

"Please, Angel."

"It's tradition," she said. "Are you going to freak out?"

"Yes," I said. "And if you ruin my hair, I won't forgive you. Please don't tape my hair."

"There is a price for that request. If you cooperate, we will put your hair in a scarf. We may catch a few wisps in the tape, but most of your hair will be safe. The price is your cooperation."

Scarlett added, "If you try to bite us again, we will be brutal, Michaela."

I renewed my ineffective squirming and struggling. "Why are you doing this?" I yelled, trying to escape from them.

"Shhh," Angel said. "Honey, it's tradition."

"It's not my tradition!"

Scarlett whispered into my ear, "This is important to Lara, Michaela."

I stilled.

Scarlett whispered again. "You are pack now, but you're still on the outside at the same time. Michaela, please let us do this. It will help. I promise."

She was right about some of that. I was on the outside a lot of the time.

After netting me, Gia had let the girls take over, but she crouched down in front of me. "Michaela," she said. "You flaunt your independence and reject many of our most deeply-held traditions. It doesn't sit well with some people. You can make up for a lot of that by accepting this tradition. The pack needs to know the alpha's mate will respect our traditions, even if she doesn't understand them."

No one moved while I thought about it. Finally I said, "I'll cooperate if you promise not to tape my hair. But I don't like this."

"No squirming then," said Angel. "Relax and let us finish this."

"I'm not having fun! I don't understand why you're doing this." But I didn't squirm.

"Tradition," said Angel. "We'll explain more later. Ava, Abigail. Hold her up." The girls shifted around, and I had Ava and Abigail clutching my taped arms. From behind me, Scarlett and Angel worked on my hair, pulling it together, then wrapping it carefully in a scarf.

"Open your mouth, Michaela," Angel said.

"Please don't, Angel."

"Open," Angel said again.

I opened obediently, and Angel reached around and gently filled my mouth with a soft, clean cloth. She tapped the last bit of the cloth in place.

"We love you, Michaela," she said into my ear. It didn't feel like it.

She used her hand to close my mouth around the cloth. Together, Scarlett and Angel carefully but firmly wrapped the tape over my lips and around the back of my head, around and around, even covering my chin and pulling my mouth more firmly closed. Finally Scarlett bit off the tape and smoothed it in place.

I was completely, totally helpless.

"She's ready?" I heard Elisabeth say from behind me.

"Blindfold," Angel said.

"In a minute. Lara is freaking out. She needs to see the little fox. Carry her in, let her see Michaela is fine."

"Fuck you, Elisabeth!" I screamed into the gag.

"Lara didn't explain," Angel said.

"You'll have to, Angel," Elisabeth said.

Angel took a breath. "If you struggle, Michaela," Angel said. "We might drop you. It won't be on purpose, but you're not so easy to hang onto like this. It's up to you. Even if you struggle, we'll try our best to keep you safe."

I nodded understanding. And then several pair of wolf arms wrapped around me and they lifted me up. I gave up on my struggles and let them carry me back into my bedroom.

I was turned away at first. They set me on the bed and rolled me over. Lara was there, wrapped up even more completely than I was, but they hadn't gagged her yet.

Lara struggled to get closer, and they let her. She kissed my nose. "Are you all right, Little Fox?" she said. Her eyes were a little wild.

I shook my head.

"This is in fun," she said. "Perhaps more fun for them than for us. If you can set your pride aside, they'll make sure you enjoy it."

I shook my head. How could she tell them this was okay? I glared at her. My heart was still pounding, and I really needed Lara's arms around me. I tried to talk, but nothing distinguishable came out.

I bent forward, trying to inhale Lara's scent, but all I could smell was tape. I began to look around wildly, panic settling in deeper, and I began keening into the gag.

"She's losing it," Lara said. "She can't smell me."

Immediately Elisabeth climbed over the bed and pulled me into her arms. "I am Lara's sister, Little Fox," she said. "Our scents are very similar. Breath deeply." Elisabeth held me to her chest, and I took in great, wracking breaths, trying to calm my heart. She smelled right, but not entirely right.

"This is in fun," Lara said calmly. I didn't believe her.

Then Angel was there, caressing my cheek. I took another deep breath of Elisabeth then turned my head to look at Angel.

"Let me have her," Angel said, and Elisabeth relinquished me into Angel's arms. I breathed in her scent deeply, and then Scarlett was there, and I turned to her, breathing deeply of her. And one by one, they each let me breathe in her scent, and I grew calm again.

"Better?" Angel asked. I nodded. "We'll keep doing that, but there is a price."

I opened my eyes wider to ask, "What price?"

"Later, once we ungag you," Angel said. "You will kiss our feet. Each of us who has comforted you, you will kiss our feet. Will you pay this price?"

I nodded.

Angel kissed my forehead.

I shoved back my tears.

"All right. Lara wants to kiss you once more, then it's time to go." I nodded, and Angel rearranged me on the bed facing Lara.

"Everyone here loves you, Little Fox," Lara said. "I should have told you about this. I grew up thinking I would be the bride for this, but not the groom, so it never occurred to me. It should have. I'm sorry. You'll be okay, honey. I love you." She kissed me on the nose, then over each eye.

Hands pulled me away. They sat me up, and Angel was facing me. "We're taking you away now. We're separating you. We are going to blindfold you."

I heard tape, and when I turned around, I saw they were taping Lara's gag in place. Angel reached out and clasped my head.

"No, look at me, Michaela. Are you calm now?"

I shook my head. She pulled me to her again and said quietly, "This is tradition, honey. I promise, I'll explain everything." She continued to rock me while I got my breathing under control again.

She held out her hand, and Ava put a piece of cloth in it. It was a blindfold, the sort people might wear if they sleep during the day and don't want the sun to wake them. She lowered it over my eyes. "You can take that off far too easily," Angel said. "We're going to tape it. Your hair is still safe." And then they taped the blindfold in place using several wraps of the tape. They were very thorough, and I couldn't see even a small amount of light.

"One more thing," Angel said. Then I felt hands at each of my ears, and ear buds were inserted in my ears. They packed cloth over the ear buds and wrapped my head in even more tape. "We're going to turn it on. I've tested the volume. We don't want you to hear, and it's a little loud. I am trusting you not to lie. If it's too loud, shake your head and I'll turn it down. If it's okay, nod."

The music turned on, and it was loud. I shook my head, and it was turned down slightly. I shook my head until it was as loud as I could tolerate without discomfort, then I nodded. They used even more tape, and I realized they were taping the iPod to me.

After that, they may have talked to me, but I couldn't hear anything except the music. And it wasn't very good music. I felt hands, and then I was picked up. I struggled briefly, but they rolled me over, set me back on the bed, and paddled my bottom three times. It stung. When they picked me up the next time, I didn't struggle.

They carried me downstairs then set me on my feet, steadying me. They held me like that for a minute before the music turned off and Angel asked, "Can you hear me?"

I nodded.

"We planned most of this, but we assumed you would be in pajamas," she said. "Blame Lara. We are offering to cover you for the duration of your transportation, but then we are going to uncover you again once we arrive. We are offering to wrap you in a sheet. The price is a new iPod for Chloe. Will you pay it?"

I nodded and immediately I felt myself wrapped in a sheet. They tucked it around me, then Angel asked, "Better?" As soon as I nodded, the music was turned back on. They picked me up, and it felt like they carried me outside.

I didn't know what to make of all of this. It was very strange. Lara had assured me it would be fun, but it didn't seem fun yet. Still, I trusted everyone involved. I wondered if that was a deep mistake.

There was a moment of awkwardness, and I realized they were moving me into a car. There was shifting around, and I could both feel and hear the car doors close. I was stretched out across several laps, and then the car began to move.

I began to panic again. I couldn't see, I couldn't move, but worse, I couldn't hear anything but the music. Arms wrapped around me and I felt myself pulled partially upright, and my nose was against someone's chest, and my face was caressed softly. I breathed deeply and recognized Angel's scent.

I wanted Lara, but I loved Angel, and I knew she loved me. I buried my nose deeper against her chest, inhaling great gulping breaths of air, pulling in her scent. She rocked me gently, and I could feel her strength. She caressed me gently and allowed me to breath in her scent, and slowly I calmed down. Angel continued to hold me like that for a few more minutes, and I relaxed in her arms.

And that was when she passed me off, and I found myself sitting across a new set of laps. That was when I realized, from the way I'd been passed between them, that we were riding in the limousine.

I wondered where they were taking me. I wondered if Lara knew where I was, and if they were taking Lara somewhere, too. I wondered what would happen later.

I could tell when we moved off the gravel road onto the highway, then the car turned around in circles, and I had no idea which direction we actually turned on the highway.

I started to feel a little sick, and the thought I might vomit scared me. They would never get all this tape off me and I could easily choke to death. I began hyperventilating again, and as soon as it started, I was pulled to someone's chest. I recognized Scarlett's scent. She held me, soothing me.

I calmed down again, and as soon as I did, she lowered me, but I fought, trying to keep my head elevated. Scarlett immediately pulled me to her again, and I calmed down. But then almost immediately she began lowering me again, and my panic returned. She didn't lift me to her that time, but she caressed my face over and over as she lowered me slowly, and I realized there was a pillow across her lap, holding my head and shoulders upward. That was okay, and I relaxed.

The pillow was a kindness.

Scarlett continued to caress my face, perhaps absentmindedly, and I was able to remain calm.

I tried counting songs to keep track of time. It had been three songs, I thought, since we reached the highway. There were more turns, but at each turn, they turned the car in circles several times, and I was completely, utterly lost. We could be anywhere.

After the next song, they passed me around between them, turning me this way and that, and then I found myself settled back in. Arms pulled me to a chest, and I recognized Sophia's scent. She held me for a full song before lowering me to the pillow. Hands reached inside the sheet and clasped my feet, not tickling just holding me, shifting now and then. Basic touch. It felt nice.

I might have slept, I don't know. I lost track of the songs. I lost track of the time. I didn't know where we were. Every little while, they passed me around, and I even lost track of which way was the front of the car. I realized also that they were shifting their seats as well. The rag in my mouth was soaked with my own saliva, and I was afraid if they laid me fully prone, I would start choking. I panicked once more, trying very hard not to cry, but making keening noises into the gag. I found myself back in Angel's arms. I stayed held to her chest as the car turned onto a gravel road.

I could tell it was gravel by the feel. We were driving slowly, but it was rough and it felt like it was crunching. We drove that way for a half a song, maybe less, and then the car turned a circle or two and came to a stop. Several hands caressed me soothingly, and Angel continued to hold me while I fought to control my fear.

Finally I slumped, relaxing against Angel and burying my face into her. The blindfold was wet with my tears, but luckily I hadn't gotten to the point of a full-out sobbing panic. Angel held me still until I finished calming down.

It was awkward, but they passed me out of the car. I was carried a distance and then I thought perhaps they brought me into a building. They took a few turns with me, and then we were going down a set of stairs. They were gentle with me the entire time, and I didn't struggle. Once we were at the bottom of the stairs, they took a few more turns with me and I was set on my feet. They unwrapped the sheet from around me, making sure I didn't fall, and then picked me up again. I was set down on a sofa with my feet lifted onto some sort of foot-rest.

The music turned off, and they cut the tape holding the ear buds in place. I flinched as they pulled the tape from my skin, and then I could hear again. But the music had been loud, and my hearing was shot; it would take a while before I could hear properly.

"Are you okay, Michaela?" Angel asked. I nodded. "Scared?" I thought about it and nodded. Caressing my cheek she said, "Lara should have told you about all of this. You can have it out with her later. It's not our fault you don't know this custom. Are you angry?" I shook my head.

"Okay," she said. "I'm going to tell you what a wolf would already know. Do you know about bride hunts?" I nodded my head. Elisabeth had explained to me how David had stolen his bride. "This custom was born out of that. Different packs probably do this differently. And the custom has changed over the years. We also changed it for the unique position of having two brides, and one of them a fox instead of a wolf. Do you understand so far?"

I nodded.

"Traditionally, you would not have slept with your fiancé tonight. We would have taken you from your own home. When it is time for me to marry Scarlett, you will kidnap me from my mother's home and Scarlett's maid of honor will kidnap her from her parent's home. But if you were marrying a man, we would kidnap you and no one kidnaps him. It is his responsibility to pay your ransom. Understand?"

I nodded.

"Tonight, we are holding you for ransom, and the enforcers are holding Lara. You will each pay the other's ransom."

I couldn't pay much ransom. Lara was in trouble. I shook my head.

"Don't worry, eventually you will be able to pay. Let me explain everything." She caressed my cheek. "There will be an initial demand for payment. It will be far, far more than you could possibly pay. For instance, we are going to demand ten million dollars and two major favors each from Lara. You understand; that is more than she will pay, and we know she will refuse. You will receive a demand you can't pay. Do you understand?"

I nodded.

"When Lara finally ransoms you, and she will eventually, we get it, those of us here holding you. When you pay your ransom, and you will eventually, it goes to the people holding Lara. They get nothing when Lara ransoms you, and we get nothing when you ransom Lara. Understand?" I nodded.

"We promised you this would be fun for everyone. We'll get to that. You're going to both love and hate this, but we'll all be closer before this is over. Trust me, Michaela." I nodded.

"Now, the custom is that every once in a while, we will threaten to do something to you. At first, it will be something mild, like tickle your feet. We may also offer you an alternative payment, like, I don't know. Let us spank you. If you choose the alternative payment, then that's what we do, but then one of us volunteers to accept whatever we were going to do to you instead. So if you let us spank you, then one of us gets her feet tickled. Understand?"

I nodded.

"We will also make a new demand for ransom, and Lara will be obligated to answer immediately. At any time, you may ask to record a message for Lara, but we decide if we're going to pass it on. Michaela, I guarantee, you will eventually record a message asking her to ransom you."

She let me think about that.

"This part is important. Michaela, you are marrying the alpha. Honey, you are a potential kidnap victim. This could be real."

I began to panic again, and she pulled me to her and waited for me to calm down.

"Michaela, imagine you have been kidnapped. The kidnappers will initially demand something horrible. Imagine the kidnappers demanding Lara step down as alpha. Would you want her to pay that?"

I shook my head.

"What is Lara going to do while she is also negotiating with the kidnappers?"

I thought about it. She would be doing everything to find me.

"She's going to try to find you. That's why you don't know where you are. But she is going to stall while she tries to find you, and you are going to help her stall. Aren't you?"

I nodded.

"And she is going to try to negotiate them down. Eventually, either she negotiates it down to something she is willing to pay, or she finds you, or you become so desperate that you beg her to ransom you, and she caves in and abdicates."

I shook my head back and forth.

"The enforcers are going to be doing the sorts of things real kidnappers would do, Michaela. Not at first. At first it will be rough, but only a little. But later, it will be real, and Lara's job is to hold on while you would be trying to find her or until you are able to negotiate to something you can pay. It's her pride to hold out until you are willing to pay. Honey, Lara is going to try to hold on until her ransom is one dollar."

She let me think some more, then I nodded.

"Honey, we won't do those things to you. What we're doing is symbolic. And actually, at the beginning they're supposed to be fun, even for Lara. We're trying to make it fun. Later, we will be trying, trying very hard, to get you to beg. The pack needs to know you will be strong for Lara when you need to be. Lara needs to know. And honey, you need to know."

I began to struggle. Hands immediately held me in place and Angel pressed herself against me, letting me breath her in. "Shhh... Shhh... She could have told Elisabeth no. Shhhh..."

I calmed down, but it was difficult. Angel held me for another minute before sitting back. "All right now?" I nodded.

"This is going to be fun. Do you want to know why?"

I nodded.

"Because you're going to pay the alternative payment. A lot. And you're going to watch as Chloe eats worms or Ava lets us shave her hair. You'll take the alternative payment and watch Sophia drink grain alcohol. You see? And between the games, we have a slumber party. We have food, things to drink, games, movies, and all sorts of other fun. Please, Michaela, we'll make this fun, but Lara is going to pay a very large ransom for you, too."

I nodded. I'd try to have fun.

"Michaela, hold on as long as you can, but you'll beg Lara eventually."

Oh god. I slumped, defeated, and I didn't hear what she said after that.

"Michaela. Michaela!" Angel pulled me to her again, shaking me a little. "Come back to me, girlfriend. Come on."

I finally nodded.

"It won't come to the worst. We've been planning for weeks. Lara will ransom you by noon, honey. And Elisabeth will lower her demands by noon to the point you won't want to pay, but you could."

I nodded.

"Okay. Now. Everything that you ask for has a price. If you have an itch and you want us to scratch it, someone will demand a price. We'll be recording your agreements. We're also taking pictures, and we are allowed to do whatever we want with those pictures. However, we also take pictures of what we do to each other, and you get a full copy of everything."

I nodded.

"Last few things. Have fun. Don't get mad." She took a big breath. "You have a temper. We are obligated to punish you if it comes out. Stay in a good mood and have fun. And if you are rude to Elisabeth, she is obligated to punish Lara for your rudeness. Michaela, please try to understand and have fun. This is a wolf game, and it is important to us."

I nodded. Fun? She didn't really think I was going to have fun, did she?

 **Beginnings Aren't So Bad**

She caressed my cheek. "First payment. We are going to bend you over the sofa and give you five firm swats on your naked bottom with a bare hand. There is no alternate. Do you wish to beg Lara to ransom you?"

I shook my head.

"At any time, you may offer to beg for a ransom. If you make the offer, you will do your best to make it convincing. Honey, Lara will pay if you are convincing, and everyone here knows it, so if she doesn't, we'll know you signaled her somehow not to, and then we'll have to convince you to make a better recording next time."

I moaned again.

Angel leaned forward and kissed my forehead. There was a pause, and then Angel was talking to Elisabeth on the phone. "We have our ransom demand," Angel said. "Tell Lara we have her bride. If she wants her back, she will pay us collectively ten million dollars and two major favors each from the alpha. There are six of us."

I heard Elisabeth respond, "Got it. Will you tell Michaela we have her bride? If she wants her back, the price is a million dollars, a major favor each for the five of us, and she must offer her throat to each of us from now into perpetuity."

"Did you hear, Michaela?" Angel asked. I nodded. "Will you pay this ransom?" I shook my head. "Elisabeth, she declines your offer."

"The alpha has declined your demands as well."

There was a pause, and I heard a sound of something being set down on a table. I presumed it was Angel's phone.

"Give the prisoner her spanking," Angel said.

Hands grabbed me. I was smoothly, although firmly, pulled over the back of the sofa, turned around until I was bent over it, and then there was a swat on my bottom. I flinched.

"Careful," Angel said. "She's not a wolf."

The swats alternated after that. They stung, but none of them was as firm as the first. I still flinched after each one, but it was lighter than Lara would have spanked me even playfully.

Once the spanking was finished, they held me like that for just a moment, then I was picked up and gently replaced on the sofa and steadied in place.

Someone moved so she was straddling my legs. I leaned forward and inhaled, recognizing Scarlett.

"Okay?" she asked quietly. I nodded.

"From this moment forward, once I climb back off your lap, I am allowed to lie to you now that you know the rules. Angel may not lie until this is over. We offered that concession because you aren't wolf, and you needed someone here you could trust." I nodded understanding.

"We can't lie about the punishments though. There will be no cheating and no trickery," Angel said. "Or lying about payments for anything. You will get proper reward for any payments you make."

I nodded understanding.

Scarlett spoke again. "Would you like us to uncover your eyes?" I nodded. "Remove the gag?" I nodded again. "Cover you up?" I nodded. "Do you want something to drink?" I nodded. "Okay pick one," she said. "Clearly we can't give you anything to drink if you are still gagged, and once we remove your gag, you owe us kissing our feet. The price for this first favor is tutoring or guidance, as much as needed until you promise I have earned an A, on the upcoming assignment of my choice. Exams not included."

She gave me time to think about it.

"Do you agree to this price?" I nodded. "All right. When I get to the one you want, nod. Your choices are blindfold, gag, and covering you. Blindfold?" I shook my head. "Gag?" I nodded.

She leaned forward and kissed my forehead.

"Hold still," she said.

She touched my face gingerly, and then I felt something cold pressed against my cheek. "I'm cutting the tape, not your hair," Scarlett said. She snipped the tape on either side of my cheeks. Then she peeled the tape away from my skin and asked me, "Fast or slow? Fast?" I nodded.

She ripped the tape immediately, and I cried out. Then her hands were against my skin, smoothing away the hurt. "I'm sorry," she said. "This is a wolf game, it's a little rough for you, but we're being as gentle as we can." Then she reached into my mouth and slowly removed the now very soggy cloth. She brushed away the extra saliva from my lips. She was kind about it.

"All right?" she asked.

I nodded. I didn't trust my voice immediately. I leaned towards her, and she wrapped her arms around me for a moment. I breathed twice, then leaned away. "Thank you," I told her.

"Of course."

"May I have some water?"

"After you kiss our feet, and there will be a price," Scarlett said.

I nodded. "You want me to kiss now?"

"Yes. We'll lower you to the floor and take turns stepping in front of you. We will tell you whose feet you are about to kiss."

"All right," I said.

I felt strong arms slide underneath me, lift me from the sofa, then gently lower me to the floor. Several hands rolled me onto my stomach, and I heard shoes being removed.

"I'm Chloe," Chloe said from somewhere above me.

"Her feet are right in front of you," Angel said. "Find them and kiss them."

I crawled forward as best I could, and my head bumped into a pair of legs. It was awkward, but I lowered my lips and carefully, wetly kissed the top of one foot, then the other. Then, one by one, I kissed each little toe. Above me, Chloe giggled.

"Next," said Angel. One by one, the girls presented their feet. I kissed each one, softly but without any hint of stinginess. Angel was last.

"Very gracious," she said when I was done. "We're going to roll you over and put you back on the sofa now."

Once I was seated back on the sofa, Ava said into my ear, "The price for water is tutoring, same agreement you gave Scarlett, but for both Sophia and me."

"For one drink?"

"No," Angel said. "Once a price is paid, it's paid. For all the water you request until the party is over."

"Agreed," I said. "May I ask a question?"

"Yes. We don't promise to answer," said Ava.

"Am I allowed to offer a counter price?"

"Yes," said Scarlett. "But we aren't obligated to take it, and if it's insulting, we'll punish you for it."

"Is that true, Angel?"

She laughed. "Yes."

Scarlett slapped me. She wasn't gentle, and she surprised me with it. Tears sprang to my eyes, not from the pain so much as the thought she would slap me.

"What did I do?" I asked in a small voice.

"You questioned me, implying I might lie," she said.

"But you told me you were going to lie to me," I said.

"It's rude to actually accuse me of it though." Then she leaned into my ear. I tried to pull away. "I'm sorry," she said. "That would have been a love tap to a wolf. I'm really sorry."

I leaned my cheek against hers. "It's okay," I said. "Please don't hit me for this but I'm not having fun, Scarlett."

"I know, but the fun part is about to begin."

Then she leaned away. There was rustling, and Ava said, "I have a bottle of water with a straw in it, just slightly forward and to your right."

I leaned forward and found the straw. I took several gulps, then leaned away. "When I want more?"

"Just ask," Scarlett said.

I nodded.

Scarlett caressed my cheek and said very softly. "I'm sorry." I nodded again, and Scarlett climbed off my lap to sit down beside me.

"Time for a game!" said Abigail. "What can we play while she's blindfolded?"

"Truth or dare," Angel said immediately. "Everything else we have she needs to see."

"I'm not in much position to take dares," I said.

"We'd make dares you could accept, and it's considered unfair to pick on you," Angel said. "One strike and you're out. If you dare someone to do something, and they refuse, then you have to do it. If you refuse, you're out instead. Last one remaining may ask a favor, and someone here has to fulfill it. To be clear, Michaela, we will not be setting you free that way."

I laughed. "I didn't think so. May I ask dares I'm not in a position to fill myself?"

They conferred. "Yes," they finally agreed. "We would get to modify your dare to something you could do, and it can't be any worse than what you dared."

"All right," I said. "Who goes first?"

"You do," Angel said. "Pick someone."

"Chloe!" I said. "Truth or dare!"

"Me?" she said. She'd been awfully quiet. "Truth."

"Chloe," I said, "tell us about a time you've cheated on a school assignment or exam. If you have absolutely never cheated, then tell us about a lie you told your parents."

The girls all liked that one.

"I've never cheated at school," she said. "Last summer, I lied to my parents when I told them Abigail spent the night in my room when she really spent it out with Keith Planck."

"And I love you for that lie," Abigail said. There was movement, and I thought perhaps Abigail had hugged her little sister.

"Your turn, Chloe," Scarlett said. "Pick someone. You may pick Michaela if you want, but remember we don't get to pick on her too much."

"Abby," Chloe said. "Truth or dare?"

"Oh, little sister," she said. "Dare."

"All right," said Chloe with glee. "I dare you to... the cinnamon challenge!"

"No," I said immediately.

"You can't say no," Angel said.

"I am the only adult in the room, and we will not have dangerous dares. Kids have gone to the hospital for that one."

"Human kids," said Abigail.

"Please, Angel," I said.

"Quarter teaspoon," Angel said.

I thought about it. "All right," I said. "You guys really have cinnamon?"

Angel laughed. "We have everything."

I listened as Sophia left the room. I heard her climb a set of stairs, doors opened, she was gone for a minute, then she returned.

"Abigail is measuring out the cinnamon," Scarlett said to me. "She is being exceedingly meticulous, and her sister is watching intently. She gave the jar back to Sophia. Now she's swallowing it."

Immediately Abigail began coughing and Chloe started laughing, followed by the other wolves. "Oh god," Abigail said. "Even a quarter teaspoon burns. Water! Water!" It took a minute, but eventually she calmed down.

"That was good!" Chloe said. "I like this game."

I smiled.

"Scarlett!" said Abigail.

"Truth."

"Tell us in detail," Abigail said, "About the most recent time Angel dominated you in bed."

"Is that a child friendly truth?" I asked.

"Stop being the chaperone, Michaela," Angel said. "This is your last warning. There is no teacher here, just seven friends. But you are our prisoner, and you do not make the rules. We do. Do not question us again."

I thought about it. "All right."

Scarlett bumped me with her shoulder, and then she began telling a story that started with a lost wager and ended with Scarlett begging Angel to finish her. By the time she was done, even I was squirming while thinking about Lara doing all that to me.

"Okay, it's just wrong for me to have heard that," I said. "La la la la la!"

The girls laughed.

"Truth or dare, Little Fox?" Scarlett asked.

"Truth. I think I'm going to get enough dares tonight."

She laughed. "I imagine so. Tell us what you love most about Lara."

A soft pitch. "That's hard," I said. "It's really a mix of things. She's strong and makes me feel safe. She takes care of me. She's beautiful. She honestly cares about me and my opinions. My legs go weak when she holds me. I love how she smells. I don't have the sense of smell you all do, but god! I love how she smells." I thought some more. "I don't know. She's Lara. I look at her and all I can see is how utterly amazing she is, and then she looks at me with love in her eyes, and it's the most wonderful feeling I've ever had."

When I finished talking, they were quiet.

"Got it," Angel said.

"Got what?"

"Oh Michaela, I recorded that," she said. "We're going to play it for Lara. Just to remind her who we're holding for ransom."

"Oh god," I said, then began laughing.

I heard a phone buzz. There was a pause, then Angel said, "It's time. Scarlett?"

"Sophia," Scarlett said. "Hers is better."

Sophia climbed from her chair from somewhere in front of me and walked around the sofa, leaning over my shoulder. "Michaela, your next punishment is this. We're going to tickle your feet. The alternative is we'll pierce your ears." She pinched my earlobe.

"So, if I let you pierce my ears, then one of you gets your feet tickled for as long as you would have tickled mine?"

"Yes," said Angel.

"You aren't threatening to pierce the cartilage, are you?" Piercing the cartilage hurts quite a lot and bleeds profusely. On humans, it can also become infected, but that wouldn't be a problem for me.

"No," Sophia said. "I pinched your lobe. I was showing you where we would pierce."

"Is tricking me allowed?" I asked.

"No," said Angel. "Although Elisabeth will try to psych you out about the ransoms."

I smiled. "Pierce them."

"Excellent!" Sophia said.

"Did you want to beg Lara to ransom you?" Angel asked.

"No," I said.

"All right," she said. "I'll be back soon."

Angel got up and went upstairs, closing the door. I listened as she walked away, and another door opened and closed, then I couldn't hear her further.

"While she's talking to Lara," Sophia said. "Tell me. Do you want us to ice your ears before we pierce them?"

"Why would you do that?" I asked.

"It numbs them."

"I presume there would be a price."

Sophia laughed. "Of course."

"No thank you," I said.

I heard more rustling from where I thought Ava was sitting. I asked for water and was given some. Then Angel returned.

"Michaela, your lover refuses our generous offer to ransom you, but we have a message for you." She pressed a phone to my ear.

"Hello?"

"Hello, Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Lara recorded something for you. I am going to play it." There was fumbling, then I heard Lara's voice.

"How can I not love her?" Lara said. "That day last year wasn't the first time I'd seen her. I saw her once or twice in Bayfield over the years, and of course, we'd been keeping an eye on her. But that day we went to visit her. Wow, did I handle that badly. So stupid. It didn't occur to me we would scare her. We knew she was inside. Her car was there, and we knew her schedule. David caught a glimpse of her as she peeked out the window, and John saw her when she headed to the back door. Then she went upstairs, and we didn't know what she was going to do. David broke in through the front door, and ten seconds later, this little fox ran right into my legs. I'm not sure which of us was more surprised."

Lara paused. "May I have some water?" There was another pause. "I picked her up by the scruff. I shouldn't have. She's an adult fox, not a wolf pup, but she was as small as a pup, and I wasn't really thinking about it. There was this little fox, dangling from her neck, and she attacked me. I've never been attacked by anything that small before! Elisabeth, you've seen her. She's so small but wow! She's so tough. She never backs down. I am always so frightened she's going to get hurt, but even when she does, she bounces right back. And oh my god, she's so amazingly beautiful. I love her in both her forms, that beautiful fox, so amazingly beautiful, and her hair. I love running my hands through her hair."

Then the recording ended, and Elisabeth was back on the line. I was trying not to cry. "If you want your bride back, Michaela, the ransom is one million dollars and your throat to each of us in perpetuity."

"I am sorry, Elisabeth, but I decline your offer."

"I thought you might."

"Elisabeth?"

"Little Fox."

"Would you play that again?"

She paused. "That sounds like a favor. I will email it to Angel. It will be your kidnappers' choice. I suspect there will be a price." And then she hung up.

I nodded, and Angel withdrew the phone.

"Needle," Sophia said. There was a pause, then Sophia grabbed my left earlobe. She pressed a cloth behind it and said, "Don't move, Michaela." There was a jab. It stung, but not so badly. She cleaned the ear then inserted an earring. "Michaela, these earrings are my wedding present to you. They are white gold with blue sapphires."

"Oh, Sophia," I said. "Thank you."

"You are welcome. They will shift with you, so you may shift back and forth between human and fox, and they won't fall out. At least, they don't for wolves. The holes will heal, though, if you shift too many times without an earring in. The first time you try it, you may want to do it somewhere you won't lose them if they fall out."

"Thank you," I said again.

She shifted to the other ear and pierced it the same as the first. Once the ear was settled, she stood up.

"Who has the most ticklish feet?" she asked.

"You do!" Ava said immediately.

Everyone laughed. Sophia sighed. "All right. Michaela, because you would have been helpless while we tickled you, they're going to pin me to the floor, probably on my stomach, and take turns tickling my feet until I agree to whatever they demand, I wet my pants, or they grow bored. Whatever comes first."

"Oh good lord," I said. "Is that what would have happened to me?"

"Yes," she said.

Sophia walked back around the couch. I heard all the other wolves get up. "On your stomach," Ava said. There was rustling, and then I heard Sophia start to squirm.

It took a minute before she began laughing. It didn't take much longer until she was screeching, begging them to stop.

"Clean my room for a week," Ava said.

"No!" Sophia said. The tickling obviously continued, Sophia shrieking. Everyone was laughing, even me. I could tell by the shrieking when they switched ticklers, and it was clear some people tickled better than others.

Soon Sophia was laughing so hard she couldn't catch her breath. Still, they didn't stop.

"Okay!" she finally said. "Stop!"

"Write that down," Ava said.

"I got it," Angel replied.

Sophia lay panting from the floor for a while before climbing to her feet, everyone else still giggling. Then someone walked over to me, put her arms under me, and shifted me to the right. It smelled like Angel. She sat down on my left, and then Scarlett was on my right.

"We told you," Angel said. "Fun."

"Yeah," I said. "I'm sorry I doubted you."

They offered me water, which I accepted, then Angel said, "Michaela, you may ask for anything you want, but there will be a price."

My arms were getting stiff, bound the way they were behind me, but it wasn't a problem yet. I thought about asking them to remove the blindfold. I had gotten over being shy that I wasn't dressed, which surprised me.

"I want popcorn," Chloe said. "Please?"

"All right," said Abigail. "Do you want to make it?"

"Yes!" she said.

"All right," said Abigail. "We'll go upstairs and make a big batch. You guys can continue the game without us for now, if you like."

I listened as the two sisters climbed the stairs. "Angel," I said. "I will eventually want you to remove the blindfold. Will that be possible?"

"For a price."

"And my arms are going to get stiff."

"I did warn you. Re-taping you will require a promise you will cooperate and a fairly large price."

"I will cooperate, Angel. What is the price?"

"Five thousand dollars," she said without a pause.

I held my breath, holding my response back in. I was sorely tempted to offer a smart ass remark. I was pretty sure that was a bad idea.

"I can wait," I said eventually. "And the blindfold?"

"I changed my mind," Angel said. "The blindfold is currently also five thousand dollars."

"I can wait," I said.

The girls chuckled.

"It's your turn, Michaela," Scarlett said.

"Angel, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

"Ask Scarlett to slap you as hard as she slapped me earlier."

The room immediately grew silent.

"Did I make an illegal dare?" I asked in a small voice.

"No," Angel said. "I am trying to decide if I intend to accept it." Finally she sighed and rose from the couch. "Scarlett, will you please slap me like you slapped the fox?"

"I wonder if I have to do it," Scarlett said.

"Yes," said everyone else in the room, including Angel. "Or you're out," Angel added.

Scarlett stood up, and I heard a slap directly in front of me. Both girls sat back down. "Wow," Angel said. "You can't hit her that hard."

"I know," Scarlett replied. "I'm sorry, Michaela."

"It's okay, Scarlett. No damage done."

"You still have a red mark on your cheek," Angel said. "But it's fading."

The game went halfway around the room before it came back to me. They weren't exactly picking on me, but they were picking me about twice as often as each other. Just as Ava asked me, "Truth or dare?" Chloe and Abigail came back down the stairs.

"We have popcorn!" Chloe said. "And chicken."

"That's what took so long," Abigail added.

I listened as bowls and plates were passed around. Someone waved a bowl of popcorn under my nose, and then a piece of chicken.

"Hungry, Michaela?" Abigail asked.

I laughed. They were assaulting me with the smell of food, and yes, I was suddenly hungry.

"Open," Abigail said, and when I opened my mouth, she tossed two pieces of popcorn in. It was very salty. I ate the popcorn and asked for some water.

"I'd love some chicken," I said. "Is there a price?"

Abigail laughed. "Of course there is."

"May I have this one?" Angel asked.

"Sure," Abigail said.

"Michaela, Gia asked for an opportunity to demand a price. This is for all the food you want, and we will try to provide what you ask for, within reason." There was a pause, and then I heard Angel talking to her sister. Angel held the phone to my ear.

"Hello, Gia," I said.

"I don't know what favor you're paying for," she said. "But the price is your friendship."

"My friendship?" I said. "I don't understand."

"I want us to be friends," Gia explained. "I want you to treat me like a friend and think of me as a friend. That is the price."

"Oh Gia," I said. "Yes, of course. I really didn't think you wanted me around."

"I know," she said. "I honestly like you, Michaela. Everyone does."

"Thank you, Gia," I said.

Angel took the phone away and I listened as Gia told her the price I had accepted. "I'll write it down," she said. "Would you tell Lara we made her cry three times already?" Then she hung up

"Oh my god!" I said. "Angel!"

"Not another word, Michaela," Angel said.

I closed my mouth.

"Besides, Lara knows we wouldn't want her to ransom you this quickly. Our terms are still horribly unreasonable."

"May I have some chicken now? A small piece?"

"Of course." I heard a knife and fork, and then they slowly fed me some of the chicken and washed it down with more water. "Perhaps you would prefer lemonade," Sophia offered.

"That would be nice," I agreed.

"You may, of course, have all the water you want. The price for any of the other beverages available, including limitless lemonade, is one backrub, on demand, for each of us."

I laughed. "One backrub each, on demand, but subject to reasonable limits on when and where. Not during class, for instance. Elisabeth, Lara or Francesca to judge if there is a dispute on reasonable."

"Agreed," said Sophia. "We have water, lemonade, coffee, tea, a wide variety of soft drinks, wine, beer, a variety of hard alcohol. Cider-"

"From Bayfield?"

"Of course.

"I would love some cider," I said. "And lemonade later. But I don't like cider through a straw. Can you serve me without pouring it down my face?"

"Of course," Sophia said. She got up and opened a refrigerator door. I heard pouring, and then she moved in front of me. "Lean forward," she said. "Two inches." She let me drink, and she didn't spill.

"Thank you," I told her when I was done. "Ava asked me, 'Truth or Dare'. I'll take truth, please."

"Tell us what you dislike or hate the most about Lara," Ava said immediately.

"Oh god, you're going to record that, too."

Someone leaned forward and tweaked a nipple. "Ouch!"

"Be nice," Ava said.

"I'm sorry." I thought about it. I intended to win this game. "All right. I don't like the way she is heavy handed with me sometimes. Most of the time she's doing it because she thinks she needs to protect me, and I like when she protects me from outside forces. But I don't like that she doesn't trust my judgment. And I don't like some kinds of surprises."

"What kind of surprises?" Ava asked.

"Wolf ways of doing things," I said. "I guess. Or..." I thought about it. "I was invited to talk to the council, and no one would even tell me that's what was going to happen, and they certainly didn't tell me what it was about. I didn't like that at all. It made me angry and frightened. Surprises like that."

"Keep going," Ava said. "You're not done."

"Please, Ava."

She tweaked my nipple again. "Ouch!" But I didn't say anything more, and she tweaked me again, then when I was still quiet, both of them together.

"I'm not going to stop," she said. She tweaked them again.

"All right!" I said. "It really comes down to how she always has to be dominant, that I have to ask permission for everything. I love her strength, but I feel like a child when I have to ask her for something. And I really don't like that she threatens me with punishment when I can't give the same sort of punishments to her."

"We got enough," Angel said.

"Angel," I said. "Please don't play that back to her. She knows all of that, we've fought over it, but she doesn't deserve to hear it tonight."

"We'll hold it for now," Ava said. "But we are free to use it whenever we want."

"Please," I said.

"We'll hold it for now," Ava repeated.

I sighed. "Abigail."

"Dare."

"May I ask questions?"

"Of course," she said. "We don't promise answers."

"Who is the best here at piercing ears?"

"Probably me," said Sophia. "I have pierced more than anyone else."

"How many have you pierced, Sophia?"

"Counting yours, Michaela. One pair of ears."

I began to laugh.

"But my mother has done mine, so I knew how," she added.

"And are there more earrings if needed?"

"Yes," said Angel.

"Abigail, your dare is this: ask Sophia to chill your ears with ice until they are numb and then pierce them through the cartilage."

"Oh god," she said. She sighed. "No."

"Do mine then, Sophia," I said.

No one said anything. Sophia retrieved some ice and went about numbing my ears, one after another. When she pierced them, it hurt like crazy, and I could feel them bleeding profusely, but soon I was wearing a second pair of earrings. I was still in the game, and Abigail was the first casualty.

"You go again," Angel said. Then she leaned over to me and whispered into my ear. "Don't be mad about the recording. We're supposed to have fun."

I turned to her and said, "You have motivated me to play to win."

We went back and forth, whispering in each other's ear. "You're going to ask us to erase the recording?"

"No, I'm going to ask you to re-tape my arms more comfortably."

Angel laughed.

"Ava," I said.

"Truth."

I gave her an easy one, but after that, the game heated up. Chloe asked for a dare from Angel, and Angel told her to eat two of the leeches they had stored in the refrigerator. Chloe refused, so Angel ate them. Ava dropped out when Scarlett asked her to describe Sophia's worst habit, and Scarlett was forced to describe Angel's worst habit.

"She sucks her thumb," Scarlett said immediately. "I don't know if that's her worst, but I think it's plenty embarrassing." Angel got some teasing.

I accepted a dare from Scarlett, which surprised her, and she had to think about something. She went for the kill. "Let us hold your mouth and nose closed until you pass out. If you struggle, you lose."

"Wow," said Angel. "Harsh."

I sat and thought quietly. I didn't know if I could avoid struggling. But then I wondered whether Scarlett wanted to win that badly.

"No," I said finally. "Who is going to hold Scarlett until she passes out?"

"I will," Angel said. "Lie across Michaela, face up, Scarlett."

She rotated sideways and lay down, stretched out on her back across me. I could tell when Angel put her hand over Scarlett's mouth and nose. Scarlett lay quietly for a long time, but then she began to struggle, and Angel released her immediately.

Scarlett lay there gasping for a while then said, "Note to self. Never do a bigger dare then you're willing to accept. I'm out."

"Angel," I said.

"Truth."

"All right," I said. "I need to whisper this just to you." I leaned over and whispered into her ear, "I'm sorry. I need to win this. The night I was inducted into the pack, you told me why you had originally asked to be my assistant. Tell the rest of us, especially Scarlett."

Angel sat quietly, stiff. I hoped I hadn't gone too far. Then she chuckled. "No," she said firmly. "And you aren't going to do that, either. I'm out."

It was down to Sophia and me.

"Sophia," I said.

"Dare."

"Scarlett's dare to me," I said.

"You first," she said immediately.

"All right," I said. "Give me a moment." I took a couple of breaths, stilled myself, and then relaxed. Sophia moved behind me, and I nodded.

She immediately covered my mouth and nose, and her hand was more than big enough to do both. I thought about Lara. I thought calm thoughts. I willed away the panic. I thought calm thoughts about Lara.

And I didn't struggle.

By the time I woke up, they had removed the blindfold and rebound my arms, pinning them against my sides with my hands taped down flat to my thighs. I woke, confused at first about where I was, and was looking into several concerned faces.

"Do you know where you are?" Angel asked me.

I turned my head, focusing on her. "No," I said.

"Oh god," she said.

I realized she was worried about brain damage or memory loss. I thought about messing with them, but if they figured it out, I wasn't sure how they'd punish me.

I smiled. "I mean. You made sure I didn't know. You guys kidnapped me." I struggled briefly against the tape, but I was completely secured.

"You missed a ransom demand," Angel said, looking relieved. "Are you coherent, Michaela?"

"May I have some lemonade?"

They helped me sit up, then Scarlett moved behind me to support me, and Angel held the lemonade for me. I asked for and received a little more chicken, washed down with more lemonade.

I focused on Angel. "What was the demand?"

"Nine hundred thousand, two major favors each, and your throat. In perpetuity. We declined on your behalf. And then I asked Elisabeth to tell Lara why you weren't able to speak for yourself."

I pressed my lips together, not saying anything.

"Am I ransomed?"

"No. We didn't come down on our price. Honey, are you having fun?"

I looked at her. "Yes, oddly enough."

"Do you want to be ransomed yet?"

"No."

She smiled. "Good. We're going to be nice for a few more hours. It's not daylight yet. At daylight, we're ramping up. You understand."

I nodded.

"You missed a punishment," Ava said. "Your punishment is a pedicure."

"A pedicure?" I asked, smiling. "That doesn't seem so bad."

"This is the color we'll paint your nails," she said, setting a bottle of bright pink nail polish on the table. "And we'll coat them afterwards with a clear coating that doesn't dissolve under nail polish remover. You'll be stuck with that color until it grows out."

I laughed. "And the alternative?"

"I get to tweeze your eyebrows. I will do them the same as I would do my own."

I sighed. "I'm not really a pink nail polish kind of fox," I said. "I'm not a tweezer though, either."

"Choose," she said.

I laughed. "Eyebrows."

"Oh goody!" Chloe said. "Can I have the pedicure?"

"Yes," Abigail said. "I know you love pink."

So Abigail did Chloe's toes while Ava tweezed my brows.

They brought out a card game. I couldn't hold my cards, of course, but they moved me to a chair by myself and arranged my cards so I could see them. No one peeked, and pretty soon we were all laughing. It was a pretty raucous game.

Halfway through, Angel's phone buzzed. She glanced at it and said, "Ransom time. Michaela, your punishment is this. We're playing the recording to Lara."

"Oh Angel," I said. "Please don't."

"The alternative is this. You will allow us to wax you." She looked pointedly at my crotch. "We will need to free your legs to do it, and you will agree to behave entirely until we have finished and taped you back up. We will record you, and we will play the recording to Lara when it bests suits us."

"Will you delete the first recording and not use it again?"

They looked around at each other and nodded. "Yes," she said. "But if you struggle, we'll play it. Otherwise we will delete it after we are all done, and only if you behave entirely."

"All right," I said. "I'll take the alternative. Who here is going to tell their girlfriend what they don't like about her?" I looked pointedly between Scarlett and Angel, neither of them realizing the agreement was that if I took the alternative, someone had to take the first punishment.

The other girls began laughing.

Angel smiled. "If you expect that, then we're not obligated to erase the recording."

I sighed. "Outfoxed. This time."

Angel and Scarlett grinned.

Angel called Elisabeth while Ava readied the waxing kit. Angel relayed her offer for my ransom: nine million and the two favors each. "She declines," Elisabeth said. "Please let me speak to the fox."

Angel held the phone in place.

"Hello, Elisabeth."

"She's wet with perspiration," Elisabeth said. "She didn't like what we just did to her."

"What is the price to free her, Elisabeth?"

"Your house in Bayfield, a half million dollars, five major favors, and your throat to each of us. In, of course, perpetuity."

I smiled. "Elisabeth, will you lower the price to something I can pay before you really start doing anything bad to her?"

"Of course, Little Fox. She's my sister. Michaela, it is a sign of distrust in your partner if you ransom too soon."

"Thank you, Elisabeth. Is everyone there having fun?"

"Yes," she said, laughing. "And there?"

"So far. Did they really tell Lara why I couldn't speak for myself?"

"Yes. She is very proud of you."

"Thank you, Elisabeth. I can hardly wait until your wedding."

She laughed and hung up.

Angel set the phone aside and turned to me. "Are you going to struggle?"

"No."

She picked up the scissors, bent down, and freed my legs for me. Then I let them pick me up and set me on the coffee table. They held my legs apart, and Ava applied the wax over my nether regions.

"Ever had this done?" Ava asked.

"No."

"Once it's ready, I rip it off," she said. "I can go fast or slow. Fast is better."

"Fast," I said. "This is going to hurt?"

"Screaming is common amongst humans. Wolves sit through it silently. I can't guess about a fox."

"But we're hoping for lots of screaming and swearing," Scarlett added. "We won't punish you if you are particularly vocal, so feel free to really let the words fly."

"Michaela," said Angel. "If you direct any messages to Lara herself, we'll play the other recording."

"I get it. You want to freak her out."

"Yes. If you ruin this, we step it up."

I sighed. "I understand."

They talked quietly, and then Ava said she was ready. Angel picked up Scarlett's phone and began recording. "Ready."

I vowed to be stoic. Ava began pulling at the tape over my crotch, little jerks, each of them hurting. She was watching me, and I knew she wanted noise from me. I held my breath, making no more noise than loud breathing a few times, and then she held up a strip of tape with my red hair dangling from it. I relaxed my muscles. That hadn't been so bad.

Ava reached down and yanked hard on a second piece of tape. I hadn't realized it was there. I yelled. There was a third strip, and I swore loudly for that one. And on the fourth strip, I screamed.

"Thank you, Michaela," Angel said, lowering the phone.

"Michaela," Ava said. "I have soothing oil I can apply, but it involves me touching you. If you want me to use it, the price is you never, ever tell Lara I touched you down here."

I laughed. "Oh, I promise."

The cream she used felt good.

"What is the price for a pair of panties?" I asked while my legs were free.

"Ten thousand dollars," Abigail said immediately.

"Guys," I said. "I am a school teacher. I'm not rich."

"We know how much money you got from the Chicago wolves," Angel said. "We know you haven't spent it. We won't take so much you can't ransom Lara."

I sighed. "Ten thousand," I agreed.

Angel wrote it down and Scarlett went upstairs, returning shortly with a pair of black panties. I recognized them from my own drawer. She looked down at me. "We have to un-tape your hands. You have to promise to cooperate while we re-tape you."

"I promise."

Scarlett cut my hands loose, but not my arms, and pulled the panties over my legs and up to my waist.

"Comfy?" she asked. I nodded. I then complacently allowed them to re-tape my legs together and my hands back to my thighs. They put me back in the chair, gave me more lemonade, and we continued our card game. Chloe won, and she was very pleased.

I guess I'd been having fun, but it was about to get worse.

 **Embarrassment**

I started to squirm. I had to go to the bathroom. Ava offered me more cider and wouldn't take no for an answer. She held my head and poured a little in. "If you spill, I punish you," she said. She got a half glass of cider into me. A few minutes later, my squirming grew worse.

"May I use the bathroom?" I asked.

"Of course," Scarlett said. "There's not even a price."

"Thank you."

Four of them carried me into the bathroom, set me on the toilet, then stepped out, closing the door. "Let us know when you're done," Ava said.

I sat there for a minute. My legs were taped tightly together, I was wearing panties, and there was no way I could go to the bathroom like this.

"Girls," I said.

"Yes?"

"I wouldn't suppose you would free my hands and legs for this."

The door opened. Ava stood in front of me. "Legs and panties down, for a price. Hands, no. Five thousand dollars to free your legs. You must agree to behave and allow us to tape them back up afterwards."

I had about a half dozen smart ass remarks for them. I kept them inside.

"Once paid, I have full bathroom privileges like this?"

"Yes, but don't abuse it," she said.

I sighed. "May I speak privately with Angel?" It turns out I could, and they didn't even charge me. She stepped inside with me and closed the door. Angel knelt down in front of me.

"Angel, I'll behave. Let me handle my own bodily functions."

"We're ramping up, Michaela. We can't do the things to you we would do to a wolf, so we're doing other things. Like this. You understand, there is pride for Lara if she pays a large ransom for you. We can't make it easy for you, it's her pride and yours. Yours to last as long as you can, hers to pay a big price, but to bargain us down, and everyone to have fun."

I sighed. "When it's your turn?"

"I'll be offended if you hold back, Michaela. Brides look forward to tonight. Grooms don't though. Lara is probably a little frantic. You aren't because you know how tough she is. You'll crack and pay her ransom before she wants you to. Elisabeth can probably make you crack whenever she wants, and you'll pay anything she demands. Lara will pay yours the minute we make you beg."

I looked away. "I wasn't brought up this way, Angel."

"The next game is full of lots of embarrassing moments, and we're going to catch all of them on camera. You're going to have a blast, and there's another favor due to the winner."

"Please, Angel. Let me go to the bathroom properly."

"No. Be a good scout now. And it's bad form to enact retribution on us later."

I sighed, looking her in the eye. "Lara was going to let you do all this to me, but she thought she was going to get off free?"

"Free? Honey, she's going to pay a huge ransom for you. Thank you, by the way." she leaned forward and kissed me on the forehead.

"You're mistaken," I told her.

"About what?"

"The size of the ransom." I paused. "If I speak plainly, are you going to punish me?"

"If you are rude, I have to. If you are only speaking plainly, then no."

"I think this is an amazingly stupid 'game'. But I know the rules. I can't stop you from doing the things you are going to do, and I probably can't control some of my reactions. If you carry this far enough, I'm sure I will cry, I may scream, I may beg you to stop. But I won't beg Lara to pay for me. Ever."

"You will," Angel said. "We'll start treating you like a wolf if we have to. You'll beg. Two hours to daylight."

"I'll behave. Will you clean me afterwards?"

"Another five thousand dollars. We'll finish in here, I'll do anything you want to clean you up, and then you will walk out there on two legs and let us tape you back up."

"All right," I said.

Angel reached into her back pocket, pulled out the scissors, and cut the tape binding my legs together, then pulled the panties down. I spread my legs and immediately began piddling without even waiting for her to leave. I was as thorough as I could be, and when I was finally sure I was done, I asked her to help me.

She kissed me on the forehead first, then reached between my legs, and I began blushing furiously. She cleaned me, pulled my panties back up, and washed her hands before helping me to stand. I followed docilely into the other room. Angel steadied me on my feet while Abigail taped my legs together firmly, again capturing my hands in the process. They picked me up and set me down in my chair, and we finished our card game.

I ate and drank sparingly after that. They let me get away with it for a while, including the next two ransom offers, but then Angel said, "Half a glass, anything you want, but you're drinking a half a glass, Michaela." She knew the bathroom trips were difficult for me.

"What if I decline?"

"Punishment, and you won't like it. It will be worse than the bathroom trips. Don't ask again or we'll demonstrate instead."

I looked at her sadly for a moment. "Lemonade, please."

After that, every ransom offered and declined included a half glass of something to drink. They tempted me with food, but I declined, and they didn't force it.

But she was right. The next game was fun, and we were all giggling at the antics. They took turns embarrassing each other, and it was clear this was part of the "make sure Michaela has fun, too," part.

My pre-ransom punishments slowly grew. They had been nice for a while. I didn't enjoy the waxing, but I wondered whether Lara would later. That thought made me smile. I ended up with both a manicure and a pedicure, using polish colors of my choice, but it cost me a thousand dollars for each.

But then it was ransom time, and Abigail said, "We are going to pierce your nipples. Both of them. The alternative is to make a recording begging Lara to ransom you. She can afford what we're asking."

"Piercings," I said.

It hurt, and they weren't very good at it. When they were done, both nipples throbbed painfully. They hadn't offered to ice them, and I hadn't thought to ask.

Scarlett stepped close to me and whispered, "Kidnap night is a wolf tradition, fox. You're doing very well. Lara is going to enjoy seeing those."

"Are you still doing things that Lara will like?"

"We're trying," she replied. "Elisabeth got Lara really drunk a few years ago and wheedled out of her things Lara thinks are sexy. But we're going to run out soon."

"You did this for Lara?"

"Yes, we did it for Lara."

"Thank you."

Scarlett kissed my cheek and sat back down.

A few minutes later, I yawned. Little Chloe had wandered upstairs with Abigail and gone to bed, Abigail returning shortly after. When I yawned three more times, Angel asked, "Sleepy?"

"Yes."

"Would you like a nap?"

I looked at her.

"We'll give you an hour for two locks of hair, taken in as inconspicuous a fashion as we can. No one will notice they're missing. We'll turn the lights off and leave you alone."

"I'd rather sleep in your lap," I told Angel.

"All right," she said.

Ava took the hair. She was very careful to take them from the back of my head, buried in amongst the thickest parts. Angel took a place on the sofa, and the rest of the girls carried me over and set me down with my head in her lap.

"My side, please." So they rolled me over and made sure I was comfortable. The girls stepped away, taking all the phones with them, and someone turned the lights off.

"I love you, Michaela," Angel said. "Please, I hope you are having fun."

"I am, I guess."

"The more you let us do, the prouder we are of you, you know. This is a pride thing. I know. It's far more macho than you're used to, and intellectually we know that, but emotionally, we're wolves. Elisabeth will start offering you amounts you can pay, but may not want to, probably after you wake up. If you take them, Lara will be very hurt."

"How will I know?"

"When the ransom is painful, but not horrible. You'll know when Elisabeth thinks you should accept the offer. Lara won't break, you know, no matter what they do to her."

"I know."

"Sleep now. Do you want me to caress you?"

"Yes. I'm scared."

"I know. We all love you."

And then she began stroking my head softly and somehow I fell asleep.

They woke me gently. Angel called my name and began stroking me again. I woke groggy and tried to stretch, but couldn't. I began to panic, but Angel spoke soothingly. "You're with me, Michaela," she said. "Wake up now."

"Oh," I said. "It wasn't a nightmare."

"No, honey."

"I have to go to the bathroom. Will you free my hands?"

"Stop asking," she said. "Your hands stay bound until your ransom is paid."

"Where are we?"

"Don't ask any more questions like that, either," she said. "I won't answer, but if you ask again..."

"All right."

"Will you cooperate if I snip your legs free and let you walk to the bathroom?"

"Yes."

Angel helped me sit up, freed my legs, and I walked into the bathroom alone. She waited outside, and when I was done, she took care of me. She led me back to the couch and taped my legs again, removing some of the old tape first.

"Punishment time," she said. She called the other girls down.

Scarlett spoke. "Your punishment this time is a tattoo on your ass."

"Of what?" I asked.

Scarlett turned a piece of paper to me. There was a stylized "Lara's" all in black. "This is full size."

"Permanent tattoo? Are tattoos on weres permanent?"

"Yes," said Sophia.

"The alternative," Scarlett said, "Is you make a video asking Lara to pay your ransom." She held up another piece of paper with the statement they wanted me to read. I didn't bother reading it.

"Tattoo."

"Yes!" said Angel, offering a fist pump. In spite of myself, I laughed. "I'll be right back." Angel ran up stairs, was gone for a minute, then returned. She held the phone to my ear.

"Hello, Elisabeth," I said.

"Would you like Lara back, Little Fox?"

"Yes, Elisabeth, I would."

"The ransom is your house in Bayfield, the contents of your bank account after whatever you currently owe the women there, a major favor to each of us, and your throat to each of us."

"In perpetuity."

"Of course."

"In other words, a ransom I could pay."

"Yes."

"I decline your offer, Elisabeth."

I could hear the smile. "All right. I'll pass that along to the alpha. Enjoy your tattoo, by the way. Lara is going to love it."

"Elisabeth, what are you doing to her?"

"Don't ask, Little Fox."

"All right."

The girls picked me up and set me down, face down on the coffee table. "Please hold me still," I said.

"We will," Angel said. "This is going to hurt, but Lara is going to love you did this for her."

Scarlett did the tattoo. It took a long time. She worked carefully. It hurt, but not as much as I thought it might.

"Nice," Sophia said when Scarlett was done.

"It's bleeding," Angel said. I heard a camera click several times. The girls held me down for the photos, even though I tried to squirm away. They didn't punish me for squirming.

Then they taped a bandage over it, replaced the panties, and moved me back to the sofa, but helped me sit crooked to keep my tortured cheek off the couch. Scarlett loaded the pictures she had taken onto a laptop and they showed me.

She had done a good job. "Thank you, Scarlett," I told her.

"You are welcome, Michaela. You're sweating, you need more to drink." I didn't resist as they gave me a full glass of water.

"It's sunrise," Scarlett said. "We're out of favors for Lara." I nodded understanding.

After that, they were very nice to me in between punishments. They asked me what I wanted for breakfast, and I had a half a Belgian waffle and some bacon. And two more glasses of lemonade. They took turns telling embarrassing stories about themselves, and soon had me in stitches.

Then Angel's phone buzzed.

"Punishment time," she said. "Tell her, Abigail."

Abigail climbed off her chair and knelt down in front of me. "We've done everything that was on Lara's list, Michaela. The ransom we're asking is payable. Lara would be proud to pay this much for you, although I admit it's a record for the pack. You know if you beg, she'll pay it."

I nodded.

"You're going to beg eventually."

I nodded.

"We're going to start getting mean," she said. "For a while, we'll give you the choice of making a video. You won't have to beg, but you will read whatever we write for you. If you make the video, we won't do the punishment."

"This is-"

"Tradition," Angel inserted quickly. "And Lara agreed. She'll stop this if you ask. She agreed. Don't get mad, Michaela."

I nodded.

"There is pride for her to pay a large ransom," Abigail said. "Although we're still in the level of deep pain. And of course, we're all poor teenagers; you can imagine how much this would mean to us."

"I don't understand," I said. "Lara is your friend."

"Honey," Angel said. "We have college to pay for."

I looked around between them. "You're doing this for your college funds?"

"No, honey, we're doing it for the tradition. I'm sorry we aren't explaining it very well."

"All right," I said.

"We aren't going to hurt you yet," Angel said. "But you won't like your punishments."

"I understand."

"Stand her up," Abigail said.

They helped me to my feet, then they strapped me into some sort of harness. It went over my shoulders and cinched tightly above my hips and around my legs and ankles. Then they picked me up and carried me into the room closer to the stairs.

There was a steel hook embedded in the ceiling with ropes hanging from it, and at the bottom, another hook. They lifted my feet well above the height of my head and hooked me in then gently lowered me until I was hanging upside down.

"Oh god!" I said. "Aren't you supposed to let Lara pay my ransom first?"

"We're not done," Angel said. "Michaela, we practiced this, taking turns. We all broke. You'll break from this."

"Wind her up," Abigail said. And they began turning me around in a circle, clockwise, six times around.

"Please stop," I said.

"Will you make the video we want?"

"No!"

"I'm recording," Angel said.

"Let her go," Abigail said. And, slowly at first, the windings on the rope began to unwind, and I began to spin counter-clockwise, faster and faster, and the world spun past me. I instantly became dizzy, and I clenched my eyes shut.

"Angel!"

They let me spin, and then it was going slower and slower. I came to a stop, and then I began to spin the other way; I had wound past the middle and wound it in the other direction. I spun, faster, then slower, then it began the other way again. And I begged them to stop.

"Make the video," Abigail said.

"No!"

Eventually, I came to a complete stop, swaying back and forth, and I thought I was going to be sick.

"Take her down," Abigail said. They lifted me up, unhooked me, and carried me into the other room. I kept my eyes clenched, but my stomach was heaving.

They set me on the sofa and I opened my eyes. "You gave me breakfast."

"Yes," said Abigail. "What is going to happen is one of three things. You will make the video we want. Lara will ransom you even without the video. Or we are going to hook you up until either you beg to make the video or you are violently sick. Every time we wind you up, we add two rotations. And we don't have to let you hang straight upside down, we can make you spin other ways, too. You will heave. We all did."

I looked down. "What do you want me to say?"

Abigail picked up a piece of paper. It said simply, "Lara, I love you. Please pay my ransom."

"You can read it any way you want, but you will say those exact words, no more, no less, and you will not smile or laugh or in any way suggest you are enjoying yourself or you do not want her to pay yet. You get two takes. If you make us hook you up, you will either get sick, and we'll stop, or you will beg to make the video, but the video we send will include video of you begging for us to stop."

"You're going to send the video you just took?"

"We're sending that regardless," Angel said.

I sighed. "I'll read it."

They didn't react, so I couldn't tell if they were disappointed. "All right," Abigail said. "Read this through like you intend to read it on video."

She held it up and I read it out loud in a dull voice.

"Again," she said. I read it again. "Once more." And I read it a third time.

Scarlett held up her phone and said, "This one is live. Hitting start now." She pressed a button and pointed her phone at me. In a dull voice while looking into the phone, I read the note.

"Send the videos," Angel said. Then she called Elisabeth. "Do you have an offer for us?" she asked.

"Let me talk to her."

Angel held the phone to me.

"Do you want Lara?" Elisabeth asked.

"Yes."

"Your house, fifty thousand dollars, a favor each, and your throat."

"Elisabeth," I said. "This just turned not fun."

"Make the videos they want," she said.

"I did."

She was quiet for a moment. "Too much?"

"It would have been. They gave me a taste."

"Are you ransoming Lara?" she asked.

"I'm sorry, Elisabeth. No."

"All right. I need to talk to Angel."

"Angel, she wants to talk to you."

I heard Elisabeth say, "Take me where she can't hear." Angel ran upstairs. The girls mopped my face, and I asked for a little water to wash the taste out of my mouth. They didn't unstrap the harness around me, which left me nervous.

Angel returned ten minutes later. "Michaela, Lara has declined to ransom you."

"Yes!" I said. Then realized I gave myself away.

The girls laughed. Angel kissed my cheek. They fed me soothing food and poured more lemonade into me.

Then we played a game of charades, and the things they had to act out were hilarious. I, of course, sat on the sofa doing nothing but guessing and laughing.

Then Angel's phone went off. I sighed.

Ava got up, disappeared upstairs for a minute, then came back downstairs. She set an electric hair clippers on the coffee table.

"Not my hair," I said.

"You will make the video we want, or we shave your head," Sophia said. She held up a piece of paper. It said, "Lara, if you do not ransom me, they are going to shave all my hair off."

"You'll get two takes to do the video right. You will read the note then remain silent until Scarlett says she's done. If you ruin both takes, we hook you up to the hook and spin you until you beg to make any video we want."

I sighed. "I'll read it."

Scarlett grabbed her camera. She pointed it first at the clippers sitting on the table. She held that for a five count, then she turned it to me. I read the note Sophia was holding. My voice quavered a little, but held steady. Then Scarlett turned to Angel, and Angel held up the locks of hair they had taken earlier. "As you can see, Lara, we already started."

Scarlett hit stop and said, "Done."

"Good girl," Sophia said. "One take."

Angel waited for Elisabeth to call her this time and held the phone to my ear. "What is the ransom, Elisabeth?"

"Your house. No money. The favors and your throat."

"I'm sorry, Elisabeth. I decline."

She was quiet. "You should pay this, Little Fox."

"I don't think so, Elisabeth, but I appreciate the advice."

"We're hurting her, Little Fox. Make a counter offer. Do not be insulting."

"The entire contents of my bank account after I pay any immediate bills plus the favors. The amount at this time is over a hundred thousand dollars, but the girls clearly aren't done taking my money. I can't promise it will remain that high."

"Especially now that they know how much money you have to give them." Elisabeth laughed. "I am going to decline your offer at this time. Do you understand why?"

"You asked only because you wanted to know what my sticking points are."

"There will be hints in my next call, Little Fox. Do you think you will pick up on them?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Say goodbye."

"Goodbye, Elisabeth."

Angel took the phone upstairs. She was gone for only a few minutes. "She declined."

I smiled.

We continued the game of charades. They fed me three glasses of lemonade, and I began squirming badly. When Angel's phone went off, I said, "May I go to the bathroom first?"

"If you throw up in there, you will pay horribly," Angel said.

"Just to piddle," I said.

Angel knelt in front of me and cut my legs loose. She pulled more loose tape away and escorted me to the door of the bathroom. I piddled as thoroughly as I could. Angel cleaned me up then held onto me firmly as she walked me back to the other room. They taped my legs extra tightly.

Then they picked me up and carried me to the hook.

"No!" I screamed. I began thrashing, which did me no good. "No! Don't do this! No!"

They hooked me up and then let me go, and I swung around crazily for a while, begging them to stop me.

Abigail sat down in front of me, our eyes at the same level.

"Here are your choices. You may make any video you want. You can tell her not to pay if you want. If Lara pays, we're done. If not, we spin you until you get sick. That's option one. Option two. You will make a video reading what we tell you to read. You will sound desperate. If Lara refuses to pay, we don't spin you. The price of option two is twenty thousand dollars. If Lara pays, you don't owe us the twenty thousand."

"Honey," Angel said. "She'll pay if you beg. You're not going to last much longer, you know."

"What do you want me to say?" I asked.

Abigail held a note in front of me, but it was upside down to me.

"Abigail," I said. "I can't read it that way."

"Oh, sorry," she said, and flipped it over. "Lara, please, please pay my ransom. If not, the wedding is off."

I stared at it.

"No video and twenty thousand," I offered. "Option two-bee."

"We just removed option two as a choice," Abigail said. "Option three, we spin you until you beg us to stop, and we're going to video it. If you say anything to discourage Lara from paying, we continue to spin you."

I closed my eyes. "Option three." I felt hands, and they began turning me around and around. They released me.

I lasted twice before I started begging them to stop. By the third one, I was screaming at them to stop, and they stopped.

They took me down and were very gentle. They mopped my face, but I kept my eyes closed, refusing to look at them.

Angel's phone rang. She answered and asked Elisabeth to play the last video, then I listened as she talked to Lara. "One dollar less than the last offer. One medium favor each." I heard as Lara asked if she would be allowed a counter-offer. "Yes, but you have to wait."

All the girls went upstairs, leaving me where I was. I sat and fumed. They came down a few minutes later. "No deal, Michaela," Angel said. Then I talked to Elisabeth.

"Your house, no cash, no favors, your throat."

"No. Hang up, Angel."

"This is torture now," I said, once she had hung up.

"Beg her to pay, Michaela," Angel said.

"No."

"It's going to get worse," she said.

"You are all losing a friend, and I am going to resign as teacher."

 **Trying to Understand**

They didn't respond at first. Then they tried to cajole me back into a good mood, but it wasn't working. Angel picked up the phone and called Elisabeth. "Let me talk to your prisoner." Then she repeated the recent discussion.

"Will you allow me to talk to her?" Lara asked.

"Yes, that's why we called."

I opened my eyes and looked at them. Angel sat next to me, and I tried to move away from her, but she held the phone to my ear. I didn't say anything.

"Little Fox? Little Fox?" Lara said.

"I'm here," I said sullenly.

"Your damned pride," she said. "You weren't supposed to let it get that bad."

"I gave them a counter offer, but they denied it, and then punished me for it. That was the video you saw."

"Do I need to pay your ransom, honey?" she asked.

"This wasn't fun right away," I said. "But then it was. But the fun stopped."

"You should have begged. I'd have paid if you begged, honey. You know that."

"I know," I said. "Are they hurting you?"

"This is pride for a wolf," Lara said. "If I were marrying a big male, he would take pride in how long I lasted."

"I'm disappointing you." I started to cry.

"No, honey," she said. "Don't cry. I'll pay your ransom now."

"No," I said.

"Honey, it's okay. Ava is the only one whose mother can afford the type of education they all deserve. I'll pay now if you promise to forgive them."

"No," I said.

"Honey, these are your friends, you need to find a way to forgive them. This is about pride. My pride to pay, your pride to take what they do. Your pride in me to take what is happening here."

"They're hurting you."

"You will know when it's time to pay my ransom, Little Fox. It's not yet. If you pay now, you dishonor me. Elisabeth was brilliant to do it this way."

"Why is it the brides go through this, not the grooms?"

"Traditionally, the brides don't have anything to pay, and the grooms won't break until you kill them."

"You won't break, either."

"No, but you'll know when to pay for me."

"All right," I said.

"Honey, you need to do whatever it takes to forgive them, because they are doing this for your honor. I know you don't understand."

"Don't pay until I beg."

"But you'll beg before you lose your friends. Promise me. Promise me you're forgiving them. Try to understand."

"Angel, may I ask what the current ransom is as compared to the educations you are after."

"Say goodbye to Lara first while we think about it."

"I love you, Lara," I told her. "I already counter-offered once, you know."

"I know," she said. "I love you. Forgive your friends."

And then Angel took the phone away and hung it up. She sat down next to me with Scarlett on the other side.

I looked between them, and they were all very nervous. I offered a wane smile. "Will you answer my question?"

"It's about twice the estimated cost for each of us to earn our doctorates," Angel said. "We probably won't all earn one, but Ava wants to be a lawyer and Chloe has dreams of being a doctor."

"Not a record anymore?"

"No. We came down dramatically after we gave you the tattoo. That was our hint to Lara she should think about paying us. If you were a wolf, or if we thought you understood better, we wouldn't have come down as fast."

"Is this normally a scholarship program?"

Angel laughed. "No."

I looked away and closed my eyes.

"She's not going to understand," Scarlett said. "End this now. Maybe in a few years, she'll forgive us. I'm so sorry, Michaela."

Scarlett got up and I heard her start to walk upstairs.

"Scarlett!" I screamed. "No! Don't leave!"

She stopped on the stairs. "Scarlett," I said. "Please come back. Help me understand. I believe Lara wouldn't allow this if it weren't important. I believe you wouldn't do it if it weren't important. But I don't understand!"

I still felt deeply aggrieved, but I knew they loved me, and I knew Lara and Elisabeth did, and I thought if I could only understand why, this wouldn't be so difficult.

She returned slowly, and I turned to watch her return. "Please, Scarlett," I said. "Please don't leave."

She came back and sat down next to me again. I leaned against her, the tape crackling.

"Was this about the money?"

"Oh Michaela, no," said Scarlett. "It's about pride and tradition."

"But you started doing such horrible things."

"Michaela," she said. "You wouldn't want us to cheat you! Or cheat Lara! We could have asked for a dollar at the beginning, and Lara couldn't have been more disappointed."

"Angel, when do brides normally break?"

"Some break during the drive," she said. "We could have broken you that way, but we had all the nice things to do, and the party. But if we didn't like you, we could have put you in the trunk and made it a horrible ride. But-" she looked so frustrated.

"All right, what is normal?"

"An enforcer might last a few days. I don't think I will."

"I know I won't," said Scarlett.

"But you guys are being extra nice to me, aren't you?"

"Sort of. We aren't really hurting you. But we know where your buttons are."

"I still don't understand why you want to do this," I said. I was trying not to cry. "You couldn't pay me enough money to hurt either of you."

And then I was crying again.

They both leaned against me, wrapping arms around me. "Michaela," Scarlett said. "Let me explain once more. Please, stop crying. If you still don't understand, we'll figure something out. All right?"

I nodded. Ava helped me clean up from crying, then I looked at Scarlett.

"Imagine that Lara were marrying, oh, James Berg for instance."

"Who is James Berg?"

"Ron Berg's son."

"All right," I said.

"James and his family deserve to know they are getting a strong wolf. You understand?"

"Everyone knows Lara is strong!" I replied.

"I know, but what if they didn't? Remember, this is a tradition."

"All right. Like an arranged political marriage."

"Right. So, Lara's sisters and friends would want to make sure James and his family knew they were getting a strong wolf, someone who James could count on to protect his young. Someone worthy."

I snorted.

"I know, strength is a stupid measurement of worth. But you understand so far?" Scarlett said.

"I guess." I sighed deeply. "Yes, I understand."

"So Lara's sisters and all her closest female friends would demonstrate to James, look how strong she is. The rougher they can be with her, the stronger she is. The people who love her so much know how strong she is, and they are helping her to show off."

I considered what she said and I started to cry again. "I'm not measuring up. Oh god, everyone knows it, too."

"Shh," Scarlett said. "No one expects that sort of strength from you. But honey, Lara is owed other strength from you."

"We're trying to help you show the strength Lara needs from you," Angel said. "The strength the pack needs to know you have."

"What strength?" I asked. "I'm not strong like a wolf."

"No," Scarlett said. "But you are clever and brave. But you aren't always very tolerant of our customs, and that grates with people. Even those of us who love you are sometimes hurt by your reactions, Michaela."

"We need you to be more resilient," Angel said. "Lara needs that, too."

"Why the ransom?" I asked. "Elisabeth is asking such a deep price. I know it's nothing to her, she wouldn't think twice about the cost of my house. But she must know it's important to me."

"If you were James," Scarlett said. "Then you need to show that you value Lara. Do you understand?"

I took a deep breath. "I don't know. I am trying. Kiss me, you two, and I promise I'll beg before I let this destroy our friendships."

The tension disappeared immediately. I got hugs and kisses.

"All right," I said. "How are you going to entertain me?"

Angel's phone buzzed.

"Oh no," I said, my face falling. "No. Not so soon."

"It's been over an hour," Angel said softly. "Are you going to beg?"

"No."

"If she doesn't pay, we're going to spin you until you are sick. We won't stop. You'll throw up eventually. It's not pleasant."

I closed my eyes and didn't say anything. Angel called Elisabeth while walking up the stairs. I waited in dread. She returned almost immediately.

"She declined," Angel said. "Michaela, please beg her to pay. Please."

"No."

"Please, Michaela. We don't want to do this."

"No."

She sighed, and then she held the phone to my ear. "Hello, Elisabeth."

"You've gotten stubborn again."

"Yes."

"Your house," Elisabeth said. "And your throat."

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Elisabeth, is it common to expect a groom to give up half of his net worth the day before his wedding?"

She was quiet for a while. "You're not the groom, and you're about to marry someone very wealthy."

"That's her money, not mine, but whatever. Is it common to ask a groom to pay something he spent eight years building?"

"Michaela," Elisabeth replied. "You are marrying the alpha. You have to expect a significant price. You have three things of significant value: your house, your throat, and your cash. And frankly, the amount of cash you have is an insulting amount for the alpha. I am not letting you have my sister for a song, Michaela."

"I see. Hang up, Angel," I said.

Angel hung up the phone.

"Please, Michaela. It's time to beg."

"No."

She sighed, and they picked me up, carried me into the other room, and hooked my feet. They let me dangle straight down.

"Please, Michaela," Angel said. "Please at least tell us you understand."

"I don't know. Do it."

"Michaela, I don't want to lose you as a friend. I love you."

"I love you too. Do it."

I closed my eyes, and I felt their hands on me. They started easy at first. Four turns. I hated it, but I thought about Lara. They had all done this. And I wanted them to be proud of me. It wasn't about being proud of myself, it was needing their pride in me.

I hated the spinning. They let the four spins come to a stop, then it was six turns around, and still I said nothing. And then eight. And then they started counting out loud as they wound me up. Ten. And I felt the bile start, but I clamped my lips shut. Then twelve turns, and I made not a sound. And then it was twelve turns again. And a third time. And then the fourth time, they added a sway.

And I sprayed them all as I threw up while spinning around.

They stopped me instantly, although there were cries of "Oh my god!" I felt strong arms lift me up, and they unhooked me, and then I continued to retch as they held me.

Once I was done, they carried me into the bathroom and helped me rinse my mouth and washed me off. I opened my eyes, and they had all stripped out of their pants and shoes. Scarlett was washing her feet.

They stood me up, and Angel pulled me into her arms. "Still friends?"

"Tell me you filmed that."

"Oh yeah," she said. "You rocked!"

"Literally."

"Am I doing better?"

"Yes, honey," she said. "You're doing better."

They carried me into the sitting room. I could smell the retch from the other room. "That smell must really bother you guys," I said.

Angel laughed. "Yes, the next time we spin you, you're going to be hanging over it."

"How much to get you to clean it up and use some air freshener?"

She laughed. "Ten grand."

"Two. It has to smell far worse to all of you than it does to me."

"Done," said Scarlett, laughing. "All of it to whomever cleans it up."

"I'll do it," said Abigail. Then Sophia offered to help, and the two of them took care of the mess. It took a while for the smell to waft away, even after liberal doses of air freshener.

"My mouth tastes like crap. May I have some lemonade?"

Angel laughed and gave me as much as I wanted.

"I want to propose the next game."

"What?" asked Ava.

"Strip poker."

That earned more laughter. "What are you offering to take off?"

I looked down. "Well, I'm wearing all this tape."

"Good one," said Abigail, reentering the room.

"How about stories of the first person we each had a crush on?" I suggested. "I'll go first. I was eleven or twelve. There was another fox family living a few valleys away from ours. Our families used to do things together. They had a boy, maybe a year or two older than I was, and he was a beautiful fox."

"As they all are," Scarlett suggested.

"Oh no," I said. "My sister's fur was, well, ratty."

"It wasn't," she said.

"It was. I got the looks. So, this fox boy was named Jimmy. Um. Jimmy Longtail."

"Did he have a long tail?" Scarlett asked.

"No more than usual," I said. "Um. It was a surname though. Maybe his grandfather did. Or maybe it was a euphemism."

That earned some chuckles.

"I used to talk my sister into letting us hunt in the direction of Jimmy's house, just in case I could see him. Of course, I was just a little kid, and I think even as beautiful as I was, he liked my sister, Jean, instead."

"What happened?" Ava asked.

"They moved away. I think they tried to convince my parents to move, too, but my dad was pretty stubborn. I don't know what happened to him after that. I haven't even seen another fox in twelve years or so."

"Wow," Scarlett said. "My turn." She blushed. "I used to have a crush on Lara."

"Really?" I said. "Does she know?"

"I don't know. She sees everything. Maybe."

One by one, they told about their first crush, some of them giving stories.

And then my stomach rumbled.

"Oh god," I said.

"We're not spinning you next," Angel said. "Promise. Would you like a sandwich?"

"Am I going to regret it?"

"I won't promise for the time after this one, but no, you won't regret it for this one."

"A light sandwich would be nice."

"I'll make them," Sophia offered. Scarlett agreed to help, and the two went upstairs.

We finished our stories about the same time Sophia and Scarlett returned with our lunches. They fed me, poured more lemonade into me, and the phone buzzed.

I stared at it.

Angel moved to sitting on the coffee table in front of me. "Michaela, do you understand?"

"Not entirely, but yes."

"We're stepping it up then," she said. "You understand." I nodded. "You don't heal like a wolf, Michaela, and your pain sensitivity is much higher than ours." She grabbed the scissors from the coffee table and began cutting the tape over my knees, not freeing my leg, but exposing both of my knees.

"What are you doing?"

She looked at me, and I read a great deal of indecision. "I only have one more fox-like trick, and I don't want to use it yet. I don't want to use it at all."

The other girls were clustered around me. Angel nodded, and Ava wrapped her arms around me from behind the sofa. Sophia and Abigail knelt on the sofa and helped pin me into place. Scarlett took solid hold of my feet.

I looked between all of them. "Aren't you going to ask Lara first?"

"You asked what I am doing. I am going to give you a taste." Angel set one hand on my knee and began squeezing. She started soft, but then she slowly tightened her grasp. Angel was a werewolf, and she was very strong. I was sure she could crush my bones in her hand if she tried. What she was doing hurt. I clamped my lips and eyes shut, but tears began leaking out of the corner of my eyes.

Then she released me.

"We won't break any bones," Angel said softly. "If Lara doesn't pay your ransom, I will do that to both knees until you scream. Please make the video, Michaela."

I opened my eyes. "No."

"Please beg Lara to pay your ransom. Our price is reasonable."

"I'm sorry. No."

Angel didn't leave the room. She picked up the phone and asked to speak with Lara. "We've started to really hurt her, Lara. Our price is ten percent lower than the last time. Please pay the ransom. She says she loves us, and she says she understands. But I am not sure she does. You should have made sure she understood, Alpha."

"I know," Lara told her.

"The ransom is ten percent lower than last time. If you do not pay it, we will make her scream."

"May I have some water?" Lara asked, presumably of Elisabeth. There was a pause, then she said, "May I talk to her? I need to know if she understands."

Angel looked at me. "You heard that question."

I nodded.

"Can I trust you to answer the question and nothing else?"

I nodded. Angel leaned forward and pressed the phone to my ear.

"Lara," I said. "Yes and no. I think I understand enough." I looked at Angel. "Please mute the phone."

Angel took the phone, told Lara to wait a minute, then hit a button on the face of it.

"I want permission to explain more," I told her.

"What do you want to say?"

"I want her to know I will make her proud of me. And maybe you'll let me tell her I love her."

Angel looked at the other girls. There were several nods. She looked into my eyes. "Nothing else." And I nodded agreement.

She unmuted the phone and held it to my ear. "Lara, can you hear me?"

"Yes, Little Fox."

"I want you to know, I will make you proud of me. I love you."

"I am already proud of you," Lara said. "And I love you, too."

I looked into Angel's eyes, and she took the phone back. "Lara, will you pay the ransom?"

"Not at this time, Angel. Please be careful."

There was a shuffling from the other end, then Elisabeth was talking to Angel. I listened to Elisabeth's demands, told her calmly, "No." Angel hung up and set the phone aside.

"Michaela," she said a little sadly.

"I'll make you proud, too, Angel," I said. I closed my eyes. "Hold me tightly."

There was a kiss on my cheek, I think from Sophia. Arms tightened on me. Scarlett took firm hold of my ankles. Then Angel set her hands on my knees.

"If you promise to beg Lara to ransom you," Angel said. "I'll stop. I need to know you understand."

"I understand." Then I clamped my lips together.

She started squeezing, gently at first, then harder and harder. I struggled, but they held me tightly. I began panting, first through my nose, then through clenched teeth. But I didn't scream.

It went on and on.

"I can't squeeze any harder," Angel said. "I'm afraid I'll really damage."

One of the girls, maybe Abigail, adjusted her grip on me, and then she dug her hand into my shoulder, squeezing. I gasped, and she squeezed harder.

And then I screamed.

They let me scream for a few seconds, maybe two or three, then they released me, and my screams faded.

I sat on the sofa, gasping with the residual pain. Slowly they released me, their controlling hands turning soothing. I accepted a few more kisses on my cheeks, and someone cleaned my face for me. I opened my eyes, and Angel was staring into them.

I smiled. "Please tell me you have something really fun planned now."

She returned the smile. "We do. We're going to play five truths and a lie. We'll go around in a circle. It's us against you."

"That doesn't seem quite fair."

"Wait," said Scarlett. "You're going to like this. If you guess my lie, then you may either ask for a favor from me or demand a punishment for me."

"What kind of punishment."

"Spin her," Angel said. "Until she pukes. And we'll clean up afterwards, before your next punishment."

"So, the last person I catch lying is going to have the hardest time of it?"

"Yes," said Scarlett. "Please, may I go first?"

"Oh no, Scarlett, you're second to the last." I looked at Angel. "You're last."

Angel laughed. "Once we've all gone, then you go. Anyone who guesses your lie gets a promise of a small favor."

I smiled. "If I skunk all of you, I want an extra reward. Come up with something."

Angel grinned. "All right. What do you want?"

"You'll free my hands for future bathroom breaks."

She grin faded. "No. Don't ask for anything that will make this easier for you, Michaela."

I studied her. "All right. Make an offer."

They huddled. I could hear every word. Then they broke up and looked at me. "If you skunk all of us, then between us we'll wash your car for a year. And we'll handle other wash up duties you have when we're doing things together, like cleaning your kayak after a day on the lake."

I smiled. "That's a good offer," I said.

"But-" Angel said. "If we all guess your lie or we all skunk you, then the favors you owe are major instead of minor favors."

"Medium favors if it's one or the other and major if it's both," I counter-offered.

Angel laughed. "All right. Pick who is first."

"Abigail. And I get to watch your body language. The hot seat is directly in front of me."

The girls shifted around. Abigail sat on the coffee table facing me. Scarlett handed her paper and pencil. She wrote on it, then faced me. She told me six things. The fourth was, "I cheated on a recent homework assignment, but I won't tell you which one."

I let her finish her statements then said, "You didn't cheat, Abigail. You're all going to need better lies than that."

She sighed. "I was hoping you'd be angry enough about that one you would believe it."

"Do we spin her first or do we do everyone else?"

"Spin her," Angel said. "Unless you're taking the favor."

"I wouldn't suppose the favor gets me out of punishments?"

They all laughed. "No."

Then I asked quietly, "If I have you all spun, will that make it worse for me later?"

"Oh honey," Angel said. "No. Absolutely not."

"All right," I said. "Move me so I can watch but out of the splatter range."

I was watching Abigail. She looked nervous, but not horribly so. Sophia and Ava moved one of the easy chairs so it was facing into the next room, and then they moved me to it. I giggled when they picked me up.

All the wolves stepped past me. Abigail stood still with her hands by her sides while Ava and Sophia taped her arms to her sides.

"We found that at some point, our self-discipline breaks," Angel said.

"Do you need to take me out of this harness?" I asked.

"No. We made that to save your ankles."

I watched as instead, Ava and Sophia used rope to tie Abigail's ankles firmly together.

Angel and Scarlett moved next to Abigail. Abigail looked at me and made a kissing sound with her lips. Then she closed her eyes and intentionally fell over backwards, Angel and Scarlett catching her. Ava and Sophia grabbed her legs, and the four of them hooked her up to the ceiling by her ankles.

"Anyone who lasts longer than I did gets to be taken down," I said.

Angel grinned at me and they wound Abigail up. She was stoic about it, not saying a word, but she was sick long before I was. As soon as the heaving started, the other wolves immediately stopped her, lifting her off the hook and holding her while she was sick.

I didn't laugh. My heart went out to her instead.

The girls were raucous about it, although gentle with Abigail. They cut the tape, and Ava helped her to the bathroom to clean up. She looked a little green when she came back. They had moved me back to the sofa.

Abigail sat down next to me. "You weren't laughing."

"No," I said.

"You didn't enjoy getting even a little?"

"No," I said. "If I were angry at you, I might."

She smiled. "So you're not angry with us?"

"No. Not anymore."

"Then if my getting sick helped with that, it was worth it."

I searched her face. "You're a sweet girl."

She frowned. "Do you think maybe you could start thinking of us as women?"

"You're a sweet woman, Abigail. I'm glad to have you as a friend."

She hugged me. "Who is next?"

"Ava." When she was seated in front of me, I told her, "If your lie is about something illegal or unethical, I won't believe it. Please try to fool me."

"Are you kidding?" she said. "I might have made it easy for you when I was going first, but not now. Eww!" Her lie was that her favorite color was green. "Damn it," she said. She stood up. "Hook me up."

"No," I said. "I didn't enjoy watching Abigail. I'll take the favor. Write it out now, please."

She sat back down. "It's okay, Michaela. You can spin me."

"Would you rather we spin you instead of owing me a favor?" I asked.

"Well, no," she said. "But we want you to have fun."

"The game is fun," I said. "And being owed favors is fun, too. I'll take the favor. But please write it out before the next person goes."

They had note cards. Ava wrote out her favor and showed it to me. I thanked her, and she slipped it into an envelope. "We'll keep these for you," Angel said. "Who is next?"

"Sophia."

Sophia's truths were outrageous, and I had a hard time believing them. By comparison her lie was tame. She tried to get me to believe that she was lying when she told me her mother had introduced her to pot "to get past the mystique". That was actually true. Her lie was about her mother's middle name. I didn't know what it was, but it wasn't Sophia.

She sighed when I guessed. "You may spin me if you want," she told me when I guessed.

"May I have the favor instead?"

She smiled and nodded and wrote it out.

Next was Scarlett. All her statements were racy, very racy, and I wouldn't have been able to single one out if I hadn't been watching her very carefully. I was surprised to find out she'd recently let Angel tie her up, and that she had enjoyed it. I was ready to pick that one, but I noticed Angel's pleased reaction. In the end, her lie was that she'd slept with Derek last year, and thus wasn't a virgin when she and Angel had hooked up.

Angel was shocked when I picked that one as the lie. "She got you!" Angel said to me.

Then Scarlett turned the pad of paper for Angel to see.

"Holy shit!" she said. She looked at Scarlett. "Really?"

"Yes, honey," she said. "You were my first."

Scarlett looked at me. "Spin or favor?"

I pursed my lips. "Medium favor or spin, your choice."

"Medium favor!" she said immediately and wrote it out.

"You're up, Angel." When she sat down I told her, "You are going to spin."

"Oh god," she said. "We'll see." Then in a deadpan face, she delivered her six statements, all of them self-deprecating or embarrassing. I had hoped to shake her by threatening to spin her, but it hadn't worked. Instead she had accepted embarrassment, hoping her reaction to telling an embarrassing story would override any reaction she had to lying.

"Wow," I said when she was done. "You might have skunked me, Angel." I searched her face. "I think it's between the car accident and the bed wetting." She grimaced. "Care to raise the stakes?"

"What did you have in mind?"

"If I guess right," I said. "You agree to never again willingly help Lara cheat me during a wager."

She laughed. "And if you don't, you owe me five get out of trouble cards to be used in the future."

"I can get you out of trouble with me," I said. "But they aren't binding on Lara."

She nodded and I smiled. I wouldn't have guessed except that Scarlett gave it away for her. "You know, I was shocked when Scarlett admitted she liked when you tied her up. But that was nothing compared to finding out you let her tie you up first."

"Damn it!" she said, laughing.

"Carry me to the other chair," I said, smiling. "And hook her up."

"Oh god," she said. "You sure you won't take a favor instead?"

"Oh Angel," I said. "Misery loves company."

She helped them carry me to the chair, and she gave me a kiss on the cheek before stepping into the next room.

"Oh god," she said. "It stinks in here." She looked at me. "A major favor?"

I looked at her like I was considering it. Then shrugged. "No thank you."

They taped her arms, Scarlett taking extra care with it, then taped and tied her legs. Scarlett was grinning. "I like seeing you helpless, Angel," she said. "If I talk her into letting you pay favors, will you let me do this to you whenever I want?"

Angel laughed. "Limit once a month."

"Twice," Scarlett counter-offered.

"Only if my price to her is a medium favor," Angel counter-counter-offered.

Scarlett grinned, turned to me in my chair, then picked me up and carried me back to the sofa. It wasn't even difficult for her. She spoke into my ear.

"Please."

I turned to her. "Is this because you don't want me to spin her?"

"No, it's because she's always dominant, but I'm not a submissive wolf. I'm just not as strong or dominant as she is. I really had fun that night."

"You girls are a little young for this type of play," I replied.

"Women," she said, looking into my eyes. I returned her gaze, undecided. "Michaela," Scarlett went on. "She liked it. It's just hard for her to let me be in control."

"What are you offering me?"

"Her medium favor and a major favor from me."

I smiled. "Plus your support on any other proposals I make today."

She frowned. "Only on the fun games," she said. "Not the punishments."

I nodded. "Deal."

Scarlett smiled. "Thank you." She turned to the other girls - women, I guess - and said, "Carry her in here so she can learn her fate!"

Angel dropped into their arms, and they picked her up, setting her on her feet in front of Scarlett and me. Scarlett stood up and crossed to her lover. She caressed Angel's face. "There will be a few changes in our relationship," she said, smiling. She pulled Angel into a kiss, clasping her ass while doing it. When she was done with the kiss, she asked a dazed Angel, "Got a problem with that?"

"No, Scarlett," she said. She smiled. Scarlett cut her loose, and the two of them wrote up my favors. The other girls cleaned up the other room and sprayed air freshener around, eliminate the signs of Abigail's earlier experience spinning from the ceiling.

"All right," I said. "Where do you want me?"

Angel and Scarlett moved me until I was sitting on the coffee table. It was difficult to remain sitting that way, bound as I was. When I almost tipped over twice, they brought the easy chair back and put me in it.

"Are you having fun carrying me around?" I asked them.

They grinned. "Yes. Quite a lot, actually." Then Scarlett added. "You seem to have become comfortable with it, too."

Angel's phone buzzed. I stared at it and asked quietly, "Would it be possible to have my turn first? In case the punishment is really bad?"

Angel nodded. She picked up her phone and called Elisabeth. "We'd like a few more minutes here to finish a game. We'll call you back."

"Give me a minute," I said. "I need to think about them all." I decided what I would say and then said, "Okay, how do we do this?"

"We trust you to be honest," Angel said. "We'll write down our guesses and go one after another."

"All right. One. I have decided to wait a year or two before staring a college degree." That was true. I paused so they could write their notes. "Two. I used to dye my hair black." That was true as well. "Three. I dated, very briefly, a couple of human guys shortly after moving to Wisconsin." That was also true. I had given in to pressure at work, trying to fit in, but my coworkers figured out I was gay and stopped trying to set me up with guys. "Four. I haven't dated any human women beyond one-night stands." That was the lie. I'd had a few relationships with human women since moving to Wisconsin and didn't do one-night stands. "Five. I am looking forward to my next punishment, although I am nervous at the same time." That was true. I couldn't have explained why. I waited for them to finish writing. "Six. Lara and I are planning a special school session over winter break for anyone who wants to do some winter camping." We were, and it was going to be out on the ice of Lake Superior, if the ice was sufficiently safe.

I was sure I hadn't given away any clues with my body language, but I wondered if my body scent would sway them in one direction or another. Then I wondered if they could smell any changes in my scent after all these hours taped up, the crying I had done, and as scared as I had been.

They all studied me for a while, then one by one, they wrote down their guesses on their paper. Scarlett collected everyone's pen and said, "Who wants to show hers first?"

"I do," said Ava. She turned her paper around. She had guessed I was lying about dying my hair. "You're way too proud of your hair," she said.

"Wrong," I said. "I used to dye my hair so I wouldn't stand out so much."

Angel turned her pad around. "No way have you ever dated a guy," she said. "You are totally into women."

"Wrong," I said. I explained about trying to fit in.

"Damn it," said Ava. She had guessed the same.

Scarlett and Sophia both guessed it was the upcoming punishment. "Sorry," I said. "I did say I was nervous about it, but I also want to prove your faith in me."

Angel smiled. "Really? That was my second choice."

I nodded. "The lie was about dating human women. I've had two relationships with human women that lasted more than a couple of months each, but it had been a few years by the time I met Lara."

"Were they good relationships?" Ava asked. "I barely even know any humans, other than Abigail's mom and Scarlett's dad."

"Yes, but I felt like I was living a lie, not telling them about my fox. If it hadn't been for that, either of them could have turned serious." I smiled. "I skunked all of you, and I guessed all of yours. Write that down. I am going to enjoy getting my car extra dirty for an entire year."

They laughed and wrote it down, then they turned somber. "I know," I said. "Punishment time."

 **Enough**

Scarlett sat on the coffee table facing me. "We're going to spin you," she said. "But we're going to tape your eyes open so you can't close them. And we're going to tape your hair so that when you're spinning you're twisting your hair. At the extreme ends, it will pull, hard, and you'll probably pull some out. Beg Lara to ransom you."

"It hurts," said Ava. "I cried when they did it to me. No one else has long enough hair to try it."

"Will it ruin my hair for tomorrow?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"Not too bad," Ava said.

I sighed. "I'm not asking Lara to ransom me."

Angel stood up and walked upstairs, walking behind me and squeezing my shoulder as she did so. She came back several minutes later. "Lara has declined to ransom you," she said. "Elisabeth wants to talk to you."

I listened to Elisabeth's offer and politely declined.

I was stoic while they prepared me. Scarlett perched over my lap and asked if I would cooperate. I nodded. She tipped my head back and told me to open my eyes widely. "You know this is going to hurt when we pull this off. It's not too late to change your mind."

"Do it, Scarlett," I said. And very carefully, she taped my eyes open.

"Try to blink," she said. I tried, but she had done a good job. "Michaela, if we see your eyes close, then we're going to take you down and pour lemon juice in them."

"Oh god," I said. "Please make sure I can't blink."

She pressed the tape down tighter, and I tried very hard to close my eyes, but couldn't.

Then they picked me up and hung me from my feet, dangling upside down with my head near the floor. Ava disappeared upstairs but came down a short while later holding a piece of lumber and a bucket. She set the bucket upside down underneath my head and the piece of wood on top of it. Then they taped my hair to the wood.

"We'll stop if you beg to be ransomed," Scarlett said. "Otherwise we're not stopping until you're sick again. And if we think you got sick intentionally, we're not stopping for a long, long time."

I tried to close my eyes but couldn't. They wound me up, and I felt my hair grow tight. The first time they released me, it wasn't bad. They held onto the ends of the piece of wood so it wouldn't turn. The bucket was just to hold it somewhat steady, close to my head.

The second time, they wound me up until my hair was tight, then they put on one more turn, letting the lumber turn with me.

"Do you know what's going to happen?" Scarlett asked.

"It's going to hurt."

"Yes." And they let go.

Not being able to close my eyes was tough. While I spun, the pressure wound out of my hair and then began winding up again. My hair grew tight, but I hadn't stopped spinning. My hair was tugged firmly, yanking me to a stop and twisting my neck hard. I spun back and forth a few more times, then hung there, panting.

They put their hands on me to wind me up again, but I said, "Before you do that again, I have to tell you something."

Scarlett sat down on the floor in front of me.

"You could break my neck doing this," I said.

She caressed my cheek and stood up. "Do it," she said.

They wound me up the same way again. Watching the world spin was very hard, and the yanking on my head hurt. They did it that way again. Then they gave it an extra turn and a half instead of a single turn, and I cried out at the end. By two extra turns I was crying at the end, but I wasn't sick yet.

Then they did three extra turns. "Scarlett," I said. "That will be too much."

"One more," Scarlett said. And they turned me around again. "Beg, Michaela."

I started sobbing and hyperventilating. "No," I said finally.

They released me, and I was filled with fear, thinking they had gone too far. But as I began to tighten my hair up on the other side, they released their hold on the board. It hurt, it hurt a lot, and it wrenched my neck badly, but then I was unwinding again, and I wrenched my neck, pulling some hairs out, and back and forth a few times.

Then I was still, but completely filled with fear. I lost the rest of my self-control and began heaving.

They pulled me down immediately. They tipped the bucket over and held my head over it, my knees on the floor, my hair still attached to the board, now held over my head so my hair was out of the way. I emptied my stomach, then knelt there, continuing to heave and sob.

They were gentle when they released my hair. I had lost some, but not as much as I had feared. They untaped my eyes and helped me clean up in the bathroom while I continued to sob. They were very gentle when they carried me back to the sofa.

Scarlett sat down next to me, Angel on the other side. I looked at Scarlett, still sobbing, and choked out, "Please hold me."

She leaned into me, wrapping her arms around me, and laid her head on my shoulder. I faced Angel. "You're all going to be so disappointed in me."

"No," she said. "No, honey."

"Lara is going to be disappointed."

"No," she said.

"Call her," I said, and then I couldn't stop sobbing.

"It's time," Angel said. "But are you sure?" I nodded.

Angel picked up her phone. Her voice was subdued. "May I speak with Lara?"

I didn't hear anything, I was sobbing too much, but then Angel said, "Lara, Michaela wants to talk to you."

She held the phone to my ear and caressed my cheek with her hand. I sobbed into the phone for a while; Lara spoke soothingly to me. "You're going to be so ashamed of me," I told her.

"No, honey. No. I am so proud of you."

"Lara," I said, still sobbing. "Please pay my ransom." And then I could barely hear, I was crying so hard, half from leftover fear, and half because I was convinced I was disappointing her.

Angel took the phone back. "Lara?" she said. "Make an offer we can accept."

I couldn't hear Lara over my sobs.

"No," Angel said. "She thinks you're disappointed, Lara. And she thinks we are. We'll calm her down."

Scarlett pulled me firmly into her arms, turning my head into her as well. I cried messily onto her chest, and she held me.

"Lara," Angel said. "That's too much. Let me talk to Elisabeth. No, Lara, let me talk to Elisabeth." There was a pause. "Elisabeth, what is fair?" Angel listened for a while. "All right," she said. "Yes. Escrow? Explain that."

While Elisabeth and Angel talked, Scarlett spoke soothingly. Ava leaned over the sofa and looked into my face. "Michaela, they stopped when I started crying. You kept going."

"We had her bound like you are," Scarlett said. "She cried like a baby, although we had to tighten it more than we did for you."

My sobs renewed.

"She's a wolf," Scarlett said. "The tape would fail to hold before we could snap her neck that way. But we were afraid you were right, and we didn't want to find out. Michaela, you couldn't possibly have lasted much longer."

"I was supposed to be strong," I said. "I was supposed to be strong. But I was so scared. If you had held onto the board, I think you'd have killed me." I began to wail. "Lara is so disappointed!"

"No, honey," Angel said from behind me. "She's not. She's agreed to pay your ransom. Let's get you free, all right?"

I let Angel pull me from Scarlett's arms into hers, and the girls huddled around, all of them touching me gently. I hadn't realized before, but I should have. The wolves were touchers, all of them, and I found it soothing. They touched me gently, leaned against me, some of them kneeling in front of me, Sophia's head in my lap, and slowly they cut the tape binding my legs and arms.

"She's so ashamed of me," I muttered.

"No," said Angel. "You were going to give in eventually, and soon. That's not what matters. What matters is that you honored the tradition. That's what was important, Michaela, and you honored it."

They kept telling me they were proud of me and thanking me for understanding, thanking me for accepting their tradition.

Slowly, I calmed down.

"How much?" I finally asked Angel.

"Full tuition, fees, room, board and books for all of us through our doctorates. Plus a major favor from Lara. Not from the Alpha. Thank you, Michaela."

I started crying again. "I gave up so early you had to ask for a lower price."

"Oh honey," Angel said. "None of us has done this before. We didn't know how to ask for what we really wanted. That's all. That's not your fault. We're all proud of you, and when we go to college, we're going to be successful because of your teaching, and because you and Lara are continuing to help us." She pulled me into her arms and kissed my forehead.

I still felt so scared and so vulnerable, and I didn't believe any of them were proud of me.

"Listen to me," Angel said into my ear. "This was always about you accepting our tradition, and you did, honey. Please, that's all we wanted."

"Lara's getting a crappy wife," I wailed.

"She is not!" Angel said.

And then I heard Lara's voice. It was Elisabeth's recording of Lara explaining what she loved about me.

"How could I not love her?" Lara said.

Scarlett played the entire recording twice, then I reached for the phone and cradled it, playing the recording several times.

"Honey," Angel said. "She meant every word, and if Elisabeth asked her now, she would have even more things to say about you."

I threw my arms around her, hugging her, still crying, but listening to Lara's voice. The rest all continued to touch me gently and slowly I calmed down again.

"She loves me?" I asked.

"Yes, honey," Angel said. "And so do all of us."

I closed my eyes and took several deep breaths.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Hush," Scarlett said, rubbing my back.

"Please I need to walk around." They helped me stand up and steadied me as I stretched, working muscles that had been in one position for too long, then Angel pulled me into a crushing hug. She kissed my cheek and said, "We're so proud of you."

I stumbled around the room a little with them supporting me, then I pushed away and looked at them.

"You barely touched me."

"You don't heal after you shift, Michaela. We heal. A broken bone is two days, three at the worst."

"Oh god," I said. "Are they really breaking her bones?"

"Not yet," she said. "Elisabeth will make you pay before it goes that far. Did she sound upset?"

"No, she sounded happy."

"She is. She never thought she'd get to prove herself this way."

"I can be a smart ass now, right?"

"Yes," Scarlett said, laughing.

"You people are so fucked up."

"True," said Ava. "But it's who we are."

"I won't be able to hurt any of you like that."

"No," Angel said. "You'll do worse. You'll do your own mind games, and I bet they're a lot worse, at least for us."

I laughed. I was starting to feel better. "Maybe. What do we do about all this tape?"

"This," she said. "This is Lara's fault, not ours." And all of them began ripping the tape from me.

It hurt.

"May I please have some clothes?" I said when they were done. Ava provided a robe and a camisole. I put them both on. "Should we call Elisabeth?"

"Not quite yet," Angel said. They pulled me back to the sofa, clustering around me, continuing to soothe me. Abigail ran upstairs and returned after a few minutes with warm food and fresh cider and lemonade. They fed me slowly, small bites, and held my glass for me while I drank. I accepted more hugs.

"Ready now?" Angel asked.

I nodded and she handed me the phone. I used the recent calls list and got Elisabeth.

"She's very proud of you," Elisabeth said. "So am I."

"I have a hard time believing that," I said softly. "May I have my fiancé back, Elisabeth?"

"If you give us your house and your throat to four out of the five of us. You pick which four."

"I could exclude you?"

She was silent for a moment. "I thought you'd pick Gia."

"I could exclude you?"

"Yes," she said.

I thought about it. I really did. "Will you consider a counter offer, Elisabeth?"

"Yes."

"My house and my throat to one of you, my choice who."

She laughed. "Clever. I'm sorry, no." She hung up.

"If it was getting bad, would she have accepted?" I asked the girls.

"How much did you come down?" Scarlett asked.

"She asked for my house in Bayfield plus offering my throat, forever, to four of them. I will point out those were my two sticking points, and she knows it."

"Then yes," Scarlett said. "If she thought it was time, she'd have accepted, or at least tried harder to convince you to pay."

I looked around. "So, where is Chloe?"

"Oh, she went home hours ago," Abigail said. "Mom came and picked her up."

"Your mother knows where we are?"

"She is sworn to secrecy."

I hugged them all, then sat down on the sofa. "Now what?"

"Now we party!" Angel said. "We can watch movies or play any games you want."

We curled up together on the sofa and put on some movies. They also pampered me, giving me anything I wanted. I turned Elisabeth's offer down twice more, not bothering to counter offer. She wasn't coming down on her price. Then she called me again, coming down slightly.

"Little Fox," she said. "Your house and your throat to three of us of our choice."

"My cash is worth more than my house," I said.

"That's the offer," Elisabeth said. "You should accept it."

I listened carefully to Elisabeth's tone. "Why my house?"

"That's the offer."

"What if I offered my cash and my throat to three of you?"

"Your house, Little Fox," she said. "And your throat to three of us. Accept the offer, Michaela."

I thought about it. "My house and my throat to one of you of my choosing."

"No. Take our offer, Michaela."

"Which three?"

"Me, Serena, Karen."

"The three active enforcers."

"Yes," she said. "It's time to say yes, Michaela."

"Angel told me Lara's goal is to get you down to one dollar. We're a long way from that."

"That's Lara's goal," Elisabeth admitted. "My next offer will be your throat to every enforcer in the pack and every dollar you own. I will then drop my price by one dollar every time I call you. I promised Lara I won't send you video until ten PM tonight. You will cave on the first video and beg to give me anything I ask. She paid a significant price for you, and you will pay a significant price for her. You will give me your house now or later, and if later, your throat to a lot more wolves than I am currently asking, but Lara will have been put through more than she should due to your stubbornness."

I wasn't the only one being stubborn. "Why do you want this so badly, Elisabeth?"

"Take the offer."

I thought about it. I didn't understand why she wanted my house. It couldn't be worth much to her, but it was worth a lot to me. She was trying to take half my net worth. On the other side, I didn't live there anymore.

I was going to miss Bayfield.

"Elisabeth, by this time tomorrow, I will be married to the alpha. As omega and the alpha's mate, I owe my throat to no one beyond the alpha. My house. That is my offer."

She began laughing. "Clever fox. Your house and a medium favor to each of us."

"What constitutes a medium favor?"

"A major favor means almost anything you are empowered to give that does not significantly weaken or impoverish you. A medium favor is something important, something that may be difficult for you, but nothing that would damage your standing in the pack or with any of the pack members. It might be your support on a political issue, for instance, or to appeal to the alpha for a favor. We can bank these and spend them when we need them."

"You can't use them to ask for my throat."

"No."

"If I accept, I no longer owe you my throat, Elisabeth."

"That is how I would interpret this agreement."

I considered everything. "Elisabeth, if I remain polite, may I speak plainly without reprisal?"

"Yes, Michaela."

"I didn't know about this custom, and I don't understand it completely. Please don't take offense, but I can't tell if you are trying to play me. Angel told me you would try to psych me out, and I'm not sure that's not what you're doing."

"I am trying to psych you out," she said. "I want you to take the offer now. Please, Michaela, it's time, and it's the right offer. Do you want five minutes to talk to everyone there?"

"May I?"

"I'll call back in five minutes. Please have an answer ready for me, and the right answer is to accept."

She hung up and I turned to the five expectant faces. I relayed the conversation to them.

Angel summed it up. "Michaela, she can't let you have the alpha, whose net worth is in the tens of millions of dollars, for the cash you own. She also wouldn't let you pay too soon, because that would dishonor Lara. And you know; it was important to her that you were offering your throat to her, and she gave that up. She's not trying to play you. I think you should pay."

We waited another minute before Angel's phone rang.

"Elisabeth?" I asked. "Do you want me to pay now?"

"Yes, Little Fox," she said gently. "It is time."

"All right," I said quietly. "My house and the five favors. May I talk to her?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. I heard her walking through wherever she was, the background noises changing, and she descended some stairs. "Here she is."

"I love you," I told her. "I hope I didn't pay too early."

"Did you pay too much?" she asked me.

"I paid something important to me. You're worth it. I love you."

"I love you, too. I'll see you soon."

And then Elisabeth was on the line. "Put Angel on."

I handed the phone to Angel. Elisabeth told her to take her time getting back to the compound and to get me cleaned up at her house, not Lara's. She'd make sure clothes were sent over. "Got it. An hour?"

"An hour is good," Elisabeth said. And the two hung up.

The girls all rushed around, cleaning the house. They ordered me to the sofa, and I complied. Once the space was clean, they plopped down on the sofa with me. I spent the time trying to put on a cheerful face. I wasn't sure how successful I was.

Scarlett joined me on the sofa. "Are you okay?"

"I don't know."

"Are you mad at us?"

"No."

I took a breath and held it, calming my nerves. Then I quickly kissed both of them and thanked them. "Time to go home?"

Scarlett nodded. "It is traditional that you are not to know where we brought you," she said. "You may now cooperate while we blindfold you and put the ear buds back in, or you can try to escape. If you try to escape and fail, we will tape you back up until we get back to the compound. If you cooperate and agree not to remove the blindfold or ear buds, we won't. I should tell you the door at the top of the stairs is locked."

I laughed. It was a weak laugh, but a laugh nevertheless. "May I pick the music?"

"Yes," they said, chuckling. I let them put the ear buds in my ears, and then I accepted the iPod and found some music I liked. They blindfolded me after that then helped me stand up and guided me up the stairs, out of the house, and into the waiting car. This time, it wasn't the limousine. I sat in the middle seat between Scarlett and Angel. I couldn't tell who else sat where.

The drive home was uneventful. They did the turn around thing at each turn. I tried to tell where the sun was based on the warmth on my skin, but I couldn't tell, and I couldn't have told you what direction we had gone.

I leaned into either Angel or Scarlett the entire drive, the other leaning against me. It had been a difficult day, but I felt loved and cherished.

They drove us to Madison and pulled into a drive through. Scarlett took the iPod from my hands and paused it, then pulled the ear buds from my ears. "We're at Dairy Queen. What would you like?"

"Cookies and cream blizzard," I said. "Small. And I won't finish it, so I hope one of you will take it when I'm done."

"We'll make it a large," Scarlett said. "Eat as much as you want, we'll finish it."

They placed their orders, we waited, and then Scarlett handed me my blizzard and a spoon. "It's about to run over the edge, let me help with your first few spoons." And she did, scooping carefully. "Okay, you're safe now."

We drove away. They didn't replace the ear buds, but they kept me blindfolded.

"If we just hit the DQ in Madison, why am I still blindfolded?"

Scarlett laughed. "Because we can. Leave it on."

But they included me in the conversation during the drive we took back to the compound. I could tell we arrived from a different direction than I was accustomed. I had been to Francesca's house, but I'd never driven to it. We came to a stop. The girls piled out and helped me climb from the car. They led me into the house and to one of the bathrooms. I didn't hear Gia or Francesca.

Angel reached up and removed my blindfold. I blinked in the light, then hugged her.

"I'm free?"

"Almost," she said. "You need to clean up first," she said. "And a little business to take care of. Then there's a party. You may take as long as you want in here, but we all need to clean up, and it might be deemed mildly petty if you used all the hot water."

I laughed.

"I'm not going to rush."

"No one expects you to, Michaela. Please do not escape though. I know you could, but let us take you to Lara. Come downstairs when you're done."

"All right."

She left. I climbed out of the clothes, verified there were things waiting for me to wear, and climbed into the shower.

I washed thoroughly. It wasn't true that I didn't heal when I shift, but I don't heal as much as a wolf does. I shifted to fox, and that eased some of the tenderness. A shift back to human, and a soak under the water, clean hair, and I felt good.

I took my time in front of the mirror, trying to determine where they had taken the hair. I could tell by feel, two small spots, but not by looking at it. I couldn't tell where any had been pulled out. I dressed and partially dried my hair. I tidied the bathroom and headed downstairs.

Several of the girls had gone home to clean up. "We'll wait for them here," Angel said. "Your turn, Ava."

Angel and Sophia continued to pamper me, giving me anything I wanted and talking about any subject I brought up.

Ava finished her shower quickly and called down to Sophia. "Shower is free." And it was just Angel with me.

"Are you upset?" she asked me once we were alone.

"Not with you guys."

"But with Elisabeth?"

I nodded. "She let me know I'm not good enough for her sister."

"She did not."

"Yes, Angel, she did."

Angel didn't respond to that "But we're good?"

"We're good." I paused. "Did Lara really ask for all this you did to me? The-" I blushed. "The piercings and stuff?"

"She didn't ask. She was drunk and admitted a bunch of things she thought were sexy. It was a few years ago, before she had met you. She mentioned things we couldn't have done to you."

"I'm not her perfect woman?"

"You weren't what she imagined back then. I bet she's changed her opinion on what is perfect since she's met you."

"When did you first want me to give in?"

"When we threatened to spin you. And then once we knew it freaked you out so badly, we kept coming back to it. Everything before that was for Lara, but I bet she'll still be surprised. We didn't go out of our way to show her some of the things. She doesn't know we waxed you."

"Barbaric custom," I said.

She smiled. "You see how Lara responds and decide what you think about it after that."

Ava and Sophia came downstairs together. Angel got up. "Please stay here until everyone is together, Michaela."

"I will."

Angel ran upstairs. While she was in the shower, Scarlett, Abigail and Chloe rejoined us, arriving together. Angel was quick in the shower, and soon our original group was together.

Chloe hugged me. "Abigail said you were very brave."

"Not as brave as a wolf," I said.

"Not true," Abigail said. "I think you were brave."

"All right," Angel said, and suddenly the girls were crowding me, all of them except Chloe. Angel faced me, and four pairs of strong wolf hands clasped my arms. "Michaela, Lara has technically not paid for you yet, and you have technically not paid for her yet, either. You have both only agreed, but sometimes people try to back out once they feel safe."

"You know neither of us would do that!"

"Of course not, but traditions must be met." She smiled. "It's more fun if you struggle now."

"Oh god," I said, and I immediately tried to pull out of their hands. I was giggling though. It didn't do me any good. They picked me up until my feet were waving in the air. Angel dropped down in front of me, grabbed my swinging legs, pulled them into a hug, and then wrapped rope around them, tying them off. They set me back down and made me cross my wrists in front of me. Angel tied my wrists together, and her knots were tight. Scarlett pulled the blindfold over my eyes again, and they picked me up, carrying me on their shoulders.

"I wouldn't struggle anymore, unless you don't mind being dropped," Angel said. "I promise, it wouldn't be on purpose."

I went limp immediately, and, all of us giggling, they carried me from the house.

They made a point of spinning around in circles several times, and I swear they took me the long way to where ever we were going, but eventually we stepped into another building. I immediately heard multiple other heartbeats. They lowered me to my feet and held me steady in one place.

Then the blindfold was removed, and I was staring at Lara at the other end of the room. We were in our own living room. She had just had her own blindfold removed. She looked worn out but whole.

"Hello, Love," I said.

"Hello, Little Fox. Are you well?"

"I am. And you?"

"I am as well."

Angel and Elisabeth looked at each other for a moment, then Angel nodded. "Alpha. We have brought your mate. You have agreed to certain terms. Will you honor your agreement?"

"I will," said Lara.

I looked around the room. The enforcers that had held Lara were there as was Hadley Smith. I was surprised to see her. She passed a packet of papers to Angel. Angel opened the packet and began reading through them. It took her several minutes. Finally she said, "Yes, everything is in order." She returned the packet to Hadley. Hadley crossed to Lara's side of the room. One by one, she presented the papers for Lara to read. She glanced at each and nodded. Lara was led to the table where she was allowed to sit down. With both hands still bound, she signed the papers where Hadley indicated. She finished, and Hadley separated the papers into two stacks, one stack smaller than the other. From her briefcase she removed another manila folder and put the small stack of papers in that folder. Then she put several sheets of paper from the larger stack into envelopes. Finally, she slid the first folder to the place in front of Lara and passed out the remaining papers to my kidnappers.

They all began to grin wildly.

Lara was pulled out of her seat and away from the table.

"Release my mate," Lara said with a growl.

"Not quite yet," Angel said. "She made promises to us that must be fulfilled before we will release her." They helped me to the table and sat me down. Hadley presented me with a set of money transfers to sign as well as notes covering the other promises I had made. I glanced through them then signed everywhere she told me to sign.

"Cut her ropes," Angel said. They didn't cut them. Scarlett untied my feet. Sophia untied my hands. And then Angel said, "You are free, Michaela."

I immediately jumped to my feet and began to run to Lara, but Elisabeth intercepted me. "Not so fast. We have business as well."

Hadley gave a folder to Elisabeth. She read through it, taking several minutes, then nodded. "This is as agreed."

Hadley led me to the table to sit down, and she sat beside me.

"I understand you weren't expecting any of this," she said very quietly.

"No."

"You gave up your house."

"Yes."

Hadley went through the papers. The first were to sign over the deed to my house. I reached for the pen, but she stopped me. "Not yet." Then she showed me the remaining papers. "These are all the same, just with different names. They are the favors you promised. You can read them all, but they are the same."

I read the first one. It was simple. I scanned the rest.

"You need to understand, these are not transferrable. The people who have these will present them and tell you what they want. They may hold them for a very long time. Favors like this can become more valuable as you become wealthy or more politically powerful. I guarantee you no one is going to present one prior to tomorrow's wedding."

I smiled weakly.

"They should ask for a medium favor, per pack custom. Elisabeth said she explained."

"She did."

"If you feel the favor asked is significantly outside the purview of a medium favor, you may deny the request. The person asking may agree and alter the request. You are certainly allowed to negotiate the favor in a manner that best serves both of you. In the case of disputes, normally appeal is to the alpha. Due to your relationship, appeal instead will be to the full council. It is considered exceedingly bad form for them to be drawn into these types of things. I would strongly encourage you to solicit my advice, Lara's, Elisabeth's, or that of any member of the council before you deny these favors. It is also bad form to submit the favor in a fashion that doesn't allow you a chance to seek counsel unless the request offered is so clearly reasonable there can be no dispute."

"Thank you, Hadley. Do I start signing?"

"Yes, if you agree everything is in order."

"It is." I began signing, the favors first, then the deed to my house. I stared at that one for a minute before signing it.

"This has been quite a lot for you to absorb," Hadley said quietly. "I heard a few of the details. You can be proud."

"No," I said. "Lara can. I was treated softly."

"Still, you were perhaps treated in a fashion you never expected."

"Yes."

"And you gave up something important to you."

"Yes."

"Thank you for honoring pack traditions, Michaela. I am proud to have you marrying my alpha, and I am proud to have you teaching my daughter."

I looked into her eyes, and I thought perhaps her words were heartfelt.

Then we stood up, and she gave the packet of materials to Elisabeth. Elisabeth glanced through, passed out the favors to June, Gia, Karen, and Serena, keeping hers.

"I have paid the ransom," I said. "Free my mate."

"As soon as she completes her final obligations to us," Elisabeth said. I was pulled away from the table, Lara returned to the table, and I watched her sign a set of money transfers similar to the ones I had. I bet hers were bigger than mine had been.

Elisabeth smiled. "Free her."

The enforcers untied Lara's hands and ankles, and then we were in each other's arms. She picked me up and said, "Start the party without us. We'll be down when we're ready."

I shrieked as she carried me up the stairs.

As soon as the door closed behind us, Lara set me on the bed and began searching my body, making sure I was whole.

"I am fine, Lara. The only real damage, beyond my pride, is two tiny locks of hair. You can feel." I guided her fingers. "There are other changes, but you absolutely are not allowed to look for them right now.

"What changes?" she asked with a growl.

"You will see the next time I allow you to remove my clothes. That may not be soon."

"Little Fox?"

"You should have told me!" I said. "And I should have been wearing pajamas last night."

"I'm sorry," she said immediately, looking down. "Michaela, I'm so sorry. I forgot. Can you believe it? I entirely forgot until I smelled Elisabeth in the doorway. Little girl wolves grow up thinking about this; it's part of the wedding tradition. When I finally realized I would never have a groom, I stopped thinking about it. It just never occurred to me I would have a bride to ransom. It should have. I'm sorry."

"Had Elisabeth talked to you?"

"No, no one did. I didn't have a clue."

I thought about what she had said. "I will consider forgiving you."

Lara pulled me to the bed. I resisted at first. "Please, I need to hold you, Michaela. You can be mad at me if you want, but I need to hold you."

I let her pull me to the bed, not saying anything. We lay together quietly for fifteen or twenty minutes, Lara caressing me gently.

"Did they hurt you?" I asked her.

"Michaela," Lara said. "Did they send you a single video of what they did?"

"No."

"When we talked, did I sound upset?"

"No."

"All right. I made them vow to never tell you. And I am never going to tell you. Everyone there loves me. You must accept this. I want you to never, ever ask again."

I paused three heartbeats before responding. "All right, Lara. I won't ask anyone again. Will I be asked to partake in this ritual in the future?"

"If you are a maid of honor, you are expected to lead it."

"Will I be able to stomach it?"

"You will plan it better than anyone else," she said. "And then you may need to leave from time to time. And if I am the maid of honor, I will ask you to help plan, but when I ask you to leave the room, you must leave."

"All right," I said.

She squeezed me, kissed me, and asked if I was ready to join the party. But instead I started crying.

"Oh honey," she said.

"I'm sorry I didn't last longer," I said, crying quietly.

"Oh honey. You honored the tradition, and that's all that matters."

I cuddled into her, crying onto her chest. She caressed me gently saying over and over, "I love you," and "I am so proud of you," and finally, "thank you".

I cried myself out again and apologized. "I'm overly emotional," I admitted.

"I don't blame you," she said. "The rest of us have years to get excited about this. And you had it sprung on you without even understanding, and you're a fox. I can't imagine you understand emotionally, even if you do intellectually."

"No."

"Are you ready to go downstairs? They're waiting for us."

"I want to show you something first." I wriggled around, lowering my jeans enough to free one cheek, then I crawled across her so she could see the tattoo.

Lara touched my bottom, and when I looked over my shoulder at her, she looked happy. Then she began to laugh, placed me on the pillows, and lowered her own jeans, shifting so I could see.

Prominently on her butt was a tattoo that was clearly a red fox.

I bent down and kissed it, laughed, and said, "Now I'm ready for the party."

 **Party**

The pre-wedding party ran very late. I was asked throughout the night if I was okay, and I told them each I was. I wondered if I was lying; I felt raw and vulnerable. But there was little to be done about it. All the adults living in the compound joined us, the young kids having been left with a baby-sitter.

I had purchased a maid-of-honor present for Angel. I found Francesca and asked her about it.

"Oh no," she said. "Angel is well gifted. Save it for her birthday or Christmas."

"Hell no," I said. "It's expensive. She is now worth far more than I am. I'm returning it and buying her a five dollar gift card for someplace cheap and horrible."

Francesca laughed and then asked me if I were okay.

"Everyone is asking that. I guess I need to go fix the impressions."

I stood up, moved to the center of the room, and said loudly while pointing at Angel. "You!"

The room grew still.

"Me?" Angel said.

"Yes, you. Get over here."

She climbed off the sofa, disentangling herself from Scarlett.

"You kidnapped me last night," I said firmly. "You knew I didn't understand. You knew I wasn't prepared. You didn't warn me. None of you warned me. While you made sure I wasn't truly physically damaged, if I had known the full custom, I absolutely positively guarantee you wouldn't have caught me."

"Michaela?" she said in a quiet voice. "I thought we were okay."

"Admit it!" I said. "No one in this room told me what I should have known until I had no choice but to go along. And while you asked Lara if she gave permission, no one asked me. Angel, as my maid of honor, it was your responsibility to make sure I knew any customs I am supposed to know."

"You wouldn't have let us do it?" she asked in a small voice.

"I didn't say that," I said. "I would have played to win from the beginning. I went along because I didn't know what was at stake."

"You didn't go along," she said. "You did your best to escape."

"I did escape," I said. I pointed to Elisabeth. "She cheated and interfered. I got away from my kidnappers, and if I had been informed of the custom, I would not have been in the same room with the alpha's kidnappers. By all rights, I should be allowed to cut all your hair."

Then I pointed at Gia. "And that one wasn't assigned to me, either. She was part of Lara's contingent. But she is the one who caught me in the end, after I had gotten away from the rest of you. I submit I should be allowed to cut all your hair. Twice."

"She was waiting for you," Angel said. "She couldn't have stopped Lara."

"I believe the tradition is for my sisters, cousins, and closest friends to kidnap me. Is that correct?"

No one answered. I looked at Gia. "Is that correct?"

"Yes," she said.

"And my payment for a favor was to consider you a friend?"

She nodded. "Yes."

"So even you admit we weren't friends at the point you threw a net over me? And I don't think anyone in the room is going to argue we're sisters or cousins."

There were mild chuckles at that.

"I submit I got free not once, but twice, and the only reason you caught me either time was due to outside interference." I looked straight into Angel's eyes. "I get to cut your hair."

I laughed. It wasn't necessarily a nice laugh. "Furthermore, Angel, I keep two silvered daggers under my pillow and two more in my nightstand. I did not use them. If I had fully understood the custom, I had more choices available to me."

She blanched.

"I did not shift."

"That would be cheating," she said.

"Do you think that's more cheating than leaving me ignorant?"

She had nothing to say to that.

"Using my knives or shifting would have been playing to win. Given the clear disadvantage I have against so many wolves, I do not consider either of those choices as cheating in a situation like last night."

She looked into my eyes. "I'm sorry."

"Apology accepted." I grinned and pulled her into a hug. "I love you, Angel."

"Oh my god," she said into my ear. "I thought you were really angry."

"Everyone needed to see this hug and know it was meant," I told her.

The room filled with sounds of approval. I released Angel and said, "However!" in a loud, firm voice.

Immediately everyone grew still. My temper, after all, was becoming well-known.

"Does anyone dispute my claim that I escaped?"

Elisabeth stepped forward. "When I caught you, you were heading to the bathroom."

"Yes," I said. "I know from past experience with Lara that with the head start I had, I could get the door slammed and locked before any of them caught me."

"Then you would have been cornered, and they would have broken down the door," Elisabeth said.

"You all may have noticed Lara and I are sometimes rather playful." There were chuckles at that. "I got tired of Lara having such an easy time breaking down that door. I made her put in an especially sturdy door and lock. They would have broken it down, but I am sure it would have taken a good half minute or more. I only needed a ten second lead."

"To do what?" she asked.

"Out the window, dangle carefully, and drop to the ground. Shift to fox, then run into the woods. Does anyone here think they could catch me after that?"

I looked around. "No," Scarlett said. "We couldn't have caught you."

"I got away from all six of you," I said. "And was stopped by Gia. I claim interference from Elisabeth, interference from Gia, and I get to cut your hair. I also believe I should be allowed to cut the hair of the two who interfered."

Elisabeth sighed. "I will admit I interfered. The fox would easily have made it to the bathroom with a significant head start. And I know that door and lock. I don't believe it would take them thirty seconds, but I believe she would have made it to the ground."

She turned to me. "Would you have broken your leg?"

"No," I said. "Do I need to demonstrate?"

"No," Lara said. "You do not."

I looked at Gia. "I was there for you, Michaela," she said. "But I admit I shouldn't have been. I admit to interfering."

I turned to face Angel. "You really want to cut our hair?" she asked in a small voice.

"I believe that is the tradition. Do you wish to dispute my claim? I believe Hadley Smith would serve as an impartial judge." I turned to her. "Although your daughter is involved."

"I would be impartial," she said.

My kidnappers turned to a huddle, pulling Elisabeth and Gia in as well. I listened in as they agreed I had a valid argument. Two valid arguments. Elisabeth and Gia were both good scouts about it. As a group, they broke the huddle and turned to me.

"You may cut our hair," Angel said.

"Excellent!" I said. "All of you take chairs in a row, and close your eyes." Chairs were retrieved from the dining room and set up in a row, my kidnappers, Gia and Elisabeth each taking a seat. I stood in front of them. "Angel, if I had laid there passively and allowed you to take me without a struggle, how short would you have cut my hair?"

"Oh god," she said.

"Tell the truth," Elisabeth said. "Or I will."

"We would have shaved you bald," Angel said. "If you hadn't struggled at all."

"If I had surrendered when Scarlet caught me?"

"If you had surrendered? Short. Not bald, but short. Pixie cut."

"And," I asked. "What would be a normal cut for all of you if I had escaped?"

"Pixie cut," Angel said.

"And given that I escaped twice?"

"Oh god," Angel said. "I don't know."

Elisabeth looked at me. "Shaved."

"I need scissors and the clippers they threatened me with," I said. They were still all in the car we had used, and I waited while Ava climbed out of her chair to retrieve them for me. By the time they were back, I had rearranged everyone, leaving Ava the first chair. I put Chloe at the opposite end with Gia, Elisabeth and finally Angel immediately in front of her.

I walked to Lara and whispered to her. "I don't want to torture Chloe, but I don't think she'll stay quiet if she watches what I do, either. Handle it." Lara didn't know what I intended, but she nodded.

"Sit," I told Ava. "Everyone close your eyes. If any of you peek, I will be very unhappy, and you will not like the results. Do I make myself clear?"

They nodded.

"Anyone who utters a word during this will regret it."

They nodded.

I checked to make sure they all had their eyes closed. I crossed to Ava and whispered into her ear. "I believe you will cry if I shave your head, won't you?"

She nodded.

"Then make this convincing, or I'll be forced to really shave you."

Then I spoke up loudly enough for everyone. "I'll cut first, then use the clippers." I studied Ava then used the scissors to even up her hair a little bit, taking a little off the back, dropping the pieces into her lap.

"Oh god," she said. I smiled. Everyone else was silent.

I made a lot of noise with the scissors, and I noticed my audience was smiling at me. I barely touched Ava's hair, cutting only a symbolic amount. Then I whispered in her ear, "I am going to take a small trophy, just like you did." She nodded, and I took a lock of hair from the back. Hadley stepped forward and took it from me, sliding it into an envelope for me, already labeled with Ava's name. I smiled thanks to her.

"Now the clippers." I made a lot of noise with the clippers, running it along Ava's bare arms so it would sound like it was running over bare skin. Ava began crying convincingly for me. I kissed her eyelids and whispered for her to open her eyes. She looked at me and smiled, then mouthed, "Thank you," to me. I nodded.

I glanced over. Lara had moved next to Chloe and was whispering very quietly into her ear. Chloe began to cry. It wasn't very convincing, but Lara pulled her into her arms and said, "I'm going to calm Chloe down before her cut." Lara carried Chloe to one of the recliners and sat down, positioning Chloe so she could watch everyone else, then she whispered some more before gently putting her hand over Chloe's mouth. Lara whispered again and Chloe opened her eyes. They grew wide when she saw what I was doing, and after that, I was able to ignore them both.

Sophia was next. I whispered to her, "You may make small sounds of surprise, but do not give this away." Then I treated her hair just like I had Ava's, taking a small lock of hers as well. She grunted a couple of times while I was using the clippers, but was otherwise quiet, smiling.

Abigail was next, then I got to Scarlett. Scarlett actually needed a cut. I whispered to her, then took my trophy.

Then I eyed her hair. I didn't think I could give a proper cut. I trimmed it all over, actually cutting with the scissors, not just making noises, but it looked worse when I got done. I frowned. Then Francesca stepped forward and took the scissors from me. She worked at Scarlett, then cleaned up with the clippers for me. It looked better when she was done. I bent and spoke in Scarlett's ear. "Don't let me cut your hair again. Francesca touched it up, but if you get a chance in the morning, someone else can clean it up for you."

She nodded.

"Here," I said. "Let's just give some of these trimmings to Angel." I picked up everything we'd cut from Scarlett and dropped it all in Angel's lap.

Everyone in the room was grinning.

Gia was next. "Gia, your hair is already short. I think we can go straight to the clippers." Then I whispered in her ear.

She sat stoically, which couldn't have been hard, as I wasn't touching her. She opened her eyes and offered a confused look. I smiled at her and looked at the other women. She glanced over, and the look she gave me warmed my heart. I had surprised her. Good.

Next up was Elisabeth. I took my trophy then considered what to do.

"You were the first to interfere, Elisabeth," I said.

"It was an automatic reaction," she said. "It never occurred you could have gotten past all of us."

"Oh please," I said. "I lead you all on a merry chase all the time."

"I know. We should have told you that if you got free, you should meet us at the cars. I bet you would have hid from us."

"So getting free doesn't get me out of ransom night?"

"No," she said. "Or at least, very few brides would take that option."

I laughed. "I would have hid. You wouldn't have found me until tomorrow."

I was sorely tempted to shave Elisabeth. She had taken my house, and I wanted paybacks. But it wouldn't have been gracious.I whispered to her, "You may thank me later, do not give this away." Then I did a fake cut like I had for everyone else, although I took my trophy of her short hair.

Angel was last. "And finally we come to my maid of honor, who is luckier than she realizes." I took my trophy, for which she sat quietly, but then I started using the trimmer at the back of her neck, actually cutting some of her hair. She gritted her teeth, and I stepped away.

"All done," I said.

"Huh?" said Angel.

"Oh that was articulate!" I turned to Francesca. "Don't they take any public speaking classes?"

"They are optional."

"What do I have to do to make them required?"

Everyone laughed.

"Oh open your eyes, anyone whose are still closed." I turned to Chloe and nodded to Lara. She pulled her hand from Chloe's mouth, and she immediately began giggling. Lara helped her off her lap then got up and pulled me into her arms.

All the women were looking at me, smiling, but they were still a little confused, too.

"You should have shaved us," Gia told me. "That would have been the tradition."

"I believe I honored the important parts of this tradition," I said. "Have I not?"

"Yes," Angel said. "You definitely honored the important parts."

"If I were able to do a nice job, I would have done proper cuts. But I didn't want any of you showing up at my wedding with hatchet jobs for haircuts. Thank you for allowing me my fun and a tiny bit of revenge. I feel better." I grinned.

They stood up and I accepted their hugs.

"However," I said in a booming voice.

I looked around, making sure what I was about to say was true. "Everyone in this room is a friend," I said. I looked directly at Gia when I said the last word. She smiled, although it was uncertain. "I have been told repeatedly that all of you like me, that all of you want me to be a member of this pack, that all of you consider me a friend as well." I looked around again. "If anyone feels what I just said does not apply to her, please leave the room."

No one left.

"I have forgiven you this time. And I have forgiven similar, although perhaps less dramatic incidents in the past. But this had damned well be the last time I find out about a pack, wolf, or family custom too late to be given a proper chance to understand and absorb it!"

I glared around the room. No one else spoke. I'm sure they could tell I wasn't done speaking my mind.

"If there are any tiny little, almost inconsequential customs about tonight, or tomorrow, or the next week, I had damned well better find out about them within the next ten minutes. If there are any birthday or holiday or special occasion events I should know about, I had damned well better find out."

I pointed at Lara. "We have already seen that she is willing to avoid telling me things she should tell me. No one in this room should assume she's going to tell me something. As my friends, and hers, you need to fill in."

I glared around again, specifically catching the eyes of Elisabeth, Lara and Angel, but not truly leaving anyone out of my glare.

"Do! I! Make! Myself! Clear?"

There was silence for a moment, then Lara said softly. "Yes, Little Fox. Crystal clear."

"Not just her!" I said. "Every single one of you. Or tell me we're not friends."

Scarlett, Ava, Abigail and Sophia were clustered together. Scarlett turned to me and said, "We understand. The four of us-"

"And me!" said Angel.

"The five of us will see to it. Michaela, we're sorry."

"I already forgave you, Scarlett," I said softly. "But thank you for helping make sure I'll understand in the future."

I looked around. "That doesn't get the rest of you off the hook, but if you want to go through the five of them," then I looked at Elisabeth. "Or Elisabeth, that's fine. Do not leave me ignorant."

I got a chorus of "yes, Michaela" from the room.

I smiled as broadly as I could. "All right. Angel! I believe there's a video to show."

"I might know which one you mean," she said. "It will take me a minute."

"Elisabeth!"

"Yes, Michaela?"

"Do you have photographic evidence of your escapades in the wee hours of this morning."

"Um-"

"Do you?"

"Yes, but-"

"Lara is sporting new artwork. I want it displayed on a computer screen. Now."

She laughed. "That I can do."

"If mine gets displayed," Lara said. "So does Michaela's."

I laughed. "Hell, why wait?" I slid my jeans down off my hips far enough to show the new tattoo, turning slowly around so people could see. I looked over my shoulder to catch their reactions. I'm not sure if they were more amused at the contents of the tattoo or the fact I was showing it so boldly.

"Don't act all shocked," I said. "It's not like you don't all see me naked a dozen times a pack play night, anyway."

"Yeah," said Gia. "But you don't usually pose except as a fox."

I pulled my jeans back up and grinned at her. Angel had scampered off, but she returned and set up a laptop and was prepared to do a video.

"Angel, wait, don't show it yet," I said. "I want everyone to see Lara's new artwork."

"I'm working on it," Elisabeth said.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Lara said. She stepped next to me, dropped her own jeans down one cheek, and let them all see the fox tattoo taking up most of her cheek. They snickered at that.

"I wear this proudly," Lara said. "June, thank you for this."

June nodded. I gathered she'd been the artist.

I turned to Gia. "You! Computer guru." She stepped forward. "I want the ability to show photos or videos on a large computer screen in here. You will set it up."

Gia pointed to the TV. "How about if I show them on that screen?"

"You can do that?"

"I can do it right now."

"I know how," Angel said. Gia turned on the TV and used the remote to change a setting.

"Angel, play it."

She did, from the start. The person videoing me had zoomed in and out. I remained silent throughout the viewing, and everyone watched while the wolves repeatedly spun me. And then the last part came, and at just the right moment, I yelled, "Freeze it!"

Everyone stared at the screen as my vomit froze in mid-air about to spray all the wolves clustered around me with a particularly healthy amount inches from the camera.

"Angel," I said. "I want the important fifteen seconds of this video on loop. Make sure it catches all of your expressions."

"Yes, Michaela," she said, laughing.

"All right. Can we please have a party? I'm getting married tomorrow, to the woman of my dreams, and if I don't walk down the aisle remembering I had a good time tonight, I am going to be very disappointed."

"Hey!" said Elisabeth. "That's Lara's job later!"

"No way," I said. "She's not touching me tonight!"

Throughout the remainder of the evening, I was quietly told I'd been gracious about the haircuts, and I received praise from several people for having honored the tradition. I accepted their thanks as cheerfully as I could muster.

Eventually I left, asking them to please keep it down. I went to my bedroom, changed into pajamas, and then crossed the hallway to an open guest room. I crawled under the covers and willed my body to rest.

I don't know when I fell asleep or when the last person left.

I think Lara checked on me once, and maybe I chased her out. When I woke next, I was alone.

Screaming.

 **Waking Nightmares**

The dreams had returned. New dreams.

I couldn't stop screaming. I didn't know where I was, but I remembered wolves, and danger. I screamed.

It took Lara seconds to reach me. Even when she pulled me into her arms, I screamed for another half minute before finally I collapsed into sobs.

"Oh honey," she said. "Oh Little Fox. It was just a dream."

I clutched at her, burying my face into her, and sobbed.

There was pounding up the stairs, and then Lara's door flew wide open, I could hear it, then there was a wolf standing in the doorway, and I began to whimper, the whimper turning into a new set of screams as I tried to pull away from Lara to hide from the wolf.

"Honey," she said. "It's Karen. It's Karen. You know Karen. She's your friend. She's here because she's worried about you."

"Wolf," I gasped. "Oh god, a wolf."

"Oh honey," Lara said, trying to sooth me. "Karen, she had a nightmare, she's fine. Maybe Elisabeth should sleep downstairs tonight."

And then there were more wolves, standing in the doorway. I began screaming again, thrashing to get away from Lara. She clutched me to her.

"Michaela! It's Ava and Sophia, they're your friends."

"They hurt me!"

"Oh honey, no!" She clutched at me. "Girls, go back to your rooms. It will be okay. Karen, close the door, get Elisabeth, have her sleep downstairs."

Once the door was closed, I pulled away from Lara and ran over to lock it, then fled to the corner, hiding behind the bed.

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm so sorry."

She crawled across the bed, then climbed down next to me, and I clutched at her, shaking.

It took a long time for me to calm down, my sobs settling into choking hiccups, and then I fell asleep right there on the floor.

Lara must have picked me up and carried me to our bed. That's where I was the next time I woke up.

Screaming again.

This time I remembered the dream, but it felt real. I was helpless, and I couldn't see, and all I could hear was music, and people were carrying me away from Lara, away from safety, and I struggled. I struggled so hard, but they took me away.

I screamed. "No!" I screamed and began thrashing, trying to get free. There were strong arms holding me, pinning me, and I tried to pull away but they were so strong.

I heard Lara's voice, vaguely heard her voice, but the arms were holding me, and I couldn't get away, I couldn't go to her, she couldn't protect me anymore.

She couldn't protect me anymore.

I wasn't safe.

I struggled, and I remembered the knives under my pillow. I reached underneath and I found one, and I stabbed the arms holding me.

I heard Lara cry out, but the arms released me, and I flew away from the bed, stabbing out wildly at anyone near me.

The bedroom door opened, and there was a wolf there, a large, large wolf between me and escape. Before she could react, I lunged for her, but she was fast, and she caught my wrist, my dagger only inches from her belly.

"Michaela!" I heard. "It's just me!"

I couldn't stab her, she was so much stronger than I was, but I reached with my left hand and took the dagger, raising it above my head.

A wolf behind me grabbed my wrist in the air. And then a large, strong wolf arm wrapped around my chest, pulling me against a large, strong wolf body.

"Michaela," I heard in my ear. "Little Fox. I've got you, you're safe, honey. You're safe. That's Elisabeth. You know Elisabeth."

And I knew that voice, but still I struggled.

"Elisabeth," the voice said, the tone different. "Turn a light on. Let her see you."

And then it was light in the room, but the light wasn't my friend. The wolves could see me better. I whimpered and struggled, but still the strong wolves held me.

I kicked out at the first one, connecting, but she barely flinched.

"Michaela!" I heard the voice again. "Michaela! Look! It's Elisabeth!"

And I knew the voice. It was Lara. I kicked again, but Lara said to me, "I'm here, honey, it's okay."

I stilled, looking down. I knew the arm wrapped around me, except the arm was bleeding from a gash. And I looked up, and I knew Elisabeth. She still clutched my right wrist.

"You hurt her," I said quietly. "You hurt her! She's bleeding!"

"No, honey," Lara said. "You stabbed me."

"No!" I looked up though, and I saw the evidence in my hand, my dagger, the tip red, red with Lara's blood.

I dropped it, immediately dropped it.

"Oh god," I said. "Oh god. Lara! It's silver."

"I know," she said. "It hurts like a son of a bitch. Are you calm now? Will you let Elisabeth hold you while I clean it out?"

I slumped, nodded, and Elisabeth gathered me into her arms. Lara released me, moving into the bathroom, and I heard her hissing as she began to rinse and disinfect the wound.

"Elisabeth? I hurt her." I started to sob.

"Shhh," she said. "She'll be fine. Shhh."

"Is Michaela all right?" I heard. Elisabeth turned, we both turned, and behind Elisabeth were two more wolves.

I screamed, and Elisabeth struggled to hold me. "Lara!" she yelled. And then two wolves were holding me, two strong wolves, and two more were in front of me, two wolves who wanted to hurt me.

"Michaela!" Lara said. "Little Fox! Calm down!"

I whimpered and struggled, and then Elisabeth said, "Girls, slumber party at Scarlett's. Go now."

"Is she okay?"

"Go now!" Lara said, and the two wolves fled. But still I struggled against the two holding me.

But they spoke soothingly to me, and promised me I was safe. But I had heard that before, and I wasn't safe.

They turned me around, roughly, and one of them held me while the other crouched in front of me. I struggled, but the one in front of me looked at me with such love and concern. Suddenly I stopped fighting them. "Lara?"

"Oh honey," she said, and she pulled me into her arms. I began to sob.

"This is bad," Elisabeth said quietly.

"Yes," Lara said.

And I sobbed.

It took them a long, long time to calm me down. I remembered I had stabbed Lara, but she showed me her arm, and there was a bright red scar, already mostly healed. "You won't be able to tell by morning," she said. "I'll shift, and it will be all gone."

"It was silver."

"I got it out," she said. "It wasn't in long enough to poison me."

I looked over at Elisabeth. "You have to take my knives away, Elisabeth."

"Yes," she said.

"Michaela," Lara said. "Would a run feel good?"

I thought about it. I had a moment of sanity, but I knew panic was on the edge. "If I run, you won't find me. You know I can hide, you won't find me."

"I'll always find you," she said.

"Even if I'm trying to kill the wolf tracking me?" I asked her.

She held me in her arms, rocking me soothingly. Elisabeth went around the room, collecting my daggers. I had two under the pillow, although one I had dropped on the floor. I looked where it landed, and there was a bloodstain there.

"I ruined the carpet," I said.

"It will clean," Lara replied.

There were two more knives in the nightstand.

"I know you have more," Elisabeth said.

"Top dresser," I said. "Four more in the closet. Do you need the ones downstairs?"

"Probably."

"Book case, bottom shelf below where a wolf would look. Another in the hem of the drapes. Um. Two in the bathroom."

"Oh my god, you're like a gun nut, but with knives!"

"Six in my main classroom and four more in my office in the school. A dozen in various places in my car."

"Holy shit!" Elisabeth said. She went around, collecting my knives.

"Super soaker behind the dresser," I said. "Careful, it's loaded with silver. There's another in the closet and a small one inside the toilet tank. The other bathroom up here has one, too."

Elisabeth pulled her phone from her pocket, dialed, and spoke. "Alpha's house, upstairs, wait in the hall, if you hear screaming, go back downstairs. If the screaming is about wolves, go back outside."

I heard the door downstairs open.

"Lara!"

"Shhh," she said.

"It's Rory," Elisabeth said. "You know Rory."

"How do you know it's Rory! It might be Angel come to hurt me!"

"Oh honey," Lara said, pulling me tightly to her. She rocked me. I listened to wolf steps on the stairs and began to tremble.

"Rory," Elisabeth said. "Stop there and say hello to Michaela."

"Michaela?" he said. "Is everything all right?" It was Rory's voice.

"Rory?" I said.

"It's me, little sister."

"I'm your big sister!" I said. I calmed down, marginally. "He can come in," I said quietly.

"Rory," Elisabeth said. "Come to Lara's room, but move slowly."

"What's going on?" he asked, but I heard him stepping closer.

"Just nightmares," Elisabeth said.

"Some nightmares," he said under his breath.

"I don't do things in halves," I said, then curled back into Lara. "Hold me tighter, Lara."

And she did, and then even tighter until it almost hurt.

There was a noise at the door, and I turned that way, but I knew it was Rory. He was standing there, looking around warily, looking for danger.

"Don't let Angel have me, Rory!" I yelled. "Don't let her take me!"

"Shhh," said Lara. "You're safe."

I slumped, burying my face in Lara's neck for a moment. "Give Rory my silver," I said.

"Careful," Elisabeth said. "They're all silver, even the squirt guns, and I have more to gather."

"Hide them where I won't find them, Rory," I said. "Not in the house. Somewhere I can't hear you hide them. Don't lose them though! Remember where you put them!"

"I won't forget, Michaela," he said.

I heard him start to leave, but I stopped him. "Rory, don't drink the water in the squirt guns."

"Right. Drinking silver. Bad."

I listened as he left, and I listened as Elisabeth went from room to room, collecting the rest of the weapons I had upstairs.

"I'm going to take you to the sofa," Lara said. She picked me up, and I clung to her, my eyes shut, and then together we sat on the sofa.

Without Lara noticing, I slipped my fingers behind the cushions of the sofa, and I found the handle of one of my knives.

"Are there more up here?" Elisabeth asked.

"No," I said, as I began to slowly pull the knife out from where it was hidden.

There was a clatter, and suddenly Elisabeth's hands were on my wrist, and she held me rock still. I struggled, but she held me with all her strength.

"Look at me!" she said. "Michaela! Look at me!"

I opened my eyes, and my friend, the woman I called "sister", was staring at me, and her face was filled with fear.

"Elisabeth?"

"Michaela," she said calmly. "Tell me about all the knives."

I stared at her. "Oh god! What's wrong with me? Pull my hand out slowly, Elisabeth."

She did, and there was a dagger in it, my fingers clenched around the handle.

"Let me have it," she said kindly. "Let me have it, Michaela." Her hand was over mine now, and slowly I relaxed. She slipped the dagger from my grasp.

"Get up," Elisabeth said. "Hold her, Lara. I don't care what happens, do not let her go."

"I'll shift if I panic again," I said. "You'll drop me, Lara." I started to sob again. "You have to tie me."

"No, Little Fox," Lara said. "Shift if you must. I won't let you go." Then she stood up with me, and Elisabeth began searching the sofa.

"Stop! They're mine!"

"Shhh," Lara said. "We'll give them all back. Honey, I won't let anything happen to you."

Elisabeth found the other two I had hidden behind the cushions. She didn't find the two taped to the bottom of the sofa or the one in each of the cushions.

When had I put them there? I didn't remember.

I buried my face in Lara's neck. "There are more," I said. "There are more. Think like a fox, Elisabeth."

She found the two taped to the bottom.

"Cushions," I told her. "You'll cut yourself. Let me."

"No," she said.

"I'm calm right now," I said. "I know where they are. Put me down, Lara, but you two guard the two doors."

Lara put me on my feet, and the two moved to the two exits. I unzipped the cushions, then carefully reached in and found the daggers, one at a time. I dropped them onto the growing pile.

I turned to Elisabeth. "There are more."

"Where did these all come from?"

"I've been making them. For years. When I quit my job, I went all over the state, and I found all the weapons I had stashed everywhere. There are a lot in my house." I looked at Elisabeth. "Your house now. You will never ever find them all. And the house has traps."

"We know about the traps."

"None of the traps are for humans. It's always silver. Get Greg's people to secure the house. Or even Benny."

She nodded.

I looked around. "There are more in this room, Elisabeth." I felt my sanity slipping, the panic surrounding me, "Lara, help me." And then I started screaming, and she crossed the room and pulled me into her arms as I screamed.

I calmed down faster than I had been. Elisabeth was searching the room. She found a few more. I heard Rory come back, and I recognized him this time. "He can come up," I said quietly.

Together, Elisabeth and Rory searched the bed. They missed two. They searched the dressers, missing only one. They didn't find the one inside the lamp on my nightstand. I stared at each place, suddenly remembering where I had stashed them.

"Lara, I don't remember hiding them." I told her about them, and Elisabeth found them.

"Are there more?" Elisabeth asked finally. My eyes flicked to a hiding place, I think. Elisabeth had been watching closely, but it took her and Rory ten minutes to find it.

"Good god," he said.

"Search the bathroom and the closet again," I said.

They found one more mixed in the towels in the bathroom linen closet and about half the ones in the closet.

I shrugged Lara off and walked to the closet. I found them all, or so I thought. I let my body tell me where they were, paying attention whenever my eyes flicked somewhere.

Finally I walked back out and stared at the pile of weaponry.

"The rest of the house is just as bad," I said dully. "And Lara, the woods are worse. I don't remember hiding them. I don't remember buying most of them."

I turned to Elisabeth. "I don't know how much of my money is really left. I used to spend all my free money on silver. I don't know if I did it recently."

I took a breath. Lara began to cross the room to me, but I held my hand out. I stood there, trying to think.

"I think that's all," I said. "In these rooms." I tried to think. "I don't know about the other rooms up here. The main floor, the basement. More, lots more."

I crossed over to the bed, began making it after Lara and Rory had torn it apart. Lara came to help, but I hissed her off. I made the bed, then crawled into it. I was suddenly exhausted, and I fell asleep even before Elisabeth and Rory had taken all my knives away.

The nightmares started right away. I was helpless, and Lara wouldn't save me. She gave me to them, and she wouldn't save me.

Angel was laughing, and the world was spinning, and I felt my bones break as Angel twisted, Scarlett laughing, all the girls laughing and Elisabeth's voice telling me she wanted my house.

And round and round it all went.

Lara was already clutching me to her chest when the screams started.

"Oh god, honey, I'm so sorry," she said while I screamed.

"You didn't save me! You didn't save me! You let them have me! Oh Lara, you promised I was safe, and they took me from your arms!"

I shoved away from her, but she clutched me to her.

Then Elisabeth was in the room again and the two of them held me to the bed while I struggled and fought. They both tried speaking soothingly.

"Call Vivian," I heard Lara say.

"No!" I said. "Not her!"

"Call her," Lara said.

One pair of hands released me, but the other pair held me even more strongly, and then I felt Lara's body pressing me into the bed, pinning me.

"Calm down, Little Fox," she said. "Please calm down."

"Don't call Vivian!"

"Why not?" she asked calmly. "She'll help you."

"She wants me to tell you my secrets. She's too smart, she knows my secrets! She knows I have secrets. She wants me to tell you. Oh god! I wasn't going to tell you!"

"Oh honey," she said. "You can trust me."

"You don't tell me your secrets! You don't get mine! They are mine, they're all I have now."

I thrashed, but she held me, and I knew I couldn't get loose.

"Vivian," I heard Lara say. "This is the alpha."

"No! No! No! No!"

"As you can hear, we have a problem," Lara said.

"I'm on my way," I heard Vivian reply.

"Noooooo!"

"Bring sedatives," Lara told her.

I started sobbing, and then I couldn't breathe, Lara pressing against me, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't breathe.

But she held me more tightly, and I sobbed.

She rocked me, I don't know how long, and I slept, but when I slept, she woke me. And I looked up. Her face was so full of fear.

Lara was never afraid, but she was afraid. Of. Me.

But Elisabeth was there, too, and I couldn't fight them both, I couldn't hurt them both, they were too big.

But there was another dagger, if I could get to it.

And then I was lucid, for just a moment.

"Elisabeth, there's another dagger. It's in the wall, behind the drywall, above the cold air return. You can't reach it, there is a small gap, just big enough for my fist."

"Through the cold air return?" she asked. I nodded.

"It's safe there for now," she said. "We'll get it out later."

"Kaylee could reach it," I said. "But you can't let her near me. I might hurt her like that other wolf I hurt."

And then I was gone again, keening.

They rocked me gently.

I heard a car drive up, and I went still.

"It's her," I said in a dead voice. "Lara, don't let her in. I have to talk to you first. You too, Elisabeth. She's evil!"

"Shh," Lara said.

"Talk first!"

"All right," Lara said. "We'll talk first."

The door opened downstairs.

"Vivian!" Lara yelled. "Wait five minutes."

"Yes, Alpha," she hollered back.

"You have five minutes," Lara said. "Then she's coming up."

I looked into Lara's eyes.

"I can't marry you."

"Oh Little Fox."

"Shhh. I can't marry you. I'm crazy. You can see, I'm crazy. You can't marry someone who is crazy, Lara. The alpha can't marry a crazy woman."

"You're not crazy," she said. "Vivian will tell you-"

"I'm crazy, and you know it," I said. "Who hides weapons like I did? Who stabs her lover without recognizing her?"

"Shhh," Lara said. "We'll fix this. This is just a bad reaction to last night."

"No!" I said. "I've been hiding weapons here for months, Lara."

I looked at Elisabeth. "Tell her, she can't marry me."

Elisabeth didn't say anything.

I turned back to Lara. "Vivian won't let you, the council won't let you, she'll take one look and know I'm crazy, and she won't let you."

"Shh," Lara said. "We can fix this."

I closed my eyes.

"Lara, she'll put me in a cage."

Neither of them responded. It was true.

"I am me now. Listen to me, Lara, I am me right now. I wasn't before, but I am me now. Aren't I?"

"I don't know," she said finally, searching my face.

"Listen to me. You can't let her put me in a cage. I can't do that!"

I looked around wildly, then calmed again. "I was safe here, but I'm not." I looked at Elisabeth. "I thought I was safe, but you took my house, but my house wasn't safe, either, or I wouldn't have needed all those traps."

I turned back to Lara. "You both love me, don't you?"

"Yes, honey."

"Elisabeth, do you love me?"

"Yes, Little Fox, I love you."

"But you love your sister more, don't you? That's how it should be."

"Yes, I love you, but I love Lara more."

"Good. Then you have to promise me, you won't let me hurt Lara."

She didn't answer.

"Promise me, Elisabeth. You won't let me hurt Lara. Please, Elisabeth, promise me."

"I won't let you hurt Lara more than she can take, Michaela. That's the best promise I'll give you."

"All right," I said. I turned to Lara. "Promise me. No cage."

"Michaela."

"No cage!" I screamed it. "Promise!" My entire body stiffened, almost on the edge of madness.

"No cage," Lara said. "I promise."

I collapsed back into her arms. She reached with a hand and soothed my damp face.

"Don't let Vivian take me away. Promise."

"I might have to."

"No! Promise!"

"Michaela,"

"She'll put me in a cage, Lara. You just promised no cage. Promise, you won't let her take me."

"I won't let her take you," Lara said. "I promise."

I took a breath. "I thought I was safe, but clearly I didn't think I was safe. Lara, I can't live like that anymore. One more promise, and I'll let Vivian come up, and I'll do whatever you tell me."

"What is it?"

"If you can't fix this, or if the only way to keep me safe is a cage, you have to snap my neck."

"Oh god, no, Little Fox, I'm not promising that!"

"I can't run anymore, I'm so tired of running. Please, Lara. If you love me, you'll be gentle. You can put your hand over my mouth, like this." And I took her hand, and pressed it against my mouth and nose. She snatched it away. "And I promise I won't struggle. My eyes will watch yours, and you know I'll be thanking you for saving me, one more time."

She started to cry.

"And after I'm asleep, you will snap my neck, and I will never know."

"No!" Lara wailed. "No!"

"You have to promise. Lara you have to. I can't do this anymore. You have to save me from myself."

"No!"

"Elisabeth, then you."

"No, Little Fox," she said. "You know I can't. It would destroy Lara, and she would kill me and everyone else around. You are her mate, whether or not the ceremony has happened."

"Lara, you have to promise," I said. "If you can't fix this you have to promise."

"We'll fix this," she said, tears running down her cheeks.

"If we don't, then you do it my way. No cages, no taking me away. Fix me or let me sleep and snap my neck. Promise. Promise. Promise!"

"All right," Lara said in defeat. "But we'll fix it."

And with that last promise, I smiled.

"Call Vivian," I said, suddenly calm.

"Vivian!" Lara said. "Please come."

I heard a chair creak downstairs then footsteps on the staircase.

"Vivian," I called out. "Come in slowly."

"Is she holding a weapon?" Vivian asked.

"No," said Elisabeth. "We took them all away."

"Not all," I said. "There are more."

"But none close," Elisabeth said. "Are there?"

I smiled at her. "None I remember."

Vivian appeared in the doorway. She took in the tableau, then looked pointedly first at Elisabeth then Lara. "I'll talk to you two later," she said sternly.

Then she looked at me, and her expression softened considerably. "You look better than you sounded earlier, Michaela." She was carrying a little black bag like the doctors in some television shows.

"I am lucid for now," I said. "It's not going to last."

"Oh honey," said Lara.

"Vivian, do you want me to trust you?"

"Yes."

"If you trick me, I won't trust you."

"No tricks."

"Promise."

"I promise, no tricks. I can guess what happened, Michaela."

"Yes, so can I. I'm crazy."

"No, you're not. You had a breakthrough. I've been waiting for it."

I stared at her. "Can you cure me?" I asked in a small voice.

"I don't know. Tell me. Are you remembering things you didn't remember before?"

"Yes, but there's more in there somewhere, isn't there?"

"I think so. I don't know how much. I think a lot. Honey, I don't think this all started when you were fourteen."

"I know," I said. "But I don't remember what."

"My bones are old, Michaela. May I sit down?"

"Yes, I'm sorry. But not close. I don't trust you yet."

"I understand." She looked around, saw the coffee table, and pulled it over. She lifted it like it was nothing, but I knew how heavy it was for me. She set it down near the bed and sat on it, and our eyes were at nearly the same level.

I smiled at her. "I can't even lift that. Old bones." I giggled.

"Michaela," Vivian said. "Stay with us. Come on, honey, stay with us."

I snapped my eyes back to hers, then up into Lara's. I reached up and tried to smooth the worry lines from her forehead.

"I love you, Lara, and I'm so sorry."

"Shh," she said. "You didn't do this. This is my fault."

"No, it's not. You didn't make me crazy."

"You're not crazy," Lara said.

"I am, and all four of us know it." I looked at Vivian. "I think more than four."

"No, I don't think so," she said. "I think you have repressed memories, but there's only one Michaela."

I glanced at Elisabeth. "Did you know I was seeing her?"

"No," she said. "I do now."

"What's in your bag?" I asked Vivian.

She started to tell me, rattling off scientific names. I knew the roots, of course, but none of the drugs.

"Wait," I said. "You have something that makes me sleep?"

"Yes."

"Would I have dreams?"

"No."

"How long?"

"It's hard to tell. Were bodies are so different from humans, and yours will be different from a wolf."

"Three days?"

"Oh no, unless I kept injecting you. Several hours."

"All right. Lara has promised she won't let you take me away, and she won't let anyone put me in a cage."

Vivian pursed her lips. "You felt a need to ask for these promises?"

"She made me promise to kill her," Lara said, "if those were the only remaining options, Vivian. She was quite descriptive how she wanted it done."

"I see," Vivian responded.

"In your bag, you have something else that makes me, I don't know. Safe?"

"That helps you remain calm. Yes."

"Calm but brainless?"

"Not brainless," she said. "Maybe a little loopy."

"A little, or a lot? Still able to make my own medical decisions."

"Honey," she said. "You are not able to make your own medical decisions right now."

"Lara, remember your promises! She wants to take me!" I clutched at her. Lara's arms tightened, and the worry lines grew deeper, but she nodded at me.

I looked at Vivian. "You know what I was asking."

"If I felt you were able to make your own decisions now, and then I were to give you the things I have, then probably no, I wouldn't let you make the decisions afterwards."

"Can you give me enough to just take a little edge off? Or something else?"

"Yes."

"And decisions?"

She sighed. "I can give you just enough we would take your desires very seriously, but ultimately, it is Lara's choice what we do, and that's true right now. "

"We're not married."

"You are mated. That's all I care about. And she is your alpha. There won't be any human courts involved, Michaela."

I stared into her eyes then looked up at Lara. "You will keep your promises to me, Lara. I know, I keep asking, but you have to tell me."

"Yes, I will keep my promises, Little Fox. If it comes to it. But it won't."

I looked at Vivian. "If you can't cure me, you have to tell her."

"We don't use such absolutes-"

"I do."

"I will discuss it with Lara as openly and honestly as I am able," she said.

"All right. I think I should tell you everything I can."

"I agree."

"I think once I start, I'm going to go insane within one or two minutes. Can you prevent that?"

"I can try."

"You get one shot into me now, Vivian. If you need another one, it should make me sleep."

She nodded.

"Lara, if I wake up anywhere other than this bed, I will never forgive you."

"Or my arms," she said. "This bed, or my arms."

"Or mine," Elisabeth said. "Or Angel's. One of us."

"You can't trust me with Angel yet."

"All right," Lara said. "This bed, my arms, or Elisabeth's arms."

"All right. But that better not be a cheap ass way to get me into a cage."

"It's not," Lara said. "It might be a cheap ass way to take you downstairs for some television."

I laughed. "All right." I turned to Vivian and nodded.

I watched her rummage through her little black bag and prepare a hypodermic needle. She stood up and approached slowly. "I need your arm," she said.

I stared at the needle. It was a weapon. "You guys need to hold me very tightly, just in case."

Lara took one hand, and Elisabeth took the other. I offered the one Elisabeth was holding to Vivian, and she crossed to that side of the bed. I looked away, but Elisabeth tightened her hold on my hand.

"Thank you," I told her.

I felt the needle slide in.

"This will start to work nearly instantly," Vivian said.

I felt as she depressed the plunger and the cool serum flowed into my veins. She withdrew the needle and pressed a cotton ball over the puncture. It took only a few seconds for my body to heal the wound.

I felt whatever she gave me slide into my mind.

"Will I be loopy?"

"A little."

My body grew calmer. My mind grew calmer. And I knew I wasn't thinking as fast.

"Tell me when to start," I said, and my voice sounded wrong. "You gave me too much."

"You needed all of it," Vivian said. "You are safe here, now, Michaela. Tell me what happened."

I began to talk.

I did eventually panic. I don't know how much I told, but I remembered I began talking about the last knife in the wall, the one little Kaylee could remove from the wall, and I remembered something else, but I didn't know what it was at the time. I started to scream, screaming about wolves and Angel hurting me, of Angel breaking my bones. There were strong wolf hands holding me, and then another needle.

And then I knew nothing.

 **Remembering**

I woke slowly, I think. I was in and out for a while. The window was open, and there was a light breeze.

I wasn't alone, but I drifted, in and out.

Someone held me up, offered me water. I didn't know who it was.

I drifted, and someone was holding me, and I opened my eyes. Vivian was standing by the side of the bed, and Lara was holding me.

"When will I think again?"

"Maybe a few more hours."

I looked around. I was in my own bed. "You didn't let her take me."

"No, Little Fox," Lara said. "I promised I wouldn't."

I slept some more, and slowly I came awake. Lara was holding me, but she was asleep, leaning against the headboard.

I stirred, and she woke up.

"What day is it?"

"Saturday. Late morning."

"Am I crazy?"

"I don't know."

"Is the wedding cancelled?"

"Not yet."

"You should have cancelled. I'm crazy."

"I'm not sure. You told us a lot."

"I don't remember."

"Vivian said you might not."

"Bathroom. Water. No. Lemonade. And a shower. Please."

"How desperate is the bathroom trip?"

"Soon, I'm not about to wet the bed."

She smiled. "You're back with me now, aren't you?"

I thought about it.

"Maybe."

"I love you so much," she said.

"I'm so sorry, Lara."

"This wasn't your fault," she said. "It wasn't anyone's fault."

I didn't respond to that. Instead I said, "Bathroom, please."

"Honey, you are on suicide watch. Ultra paranoid suicide watch. You know how protective I get. I have to go in with you."

I sighed. "I should have expected that. Bathroom please."

She helped me climb out of bed. I was woozy, so Lara steadied me. It felt nice to let her hold me. I leaned against her and rested my head against her chest.

"Did you get me naked while I was unconscious?"

She laughed. "No. I have an idea of what else they did to you, but I haven't peeked."

"Thank you." She helped me into the bathroom. "I will let you stay, but you can't watch."

"I have to."

"You'll see."

She grinned. "What will I see?"

"Things I don't want you to see," I said. "Lara, I promise to behave. Turn around. You can lean against me or hold my hand or anything like that, but you must not peek and you must not grope. I will be very sad if you do."

She took one of my hands then turned around. I slid my pajama bottoms down one handed, which was awkward, then piddled. It was embarrassing to do it with Lara standing right there, but not as bad as when Angel had to clean me afterwards.

I finished, stood up, rearranged my clothes, then told Lara she could watch me wash my hands and face. After that I turned to her. "Lemonade. A shower. Breakfast."

"I will be showering with you."

"No!" I thought about it. "You may be in the room, and you may call Scarlett to be your eyes. If I do anything that scares Scarlett, then I'll forgive you if you have to look and interfere."

"Elisabeth."

"Scarlett."

"All right, but I am in the room."

"With your back turned and no cheating."

"Right."

She led me back to the bedroom and used her phone. I heard an answering phone downstairs, and she relayed my requests.

"I am still woozy," I said.

"Then I will bathe you."

"No."

"I am not letting another woman bathe you!"

"How about Rory?"

For a moment, she looked at me like I was serious, and then she began laughing. "You're back."

"Yes. Woozy, but I'm back. Walk me around a little." So we paced slowly around the bedroom, and by our third trip, I was standing on my own, but holding hands with her. The door downstairs opened, and I stiffened.

"New rule!" I said. "Anyone who walks into this house says his or her name before crossing the threshold. A normal voice is sufficient."

She nodded and made another phone call. I heard Elisabeth from downstairs. Lara relayed the order.

"That was Scarlett," Elisabeth said. "She is on her way up with the lemonade. She has plastic glasses and a plastic pitcher."

"Make a sign and put it on the door," Lara said. "And make sure everyone who lives in the compound knows the rule."

"I'm on it," Elisabeth said. "Hug her for me."

I immediately folded into Lara's arms and accepted a surrogate hug.

Scarlett knocked at the door. "It's safe to come in," I said loudly enough for her to hear. The door open, and she slipped in, eying me warily.

"I'm safe," I told her. "For now. Set those down. Are we still friends?"

"Of course."

"Then come give me a hug. I promise I'm not catchy."

She set the lemonade and glasses on the coffee table, then turned back and stepped into my arms. She wasn't as big as Lara, but all the wolves were so much bigger than I was. She held me quite loosely.

"All right, Scarlett. I'm not as fragile as that." I squeeze her tightly. "Squeeze until I tell you to stop."

She slowly tightened, and when it was just right, I said. "There. That's how I like to be hugged."

Then I stepped away. I eyed the sofa. "Oh hell," I said. "Lara there is one more."

"Seriously?"

I began laughing. "Yeah, but it's hard to get to. It's safe where it is for now. You have to flip it upside down, rip the stitching near the back, and look in. Use a flashlight. You'll see it."

"What is she talking about?" Scarlett asked.

Lara shook her head once.

"No, it's okay," I said. "It seems I have been secreting silvered knives everywhere I go. And it turns out I'm not afraid to use them."

I walked to the sofa, sat down, and then patted the seats on either side of me. "I'm shaky, someone pour."

Scarlett did, handing me a glass, but it wobbled when I took it. "Help me, Scarlett." So she steadied my hands while I used two to drink.

"One more," I said, "Half a glass please."

She refilled it, I drank half of half, and she helped me set it down.

I explained to Scarlett what we needed. "Will you help?"

"Of course." But she turned to Lara.

Lara, in her firm, alpha voice said, "You are not to speak a word of any of this to a single soul. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," she said.

"Tell her the rest," I said. "Start with me screaming. She's already heard some of it, tell her the rest." I reached forward for my lemonade, and Scarlett automatically helped me.

Lara began to tell her, glossing over the details. It took a while to explain.

"So," I said at the end. "I may be crazy." I smiled. "Or maybe I'm not. Right now, I don't feel crazy. Hungry though. I could eat an entire chicken breast. Maybe even both sides."

Lara laughed, and the sound carried relief in it.

"Did we do this to you?" Scarlett asked in a small voice.

"No, honey," I said. "I think you saved me. Please don't feel guilty."

"Why me and not Angel?"

"I think right now, Angel is a trigger for me. I am sane now, I don't know if I can be sane with her. I'm not sure."

"Oh Michaela," she said.

"Honey, it's okay. It will be okay. Lara, it's going to be okay. I know that now."

She looked at me, and there were tears in her eyes.

I leaned over and kissed her quickly, then gave Scarlett a kiss on the cheek. "You two, don't worry. Help me stand and we'll see if I'm safe to be alone in the shower."

Lara stood first and pulled me to my feet. That made me dizzy, but I clutched at her for a minute and it settled. Then I stepped away from her, but she hovered over me. I was okay with that.

The three of us walked to the bathroom together. "Lara," I said. "Make sure there's nothing in there that will frighten you if I touch it."

"There isn't," she said. "We already cleared it out. But there's the mirror in here, and the back of the toilet, and we're not sure what else you could use to make mischief. We also don't trust we got all your knives."

I smiled. "You didn't. Scarlett, take the top off the toilet tank." Scarlett stepped over, removed the tank lid, and set it on the seat. "See the ball thing in there, that floats in the water? Unscrew it from the metal arm thing, but hold the metal arm thing up or the tank will start to fill and overflow."

Scarlett unscrewed the plastic ball. "Now what?"

"Hand it to Lara."

Lara reached out a hand and took it.

"Is it filled with silver?" she asked.

"Damn, I didn't think of that," I said. "No. It's in two parts. It unscrews."

"These don't usually come as two parts."

"I know. Hold it over the sink."

She figured out how to unscrew the ball, and the small silvered blade fell into the sink

"Oh for crying out loud, Michaela."

"I know. Pretty sad, huh? Screw that back together and give it to Scarlett." She did, and Scarlett screwed the ball back in place.

"Anything else while I'm here?" She was grinning at me.

"No, not there," I said.

Lara reached in to grab the knife from the sink.

"No!"

As soon as she touched it, she dropped it.

"Shit!" she said. "Silver."

"Of course," I said. "Not much good otherwise."

She stared at it. "How were you going to use it?"

"If I were so desperate I needed that one, I bet I was willing to burn my hand to use it," I told her. I reached past Lara before she could react and picked up the blade. It immediately began burning my hand. "See?"

"Michaela!" Lara screamed.

"Oh, relax," I said. I walked out into the other room and set the blade down on the dresser, then blew on my hand. There was a white outline of the silver blade etched into my hand. Lara took me by the wrist, pulled me away from the blade, and stared at my hand.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. I think I'll go wash this though, if you don't mind."

The two of them chased after me as I went back into the bathroom.

"Hmm. One more." Before Lara could react, I dropped to the floor and scootched up with my back against the wall, climbing underneath one of the two pedestal sinks. I reached up inside the hollow bottom of the sink, felt around, and then my fingers started to burn. I pulled the piece of silver out and tossed it out into the bedroom.

"Stop it, Michaela!" Lara yelled.

"That was the last one," I said. "Help me up." I gave her my unburned hand, and she lifted me to my feet. "Have Elisabeth come get those two, warn her they're both silver." I turned to the sink and started scrubbing any vestiges of silver out of the folds of my hand. It hurt like crazy, and I winced, but soon it was over.

Lara grabbed my hand and stared at it.

"Relax," I said. "Once I'm in the shower, I'm going to shift. I'll be fine."

"You don't heal when you shift."

I smiled. "That's the old Michaela. This little burn will be gone."

"It's a silver burn."

"Silver is bad for me but it appears not as bad as for a wolf."

Lara searched my face.

"Look, Lara, I know you finally think I'm crazy. I'm not anymore. May I have my shower now? I really would like to shift. This hurts."

I didn't wait for her answer but crossed to the shower, reached in, and started running the water. I adjusted until it was comfortable then said, "Lara, turn around, and if you peek, I will make you pay. Somehow. Probably by being deeply hurt."

"I won't peek. Scarlett, don't even blink."

"Scarlett, look in there. Is there anything that you will freak out if I touch it?"

She stepped past me, looked around, then said, "No."

"Turn around, Lara." She did, and I immediately shifted to fox. I struggled out of my clothes, and Scarlett knelt down to help me. I licked her face and yipped once. Lara couldn't help but look at me.

"You are so beautiful," she said.

I turned my nose to the shower, and Scarlett opened the door. I stepped in then turned around and stared at Lara. When she didn't turn around, I growled at her

"Oh, sorry," she said, and she turned her back. I chuffed, turned my back, and shifted back to human. Scarlett closed the shower door, but watched me carefully through the glass.

My hand still stung. I looked at it. It was better. "I am going to shift once more, then back." I shifted to fox, paused just a moment, then back to human. I looked at my hand, and it was red, but it stopped hurting. I opened the shower door and thrust my arm out, turning aside so Lara couldn't see anything I wasn't ready for her to see. "Lara you may inspect my hand if you don't believe me."

"Scarlett, look at it," Lara said.

"It's red, but you can barely tell," Scarlett said after taking a peek.

"Satisfied, Lara?"

"No."

I laughed. "I understand."

Then I stepped fully into the water and showered.

I couldn't help it. I had to check the things they had done to me. The nipple piercings were odd. I turned my back on Scarlett and touched one of them. My nipples were very sensitive. The little curved rings had stayed when I had shifted. I wondered if they would get caught if I ran as a fox. If they did, they were coming out. Otherwise I would let Lara decide.

I ran a finger over my nipple and decided I liked the extra sensitivity. I wondered if it would last. I gave one an experimental tug and realized perhaps I was offering a little too much opportunity to control me.

I washed my crotch and checked there. It was still smooth as silk. I didn't know how fast my hair would grow back, especially after having shifted a few times. But so far no fur.

I washed my hair, enjoying the luxury, then finally rinsed off completely and shut off the water. I sluiced off, then Scarlett opened the door and handed me a towel. I wrapped it around my hair and she handed me a second towel.

With my escorts in tow, I returned to the bedroom and got dressed, making Lara continue to face away, even after everything was properly covered. Finally I slinked over to her and wrapped my arms around her. "Lara, I love you. I'm not suicidal. I know you don't believe me."

She turned around. "I do, but we still have to be sure."

"All right," I said. "Let's go downstairs and feed me. Scarlett, you too."

We descended. Downstairs I found Vivian, reading in the living room. Elisabeth was pacing around. And I heard Francesca in the kitchen. I listened, but didn't hear anyone else.

"I don't hear Angel."

"She's not here," Lara said. "We know she's a trigger right now."

"That's going to kill her," Scarlett said.

"It will be okay," I said. I looked around the room. "There are fifteen knives in this room you probably didn't find. The kitchen, of course, is filled with knives, but only one is silver. You are going to have to trust me." Then I crossed to the kitchen and greeted Francesca.

"I'm hungry."

"Good morning to you, too," she said.

"What do we have?"

"Whatever you want. We have enough food for an army."

"Anything warm."

"Chicken and a salad?"

"Fruit salad?"

"We have that, just for you, Benny and Michele Lassiter."

I laughed. The wolves hated fruit for some reason.

"I forgot my lemonade upstairs."

"I'll get it," Scarlett offered.

I sat down at the table. Lara hovered over me. Francesca fed me. Scarlett gave me my lemonade, and I was able to drink it all by myself. What an accomplishment.

I felt better after some food. I refilled the lemonade glass. "All right," I said. "Let's go surprise Vivian."

Again I left my keepers in my wake, and they struggled to catch up.

Elisabeth was leaning by the door when I returned. Vivian looked up from her book. I cross the room and sat down next to her.

"Vivian, there are three daggers within range of my hands right now, unless Elisabeth found them. Does that frighten you?"

"Should it?"

"I am not going to need them as long as I don't see any hypodermic needles, tasers, or unfamiliar wolves."

"Then I am not worried."

Elisabeth swore. "We found one."

"Of course you did. But only one, I bet." I laughed. "There were four."

"Oh hell," she said. "Damned fox."

I turned to Vivian. "So, I remember."

"What do you remember?" she asked.

I smiled. "I think: everything. Every little thing. Is that good?"

"Oh yes," she said, "It is very good."

"Do you want me to tell you?"

"Do you want to tell me?"

"Damned shrinks," I said. "Questions answered by a question. It is my opinion everyone will feel worse in some ways by my story. It is not a good story. But I think they will feel better, too."

"I think so, too," Vivian replied.

"I think I'm not crazy."

She smiled. "I told you that you weren't."

"I need everyone to be honest. Is the wedding off?"

"No!" said Lara. "Not yet," said Vivian. Elisabeth didn't answer.

"All right. If I can get through the entire telling without, well, losing it?"

"That's not a technical term," Vivian said.

"Then you can perhaps decide?"

"Perhaps," she said.

I took a deep breath and looked around. "Hmm. I don't know what is going to happen. I think perhaps you should step back, Vivian."

She climbed to her feet and moved away from me slowly. Then I began going through the sofa, pulling out the knives I had there. I tossed them onto the floor near Elisabeth's feet.

She'd found the one underneath the coffee table. I went around the room, checking all my places. She had found about half. "You did better than I expected," I said, tossing more knives out. I made a full circuit until I'd gotten all of them. "There are three more, but they are hard to reach. We can leave them."

"Where are they?" Elisabeth asked.

"One is inside the ceiling fan over the table. Another one to the upper left of that cold air return." I pointed. "Small hole again. And the last is..." I walked to the front window, then pointed to the wall below the left corner. "Here."

"How did you get it there?"

"When they were doing the work on the window," I said. "I dropped one down."

"For heaven's sake, why?" Elisabeth asked.

I pointed to the pile of knives on the floor. "Seriously? You're asking me why?"

She chuckled. "I get your point."

"All right," I said. I pointed at the knives. "Get those out of here. And I need a phone."

Scarlett handed me hers. I turned to Vivian. "If I lose it, put me down and the wedding is at best, postponed."

Vivian nodded. Lara looked glum.

I called Angel. It was hard to hear her voice.

"Scarlett," she said. "How is she?"

"Not Scarlett," I said. "Angel, I think you saved my life."

"Michaela?"

"Yeah. I don't know where my phone is. I borrowed Scarlett's. Look, I need you to come over, but if I, oh, I don't know - look totally insane, I guess - you may want to back slowly away, and if I have a knife in my hands, run."

"You wouldn't hurt me."

"I wouldn't want to. Come on over, Angel. Let's see how crazy the fox is." And I hung up.

I looked around. They all were watching me warily. I sighed, then selected an easy chair. "Invite Francesca, too."

Scarlett fetched Francesca from the kitchen. Lara moved to stand behind me, but I told her to go sit down. Vivian took her seat back. Francesca entered the room with Scarlett, and I gestured to seats. The front door opened.

"Rory," said Rory's voice as he stepped inside.

"Thank you, Rory," I said.

"Take those away," Elisabeth said, pointing.

"How many of those does she have?" Rory asked.

I laughed. "Three hundred and, hmm... twelve I think."

Rory collected the knives, handling them awkwardly, and then Elisabeth held the door for him. I heard Angel on the other side, and I imagined she was reading the sign. "Angel," she said. She and Rory did a dance in the doorway, getting past each other, and then she stepped in.

I watched her carefully, judging my own reactions. Barely a twinge. She was watching me, too.

"Come here," I told her. She crossed the room cautiously, and I stood up. She stopped three feet away, but I opened my arms, and she practically ran into them.

"Careful," I said, wrapping my arms around her. She held me gingerly. "God, hug properly." And she tightened her hold. I kissed her cheek, and then I began to cry.

She tried to pull away, but I told her, "No, stay." I stood on my tiptoes, trying to put my chin on her shoulder. "Tuck down a little," I said, crying quietly. She did, and I could look over her at Vivian. "This is not losing it," I said. "This is just crying."

Vivian nodded.

I let the tears cry themselves out, not worried about it. It only took a few minutes. I felt Angel's tears, too.

"It's going to be all right," I told her.

"We heard your screams," she said. "And I knew they were my fault."

"No, Angel, they were not."

"I heard you scream I was breaking your bones. Oh Michaela, we wouldn't have."

"I know, honey."

I pushed her away. "Dry your tears. It's fine. It's going to be fine. We're going to listen to a long, horrible story, and then we're going to decide if there's a wedding."

I looked at Lara. "We need to push the ceremony to this evening at the earliest."

She nodded, and Elisabeth made a quiet phone call to Gia to handle it.

"Go sit down, Angel, between your mother and your lover, if you like."

I looked between all of them.

"You know," I said. "I think we're going to need alcohol for this. Even Scarlett and Angel. Doctor," I looked at Vivian. "May I have a beer?"

She smiled and nodded.

Scarlett and Angel jumped up, taking orders. They ran from the room and returned shortly with the drinks everyone asked for. I accepted mine and said, "Someone take this from me at the halfway point, or I'll go back to sleep." There were forced chuckles.

Once we were all settled again, a beer in everyone's hands, I said. "Well, I bet you are all wondering what's going on. You all think I killed my first wolf when I was fourteen."

Everyone nodded except Vivian.

"Well, I was younger, much younger."

 **First Wolf**

 _I was six when I killed my first wolf._

 _My older brother and I were in the woods. I had been naughty, and I followed him. Yes, my older brother. It was Tyler, then Jean, then me. Tyler was ten years older than I was, so he was fifteen or sixteen or seventeen. Funny, I don't remember when his birthday was._

 _I had followed him into the woods. I didn't know how bad an idea it was at the time. I thought it was a great lark, to see if I could follow my brother when he went into the woods. I worshipped him, as you might imagine. So for me to be able to follow him without him knowing, well, you know how proud I am. Imagine how that made me feel._

 _But I was six. I didn't know the real dangers. Oh, I knew about wolves. We'd hidden from them before, and we practiced hiding from wolves every day. But I didn't realize what Tyler was doing in the woods._

 _He was scouting for them. I know that now, but I didn't then. I just knew he was trying to be quiet, but I was quieter._

 _We knew wolves hunted by smell, of course we did._

 _It is my fault Tyler is dead._

 _No! This is crying. This is grief. Sit down. I am not losing it._

 _I shouldn't have been out there. It's my fault Tyler is dead. He could have lost those wolves. There were two of them. They didn't find his track; they found mine. I had focused on following Tyler, not hiding my own trail, and I left a track as clear as day._

 _I was following him by sound. He was quiet, very quiet, and I couldn't hear him from further than about three hundred yards._

 _I don't know which of us heard the wolves first. They weren't quiet. I immediately knew they were on my back trail, and as soon as I heard them, I ran._

 _Tyler didn't know I was there, but he would have recognized the sound of a fox breaking cover, and he would have heard the wolves, and he would have added two plus two. Tyler immediately tried to save me. I was his little sister, after all. He ran for my back trail, and then he followed after me, trying to obscure my trail for me as I ran, doing nothing, not a single thing to hide my own trail. I was in a blind panic._

 _We had hidden from wolves, but I had never had one actually chasing me, and there were two._

 _The reality is, as soon as they found my trail I should have been dead. Even if I had practiced every trick I knew, I was six. You think I am small now, imagine me at six._

 _Twice Tyler confused them enough to draw them away from me, but he also had to save himself, and I was slowing down. He turned towards me, one wolf following him, and one following me, and he caught me with the wolves only seconds behind both of us. He shifted to human and scooped me up, and Tyler as a human was faster than I was in fur. He ran under a tree and gave me a big toss, straight up, as hard as he could, and I grabbed onto a tree branch and climbed into the branches, quivering in fur. Tyler shifted back to fox and ran._

 _Both wolves ran right underneath my tree. They never saw me. Once they were further away, I climbed higher, trembling and trembling, trying to be quiet._

 _On his own, without me to worry about, Tyler actually had a chance. Lara, you know how hard it can be to chase me, how good I can hide. Tyler was sixteen, he probably wasn't as good as I am now, but he was good, and these weren't alpha wolves._

 _This was our territory, too, and we had traps for them. Tyler ran them through a pepper trap. That's where he ran past and pulled a string, and a whole bunch of pepper gets thrown over his back trail, a whole big cloud of it. The wolves tend to run into it and it completely destroys their noses. Depending on how it works, sometimes they're out of it for hours._

 _Well, the lead wolf ran right into it and got a huge sniff of pepper into his nose. I could tell when it happened because he began howling and howling in pain._

 _The second one figured it out and went around all the pepper, but it took him some time, and Tyler gained some distance. The wolf with the pepper up his nose then used sight and sound to follow his buddy, and the two continued to chase my big brother._

 _I had to piece together what happened after that. I could hear that the wolves were very close to Tyler. He was using all his tricks, and he wasn't just trying to lose them, he was trying to lure them through the traps._

 _And he did. He got the lead wolf, the one with a working nose. Go, Tyler!_

 _Stop worrying! This is crying. I haven't cried for my brother. I am fine. Go back to your seats. Lara, take this beer with you; I'd like more lemonade. Thank you, Scarlett._

 _Tyler got one of the wolves, but the other chased him out into a field. If the wolf had been scent tracking, Tyler would have gotten him, too. We had a couple of deadfalls on the edge of that field. Tyler could have run right over the top of one without disturbing it, but the wolf would have fallen in. But the wolf was sight tracking instead, so he cut the corner and missed the trap._

 _And caught my brother._

 _I heard him scream. I heard my brother scream. I heard the bones break, as the wolf crushed his leg. I-_

 _Back off! I can cry for my brother. He died that day, and it's all my fault. It's my fault he's dead. It's my fault._

 _I'm sorry I yelled. I love you too, Lara._

 _The wolf followed his own trail backwards, eventually._

 _I stayed in my tree, but I gnawed at a branch until I chewed off most of it, and I gnawed more until what was left was sharp, nice and sharp. Then I chewed that part off the tree. And I waited, that stick in my mouth. When I got tired of holding it, I shifted to human, and imagine this little six-year-old girl, twenty-five feet up the tree, naked as a jaybird, holding onto her sharpened stick._

 _Yeah, it's a cute image, isn't it? I didn't have this lovely tattoo yet. Oh, Vivian, you haven't seen it yet. Yeah, I like it. Scarlett did it. Thank you again Scarlett. Vivian, order the alpha to show you hers, it's really good. Lara, don't be a spoilsport, I showed her mine, now it's your turn, or you won't see what else I let them do to me._

 _No! Angel! Do not rat me out. That's better._

 _All right. So the wolf was following his trail back. He managed to go around the pepper this time, and his nose was starting to work, but I imagine not very well yet. And he passed right below my tree, dragging my brother's body with him._

 _Oh god, he was dragging my brother's body._

 _The wolf got to the base of my tree, and he started sniffing. He could smell me. His nose was working._

 _I waited way up in the tree._

 _He dropped Tyler's body, right at the bottom of the tree. I could see it as I peered down through the branches, and I gasped._

 _The wolf heard me. He stopped, listened, and then, slowly, his nose going like crazy, he lifted his nose into the sky, and he was staring right at me._

 _He began to growl immediately. I began to tremble. I was only twenty-five feet away from a wolf, a verified killer, and I knew he was going to eat me._

 _Trees are easy to climb, you know. I dig my claws in, and up I go. Now all of you know my best trick. I hope you promise never to share. Lara already knows it. Most foxes don't climb trees, and even Tyler didn't, but he used to toss me into the trees all the time, and once I was in the branches, I would climb right up._

 _But, it turns out, this particular wolf sucked at climbing trees. Oh, he tried. He fell out of it three times before he gave up. He growled at me again, and then he did the only thing he could do._

 _He lay down and began to shift._

 _What could I do? I was one frightened fox kit, and as small as I was, he probably thought I was just a baby._

 _You know how some wolves shift fairly fast and are aware of what is going on while doing it, can even react if needed, defend themselves perhaps. Others, well, not so well. This guy was an extreme case of the latter._

 _He lay down on his side, and he began to shift. I knew he was going to climb up after me and kill me. What I didn't understand was how it could take so long for him to shift. It was like ultra, ultra, ultra slow motion of my dad. Dad was a slow shifter, taking maybe thirty seconds and a fair amount of whimpering to shift. Not like me. Even as a kit, I could shift as fast as you have all seen me._

 _But this wolf? He lay there, on his side, and when he was half wolf and half human, I started climbing back down. I couldn't climb down the tree as a fox very gracefully, but as a little girl in human form, I was a little monkey. It took me a few seconds to get down to a branch about eight feet over the wolf. Then I took my stick, and I dropped._

 _I got him right in his human throat. And then I immediately shifted to fox and began ripping and ripping at him._

 _He killed my brother; I am not going to apologize, not to him, not to his family, not to anyone._

 _Once he was thoroughly dead, I crawled over to Tyler's body, and I pulled him into my arms, and I tried to wake him up. I tried for hours to wake him up._

 _That's how our parents found us._

 **When Michaela Was Twelve**

Lara was kneeling on the floor beside my chair, looking at me and holding my hand. My face was stained with tears. Scarlett was clinging to Angel, and Francesca had her arm around both of them. They had both sobbed with me, and I saw some tears in Francesca's eyes. I reached for my lemonade, but Lara got to it first and handed it to me. I drank slowly.

I was cried out, at least for a while. "I've never grieved for my brother," I said. "Until this morning, I had forgotten I'd had a brother. I had forgotten all of that. Vivian, I forgot my own brother."

"But you remember now," she said kindly.

I nodded. "Yes. Was the story what you expected?"

"No."

"Why?"

"Because as hard as I tried, I could never get you to recount anything from the summer you were twelve. I knew something bad must have happened, but I thought that was when, and you repressed everything leading up to it. I was expecting you to be twelve, not six."

I nodded. "I guess you were right, in a way. The summer I was twelve was when I killed..." I counted. "My eleventh and twelfth wolves. Ironic, isn't it, I was twelve the summer I killed my twelfth."

Lara squeezed my hand.

"I remember all of them. I don't want to tell them all today, Vivian. Do I have to?"

"No, not if you don't want to. What happened when you were twelve?"

I looked away.

"Honey," Lara said. "You don't have to tell us."

"Yes, I do," I said. "I'm not going to tell much. But it was my fault, too. That was the summer Jimmy Longtail and his family got killed."

"Oh god," said Angel. "Your first crush."

"My sister's fiancé. But yes, I had a crush on my sister's boyfriend. I used to follow them. Well, I used to follow her when she would sneak over to see him. I would watch them, well. I would watch. I could be very quiet. I had such a crush on Jimmy. I kept wishing he would get tired of Jean and like me instead. I think he was six years older than I was, like an 18-year-old is going to like a 12-year-old. I would follow Jean, and watch. I'd been doing it for years, I guess. Two or three."

I looked around. "You don't want to hear this." I looked at the girls. "You don't have to stay."

"You can ask us to leave," Scarlett said. "But otherwise we're staying."

"I was in a tree," I said. "I liked trees. I liked them a whole lot. I was in a tree, watching Jean and Jimmy doing what, well, what kids that age do when they sneak away from their parents."

I looked at Lara. "Jimmy was trying to do some of the things you do to me, but he wasn't very good at them. What he lacked in technique, he more than made up for in determination. And he was doubly determined that day. So neither of them were paying attention, and I heard the wolves."

I sighed. "It's always wolves in my stories. I'm sorry."

"We're sorry," Lara said. "You haven't done anything wrong."

"I heard the wolves. They found Jimmy's trail from home to the little glen Jean and Jimmy liked to use. There were three of them. I heard them shortly before they found his trail. I began huffing, quietly, trying to get Jean's attention, but she was doing her own huffing. She didn't hear me or she didn't care."

"Jimmy's trail went right under the tree I was in. He used it a lot, which was foolish, but that's why I liked this particular tree. I could have yipped, but I was afraid. I was afraid the wolves would hear me. I could have climbed down and run to Jean and Jimmy, but then it would have been my trail they found. I stayed in the tree, and I tried to warn them, but I didn't try hard enough."

I closed my eyes, trying to block out the memories. Lara squeezed my hand.

"Jimmy finally did something right. Jean made a noise, not a big noise, but a noise, and then she was still. I heard her panting, but Jimmy perked up; once he wasn't so focused on Jean, he had engaged his ears again."

"'Wolves!' he told Jean. It took seconds for them agree on their plan. Jean would run west. Jimmy would draw them east, into his family's traps."

I looked down. "I'm not going to tell it all, it would take too long. Jimmy ran straight back towards the wolves, right underneath my tree, and cut east. They smelled him, and I watched all three pass under my tree. But they never smelled me and they never smelled Jean, and she got free and went home, although I know she would have set ten miles of false trails first.

"Jimmy got one, sort of. It landed in a deadfall trap, but the spikes at the bottom weren't silver, and the wolf didn't die. His buddies pull him from the trap and left him there to recover while they followed Jimmy. But I had heard all of that, and I had already killed ten wolves by then. One disabled wolf, no problem.

"I knew where one of our nearby traps was, one with silver. I climbed from the tree and ran to it, shifted to human, pulled out one of the silvered spikes from the ground, and then shifted back to fox and picked up the spike by the dirty, safe end. I ran to the wounded wolf, shifted to human again, and then while he was still recovering, I killed him with the spike.

"That was number eleven.

"The other two wolves tracked Jimmy. I don't know what happened, I can only guess, but I know they caught him, and I know they caught his family. Then one of them came looking for their buddy. I had hoped they would, and I set a trail, clear as day, from the body of their buddy straight into one of the most wicked traps we had.

"That was number twelve."

I turned to Vivian. "I need to stop for a while."

She nodded. "Of course."

"May I please go for a run?" I looked at Lara. "I promise, I'm sane. I want to go for a run."

"In a minute," Vivian said. "If you can answer one question. Why did you say it was your fault?"

I stared at her. "I could have saved them."

"You tried to warn them. Is that true?"

"I could have tried harder."

"If you had, would the wolves have caught you instead?"

"Yes, but what does that matter? I still feel guilty. I always will."

"Have you always remembered this story?"

"You said one question."

She smiled. "Never believe a shrink who says she has just one more question." I laughed nervously.

"No. I remembered it today."

"How long a run?"

"Twenty minutes," I said. "And I really, really want company. Think your old bones can keep up with one little fox?"

She laughed. "My bones can try."

I looked at Lara. "You don't get to play. You can run, but you can't play. No taking my throat. None of that. Understand?"

She nodded.

"All right," I said. "I am going to shift in here with Angel and Scarlett. Everyone else can shift outside. Go."

They all got up and headed out the door. Once the door was closed again, I moved over to sit on the couch between my friends. "Will everything show? I don't want her to see yet."

"The piercings will," Angel said. "But they should be hidden in your fur."

"I need to know if they're going to catch on something. I'm going to shift, and I want you guys to check. And make sure nothing else shows."

Angel smiled. I loosened my clothes and shifted to fox, then stepped out of them. Angel and Scarlett got down on the floor with me and gave me a thorough check out.

"Your ear piercings are readily visible," Scarlett said. "And pretty." I licked her hand.

They moved their hands along my chest, and they each found a piercing. They ran fingers back and forth, and nothing snagged. "If you drag your chest, I guess you could catch something," Angel said. "But you would really have to work at it."

I rolled over onto my back. Normally when I do that, I tuck my tail between my legs, hiding my more personal parts, but I lay there.

"Fully furry," Scarlett said immediately. "Nothing to see here."

I rolled back upright and licked both their hands, then waited while they each shifted. It took them a lot longer than it took me. They each gave me a lick, I huffed in annoyance, and we headed for the door. I let Scarlett open it, and we stepped through.

Everyone else was already furry. I bounced around, offering licks and receiving a few in return, then I headed towards the woods at an easy lope.

It felt good to be outside.

The wolves all bounded around me, running away and coming back, playing their own games. Scarlett pounced on Angel, and the two of them tussled. Angel rolled Scarlett onto her back, and I dashed in and wrapped my jaws over Scarlett's neck before Angel could, then danced away, chuffing in amusement.

The two of them both jumped up and immediately began chasing me around. I let them chase me around for a minute, the two of them getting better and better at working with each other, then I dropped to my belly and let them catch me.

I got a bunch of good-natured licks.

Vivian swished her tail at me, and I pounced on it. She wasn't expecting me to do that, and she spun around, ready to swat me. I danced away, chuffing happily. She gave me a half-hearted chase, but it was just for the principle of the thing.

I didn't lead us very far, only a mile or so into the woods. I bumped Lara from time to time, and she licked me every time I did it. I did the same with Elisabeth and Francesca. Then I sat down and yawned.

They all sat down with me, but I walked over to Angel and nudged her towards the trees. Three nudges later, and she got the hint. She and Scarlett ran off into the woods, chasing each other around. They raced back into the clearing and bowled Francesca over before running off into the woods again. Francesca gave chase with Elisabeth lending a hand.

Or paw. Whatever.

Francesca couldn't have caught them, but Elisabeth helped, and when she returned to the little clearing, they were both following in Francesca's wake like a pair of errant pups brought home.

I turned my nose back to the compound. It was a short run, all I wanted. It let me clear my head and play a little. I felt good. I gave everyone a lick and headed home. They could follow if they wanted. They all followed.

I stopped and tried to nudge them all back to the woods, but they nudged me in the direction of the house, and so we all went home, the wolves circling around, Lara always by my side. Scarlett and Angel started a new game of pouncing on my tail, but I put a stop to that. They each got away with it once, but when Scarlett tried a second time, I leapt up, spinning in mid-air, and came down with all four paws on her head. She was so surprised she tripped on her own head and tumbled head over heels directly into Lara.

Lara chuffed but pinned Scarlett to the ground and took her time making Scarlett whimper. She did it that way to me all the time, so it was nice someone else was getting the attention.

Then Lara looked at me pointedly. Hey, it wasn't my fault she couldn't control her tumble. I would never have let myself tumble into the alpha like that. At least not as an accident.

I chuffed at her, grinning.

We made it to the house. I walked straight in, and Lara tried to follow me, but I turned around and growled at her, snapping the air in front of her until she backed out. I closed the door, shifted, and pulled my clothes on as quickly as I could.

Then I opened the door and let anyone in who wanted to come in.

We all gathered together again, once everyone was dressed, had used the bathroom, or retrieved the refreshments of their pleasure. I moved to the sofa and asked Lara to sit next to me.

Once we were all collected, "Is there more?" Vivian asked.

"There is a lot more," I said. "I don't know what else to tell you today."

"But you think there is more you need to tell all of us. Is that for yourself or for us?"

"I really want to get married today," I said. "But Lara needs to know I'm not crazy, and I was sure crazy last night. She needs to know it's not going to happen again."

"It's not going to happen again?" Vivian asked.

"I don't think so."

"That would be a remarkable recovery."

"I'm a fox, we heal fast."

They scoffed at that.

I grinned. "Who wants to make a wager on that?"

"Come on," Lara said. "Don't be silly. We've seen you heal."

"I know you have. So this should be an easy wager. Who is in?"

"I'm in," said Angel. "So is Scarlett."

"Don't encourage her!" Lara said.

I turned to Vivian. "Care to wager against me?"

She studied me. "You need to show us something, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I'm not wagering against you. Alpha, I recommend you let her show you what she wants to show you."

"This is stupid," she said. "Fine."

"Excellent," I said. "Am I still on suicide watch?"

"Yes," Lara growled.

"Fine. Whoever is wagering, make it big. Make it worth my while. Elisabeth, I want my house back."

"No can do, it's not mine to wager."

"Fine, come up with something of that size. Lara, come with me."

I got up from the sofa and led the way into the basement, Lara following behind me, and we turned into a storage room located under the living room. "I figured you would freak if I grabbed these myself." I pointed. "Under that shelf, taped to the bottom near the front."

Lara crouched down, her fingers fumbled, and she found the knife I had stored there. She pulled it out.

"Hang onto that." I pointed out six other knives, three more in the storage room and two in the basement bathroom. "Okay, let me see which ones these are?" I looked through them. "Some of these are crap. We need a couple more." I led her into the wine cellar. "You can't reach these two," I said. I fumbled around and pulled out two more daggers, still in their sheaths, and handed them to her. "Okay, we're good."

"What are we doing with these?"

I smiled and turned to the stairs, Lara following me, her eyes narrowed at me in suspicion. Once we were upstairs, I asked Lara to put the knives on the coffee table.

"All right," I said. "These are all steel blades coated in silver. A couple of them are crap, but the rest are decent. Who is in?"

"Not me," said Vivian and Francesca simultaneously. The other four eyed me.

"Okay, Elisabeth, please pick the five best blades based on likelihood to do the most damage from the silver."

"This is stupid," Lara said.

"Yeah yeah. What are you wagering?"

"I don't know what the competition is."

Elisabeth sorted through the blades, pulling each of them from their sheaths. She rejected the same two I hadn't liked, declared the other five roughly equal, although she thought one was the worst.

"Lara, please verify that you agree with Elisabeth: that blade will cause the worst silver burns." So Lara looked through them and agreed with Elisabeth.

"I concur as well. That one is mine then. Everyone else pick a blade."

Shortly, the five of us were each holding a silvered blade.

"All right," I said. "Now, just to show you silver burns me the same way it burns you." I laid the blade against my bare arm for several seconds. There wasn't a dramatic hissing sound or anything like that, but I could feel it burning.

Lara snatched the blade away from me.

"Oh for crying out loud," I said. I pointed to my arm. "Are we agreed silver burns me the same way it burns you?"

"Yes," she said. "You are doing a fine job convincing me you're crazy."

I looked at Elisabeth. "Is what you did to Lara yesterday morning worse than the burn on my arm?"

"I am vowed to secrecy," Elisabeth responded immediately.

"Oh please, was it worse?"

"Yes."

"Lara don't talk to me about crazy. Give me my blade back." She reluctantly handed it back to me.

"All right, I was actually thinking we should all just break an arm, first one healed is the winner, but I don't think I can break my own arm, I don't think Lara would break one for me, and I think she'd kill anyone else who did it."

"Damned straight," she said.

I was the only one who laughed.

Vivian was the only one not looking at me like I was insane.

"So here is my idea. If you don't like it, then come up with your own. You guys are the big macho wolves, after all, and I'm just the timid little fox."

"Timid my ass," said Elisabeth.

"We're going to tightly clasp the blades in our hands, tightly enough we start to bleed. For how long? Scarlett, how long do you think you could hang on?"

"I don't know. Fifteen seconds."

"I can last five minutes," I said. "I'd go longer, but I haven't done this in a while, and I don't know how good my control is to manage the silver poisoning."

They stared at me. "No way," said Lara.

"Once we're done holding the blades, we heal the damage. First one healed to nearly indistinguishable is the winner. It doesn't need to be entirely gone, but healed and healthy. Vivian to judge. You are betting against me, only. I don't know if this is one wager or two. Lara, can you hang onto your blade for five minutes?"

"Yes, but the poisoning is a lot worse than you just suggested. You are insane."

"You're the macho wolves. Figure it out."

"One minute," Elisabeth said. "Hold your blade for one minute."

"I can't," Scarlett said. "I know I can't."

"I'm not sure I can, either," Angel said.

"All right," I said. "You two come in after thirty seconds have elapsed and hang on for as long as you can. If you drop yours early, that's okay. Are we agreed?"

"Our burns won't be as bad as yours," Scarlett said.

"I don't care," I said. "Maybe I am crazy."

Lara was clearly getting upset, but Vivian remained calm, and oddly, so did Francesca. The latter stood up and said, "I will get towels and everything we need to rinse the silver. It will take me a few minutes."

"I just need a bucket of water," I said.

"For crying out loud, Michaela! Rinse it properly!" said Lara.

"Angel, can you summarize what I hate most about Lara?"

"That she doesn't trust your judgment."

I smiled sweetly at my lover.

Francesca was gone for several minutes, then she called Scarlett and Angel to help her. Once they were in the kitchen, she assured them they didn't have to do this. I listened in.

"Michaela is our friend, and she needs our help," Angel said. "If this is how we can help, we will."

"It's going to hurt," Francesca said. "And if you don't flush the silver, you're going to be sick for days."

I didn't hear if there was a response, but soon they helped to carry out towels, large bowls of water, and several large sports bottles with more water. We could use the sports bottles to flush our cuts. They passed everything out then everyone sat back down.

"Francesca is right," I said. "You two don't hold your blades so you get cut. I don't want you getting silver poisoning for this. You can take the silver burns, but don't let it get into your blood stream."

"But-" said Scarlett.

"Do it my way."

She nodded.

I looked at Elisabeth. "Hold your blade for a minute, then first to be basically healed, Vivian to judge. What are we wagering?"

"I can't give you your house. I can pay you fair market value for it, however."

"No, I don't want your money, think of something else. Lara?"

"This is stupid."

"Lara, you will let me be on top for sex whenever I want. It won't be very often, but it will be sometimes. Biting your neck is permission to flip us over though."

That earned some chuckles.

"If you think this is stupid," I added, "and that I don't stand a chance, this should be an easy wager. What do you want in return?"

"I want out of my promises from earlier," she said.

"Not the cage one. No cages."

"All right. Not the cage one."

"Scarlett and Angel?"

"A major favor," Scarlett said. Angel nodded.

"All right. We're wagering major favors. Unless I really am crazy, mine is more valuable than yours right now, but I guess that's okay."

"Do you want something else?" Angel asked.

"No, major favors is perfect. Elisabeth?"

"I want your throat back."

"Just to you or to all the enforcers?"

"Just to me."

"All right. And I want yours, once, after the wedding, in front of the entire pack. A little fox throat isn't worth the head enforcer's throat, although the alpha's mate carries a little weight."

She thought about it.

"If you think you're going to win, this is an easy wager, Elisabeth."

"Agreed."

"All right," I said. "This is not down to the second on the healing, or anything like that. If Vivian says it's close, then it's close. These bets are too large to trade over a few seconds difference. I either win or lose by an appreciable amount, as judged by Vivian. Close is a tie. Everyone agreed?"

They all nodded.

I smiled. "All right, get ready." I arranged my towel over my lap and picked up my dagger in my left hand, holding it by the handle. Everyone else did the same thing, but they were all going to hold the blade in their left hands. Lara glanced at me and switched her grip to match mine. "Vivian, say go, and then tell the girls when to join in."

"Ready," Vivian said. "Go."

Lara, Elisabeth and I each grabbed our silvered dagger blades by the blades, squeezing tightly, and after a few seconds, blood was oozing out between our fingers.

I smiled sweetly. Elisabeth and Lara were both grimacing.

"Shit," said Scarlett. "She's smiling."

"Crazy people do that," I said with a grin.

It hurt of course, it hurt like hell. I could feel my hand burning, but I sat there and smiled.

"Thirty seconds," Vivian said. "Girls go."

They each grabbed their blades in their left hands, and Scarlett immediately hissed, but she held on. Angel's expression wasn't far behind Scarlett's.

"Fifteen seconds left," Vivian said. "Ten." Scarlett dropped her blade.

"That's fine," I told her. "Start healing."

"Drop your blades," Vivian said.

Angel and Elisabeth immediately dropped their blades. Lara and I continued to hold ours. I looked up into her eyes. "I love you. Make sure you let go before you'll be too poisoned to enjoy me tonight. The rest of you start healing, we'll catch up. Don't wait for us."

"Damn it!" Lara said, and she dropped her blade. She swore some more.

"Enough, Michaela," Vivian said calmly. "You made your first point."

"Oh, not yet," I said. "Francesca I should have asked for a scrub brush, I'll drop my blade when you get back here with one."

I never saw her move so fast. She was gone fifteen seconds, and as soon as she was thrusting the kitchen scrub brush at me, I calmly dropped my blade into my lap.

Everyone else was already rinsing their hands, flushing the traces of silver from their system. Elisabeth was hissing, and Lara's mouth was pulled tight. I smiled sweetly, looked down at my hand, and imagined the silver that had crept into my bloodstream was crawling back out, dripping into the towel with the blood that was still dripping. I dipped the scrub brush in the water then began scrubbing my hand, smiling.

"God, this hurts!" said Scarlett. "It's still burning."

"Rinse it good," I told her. "You can have my sports bottle if you need it."

I scrubbed my hand, letting the blood drop in big drops to the towel in my lap. Then I rinsed it in the water, scrubbing it some more and flexing my fingers.

"I think I'm good." Scarlett began stripping out of her clothes and began her shift. Angel was right behind her, and then Elisabeth.

I looked at the burn on my left arm and watched as it healed. I looked up. Vivian had seen me do it. No one else noticed.

"Good god," she said.

I hadn't stopped smiling. "Vivian, please make sure I'm not a danger to the pack."

"I don't believe you are, but you're damned scary."

I turned to my hand and concentrated. I watched the cuts heal, a little more silver pushed to the surface. I scrubbed it away with the brush.

Lara shifted to wolf while sitting on the sofa, then shifted back. She stared at her hand. It had stopped bleeding, but the silver burns were still prominent.

I looked back at my hand, concentrated on the burns, and they faded. I held my hand out to Vivian. "Tell me when you are satisfied. It will stay red for a day or two." Then I looked at my hand, concentrated, and it healed just a little more.

"The fox won," Vivian said, "Unless Lara can show me her hand and it is healed."

Lara was a wolf. She shifted to human and held out her hand. The silver burn was still prominent. I held mine next to hers, and she stared at the difference.

"Finish healing," I said quietly. "I have a story to tell."

It took Lara another four more shifts and ten minutes before she was healed as much as she was going to without just letting nature take it's course. Her hand was still bright red, and it probably hurt much like a sunburn might, but she was fine. Elisabeth and the girls took longer, due in large part to the time it took them to shift into fur and back.

"Lara, are you afraid of me?"

"Oh, Little Fox," she said. "No."

"Do you still want me?" I asked.

"Yes!"

"All right, can I cuddle with you while we wait for them?"

"Oh honey," she said. "Of course."

We sat quietly for a while, waiting for our friends to finish healing as best they could.

"I don't understand," Lara said eventually. "A concussion laid you up for days."

"I'll explain."

"But-"

"Patience," I said. I smiled. "You know, I wonder if my drinking tolerance has changed."

"Please don't pick today to find out," Lara said.

I laughed. "All right."

I dozed a little. It was a warm day, and Lara smelled so good. I didn't sleep, I don't think, but was just very relaxed and happy.

Every time I looked at her, Vivian was watching me. I finally asked her, "Are you afraid of me, Vivian?"

"No. But I wonder what other surprises you have."

"Well, I am still very brittle, and I understand I am considered quite the shrew."

Vivian laughed, then she noticed my expression. "Who called you a shrew?"

"Hadley Smith."

"Ignore her," said Lara. "You are a bit excitable, but not a shrew. You are sweet and everyone loves you."

"And you are biased."

"True," Elisabeth said. "But this time she's right."

"Well, thank you. Are you biased, too?"

"Yes," said Francesca. "She is. But it's true."

I laughed. I looked over at Elisabeth. "Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"The recording of Lara talking about me."

"You are welcome."

"May I have a copy?"

"Of course. I already emailed it to you."

"And I have the one of you talking about me," Lara said. "I love you, Michaela."

"Good. How's your hand, Elisabeth?"

She held it up. It looked ugly. I held up mine, and from where she was sitting, she couldn't see the slight redness. She narrowed her eyes. "Let me see your other hand." I laughed and held up both hands for her. "Unbelievable," she said. "Did you really burn?"

"She did," Vivian said. "She was burned at least as badly as Lara, and it was probably deeper. She held the knife much longer."

"I was healing it while it was burning," I said. "So it was not as bad as Lara's. I took more damage, but I healed it at the same time. Speaking of which." I turned to Francesca. "Could I be terribly impertinent and beg some food?"

She laughed. "Yes. I'll bring a platter of something."

"I could eat almost an entire quarter chicken," I said. The wolves chuckled. For some reason, that joke never got old for them.

Scarlett and Angel finished healing about the same time. They got dressed and showed their hands. They were red and ugly, and I imagined very sore, but they were healthy and would heal over the next few days. I showed them mine in comparison, and Lara showed hers as well.

"Vivian," I said. "Would you be willing to use the phrase, 'kicked their asses'?"

She laughed. "That's not normally the phrase I might use, but I admit it has a certain amount of accuracy in this case. The fox won by a distinct margin. She healed more completely and in significantly less time."

"All right," I said. "You two can write up yours promises to me later. I'll be hanging onto them for a while." I sighed. "I sure wish I'd had them banked this morning."

They laughed.

Francesca returned with a platter of food and sent the girls in to collect everything else. They also took the remnants away of our recent demonstrations. Soon we were all munching on a little something, and I thanked Francesca profusely.

"I don't eat a lot at a time," I explained. "But doing that takes a lot of energy. Thank you."

Scarlett and Angel returned for beers for everyone. I waved mine away, sticking to lemonade.

"All right," I said. I looked at Lara. "I promise, I didn't remember. If I had, I would have told you this. You deserved to know."

"It's okay," she said.

"I gave birth to twin kits three days after my nineteenth birthday." I looked around. "This is a real good time for anyone to leave who can't handle it."

They all stayed, but I shoved Lara over further on the couch and invited Angel and Scarlett to sit on my other side. I turned to Vivian. "I have this story and one more I need to tell, and I do not promise I won't ...um. Hit the insane switch."

"You won't," she said. "But if you do, we will take care of you, Michaela."

I nodded.

 **The Kits**

 _I was living deep in Canada at the time, well north of Ottawa, deep in Quebec, about two hundred miles west of the Hudson Bay. It was a deeply isolated location. I had spent a few weeks with a group of foxes near a place called Lac Cibougamau several months previously, but I had my nightmares back then, and they reluctantly asked me to move on. That was when I conceived my babies._

 _I had spent much of the intervening months as a fox. That part of the world is not very hospitable, and even my thick fox fur had trouble. But I was searching for somewhere I could be safe, and once I knew I had kits coming, it became even more imperative I find a place I could raise them. I had only three criteria: no wolves, ample game, and a hole in the ground I could call home. Nothing else mattered. And yes, that was the correct order._

 _I thought I had found the right place. And I probably had, by and large._

 _The kits arrived right on time. I spent the days prior to their births preparing, making a warm den, using the skins of other animals to make it homey. I had food stored, and in the cold, it lasted a long time, although it could be difficult to chew. I had to bring things into the den a day or so before I wanted to eat if I wanted it to defrost. It was often easier to hunt for fresh game, but as it drew closer and closer to the birth, that became increasingly difficult._

 _It would have been so much easier with a mate, but of course, I had none._

 _The kits arrived on time, two lovely daughters, each more beautiful than the other. I named them Flora and Fauna, which was probably not a very kind set of names, but I had been alone for a long time, and I'm not sure how sane I really was by then._

 _Shut up, Elisabeth. It's not funny._

 _Caring for the kits was hard. I had prepared as best I could, but it was hard. It was difficult to keep myself fed enough to provide a hearty meal for them from my body, but I did it. I learned methods of hunting that expended less energy and were more dependable, and that helped, but it kept me away from the den more than I was comfortable._

 _Of course, unlike a natural fox, I knew how to make a hole in the ground warm and comfortable. The kits made it a challenge to keep it that way, though. They didn't exactly come born with sterile bathroom habits._

 _Yes, Scarlett. Eww indeed._

 _Spring arrived, late of course, and Flora and Fauna were starting to venture further and further from the den, under close supervision of their mother. We all spent more time as foxes than humans, although I made sure they knew how to shift. I don't know how it is with wolf pups, but fox kits can be made to shift with a parent. I could hold my babies, and start my shift, and if I did it slowly, I could draw them with me, and they would shift with me._

 _With spring came fishing season. My den was near a lake, just forty yards from the shore. At the other end of the lake was a small fishing shack, but I had not worried about it. It looked very run down, as if perhaps it had not been occupied in a long time, and besides: a few humans in the area from time to time was no threat._

 _Unfortunately, it was probably the greatest miscalculation I had ever made. The shack indeed hadn't been used in a while, but it was owned by an ugly, evil wolf. Judging by his accent, he was out of Quebec City. And that year he chose to fly in to his fishing shack with his equally ugly, evil fishing buddies._

 _They arrived late one evening, their plane splashing down and scaring Flora, Fauna and me deep into our den. If I had watched, I may have known they were wolves, and maybe I could have carried my babies to safety, but I don't know. I was tired and slow, and perhaps they would have found us anyway._

 _No, Angel, please don't cry. It was a long time ago._

 _It was the next morning I realized my mistake. I sat on the hill outside my den, looking out over the lake, and watching the smoke rise from the chimney when the first one stepped outside. He was joined by three others, and if I wasn't sure about the first, I was sure by the time there were four. Four wolves. Four wolves shifting into fur._

 _I sent Flora and Fauna deep underground, down into the deepest portion of the den. And then I led a fresh trail away from my den, far away, hoping the wolves would believe the den was empty and they should follow my trail. I listened intently, and when they turned north, away from my den, I thought maybe they wouldn't come this way at all._

 _But what they did was a big survey, a run all the way around the lake, and they found my trail. But rather than follow it to me, they tracked it backwards, straight to my den._

 _They knew what they had found, of course they did. It wasn't about game; there was plenty of game. It was about the hunt. They wanted the werefoxes for their entertainment._

 _They tried digging into the den, but I had dug it long and deep, and I had buried silver in the walls. They burned themselves trying to dig their way to my pups, but it only slowed them down. Two stayed to guard the den and two returned to their cabin._

 _By now I knew they hadn't followed my trail. I had taken the trail around another lake, and had been well out of range to know they were at my den. I couldn't hear the frightened cries of Flora and Fauna._

 _But I arrived back in time to see two wolves carrying shovels and pick axes from their cabin, and I knew what they intended._

 _I tried to lure them away. I tried. I yipped. I called. I taunted them with my own presence. And they knew what I was, they knew I was a mother fox, trying to lure them away, but they ignored me._

 _They dug up my den._

 _They captured Flora and Fauna._

 _They stuffed my babies into a sack, and they carried them to their cabin. I could hear their cries of fear, their cries for their mother._

 _Oh god, Lara._

 _My babies, my beautiful, beautiful babies._

 _They hurt them. They hurt them so much, and they were crying for me, and crying, and I couldn't stop myself._

 _But of course, all they wanted was to capture me, too. And they did. They set my babies out in a pen, and they made it look like they weren't watching, but when I tried to free them, they rushed out of the cabin, and I was slow and heavy from nursing, and then full of milk and slow from not nursing, and they caught me easily._

 _They put me in a cage. They put my babies in another cage._

 _They had cages. Why did they have cages? I never understood why they had cages. Maybe they sometimes brought normal dogs with them, although I've never heard of wolves keeping pets. Maybe they had done this before. I don't know._

 _They talked to me in French. I didn't speak any. Then one of them spoke in English. Poor English. And that I understood._

 _They were going to hunt me, he said. If I gave them a bad chase, they would hurt my babies. If I didn't run at all, they would kill my babies, but they would do it very, very slowly._

 _Then to demonstrate, they hurt Flora._

 _They were evil. Evil. Can you understand why I hated wolves? Can you understand my torment?_

 _They told me if I could stay free for two hours, they wouldn't hurt me, they wouldn't hurt my babies. They told me to come back at dusk, or they would kill one of my babies. And if I wasn't back by the following morning, they would kill the other. They promised me it would take a long time, and I would hear their cries._

 _But they let me nurse my babies. They wouldn't let me share a cage, but they would let one baby in with me at a time, and when that baby was done, if I didn't give it back, they would hurt the other one. They let me feed Flora first, and then I had to give her back, and she cried so badly, but I had to or they would hurt Fauna. And then I fed Fauna and they took her away, too._

 _In the morning, they let me go. They gave me a ten minute head start. Lara, you know, with a ten minute head start, you will never find me. But I was younger, I wasn't as clever as I am now, and I was slow, not recovered from the birth._

 _I gave them a poor chase, a very poor chase. It only took them ten minutes to surround me. They played with me for an hour, pretending to let me go, then catching me and hurting me, cats playing with a mouse. Then they dragged me back to their shack, threw me in my cage, and pulled out little Fauna from her cage._

 _The cage was too small to shift, but I did anyway, and I begged and begged them not to hurt her. I begged. They laughed at me, and they spent hours hurting Fauna while she cried for me to save her._

 _They eventually grew bored, but they told me I had better give a better chase tomorrow. And they didn't let me nurse my scared, hungry babies. I grew thick with milk, but I'm sure it was curdled from my own fear._

 _In the morning, I begged them again to let us go, I told them the babies would die without me; they would be worthless. And I was slow and hurt from a difficult winter and couldn't give them a proper chase. Just let us go. They laughed and told me to run. They were going to hurt Flora if I didn't run._

 _I ran, but it was a bad chase, and when they caught me, they broke both my front legs._

 _You've seen how I can heal. I can heal broken legs almost as fast as you can break them, if I've had food. I hadn't had any, but I could have healed. Except I had a plan. Maybe I could buy time._

 _They dragged me back to their cabin, dragged me by my broken legs, and tossed me to the ground. "Shift and heal," they ordered._

 _I shifted to human and said, "I don't heal like wolves do. I am just a worthless fox, I don't heal when I shift."_

 _Of course I did, but I thought if it took several days for my legs to heal, maybe they would give me several days with my babies, and maybe I could escape if they thought I couldn't run._

 _They ordered me to shift; they said they would hurt Fauna. I shifted, but I shifted slow, all my shifts in front of them were slow, as slow as I can, which is much harder for me than fast. And while shifting, I thought very, very hard, I don't heal when I shift. I don't heal when I shift. I don't heal when I shift._

 _They made me shift back and forth, and still I didn't heal. Then I couldn't shift anymore, and I lay there trembling. I told them I needed food, and I could shift once more, then I needed to nurse my babies and heal, it would take me days to heal my legs, and they couldn't hope for me to give even a bad run with two broken legs._

 _They gave me food, and they ordered me to shift, then they let me in the cage with my babies. But each day they took me out and made me shift, and I said to myself, I don't heal when I shift. I don't heal when I shift. But of course, slowly, I did. I couldn't stop it entirely._

 _It took four days to heal. They kept me in the cage when they weren't tormenting me, and I never found a chance to free Flora and Fauna. That morning, they pulled me from the cage and told me to run. I ran, but still, I was slow, and still they caught me too easily._

 _They were so disgusted, they took turns pissing on me, and then they left me there, trembling on the ground, and ran back to their cabin._

 _I followed, and when they took Flora from her cage, I shifted, quicker than I had before, and I begged them to let us go._

 _They ignored me. They didn't even look at me. They hurt Flora, they hurt her, and she cried and cried. I threw myself at them, but they knocked me to the ground, and they hurt Flora until she grew still. Then they threw her aside._

 _By then, they were bored. Fauna died with one snap of her tiny neck._

 _I'll never forget that sound, the sound of my baby's neck snapping._

 _Then they turned to me and said, "Run. You might be more fun to hurt. Your babies weren't worth our time."_

 _I ran. I was still human, but I ran, tearing my feet to pieces. They didn't even bother chasing me. I was just a worthless fox, I wasn't worth their time._

 _But I wasn't just any worthless fox. I was a wolf hunter. And they had killed my babies._

 _I waited until it was very late that night, well after midnight, and I sabotaged their airplane. I found a tool kit in the plane, and in the dark I opened the little panels, and I cut some of the wires almost all the way through, the wires that run the controls. I loosened screws, not all the way out, but enough they would work loose, maybe, under vibration._

 _I put dirt in the gas tank, and then I plugged the vents with mud, shoving it in so you couldn't see it._

 _I opened the engine compartment and poured more dirt into the oil, washing it down with lake water._

 _No, Lara, I had no idea what any of this would accomplish but I thought if I did enough things, things they might not notice, one of them would make them crash._

 _Finally I covered my evidence. I closed all the little hatches and I put the tool box where I had found it. Then I turned my attention to the cabin._

 _They had made a bonfire that night, and the fools hadn't put it out before going to bed. I crept close to the cabin, and I could hear all their heartbeats and hear their breaths, and I knew they were sleeping. I worked as quietly as I could, but I stacked all the dry wood I could find against one side of the shack, and then I used burning embers from their fire, and I set the wood next to their cabin on fire, flaming it into life._

 _Then I shifted to fox and ran. I led false trails away, and then I led a trail to the lake, letting them think it was also a false trail, but instead I jumped into the lake and swam to a small beaver hut._

 _The water was cold, so very, very cold, but I shifted to human and swam down to where the beavers hide the entrance to their house, and then I shifted to fox and crept into the beaver hut. Luckily, the beaver was long gone. He had made a fine meal for me one day._

 _There were chinks in the walls, and I dug at them to make more. I shivered there in the beaver home, chilled to the bone, and it took a long time to warm up and even longer to dry out, but I watched._

 _They woke up, of course, and fled from the burning shack. But I had burned everything they had, they didn't get any of it out, and they were very mad._

 _I knew this was a setback for them, that's all. They could stay in fur, like I had, and live there indefinitely. They hunted for me, they hunted for a long time, but not once did they ever swim, so not once did they notice the beaver hut._

 _They left the next day, climbing into the airplane I had spent an hour trying to break. I watched it travel across the water. I watched it lift into the air. And then it disappeared, so I didn't see what happened, but I heard it crash._

 _They were numbers 26, 27, 28 and 29._

 **No More Healing**

I sobbed. Lara held me while I sobbed. And Angel and Scarlett sobbed with me, and maybe the others, I didn't look.

I calmed down eventually.

"Since then, until today, I forgot how to heal when I shift. I had convinced myself so well that I couldn't, and after the plane crashed, I didn't remember anything for a long time. Whatever happened for the next six months is a blur. But I couldn't heal when I shifted, not until today, when I remembered."

"But today, I remembered everything, well, almost everything, including that I could heal. Healing fast is like shifting fast. Lara, could you always shift so fast?"

"No," she said. "It always used to take me several minutes, no faster than Elisabeth."

"When did that change?"

"After I saw you shift. I saw you shift so fast, and-"

"You got stubborn. If the fox could do it, so could you?" I asked.

She nodded, laughing lightly. "Yes."

"I bet you can learn to heal like I do, too. I bet all of you can. I bet all of you can shift like I can, too, now that you know it's possible."

"I don't know," Elisabeth said. "I am just as stubborn as Lara, and I haven't made any headway."

"It was just all of a sudden," Lara said. "Something clicked. It wasn't gradual. Suddenly I just knew how."

I got up from the sofa and walked to the window, staring out. Elisabeth rose behind me, stepping up to me and putting her arm around me. I leaned against her. Neither of us spoke.

I turned around. "I'll have that beer now. Have you all heard enough?"

"Is there more?" Vivian asked.

"Yes, but maybe only one more story that needs telling." I looked down. "I am very ashamed of this story, but Lara needs to hear it, she needs to know what kind of person I really am."

"I know what kind of person you are!" she said in her alpha voice.

Angel returned from the kitchen, handing out cold beers, keeping one for herself and another for Scarlett.

I opened my beer, drinking some of it. It was cold. That's all I could say about it. I wandered around the room aimlessly. I stared at a bookcase and started crying quietly, not wanting them to hear. I had cried enough in front of them.

Vivian came over eventually. She stood next to me and let me cry, then handed me the tissues she always seemed to have ready for me. I cleaned up, then wandered into the bathroom to clean up further. No one followed me, so maybe I wasn't on suicide watch anymore.

Then I stepped back out of the bathroom, and Lara was right there. All right, maybe I still was.

"Are you all right?"

"It was a long time ago," I said.

"But you only just remembered."

I nodded. I pushed my head into her chest, leaning against her, then returned to my place on the sofa, nursing my beer.

"Have you had enough?" I asked quietly.

"We're not going anywhere," Scarlett said.

"Vivian? Questions?"

She shook her head. "No. But Michaela, you know, you are going to be visiting me for a very long time."

"I know." I stared into my beer, then thrust it into Lara's hands. She set it on the coffee table.

"Do you want something else?" Angel asked quietly.

"Coke."

She got it for me, setting extras on the table for anyone who wanted one. I fumbled to open it, and Lara took it from me and opened it. I took a big swig.

"I became a hunter," I said quietly.

"You're a fox," Angel said. "Weren't you always a hunter."

I didn't answer her. Elisabeth did for me. "She became a wolf hunter, Angel."

"Oh." She thought about it. "I don't blame you."

"I hunted only the ones who tried to hunt me. I became very, very good at killing them. I would set myself up, carefully, showing myself to only one or two wolves, and if they chased me, I led them deep into my territory, and I found ways to kill them."

I drank more of my Coke, not looking at any of them.

"At first, it was in Quebec and Ontario. But then I moved southwest, and I crossed back into the United States. I worked my way home. There were wolves where I used to live; the entire region was overrun. I set a new base, planted my weapons near at hand, made my traps, and I lured wolves to me."

"How many?" Elisabeth asked.

"I don't know. A lot."

"Hundreds?"

"No, I don't think so. Seventy? Or so, I guess. I didn't count."

"I roamed through northern New England," I said. "I couldn't get home. I couldn't go that deep into their territory. I picked at the edges, luring the hunters out, and killing them. I couldn't kill everyone who hunted me; many escaped. Many times there were too many, and I was forced to escape. Not every wolf is a sadistic asshole. Not every wolf wanted to hunt me. If they didn't hunt me, I moved past them, but I couldn't leave them at my back, either."

"What happened, Michaela?" Vivian asked.

"There was an isolated cabin."

I stared into space, remembering. Then I lowered my eyes, and all the silvered knives were still where we had left them on the tabletop. I stared at them.

Lara saw where I was staring. "Elisabeth, get those out of here. Now."

"Angel," she said. "Call Rory."

I stared at the knives as Elisabeth picked them up, collecting them all together, sticking them into their sheaths, not washing the blades. I didn't care. I had more.

"I wasn't going to use them," I said. "But thank you. I wanted them gone. In case."

"I know," Lara said. "I understand what your look meant."

"Thank you."

Elisabeth met Rory at the door, shoving the knives into his hands.

"Jesus!" he said. "How many of these does she have?"

"More where those came from," I yelled.

"Folks want to know what's going on," Rory said from the door. "Michaela, are you all right? Everyone is worried."

"I don't know, Rory. I'll know more in a half hour."

Elisabeth closed the front door and locked it, then returned to her seat, squeezing my shoulder as she passed behind the sofa.

I took a big breath of air. "An isolated cabin, in northern Maine, I believe, I'm not sure. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Lara said.

"It was a man and wife. Well, wolf and wolf. You know what I mean. We were so isolated, and I was turning sadistic. Wolves kept hunting me, and I was becoming sadistic in how I dealt with it. I taunted this one. I walked right across his steps in the middle of the night and I pissed on his door."

"Oh shit," said Scarlett. "I bet that got a rise out of him."

"Yeah. Fox piss on his door. I hid a mile away and I heard him screaming the next day. This guy was a real winner. He screamed at his wife all the time, and I thought he beat her, too. I listened to him hunt a deer, and he was cruel. He could have killed the deer easily, but he kept letting it back up, letting it run, then taking it down. You don't play with your food like that. You kill it cleanly."

They looked disgusted along with me.

"So I pissed on his door, a clear challenge. And he took it up, both he and his wife. She was just as angry and just as bitter, and she was just as happy to hunt me as he was. They laughed about it together, and joked about what they were going to do to me before they killed me."

No one spoke. I paused to see what they would say. No one was looking at me except Vivian. She caught my eye. "Is this a story you are sure you are going to be able to tell?"

"This part, yes. Oh, they didn't stand a chance. They were big and stupid. Stupid. So amazingly stupid."

Vivian nodded. "And the part after this?"

"That might go badly, but it's the last part to tell."

"All right," she said. "Lara, don't be lulled."

"I'm watching her," she said.

I leaned against Lara for a moment.

"I lured them out. I gave them a trail to follow, and they followed it. I led them to a dead end, and they didn't have a clue what to do. I had just disappeared, of course, flown away. They thought maybe I had scaled a shear cliff wall. Idiots. They couldn't even find my correct trail. They went home.

"So every night for a week, I did something to taunt them. I pissed on their door. I pissed on their car. On the third night, they tried to stay awake, waiting for me outside, so I listened, waiting for their breathing to even out. They both fell asleep in their fur, hiding in their barn. I took a dump on their front door step."

Angel smirked at that.

"I disabled their car, poking a hole in some of the pipes underneath, the coolant thing."

Elisabeth chuckled. "The radiator hose?"

"Yeah, whatever. I didn't need to bother. In the morning, they tracked me. I led them away from their cabin, and I led them into the first trap. It wasn't designed to kill, just hurt. I led them across a small field that I had laced with children's jacks, you know those little things the kids pick up while bouncing a ball."

"I used to play that," Angel said.

"But the ones I had were silver, of course. I led them into the middle of the field by a clear path, but I had doubled back, and once they were well into the field, I snuck out behind them, hiding in the high grass, and threw more of them out into the field, all over the only path out. There were hundreds and hundreds of them in that field, and they found a goodly share of them with their paws."

I smiled, remembering. "Remember, I had become a sadist, but these two deserved it, or so I thought. I set a path away from the field, and they could follow me or not, but then I shifted to human and taunted them, then back to fox and ran away. They ran over the jacks, and some got embedded, and I heard them howling their pain. They eventually got the jacks out of their paws, and they stupidly followed me."

"They didn't clean the silver out?" Scarlett asked.

"No. I told you: idiots. They were now silver poisoned, and they were running after me, pumping the silver into their system.

"I led them deep into an area I had heavily trapped, and then I led them over a deadfall with silvered spikes. They both fell in."

I looked around. "Does anyone blame me yet?"

"No," said Lara. Everyone appeared to agree with her.

"Well, that will change soon. The male, he got it the worst, he went down first, and the female fell on top of him. He got both lungs punctured."

"By silver," Scarlett said.

"Yeah. I don't think you come back from that without immediate access to medical facilities that know how to flush silver from a were."

"Even then," Vivian said. "It would be rough."

I nodded. "And he wasn't going to get medical help. The female, she wasn't so bad. Oh, she had taken the tips of several spikes, but not that deeply. She was still moving. But she knew her only chance to live was to get to her car and to get help."

"You disabled her car," Elisabeth said.

"Yes, but it wouldn't have mattered. You see, they had a child."

"Stop," Vivian said. "You aren't ready to tell this."

"Too late, Vivian," I said.

"Oh honey," Lara said.

"I got back to the house before she did. What kind of mother leaves a child alone like that, for hours?" I sighed. "The child was a girl, she was Kaylee's size."

I stared at the floor, and I couldn't talk for a while. The tears started to crawl down my cheeks. No one said anything. No one rushed me.

"I caught the girl. There was an overhang over the door with two posts holding the roof up, outside the cabin, and I tied the girl to one of them, I tied her real good. She was crying, crying for her mommy, but I didn't care. I thought about Flora and Fauna. I thought about Jean and Tyler and Mom and Dad. And I thought about what all wolves grow up to be. They all grow up to become killers."

"Not all," Angel said softly.

"I know that now. The female dragged herself home, and she was in bad shape, the silver poison pretty bad. And then she saw me, human now, standing next to her daughter. I had one of my daggers in my hand. The female stopped. And stared. She lay down in the grass, right where she was, and shifted slowly, the pain evident. When she could talk, she said, 'Why?' So I told her why. As she lay in the dirt, twenty yards away, I told her about all the deaths, about all the wolves who had hurt me. And I told her how I had listened to her talking to her male, and she was no different than the rest.

"I told her, 'I was nothing but prey to you, a game, someone to hunt and kill for your amusement, and if you had found my kits, what would you have done?' She looked at me and nodded her understanding, admitting what she would have done. But then she spoke. 'My daughter never hurt you. My daughter never hurt anyone. She's a sweet girl. Please let her go.'"

"I asked her, 'Why should I? You wolves didn't spare my babies when you could.' And she coughed then said, 'If you promise not to kill my daughter, I will tell you where you will be safe.' Well, of course, I thought she was lying, but I agreed, and that's when she told me about your father, Lara. That female, lying in the dirt, told me to go to Wisconsin, that the wolves here were different, that they wouldn't hunt me. I was sure she was lying, but I looked at her daughter, tied to the pole, and I looked at her in the dirt, and I walked away."

Scarlett smiled. "You didn't kill her."

"Not directly. It would have been kinder. I thought the female would help her daughter. I came back a week later, just to see how the girl was doing on her own. I knew the female would have died. And that worthless bitch had crawled her way to the car and climbed in, trying to start it, but she didn't bother untying her daughter first. The girl was tied to the post, dead."

I was crying again. "She was Kaylee's age. She even looked a little like Kaylee does. And I killed her."

Angel and Lara both tried to comfort me, but I didn't deserve comforting. I had killed that little girl, maybe not by my own hands, but it was my fault she died.

"Michaela," Vivian asked, "was the mother in any shape to free her daughter?"

"I thought so," I said between sobs. "I thought so."

"You did not kill her, Michaela," Vivian said. "You didn't save her, but you did not kill her."

I looked at her. "I don't know if I will ever believe that."

She nodded understanding.

I looked up at Lara, and she was watching me carefully. "That's who you wanted to marry," I said. "Someone who would leave little Kaylee to die."

I looked at Francesca. "That's who is teaching the kids. Someone who would leave Kaylee to die."

"What happened next," Vivian asked.

"Next?" I stared at her, dully.

"Yes. What happened next?"

"I-" I thought about it. "I ran. I ran west. I ended here. Madison first, but not long. Madison isn't such a haven for foxes."

Lara tightened her lips but didn't comment.

"I stole. I stole clothes. I stole money. I studied. And then I went north, to Ashland, far from the wolves here. I couldn't find any wolves living in Ashland. I set new traps, and I set trails to those traps, but no wolves came after me, and after I had been there for months, that's when I interrupted that rape. And, I guess you all know the rest. I got a job, a menial job, but I learned, and they let me do more, and I learned more. I lived wild, but the man whose daughter I saved, he found a place for me to live, and he paid for it for me for a while until I could take care of myself. And I forgot, I forgot so much. I don't know when I forgot, but I did.

"I didn't remember my babies, or killing so many wolves, or being a hunter. I forgot my brother, and so, so many deaths. But I remember all of them now. My brother's death is my fault."

"No!" said Vivian. "Your brother's death rests squarely on the wolves who hunted him and no one else."

"But if I hadn't-"

"You didn't kill him. You didn't hunt him. The wolves did, Michaela."

"I don't know if I will ever really believe that," I said.

She nodded understanding.

"I regret Tyler's death, and that I didn't warn Jimmy and Jean, and Jimmy and his family died because of it."

"No!" Vivian said. "They died because those wolves were on the hunt. A fox was going to die that day, and it wasn't you because you didn't draw attention to yourself, but that's it. The wolves killed Jimmy and his family, not you."

"I don't have any regrets about the wolves who hunted me."

"Good," said Lara. "Good riddance."

"But the little girl. How can you love me? I left her there!"

"You left her with her mother," Lara said. "Yes, her mother was dying, but her parents should have been parents, not... I don't even know what to call it. You don't leave your young unprotected. I don't know who could do that. Michaela, I can't leave you unprotected, and you may be more capable of protecting yourself than anyone I know."

"You have to hate me, Lara!" I screamed. "You can't love me!"

And then she pulled me into her arms, and when I resisted, she pulled me in anyway.

"I will never hate you, Little Fox," she said. And then Angel was there, and Scarlet, and Elisabeth, and after a moment, Francesca, and they all held me while I cried.

 **It's Not Over Yet**

They took turns telling me they loved me, all of them. Well, not Vivian. We didn't have that kind of relationship. She sat quietly, waiting for me to need her again.

"We love you," they said. "I love you," they each said.

And slowly I thought, maybe it was true, after all of that, maybe they did.

I looked at Vivian. "Are they lying to me?"

"No," she said.

And I let them hold me, and I let them soothe me. I thought, maybe, I could let them love me.

I loved all of them.

I didn't know if I could love myself.

I told that last part to Vivian.

"I know," she said. "That will take time. You are loved, though."

I took a deep breath. "I guess I'm done now."

"There's more," Vivian said.

"A lot more, I suppose, but this was everything that mattered."

"How about the arsenal?"

"That's nothing. I buy the knives. I silver coat them myself. It's not hard. I used to spend all my money on it."

"Why?" Vivian asked. "You are here in Wisconsin. There are no more fox hunts. You haven't been hunted in nine years. You are safe."

I stared at her and didn't respond.

"No wolves here would do a fox hunt," Scarlett said. "She's right."

I didn't respond. Lara had grown quiet. So had Elisabeth. And Vivian was watching me. She had guessed the truth.

Angel started to cry. "Who hunted you here? Michaela! Who?"

"It doesn't matter, Angel." I said. "Please don't cry. The last time was before you met me."

"How recently?" Lara asked in a tight voice.

"Three years ago. Ancient history. And two years before that." I thought back. "And once, shortly after I moved to Ashland."

"Our wolves hunted you?" Angel said, horror filling her face. "No."

"I'm sorry."

"No!" she said, and she turned to me, and she started banging her fists against my chest. "Say it's not true! Our wolves wouldn't hunt you!"

"Angel, stop!" I said. "You are hurting me!"

"Oh god!" she said, collapsing.

Lara started to growl. "Stop it, Lara." I turned to Angel and pulled her into my arms. "It was long ago, before you knew me. They're all gone. Just a few bad apples; there are some in every barrel. They're gone."

I was having a little trouble breathing. She'd cracked some ribs.

"Scarlett," I said. "Take her."

Scarlett pulled Angel from my arms. I climbed from the sofa, nearly falling over, and tried to breathe, then concentrated on my ribs. I felt with my hands, looking for the cracks, and almost cried out.

Lara began growling again, but leapt to her feet and pulled me to her.

"Stop it, I have to heal, let me heal," I said, but she was squeezing me, and it hurt. I felt another rib give. "Elisabeth, help!"

Then Elisabeth was there. "Lara! Lara! You are hurting her! Let her go. Lara!"

Lara's growls grew louder, and she pulled me tighter. I heard another crack. I screamed, and that made Lara pull tighter.

"Oh god, help me, Elisabeth." I could barely get the words out.

"Lara!" she screamed. "Lara! You are killing your mate!"

I couldn't breathe. It hurt. But Elisabeth got through to Lara, slowly. She peeled Lara's arms off me, and I collapsed. Lara tried to pick me up.

"No! Let her heal!" Elisabeth screamed. "Lara! Stop it!"

I lay on my side, gasping, and then I shifted, and my ribs were still cracked, and I shifted back, and it was a little better, but my clothes were all tangled. But I could breathe again, and I concentrated on each rib, one at a time, using my hands to find the cracks, and I felt more cracks as they realigned.

Elisabeth continued to forcibly keep Lara away from me, and slowly I could breathe better.

I climbed to my hands and knees. Angel was sobbing, Scarlett holding her away from me, and Francesca also, standing behind the sofa. I laid my head in Angel's lap.

"I'm okay, almost," I said, painfully. "Oh god, Angel, you don't know your own strength."

"I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"Hush," I said. "It heals. It was just a few cracks until someone went insane."

I looked up, and Lara's eyes were wild, struggling with Elisabeth.

"Lara!" I screamed. "Stop it!" It hurt to yell, but her gaze switched to me. "Stop it," I said right into her face. "Control yourself. You are the alpha, not some brainless thug."

It took a moment, but I saw the wildness leave her eyes, and she stopped struggling with Elisabeth.

"Help me stand," I said. "Gently."

Elisabeth turned to me after making sure Lara would behave, and she gently pulled me up. I swayed, and she steadied me. I took a breath. It hurt. Everyone heard the crack, but then the last rib settled back into place. The next few breaths were easier.

I reached over and caressed Angel, then turned to Lara and slowly stepped into her arms.

"Gentle," I said. "I still hurt."

Slowly she put her arms around me, and she was gentle. "I'm so sorry," she said. "I heard your ribs crack." Then she glared past me at Angel and began to growl.

"Knock it off!" I told her. "If I need you to defend me, I will tell you. Knock it off!"

The growl faded, slowly.

I took another deep breath, felt one more crack, and then I thought my ribs were healed.

Elisabeth was staring at me. "You just healed a cracked ribcage."

"Yep. I'm going to collapse shortly. That took more than the silver burn. Lara, let me sit down."

She helped me take my seat then sat back down. Elisabeth eyed her and retreated to her own chair. I reached for the food platter and began chowing down.

I didn't realize they were staring until I was almost full.

"What?" I said. "God, you guys eat like pigs, but I show one sign of an appetite, and you stare?"

They all looked away, but they were smirking.

I turned to Angel once I felt better. She refused to meet my gaze, so I reached out and grabbed her chin, facing her towards me. "I love you. Stop this. You were upset. I am fine."

"I almost killed you!"

"No, you did not. Lara did. But you did finally crack a couple of bones like you threatened yesterday."

"That's not funny!"

I smiled. "Sure it is, in a really sick, twisted, dark way. And I am going to keep saying sick, twisted, dark things until you accept my acceptance of your apology."

She ran that through her head at least twice, and then I pulled her into a hug. She was very gentle. I didn't correct her.

I turned to Lara, and she was having the same problem. I turned her to face me. "Kiss me," I ordered.

She looked away.

"Lara! Kiss me! Now!"

She turned to face me. "Or tell me you don't want me anymore, and I'll leave."

"Mine!" she screamed, and then her mouth was on mine, her arms around me, and she was firm, but gentle at the same time.

I let her ravage my mouth. She tasted good. Salty. Or maybe that was me.

I pulled away. "Thank you," I said. "Does that mean you still want to marry me?"

"Yes," she said.

"Tonight?"

"Yes."

"Good. Alpha, I must confess to six murders in your territory."

No one said everything at first, and I watched Lara carefully as she considered how to respond. She glanced once at Elisabeth, then at Vivian, and found some answer from both of them.

"Were they all hunting you?" she asked me.

"Yes."

"Elisabeth, how long has it been pack policy that the lesser weres were to be safe in our territory?"

"Mom campaigned for it. Dad made it pack law two years before-"

Vivian spoke up "Seventeen years," she said.

"What is the sentence for someone caught breaking that policy?"

"It depends on the depth of the infringement," explained Elisabeth. "Harassment starts with a visit from me. But if they are actively engaged in hunting or killing other weres, the penalty is death."

"What happened," Lara asked her, "after the incident in the bar last summer?"

"David was still the head enforcer," Elisabeth said. "He handled it. He visited the most egregious offenders and had a chat with them."

"Chat?" I asked. "A chat?"

"That was a euphemism," Lara said, "for 'he beat the crap out of them'."

"The less egregious offenders received a friendlier visit," Elisabeth explained.

Lara turned to me. "If the wolves you killed were hunting you, that is considered a death challenge, and you are fully justified in killing them. If they were hunting other weres, then you were justified in stopping them, and if you had reported it to me instead of killing them yourself, I would have executed them personally."

I pulled away and looked at her. "I hid the evidence, made it look like other things had happened. The first one, he may not have been yours. He stumbled on me. He was deathly stupid. I helped him get run over by a semi truck. The second one was in the winter. They tried to catch me while I was out doing my job. I killed them both with silver, then dragged them back into their cars and drove out onto the ice. I brought skis, and I knew where the ice would be thin. I got close to where it was thin, then I set the cruise control and jumped out after tossing my skies out. I didn't see it go in, but open water was only another mile and a half further."

"Shit," Scarlett said. "Do NOT piss off the fox."

"The third one, three years ago, I set a trail into Minnesota, made it look like they had used their credit cards there. But their bodies will never be found. I now submit to your judgment."

"Shut up," she said. "If they tried to hunt you, they broke my laws. Thank you for taking care of the vermin for me."

"In all fairness, the last ones weren't after me." I looked away. "I caught them hunting some other weres."

"What weres?" Elisabeth asked.

"I. Um."

"What?"

"If you don't know about them," I said, "I don't want to tell you."

She smiled. "We know about every were living in Wisconsin."

"These particular weres have a nice little cabin on a little lake near Tomahawk."

"Beavers," Elisabeth said. "Fred and. Um. Jane."

"Janet," Lara said.

I nodded. "I caught the wolves setting traps."

"They may have been after other things," Elisabeth said.

"Are we forgetting I have ears and know how to use them?"

She smiled. "You are sure?"

"Is the term 'werebeaver stew' too vague?"

"Fuck," said Lara. "God damn it! I am tired of fighting this."

"Oh do not take that tone with me," I told her.

Everyone stared at me, and the tension broke. It wasn't really funny, but we all laughed together.

"Do you have their names?" Elisabeth asked. "In case people are looking for them."

"Sorry," I said. "I never cared about names. I would have emptied the cash from their wallets, but I wouldn't have bothered with looking at identification."

We sat quietly for a minute, everyone lost in thought.

"Well," I said eventually. "This was fun. Who had fun? Raise your hands!"

No one thought I was funny all of a sudden. "Fickle crowd," I muttered.

I stood up, stretched, felt one rib pop. "Ow. Damn it. I have a question. Am I crazy?"

I looked around the room. "No," said Lara.

"Am I off the suicide watch list?"

For that, she turned to Vivian. "Yes," she said. "But you are on the daily therapy session list."

I looked into her face and nodded. "Now that I remember, will I forget again?"

"I don't think so," Vivian said. "Unless something exceedingly traumatic causes it. But you have an awful lot to work out, and remembering it is just a start."

"Do you have reservations with the alpha marrying me?" I asked her.

"Small reservations," Vivian admitted. "I would rather I had a couple of years of solid progress on your mental health. But I think you're going to be okay. If you don't start avoiding me again."

"I won't," I said. "Lara, this wedding day has sucked. Do you want to postpone?"

She looked up at me, and there was pain in her eyes.

"If you want to postpone, I will understand," I told her. "It's been a sucky day. On the other hand, if there needs to be another bride ransom thing, I bet I can outlast you."

She began to growl.

"Okay, bad idea," I said. "God, no one thinks I'm funny lately."

"Everyone is already here for a wedding," Lara said in a small voice.

I narrowed my eyes.

"I would hate to disappoint them," she added.

I didn't comment.

"Or return all the gifts."

"Lara," I said. "If you are having doubts, I understand."

She stood up, stepped over to me, and looked down into my eyes. I edged closer to her, invading her space, and puffed out my tiny chest.

"Do not be daft," she told me. "I have known I wanted you since the day you bit my hand, and nothing is changing that."

I moved into Lara's arms. "Anyone going to tell the alpha she's insane to marry me?"

"No way!" said Angel. "I am not getting between her and the woman she wants!"

I waited, and no one contradicted her. I turned so I could see Elisabeth, and she was smiling. I looked at Vivian. "So, does today rank up there as about the worst case you've ever seen of a bride coming unglued on her wedding day?"

She laughed. "Pretty much."

"It's nice to know I don't do things in halves."

 **We Are Gathered**

Everything after that happened so very quickly, but I remember every detail.

We had two hours. It had been a long afternoon. The first thing to do was reassure everyone the unglued bride was glued back together.

"I'm on it," I said, and I called Sophia. "Alpha's house, bring whoever is with you, right now." Elisabeth unlocked the door. Then I called Rory and told him to find every enforcer he could in the next sixty seconds and meet us at the alpha's house. Vivian made some calls to the council.

We waited until Rory was there with Eric, Karen, June, and Benny. Sophia brought all the teenagers and several parents. They all entered the house cautiously.

"Listen up!" I yelled. "I am getting married in two hours. Don't be late. Tell your friends. Now get out of here." But then I captured Sophia and Ava and pulled them into hugs. "I'm better now. I am sorry I scared you."

Then it was time to get ready. I thought I would be on my own for that. I had no idea where my clothes were, so I asked Lara, "Where is my dress?"

She smiled. "Will you indulge me?"

"Yes." I didn't even ask with what.

"Go to our room. Change into a bathrobe. Find something to entertain yourself for a short while. Some people will be along shortly. Do whatever they tell you to do. Do not fuss or argue."

I studied her face for a moment. She was smiling at me, and I could see the love. My "Yes, Lara," made her smile grow even broader.

I brought a book upstairs, changed into a bathrobe, and lay on the bed, reading. I fell asleep.

I woke to a knock and Angel's voice. "Michaela?" I was groggy and didn't respond, so she opened the door. "It's Angel and a few friends, Michaela."

She saw me on the bed, and they crept in quietly. Angel sat on the bed next to me. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. "Hey."

"You've had a tough couple of days," she said. We exchanged smiles, and I sat up, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

My room was full of women, all waiting expectantly, most of them holding dress garment bags, cosmetic cases, and the like. Scarlett, Abigail, Ava and Sophia were there as were Gia, Michele Lassiter and a couple of women I didn't recognize. No one looked ready for a wedding yet.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Only a few minutes," Angel said. "We're all getting ready here. Is that all right?"

"Lara told me to do whatever I was told. But don't push your luck." That earned some smiles.

"We've all showered," Angel said. "If we had more time, we would bathe you, but there isn't time."

"Where is Lara, and is she getting this kind of attention?"

"She is at Elisabeth's," Michele Lassiter said. "And yes, she is."

"Is my dress here?"

"Yes," Angel said. "We'll put you in it near the end. Lara asks that you allow us to blindfold you. She wants to be here when you see it for the first time."

"All right," I said.

"Shower first then. We will do everything."

"I don't think we'll all fit in the shower."

She smiled. "We'll let you do that part while we stay dry, but you are ours once you step out."

"Angel, I'm not fully comfortable being naked in front of this many people."

She cocked her head, studying me. "I don't understand that," she said. "You have an amazing body. Everyone has seen it when you shift. Why are you ashamed of it?"

"I'm not, but..." I moved my hands over my breasts.

She smiled. "Ah. Michaela, I think you're going to have to accept a few early peeks. The dress is to be worn with nothing underneath. But we can cover you until it's time to slide the dress onto you. Perhaps you will allow Scarlett and me to attend you in the bathroom, and then you'll be covered at least while we're doing your hair and makeup."

"All right," I said. "And Gia can help, too," I said. The smile that earned from Gia was worth any social discomfort I felt.

"Let's get started," Angel said. "First thing's first."

I heard the pop of a champagne cork, and a moment later, there was a glass in my hand. Soon everyone had one.

"I get the first toast," Scarlett said. She smiled at me. "To an amazing friend. We love you, Michaela."

They drank to me. "Thank you. And I love all of you." I drank, then looked at the two I didn't know. "Well."

"Oh," said Michele. "You haven't met? This is Maia. My sister-in-law. And Bailey. They're our experts."

We shook hands and I thanked them for their help.

"Okay, shower time, Michaela." Scarlett, Angel and Gia escorted me into the bathroom, closing the door behind them. Gia took my champagne glass; Scarlett and Angel undressed me. I had my back to Gia, but I decided to get it out of the way. I turned around to face her.

She stared at my chest, then she smiled. "They look nice."

"They're very sensitive. I am going to be so embarrassed the day they catch on something."

They laughed.

"I don't know if I'll keep them. It's just a little flashy."

"Lara is going to love them," Gia said.

"I'll probably let her decide," I said. "As long as they don't catch when I am a fox. Otherwise they'll be gone by morning."

Angel adjusted the shower temperature for me, then they ushered me in. "Take your time," she said. "We'll rush you if we need to."

I showered, not rapidly, but not leisurely, either. When I shut the water off, Gia was waiting with my towels. They dried my hair with a towel, and wrapped my body, then dried me, head to toe. I was powdered and buffed, then they slipped me into a pair of panties and a white slip.

Angel studied me critically. "You can see the outlines."

"Lara asked me to do whatever I was told," I replied. "But-" I was self-conscious about it. I didn't want to whine

"We'll add a thin bathrobe for now," Gia said. She slipped out of the bathroom and returned after a moment with my lightest robe. She slipped it over my arms then pulled it together in front and tightened the belt.

Scarlett handed me my glass, and I was ushered back into the bedroom.

There was a high stool waiting for me. I climbed into place, and they all began to fuss at me.

Maia did my hair. Bailey was there for makeup. "Lara has told us what she wants," Maia said to me.

"Okay," I said. I turned to Bailey. "If she told you to cake me in makeup, I will have a hard time doing what I'm told."

She laughed. "She told me understated."

I smiled and nodded.

Bailey studied my face. "You've been crying," she said.

"Yes," I said.

"I'll need a little more than understated to cover it," she said. "I'm sorry."

"Do you have a mirror?" I said. She nodded and handed me a mirror. I looked at my eyes and the crying was clearly obvious. My nose was a little red, too.

I looked up. "Someone? I need some food. Cold chicken is good, but whatever we have."

"I'll get it," Gia said, exiting the room.

I looked back into the mirror, then looked at Bailey. "You are going to wish all your subjects could do this." Then I concentrated on my face, first my nose, and the splotches disappeared over the course of fifteen or twenty seconds. I took care of the bags under my eyes next then the redness in my eyes.

I took several deep breaths after that. "Where's the food?"

"Right here," Gia said. I turned, and she had chicken cut up and waiting for me. I took a piece, then a second, and told her, "I'm good for now, a little more in a few minutes." Then I turned to Bailey. "Anything else I need to fix?"

She was staring at me. "How did you do that?"

I smiled. "Foxy secrets. But I can't tell now, anything else?"

"Maybe a little here," she said, indicating under my eyes. "Just a little more. If you can."

I nodded, and my face under my eyes smoothed a little more. My lids were still a little red, and I was able to further ease them as well, then in general eased my eyes so they felt better.

"Suck it up, girls!" I said, smiling at them. "The fox's tricks never end."

The primping began. The women all took turns entertaining me. Michele read from a list of antiquated directions explaining the duties of a wife, editorializing as she went. She had all of us in stitches.

Angel walked over, took the list from her, and ripped it into pieces, letting the pieces flutter to the floor. "We made a new list." She thrust it at Michele, who scanned it and laughed. "This is more like it!"

My favorite was: a dutiful wife will be a complete utter, royal pain in the ass given the slightest excuse.

"Amen!" Michele said after reading that one.

The women all took turns telling me what to expect on my wedding night. The suggestions grew increasingly ridiculous.

Then I received advice for a happy marriage, each woman offering one piece of advice.

"The happiest marriages," Sophia said, "always start with the wife's students. The students are to be taught, and cherished, and treated like the grandest little darlings they are."

I liked that one. Michele's advice was to make sure my spouse knew her place in the pecking order, in spite of my diminutive size. Bailey told me to allow myself to be loved. I almost cried at that. Gia told me to always remember I had friends, and at that one, I did cry, pulling her into a hug.

Bailey fixed the damage and told people, "Don't make her do that again. If you have lovey-dovey things to tell her, save them for after the pictures!"

Soon, my hair was done. I was to wear it down, and Maia hadn't had much to do. She had dried and brushed it then weaved ribbons in. My makeup took about the same amount of time. When they were done, they gave me a mirror.

I smiled and thanked them.

The rest of them were all getting ready at the same time. Bailey and Maia helped the others, with especial attention on Angel. When they were done, she looked stunning.

"Angel," I said. "You look amazing. I'm glad I didn't really cut your hair."

She smiled. "I'm still glad Gia was waiting for you."

I turned to Gia. "Nice toss with the net. You caught me entirely by surprise. Don't do it again." She laughed.

"Michaela, there are more customs," she said. "You'll feel that net again. But we'll warn you about the customs."

"Hmm?"

"Let's just say, major anniversaries for the alpha are not just for the alpha and her mate."

I laughed. "All right. But you better not wait for Lara to explain them to me."

"We won't!" Angel said. "We promised."

"Good."

They all finished getting ready while I sat in the chair. I drank two glasses of champagne, and then they took my glass and offered me anything I wanted. They had lemonade waiting for me.

The front door opened. Lara and Elisabeth announced themselves.

Gia slipped from the room and was back a few minutes later. "I told them to wait downstairs."

Finally, they were all ready. Angel and Scarlett both looked stunning in their dresses. They looked at each other, their gazes smoldering, and I wondered whether they would wait until they finished college to pledge themselves together forever. Gia saw the looks, too, and she seemed pleased about it.

"All right," said Angel. "Time for you to get dressed. Do you want to be blindfolded before or after everyone sees-"

"Before."

She laughed. Bailey and Maia did the blindfold, careful not to smudge my face or disturb my hair more than necessary. "We'll fix any damage later," Maia said.

They stood me up and steadied me, and I allowed them to remove my clothes.

There was silence for a good ten seconds, then Michele finally said, "You girls did a good job with her. Lara is going to be pleased."

I'm sure I blushed.

They helped me step into my dress. It was completely sleeveless but laced up the back. They adjusted everything as necessary and tightened the dress, fitting me perfectly. Someone held my arms the entire time, and when I tried to feel the dress, they wouldn't let me.

"Angel," I said then they were done. "Um-"

"It's padded where it needs to be," she said. "I'm going to grope you now." And she did, cupping each breast firmly.

"Hey!" I said.

"Can't feel them," she said. "Lara isn't going to guess."

"Thank you," I said.

I could feel the weight of the dress, and as I shifted, I felt the long train. I stepped into my shoes. They primped me for another moment, and then declared me ready.

"We have mirrors set up downstairs," Gia said. "We'll help you down the stairs. Lara is waiting for you there. She wants to see you when you see the dress for the first time, then Elisabeth will take her away again. Several of us will wait with you downstairs until it's time to go."

"All right." They gave me one final sip of my lemonade. Bailey adjusted my lips and said, "No more now, the next thing to touch your lips should be Lara's lips."

I nodded.

They kept hold of my arms, and I realized it was Gia now on one side, Angel on the other. We stepped out of the room and paused at the top of the stairs. "We're coming," Angel said. I took a big breath and, with my train slithering along behind me, let Angel and Gia escort me down the stairs.

We paused three quarters to the bottom, and I heard Lara's intake of breath.

"Oh my god," said Elisabeth under her breath, presumably to Lara. "You lucky dog you."

I couldn't help but smile.

Angel tugged on my arm gently, and they led me the rest of the way down the stairs. We came to a stop, and I could hear Lara's heartbeat directly in front of me.

"No touching!" Angel said. "You may look, you may not touch."

Lara chuckled. Then she walked around me once, stepping over the train.

Someone was taking pictures, lots of pictures.

Angel pulled my arm again, and I was led a short distance.

"There are mirrors in front of you," she said.

Gia stepped away, and then Bailey stepped into her place and said quietly, "Don't worry if you cry. I'll fix any damage, but if you can avoid flat out sobs, that would be great."

The camera was still going, and I heard Lara moving to a position in front of me, Elisabeth with her. Everyone else moved in that direction as well, and I realized they all wanted to watch my expression.

"I need to adjust the train," Scarlett said. "Sophia, will you help?"

I felt them adjust the train, pushing it around, and the dress relaxed when it wasn't pulled backwards quite so much. They tugged on the dress a little more, smoothing things around, and then declared me ready.

"Close your eyes," Lara said. I nodded. "Remove the blindfold." Bailey removed the blindfold carefully, causing as little damage to my hair as she could. Maia stepped up behind me and fluffed my hair, then declared me good. They both stepped away, and I was left with only Angel holding my right hand.

"Open," said Lara.

I opened my eyes to find myself looking straight into a full-length mirror. There were two more mirrors set at angles. Lara was standing between the center one and the one on the right with Elisabeth looking over her shoulder. I was looking into the mirror, but my eyes immediately went to Lara instead, and I stared at her, not myself.

She looked beyond stunning. She was dressed in a medium grey tuxedo in a form-fitting cut, with a white blouse, opened quite a ways down. I could see a hint of each firm breast. Her strong, amazing figure was carefully accented, and I gulped.

This was the woman who wanted to marry me. My knees grew weak looking at her, and Angel steadied me.

I smiled at Lara then turned to the mirror. I stared at my reflection. I was wearing the simple dress I had loved, with straight, clean lines and only the most tasteful of decoration. My small breasts were lifted. My shoulders were bare, with my hair cascading over them. The dress ended at my ankles, and there was no train.

"It's-" I said. "Lara, it's beautiful." I looked at her. I was stunned. "You bought me the dress I wanted."

"No, I bought you the dress I wanted."

I started to cry. "It's beautiful."

"No," she said. "You are beautiful. The dress is only accentuating the woman wearing it."

"Oh Lara," I said, and then she tried to step forward, but Elisabeth grabbed her, and several women stepped between us.

"No touching," Elisabeth and Angel said together.

I laughed and looked at my reflection again. "But- There was a train. I felt it."

Gia giggled. I turned in her direction, and she was holding in her arms a large amount of wedding dress material.

I looked at Lara. "You had them trick me!"

"Yes, I did," she said, and she was smirking. "And it wasn't easy, either."

Elisabeth scoffed. "Yeah, she told the dressmaker what she wanted, and the dressmaker told her what it would cost."

I laughed.

"All right," Angel said. "Get her out of here, Elisabeth. We need to fix the damage."

"I'll see you soon, Little Fox!" Lara said as Elisabeth dragged her away.

"I love you, Lara! Thank you!"

Once she was gone, I looked at Angel. "You little sneak."

She grinned at me. "I'm learning from the expert."

Gia growled, but it was playful. She'd once been concerned I was a bad influence. I laughed.

Bailey and Maia cleaned me up a little further, primped me, and declared me ready. Gia fed me a little more chicken and a little more lemonade. Bailey frowned and fixed the damage around my mouth. "That's enough," she said.

I smiled at her. "Thank you."

Scarlett was taking photos. So was Gia.

"All right," Angel said eventually. "When we're summoned, we step outside. The ceremony is in the field."

"I can't walk in the field in these shoes," I said.

"That's taken care of," she said. "Do you think we would allow you to fall? You and I will walk together. There are two professional photographers. They will take photos as you exit the house and more as you travel down the path that is prepared. Lara is entering from another direction, and you will meet at the middle. There will be more pictures, and then the ceremony will begin."

"Who did Lara get to officiate?"

Angel paused. "We're not telling," she said. She smiled.

"All right."

I figured it would be someone from the council, perhaps Vivian or Ron Berg.

I wanted to pace, but I didn't want to pace in these heels, so I leaned on Angel and let the ladies entertain me.

"I hate waiting," I said. I bit my lip, and Bailey yelled at me then fixed the damage. "Sorry," I said in a small voice.

It wasn't really that long of a wait. There was a knock at the front door, and then it opened. Karen stepped in. "Karen," she said as she crossed the threshold.

I turned and smiled at her. She stared at me. "You look stunning, Alpha-to-be."

"What?"

"Oh hell," said Angel. "We missed a custom already."

I looked over at her.

"Sorry," she said.

"Lara is the alpha," I said. "I am the omega."

"She is alpha," Angel said. "But soon, so are you. You are the Alpha pair. It's not always that way; it is her decision."

"You are still omega," Gia said. "But you can not be the alpha's mate without authority. It is her authority you will wield, with her permission. We will still call you Michaela most of the time, but sometimes you are alpha."

"I understand. She and I will be talking about this."

"No you won't," Angel said. "If you really need to talk to someone, talk to Elisabeth first. This is important, and you shouldn't fight it. Lara will want you to be able to act on her behalf, and you can't do that if you have no authority. And frankly, the rest of us want to know you have that authority as well. Elisabeth can explain more, but I'm begging you. Don't fight this."

I nodded.

"It is time," Karen said. "Congratulations, Michaela."

"Thank you, Karen."

All the women except Angel and Karen filed from the room, presumably to take their places. Karen waited for a signal from outside, then nodded, and Angel led me through the door.

There was a path, a boardwalk, constructed beginning at the front steps. We stepped directly from the porch to the boardwalk, and the photographers began taking our photos. We turned left towards the field where we held so many of our outdoor activities. The boardwalk extended all the way to the middle of the field, and there was another one on the other side. They met and then they turned to my left and went to a platform.

The entire pack was standing in the field, and at the opposite end, mirroring my position, stood Lara and Elisabeth. I smiled at the sight of her.

Angel stepped us forward, and the pack watched us, turning back and forth to look at me and to look at Lara. I couldn't detect Angel adjusting our rate of approach, but we met Lara and Elisabeth in the middle, arriving at exactly the same time.

I had eyes for no one but Lara. She looked amazing, and I felt a tear creep into my eye.

"Hello, Little Fox," Lara said.

"Hello, my love," I replied.

Angel tugged me forward two more steps, and then she handed me off to Lara. We turned and proceeded together up the center aisle to a stage raised slightly off the ground. Angel and Elisabeth fell in behind us, stepping to flank us as we reached the stage.

Waiting for us were Kaylee and Thomas, the two youngest wolves who lived at the compound. Thomas was wearing a suit, and Kaylee was in a beautiful dress with ribbons in her hair. I glanced at Lara. She turned me around to face the pack, and I saw hundreds of smiling faces.

"Please be seated!" Thomas said, his voice pitched to carry. Together they all sat. I couldn't believe my marriage was to be officiated by two eight-year-olds, but somehow it seemed fitting at the same time. They were at the beginning of their lives, and Lara and I were at the beginning of our lives together.

Lara turned me back to face Kaylee and Thomas.

"You look beautiful, Michaela," Kaylee said very quietly, beaming up at me.

Thomas reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out two pieces of paper. He gave one to Kaylee, and they both unfolded them. They switched them with each other. "Oops," he said quietly. Lara smiled fondly at both of them.

Thomas read from his paper. "Weddings are solemn events."

Kaylee read, "Full of serious expressions and serious priests."

After that, they each read one sentence at a time, alternating. "That's stupid." There was a pause as people chuckled. "Weddings are a celebration. Weddings are fun. Weddings should reflect the person- person-" Kaylee got stuck on the word, and Thomas helped her. "Personalities," he said, loudly enough for everyone to hear. Kaylee read again, "Weddings should reflect the personalities of the people being married."

"Michaela and Lara are strong. And powerful. And smart. Especially Michaela." More chuckles. "And so we have a wedding suited to them. A wedding worthy of our Alpha. A wedding worthy of our fox." They paused and both looked straight at us, their eyes darting back and forth. "I love you," said Kaylee. "We love you," added Thomas.

Someone started the applause, perhaps for us, but I chose to believe it was for the kids. I heard movement, and I turned to see Scarlett stand up from her place in the front row on my side of the aisle. Alan stood up from his place in the front on Lara's side. They stepped forward to join us on the stage. I smiled at Scarlett, but she stepped past me and said, "Thomas, that was very good." Thomas was her little brother. She took his hand and escorted him off the stage. Alan took Kaylee, who was his little sister. We waited while the two children were handed over to their parents, then Scarlett and Alan sat back down.

Chloe Lassiter, thirteen years old, and the next oldest child living at the compound, stood up and joined us on the stage. She was holding a piece of paper, but she never looked at it.

"Lara," she said. "You are our alpha. Your choices affect all of us. Your choice of Alpha-to-be affects all of us. You have invited Michaela, omega fox, to live amongst us, to teach us, to fight for us, to protect us, to be our friend. And now you ask us to accept her leadership alongside yours."

She turned to me. "Michaela, omega fox, Alpha-to-be. You joined us only a short time ago, but already you have touched our lives in ways no one could ever have foreseen. You have been instrumental in saving us from threats to the pack not once, but twice. You have upended your life and accepted our ways, our ways that must be so strange to you. You have taught us and sheltered us. You have comforted our tears and driven away our fears."

She paused.

"I can not speak for anyone else here, I can only speak for myself, but I could not be more pleased to see you both standing here today."

Then she stepped around us and faced the assembled wolves; Lara and I turned to watch her. "I can not speak for any of you, but you can speak for yourselves."

In answer, the wolves raised their noses to the air and began to howl, softly, softer than I had ever heard a wolf howl.

I looked at Lara. "Is that right?" I asked her.

"They are being kind to your ears."

I smiled then faced them and raised my hand, the hand Lara wasn't crushing in hers. It took a moment, but they quieted. "That was just sad," I said firmly. "Even I howl better than that." They laughed. I had a terrible howl.

I turned to Angel. "If that is the custom, I understand. But if it should be a proper howl, please show them a proper howl."

Angel grinned, lifted her nose, and began to howl at her full volume. Elisabeth joined her immediately, and the remainder of the pack added their voices.

The sound was well above what I could tolerate, and it hurt. I stood there, smiling at them and listened to them howl. The only display of my discomfort was the way I squeezed Lara's hand. If she'd been human, she would be grimacing.

And then Chloe raised her hand, and they stilled. Chloe turned to Lara and me. She said something, but I couldn't hear. Then she turned away and walked to her seat.

Lara turned me to face her. She was speaking, but I couldn't hear her. Her expression grew concerned. I shook my head 'no' once, then cocked my head left, concentrating on that ear, then right. The ringing went away, and the sounds around us came back. I smiled. "Sorry, I couldn't hear you. All fixed. Your heart is pounding, Lara."

She smiled. "You are amazing." And then she frowned.

"What?"

Karen rushed forward, pressing something into Angel's hands.

"What's wrong?"

"Look at me, Michaela," Angel said. I turned to her. "Hold still." Then she reached up both hands and pressed something against my ears.

"What are you doing?"

"Honey," Lara said from behind me. "Your ears are bleeding."

"Oh," I said. "Wow. They're fine."

Angel cleaned my ears briefly, then inspected. "You're fine. It must have stopped."

Lara turned to me and checked my ears herself. "What's my heart rate?" she asked.

"Too fast to count. Settle down." She smiled wanly. "I'm fine."

Lara turned to the assembled wolves. "Perhaps proper howls, but not quite that proper."

There was some nervous laughter.

"Let them howl," I said quietly. "I'll just heal it."

"You'll drip onto the dress."

"Oh," I said. "Can't have that, I guess. Can we move on?"

"If you promise to stop bleeding," Lara said.

"It stopped. Sheesh. Cut a bride a little leeway here." I grinned at her.

Angel nodded, and all the older teenage wolves stood up at the same time. They clustered together on the stage. I saw Scarlett run her hand along Angel's bottom as she passed her, and I grinned.

Derek spoke first. "Michaela, this part of the ceremony is for you. Lara knows all this, although it won't hurt to remind her."

Abigail said, "You have been surprised by our customs in the past. You have asked your friends to make sure you are not surprised again in the future."

Then Alan said, "We heard the bride ransom was a surprise, and we know it wasn't your fault. But man! That video is awesome!"

Everyone laughed.

"Which one?" I asked. "The one of me begging them to stop, or the later one of them wishing they had?"

There was more laughter.

"Tonight," said Ava. "We are going to discuss your duties to the pack. We will let Lara discuss any duties you have to her. From the sounds we've heard from your bedroom, we think you probably already know those."

I began to blush, and she grinned at me.

"Your duty, Alpha-to-be," said Jeremy, "is to lead us. To protect us. To fight with us. To guide us."

"Your duty," Sophia said, "is to share your strength and your wisdom."

"Your duty," said Alan, "is to make the pack a strong family."

"Your duty," said Scarlett, "is to love us. And to let us love you."

I almost started to cry. They were done, and one by one they hugged me gently before returning to their seats. I thanked each of them quietly.

Gia and Rory stood up, taking places on the stage. Gia smiled briefly at Lara and then at me. Rory grinned.

"We represent the enforcers of the pack," Gia said, "and those who work most directly to protect the strength of the pack against physical attack. We are the serious arm of the pack, and it is only right that we begin the serious part of the ceremony."

"You are not simply two women who wish to marry," Rory said. "You are to be Alpha and Alpha. It is right that you have vows to share with each other, but it is also right that you have vows you will share with us, with the pack."

"Before we can bless this union of two women," Gia said. "We must hear your pledge to your duties to the pack. Michaela, you are omega fox, and you will remain omega fox, although I wonder perhaps whether that is truly necessary."

I smiled.

"However, you are Alpha-to-be, and soon you will be Alpha, to stand beside Lara, neither in front of her nor behind her, but at her side. And so, we ask you, will you accept your duties? Will you fight with the pack? Will you protect our young, and our old, and our weak? Will you offer aid to those in need, and guidance to all? Will you be our friend, or mentor, our leader? Will you be our alpha?"

I glanced over at Lara. She was smiling expectantly. I faced Gia but raised my voice so it would carry to all, as best I could.

"The duties you list are the duties of everyone here," I said. "We all protect the pack. We all offer our gifts of strength or wisdom or knowledge. That is what it means to be pack. And these duties I do wholeheartedly vow to fulfill."

I glanced at Lara. "For this next part, I believe that less than one day ago, I suggested perhaps I should be made aware of any particular customs I may need to know prior to needing to know them."

"Oh shit," said Angel.

I reached behind me and squeezed her hand.

"And so, I will say this. I will stand beside Lara. But any authority I hold is due to my position as a teacher of our young, as an adult of the pack, or as granted by the alpha. I will stand beside Lara as Alpha, if that is what she wishes, and what you wish, for as long as she wishes and as long as we share our days. Any authority I wield, I wield because it is Lara's wish."

I turned to Gia. "I do not know if what I offered is what you have asked."

"It is," she said. "Thank you, Michaela, omega fox and Alpha-to-be."

It was Rory's turn. "Lara, you perform your duties as Alpha as well as all of us could possibly hope. You give us your strength and your guidance. You lead us in directions perhaps others may not have chosen, but they are the right directions. We follow you as Alpha not because you are strongest, or because you are wisest, but because you are best of all of us to lead us."

I squeezed her hand.

"But now you have new duties, duties that are unfamiliar to you. And so we must ask you, will you ask Michaela to stand beside you? Will you guide her as she learns her new duties? Will you share with her your thoughts and your reasons? Will you accept her guidance and her wisdom? Will you vow to help Michaela become the best Alpha she possibly can?"

"I will!" she said firmly. She pulled me against her.

"Enforcers!" said Gia.

"Pack leaders!" said Rory.

"Will you bless this joining?" Gia asked them.

All the enforcers, including Gia and Elisabeth, and all the council members raised their noses and howled.

When the howling was over, Gia and Rory sat down. Francesca and Vivian stood up and took their places.

"It is tradition," Vivian said, "for this next part to be officiated by the alpha or a senior male member of the council. Due to the somewhat unusual aspects of this joining, we have chosen a somewhat unusual pair to officiate."

"I hope you will all accept us," Francesca said with a smile. "Michaela and Lara, you have expressed your desire to wed, if not in the eyes of the foolish human authorities, at least in the eyes of all present here."

"You have each prepared vows you wish to offer," Vivian said. "It is traditional for the bride to begin. Frequently it is found her vows are lengthy and moving, and listening to her recite her vows gives the male a chance to become exceedingly nervous and to try to make up something longer than, 'I want to marry you'."

I laughed at that, and I wasn't alone.

"But today we have two brides," Francesca said. "And so we have no tradition to respect."

"So we ask, Michaela, omega fox, Alpha-to-be, do you wish to offer your vows first, or do you rather hear your mate's?"

I looked at Lara. She smiled at me, not offering a clue what she wanted. "I believe I would prefer to go first," I said. "If Lara agrees."

"I do," she said.

We turned directly to face each other, and Lara took both my hands in hers.

"Lara, I love you with all my heart. And I have much to promise you. I am not only marrying Lara, the woman who stands before me, but I am also marrying Lara, alpha to these wolves sitting here today. And so my vows are not only to you, but also to them."

She smiled at me.

I took my hands from hers and turned to face the assembled wolves, walking slowly back and forth in front of them. "I have lived in your extended territory for nine years. I would, from time to time, come to greet some of you on the streets near my home. In other times and other places, I was given much reason to distrust wolves, and I approached all chance encounters with you with the greatest of caution and a healthy amount of terror."

I looked around and looked at Lara. "A year ago I had my first conversation with a wolf that was not based on ill will. Lara came to my doorstep, along with four other large wolves-"

"I was on your grass next to your house!" she said. "Just to clarify."

I laughed. "Fine. You came to my home, and you invited yourself into my life. I was at the time, unwilling to accept your invitation." I turned to face the audience. "Lara can be very firm in her position, and for that I am deeply grateful. That day marked the day that my life turned, and I will never forget."

I walked to the other side of the stage and stood there for a moment.

"You have all invited me into your pack and have shared your customs. And now I am invited to become Lara's wife and, surprisingly, a leader to all of you. And so, I have promises to make."

I returned to Lara. "Lara, you are the love of my life, the love I never thought I could ever have. You are my greatest friend, my love, my protection, my strength. You are where I turn for safety, for comfort, for joy, for pleasure. I love you. I love you. I love you. I am your mate, and now I am to be your wife, and so I make these promises to you."

"I promise there will be joy. I promise there will be sorrow." I moved away from her. "I promise there will be disagreements and misunderstandings. There will be fights and heated words." I returned to face Lara. "And to you, Lara, and only to you, I promise there will be the most amazing make-up sex after the fights are over."

That earned a smile from her and laughter from others.

I turned to them. "To all of you, I promise you will most certainly know there has been fabulous make-up sex."

That earned me more howling, and I felt my ears pop again.

"Oh hell," I said. "Knock it off, you guys." I walked over to Angel. I couldn't hear anything again, so I concentrated, healed my ears one after another, then asked, "Are they bleeding?"

"Not this time," she said after checking.

I turned to the wolves. "I don't mind if you blow my eardrums out doing that, but just understand you're making this take longer, and now I forgot where I was."

They laughed.

"You were talking about make-up sex," Lara said. "I'm looking forward to that."

"Right. I am not wolf. I will never be wolf. And there are things about being wolf that a fox can never understand." I crossed over to stand in front of Angel when I said that. "I promise to try. I will expect all of you to understand, I may not understand. But I will try. And when I do not understand, I will still try to remember you all love me."

And Angel began to cry.

"I promise you friendship." I hugged her and stepped away, then I looked at Gia, Scarlett and others. "I promise you playfulness. I promise you surprises and unpredictability, unpredictable unpredictability."

I walked back to stand in front of Lara, and I took her hands.

"Lara, I love you with every fiber of my being. I promise you my body. I promise you my heart. And these are yours, and only yours. I promise you that I am yours, and only yours. But I also promise you friendship, and I promise you my love, but these, you must share."

I turned around and hugged Angel and then grabbed Elisabeth and hugged her.

I took a breath. "I am almost done. Do we need an intermission? You could all howl and pop my ears again, but if you do, I might need food before I can heal them."

"I think we're fine so far," Francesca said. "But if Lara intends to be as eloquent as you have been, we may need a short bathroom break."

She got the laughter she was expecting.

"Lara," I said. "I promise to be your mate, your wife. I promise to raise your pups, our pups, to be big and strong, and to help teach them what it means to be wolf. And I hope you will understand when I also teach them a little what it means to be fox."

And that was when I saw her first tear.

"Lara, I love you, and I promise to be your mate, your wife, from this day until I have given you my very last breath."

And then I was done.

I heard a sniffle from behind me, and then Angel's hand on my back.

Lara was smiling, and the love and adoration was clear.

"Before we ask Lara to offer her vows," Vivian said, "I would like to speak on behalf of the pack. Michaela, thank you for your promises. I do not believe they were expected. They are certainly valued."

I nodded to her.

Then Francesca said, "Lara, Alpha, do you wish to offer your vows?"

"I do," she said. She spoke clearly with just a small hitch in her voice, in a tone meant to carry. "My vows are to you, Michaela. Any vows I have for the pack have been given long ago. And so, my vows may be somewhat shorter than yours, but they are certainly as heartfelt."

I nodded.

"Michaela, Little Fox. I love you." She smiled down to me, and I moved closer to her. "I fell in love with you that first day we met, that day I bungled so amazingly badly. You were so beautiful, and you never backed down. I couldn't believe your spirit, and your fox was beyond stunning. I went home that day, worried about what we had discussed, but worried more about one thing. Could I convince you to love me? It seemed impossible."

I wiped a tear away.

"In the year since, you have surpassed all expectations I could have had. You have proven to be fierce and loyal, filled with fire and spirit that cannot possibly all be contained in this small, delicate package. I love you so much I cannot think straight when we are apart. I desire you so much I cannot think straight when we are together."

That's when she wiped a tear away.

"Michaela, I promise to be your mate, your wife. I promise to be your protection and your safe haven. I promise to love and cherish you. I promise to give you my heart and my body. I promise, as much as I am able, to share my thoughts and yes, even my feelings."

I smiled at that.

"I promise to teach you to be wolf while remembering you are fox. I promise there will be misunderstandings and disagreements. I promise there will be fights. And I promise to make you scream my name so loudly the entire pack knows when we have made up."

"Stealing my lines, Lara?" I asked her with a chuckle.

"Hush, you," she said. "Yes."

I laughed.

"I promise to give us pups, and to raise them together. I promise to hold you at my side, but I promise to protect you. I promise to over-protect you, and I promise to fight you every step of the way when you come out from behind my protection."

"Hey," I said quietly.

"And I promise that you will win, at least some of the time."

I laughed.

"I promise to hold you close but let you run free. I promise to be your mate, your wife, from this day until the final beat of my heart."

We each wiped away our tears. She looked down at me and I up at her, looking so damned sexy in her tuxedo, her strength raw and overwhelming.

I didn't hear when Vivian started talking. I was too lost in Lara's eyes, and I couldn't stop thinking about giving my body to her tonight, sharing her body with me.

"Hey," said Francesca. "You two!" She waved her hand between us, breaking our gaze.

We turned to face her. "Sorry," I said. "Did you say something?"

There were chuckles. Vivian sighed. "I'm not repeating all that. If you want to hear it, you can watch the video later. Michaela, do you want to marry Lara?"

"Yes."

"Lara, do you want to marry Michaela?"

"Yes."

"Great. I now-" I didn't hear the rest, because Lara had me in her arms, kissing me, and all I could hear was her heart pounding, pounding for me, and mine responding. She folded me into her arms and kissed me and kissed me.

I noticed when the howling started, but I didn't care. I only noticed because there was pain in my ears, and then the pain was gone and I couldn't hear anything, but then Angel was crowding behind me holding cloth over each of my ears.

Lara didn't release me until Angel and Elisabeth pulled us apart. Elisabeth's mouth was moving, but I didn't hear anything.

Then Lara looked at me, and she frowned. I tried shrugging away from Angel, but Lara grabbed me by the shoulders and tried to say something.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I can't hear you." I couldn't hear myself either.

Lara tried to talk. I sighed. "Are they done doing this? I'm getting tired of healing my ears, and now I'm hungry from all the healing." I turned to the wolves, and they weren't howling. Angel was scurrying around behind me, trying to hold the material over my ears. I wondered how bad the bleeding had been.

"All right, all of you! Knock it off. If you have more howling to do, get it out of your systems right now."

It looked like they were laughing, and I saw Scarlett howl once, but it was brief, and she smiled at me.

I cocked my head, and one ear popped. Then I did the other, then back and forth a little more. Sound came back. I turned back to Lara, and Angel scurried around, still behind me, and I felt like a large dog with a long tail.

"Angel, enough. It should have stopped."

She dabbed at my ears and then my shoulders.

"Can you hear me?" she asked.

"Yes."

"That was a bad one. Are you sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine." I turned to the wolves. "All of you, keep it down." I smiled.

"Lara, where were we?"

"You were kissing," Vivian said. "And you were supposed to wait for permission."

Lara and I turned to face her. "Oh, well give us permission and we'll kiss again. I'm sure we can get it right this time."

She laughed. "I'm pretty sure you got it right last time. Turn around and face your pack." We did, holding hands. "The Madison weres!" she yelled. "I present Lara and Michaela, your alpha pair!"

A few noses raised to the air but Lara boomed. "Enough! No more howling!"

So they all stood and clapped instead. That was okay.

The original plan had been for an afternoon wedding followed by a dinner reception. In spite of Lara's rank and the prestige of the event, in spite of the formal dress everyone wore, it was still an outdoor event.

Dinner changed into an open buffet. While Lara and I were greeting our well-wishers, tables were set up, chairs were moved, and a long line of food was made available off to the side. Lara and I were given a table on the stage, which we shared with our closest friends. We ate, we drank, and I met a lot of people whose names I never remembered.

I found Elisabeth. "Enforcer!" I yelled in a loud voice, gathering as much attention as I could.

She turned to me. "Yes, Alpha?"

I grinned. "We have an agreement to complete." I kept my voice loud.

"What agreement is that, Alpha?"

"Your throat. I want it. Now."

That stilled the rest of them, and suddenly there was crowding around us, a space in the center for us. "Up there!" I said, pointing to the stage. "I do not care for either of us to lie in the grass in our fine clothing."

She smiled, and I followed her to the stage.

I turned. "Where are my kidnappers?"

The six girls appeared. I pointed to Elisabeth. "Pick her up and place her on her back on that table. Please."

Elisabeth allowed herself to be manhandled, although it was evident the girls had an easier time lifting me than her. They set her on her back on the table, and I moved to stand over her. "Do you offer your throat?"

She lifted her chin, smiling. I bent over and kissed her throat, but she put a hand on the back of my neck before I could pull away and said quietly, "Do it right."

So I opened my mouth and settled my teeth over her throat. Then I slowly began to close my mouth, and after a moment, she whimpered. I immediately released her, then held a hand as she rose and climbed down from the table.

"Thank you, enforcer!" I said. "Our agreement has been completed."

Elisabeth hugged me, and I whispered to her, "I never want to do that again."

"You are Alpha," she said. "You have to."

"Not to you," I said.

"Yes, to me, especially to me. If a wolf offers you her throat, you must accept it, and you must do it properly." Then she squeezed me once more before releasing me, and I nodded to her.

Later, they struck the tables and set up for music, and we held a dance. Lara invited me to dance, and I had to admit, I had never danced before. She smiled and said that was all right. She pulled me into her arms and began to move with me in time to the music. I used my fox reflexes and managed to respond to what she asked, and I decided dancing was fun if I got to be held by Lara.

I got two dances with Lara before we were pulled apart and expected to dance with everyone else. I danced with all the men of the council, the male enforcers, Emanuel, Donald Lassiter, and my male students.

In a lull, I looked around and found Elisabeth. "Will you dance with me, Sister?" Elisabeth was able to lead, so that worked out. Angel could lead, too; she and Scarlett had been dancing together. When Scarlett and I danced, it was an awkward affair, but we laughed about it and ended up just holding each other and swaying to the music.

I didn't get to dance with everyone I wanted to; it grew late. Angel found me.

"There's a custom," she said.

"Oh good lord, haven't we talked about this?"

"We have. This one is easy and doesn't require advance warning. We kidnap you."

"We did that already."

"And we take you to your bedroom, and we prepare you for your, well, it would have been your groom, but your bride."

"But the party is still going on," I said.

"I know." She grinned at me. "We'll turn up the music."

"And?" I asked.

"She will try to make you scream louder than the music."

I laughed. "Is it customary for me to make it easy on her?"

"I get the feeling you enjoy making her work for it," Angel said with a grin.

"All right. Tell me there is no hair cutting or taping of limbs."

She looked away.

"Angel!"

She began to giggle. "No. But we get to carry you." I could tell she wasn't done.

"Keep going."

"If you struggle, we get to tie you to the bed."

I laughed.

I hugged her. "Dance with me again."

"Sure," she said. She led me onto the dance floor and pulled me into her arms. We were dancing a few steps when I felt strong hands latch onto my arms. I was hoisted into the air by six pairs of hands and held high above the ground. I shrieked in surprise.

"Please struggle," said Scarlett. "Oh, please struggle."

I laughed. "Sorry to disappoint."

There was applause as they carried me away.

In the bedroom, they undressed me, washed the makeup from my face, powdered my body, and then led me to the bed. They tucked me in, and I got kisses from each.

"Ladies," I said, before they left. They turned to face me, my friends, Gia amongst them. "Thank you."

"You are welcome, Alpha," Angel said. "Do us proud, Michaela."

I fell asleep and didn't even awaken when Lara entered the room. I slept easily, calmly, and it wasn't until she climbed onto the bed that I woke.

She had taken her coat off but was still otherwise dressed.

"Hello, Wife," she said.

"Hello to you, Wife," I replied. "You looked stunning tonight."

"As did you."

"Thank you for marrying me."

She laughed. "You're welcome." She kissed me again, settling her weight over me, her clothes and the covers of the bed between us. "What are you wearing under there?"

"A smile and a little jewelry." I tipped my head. "See? Earrings. You, however, are wearing far too much clothing, and I forbid you to remove the covers over me until you shed yourself of all those garments."

"I may remove these covers from your body any time I please, Wife," she said.

"And I may make your life miserable any time I please, Wife," I replied with a smile. "Now, be a sweetie and strip."

She laughed.

"Then you must close your eyes."

I looked at her. "Do you have, um, alterations I haven't seen?"

"I might."

"All right, then this is what we are going to do. I will cover my eyes and promise to not peek. You will remove every bit of clothing and stretch out on top of the sheet. You may withdraw the blanket, but I keep the sheet. You may arrange yourself so that I can not see anything you do not yet wish me to see, but you will not grope me until I give permission."

"I may grope you any time I desire," she said.

"You may grope me any time you desire after we have had a short conversation."

"Agreed."

I immediately closed my eyes and threw an arm over them to boot. I rested my other arm across my breasts, hiding the piercings. I listened as Lara slipped out of her clothes. She pulled the blanket down then carefully lay down next to me, an arm draped over me, below my breasts.

"You may uncover your eyes, Little Fox."

I lowered my arm and looked into her eyes. She was on an elbow looking down at me, and she was beautiful.

"Lara, I have two little modifications that were done to me during one of my punishments. I am told these modifications may please you."

She smiled. "Little Fox, I only have one to share with you."

"Well then," I said. "I will make a promise to you if you will make the same promise to me. If either or both of my modifications please you, I will keep and maintain them."

"And if mine pleases you, I will keep and maintain it."

I smiled. "I have two more things to say."

"All right."

"I do not want to be on top tonight, and I want you to make me drown out that music out there."

She laughed.

"If you agree to my little terms, you may do anything you like to me or ask me to do anything you would like me to do to you."

"Well then," she said. "I would like you to kiss me."

And so I did.

Of course, she found the piercings immediately. I could tell she thought two piercings meant the two modifications. She seemed perhaps disappointed, but when she discovered how much more sensitive my nipples were, she immediately asked me to keep them. Using only her tongue on my nipples, she soon had me squirming and telling her, quietly, that I was hers.

She became even more pleased when she found she could make me even more pliable by what she did to the piercings using her teeth.

For a long time, her hands didn't proceed below my waist, so amused was she by the reactions she was getting from her mouth on my nipples. I found myself begging for more, in between the declarations of, "I am yours; I am yours."

But finally her hand moved down to my center, and she froze.

"You have three modifications, Little Fox."

"I counted a pair as one."

"I will tell you already," she said. "I am very, very pleased to find what I consider a third modification, and I am asking you to keep it."

"Then I will, but you know what is involved."

"Is it too much?"

"I was worried you might be jealous. I am not letting you do it for me."

She laughed. "Who did it this time?"

"I made a vow of secrecy, as the person in question is fearful of your jealousy."

She laughed. "I wanted to thank her."

"Then I will invite her to visit you, and she may decide."

Lara's fingers moved. "I don't think so." I squirmed. "Who was it?"

I opened my eyes. "Oh Lara, I vowed. You wouldn't want me to break a vow. It was the price for an appreciated kindness."

"You will send her to me," she said. And her hand moved, two fingers sliding inside me. "Won't you, Little Fox?"

"Yes!" I said.

Then she lowered her mouth to my nipple, but before she teased me with her tongue again, she asked, "Whose are you?"

"Yours! I am yours!"

And then she was moving her fingers, her strong clever fingers stroking me, the ball of her hand pressed into my clitoris, her tongue teasing one hypersensitive nipple, then the other.

"Louder," she said.

And, between panting, I screamed I was hers.

And she continued to tease, demanding I scream louder if I wanted my orgasm, demanding I scream louder to please her, and I did, louder and louder until finally it came out as a gurgling sob of joy as an intense wave of pleasure filled me.

As the waves shuddered through me, Lara began to howl her own pleasure, and outside our window, the pack expressed their joy in our union.

It was sometime later, after she had made me scream her name over and over again, and then made me beg her to take me, screaming over and over, that she finally let me see the modification they had given her.

My body was spent, and I had very little left, but Lara climbed on top of me and turned around, offering for the first time to let me taste her.

And I stared for a moment at her wet, dripping wet labia entirely void of any vestiges of hair. I laughed for a moment, but then I raised my mouth to her, and I pulled her into me, and I realized: she would be maintaining this modification for my pleasure.

 **Eleven Months Later**

It was late in July the following summer when the girls begged me to attend lunch with them at a restaurant in Madison. Present were Angel and Scarlett, still completely in love, Sophia, Ava, Abigail, Elisabeth, Gia and Karen. We took the limo, which was flashy, but we were making a party of it. I didn't know what we were celebrating, but Angel had hinted strongly there was something they wanted to tell me and to please go along.

I didn't pay much attention during the drive; we were teasing each other mercilessly and having a fabulous time, so I was surprised when we pulled into the bank the pack used.

"Come on," Angel and Elisabeth said.

"What are we doing here?" I asked.

"I have to use the cash machine," said Angel. "It's kind of like going to the bathroom. You don't go alone."

I laughed. "All right." The three of us got out and we walked to the ATM located just inside the bank entrance. Angel used her card while Elisabeth and I chatted.

"How much do you have in there?" Elisabeth asked playfully.

Angel eyed her dubiously. "I'll show you mine if both of you show me yours."

"All right," Elisabeth said. "But I can only show you a fraction of my net worth. Banking and checking accounts, but I have a lot of assets in other places."

"All right. How about you, Michaela?" Angel said. "It's all of us or none of us."

"All right," I agreed. Per their request, I had dressed up, so I was carrying a small purse. I opened it and found my cash card.

Angel showed us her balance. She had a few thousand dollars.

"Not bad for your age," Elisabeth said.

"Angel, what happened to your ransom money?"

"From Lara?" she asked. I nodded. "It's in escrow. The agreement was to pay for my degree through a doctorate, and Lara escrowed the expected amount plus twenty percent. If I stop short of a doctorate, I get half of what is left and the rest reverts to Lara. Most of this we got from you plus birthday and baby-sitting money."

I nodded.

Elisabeth went next. She showed us her balance across three accounts, and it worked out to a little over a quarter million dollars.

I went last. I wasn't being invited to poker games very often, so my favorite source of making significant money had dried up. I had, indeed, spent quite a bit of the money from the Chicago wolves on silver. I was able to show them just over a hundred thousand. That was more money than I ever had thought I would have.

"You don't have any money anywhere else?" Elisabeth said.

"No, and you have my house. That represents my total personal net worth, plus the possessions you've seen already. I do have a tidy amount of cash tied up in silver, though. I should probably liquidate some of it. It's a little excessive."

They laughed, and we headed back to the car, Angel tapping her cash into her purse.

They hadn't told me where we were going, but they took me to my favorite pack restaurant, the sushi restaurant. We had a lovely time, and as we were wrapping up, Angel said, "Come on, Michaela. I need to use the restroom."

I laughed. "I suppose this is a group thing again."

"Of course."

"I'll be the enforcer then," said Elisabeth. "Karen, you should wait in the hallway." The four of us headed to the ladies' room with Karen taking a position guarding the hallway outside. The ladies' room was actually quite lovely, with a lounge, an area for touching up makeup, and was rather attractive and comfortable. All the comforts of home. The three of us did what you do, and then Elisabeth guarded the door.

"Michaela," said Angel.

"Yes?"

"Remember how I promised to tell you about wolf customs you may not know?"

I laughed. "Yes. And you also promised to make sure I knew with sufficient advance warning to deal appropriately."

"Right. So, there is one coming up, and I thought I'd tell you today."

I raised an eyebrow. "Now? In the ladies'?"

"Sure, why not," she said.

Elisabeth was frowning at her phone. "Michaela, I need to make a call. May I use your phone?"

"Sure." I pulled it out of my purse and handed it to her. I didn't know whom she dialed, but she spoke briefly, and I turned back to Angel.

"All right, go ahead."

She smiled.

"Okay, you need to understand. This custom is completely optional. It would be something you could, if you wanted, initiate, and it can coincide approximately with a major anniversary. Your first is coming up, and a one-year anniversary is a big deal."

"All right. Is this something Lara is expecting me to do?"

"No. No one is expecting anything. It's fully optional, and it is completely, entirely up to you. No pressure."

"Okay. I guess I understand."

She took a breath. "So, remember your ransom night?"

"Yes, I don't think I'm likely to forget."

Angel bit her lip nervously. "Sometimes, a bride feels she perhaps under-performed during her bridal ransom night. It can happen for a lot of reasons."

"Like, perhaps, she is a fox who didn't understand the tradition."

Angel smiled. "Exactly. Or perhaps the kidnappers didn't completely understand the fox's capabilities and went easy on her."

I laughed. "I could see that happening."

"So, if a bride feels she under-performed, she may want a rematch."

"Oh god," I said, backing away from her. "You want to do it again."

"No." She straightened up. "We are telling you the custom. If a bride wants a rematch, she may ask for one. She would talk to the person or people who she is inviting to lead it. Normally that would be her maid of honor or perhaps the pack's lead enforcer, or even the alpha herself." She paused, cocking her head. "It is possible that you may be approached to lead a rematch down the road."

I laughed again. "So, hypothetically speaking, if I wanted a rematch, I would ask one of you. Or both of you together."

"Right, any of those choices," Angel said.

"And the rules would be the same as last time?"

"By and large. Favors we grant may have a time limit, for instance. We might let you have all the food you want for twelve hours, for instance, or until a particular time, but then after that, we might deny your request or ask for another payment."

"Water?"

"Water is never withheld," Elisabeth said. "The bride is always given the ability to ask for water at an easily-paid price, and it has no time limit. Other liquids may or may not be granted with the same terms."

"So, hypothetically speaking, of course, there would be a kidnapping. You would pull me from my bed."

"Actually, no," Angel said. "You are now sharing your bed with a very, very fierce fighter. Traditionally you would not have been the first time. So there would be a kidnapping, but it would be while you were away from Lara."

"But it would be otherwise similar?"

"Michaela, it would be more similar to what Lara went through than what you did," Elisabeth said. "We would make certain adjustments because you are still a fox, but we know how you heal now. We would be careful with you, but the punishments would be real punishments."

"We would do fun ones," Angel said. "Like we did last time. But we would ramp up. We would be trying very hard to break you, and we would start the unpleasantness sooner. We might, for instance, bind your arms behind your back and not offer to move them later."

I looked back and forth between them. "You're telling me this because you want to do it."

"No."

"Because Lara wants this?"

"If so, she hasn't said so," Elisabeth said.

"We're telling you because it's a custom you don't know and you should have the option," Angel said. "And because we know you think you got off lightly and aren't proud of how you did. There is no particular expectation or desire on anyone's part."

"You're not after another tuition?"

She laughed. "Oh, we will be trying to break you. We will be trying very hard to get you to beg her to pay for you, and I will most definitely enjoy whatever we get from her."

I thought about it for a while, not saying anything, then shrugged. "You know, you're right. I felt I, shall we say, under-performed, once I really understood. But it is moot." I started to get angry, narrowed my eyes at both of them, then said tersely, "I respectfully decline your offer." I stomped towards Elisabeth, glaring at her. "Please step out of my way, enforcer."

My tone surprised her. "Michaela," she said gently. "You were considering it, and now you're angry. What happened?"

"I presume that everyone here today knows what we're talking about."

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "I don't understand why that makes you angry."

"It doesn't," I said. "But I remember the day before my wedding, each and every one of you promising to advise me of any customs like this before I needed to know."

"But we are," Angel said. "You aren't under any obligation today. You can tell us 'no'. You can tell us, 'you want to think about it'. You can tell us, 'maybe next year'."

"I see," I said. "So I haven't made any irrevocable decisions that I may have made differently if I had known about this tradition."

"No," she said.

I arched my eyebrow. "Really?" I crossed my arms and continued to stand in front of Elisabeth, waiting for her to step out of my way.

Elisabeth looked down into my eyes, searching for something. And then her expression change from bewilderment to realization. "Oh damn it," she said. "Michaela, I'm sorry."

"We didn't do anything wrong," Angel protested.

"Yes, Angel," Elisabeth said. "We did."

"We didn't," Angel said again.

"So, Angel," I said. "The little trip to the bank wasn't carefully timed to occur before I knew the tradition? It is coincidence I showed you my bank account two hours before we had this conversation?"

"Oh shit," she said. "We thought we were being clever."

"You were being clever," I said. "Unfortunately, wolves who try to outfox the fox usually make mistakes. I don't respond well when you break the rules, rules that I very carefully don't break myself. Oftentimes those rules involved promises. By all rights, I should have known the tradition beforehand, at least before I showed you my balance. Or even better, with enough time I could have moved half of it to another bank."

"You're right," Elisabeth said. "Were you considering the idea before you figured that out?"

"Yes," I said. "I was. But there are other concerns as well."

"Will you tell us?" she asked.

"Why? It's moot. You know how much money I have, which means I have no defense from you taking every penny I have. You already got my house last year, Elisabeth. How much more do you want from me? I already feel like a kept woman, but at least I have a little money. You're going to take that, too. Is that what you want? For me to be entirely dependent on Lara for everything?"

I was fuming and well on the way to livid.

"That's not what we want," Angel said softly, concern in her voice. "Michaela, we're making an offer. You don't have to take it."

I looked at her. "The point is, now I can't. Thank you for telling me about the tradition. I'll think about it for next year. I'm sure my bank balance will be lower by then."

"Why would it be lower?" Angel asked.

"Because I don't make enough to offset the cost of being the alpha's mate," I said. "And I refuse to let Lara pay my credit card bills."

"I don't understand," Angel said. "You don't have any expenses."

I sighed. "Every time there is some formal event, I am expected to come in a new, expensive dress. I am expected to donate to every fundraiser involving anyone in the pack. I send gifts for every bridal shower, whether it's someone I know or not, and every baby shower. Every child under age eighteen gets a birthday and Christmas gift from me. I also send adult birthday presents for major birthdays. If I am out to eat with anyone other than Lara or a council member, I pick up the bill." I looked over at her. "Do I need to go on?"

She looked glum and shook her head.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "That's not how your expenses are supposed to work. Those are expenses of the alpha pair, not the alpha's mate alone, and you are supposed to let Lara pay for them. She has the income to support it. You don't."

"I do my duty, Elisabeth," I said. "And I will eventually solve this. But if you clean out my bank account, then I have to solve this immediately rather than having a few more years to figure it out."

"All right," Elisabeth said. "If we hadn't tricked you this morning, would you be saying 'yes' right now?"

I took a few breaths, trying to calm down so I could consider her question. "I don't know," I said. "There are other issues."

"If you tell us, maybe we can work them all out. Please."

"All right. First, you'll undoubtedly cut my hair. If this were real, if I were really being kidnapped, my hair would be the least of my concerns. But Lara loves my hair, and I am very vain about it, and I wouldn't want you to cut it for something like this. It's trading one form of pride for another."

"All right," Elisabeth said. "What else?"

"Even if you hadn't tricked me, there would be the financial issues we just discussed."

"All right," she said. "What else?"

"Lara already paid once for me. I couldn't ask her to pay again."

Elisabeth frowned. "Do you like it when she makes your important decisions for you?"

I returned her frown. "Elisabeth, you know I hate it when I lose an argument."

"If you wanted to pursue this, you would of course ask Lara how she felt."

"She might feel obligated to allow it for my pride, even when she doesn't want it."

"Well, marriage is about communication," Elisabeth said. "She should make use of it."

I looked between the two of them.

"I don't want my hair cut. You told me I had to resist as much as I could, and if I didn't, you would cut my hair. And then you threatened later to shave my head."

"Well," said Angel. "Then make sure you resist as much as you can. And we promise to offer you a favor on reasonable terms to keep your hair out of the punishments."

I lifted my wrists, allowing my sleeves to fall down my forearms and exposing the silvered daggers I keep there. "Angel, resisting as much as I can involves these. How about this? I would offer to allow you to remove any silver immediately available to me prior to the start of the kidnapping, and in exchange, if I do not otherwise fully resist, there be a punishment other than cutting hair?"

The two shared a look and Elisabeth said. "Agreed. But no shifting to fox, and the alternate punishment would be a tattoo of our choice, what we want, where we want. We promise it would be tasteful and in keeping with the sort of tattoo we would want to see our alpha wearing.

"Not the face, neck or hands."

"Agreed," she said immediately.

"And if I get free, I get to tattoo all of you."

"Yes," she said. "Consistent with what we would have done to you."

"What would you do?"

"I'm sorry," Elisabeth said. "I'm not answering that."

"All right," I said. "And later? I'm not paying to protect my hair."

"I've seen you use your knives," Elisabeth said. "If you give up your silver, we agree we won't intentionally damage your hair or threaten to damage your hair."

"All right. That's the easiest. My money?"

"What if we agree to treat your personal finances as that of a schoolteacher, not the alpha's mate?" Elisabeth asked.

"A schoolteacher with a hundred thousand dollars to give you?"

"A schoolteacher who shouldn't have to save for the next several years to replenish what she gives us," Elisabeth clarified.

I considered her offer. "That takes care of the financial considerations," I said finally. "Are you offering something as an apology for breaking the promise in the first place."

Elisabeth smiled. "All right," she said. "We were going to let you trade for food for twenty-four hours for reasonable terms. We weren't sure if we'd let you have a second day, but if we did, it would be hideously expensive. And certainly not a third day at all. We'll extend that by a day. Two days, the first reasonable, the second mostly reasonable, and the third up in the air and expensive."

I searched her face. "You think it's going to go that long?" I asked in a calm voice.

"I think as long as we are feeding you so you can heal, you can take more than any of us is willing to give. Lara will break before you do."

"Well, all this was hypothetical," I said. "I have to talk to Lara. If she agrees, I'll get back to you and you can let me know when and where."

Elisabeth pulled my phone from her pocket. "Here, talk to her now." She punched some buttons, listened to Lara answer, then said, "Michaela wants to ask you something." She handed me the phone.

"Hey, Love," I said.

"Hello, Little Fox. Where did they take you to lunch?"

I turned away from both of them. "My favorite, of course."

She laughed. She knew I loved this restaurant.

"It turns out, Angel and Elisabeth wanted to talk to me about something. A custom I didn't know about. I guess you might call it the bridal ransom rematch."

Lara made an intake of breath, paused, and then said, "Yes, that custom."

"It was an interesting conversation. I was going to turn them down flat, because I didn't think you should pay for me twice, but Elisabeth pointed out that was your decision, not mine, and I should ask you. She also said marriage is about communication, and I think that means if you think this is a bad idea, you should say so."

"I think if you want a rematch, I would be very proud of you."

"But you paid so much already."

I could hear the smile. "I paid less than I was prepared to pay. And they have ways of asking for ransoms that might be painful, but are reasonable at the same time. I presume I would be negotiating with Angel, and if I thought she was being unreasonable, I would place a call to Elisabeth. If you want a rematch, ask them for one. But honey, you know, they will treat you like a wolf, not a fox. And they will treat you like an alpha wolf, not an omega. Do you understand?"

"Probably not the finer details, but yes, I think I do."

We talked for a couple more minutes. I explained about my hair. "Good," she said. "I love your hair, and shaving it would be petty."

"Lara," I said. "I'm not sure it's a good idea though. The timing."

"The timing is fine," she said. "Don't worry about me. It sounds like you are really thinking about it?"

"Yes," I said. "I suppose they would need time to set it up."

"Probably. Maybe less than you think. You understand, Michaela, they won't go easy this time. They will try to get you to beg, and if I hear you begging, you know I won't say no."

"If I beg you, Lara, yes. But if I am begging them to stop, that's not begging you."

She was silent. "They'll use that to try to break me, you know. They'll be working both sides. Honey, it's not just about you, it's about both of us. If this were a real kidnapping, could I do what I must as Alpha, even knowing what was happening to you?"

"If I do this, then it is my decision when you pay."

"No, honey. If you do this, it is my decision. I will try very hard to give you honor, but I can't promise more than that."

"All right," I said. "I understand." Someone knocked at the door. "Oh, hey," I said. "We're hogging the bathroom, and it sounds like someone is getting desperate."

"Have you decided?" Lara asked.

"Yeah. I'm going to ask them to set it up."

Lara was quiet. "Are you sure?'

"Yes. I have to go. I love you. See you in a few hours."

"I love you too, Michaela. Always remember. I'll see you in a few days."

"Do you have a trip you didn't tell me about?"

"No, honey. Is Elisabeth guarding the door?"

"Yes, and Karen outside."

"And there's no window. The walls are concrete. No escape route, is there?"

I turned to Elisabeth and Angel. They were smiling broadly.

"I love you, Little Fox. Give the phone back to Elisabeth now and give your daggers to Angel."

Up until now, the conversation had felt hypothetical to me. Suddenly that changed. I considered everything. I could walk away from this. I think they would be disappointed if I did. I thought perhaps Lara would, too.

And I realized something. So would I. A year ago, I hadn't understood. Now I understood. I had become more and more wolf over the last year, but I still felt like an outsider in many ways.

"When this is over, if I have acquitted myself well, Lara should have paid a very modest price for me. A price I would consider modest, Elisabeth."

She searched my face and nodded.

I smiled at both of them. "I love you, Lara," I said and handed the phone back to Elisabeth.

"You have to ask," Angel said. "You haven't asked."

I looked back and forth between the two of them, still smiling, I knelt down and unbuckled the dagger sheaths on both ankles. I set them on the counter. I took the ones from my wrists and set them down. I set my purse on the counter; there were two daggers in it. I had two chopsticks stuck into my hair as an ornament, and I pulled them out and set them on the counter. They could be used the way they were or I could twist them and they came apart with a long, silvered spike embedded in them. I was wearing a dress, and there wasn't anything hidden in it, but it was belted, and the clasp of the belt could be twisted and a silvered cable pulled out. I took the belt off and put it on the counter. I stared at all of it.

"Please remove those from the room."

Elisabeth opened the door a crack. "Please give me a bag," she said. She stuck her hand out and someone stuck a reusable shopping bag in it. She gave the bag to Angel, and Angel swept everything into the bag. The bag with my things went out the door. "You'll get all that back, eventually. God, I didn't know you had all that. What's with the belt?"

"I'll show you sometime," I said. "I haven't asked yet," I said.

"No," said Angel. "You haven't."

"I have a question. Will we be doing the fun things, too? Games?"

"Of course," she said. "Party!"

I laughed. "May I request a particular game?"

"You may request," Elisabeth said.

"Poker. You would have to trust me for my buy in, I don't have much cash with me, and what I have just left the room."

She laughed. "Agreed."

I smiled sweetly. My heart began to pound madly in a mix of fear, excitement and anticipation. "Angel. Elisabeth. Please, would you arrange a rematch for me of the bridal ransom?"

They returned my smile. Elisabeth lifted the phone to her ear and said, "Alpha. We have your mate. The ransom is twenty million dollars. Will you pay it?" I listened to Lara laugh. "She declines," Elisabeth said. She opened the door, and our entire lunch party was in the hall. "Get her."

 **Of Dangers**

Growing up, my parents taught my brother Tyler, my sister Jean, and me of the physical dangers of the world. They taught us to beware the wolf. They taught us to run from the wolf.

They also taught us to kill the wolf.

But they didn't teach us of all the dangers of the world. For, you see, sometimes the worst dangers are our own memories, memories kept, memories lost, memories found. They did not teach us of these dangers; they did not teach us to confront these dangers. They did not teach us how to defeat these dangers.

It took my friends, the wolves, to do that.


	5. Chapter 4

**Attitude**

This is obvious when we think about it, but not necessarily obvious while we're actually doing it. Our decisions in life are dominated by our attitude. We make different decisions in the same situations based on our attitude at the time. That is so self-evident, but if we don't stop and think about it, we take paths through life that would be quite different if we just sat back and asked ourselves, "Why is this decision so obvious to me? What is the basis of my decision, and is this basis a dangerous attitude?"

I had to learn this lesson the hard way.

I am, by any measurement, extremely self-reliant to a fault. Some of the most important points in my life have come about because I received help from others, but my outlook on the world is based upon my self-reliance. After all, I lived with virtually no help from anyone, through very trying times, from when I was fourteen. It has only been recently that I have had people I could count on, and it has been difficult for me to admit that sometimes I should rely on them.

In other words, while I wouldn't have let anyone else call me this, I have been cocky.

To some extent, my attitude is justified. I survived when few would have. And I've come out of things on the other side with even more achievements to my credit. I was instrumental in saving the pack from two significant threats, accomplishing things no one else could have both times. Since then, I have carved out my own place in the life of the pack. I have made new friends, exceedingly good friends, and I am treated with a mix of respect and amusement. While I have very little power on my own, I command a great deal of influence.

It is easy for me to be cocky about all of this. It is easy for me to think, "I beat David. I killed the Chicago enforcer. I killed the Chicago heir apparent. I saved Virginia. I made everyone in the pack love and respect me. I am a force to be reckoned with." It is so very easy for me to be cocky.

But the reality is this: I didn't do any of these things. I helped to achieve all of them. I helped beat David, and he very likely would have won without me. But I wouldn't have beaten him without Elisabeth and Lara. David's behavior towards me was why I distrusted him, giving me perspective no one else had. And then I had a great deal of luck. But it was Lara that beat him, and it was Lara who trusted me to do the things I did in the first place. And it was Elisabeth's information that helped me find the rest of what I needed, and Elisabeth's trust in my very unexpected decisions.

I did kill Garth, and I did it without any direct help from anyone. The entire fight was over in less time than anyone else could have reacted; my fox reflexes saved my pert little ass. But before Greg thought to train me, with help from Karen and Wendy, I never would have been ready to fight like that. And events may have gone very differently if Lara and Elisabeth hadn't been there. Plus, plain and simple, I got lucky.

I killed Avery, the Chicago alpha's son, a very large, dominant wolf. No one would ever have guessed I could have done what I did, especially not the way I did it. No one except Greg, who taught me to fight like that, and all the wolves who threw daggers where I needed them during the fight. And, of course, I was able to choose the setting of the battle, secure in knowing that Avery was the only wolf I would be fighting, because Elisabeth, Greg and the enforcers had all the other wolves contained.

As for rescuing Virginia: that was far more Greg, Lara and Elisabeth than it was me. I was the scout. I discovered key information. But I would have gotten nowhere without Greg's intelligence gathering. I would have gotten nowhere without Lara and Elisabeth and the other wolves.

As for the love and respect of the pack? Those are gifts, and not anything I necessarily earned. There are times I forget.

On my bad days, my self-deprecating days, I remember how self-sufficient I used to be, and how I'm not that person anymore. My job was a gift from my wife. I live in my wife's house. My personal security is arranged by my wife. The respect of the pack is because of my wife. On the days I think like that, I rebel. I go from one extreme to another.

The end result is the same: I make the same decisions, sometimes out of a belief in my own invincibility, sometimes out of a need to prove I am invincible.

To make it worse, I hate being proved wrong.

 **Contentment**

I woke, lying on my side, and listened for a moment. All was right with the world. Lara lay on the bed behind me, snoring lightly. The snoring was new, an effect of being seven months pregnant. I smiled and rolled over, cuddling against my wife's back.

Downstairs, I heard faint movements. As soon as we had informed first our closest friends, then the pack at large, I had insisted, vehemently insisted, Lara be properly protected. She had a permanent contingent of guards with a minimum of two enforcers in the house at all times. She suffered the invasion stoically, far better than I had. I thought perhaps she accepted the guards because if she was guarded, that meant I was guarded.

Lara stirred then settled back to full sleep. I inhaled her scent. As her pregnancy had progressed, her natural scent had grown richer; Elisabeth told me a wolf could tell Lara was pregnant from a single whiff. My sister-in-law expressed chagrin she hadn't figured it out sooner, as the change in scent had begun much earlier than we had told anyone.

"We all thought it was just a reaction to all the sex the two of you were having," Elisabeth had told me with a grin.

I didn't tease her back. To the best of my knowledge, Elisabeth wasn't getting any sex of her own. I kept nudging her at available wolves, male and female, but she never took the bait.

It was the second Monday in September, the first day of a new school year. I cuddled Lara for a while longer before slipping out of bed. She woke, reaching for me, her eyes open.

"Please," she said. "Don't go."

I returned to her, letting her pull me into her arms. At seven months pregnant, her bump was quite noticeable, but we hadn't let it get in the way of anything yet.

"I can't stay long," I said. "I have new students today!"

Half my students had graduated in the spring, although all of them had stayed for my summer courses. We had done extensive field work, and I even taught them how to sight track. It had been difficult to get them to stop using their noses, but I am fox; I am more clever than they are.

It made me sad to know Angel and Scarlett would no longer be in my classes. The only consolation was that they were going to attend school at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and they didn't even need to move out of the compound to do so. But Ava and Sophia had already moved home, and they would soon go off to school. I missed them.

All the girls had graduated except Chloe Lassiter. I still had Derek and Jeremy, now seniors, and I had six new students. I had met all of them over the summer; admission into my program was by invitation, and it was a grueling program. Competition to enter the program was fierce; competition once in the program was non-existent. I didn't allow it.

Lara and I kissed. I loved being held by her, and I loved spending time in bed cuddling her. But I was anxious as well. Lara smiled.

"You want to go," she said.

"I have a few minutes, but not enough time for what you have on your mind."

She laughed. "You would if you weren't such a prude."

"I am not a prude!"

"Then why aren't you willing to let me do what you want me to do?"

"Because then I won't have time to shower, and with one sniff, every one of my students will know what we've been doing this morning," I retorted.

"I rest my case. Prude."

Lara's libido hadn't diminished with her pregnancy. I thought she looked terribly sexy, growing baby bump and all. I rested my hand on her stomach. "How are they doing?"

"They're doing great," she said. "Their mom is ready to pop them out though."

"Oh no she is not!" I said. "Our babies are going to stay right where they are for another two months. Your buns are not yet finished cooking!"

Lara smiled at me, and she looked deeply happy. "You're going to be an amazing mother."

My face clouded for just a moment as I remembered my fox babies. Lara caressed my cheek soothingly.

"We need new enforcers," I said. "Ones we can trust. Ones who are smart enough to outwit any attempts these two make to escape their guards."

"We have time," she said. "We'll keep our babies safe, Little Fox."

I kissed Lara on the lips, briefly, then bent down and kissed her stomach, less briefly. I hummed to the babies for a minute or two, then slipped from the bed and into the shower.

My first morning with the new students went well. Half of them had attended my summer program; the other three were incoming freshmen. I spent the first part of the morning on introductions. I introduced myself; I introduced the program. I had Chloe, Derek and Jeremy introduce the school and the school facilities to the kids. We played a few games designed to help everyone learn more about each other, starting us on the path of becoming friends.

The afternoon was devoted to something more closely resembling real teaching. It was a scheduling challenge to teach kids of such a variety of ages, but I'd had a year of experience learning to deal with it. Francesca had helped immensely. We had a variety of tricks up our sleeves to make it work.

Midway through the afternoon, Angel and Scarlett surprised me. I was offering a math lesson to the younger kids; the older kids were with Francesca, working on an English assignment. My classroom door opened, admitting Angel and Scarlett.

"Are we early?" Angel asked, grinning.

"I'd say three months late. Didn't you two graduate? I could have sworn I signed graduation papers for both of you."

They stepped in, and I introduced them to the class. Some of the kids already knew them; some didn't.

"Don't let us interrupt," Scarlett said. "We're here for the run."

"What run?" I asked.

"Yeah," Angel said. "Like you weren't going to take the kids on a half hour run at the end of class."

I had planned that, but the only person I'd told was Elisabeth, as she would need to organize my security detail. I hated the need but had given up fighting it. For now.

I drafted my friends to help teach the last bit of the lecture. Angel and Scarlett tag-teamed, going over the introductory problems I handed them. They were very good, and I didn't need to offer any correction. They helped me hand out a problem set for the kids to do during class, then the three of us helped the kids who asked for help.

The last child completed the assignment and we graded them immediately. There were a few problems they had gotten wrong, so we went over them. By then, the older kids were ready to rejoin us and I asked, "Who wants to go for a run?"

Lara, Elisabeth, Rory and Eric arrived just as the last few kids were completing their shifts. Rory and Eric were already in fur. Elisabeth began to shift, and Lara crossed the room, pulling me into her arms. I let her hold me while everyone finished donning her fur.

"All right," I said, once they were ready. "We stay together." I glared at Scarlett and Angel. "Today we're showing you pack lands." I turned to Lara. "Will you lead us, Alpha?"

"Oh no," she said. "Today I am a student."

I laughed. "Angel and Scarlett, do you think you can keep us at a fox's pace?"

They both chuffed together. Lara and I, still human, led the way from the school. As soon as we were outside, we pulled our clothes off and shifted into fur, our shifts instant. I yipped at Angel, and she and Scarlett led the way from the courtyard, first heading south.

The enforcers were there for Lara and me; they were not there to babysit the students. Instead, that's what the older kids did. With Scarlett and Angel leading, Derek and Jeremy gravitated towards rear flanking positions. Lily, Edward and Catherine were three of my six new students, a senior, junior and sophomore respectively. They knew pack lands, but not as well as the students who lived here. They stayed with the other kids, but seemed to be helping to babysit. Chloe stepped forward to run with Angel and Scarlett, who she knew better than the other kids. Clustered in the middle were the freshmen, Iris, Mason and Lindsey.

They were all good kids.

Angel and Scarlett gave a good tour.

We hosted an informal dinner that evening. All my current students were in attendance along with Lara and Francesca. Although they weren't students anymore, I wasn't ready to let Angel and Scarlett go yet, so they were also invited. I wondered how much longer I'd be able to hang onto them.

Dinner was set up as a buffet. Lara and I waited in the living room, and it was so odd to have Lindsey and Chloe bring us our plates. Angel and Scarlett had always done it. Instead, they carried their own plates, and when Angel sat down next to me, she shoved me more firmly against Lara, making room for Scarlett. Three wolves and a Little Fox on the sofa was a little crowded, but I didn't mind. Lara seemed to enjoy having me pressed against her.

Lindsey handed me my plate, giving me exactly what I had asked for and no more. She turned to walk away, but Scarlett called her over and whispered to her, "When you bring a plate for Michaela, always add something for Lara to take." I looked over and grinned at Scarlett. She knew I would have heard that. I reached across Angel and clasped Scarlett's hand, then brushed tears from my eyes.

"Hey," Angel said quietly. "We aren't going anywhere."

"I know," I said. "But you'll be too busy for me once college starts."

"Are you kidding?" she said. "Haven't you seen us sucking up to the center of power in this pack? We really aren't going anywhere."

I kissed her cheek, reaching past her to brush a finger along Scarlett's cheek as well. Along with Lara and Elisabeth, these were my closest friends. On a good day, I would include Rory, Karen and Eric in the group, but I didn't have quite as close a relationship with them.

"I am so proud of you," Lara said in our room later that night. I was in the closet, hanging our clothes up. Lara was already lying in bed, leaning against the headrest and watching me.

"Because I hang up my pregnant wife's clothes?" I asked.

"The entire pack loves you," she said. "And you love them. I saw those tears tonight."

"I am going to miss Angel and Scarlett," I said quietly.

"No you aren't," she said. "They aren't going anywhere."

"They'll be busy and they'll make new friends at school. They'll want to hang out with kids their own age."

Lara laughed. She actually laughed at me. I glared at her.

"You don't really believe that, do you?" she asked.

"Do not laugh at me!" I told her. "I've never had friends before. You've had them all your life. You don't know what this is like for me."

"I'm not laughing because you are going to miss your friends," she said. "I'm laughing that you think those girls want to be with anyone else. They want to be with each other. And with us. They both worship you."

"Oh please," I said.

"Honey, they were both admitted to Yale."

"I don't know why they even applied," I said. "Another pack's territory. They couldn't have gone."

"Yes, Michaela, they could. The Connecticut and Boston packs allow out of state wolves to attend Yale and Harvard. There are rules to be followed, but it's never been a problem. Elisabeth and I both attended Harvard."

I guess I knew that, but I hadn't really thought about it. I walked towards the bed and stared at my wife. "Why did they stay here?"

"Angel wants to be an enforcer," Lara pointed out.

"I know," I said. "I remember confronting her to convince her she had to go to college first." It had been a fight, and Angel had been mad at us for a week. It had been Lara, Elisabeth, Francesca, Scarlett and I on one side, Angel on the other. She had felt deeply outnumbered. When we were done, and she had acquiesced, I had told her quietly, "Now you know how I feel a lot of the time."

She admitted quietly she knew we were right, but she was still pissed off. I think she was most upset with Scarlett, who she thought should have supported her. But she finally realized that Scarlett was looking out for her best interests, which weren't necessarily the same thing as what Angel thought she had wanted.

"So?" I asked Lara.

"So," Lara said. "She can learn more about being an enforcer while staying here."

"What about Scarlett?"

"There are better schools in architecture, but working part time for Kevin Cassidy will more than make up for what she might get from somewhere else." I hadn't met Kevin Cassidy, but I knew he was a pack member and had his own architectural firm. He'd been encouraging Scarlett.

"So those are reasons they didn't need to go elsewhere. Does that answer why they stayed?"

"No. That was another discussion," Lara said. "The two of them pulled together a meeting with me, Elisabeth, and their parents to talk about school."

I was immediately offended. I was their teacher. I should have been involved.

"Do not get your back up," Lara said. "They started out stating they would attend Madison. They pointed out they were adults and were free to make their own decisions. They were informing us of their decision as a courtesy, not seeking permission."

I had been a bad influence. They were both learning from my independent streak.

"They carefully laid out their arguments for how they could achieve an excellent education here and why they weren't going anywhere else."

"And those reasons were?" I asked coldly.

"First, they want to attend together." I could understand that. "And second, they stated you had given up so much to come live with us and that you shouldn't have to give up two of your closest friends."

I stared at Lara.

"No," I said. "No! They should have gone to the best school they could!" I suddenly felt terribly guilty.

Lara reached for me and pulled me into her arms.

"Listen to me," Lara said. "It's not about the school. It's about the experience. A good architectural school would have helped Scarlett, but she'll get a good education here, and no school will give her as much as she'll get working for Kevin Cassidy."

"Prestige matters to clients," I said.

"She designed our new house in Bayfield," Lara said. "She couldn't possibly find a way to earn more prestige than that. She's not quite nineteen, and the most powerful members in the pack want her involved in their projects."

She didn't have the experience to run solo on those, of course. But she had a great eye and was very clever.

Cleverness she was learning from me.

"Was this a mistake for them?" I asked.

"No. I wouldn't have seen it as the best path, and they took all of us by surprise. But they are right. Scarlett is going to be a brilliant architect. Kevin's biggest concern right now is figuring out how to keep her with his firm when she has enough experience to start her own. He'll probably have to add her name on the front door. And Angel is begging Elisabeth to be on your security detail."

"She's not ready for that," I said.

"Not alone," Lara said. "But if she's there, maybe you won't ditch them all the time. That makes her singularly suited. I would feel better knowing you won't ditch an inexperienced Angel than knowing from time to time you'll lose Elisabeth and Karen."

"You don't play fair," I told her.

"You knew that when you married me," Lara said, agreeing with me.

I cuddled another moment then pushed away from Lara.

"Hey!" she said. "Come back here! I have plans for your body, but I don't want to chase you around."

"You'll have to hold your plans for ten minutes," I said. I disappeared into the closet and pulled clothes back on. When I stepped out, Lara frowned at me.

"You want me to pull those off?" she asked.

"In ten minutes. Don't go away. I promise I'll be right back."

I slipped from the room.

"Michaela!"

"I'll be back, Lara," I said.

"Take someone!"

I sighed, returned to the room, and phoned Elisabeth. "I wish to make a walk across the compound. The alpha is ordering an escort for me." I glared at Lara, who was smiling because I was obeying her order.

"I'll meet you at your front door," Elisabeth said. "Please wait with Karen and Eric." They were Lara's guards for the night and would be downstairs.

Elisabeth only took a couple of minutes. She entered the house announcing herself and looked at me. I crossed to her and we stepped back outside.

"Do you know where Scarlett and Angel are?" I asked her.

"No," she said.

I pulled my phone back out of my pocket and hit the speed dial for Angel. "Where are you?" I asked her.

"My bedroom," she said.

"Alone?"

She laughed but didn't answer.

"You have two minutes to finish whatever you're doing," I said before hanging up.

Francesca's house was a short walk, one of a cluster of houses on the south side of the compound. On the way, Elisabeth asked me, "What's going on?"

I looked over and smiled. "I just needed to say something to Angel and Scarlett. This will be brief. You really didn't need to come."

"Perhaps you don't understand the concept of a protective detail," Elisabeth said.

"We're on pack lands," I said. "I think I am safe here."

"I do too," Elisabeth said.

"Then why are you here?"

"Because our alpha is exceedingly protective of you, and I would rather be over-protective than under-protective."

I sighed but bumped my shoulder against her to let her know I valued her company. "You know," I said. "There isn't a chance in hell I can be taken from pack lands."

It was Elisabeth's turn to sigh. "Do I need to prove you wrong to convince you to accept your guards?"

"It must be boring following me around all the time. It makes me feel guilty, so I stay home at times I would rather be doing something, just so the enforcers can have a break."

She pulled me to a stop, turning me to face her. She studied my face. "Do you really?"

"Of course," I said. "I know I'm a pain in the ass, Elisabeth. I'm trying to make it not entirely suck for all of you."

"Will you listen to me if I tell you something?"

"All right," I agreed.

"We want you to live your life as normally as you can. We want you to be happy. We want you to feel as free as you are able. If any of my enforcers knew you were skipping activities just to give them a break, they would all be sad and maybe a little angry."

"What about your lives?" I asked.

"That is why we rotate."

"This has got to be boring as hell," I said. "Nothing happens unless I decide to give you all a workout."

"Good," Elisabeth said. "That's exactly the way we want it. Boring. Please, Michaela, if there are things you want to do, all we ask is that you work with us. But please don't skip them without talking to us about it."

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes."

"All right," I said. "What if I said I wanted to go to Bayfield Friday but be back in time for pack night on Saturday?"

"I'd suggest two airplanes," Elisabeth replied. "The weather should be good. Will the alpha be coming?"

"I won't go if she can't," I said. "I want to go for a sunset paddle, then spend Saturday paddling and fishing. Will there be room to bring Angel and Scarlett?"

"Yes," she said. She paused. "You should take flying lessons and ask Lara to buy a third airplane."

"I couldn't do that," I said.

"In fact, you should consider learning to fly helicopters," she said. "The pack doesn't have a helicopter pilot."

"Now I know you're kidding."

I turned towards Angel's house and began walking again.

"No. Seriously. We don't have a single helicopter pilot." I glanced over at her and she was smirking.

"That's not the part I thought you were kidding about," I said.

"I'm not kidding about any of it," she said.

"Why do we need another airplane?"

"We are currently limited to eight people. You have two pups coming along soon. That is going to stretch our ability to fly places."

"I like riding in the plane with Lara though."

She thought about it. "Then ask her to buy a six seat airplane. And learn to fly it. In fact, she should buy two of them."

"Would we sell the two we have?"

"No," Elisabeth said. "But maybe Angel would be a good pilot."

"She has enough to learn right now," I said.

"She can learn over winter break," Elisabeth replied. "Please consider it. Do not worry about the money. Ignore that part and decide what you think is otherwise best. Then talk to Lara."

We had arrived at Francesca's house as Elisabeth finished making her request.

"I would like to get a license," I said. "That would be fun. Who would teach me?"

"June."

"All right," I said. "I'll ask Lara." I turned to the front door and knocked. We waited only a moment before Angel opened the door. She didn't look rumpled at all.

"If that's how you look after sex," I said. "You aren't doing it right."

Scarlett was immediately behind her and laughed. "We hadn't gotten that far," she said.

I stepped into the house and looked at the two of them. Francesca and Gia were both hovering around. I apologized for barging in at this late hour. Francesca waved it off. Then I asked if I could be alone with Angel and Scarlett. Francesca invited Elisabeth and Gia into the kitchen for a cup of tea.

Once we were alone, I turned to the two of them. They were standing next to each other, touching casually.

"You didn't have to stay," I told them. "Lara told me all about it."

"We wanted to," Scarlett said. "This is best for both of us. We get to be together. Angel gets to learn to be an enforcer. I get to design houses. We couldn't be happier."

"Maybe Scarlett should have gone to Yale, but Michaela, I really, really want to be an enforcer, and I can't learn that anywhere else."

"Staying together is important to us," Scarlett said.

"Lara gave us keys to the house in Madison," Angel said. "We'll use it when we don't want to drive out here, maybe when there are early classes, finals, or what not. But we want to be here."

"We're not just your friends, Michaela," Scarlett said. "You are also ours. We want to be here."

I took two steps and pulled them into a hug. "Thank you," I said, kissing one cheek, then the other. They kissed me back and hugged me just exactly the way I liked being hugged.

"We know it's been hard for you," Angel said. "You don't know what it means to us that you include us as friends. Everyone in the pack is amazingly jealous, you know."

I laughed. "Sure they are."

Scarlett punched my arm very lightly. "You know, she's not kidding, Michaela."

"Asking to be your intern in Bayfield changed the entire direction of my life," Angel said. "It was the best decision I ever made."

"And you made me brave enough to approach Angel," Scarlett said. "And helped show her it was okay to accept this type of relationship."

"If you and Lara hadn't paved the way," Angel said, "I would never have been open to her." She kissed Scarlett quickly. "I have never been happier, and I can't imagine anywhere I would rather be, or any two people I would rather call my closest friends."

I hugged them both again. "Thank you for being my friends," I told them.

Then I pulled away. "Angel, Elisabeth told me some unexpected things on the walk over. Do you have any interest in learning to fly?"

She immediately looked like a kid at Christmas. Scarlett laughed at her girlfriend's response.

"How about you?" I asked her.

"I want to know enough that I could help her," Scarlett said. "Maybe that means I should get a license, too. I don't know."

"All right," I said. "I can't promise anything. You won't have time during classes, so Elisabeth suggested winter break."

"Classes don't start for another two weeks," Angel pointed out.

I laughed. "I don't think you can get a pilot's license in a week and a half. Oh, and I am going to Bayfield this weekend. I hope you two can come. We'll fly up Friday and return Saturday for pack night."

"We would love to come," Scarlett said after a brief glance at Angel.

"I haven't talked about any of this with Lara," I said. "I'll let you know tomorrow what I find out. Now, give me another hug." We hugged again. I thanked them again, and we exchanged another set of cheek kisses. I called for Elisabeth, and she escorted me home.

"That was longer than ten minutes," Lara said from the bed. She was propped up with her laptop.

"I'm sorry," I replied. "Elisabeth and I had an unexpected conversation, and then I spent more time with Angel and Scarlett than I had planned. I had just wanted to run over and thank them."

"I thought that was it," she said.

I slipped out of my clothes, then took the laptop from Lara and set it aside. I climbed into bed, letting her pull me against her. We kissed deeply, then I pushed away.

"Now what, Little Tease?" she asked me.

"Bayfield."

"This weekend is pack play night," Lara said.

"Friday afternoon until Saturday afternoon. Elisabeth said we can fly up."

"All right," she said. "I would like that."

"I want to spend some of your money," I said.

She looked startled. I almost never tried to spend her money. "All right," she said. "Should I be afraid?"

"Not immediately," I said, laughing. "I want us to buy two tandem kayaks." I put my hand on her stomach. "Our babies will be paddling before they're walking."

She laughed. "We'll need little baby paddles for them," she said.

I grinned. "Let the rest of the pack use the kayaks when we aren't. Please?"

"Oh honey, of course," she said. "That's an excellent idea. Was that all?"

"No," I said. "Um."

"Spit it out."

"Elisabeth thinks I should take flying lessons."

Lara grinned. "So do I."

I brightened. "Really?"

"Yes. I think it's such a good idea that there is a old but well-maintained addition in our hangar."

"What?" I asked with excitement.

"A trainer airplane. The Mooney's are a little too much to use for training." The two airplanes Lara currently owned were built by a company called Mooney.

I frowned. "But I know how to fly them already," I said.

"Trust me on this one, Michaela."

I settled against her. "I trust you, Lara. You're really going to let me learn to fly?"

"You will coordinate with Elisabeth. You will agree to never sneak off to fly. You will accept any restrictions Elisabeth or June give you. Are we agreed?"

"I presume those restrictions are related to my flying and not the rest of my life," I stated firmly.

Lara sighed dramatically. "You can't blame me for trying. Yes, they are related to flying."

I kissed her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she said. "Are you done spending money yet?"

"Um-"

Lara laughed. "What else?"

"Elisabeth thinks Angel should learn to fly as well. And I think if Angel is going to learn, Scarlett should too."

Lara laughed. "Not while they're supposed to be going to school. Otherwise it's an excellent suggestion. What else?"

"How do you know there is more?" I asked.

"I know you, Little Fox," she said. "More importantly, I know your body." She caressed my side. "This is not the body of a relaxed fox waiting for her virile wolf lover to consume her."

"Is that what you're going to do?"

"Oh yes," she said. "Most definitely. The sooner I give in to all your demands, the sooner I can slake my thirst for your body."

"Maybe I should wait until you are more deeply in the throes of passion before I tell you what else Elisabeth thinks."

"I think you should tell me now," she said. "Unless you want me to bring up promises to behave again."

"Elisabeth thinks you should buy more aircraft."

"Oh, does she?"

"She does. She thinks you should buy another airplane. Or maybe two airplanes. She wasn't clear. She mentioned a six-seat airplane. Or maybe two."

"Oh she does, does she?"

I nodded.

"And what do you think, Little Fox?"

"I think that you can't keep our babies in your tummy forever. I think car seats and baby supplies consume a lot of space. I think I want our baby sitters to be able to join us when we go places. I think I want to know we will always have as many enforcers as we need. And I think this all represents a problem to be solved. But I don't know what the proper solution is."

Lara laughed at referring to Angel and Scarlett as our baby sitters.

"If we buy one more airplane," Lara said. "June and Angel can each fly one. You and I can take the third."

"What about when Angel isn't coming?" I asked.

"Then you fly one, I fly one," she said.

"I like flying with you," I told her. "I don't think that is going to change."

Lara considered the problem quietly for a minute.

"Is this spending too much money?" I asked her.

"Not hardly," she said. "You wouldn't be up to piloting a six-seater for a while."

"Are you?"

"It depends on the airplane," she said. "But if I'm not ready now, I can be made ready." She smiled. "I'll get June looking for the right airplane." Lara pulled me into a kiss, then pushed me away.

"Good lord, you still aren't done spending money!"

"It's not me! It's Elisabeth!"

"I am starting to understand why you took more than ten minutes," Lara said, but she was still smiling. "How many more of these are there?"

"Just one."

"What?"

"Elisabeth thinks I would make a good helicopter pilot and points out the pack doesn't have one."

Lara began roaring with laughter.

"Is it that ridiculous an idea?" I asked, a little hurt.

"No, honey, it's not ridiculous at all. She's been trying to get me to agree to take helicopter lessons for years."

"Why haven't you?"

She grinned. "Mostly just to vex my sister."

"Why doesn't she just do it herself?"

"She tried to learn to fly an airplane," Lara said. "She kept getting sick."

"I can't imagine she'll want to ride in a helicopter with me. She hates letting me fly the airplane."

"She wants a heliport across the road," Lara said.

"Make her pay for it."

Lara laughed. "The pack would pay for the heliport. I would have to buy the helicopter. Probably two helicopters."

"One a trainer?"

"Yes."

"That sounds expensive," I said.

"It is," Lara agreed.

"So tell her 'no'."

"I don't think so," Lara said. "There would be advantages."

"I think whether or not I learn to fly helicopters, I should learn to fly airplanes first. We can come back to this next year."

"I agree," Lara said. "Are you done now? May I please ravish your delectable body?"

I lay back against my pillow, putting a wrist against my forehead. "If you must," I sighed.

So she did.

I called June in the morning before school. She laughed and told me she had been expecting the call; Elisabeth had called her last night.

"If she wants it, and the weather holds, I can get Angel her license before her classes start. Ground school begins tonight, seven PM in the school. Three hours a night."

"We're flying up to Bayfield Friday afternoon."

"Good. Your first flight is this afternoon at four."

I laughed. "So soon?"

"Yes." She paused. "Alpha?"

"Enforcer?"

"May I teach Benny to fly?" Benny was a human June was dating. He ran the boathouse in Bayfield where we rented kayaks. He and I had been friends for years. Years ago, Benny had caught me wistfully eyeing the kayaks leaving his boathouse.

"Did you want to try it?" he had asked.

"Oh, I couldn't," I told him. I'd been embarrassed; I very much wanted to try it, but I couldn't afford it.

"Can you swim?" he had asked.

"Yes."

He had studied me for a moment then said, "Look, my employee is sick today. It's quiet right now but it will be busy later. I'll teach you to kayak now if you'll lend a hand later."

We'd been friends every since. He was a kind, decent man.

"You haven't been?" I was surprised.

"They aren't my aircraft," she said. "He flies when we're together, but it's similar to the lessons you have been getting. Not formal."

"I don't know how much of Lara's money you're asking to spend."

"None," she said. "Other than maintenance on the aircraft. I pay the fuel I use but Lara doesn't charge me anything to use the airplanes. It's a very good arrangement for me, and I am careful not to abuse it."

"Lara said she bought a trainer," I pointed out. "Are you going to start taking that to Bayfield?"

"No. It needs to be here for you, Angel and Scarlett. Benny would come down here and learn in that airplane when it isn't being used."

I thought about whether I needed to defer this decision to Lara. I decided I didn't. If I was out of line, I would apologize and offer to pay for it.

"All right," I said. "Yes, of course you should teach him to fly. And invite him to pack play night this weekend. We're doing something that should be human friendly. Will we have enough space in the aircraft?"

She laughed. "Probably not, but he and I can worry about that."

At dinner that night, neither Angel nor Scarlett nor I could sit still. A lot of hugs were thrown around; Angel and Scarlett bussed Lara right on the lips twice, much to my amusement.

"Thank you! Thank you!" was the general sentiment.

Scarlett and I both had received our first formal flight lesson. Angel went on an intensive course designed to complete her license prior to the beginning of classes; Scarlett and I learned at a more leisurely pace, each getting a one-hour lesson daily from June. With the exception of the first night with June, our ground school was done on the computer, and all three of us worked on that in the evenings, studying together most nights.

We had a great deal of fun.

Friday afternoon arrived. It was a beautiful autumn day. We piled into two airplanes, Lara flying one, June the other. I sat in the back seat behind Lara, Elisabeth in front and Rory next to me.

I quietly talked to Elisabeth and told her, "No races. Lara is too competitive, and I don't want her straining herself."

Elisabeth grinned at me and said, "Yes, Alpha."

It was a short visit, only one night, but we made the most of it, staying on the water until sunset, then having dinner at the Rittenhouse. I got everyone out of bed early on Saturday, and we spent the day on the water. We caught a bunch of fish, including two large lake trout. When we got back to the marina, I eyed our catch critically. I had asked Elisabeth to tow me the last mile, which she thought was odd, but I'd cleaned the fish across the top of my kayak on the way back.

"There isn't enough for everyone tonight," I said. "But I want to share."

Lara chuckled. "I thought you might. You caught most of them-"

"I got one of the large trout!" Scarlett interjected.

"So you did," Lara said. "Will you share your trout with the pack tonight?"

She smiled. "Of course. As long as everyone knows which one is mine."

"That won't be hard," Karen said.

"It will be the fishy-tasting one," Elisabeth explained.

"Fish should taste like fish," Angel said in defense of her girlfriend. "Scarlett's fish will be the most flavorful." She turned to me. "Sorry, Michaela, but yours will have the most delicate flavor."

I laughed. "I'm sure you're right." I looked pointedly at my kayak. "I'm sorry I made a mess of my kayak. Thank you for cleaning it."

They both looked at me. "Whom were you talking to?" Angel asked.

"The two of you," I said. "I recall a certain wager lost."

"I think, Alpha," Scarlett said. "You seem to have lost track of the calendar. That wager was for a year."

I started swearing a blue streak. I never would have cleaned the fish across my kayak if I'd remembered; they weren't obligated to clean it anymore. The year had expired. Scarlett and Angel crowed at my discomfort.

"Mark this in your calendars," Lara said with a grin. "The fox out-foxed herself. Michaela, I believe this is a first."

I sighed. "Can I at least get a couple of big strong wolves to carry it for me?"

Still laughing, Angel and Scarlett grabbed my kayak and carried it to the washing station next to Benny's boathouse. That was when I realized the boathouse was closed up. When I looked at June, she said, "He's driving down. We didn't have room in the plane, and he wanted to come. He closed at noon, so he'll be there in time for dinner."

I turned to Lara. "Fix this in the future."

She grinned. "I am fixing it. Get your license."

Rory, Scarlett and Angel walked up to the house to pack the fish for travel. I spent the entire time they were gone sanitizing my abused kayak, grumbling at my own stupidity. I was good-natured about the ribbing I got, especially when the wolves took turns pointing out fish scales I had missed.

"Just helping," Lara said sweetly.

When I was satisfied, Elisabeth and June put my kayak away for me. I watched after them, sliding underneath Lara's arm. "Did you ever think you would see that?"

"What?" she asked.

"Me asking anyone to help do something I was able to do myself." I could have put my kayak away myself. I was certainly strong enough, although my size made it awkward to handle alone. But to a wolf, a kayak weighs nothing, and I had grown increasingly accustomed to letting the wolves around me handle things I used to do myself.

Lara kissed the top of my head.

"You'll stop me if I start to take anyone for granted, won't you?"

"I can't imagine that will ever be a problem, but yes, if you promise not to scream at me when I do it."

"If I scream, you can expect a groveling apology afterwards."

She laughed. "With good make-up sex?"

"Yes," I said. "With totally excellent make-up sex." I looked up at her. "Thank you so much, Lara."

"What did I do now?"

"Everything. But I was thinking of yesterday and today."

"Did you know the enforcers fought over who got to come with us?" she asked.

"Literally?" It was certainly a possibility.

"No," she laughed. "They played poker for the two open places. I understand there was a lot of grumbling that Elisabeth pulled rank."

"Serious grumbling?"

"No, no," Lara said. "Playful grumbling. Elisabeth hates when she has to decide which of us to guard, but when we're together, it's a simple decision for her."

The wolves cleaned the remaining kayaks and put everything away. Scarlett, Angel and Rory appeared in time to help haul their own kayaks up to the house. And soon we were on the ferry to Madeline Island where the airplanes waited for us.

Pack play night had a good attendance that night. We had our normal group from the compound plus the parents of all my students. Vivian and Janice were also there. I hadn't seen Janice in a few weeks, so it was nice to get a chance to talk to her. We had become friends of a sort over the last two years.

Lara got pestered about the game to be played that night. "I don't know," she replied repeatedly. "Ask the fox. It's her game tonight." I refused to answer. Then I noticed Elisabeth taking wagers and I laughed.

"They're betting on what the game is?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "And don't tell me, because I am making a wager as well." She handed me an envelope. "That is my guess. I wrote it before accepting anyone else's. You'll have to judge."

"Is there time for my wager, sister?" Lara asked.

I laughed. I had never seen either of them wager on the big pack wagers, just on the various games we played.

"I will be the final judge," I said. "But the two of you need to narrow it down," I said.

They agreed to that stipulation.

The fish was a hit. There was enough no one had to be shy, and we had fresh venison as well. The enforcers who had been left behind had organized a hunt.

Once dinner was over, we assembled in the courtyard outside the house I shared with Lara and a revolving, endless supply of other wolves. "All right," I said. "Has everyone made their wagers?"

Elisabeth hurriedly collected two more.

"All right," I said. "This is a team game. We're playing a twist on the tennis ball game."

We had been playing this game quite a bit. I didn't think anyone was tired of it yet, but by itself it wouldn't have been worth the build up the night had received. I could tell who thought they had won the wager, but I could also tell they were disappointed I didn't have something more clever.

"The teams will be myself as captain of team one and Lara as captain of team two. My team will be the humans here plus anyone twenty years old or younger. Lara gets everyone else. My team will hide our tennis balls."

I explained the basic rules for the benefit of those who didn't know. My team members would have ten minutes to each hide a tennis ball somewhere in the woods. Lara's team would have a half hour to find them. With smaller numbers we used half that time, but I wanted more time for a reason.

"Now, here are a few twists. We are hiding two tennis balls each, not just one. However, because there are a few more members on your team, Lara, I will hide four, and mine are medium favors, not minor favors. Each of the adults thus may find up to two tennis balls each, but you are obligated to come back here and record the first one before searching for the second one."

I finished the rules then turned to Lara. "Do you accept my game, Alpha?"

She looked around to the other adults. "We do."

"Now, to make it extra juicy, if either team is completely skunked, each member owes a major favor as passed out by the opposing team captain."

Lara laughed and agreed immediately.

"Lara, I have a personal wager with you. If your team finds fewer than half our tennis balls, you owe me a major favor. If you find more than half, I owe you a major favor."

She eyed me dubiously. "What do you have up your sleeve, little fox?"

I lifted my sleeves from my wrists, exposing my sheathed knives. That earned me chuckles.

She continued to study me. "I retract my last agreement," she said quietly.

The wolves drew immediately silent.

"If you skunk us, we owe medium favors, not major favors," Lara counter-proposed.

"All right," I agreed.

"As for this personal wager, did you have something in particular in mind you wanted for your favor?"

"Not a thing," I said. "I am just trying to sweeten the pot."

"All right." She closed the distance and spoke quietly in my ear. "If we find more than half, then I want your complete obedience on a future issue of my choice, and if three or four of your tennis balls are found, I want five completely accepted apologies." Sometimes it was hard to forgive Lara, but if she used one of the apology notes, I was obligated to forgive her on the spot, to the best of my ability. It was basically a get out of jail free card. From past experience, I knew Lara would end up using them.

"All right," I said. "But I don't know what I want that compares. You already give me anything I ask you for, but I almost never ask."

She smiled. "Will you let me surprise you with something?"

"You have something in mind?"

She nodded.

"All right," I said. "Whatever you have in mind to balance the obedience, and ten backrubs to balance the apologies."

She laughed. "Ten?"

"Apologies are worth more than a backrub," I said.

She laughed. "Agreed."

We kissed quickly then broke our huddle.

"Last two rules," I announced. "We will give the three humans a head start. And the finders will wait in the barracks while my team plans our strategy."

Lara laughed. "All right."

"We'll only need a few minutes," I said. I gave Angel the keys to my car and told her to retrieve the large gym bag from the back. She ran over, grabbed it and brought it back. I opened it up. It was filled with fresh cans of tennis balls. I passed them out complete with markers, telling everyone on my team to write down their names carefully. "Show them to the alpha when you're done," I said.

It took a minute or two. Lara checked that everyone had signed in permanent marker. I signed four balls for myself. There were a bunch of extra tennis balls left over.

"All right," I said. "Lara, take your team into the barracks and no peeking. We're going to discuss our strategy and then the kids will start to shift. I am sending the humans into the woods when the kids start shifting, and we will get you before they are done."

Lara collected her team and they all headed to the barracks. I clustered all the kids around me plus Michele Lassister, Benny, and Scarlett's father, Nick.

"All right," I said. "You guys can hide your own tennis balls however you want, or you can trust me."

"Trust you," they all said.

"All right. Here's what we're going to do..."

They were all laughing by the time I got done explaining. The kids all started shifting. I kept Angel and Scarlett in human form. I sent the humans into the woods carrying the remaining, unlabeled tennis balls still in the gym bag. "Stay together, we'll catch up with you."

Once the humans were out of sight, I sent Angel to get the adults. "Don't answer any questions," I warned her. It was a good thing, because Lara and Elisabeth were after her to find out why she wasn't shifting.

As soon as the last child had shifted, I told them to each pick up their two tennis balls. That was a challenge for the younger kids, but they managed with a little help. I collected my four and told Lara, "Howl our start please."

She immediately howled, and the kids and I all tore into the woods, heading straight for the humans. It took a minute to catch up with them. They were waiting in a small clearing for us.

I hadn't shifted to fox yet; I couldn't have carried all my tennis balls if I had. I told the wolves, "Everyone drop your tennis balls here then grab fresh, unmarked ones and go hide them. Hide them good." I kept Angel and Scarlett with me. In the gym bag were a couple of net sacks, and we shoved all the balls into them.

"All right," I told the humans. "Bring those along. Come on." I shifted to fox and ran to the first hiding spot. Benny handed me a length of cord, then Angel and Scarlett picked me up and threw me straight up as hard as they could. I shifted to human as soon as I was out of their hands.

Two adult wolves can throw a thirty pound fox exceedingly high, and I carried every bit of that momentum with me when I shifted. Don't ask me to explain the physics; it doesn't work out. I climbed higher as a human then dropped the cord, holding onto one end. Benny tied one of the sacks of tennis balls to it and I pulled it up after me, hiding it high in the tree. I dropped out of the tree as quickly as I could, shifting to fox at the end. Scarlett and Angel caught me and set me down exactly where they had picked me up. We took a left turn and ran to the next tree I had picked out. We repeated everything, and suddenly all our tennis balls were hidden. "Michele with me," I said. "Bring however many balls you can carry. The rest of you hide the rest of these, I don't care how carefully, just spread them around."

We tore off in different directions.

I left a semi-obvious trail to a tree, accepting a tennis ball from Michele. I stashed it into a tree. I did that several more times, and then we were nearly out of time. Michele and I tossed the last couple of balls into the woods, not caring too much where they ended. We headed for the compound together.

Everyone made it back to the compound in the nick of time.

I shifted into human and wrapped a blanket around myself. Michele had my clothes and laid them on the porch for me; I would dress later, after our games were over. Lara knew I had something fishy going on, and she continued to study me. I smiled sweetly at her.

Benny had rolled up the gym bag and shoved it under his shirt. No one noticed. I sent Angel inside for paper and pen.

"All right," I said. "Is your team ready, Lara?"

"We are," she said. She, Elisabeth, Serena and Karen had remained human. I wasn't surprised to see Lara still on two feet, but I would have expected the rest to shift. They didn't do an immediate shift the way Lara and I could.

"Lily!" I said. "Howl the start for the searchers, please."

Lily raised her wolf nose to the sky and howled. The adults took off for the woods, four of them remaining human.

I set the kids to playing games around the courtyard. Scarlett and Angel organized it, each forming a team, and it sounded like they made some private wagers, but they spoke in shorthand with each other, and I didn't understand what they said. They both grinned at me when they caught me watching them.

It wasn't long before the adults began returning to the courtyard carrying tennis balls. Eric was first. I took the ball, looked at it, then held it up. "Where did you get this?" I said, showing it to him. "There's no name. All our tennis balls have names." I tossed it into the grass.

Eric huffed at me.

That went on for several minutes, with wolves bringing me unmarked tennis balls. We had spread a lot of them around; I wondered if they would find all of them. I listened to Lara, Elisabeth, Karen and Serena; they were the only real threat.

The wolves stopped bringing me the unmarked balls. Instead, they started bringing them to Lara. After she'd received several, I heard her yell, "Michaela!"

I started chuckling.

"You cheat!" she yelled.

I didn't bother answering her.

They spent fifteen minutes finding only the unmarked tennis balls, and none of them the ones I had hidden in trees. Finally I heard Lara shift into wolf. She called all the wolves to her, and I listened as she organized a search for wherever I had hidden the balls. The wolves in fur sniffed for my trail; the human wolves began climbing trees.

They eventually found the unmarked balls I had hidden. After each one, Lara barked her displeasure.

They never found the two caches of marked balls. Lara herded the now rather frustrated wolves to the compound and shifted to human. "What did you do, Little Fox?" she asked me before she even wrapped herself in a blanket.

I grinned at her. "I do believe you have been skunked, Alpha," I told her.

"Not until you come back with all those tennis balls, and they need to have been hidden where an adult wolf could find them. And that is not in a tree."

"I don't recall anything about trees being off limits. And I am pretty sure all of you are capable of climbing a tree as a human."

"Not as wolves."

"Thirty minutes, Lara. There isn't a one of you that couldn't have picked a tree, shifted human, climbed the tree, and come back with a tennis ball."

My team was chuckling. Lara looked unhappy.

"You need to get back with the tennis balls," she said. "And I am going with you."

"All right," I said. "Let's go."

I shifted to fox and set off into the woods. When we got to the first tree, I waited for Angel and Scarlett to catch up. As soon as Lara was watching, they picked me up and tossed me high enough to catch the first branch, ten feet off the ground.

"Son of a bitch!" Lara said after shifting to human, staring up at me. I clambered up the tree, found the first cache, and dropped them down. Tennis balls got passed out to their owners, who ran back to the compound and dropped them at Elisabeth's feet. I climbed back down from the tree, shifted to fox, ran to the next tree, and repeated everything.

We made it back into the clearing with plenty of time, Lara huffing at me continuously. I pranced the entire way back.

The kids were all ecstatic. Once we were all assembled, Lara and I shifted to human again and I said, "Alpha, did we win fairly?"

She grumbled. "Yes," she said. "Damned fox."

I laughed. "Want a rematch, no unusually foxy tricks?"

She laughed. "Yes."

"One ball each." I counted. There were more adults than kids. "I'll hide enough of my tennis balls so everyone at least has a chance of finding one."

"No trees," Lara demanded.

"All right, but I want a small head start if I'm hiding five tennis balls. Give me the time it takes Scarlett and Angel to shift."

"Go," she said. "You two shift, and be quick about it."

I grabbed all five of my tennis balls, remaining human, and dashed into the woods. I was faster in fur, but not fast enough that I wanted to run back and forth to the compound. I stuffed the first two balls underneath fallen logs, barely slowing down as I ran past them. The third one I left as a puzzle. I left it in a culvert too small for an adult wolf to climb through. Lara was going to cry foul, and I was going to get an extra wager from her for it.

I made sure my name was clear.

I dashed towards the pond after that. Lara howled, and I heard the kids all dash into the woods to hide their tennis balls. I dived into the pond, swam to the bottom, and shoved my tennis ball into a crack between a couple of rocks. I made sure it was going to stay there then climbed out of the water, shifted to fox, and ran into the woods. I used all my fox tricks to confuse my trail, stashed my last tennis ball in the partially-eroded root system of a tree right on the edge of the stream, then set as many other false trails as I could, ending each of them near a good hiding place for a tennis ball. I even found a few of the unmarked tennis balls and hid them before dashing back to the compound, arriving in the nick of time.

Everyone was back. We sent the adult wolves into the woods while the kids played more games.

Benny and Nick got included in the new game, and they were soon both laughing. Michele sat next to me. "I am going to owe a favor," she said. "But this was fun."

"I'll owe one or two," I said. "But not five." I chuckled. "Lara is going to be angry with me."

"Did you cheat?"

"I never cheat," I said. "But she is going to accuse me of it." I listened. "Right about now."

I'd been following Lara with my ears. She found the ball I had stashed in the culvert. She spent a minute trying to reach it, first as a wolf, then a human. But it was ten feet down that culvert, and no way was she going to fit. As a human, I wouldn't have fit, and only the youngest wolves would have been able to run through.

Lara yelled, "Michaela!"

I grinned. "Find the next one, Lara!" I yelled back. It was close enough, she should have heard me.

Serena found one of my tennis balls. I recorded it and told her, "You'll need to tell me where you found it." She chuffed then joined the game the kids were playing.

Elisabeth found the one I had stashed in the root system near the stream.

All told, the adults found most of the tennis balls we had hidden. Three of mine were found, but only two retrieved. Lara eventually returned to the compound with Angel's tennis ball, dropping it at my feet in disgust. She shifted to human and said, "You cheated."

"Did not," I said, grinning. "Wager?"

"You are enjoying this too much," she said. "What do you want?"

"Earrings," I said.

"You want me to buy you earrings?"

"No. If I can prove I didn't cheat, you will get your ears pierced."

Michele started laughing but shut up when Lara glared at her.

"If I cheated, I'll grant all the favors I could have lost plus let you give my ears additional piercings."

"I'm not exactly a pierced ear kind of wolf," she said.

"Chicken," I said.

Michele snorted, then covered her hands with her mouth.

"No," Lara said.

"If I cheated, I'll also let you paddle my bottom for cheating."

"If you cheated, I'll be paddling your bottom anyway."

"Do you think I cheated, Lara?"

"I know you did. But I don't wager when I'm not willing to lose."

"You may pick my earrings to be as sparkly as you want," I told her. "And I'll wear them when we're playing."

"Now you're just getting cocky," Lara complained.

"Do you want to pierce my ears or not?" I asked her.

"Of course I do," she said. "But I'm not willing to let you pierce mine."

"All right," I said. I turned back to Michele. "Surely we're past time?"

"Two more minutes," she said.

"It's too bad my wife is willing to accuse me of cheating but isn't willing to put her ears where her big mouth is," I said.

"Michaela," Lara said with a half a growl.

I ignored Lara after that. She was annoyed with me. Michele called time, and Lara howled for us. While the wolves were collecting, I grabbed Lara's blanket, pulled her to me with it, and kissed her softly. "I didn't cheat," I said into her ear. "Accept my wager or offer an alternative." I paused. "Or maybe I did cheat, and this is my way of giving you something I know you want."

"Michaela," she said in another warning.

"Fine," I said. "I even promise I will never heal the holes, but I reserve the right to remove the earrings for game nights or during times I have a legitimate reason to feel they may endanger my safety. I will wear any earrings you pick, as long as they won't catch on things when I'm running."

"No."

"Accept the, and I'll wear the earrings on game nights," I offered.

She pulled away, searching my face.

"Why?" she asked. "Why this wager?"

"I'll be right back," I said. I ran into the house, collected a small box from my underwear drawer, and ran back downstairs. I handed it to her, and she opened it.

Nestled inside were two little earrings. I'd had them custom made using a photo of myself as the design. They showed a fox in profile. "This is what I want you to wear, at least sometimes," I said. "Not all the time, just sometimes."

She stared at them for a minute. The last of the wolves arrived, but the two of us ignored them. Elisabeth wandered past, nuzzling both of us to ask what the delay was.

"You didn't cheat, did you?" Lara said.

"I am about eighty percent sure Angel can retrieve my ball from the culvert. I am positive no one would ever find one of my balls, and I will accept your judgment on it when I show you where it is."

"Did you buy these for yourself?"

"I had them made for you."

She stared into my eyes.

"I'd get you to accept a piercing sooner or later. Even if it took a major favor."

"I'll accept your wager," she said, her voice was filled with warmth.

"I'll need extra time to retrieve three balls," I said. "Especially if I have to show you how to get to one of them."

She nodded. We sent the kids out to retrieve their balls, leaving Elisabeth in charge. I showed Lara my first ball, the one underneath one of the downed trees. I shifted to human to pull it out.

"Michaela," she said.

"Fine," I said. I shoved it back. "Serena found one of mine this way, you should be able to dig that one out."

She shifted back to wolf, dug where I had buried it, and soon had my ball in her mouth. "Carry that one," I told her, shifting to fox. I led her to the pond and shifted human again. I dived in without delay, found my ball after a minute, and came to the surface.

I climbed out of the water and told her, "That's the one I will accept your judgment on." I described where it was, shifted to fox, and picked up my ball, running to the compound. Lara and I dropped off two of my tennis balls. I tagged Angel, and the three of us ran to the culvert.

I again shifted back to human. "Angel," I said. "I need you to retrieve that ball for me." She took one look and whined at me.

"Come here," I told her. I ran to a recently downed tree. I looked over the branches and told her, "Bite most of the extra branches off this branch, leave it straight with some leaves on the end, then break it off and bring it with you."

Lara began huffing indignantly. Angel chuffed, took a minute to prepare the branch, then carried it proudly to the culvert. It took her several minutes, but she managed to fish my ball out from the middle of the culvert, finally picking it up and showing it to Lara. Lara huffed, licked both of us, and led the way back to the compound.

We recorded the winnings and I proposed one more game. "A hunt," I said. "Two new teams. One team will go north, one will go west. First to bring down a deer wins. Alpha to pick the teams. Whatever team I am on will go west, and we'll find our deer my way."

Lara shifted human and said, "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I've always wondered whether my way of finding them was dramatically slower than a wolf's."

"You don't think it's faster?" she asked.

"No."

"Is there a wager?"

"Pride."

"All right," she said. "The alphas are heading west. Who thinks the wolf hunting method is fastest? Stand over there." She pointed to a spot on the ground. About two thirds of the wolves collected there.

"Who thinks the fox is fastest?" No one joined us.

"The rest of you are undecided?" she asked. They all chuffed.

Lara turned to me. "The teams won't be even," she said.

"Pick enough to help you take it down," I said. "Who is leading the other team?"

Karen was standing with the wolves who thought the wolf method was faster. Elisabeth was undecided.

"Karen, you're leading that team," Lara said. Karen chuffed. "Elisabeth, do you mind joining us?"

Elisabeth padded over. Lara looked over the rest. "Scarlett and Angel, do you want to join us?" They chuffed and joined us.

I looked at the rest. None of them were known for being particularly quiet. "Lara, if you are satisfied we're safe with this group, send the rest to hunt the wolf way."

"Serena, you're protecting the fox," Lara said. Serena left the wolf group and padded over to us.

"I'm sorry," I told her. She bumped me.

I talked to Karen. "You have a lot more wolves than I do. I want to see which method is faster, but if you all fan out, I won't learn anything."

She chuffed and gave me a quick lick.

I turned to the humans. "Sorry," I said.

Benny laughed. "It's okay. We can make a bonfire."

I smiled. "Let's go," I said. I shifted to fur, dropping my blanket, and I led the way west. We ran all out for a mile and a half before I went into hunting mode, slowing us down. As we neared the edge of pack territory, I turned us north and heard three deer shortly after. I shifted to human. "Three," I said. "Nearly a mile north." I shifted back to fox and led us to a point downwind. The wolves with me all began chuffing as soon as they caught the scent.

I shifted back to fox. "Three hundred yards," I said. "Your hunt, Lara. But I think it might be a mother and two yearlings. I don't think we should take them. Should I go look?"

She chuffed.

"Wait here," I said. I shifted to fox and ran for the deer as quietly as I could. Deer weren't afraid of a fox, so they ignored me. I was right; it was a mother and two yearlings. I ran back to the wolves, shifted human, panting for breath.

"I was right," I said. "We found ours first, but I don't want to take these down. Lara?"

She chuffed.

"Let's see if we can find another one." I shifted back to fox and headed north.

It took another ten minutes before I heard a single deer. I was just setting us up when we heard a distant howl. I immediately shifted human and turned to Lara. "I have one, it would take us ten minutes. Your call."

She chuffed and turned north, signaling her intent. I stepped in front and set us up for the hunt. I led them to within two hundred yards of the deer then shifted again, quietly saying, "It sounds bigger. Your hunt, Lara."

She dispersed her wolves, Serena watching over me. The last stage of the hunt took another five minutes.

Things didn't go exactly as intended. Normally when I find the deer, we scare the deer towards one of the other wolves. But this one took a turn, barely eluding Lara, and suddenly all the wolves were behind the deer.

It ran straight for Serena and me.

I immediately ran behind a tree. Serena took a protective stance in front of me, and when the deer nearly ran us down, she leapt, knocking the deer well away from my position before taking it down. She snapped its neck then stood over it and howled a victory.

I shifted to human and approached Serena and the deer carefully, wrapping my arms around her and whispering, "Thank you."

She chuffed and gave me a lick.

The wolves congregated on us. Lara was huffing her displeasure but I said, "Knock it off. Serena kept it well clear of me, and I was completely safe. Serena's kill. Serena, will you share with the pack?"

She chuffed happily.

We dragged our kill back to the compound. Karen's group had dressed theirs out and shared out some of it before dragging it to the compound as well. They got there ahead of us, and most of them were back to human by the time we arrived.

"We were much faster," Karen said.

I shifted human and said, "Not exactly." I grabbed a blanket. "This is the fourth deer we found."

"No way!" Karen said.

Lara shifted and laughed. "The fox doesn't like it when we kill a mother with yearlings."

Karen laughed. "Tie?"

"Tie," I declared. "Who wants one more game?"

Everyone wanted one more game.

"This is a game of freeze tag coupled with catch the fox," I said. "All of you against me."

Lara laughed. "This will be a short game."

"Anyone I tag with paw, teeth or tongue is frozen in place for a slow count to sixty," I said. "I have to get at least five feet away from you for the freeze to stick, so I can't freeze you to prevent you catching me. I am allowed to use frozen people as obstacles. Any wolf who bumps someone frozen becomes frozen with them. Once you unfreeze, you must run up onto the porch before you may chase me again."

Lara began laughing.

"Anyone I tag a second time is frozen for two minutes. Third tag is three minutes, etc."

"This sounds like a dangerous game," Lara said. "I'm not sure this is a good idea."

"Game freezes if I start yipping," I said. "If I continue to yip or whine, everyone back off and I forfeit. But try not to hurt me. I might yip a couple of times if I get tripped, and there is a five second delay before I can tag anyone from my last yip."

"All right," Lara said. "Everyone be careful."

"I win if I can get you all frozen."

Lara began laughing. "Is there a wager?"

"I won't complain about my security detail for at least six months," I said.

Everyone became quiet.

"What do you want if you win?" Lara asked.

"I really didn't like cleaning my kayak today," I said. "Are we agreed I have a distinct disadvantage? I want a year of no cleaning."

"The pack will handle all your cleaning duties for a year if you win," Lara said. "But no intentional messes."

"Last rule," I said. "I want five seconds to tag people at the beginning. I need a little advantage or this will be over immediately."

Lara laughed. "Elisabeth and I are excluded from that tagging."

"All right, but you two stay on the porch during that part," I said.

"All right. Anyone who wants to play as a wolf, start shifting."

About half of them started shifting. Lara and I sat down on the edge of the porch. She was chuckling.

"You're going to lose," she said.

"Maybe," I said. "Possibly almost immediately."

"That will be disappointing, I think," Lara said. "Can you make it a good game?"

"I have no idea, but I'm going to try. But you better play to win, Lara."

"Elisabeth and I will hold back at the very beginning," she said. "If you get more than half of them frozen, we'll get serious. Otherwise we're just going to try to keep you corralled for the first minute or two. But if you come close to us, we will try to catch you. After that, we'll get serious."

I leaned against her.

The wolves finished their shifts.

"All right, you guys," I said. "Spread out a little at the beginning. Give a fox a chance. Action starts when I shift to fur."

"I'll count out your five seconds," Lara said. "Everyone should try to avoid getting tagged for that five seconds."

My heart started pounding in anticipation. I whispered into Lara's ear, "If you win, I'll let you do anything you want to me later."

She grinned. "And if you win, I'll do anything you ask me to do."

I kissed her quickly, jumped from the porch, and immediately shifted to fox.

"Five!" Lara said.

I tagged Rory. The wolves all tried to get away from me. Rory froze in place. He should have chased after me, trying to stay close.

"Four! Three!"

I got three more of them before Lara yelled, "Zero! Get her!"

The first thirty seconds were chaotic. Lara and Elisabeth stayed on the porch, Elisabeth in fur, Lara remaining human. She tried directing people, but they weren't listening to her.

I managed to tag several more, and the more I tagged, the easier it became. Angel almost caught me, but I dashed under Rory, and she ran right into him.

"You're frozen, Angel," Lara yelled down to her.

Then Lara and Elisabeth came down the steps, Elisabeth catching me by surprise. She actually managed to grab me, but I bit her paw, squirmed away, and she chased after me. It took me several seconds before I got a lucky turn and she fell behind. She huffed, freezing in that position. Lara laughed.

"Good game, Fox," she said. "Everyone back off, make her work to tag you. Run off the time on the ones who are frozen."

I huffed my displeasure. I needed them to bump into each other.

I made a rush for Alan, growling angrily at him, and suddenly Serena jumped in front of him, protecting her offspring from the crazed fox. I chuffed and tagged her, dancing away. She chuffed back at me, amused at my trick.

Rory's timer ran off and he ran up on the porch. "You too, Angel, your timer expired with Rory's," Lara yelled.

I followed after them to the porch and they both leapt after me together. I ducked underneath, tumbling, but managed to tag Angel. I missed Rory on the first try then had to duck away from Kaylee and Thomas, working together. I tapped them both and ran, Rory on my heels.

"That was your first tag, Angel," Lara called out. "Only one minute."

I huffed, but I wasn't in a position to argue with Lara.

I feinted to Lara and she leapt at me. She got her hands on me, but I shifted to human, surprising her, then back to fox, batting her with a paw. Rory tripped over her, and I tagged him.

Lara laughed. "One minute for me, two for Rory."

The game shifted back and forth. I got knocked over a lot, yipping more than once, but I managed to tag a lot of people, too. There were a lot of close calls, and I got cornered against the porch once, finding freedom only when Kaylee and Thomas both tried to leap on me. I ducked under both of them, tagged them, and managed to use their surprise to break free.

When too many people were frozen, Lara ordered everyone to burn up the time. I thought that was a good strategy, one that had a decent chance of winning in the end. It went from me getting chased to me cautiously chasing people. The freeze times slowly grew, which meant I slowly was able to keep more and more of them frozen.

The game almost ended when I got squished between Lily and Catherine, two of my new students. Two ribs cracked. I managed to tag them at the same time, but tumbled away, yipping. Everyone froze.

I immediately stopped yipping, climbed to my feet, and assessed.

"Are you all right?" Lara asked.

I took a breath, feeling the ribs realign, and healed them. Everyone would have heard it. I shifted to human. "I would like to continue playing, but your call, Alpha."

"Are you all right?"

"I am now. I will call that a forfeit if you think it should be, but I would rather keep playing."

"As soon as you are in fur," Lara said. "We can all move. You take no more than two steps as human."

I nodded, feinted directly towards her, then took one real step to the left and shifted to fox, Lara on my tail.

I felt bad for Rory. I started targeting him plus anyone else who had been frozen out. He spent most of the game frozen. So did several others. Most of the wolves were up to three minute freezes. I had only gotten Lara once, although she'd been frozen by contact with frozen wolves a few times.

Then I managed to get Elisabeth to run into Rory, with both Serena and Karen running into a suddenly-frozen Elisabeth. I chuffed and barked happily.

"Shit," Lara said. And she shifted to fur.

I thought that was a mistake. She was more valuable as their general.

In the end, it was Scarlett who caught me, leaping from the porch as I ran past. There were only four wolves unfrozen at the time, Lara one of them. Scarlett landed right on top of me, her paws landing on the ground to either side of me. She bumped me, wrapping both front and rear paws around my body, and together we rolled, Scarlett protecting me with her own body. I tried to squirm away, but she rolled us both over with her on top, plopped down heavily, pinning me with her weight, and wrapped her jaws over my throat, pinning me firmly into place. I squirmed for another moment, but she closed her mouth until I whimpered.

Then I shifted human underneath her, laughing. She had to release my throat to avoid crushing it, but she was very gentle. "Don't climb off me," I said. "I'm a little exposed."

She chuffed and covered me a little more carefully, just like Lara normally did. Lara huffed, but she didn't growl.

"Your team wins," I said. "Lara, I believe you owe a favor to Scarlett."

Scarlett chuffed happily. Lara chuffed once, walking over and nudging Scarlett off of me.

"You can climb off once I am fox," I told Scarlett. She chuffed and I shifted back to fur. Scarlett stayed there for a moment, then she took my throat again.

Lara began to growl at her. Scarlett released my throat and looked at her, chuffing, but she didn't climb off of me.

I huffed and Lara growled louder.

Still, Scarlett didn't move.

I shifted back to human and Scarlett chuffed happily, adjusted her position for my modesty, and licked my face once.

"She's serious, Scarlett," I said. "Get off of me once I shift."

She chuffed. I shifted back to fur. Scarlett paused for a moment then climbed off of me. Lara bumped her away then took my throat very, very slowly, settling herself full into place above me. She held me pinned like that for a long time, and I could tell from her breathing she was unhappy.

I shifted back to human again. "Lara," I said quietly. "It's okay. I am yours. No one else's. She knows that. I don't know what that was about, but she wasn't trying to claim me. You know that. Take me to bed and allow me to satisfy your every need."

She chuffed but didn't move.

"Lara, please," I said. "I am yours. Please."

Lara took my throat again, squeezing until I whimpered. She settled her weight over me and chuffed. I shifted to fur. She clutched my throat, making me whimper, then held me pinned as she rose off of me. Once she released me, I climbed to my feet, chuffed at her and licked her face, and then turned to Scarlett. I was going to give her a quick lick, too, but Lara interposed herself. I decided not to push it.

I turned to the porch, shifted human, and wrapped a blanket around me.

"Good game?" I asked.

I got a round of chuffs. Lara shifted to human as well, not bothering with a blanket, and pulled me into her arms.

"Good night, everyone," I said. "See you tomorrow. Someone take care of the deer."

Then Lara picked me up and threw me over her shoulder. I giggled and didn't complain. I knew she was just showing more dominance, and I didn't mind.

She carried me to our bedroom, threw me onto the bed, and pointed at me. "Do not move."

"May I breath?" I asked.

She growled.

"Please, honey," I said. "I think I need to breath. And maybe pant."

She stalked around the room, watching me.

"What was that about?" she asked.

"I have no idea. But let me handle it."

"No. I will be talking to her. She has her own mate."

"Lara," I said. "I am in your bed. I am waiting for you. I don't know what it was about, but I will find out. Please, Alpha. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you," she said. "That isn't the point."

"Don't you trust Scarlett?"

She didn't answer that.

"Please, Lara," I said. "Come let me feel our babies, then do delicious things to me."

That got through. She stalked to the bed, crawling up my body from my feet, staring into my eyes the entire time. She paused halfway up, smelling my ardor. Her gaze was setting my body on fire for her.

She smiled before settling her weight over me, kissing me tenderly. I squirmed under her until I was comfortable. She rested much of her weight on her elbows, but I was pinned firmly to the bed.

"Will you allow me to feel our babies?" I asked her when she finally released my mouth.

"Later," she said. Her voice was deep and I could hear her hunger.

I closed my eyes, drowning in my love for her. "You overwhelm me, you know," I told her. "Did you like my game?"

She settled her weight more fully onto me, our breasts touching, and she lowered her lips to my neck, kissing softly. "Very much," she said. "I really started to worry you were going to win."

"Oh that's nice," I said as she nuzzled me. "Were you so afraid of cleaning my kayak?"

She laughed gently. "No, Little Fox. I just didn't know what it would do to your ego."

I wrapped my arms around her, caressing her back. "I had fun," I said. "It was fun to lose. It would have been fun to win. I won't offer that game again, but I will always say yes if you do."

She leaned away from me. I opened my eyes to see her searching my face. "Why won't you offer it? Everyone had fun."

"I worry I make too many fox games," I said. "You are wolves, and I am only one member. We should play wolf games most of the time."

"The tennis ball game came from the Boulder wolves," she said.

"And I put a fox spin on it. Both games. Next time I will try to play like a wolf."

"No," she said. "You should play to win."

I grinned. "Imagine how frustrated you will be if I play like a wolf and still win."

She laughed. "Not as frustrated as I intend to make you." She shifted her body and lowered her mouth to my nipples. They weren't as sensitive as when I first got them pierced, but she knew exactly how to make me gasp and squirm, and it only took a few moments before I was doing both.

"You said you would allow me to do whatever I wanted," she said when I begged her to stop. "And you don't want me to stop."

I couldn't stop squirming. She had one hand tugging on the piercing through my left nipple while my right was receiving attention from her tongue, lips and teeth. I tried clasping for her, but she captured my hands and held them captive, then went back to what she was doing, my hands trapped in one of hers, my nipples enflamed, and one leg thrown over me trapping the rest of me.

She'd captured my heart long ago, and she had all of me.

"Tell me what you want," she said, taking a moment to talk.

"I want you to take me," I said. "However you want. Take me, Lara. Please."

"However I want?"

"Yes."

She pulled away and rolled me over onto my stomach. I squeaked in surprise. She captured my hands again and held me stretched out, one hand holding my hands above my head while her other arm reached under my waist and pulled me onto my knees, my chest and face buried in the bed. Once I was steady, her hand began to play with my nipples again, tugging on the piercing.

I felt deeply vulnerable like this and loved every moment.

"I want to use two hands," she rumbled to me. "You may clasp the headboard or I will tie them there."

"You want to tie me?" I asked. We hadn't done that before.

"Would you like that?" she asked.

"Yes," I said.

I heard the smile. She took my hands and made me clasp the headboard, my arms spread. "If you move, I will punish you."

"How?"

"You won't like it," she said. "I am serious, Little Fox. Do not move your hands."

"Tie them."

"I am going to," she said. "Do not move."

And she left me, stepping into the closet. I stayed where I was, my hands clutching the headboard. When she returned, she carried scarves. "You might be able to tear these," she said. "Please don't. If you do, then next time I am in the mood for this, I will use something less pleasant."

Then she used one scarf each to tie my hands to the headboard. I thought perhaps I could get away, but I wasn't sure. She tested the bonds, making sure I couldn't clasp one wrist with the other hand, and chuckled.

"I will untie you when I am satisfied," she said. "Satisfied you know your place."

"My place is with you."

She swatted my bottom, and I yelped, but it hadn't been a hard swat. She had surprised me.

"Under me," she said. "And under no one else."

"Oh Lara," I said.

Then she began touching me, her hands roaming over my sides, reaching underneath me to tug on the piercings, her fingers brushing across the sensitive nipples. I closed my eyes and pressed my body into her hands.

She knelt then moved behind me, using her body to spread my legs widely while I knelt, my ass in the air and my face and chest down. She reached between my legs, her fingers sliding through my soaking wet slit. I moaned, and my brain shut down. All I could do was feel.

She slid two fingers inside of me, and I thrust my crotch onto her hand. She laughed and withdrew, then leaned over me, clasped my hair to hold my head still, and thrust her wet fingers into my mouth. I sucked my taste from her fingers.

"My fox," she told me.

"Yes, your fox," I agreed.

She kissed the back of my neck, then her hand was between my legs again, teasing my clit this time before sliding inside me. She used two fingers, then three, and three was almost too much. Lara adjusted her hold, teasing my clitoris some more. I continued to squirm, trying to take her into me. She slipped her thumb inside, teasing me badly. Her hand, now wet with my musk, withdrew. She ran her fingertips down between my labia then around until they were tapping at my anus. Her free hand slid down under my belly to slip inside me. She held me like that, her hand still, and I began to quiver with need.

"Yours," I said. "Take me, Lara."

"I am going to," she said. She tapped my anus. "We've never done anything here."

"We haven't," I agreed. "Do you want to?"

She began to slide a finger inside, slowly. The minute the invasion started, I began going wild, my panting increasing.

"Am I hurting you?" she asked quietly.

"No!" I said. "Yours! Yours!"

"Oh, you like this."

"Use both hands, Lara, please."

And so her left began to tease my clitoris, fingers sliding inside me, while a finger on her right hand continued to slide more deeply into my anus.

It didn't feel good, not exactly. It felt like an invasion. But it felt like she was taking me completely, and I was utterly vulnerable to her.

That's what I liked.

"Oh yes," I said. "Never stop."

She was gentle as she buried one finger inside me as far as she could, the remaining fingers splayed across my butt cheeks, her thumb teasing my tail bone.

After that, her hands rode me as I squirmed and bucked, completely out of control. I continued to beg her not to stop. She pulled me closer and closer to an orgasm then forbade me to have one unless I could convince the pack I didn't want her to stop.

I began screaming at her not to stop, "Never stop, Lara!" I yelled. "Oh yes!" I went on and on, begging to be hers.

And then she said, "Come now," and immediately, in a rush, I did, completely obedient to her command.

Her hands stilled as I did, but then she twitched and pulled another small orgasm from me.

I was spent, all in one mad rush. I would have collapsed if she hadn't been holding me. She withdrew her hands from inside me, and pulling out the fingers of one hand hurt, just a little, but I knew I'd ask her to do that again. She untied my wrists before pulling me into her arms, and I quivered, clutching at her.

She set me back in the bed and slipped away.

"No," I said.

"I'll be right back, my pet," she said. Then she disappeared into the bathroom, and I couldn't move to chase after her. I heard running water, and then a moment later she was holding me, her hands still damp. She had washed.

"That's a little gross," I said, but I wrapped myself around her as she lay down on the bed next to me, pulling me to her.

"A little, but you liked it."

"I liked how vulnerable it made me feel."

"I didn't think you liked being vulnerable."

"Only to you," I said. "Please hold me."

And she did. I began to drift to sleep, but she woke me. "You will use your body to please me now," she ordered.

And so I did.

 **Discovery**

Sunday morning we slept in. Well, we woke early, made slow, mutual love, our orgasms arriving moments apart, then slept again, drenched in sweat and insanely in love.

When next I woke, Lara was awake. She was reading; I don't know where the book had come from. Perhaps she'd had it in her nightstand. But she held me in her arms at the same time. I burrowed closer.

"I love you," I told her. "Please, if I ever get angry enough at you I forget, keep me your prisoner until I remember again."

She kissed my forehead. "What else could I do?" she asked. She set her book aside, and we snuggled together.

"I would not have thought you would be a snuggler," I told her.

"Nor I, you," she said. "I haven't been with anyone else."

That was when her stomach grumbled at me. I laughed. "They're vocal!"

She laughed with me. "That wasn't the babies," she said. "Honey, have you decided their names?"

I looked up into her eyes. "No," I said. "Did you want to name one after your mother?"

"No," she said. "They should have their own names, not names borrowed from another."

"All right," I said. "How about if we name the eldest Celeste Elisabeth Burns and the younger Rebecca Angel Burns? We honor our friends while giving them their own names as well."

Lara smiled. "I like the second names. Where did the first names come from?"

"I don't know," I said. "But I think they sound good together."

"Celeste and Rebecca." Lara rolled it around on her tongue. She kissed me. "You have two months to decide for sure." She grinned at me, tightening her hold on me, and I knew I was in trouble.

"Lara," I said warningly.

"Time to shower," she said. "And then you must go have a little talk with Scarlett."

"If I allow you to do what you are about to do, will you trust me to handle Scarlett without interference?"

"Yes."

I kissed her, and then she pulled me from the bed, carrying me to the shower with her.

I texted Scarlett after the shower. "We need to talk."

"Alone," she sent back.

"Agreed," I replied. "Your house?"

"No. The house in Madison. Angel is flying. I am here alone."

"Lara won't let me go without enforcers."

"They may search the house and then everyone waits outside," she wrote back.

"So mysterious. One hour."

I called Elisabeth. "I am going to the house in Madison as soon as I have dressed and eaten."

"Just you? Why?"

"Just me, and I am not answering the second question, Enforcer."

"Yes, Alpha," she said immediately. "Are you going to fight me on your protection detail?"

"No."

"We'll be ready."

Lara was looking at me quizzically.

"You told me you would trust me," I told her after hanging up.

"And so I shall," she said. "I was only curious."

We descended the stairs together. Breakfast had come and gone for everyone else, but the refrigerator was well stocked, and I cooked for us. We ate and bantered, then I kissed her and went in search of my guard detail. Karen and Rory were in the living room and informed me the rest were waiting outside. When we stepped out, Elisabeth and Serena were waiting.

"Good morning, Enforcer," I told Elisabeth.

"Good morning, Alpha," she said.

"I am ready," I said.

"This way," Elisabeth said, leading the way to one of the SUVs. "Or did you prefer the limo?"

"I prefer to go to the house in Madison," I said. "I would enjoy conversation during the drive. How we get there does not matter to me."

Elisabeth opened the back door for me then followed in after me. The other enforcers climbed in, Eric driving. Once we were on our way, Elisabeth said, "You are being remarkably complacent and a little more formal than normal, Michaela."

"I promised I wouldn't fuss about this anymore," I said. "I need the formality to remind myself of my promise. I would rather drive myself."

We drove quietly, the enforcers talking around me. Halfway there, I looked around, putting a hand on Elisabeth's leg to silence the conversation. "I will stick to my promise and will make no effort to escape from all of you, but I need one thing in return."

"You already promised," Elisabeth said.

"I promised not to complain."

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Don't do this."

"Hear me out first, Enforcer."

"All right," she said, a little tight lipped.

"I can not have you reporting what I do to Lara."

She stared at me.

"I can't promise that," she said.

"Then whenever I need to do something I don't want Lara to know, I have to slip away from you."

Elisabeth pulled out her phone and gestured to it. "Go ahead, call her," I said. She called Lara and relayed the conversation.

"She's right," Lara said. "You will honor this request but only when she specifically asks for it."

I took the phone from Elisabeth. "And if you order them to tell you?"

"I won't," she said. "Give the phone back to Elisabeth." I handed it back to her, and she told Elisabeth, "If I ever order you to divulge her secrets, you are to refuse me and remind me of this order. You will remind me that the fox has agreed not to hide from you if I allow her as much privacy as possible."

I smiled. "She's good at manipulating me."

"You manipulate each other," Elisabeth said. "Whenever it is important to you that Lara not know where you are going, you must warn me so I can pick enforcers who can stand up to Lara."

I nodded. Over the phone, Lara was laughing. "How long will you be gone?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said to Elisabeth, answering Lara's question. "A few hours. Not all day."

Elisabeth relayed it, and the two hung up. Elisabeth then gave fresh orders to the enforcers.

"To be clear," I said. "I do not mind if Lara knows where we went today. But she is not to know what happens. She knows I am meeting with Scarlett. You will search the house or do whatever you need to do, then you will give us utter privacy."

"How much is 'utter privacy', Alpha?" Elisabeth asked.

"You may wait outside the house," I said.

"It is a big house," Elisabeth said. "I will want to know what room you will be in."

"You may do whatever you must, Elisabeth," I said. "As long as my conversation with Scarlett is private."

She nodded.

After that, I zoned out of the conversation again. We pulled up to the circle in front of the house, parking behind Scarlett's car. Elisabeth stayed with me, sending the other enforcers into the house. They were inside for nearly ten minutes before Serena appeared. "It's clear. Scarlett is here. No one else."

Elisabeth climbed out then led me to the house, her hand on my back.

"I will only have this conversation with privacy," Scarlett said immediately upon seeing us.

"Which room do you prefer?" I asked.

"Any room we will be neither observed nor heard," she said. She looked pointedly at Elisabeth.

"I have their promises nothing that happens today will be reported to my mate, Scarlett," I said to her.

She looked dubiously at Elisabeth. Elisabeth returned her gaze calmly. "Any of the rooms upstairs should suffice," Elisabeth said. "Or there are several downstairs with no windows. If you close the doors and we wait outside, you couldn't have more privacy."

"Basement," Scarlett said.

"I'll show you," Elisabeth replied, leading us through the house. "The rest of you wait outside, two in the back, one in the front."

Elisabeth brought us downstairs then to a rec room in the back of the house. There was a pool table and two pinball machines as well as a television, wet bar, and plenty of seating. "Will this do?" she asked.

"Yes," said Scarlett. "Thank you."

Elisabeth looked at her. "I know I don't have to say it, but I'm going to say it. If the two of you do anything to betray my sister, I will not keep any promises to you that I have made."

"No betrayal," Scarlett said immediately. "I swear. I don't want to say anything else."

"We're fine, Elisabeth," I said. "And if I ever do anything to betray Lara, you may do anything you deem necessary to stop me."

She nodded. "Thank you for understanding, Michaela."

She turned around smartly and left, closing the doors as she passed through them. I turned to Scarlett. "Dramatic much?" I asked her.

She smiled wanly. "Please sit." She gestured to a spot on the sofa. I sat down and watched her pace around the room.

"It's me," I said. "Stop being nervous. Just tell me."

"Last night, when you shifted underneath me," she started to say, then stopped, looking at me with confusion and uncertainty.

"Yes?"

"I felt it."

"Of course you did. I went from a thirty pound furry fox to a hundred pound naked woman. And then back and forth a few times. I hope you felt it."

"No, I mean. Yes, I felt that. But-"

She paced around then stopped in front of me. "When you shift, how do you do it?"

"I think about the form I want and then I sort of draw it out of me from inside," I said.

"And you can control your speed."

"Yes, although nearly instant is easiest now. Going slow hurts."

"Shifting always hurts for me," she said. "When I shift it's the same way. I pull my wolf on, sort of like pulling clothes out of a backpack."

"Yes, that's good," I said.

"Last night, I felt you pull," she said.

My eyes widened.

"You once said that you could teach your babies to shift by drawing them with you. That you had to go slowly, but then they could follow along."

"Right."

"But you had to hold them when you did it. You had to be really close."

I stared at her.

"Who else have you ever shifted under?"

"Just Lara-" I paused. "Oh my god." I thought about what she was implying. "I taught her to shift fast. She didn't figure it out on her own. I taught her." I eyed Scarlett. "Have you tried?"

"Yes. It's right on the edge. This is why I wanted privacy. Teach me."

"Oh god," I said. "Lara would kill us."

Scarlett nodded. "Maybe it doesn't need to be quite as, um-"

"Intimate?"

"Yeah."

It was my turn to pace. There was a blanket thrown over the back of the sofa. I grabbed it. "Strip," I told her. I turned my back on her and listened as she pulled off her clothes.

"Ready," she said.

"Lie down," I told her. "On your side." Once she was lying down, I threw the blanket over her. "Don't look." Then I stripped out of my own clothes and knelt down behind her, pulling her partly into my arms so we were spooning, the blanket between us, me partly on top of her.

"Shift fast, and I'll see if I feel it," she said.

I shifted.

"Shit," she said. "Not a thing. Shift back." I did. "Nothing."

"Roll over," I said. "Close your eyes." I climbed on top of her like I was going to take her neck, all my weight on her. I shifted.

"Nothing. I am going to roll us over. Maybe I have to be on top." She rolled us both over.

I shifted. "Nothing. I wonder if I have to be in fur. I was in fur last night."

"That might be better," I said. "Go ahead."

I waited for her to shift, then I wrapped the blanket around myself. I shifted back and forth several times from on top of her. She huffed after each one, then when I was furry, she rolled us both over and settled her full weight on me, just like she had last night.

"When I shifted," I said. "You had your mouth on my throat."

She took me gently and I shifted. She whined. I shifted back. She whined.

"Nothing?"

She whined.

"Climb off," I said.

She got off me and I ditched the blanket. "Under no circumstances do we tell Lara about this."

She chuffed agreement, and I shifted to fox, then lay down and let her settle back on top of me. I waited until she was fully settled, and I shifted to human.

She chuffed, just once.

"Really?"

She chuffed.

I shifted back to fox, and she whined. I shifted to human and she chuffed.

"Oh my god," I said. "All right, you felt when I went from fox to human, but we needed a lot of contact. Climb off. Lie down on your stomach." Once she was lying down, I spooned her from behind, pressing myself against her as much as I could. I shifted to fox, adjusted where I was, and shifted to human.

She chuffed, over and over.

"Can you do it?"

There was a pause, and she whined.

"All right. I want you to relax. Just go with the flow."

I shifted to fox, then I thought about bringing my babies through my shift with me. I thought of Scarlett as one of my babies. And then I did a long, slow shift to human, trying to pull her with me.

I finished my shift, and a very human Scarlett lay underneath me.

"You did it!" she yelled. "Michaela! You did it! Can you bring me back?"

I did a slow shift to fox, and I had a wolf underneath me. I brought her back to human, faster this time.

"Oh my god. Faster!" she said.

I shifted back and forth a dozen times, the last few at my fastest rate, and Scarlett shifted with me through every one.

I left her as wolf, pulling away from her, then shifted human. She stayed wolf. I pulled the blanket around me and said, "Try it yourself."

It took her a minute, but suddenly, from one breath to a next, Scarlett shifted from wolf to human.

"I did it!" she yelled. She jumped to her feet and bounced around the room yelling, "I did it! I did it!"

"Do it back and forth a few times," I said.

"Yes!" she said. She knelt on the floor, scrunched up her face, and shifted to wolf. She howled in victory. She shifted back and forth after that, faster and faster, and finishing as wolf. She ran over to me, chuffing and chuffing, then began licking my face.

"You did it, Scarlett," I said. "You did it. Turn around, I'm going to get dressed."

I pulled my clothes on quickly, then looked at her. "Shift human." She did it instantly, and I threw the blanket at her. "Wrap up."

She pulled the blanket into place.

"Sit over there," I said, pointing at another chair.

She sat down, but was bouncing with glee. "I did it," she said. "I'm just as fast as you and Lara now."

"Yes, honey, you are. Now we have to decide what we're going to do. We have four choices. Tell no one and you never let anyone see. Tell Lara. Tell Elisabeth and ask her advice. Or use it for wagers."

She laughed. "The last sounds like the most fun."

"Yeah, but it's probably not the right choice."

"Lara will kill me."

"Not literally," I said. "But she's going to need to do more to me of what she did last night."

"Was it horrible?"

"Are you kidding? I loved every second."

She laughed. "So that's not a problem."

"No, but it's stress the babies don't need."

"We should show Elisabeth," she said.

"Are you willing?"

She nodded.

I thought about it then pulled my phone out. I called Elisabeth. "You are needed downstairs. Just you. Everything is fine. We need your advice."

"Is she pregnant?"

"No. How would that have happened? This is much, much better than that."

"On my way."

Scarlett was still bouncing in her chair. "We need to find out whether you can teach other people," I said. "But this is now a pack secret. I am your alpha, Scarlett. You may not tell anyone how you learned this without permission from me or Lara. Not even Angel. Furthermore you may not shift with anyone touching you that closely until Lara gives permission. Do you understand?"

"Yes. But please let me teach Angel."

"This decision is going to go to Lara," I said. "It's too big for me to decide. But we are not teaching the entire pack. I can promise you that."

"Brooke knows how," Scarlett pointed out.

"Yes, but she may not know how to teach it," I replied. "We'll have to ask her, somehow, without being obvious we're asking."

I heard Elisabeth descending the stairs, then she stepped into the room, closing the door. "Everything all right?" she asked.

"Take a seat, Elisabeth," I said. "Scarlett learned a new trick she wants to show you." Elisabeth sat down.

Scarlett stood up and said, "Don't blink," and shifted to wolf.

"Holy shit!" Elisabeth said. She jumped from her chair and started swearing. "I've been trying to learn how to do that for two years!"

I chuckled. Scarlett shifted back and wrapped up in the blanket again.

"You understand why she wanted privacy?"

"Not this much privacy," Elisabeth said. "Lara needs to see this."

"I agree," I said. "But I'm not sure Lara needs to see how I taught her."

Elisabeth sniffed the air suspiciously, then looked relieved.

"No, not through sex!" I said. "Get your mind out of the gutter."

She looked back and forth between us. "This has something to do with last night," she said.

"Yes."

She turned to Scarlett. "Did you learn last night?"

"No, but I felt it," she said. "Each time she shifted from fox to human, I felt it. I didn't feel it the other way."

Elisabeth looked at me. "So how did you teach her?"

"The same way I would have taught my babies to shift," I said. "I pulled her back and forth with me while cuddling her. It turns out it requires a significant amount of skin contact, and it took a while."

"Oh," she said. "Lara isn't going to like that."

"I know. What do we do?"

"You're asking me?"

"I know you're dying for me to teach you, Elisabeth."

"Dying might be the operative word," she retorted. "Damn." She turned to Scarlett. "Angel couldn't kill me. You teach me."

Scarlett looked at her dubiously. "Not without Angel's permission."

"Lara needs to decide if we teach Angel," I said. I pulled my phone out again and called my wife. "Lara, find somewhere very private."

"What's wrong?" she said, alarmed.

"Nothing. I promise. Nothing is wrong. Everything is absolutely fine. I promise. You two, tell her I'm not lying."

"She's not lying!" they both yelled.

"All right," she said. I listened as she climbed the stairs. I could tell when she reached the bedroom and closed the door.

"Sit down. I need to ask you permission to do something without telling you what it is."

She laughed. "That's going to be tricky."

"Do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"Would you trust that I would never, ever cheat on you?"

"Of course. Michaela, what is going on?"

"Would you trust Elisabeth?"

"What the fuck? Michaela?"

"We're not having a sex romp, Lara."

"It sounds like you're asking permission for one."

"No, I'm asking you if you trust us."

"Of course I trust you, but now I wonder if I should."

"You're just teasing," I told her.

"I guess."

"I want to teach Elisabeth something, and you aren't going to like the method. But you are going to be ecstatic with the results. Will you trust me?"

She didn't say anything for a while. "Am I going to smell sex on any of you?"

"No."

"Will you still smell like the same soap you used this morning?" She was asking if I would require another shower.

"Yes, but I am going to have a little of Scarlett's and Elisabeth's scent on me, just as if we'd been hugging a lot."

"All right," she said cautiously. "There is no way the three of you would concoct something this ridiculous without a good reason."

"Thank you Lara. We'll be another hour or two."

"I love you, Little Fox."

"Maybe later you can show me again." She laughed before hanging up.

We stared at each other after I set the phone aside. "All right then."

I had Elisabeth shift into fur, then I slipped out of my clothes, cuddling in behind her. I shifted quickly back and forth several times.

"Feel anything?"

She chuffed.

It took a half hour, but eventually Elisabeth was shifting with me, and then she was shifting instantly, the same way Scarlett had learned. When finally we were all dressed again, she was grinning broadly.

I called Lara. "You may come here and we'll show you what we've done, then we can all go to lunch, or we'll come there."

"On my way," she said. "If I smell air freshener or sex, there will be hell to pay."

We exchanged endearments before hanging up. I turned to Elisabeth. "The enforcers may come inside for a while, if you prefer, but they need to go back outside for this conversation."

"Agreed," she said. "Let's wait upstairs. I could use a drink."

We waited patiently for Lara. Elisabeth asked Serena to play hostess, so Serena passed out soft drinks then recruited Rory to help her make up a small snack for everyone. Karen asked, "What's going on?"

"Lara is on her way," I said. "We're going to talk to her, then we're going to lunch."

We made small talk until Lara arrived. She pulled up with Emanuel and Eric as her escorts. Elisabeth sent all the enforcers outside, then we headed downstairs again.

"Sniff away," I told Lara. I held my arms away from my sides.

"I trust you," she said.

"Do it anyway," I told her. "That way if you are tempted later, I won't be offended. This way you're doing it because I told you to. Sniff all of us."

So she did, starting with me. I knew I still smelled faintly of her, perhaps even slightly of our lovemaking from the early morning. I would have smelled of soap and shampoo, my own scent, of course, then Scarlett and Elisabeth. I would also smell faintly of the foods I had eaten. Lara sniffed carefully then sniffed Elisabeth and Scarlett.

I didn't even ask her if she was satisfied. I took her hand and pulled her to the sofa. She tried to curl me into her arms, but I said, "Maybe you want to watch the demonstration first."

"All right."

Elisabeth and Scarlett pulled off their clothes, then Elisabeth said, "Three."

Scarlett said, "Two."

Elisabeth said, "One."

And Scarlett said, "Go."

And then both dropped into their wolf forms.

Lara's jaw dropped, then she began howling with glee. She hugged me. She bounced over and hugged Elisabeth and Scarlett. Then she pulled me into another hug with the four of us.

"How?" she asked finally.

"Let's shift back," I suggested. "We'll explain."

Lara sat quietly and listened. I let Scarlett do a lot of the explanation, although I explained what it felt like to teach them.

"This is a pack secret," she said as soon as we were done.

"Yes, we discussed that. Scarlett wants to teach Angel. I don't see how we can prevent it."

"We'll need to talk to her first."

"I want to teach Serena, Karen and Emanuel," Elisabeth said.

"Not Rory, Eric, June, or Gia?" I asked.

"I want to teach Serena and Karen," she said. "And Serena will want to teach Emanuel."

"There are things we don't know," I pointed out. "We don't know if anyone can teach other than me. And we don't know if the person you teach must be particularly close, emotionally. The four of us are emotionally very close. That might matter. Or it might not make any difference at all."

"I bet it matters," Lara said. "I bet you need some connection."

"If so, then I bet I could teach Angel and maybe Francesca, but that's about it."

"I think you've 'taught' enough," Lara said. "My tolerance for this will have limits."

I laughed and snuggled into her. "Yours," I told her. "Whatever you say on this, Lara."

Elisabeth smiled at me. She had told me that turning submissive would help Lara with her jealousy, and so far she had been right.

Lara turned my chin to face her. "You shift under me all the time and have never forced me to shift."

"I've never tried."

"Then that's what I want to try first," she said. "Strip."

I laughed. "So romantic." But I slipped out of my clothes. So did Lara.

"Shift," she ordered. I did, then she grabbed me and rolled me onto my back, lowering her weight over me. I shifted back to human.

"We didn't have to do it this way," I said.

"You and I are doing it this way," she said. "Do not argue with me. We are shifting to fur, then you will try to shift us to human. If it doesn't work, then I will try to shift you."

I nodded and shifted back to fox. Lara shifted to wolf, settled herself over me, and I concentrated on drawing her back to human.

I shifted slowly, and when I was done, Lara was human, stretched out on top of me.

"Oh that was weird," she said. "Try to pull me into an instant shift back to wolf."

I did. I lost her the first time, but I shifted back and tried it again, and she shifted with me. Then I pulled her human again. She laughed. "That is so weird. My turn."

She shifted wolf, leaving me behind. "Lost me, I'll join you." I shifted to fox and waited. She shifted human, losing me.

"Try going slower," Scarlett suggested. "It was a good thirty seconds the first time she did it with me."

Lara shifted back to wolf then did a slow, uncomfortable shift. I knew she wasn't bringing me with her. She tried it several more times, finally giving up. "I don't have a clue what I'm doing."

"Both of you try," I told Scarlett and Elisabeth.

"Not with you!" Lara said.

I laughed. "Fine. With whoever."

"I'll try with Lara," Elisabeth said.

They spent ten minutes at it, both of them trying. Nothing. Then Scarlett tried with Lara. Nothing.

"How old are wolf pups when they learn to shift?" I asked.

"Typically a year or two," Lara replied.

"My kits could shift with me fresh from the womb. I could draw them with me, and they were shifting on their own after a couple of months."

"It might be a fox thing," Lara said.

"Or a mother thing," I suggested. "Do we want to bring Serena into this? Or Francesca? It may be you'll be able to teach our pups, Lara. Or it may be that I will. Would you be okay with that?"

"Oh wow," Scarlett said. "We could have newborn wolf pups."

"Oh," said Lara. "Yes, I would like that very much."

"You two know the politics," I said, meaning Lara and Elisabeth. "I've tossed out ideas."

"I want to think about it," Lara said. "This is too big to screw up." She looked at each of us sternly, settling on Scarlett last. "You must shift slowly for now. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha," she said.

"Let me think about it for a day or two. I think I'm going to let you try to teach Angel, but for now, no shifting like this with her."

"Yes, Alpha."

She looked at me. "You will not teach this to anyone else without my direct order."

I stared her in the face. "I am alpha too."

"Promise me."

"I am alpha too, Lara. Aren't I?"

She hesitated. "Please."

"Of course I won't," I said.

"Then why the hard time?" she asked.

"If I am part of the decision process, I am less likely to chafe from it. I am trying to train you to think that way, too."

She laughed. "All right." She turned to Elisabeth. "Slow shifts."

Elisabeth nodded. "It's going to be hard now."

"A few days. I might want to make something up about elaborate rituals and blood magic or something."

The rest of us laughed. "Which must happen under the full moon," I added.

"And requires a sacrifice," Scarlett said.

"Yes," I said. "You must shave your entire body, void of all fur, and then be drawn near death from silver poisoning."

"Oh god," Scarlett said. "And then you're going to make Elisabeth and me go through the ritual, aren't you?"

"Or look like we did," Lara said. "And it's going to be horrible enough people aren't going to want to do it."

"Don't make it deadly though," I said. "Make them eat horrible stuff. But maybe not the silver poisoning."

"Brussels sprouts," Elisabeth said, making a horrible face.

I laughed. "What's wrong with Brussels sprouts?" I asked. "Fried up with some bacon and onions. Num. Now I'm hungry."

"Sushi?" Lara asked.

"Steak house," Scarlett asked. "Please?"

I laughed. "Sure," I agreed.

Over lunch, the other enforcers had questions. We deflected them individually until Lara growled. "Enough," she said. And that was the end of that.

Lunch was nice. Lara ordered chicken for me and steak for her then asked if someone would order the fish and share a little bit. Serena offered. We had a pleasant if somewhat awkward meal.

Lara mulled it over for three days. She talked privately to Elisabeth and me, both individually and together, but still wasn't sure what to do. On Wednesday night as we were getting ready for bed, we talked about it again.

"Do we want to ask the council?"

"No," she said. "I don't want to be forced to teach any of them. I'm not sure I want to teach Karen."

I studied her carefully. "Are you afraid of challenges?"

"Frankly, yes."

"Not even Vivian?"

"She would feel obligated to share it with the rest of the council."

"I'm sorry," I told her.

"For what?"

"It's going to be impossible for Scarlett and Elisabeth to hide this forever. If I hadn't taught them, you wouldn't be backed into a corner."

"I am very pleased you taught them," she said. "It presents a problem, but some day Elisabeth's ability to shift instantly is going to save someone's life."

"Scarlett can't hide it forever from Angel," I said.

"No," Lara agreed. "And I can't ask Scarlett not to teach her. It might save Angel's life sometime."

She picked up the phone and called Elisabeth. "My room."

Elisabeth was downstairs and came up right away, closing the door behind her.

"I would like your honest opinion," Lara said. "Angel, Serena, Emanuel. No one else."

Elisabeth instantly understood all the arguments. "What is our story?"

"People might figure it out if the sample is small enough," I said. "They saw me shift under Scarlett, and then we made a big deal of it."

"They're going to think it's sex with the fox," Elisabeth said. "She won't be safe."

"Add Francesca to the list," I said. "And tell everyone we don't know. Suggest it's the water at Bayfield and maybe we'll be able to get people to go up there more."

Lara laughed. "Yes on Francesca. And we just don't know. Agreed?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "Agreed."

"When?"

Lara sighed. "Now. I won't be able to sleep."

"Angel and Francesca tonight," I suggested. "Serena and Emanuel tomorrow."

"All right," she said. "Call them, Elisabeth."

"Bring Scarlett too," I said. "I want to see if she can teach Angel."

It took them twenty minutes to arrive. They were all in bed. Scarlett knew what was going on but didn't say a word. My bedroom was growing crowded.

"Scarlett," I said. "Show them."

She grinned. "Yes! Can I teach her?"

"You can try," Lara said. "Then if that doesn't work, Elisabeth and I will each try. Then we'll try with Francesca, then let Francesca try."

"Try what?" Francesca said.

"Watch," Scarlett said, dropping her clothes quickly. "Don't blink. Three, two, one." And she was a wolf.

"Oh shit!" said Angel. She threw herself on Scarlett. "That was amazing. I'm so jealous you figured it out first!"

Scarlett shifted back.

"This is top secret," Lara said. She laid down the law. They both immediately agreed. Scarlett explained. I added a few things. Then Scarlett said, "May I try?"

"Angel?" Lara asked.

"Yes! Teach me!"

We gave them a while. Angel didn't get even a glimmer. Elisabeth and Lara both tried with Francesca. Nothing.

Lara turned to me and sighed. "Try with Francesca."

I nodded and shifted to fox, then cuddled up to Francesca tightly. I shifted back to human and she chuffed immediately.

"Damn it," said Lara.

"No," I said. "This is good. We can control it better if not everyone can do it."

"Yeah, but my jealousy is going to get in the way," she said. I looked at her and she was pacing, her eyes a little wild.

"Oh for crying out loud," I said. I shifted to fox and then dragged Francesca to human.

"Oh wow!" she said. "Take me back."

I dragged her back and forth, slowly twice, then instantly twice. "A few more times," she said. I did, and then she said, "Let me try."

It took her a few minutes, but suddenly she was a wolf. She howled.

"Shhh!" Lara said. "Top secret."

Francesca shifted to human. "Sorry." But her shift was instant.

I grabbed a blanket and Francesca tried to teach Angel, who was still in fur. Francesca shifted with her several times, but Angel just whined or huffed. Francesca tried to drag Angel between forms, finally giving up.

"I can almost feel it," she said. "I can feel her, that is, but I can't quite get a hold of her."

"I don't even get that much," Elisabeth said.

"Motherhood must have something to do with it. Francesca might be able to figure it out."

"I don't know. It's really slippery. I can't get a hold of her."

I thought about it. "Try, I don't know. Coaxing. Go slow."

She tried a few more times. Nothing.

"Angel, can you feel it?" Lara asked.

She chuffed and huffed. "So a little?" She chuffed.

"Alpha?" I asked. "Do I teach her or do we give Francesca a few days? Maybe she'll figure it out."

"If it's motherhood," Lara said. "Then I'll figure that out soon enough." She patted her belly. "Angel, do you want to wait for your mother to teach you?"

Angel padded over to me and put her head on my knee. I looked at Lara, and she nodded. So I taught Angel.

The first time I dragged her human she said, "Oh wow! That was completely different than what Mom was doing."

Francesca sighed.

"No, I think it was different because it was fox. More subtle. Wolves aren't subtle."

"Francesca, would that help?" I asked.

"No, I doubt it. I tried a bunch of different things."

"All right." I grabbed Angel and forced her to wolf. Then human, then wolf instantly and human instantly. I did that twice more.

"Enough?" I asked her.

And she turned into a wolf in my arms. I laughed and stepped away. Angel pranced around the room, shifting back and forth several times. She finished as human and did her patented fist pump in the air. "Yes! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

I threw a blanket at her, then she ran around hugging everyone.

Angel put on her clothes and I asked, "How much longer do they have to keep this a secret?"

"They can show off for the run tomorrow night," Lara said. "But absolutely no one spills the beans how. And absolutely no one shifts while in close proximity to anyone else unless it's a life or death situation."

Everyone agreed.

"This is a major pack advantage," Lara said. "We are not going to let the world know we can teach it, and we're not going to advertise we can do it."

The next day, before class, I taught Serena. She spent the day trying to teach Emanuel. Finally I taught him immediately before dinner.

Lara invited representatives from the council to dinner. Vivian and Ron Berg were able to come. We had a nice quiet dinner then invited everyone at the compound for a run.

"No games tonight," Lara declared. "Everyone shift and we'll have a nice run."

Everyone shifted with the exception of the instant shifters. Everyone was long used to Lara and I waiting, but they were puzzled about the rest.

Then Lara nodded. The new instant shifters shucked off their clothes, looked at each other, and shifted to wolf.

The pack turned into pandemonium. Lara let them make noise for a while then said, "Some of us seem to have acquired a new trick. We don't fully understand. Everything about this is a pack secret. We are not to talk about it. Period." She looked at Vivian and Ron. "We will inform the council in private. I don't care how, but this remains top secret."

They both chuffed.

Lara repeated the rules several more times, then said, "Let's run." She and I shifted right out of our clothes after loosening them, and Lara led us into the woods.

The following day was Friday. Ron and Vivian called an emergency council meeting.

"I have to teach!" I complained to Lara.

"Yes, but I need you there. I'm sorry. I don't like the timing, either."

Ever since the wedding, I had been attending council meetings seated to Lara's left with Elisabeth to her right. I normally sat quietly, preferring to counsel Lara and Elisabeth in private. I didn't care for the politics, but it was becoming evident I could be good at it if I tried. I really didn't want to be good at it.

"What time?"

"Ten," she replied.

"Fine," I said. "I'll get Scarlett to help with class."

"You can just hand them to Francesca," Lara said.

I grabbed my phone and called Scarlett. She sounded sleepy. "Sorry to wake you," I told her. "I need your help teaching school today. Do you mind?"

"Michaela?" she asked. "No, that will be fun."

"Take your time, meet me in my classroom whenever you're ready."

"I can be at your house in fifteen minutes," she said. "If you prefer that."

"You need to dress like a schoolteacher today, Scarlett."

"Half an hour," she said. I could hear her stretch. "Your classroom."

"Thank you."

I hung up and turned to Lara. "What do you want me to say? I don't like lying."

"We do not fully understand," Lara said. "That statement is absolutely true."

"And misleading. Can't we refuse to answer?"

She pursed her lips.

"To the best of our knowledge," I said, "I am the only one able to teach this. We don't know why that is."

"Every single one will demand you teach them immediately."

"Not happening," I said. "Can they order me?"

"They can try," she said. "It would be dicey. Technically they cannot order me. I am alpha, and they also accept you as alpha. However, a pack where the council and the alpha are at odds is a pack in trouble."

"If I hadn't taught Serena and Emanuel, we could claim I had to have a close personal relationship."

"Serena and Emanuel worship you after you found their kids. Everyone who you have taught worships you, Michaela."

"I wouldn't use that word, worship," I said.

"Fine," Lara said, smiling. "Pick another word."

"Let's not get sidetracked over semantics," I suggested. Lara chuckled. "All right. So our story is, it takes a certain amount of, um, adoration on the part of the person I am teaching. And clearly no one from the council is going to feel about me that way."

"We don't need to describe the close personal contact involved," Lara said. "So if anyone asks for a demonstration, they won't feel anything if you are more standoffish."

"Under this explanation," I suggested, "I have taught everyone in the pack I could teach."

"Not entirely," she said. "Kaylee, some of the other kids, they probably feel pretty strongly about you. And Rory too."

"I'm pretty sure the council isn't going to suggest I teach more people if I'm not teaching them."

Lara laughed. "I think that would be a safe bet."

"Honey," I said. "To be clear, I am teaching our pups. And when Angel, Scarlett or Elisabeth have pups, I am teaching them as well."

She smiled at me. "Absolutely."

Lara and I discussed it a few more minutes before descending to breakfast. We ate, kissed, then she grabbed Elisabeth while I got my escort the thirty steps to the school. I began preparing extra notes for Scarlett and rearranging the schedule to keep the day's lessons in keeping with what she could teach. Francesca stopped in.

"Good morning."

"Good morning," I replied. I told her the plan.

"I'll keep an eye on things, but Scarlett will be fine," she said. That's when Scarlett herself arrived wearing some of her mother's clothing. She would fit right in at a schoolteacher's convention.

Well, a schoolteacher convention populated by Amazonian women, anyway.

"Just so you know," I said after she stepped in and closed the door, Francesca on her way to her own classroom. "This is your fault."

She smiled. "I'm sorry?"

"Have you been getting questions from the other kids?"

"Both Angel and I have," she said. "We avoided the questions twice then told everyone if they pestered us, we were obligated to report them to the alpha. That shut them all up."

"Lara is pretty frightening," I admitted, smiling.

Scarlett smiled sweetly. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't speak clearly. I meant report them to you."

I laughed. "Yeah, because I'm so scary."

She cocked her head. "No one wants to disappoint Lara," Scarlett said. "But all of us are deeply terrified we'll disappoint you."

"Oh honey," I said, my voice cracking. I pulled her into a hug. "You couldn't ever disappoint me." I found myself wrapped in warm wolf arms. When had she gotten so big?

I pushed away and said, "Well. Here are the lesson plans. The meeting isn't until ten, but I'll want to leave before that. I am going to introduce you then let you teach everything. Is that all right?"

"Yes. Are you sure?"

I gave her a pep talk, then we went over the lesson plan. She was smiling at the end. "I loved this material when you taught it to us. But isn't it a repeat for Derek and Jeremy?"

"You'll notice your plans are short on senior level material. Edward is playing catch up, so he's with the sophomore group on all of this material." I showed her the sheet with the plan for the seniors. "They can help each other and shouldn't need help from you. You just need to crack the whip so they don't screw around."

"So just threaten to report them to the alpha..."

"Smart ass. Were you always a smart ass, Scarlett?"

"No. It started about two years ago," she said, grinning at me. She was blaming me.

I paused, thinking about it.

"I was teasing," she said.

"I know you were. But... is it teasing based on truth?"

It was her turn to think. Finally she said, "Probably. No one ever smarted off to anyone around here before you came along. Oh, I suppose the adults did amongst themselves, but never in front of the kids. Could it just be that we're adults so we're included in the banter?"

"That might be part of it," I said. "But I probably need to take some blame."

"I don't think blame is the right word," Scarlett said. "I think the pack is happier with your influence. Lara certainly is; my parents have commented on it."

"Still, I think I need to talk to Lara about this."

"Please don't mention my name," Scarlett said.

"I won't. Do you need to study any of this before you teach it?"

She looked through the list and asked a few intelligent questions. Then she asked, "Do you have any advice?"

"Act like you expect them to behave," I said. "I clearly couldn't discipline anyone who acted up, but I have never had a discipline problem, and I think it's because I don't expect any."

"And because everyone loves you," Scarlett added.

I smiled. "You're very sweet."

"It's true you know."

"I know," I said in a small voice. "But they love you, too."

She shrugged. "Your new students don't know me."

"No, but Derek and Jeremy will clunk heads if necessary."

She laughed. "No way. I'll clunk any heads that need clunking." She studied me for a minute. "Why me and not Angel?"

"Angel is flying or I would have asked the two of you to team up."

"Thank you for trusting me," she said.

"You might want to practice talking while writing on the board," I said. "It's harder than it looks."

"At least I can reach the top of the board," she said, smiling down at me.

The kids used to play tricks on me. They would write things on the board, higher than I could reach, and then snicker when I used a chair to erase it. One day there was a limerick about foxes. I left it on the board but immediately called for a pop quiz. After that, every day that I found something out of reach on the board, I immediately called a pop quiz. It took a few times, but they finally figured out the relationship between things written out of my reach and pop quizzes. The little sayings didn't stop entirely, but they reduced in frequency.

Scarlett and I talked for a while about my first days teaching. She admitted to one of the pranks I was sure had been committed by Derek, Alan and Jeremy. "Angel doesn't even know I did it," she said.

"Who wrote the limericks?"

She laughed. "Sophia wrote that first one. Then she and Ava alternated, I think."

"I couldn't believe it took you guys so long to figure out the quizzes were punishment for the limericks."

"Don't kid yourself," she said. "We figured it out right away. We just didn't care. But finally we got together and decided we couldn't let our teasing actually affect the teaching."

"You didn't care I was making you take quizzes?"

"Your quizzes are always fair, Michaela," she said. "And they helped us figure out when we hadn't studied properly. You were never cruel with them. Sophia and Ava stored things to write on the board, and whenever we wanted a quiz, one of them would put something on the board."

"Oh hell," I said. Scarlett laughed. "Seriously?" She nodded.

"Michaela," she said. "You made us want to learn. You made us want to understand. Okay, all of us already had that attitude, but you really brought it out."

"Oh honey," I said. "Really?"

She nodded, smiling.

"So, do you have any other revelations for me I should know? Or advice?"

"Probably lots of revelations," she said. "Advice? Be tough. That's what we all want. We want you to be tough."

I looked away. "You earned a C on that math paper last year. Writing a C down was the hardest thing I'd ever done as a teacher."

"I felt horrible," she said.

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't be. I felt horrible not because I'd gotten a C, but I saw the look when you gave it back to me, and I knew I put that look in your eyes. I had disappointed you."

"No," I said. "I felt guilty I hadn't taught you better."

"You did. No one else got a bad grade on that paper." She paused. "I didn't study. Angel and I. Um."

"Angel got an A," I said.

"I know. She got up early the next morning and studied. I slept in until the last minute. It was my fault, Michaela, and I felt horrible for it."

"You recovered," I said.

"I know. My sex life suffered for it, too."

I shoved my fingers in my ears and started humming, trying to drown out Scarlett's mentioning her sex life. She laughed and pulled my fingers from my ears.

"Will college be harder?" Scarlett asked.

"I'm the wrong one to ask," I replied.

"But you took all those classes," she said.

"At a different school," I replied. "And I audited them. That means none of my work was ever graded. I don't know what grades I would have earned. But you're right. I tried the best I could to prepare you for college. Still, I think it will be harder. And I didn't give you as much of an engineering background as I would have liked for someone who will become an architect."

"I've checked," she said. "You gave me more math and physics than any other high school in the state offers. Thank you."

I smiled. This was the first conversation I'd had with any of my students or former students about what I'd been trying to do for them, and I couldn't believe she understood. I only hoped what I'd been teaching them had been the right choices.

We continued to talk until the kids began to arrive. They all knew Scarlett by now, but they were puzzled to see her. Derek and Jeremy tried to draw her into a conversation, but she said, "That's Miss Scarlett to you guys today. I'm your teacher."

"Really?" Derek asked. "Party!"

"I am right here, Derek," I said pointedly.

"Oh, didn't see you there, Alpha Fox," he said.

"Smart asses," I said under my breath. "I have trained a bunch of smart asses."

Then Jeremy got up from his chair and began writing a limerick about a wolf named Scarlett on the board. Down at the bottom. He grinned at both of us when he was done then sat down in his seat.

 _To this our beautiful Scarlett,  
Angel's very own harlot.  
She is strong most of times,  
Except around mimes,  
Who push her back in the closet._

Scarlett stared at it, suddenly not sure what to do.

"Have fun with the pop quiz," I said quietly into her ear. Then I turned to the boys. "You two, out in the hall."

They followed me down the hallway, and when I felt we were sufficiently removed from a direct audience, I turned around.

"We'll help her," Derek said immediately. "You don't need to lecture us, Michaela. But it's Friday."

"It's Friday?"

"Quiz day."

"How did you know to have that limerick ready?" I wondered how word could have gotten around so quickly that she would be teaching.

"She's seen it before," Derek said. "Sophia wrote it."

"No, it was Angel," Jeremy said. "She just let us believe Sophia wrote it."

"We won't give her a hard time," Derek said. "Why is she teaching?"

"I have to be somewhere later on," I said. "You two set a good example but let her teach. If she asks for volunteers, your hands better be the first ones in the air. If you make this hard for her, I will find out, and I will have you cleaning the horse stables for a month."

"We don't have any horse stables," Derek pointed out.

"Then I will make you build them, and then I will make Lara buy horses with gastrointestinal issues. Do I make myself clear?"

They smiled at me. "Yes, Michaela," they said.

"All right," I said. "Back to class." I followed them into the room, arriving just in time to catch Catherine, one of the new sophomores, writing a limerick on the top of the board, out of my reach, about a teacher with red hair.

 _There once was a small, red-haired vixen,  
Who loved to always go missin'.  
She runs and she hides,  
With no friends at her sides,  
'Cause the alpha is always left chasin'._

"You know," I said. "You guys aren't supposed to get caught! And Scarlett-"

"Catherine asked if she could share her poetry with the class," Scarlett said sweetly. "And I don't think I can write the quiz for the seniors."

I smiled and let Catherine finish; it was really quite clever. "Catherine, do you have that written down?" I asked when she took her seat.

"Yes, Michaela," she said.

"Give it to me," I demanded. She pulled a piece of paper from her notebook and walked to my desk to hand it to me. "Sit," I said.

I called the class to order and explained Scarlett would be teaching. "But, contrary to the lesson plan, it seems we will be having a pop quiz." I gestured to Scarlett, who took the left side of the board and began writing out five questions for the younger kids. I wrote five for the seniors. Mine were based on the material they should have read last night, but that I hadn't taught yet. We told them to begin, then Scarlett and I stood in the doorway.

"Why do the seniors look so nervous?" she asked.

I told her what I had done.

"Oh god," she said. "Tell me that's not my fault."

"I want to know if they have read the assignment."

The kids finished their quizzes. I turned the class over to Scarlett, taking a seat in the back. I kept a half an eye on Scarlett while I graded the papers. The kids all did well, and Scarlett was doing a good job teaching. She gave the older kids their assignments then began teaching the math class to the younger kids. She explained things well. Her style was different from mine, but I could see elements of my style in her presentation.

I was so proud of her.

She finished the lecture and gave them a problem set to work on then stepped back to me. She was sweating.

"Oh my god," she said quietly. "I didn't know that was so hard!"

"You're doing great," I said. "The kids did well on their papers. Glance through them before you hand them back. There was consistent trouble with two of your questions and one of mine. Go over them."

She looked through the papers. "I don't know this material," she said, referring to the questions I had written. I showed her what the right answers were and told her to let the kids spend time figuring it out themselves.

"I have to go," I told her. "Francesca is right next door. If those limericks are still there on Monday, there will be another quiz, and no one is going to enjoy it."

She smiled. "Yes, Michaela."

"Thank you, Scarlett. You'll be fine."

She looked at me with a little worry as I stepped out the door, but then she turned to the kids and stepped in to answer a question. She'd be great.

I pulled out my phone and texted Lara. "Where are you?"

"Our house. We were about to walk over."

"OMW."

I picked up my security detail and took the thirty steps to the front of the house, and found Lara and Elisabeth waiting for me.

"All right," I said. "This doesn't count as complaining. But seriously?" I gestured to Rory and Eric, following me around. "Seriously?"

"If they follow you everywhere," Elisabeth said. "Then they follow you everywhere. No judgment calls to quibble over."

"Look," I said. "It doesn't matter to me." I turned to them. "Aren't you guys bored?"

They just shrugged.

I looked at Lara. "It seems like a waste of resources."

"It's a fixed operating cost," she said.

"You both think this is necessary?"

"We think it's the right habit," Lara said. "All right? And my interpretation of a recently lost wager is you will not try to ditch them."

"What about during runs?" I asked. "Did I give up my fun for six months?"

"Good question," Lara said. "No, but let's focus on that later."

I nodded.

"Thank you," Lara said. "Ready?"

"Yes." I took her hand as she stepped down from the porch, but she adjusted it so I was clutching her arm instead. I leaned my head against her shoulder as we walked to the barracks together.

"You know," Elisabeth observed. "I thought you guys would calm down after a while. I don't think it's ever going to happen."

"God," I replied. "I hope not."

Rory and Eric chuckled. "Neither do we," Rory said.

"Don't follow that thought!" I said. "Or you will be watching me in some exceedingly boring situations for a long, long time."

It was Lara's turn to chuckle. She leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "Now you're learning," she said.

"Will I need to cancel my flight lesson with June today?"

"I don't know yet," Lara said. "Hopefully not."

We stepped into the barracks and climbed the stairs. Wendy and Serena were guarding the outside of the conference room where the meeting would be held. Lara looked at Elisabeth. "Get rid of her," she said. "I don't want her called in to talk to the council. Angel and Scarlett are tied up. Get Emanuel and Serena out of here. Tell them not to answer the phone unless it's you, me or Michaela."

Elisabeth nodded, peeling off to talk to Serena for a moment.

As we stepped into the conference room, Lara noticed I was smiling. "Looking forward to a fight?" she asked me.

"No. You grouped me with you and Elisabeth, almost as if I'm one of the big girls."

I got a quick kiss, then it was time to play politics.

Lara called the meeting to order on time. That was the high point. Most of the council members already knew what we'd shown last night. Most, although not all of them, were angry they hadn't been the first to know. I kept my mouth shut and let Lara handle that. No one was mollified.

Lara finally said, "There's nothing that can be done about it now. Do you wish to continue to lambast us or can we move on?"

"I want a guarantee this isn't going to happen again?" Christopher West demanded.

Lara was already running out of patience. "I promise you," Lara said. "The next time we announce that Elisabeth and a few others have learned how to shift instantly, we will tell the council first."

That was the absolute wrong thing to say. Mr. West began to sputter. "That is not what I meant!" he spat at Lara.

I reached out my hand and put it on her arm. She glanced down at me, and I watched her visibly calm down.

"This all developed this week," Lara said. "I try to include the council in the day to day operations of the pack when I can. But there are going to be times where that is not going to be practical."

"You should have told us before you announced it to the pack at large," he shot back.

"I understand why you feel that way," Lara said. "I did not believe this was something that could be easily contained. Can we move on?"

"I want assurances!" he bellowed.

"I. Am. Alpha!" Lara thundered back. Then she spoke more calmly. "Unless you intend to challenge me for that position, right here, and right now, you will address me with respect."

He backed down. He knew he had gone too far, and he also knew Lara would have kicked his ass. And if she didn't, I would have. Still, it perhaps stuck in his craw that a woman half his age was standing up to him.

Some members of the pack were still very traditional, and I had learned Christopher West was one of them.

"You are right," he said. "My apologies, Alpha. But I still-"

"You made your point," Ron Berg said. "And the alpha has made hers. She is right. Can we move on? I would like to know the details of how this happened, and then I would like to know what we intend moving forward."

"I would like to know how a child of the pack learned this trick and no one on the council has," Christopher West said.

"That's not entirely accurate," I said in a calm voice. "I already knew this 'trick'. Lara has known it for nearly two years. And now Elisabeth knows it. That makes three members of the council. Furthermore, there are no children involved. The youngest would be Angel and Scarlett, and they are both eighteen. Hardly children."

I'm not sure Lara appreciated my chosing that time to make the points I had just made, but they were accurate, and I was tired of being discounted. Either I was alpha or I was not. Either Elisabeth as head enforcer was part of the council, or she was not.

Christopher turned his attention to me. "You know what I meant," he said.

"No, Sir," I said. "I am afraid I do not. You implied no one on the council has this skill that you seem to feel is so new, but I have been demonstrating this skill the entire time you have known me, and Lara has done so for almost as long. Are we not members of the council? Is Elisabeth not a member of the council?"

"I believe," said Vivian, "If Councilor West would allow me to speak for him, that he feels perhaps a skill like this should be taught to the senior members of the pack before someone as junior as two teenagers."

"Ah," said Lara. "If that is indeed what he meant, it wasn't clear to me from his words. Thank you for interpreting, Vivian."

I wasn't sure the good Mr. West would remain a member of the council for much longer if Lara had anything to say about it.

"Yes," Christopher said. "That is what I meant."

"Well," said Lara. "That is certainly something we shall address in due time. Perhaps I should start at the beginning?"

Everyone else sat down, and Lara explained things, starting as if no one in the room knew what we were talking about. She glossed over some of the details as we'd agreed previously. She summarized at the end what we knew, what we didn't know, and that she felt this skill was a pack asset that should be protected carefully.

Christopher West again demonstrated his arrogance. "You," he said, pointing his finger at me and snapping his fingers. Lara bristled, but I put my hand on her arm again. "Fox. You are the only one who can teach this skill?"

"Councilor West," I said calmly "You seem to be unduly angered by this news. This is good news we have shared. The pack is now safer than it was a week ago, is it not? Both our alphas, our head enforcer, two other enforcers, and two young but respected members of the pack are now better able to serve the pack's needs and see to the pack's defenses. I do not understand why you are so upset and acting in such a belligerent fashion."

No one else said anything. He was digging a hole. Vivian had dug him out once, but I think they were all amused by now. I was not amused.

"Who are you to talk to me like that?" he asked, climbing to his feet.

I climbed to mine at the same time, then stepped up to stare into his face. "I. Am. Alpha! And you will treat me with the respect of my position. You may address me as Michaela or as Alpha. I may answer to Fox if said with some amount of respect. I will not respond positively to being pointed at and having fingers snapped in my face. You are a member of this council, but you are not treating your own position with the dignity it deserves. If you do not wish to be removed from this council, you will amend your behavior."

"Oh shit," Elisabeth said, loudly enough to be heard. "Pissed off the fox now."

He laughed in my face. "And who would dare to remove me from the council?"

I lifted my arms so the sleeves of my blouse would drop away from my wrists. I didn't point to the knives I kept there, but my message was clear. "I would dare. My wolf body count is over one hundred. I wouldn't blink twice at one more. I couldn't care less what your personal feelings are about me, but when we are in these chambers discussing pack business, you will address me with the respect of my position."

Christopher actually began to ball his hands into fists. What an idiot. My pregnant mate began climbing from her chair. "I am handling it, Alpha," I said without looking at her. "Try it, Councilor, and you won't live to know you never touched me."

"She's not bluffing, Chris," Vivian said. "She'll kill you on the spot, and if she doesn't, everyone else in this room will if you touch her. Lara won't be able to reach you before the rest of us kill you. Apologize to the alpha and consider asking your question in a tone that is in keeping with the position of everyone in the room. You are in the wrong, and you need to admit it."

He glanced over at Vivian, then back at me. I was smiling lightly. I didn't want to kill him, but I wasn't going to be pushed around by a bully, either.

Then he took two steps directly away from me. It took him another moment, but his fists unclenched and he shook himself.

"My apologies, Alpha," he said. "Vivian, thank you. Yes, you are right. I was out of line." He offered me a small bow. "I am sorry I was ugly."

"Your gracious apology is accepted," I said, taking my own steps backwards and visibly relaxing myself. "I hope there are no hard feelings."

"No," he said. "I didn't care for how we learned the news, and it colored my judgment."

"I can understand that," I said, stepping back to my place. "Everything sort of sneaked up on us. I can understand your frustration. I can assure you, no slight was intended."

"I believe you, Alpha," he said. "Are you the only one who can teach this skill?"

"So far, that seems to be the case. But Brooke Bancroft shifts as fast as Lara and I do, so the ability to teach this may not be limited to our pack."

"Then you shall teach the members of the council," Christopher said.

"I am not sure I can," I said. "The evidence suggests there must be a certain bond between me and the person I am teaching. Understand that this is normally a skill a fox mother teaches to her young kits when they are a few days old."

"A few days?" Vivian asked. "Not years?"

"Days," I said. "Or even sooner when the situation demands it."

"If a teenage girl can learn," Christopher said, "surely everyone here can."

"We do not know that is true," I said. "It may be harder to learn later in life. We don't know that yet. And are you suggesting that you see me as a mother figure, Councilor?"

"Elisabeth doesn't see you as a mother figure," he countered. "And I am sure Emanuel does not."

"No," I said. "I am sure he does not. Elisabeth however, loves me. Do you love me, Councilor?"

He looked away. Of course he didn't.

"Serena and Emanuel are also exceedingly grateful for the small role I played in returning their children to them. Even with that, I spent far more time teaching them than I did the others." I didn't explain that was because we had been experimenting.

"This is conjecture," he said. "You stated the evidence suggests this bond is needed. Have you fully tested it?"

"No," I said.

"Well then," he said. "You will teach me this skill."

"No."

"Excuse me?"

"No, sir, I will not."

"You will do what the council orders you to do!"

I smiled. "The council has not ordered me to do anything," I said. "You have. You are but one member of this council. I count fifteen people in the room. Furthermore, I believe the council exists to advise the alpha, not dictate to her."

I glanced at Lara. We had built a series of subtle gestures for each other. If she did anything with her right hand, it meant she thought I was doing the right thing. If she did anything with the left, it meant she wanted things left to her to handle. She was resting her chin on her right hand. I smiled briefly before turning back to Councilor West.

"The alpha will do as the council decides," he said to me.

"The alpha will carefully consider any advice the council may have," I replied. "I strongly urge the council to avoid any decisions that sound like orders. They don't work when she does it," I explained pointing to Lara. "Do you really think they're going to work for you?"

Christopher didn't have a response for that.

"Furthermore, I also urge the council to avoid suggesting I teach this skill to anyone I do not completely trust. You can guess what my response will be without even asking me."

"A pack whose alpha disregards the advice of her council is a pack in disarray," Ron Berg stated.

"True," I said. "I agree completely. A pack council that asks me to teach an important skill to someone who may later use that skill to challenge my mate is not a very wise council."

Elisabeth snickered quietly. I knew she agreed with me completely.

"Quite," said Vivian. "May we all agree on that point? I for one would not welcome any challenges to the current alpha."

I looked at her with gratitude.

"Second the motion," Elisabeth said instantly. "Call the vote, Alpha."

I turned to Lara. "She meant you that time, Lara," I said, smiling.

"I believe she did," Lara said. "But you were doing so well. Vivian, what are we voting on?"

Vivian started writing, crossing words out, then finally slid the pad of paper across the table to Lara. I leaned over her shoulder to read it. Lara made some changes and slid it back. Vivian glanced at them and nodded, returning it to Lara. Lara read it.

"The motion is this: the council will not encourage teaching the instant shift skill in any fashion that may lead to a destabilization of the pack leadership. Do we need to discuss this?"

"That is a rather vague resolution," Ron said.

"True," Lara agreed. "Did you want to change it?"

"No," he said. "Making an observation is all."

"One could argue the pack leadership has already been destabilized," Dominick stated. "We are all pack leadership. What prevents Serena or Emanuel from challenging one of us for our position on the council?"

"Temperament," Elisabeth said immediately. "I can not vouch this will not change in the future, but I do not believe either of them currently has a single political aspiration."

"Angel might," I said. "But she knows she is young and inexperienced. By the time she might feel she is ready to be an asset to this council, it will be time for fresh blood, anyway."

"Scarlett wants to design houses," Elisabeth said. "As long as no one gets between her and her designs, we have nothing to fear from her."

"That's not entirely true," I said. "She will fiercely protect Angel, me, Lara, Elisabeth, her family, and the pack in general. A threat to any of us would be met with strong opposition from either Angel or Scarlett."

"Agreed," said Lara. "That is a risk I happily suffer." She smiled. "There is no way Serena or Emanuel would ever do anything to hurt Michaela. Neither she nor I would ever be at risk from either of them. Nor do I feel either of them would challenge anyone on the council unless it was to protect me. Does anyone have a problem with that?"

No one said a thing. "Call the vote," Vivian said.

"All in favor of the motion?" Lara said. Every hand went up. "Motion carried."

And I had just won a political victory. I sat back down.

After that, the discussion turned towards what we were going to do. That fell into three categories: would I teach anyone else, would we do further experimentation to learn more about this skill, and what sort of secrecy would we maintain. I stayed out of it unless asked a question, as they weren't coming close to anything dangerous, so I didn't particularly care. I zoned out.

I perked up when Violet said, "We must take careful steps this skill is not stolen from us."

I studied her carefully. So did everyone else in the room. Lara grew tense, and Elisabeth's focus turned from Violet to me.

"I agree," Dominick said. "The ability to learn this skill must not fall into another pack's hands."

That conversation went around the table. I looked over at Lara with dread, then leaned into her. "Are they going to have me killed?"

"Oh honey," she said. "No."

"Jailed?"

She tightened her lips.

"I won't put up with it, Lara. You know that. I won't. I will not let you put me in a cage."

She patted me. "Don't worry."

I listened to the conversation. They were using euphemisms, but they were talking about keeping me safe. Someone used the word secluded. "Stop this conversation or I will," I said to Lara.

"Everyone knows I am at times somewhat overprotective of my mate," Lara said. "Perhaps one should trust me to keep her safe."

"When she was your mate, we were happy with that," Ron said. "But the stakes have risen."

"I would never give out pack secrets," I stated.

"Everyone breaks if subjected to torture long enough," Vivian said.

"I agree," I said. "Unless they die first."

"A good torturer could keep you alive indefinitely," Ron said.

I laughed. "I'm sorry," I said after a moment. "I'm not trying to laugh at you." I began to roll up the sleeve on my right arm. I removed the knife and its sheath, then I leaned forward on the table. I looked at my arm and imagined a deep cut lengthwise up my forearm.

It took a moment before everyone noticed it. There were gasps, and Lara screamed at me, "What are you doing?"

I gestured with my nose to my arm. "It's a lot like healing," I said. "Only in reverse." Blood began dripping onto the table. "Is this a sufficient demonstration? I can stop my heart, but I worry it might be difficult to start it again."

They stared at my arm while I healed it. "It hurts," I said. "But I can do it again if you doubt me."

I looked around the room. "May we now end the conversation we were just having?"

Ron slipped a piece of paper to me. Vivian had another. I read them both. Ron wanted to propose the pack make every effort to keep the nature of how this skill is taught a complete secret. I didn't have a problem with that. "Ron, are you making a motion?"

"I am," he replied.

"I second it. Am I allowed to do that?"

"It wouldn't be customary," he said.

"Second," said Violet immediately. "If Ron and Michaela agree, I know I agree."

I smiled at her.

Vivian wanted to propose the pack take all due, reasonable caution for my personal safety.

I slid Ron's note to Lara, keeping Vivian's. "I vote yes," I told her.

Lara read the proclamation to herself then read it aloud. "Discussion?" No one said a word. She called the vote and the resolution passed unanimously. I put both hands up, figuring if I got two votes, that was even better. Lara smiled sweetly at me.

She reached for Vivian's note. I tried to keep it from her. "Michaela," she said in a low tone. Reluctantly I slid it to her. She turned to me. "You have a problem with this?"

"I will not live in a cage," I said firmly.

"That's not what I am suggesting," Vivian said.

"I will live as normal a life as reasonable," I said.

"That's all I ask," Vivian replied.

"You want me to be permanently surrounded by enforcers," I charged.

"Yes," she said. "I do."

I knew everyone in the room was going to vote yes on this. I just knew it. "I enjoy play nights when I am allowed to play," I said. "Following me around with four enforcers is going to cramp my style."

"We don't have the enforcers to assign four to her full time without significantly limiting her lifestyle," Elisabeth said. "People need to sleep."

"Hire more. Train more," Vivian said.

"With pack funds," Lara said immediately.

"Of course," said Vivian. "We are short on enforcers, anyway."

"Perhaps you should read the resolution to the rest of us," Ron said. "So we can properly join the conversation."

Lara read it.

"Do not call the vote, Lara," I told her. "Don't do it."

"Discussion?" Lara asked, ignoring me.

"I am responsible for my own safety," I said. "I accept a certain amount of help, but I think it's ridiculous. This is ridiculous. Furthermore, I do not care for the open-ended nature of this resolution. This could be encouragement to throw me in a cage or erect a barrier around the compound, forbidding me from crossing it. I will not live that way. Period."

"Is anyone opposed to keeping Michaela safe?" Lara asked. Of course, no one was. "Is anyone opposed to spending pack funds to bolster the number of enforcers, with some of them devoted to Michaela's safety?" No one was opposed to that, either.

"Do not call the vote, Lara," I said.

"As I read this resolution," Lara stated. "It means we enhance our security forces. It means we devote some resources to keeping the alpha safe. It means the alpha would make reasonable concessions to her security chief as required for her personal safety. Discussion?"

"That was my intention when I wrote it," Vivian said.

"Is Elisabeth my new security chief?" I asked.

"No," Elisabeth said. "I need to oversee both your security and Lara's. I have been serving too many duties as head enforcer because we've been low on forces. So probably either Karen or Serena. I presume you would prefer a woman."

My heart was in my throat. "I already promised to behave, Lara," I said quietly. "This isn't necessary. If we keep everything secret, I am at no more risk than I was a week ago."

"Michaela," Elisabeth said very quietly I was probably the only one who could hear her. "This is the first time they've offered the funds. We need those enforcers. Trust me."

I glanced at her, filling my expression with as much pain as I could. She studied my face for a moment then looked pointedly at Vivian.

"I move we end discussion and call the vote," Vivian said immediately.

"No," I said.

"Second," said Christopher with a smile. Now he was just being an asshole.

"We have a motion and second," Lara said. "The motion is to end discussion and call the vote. All for the motion?" Everyone said "aye" except me.

Lara read the resolution then stated, "An aye vote will be interpreted as discussed. We will use pack funds to hire or train more enforcers, and a portion of those enforcers will be used to protect Michaela. All in favor?"

Everyone said "aye" except me.

"Opposed?"

"Nay," I said.

"Motion carried."

"Isn't this like the Secret Service?" I asked. "Someone can decline Secret Service protection."

"True," Lara said. "Someone can decline Secret Service protection, except the president. And no, it's not like that. What is next?"

I shut my mouth after that. I fielded the occasional question, answering in only the tersest of words.

Conversation continued well into the afternoon. When three PM arrived, I asked for a five-minute recess. Lara asked if there was any objection then granted it.

I immediately climbed from my seat and pulled Lara and Elisabeth to a distant corner of the room. "Are you ordering me to stop flying lessons?" I asked Lara.

"Why would I do that?"

I offered a droll look.

"Reasonable concessions," Elisabeth said. "Guess who decides what that means?"

"You?"

"The three of us," she said. "Collectively, with the input from your security chief."

"We will refine this," Lara said. "For now, that means you accept your security detail wherever you go. You allow them to do their jobs. And if they ask you not to do something, you don't do it without talking to Elisabeth or me first. If you can't convince us, you don't get to do it."

"And when we're running?"

"We will find a loose definition of what it means for you to be escorted. That will tighten during high risk times."

I looked between the two of them. "This sounds like a refinement to what I already agreed."

"That is my interpretation," Elisabeth said. "But I was just handed the money to do it properly." She grinned. "I told you to trust me."

"I want to interview anyone new you are assigning to me," I said. "And I get veto power."

"Anything else?" Lara asked.

"How many are you assigning to me?" I asked Elisabeth.

"Six total," she said. "Which allows for some to be off duty."

"Do you expect them to be in the bathroom with me?"

"If you agree to not fight this, no. If you ever ditch your guards that way, I'll never give you another second alone."

I sighed. "They better know how to kayak."

Elisabeth laughed. "Or drive the chase boat."

"I don't want my kayaking ruined by a motorboat circling me like a hungry shark."

"Will you cooperate, Michaela?" Elisabeth asked.

"For now. And I will give you ample warning if I decide to change my mind," I told her.

"Thank you. Lara, we need to end this meeting. We've discussed everything important. Nerves are frayed. And Christopher West is lucky he is still alive."

"Damned right he is," Lara said. "Were you really going to kill him?" Lara asked me.

"If he took a swing at me, he would have been dead," I said. "If he had kept his tone, I would have intentionally pushed his buttons until I had the excuse."

"Shit," Elisabeth said. "He really pissed you off. I wasn't sure if it was an act."

"That's a dangerous game," Lara said. "Please play it carefully."

I was surprised. "You didn't yell at me."

"No. You were right. He was being an ass. And it was far better he backed down from you than if I'd had to deal with it."

"I'll try to be a good scout about the security detail."

"Thank you," she said. "Let's get this meeting back in session so we can wrap it up."

"Elisabeth, do I need to wait to go to the airport afterwards?"

"No. I'll have your detail ready for you. I am your security chief for now, but that is temporary."

I nodded. "All right."

"Alpha," she said, addressing Lara. "Do you have further direction on the makeup of her team?"

"You are the head enforcer, Elisabeth," Lara replied. "But I agree Michaela should have input. Veto power is a little strong, but if it becomes a problem, the three of us will discuss it sensibly."

She looked at me pointedly when she said it. "All right," I said. "I would prefer women who won't patronize me."

"I'll do my best, but for now we have limited resources," Elisabeth said. "You're going to get whoever I have until I can build a team."

"All right," I said. "We have no enforcers I can't work with. Except Reggie."

That was a name I hadn't mentioned in nearly two years, since he had backed David for his play.

"Absolutely no on Reggie," Lara said. "Enough, everyone is waiting for us."

We returned to her seats and Lara got us going. She pointed out it had been a long day and asked if there was anything else pressing.

"Yes," Vivian said. "I would like to know if the fox is going to accept our resolution from earlier."

"She is," I said. "I reserve the right to change my mind if anyone starts turning the compound into a cage."

"Fair enough," said Vivian. "Thank you, Michaela."

No one else had any further issues, and we adjourned. I kissed Lara goodbye and asked my security chief to escort me home so I could change clothes and attend my flying lesson.

Angel completed her flight training in the nick of time, earning her private pilot's license the day before classes began. She gave everyone rides, starting with Scarlett, then her mother and sister, then Lara and me. When Lara climbed into the back seat, Angel looked deeply proud.

"I can ride back there, Lara," I said.

"No, no," she said. "I dislike riding in front if I'm not the pilot. I keep second guessing. Angel is the pilot now."

Angel wiped a tear from her eye then gave us a nice ride. Later, I caught her hugging Lara tightly, Lara returning the gesture with warmth. I couldn't hear what they said to each other, but they both looked happy.

Scarlett suspended her lessons once classes started, although she and Angel went flying once a week or so to keep Angel's skills sharp and to help them both relax.

I continued with my lessons and expected to finish sometime in October. I was enjoying my lessons immensely and already thinking about additional training once I had my license.

Elisabeth started a search for more enforcers, hoping to train a few from within the pack while perhaps acquiring a few from outside. She admitted to Lara and me that she'd not been involved in hiring new enforcers in the past, and she was concerned with the ability to find any she could trust.

"Maybe Brooke has ideas," I suggested. "Or Greg."

Elisabeth called both of them, but I don't know what she learned. For now, we had no new faces around the compound.

I froze. "Lara stop," I said. Lara was in the middle of doing something I didn't really care to have interrupted.

"Oh I don't think so," she said.

"Lara! Company."

"Shit," she said. She rolled off of me. "Are you sure?"

There was a knock on the door. "Yes," I said.

"Alpha?" It was Elisabeth. "I'm really sorry."

"Just a minute," Lara called.

We both sprang from the bed. Lara dashed to the closet, pulled on a robe, and wrapped herself in it. I straightened the bed then caught the robe she flung at me. I barely had it pulled on when she unlocked our door, admitting Elisabeth and Karen.

"We're sorry," Elisabeth said.

"What is it?" Lara asked.

"It's the hotline," she said. "It appears we have a defector from the Iowa pack asking for political asylum."

 **Defector**

Iowa is immediately southwest of Wisconsin. The two states share a partial border of about a hundred miles, the southernmost hundred miles of our western border abuts the northernmost hundred miles of the Iowa eastern border. I didn't know anything about the pack there but presumed they were congregated in Des Moines.

"Is she on the phone right now?"

"No," Karen said. "I took the call. She said she had to keep moving. She is in Wisconsin and wouldn't say where. She sounded scared but was very cool and calm at the same time."

"What else?" Lara asked.

"It's Kimberlee Mortens. Her older brother is the alpha," Karen said.

"Fuck!" Lara said.

"We have to take her," Elisabeth said. "He's trying to basically sell her to his head enforcer."

Lara looked away. "Johnny something-or-other?" Lara said.

"Johnny Mack" Elisabeth said.

"I don't blame her for running," Lara said. "What kind of brother would give his own sister to that sadist?"

"A desperate alpha hanging onto his position by the skin of his teeth," Elisabeth said.

"I need to sit," Lara said. She was coming up on eight months pregnant, and it showed. She waddled to the sofa and sat slowly.

"She's due to call back soon," Karen said. "If we won't give her asylum, she is asking safe passage to Canada."

"There's a lake in the way," I pointed out.

"I believe she is hoping we will provide a boat ride," Karen added.

"Why here?" Lara asked. "She would be safer if she went further."

"Female alpha," I said. "She is hoping you will be softly inclined to help her."

"Is anyone else in our territory?" Lara asked.

"Not that we know," Elisabeth said.

"All right," Lara said. "Tell her tentatively yes. We won't send her back, but we might send her on. If she isn't lying to us."

"I don't believe she is," Karen said.

"Gia is doing some digging," Elisabeth said. "We should have more soon."

"Send someone for her. Send June in an airplane if you want," Lara told Elisabeth. "Invite her here. Let me know the minute you have secured her safety. I will need to call her brother."

"Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth said. She smiled. "Thank you."

Lara nodded. "We didn't need this," she said. "Not now."

"We can't send her back," I said. "We can't."

"No," Lara said. "We can't. Handle it, Elisabeth. I want to meet her. Ramp up security. We're going to need it. Get this handled and if you aren't satisfied, call Greg."

"We're on it," Elisabeth said. She pulled Karen from our room, then stopped. "Unless it's drastic, we won't bother you until morning. Try to sleep. I think it's going to be a rough few days."

Lara nodded. "Let me know when she's safe. Wake us."

Elisabeth nodded, then the door closed behind them, and I heard Elisabeth giving Karen her instructions.

"How bad is this?" I asked Lara.

"Bad," she said. "He won't sit still for this."

"I'm on lockdown, aren't I?"

"I'm sorry."

I leaned into her. "I'll do whatever Elisabeth says until this is resolved."

"Thank you. Help me up, please."

I tugged her to her feet and helped her to bed, then cuddled against her. "Do you want help sleeping?" I asked her.

"No, but will you rub my back?"

"Yes, honey. Always."

It was some time later when Elisabeth crept into the room. Lara continued to snore lightly, but I was immediately awake. "Report, enforcer," I told her quietly.

"June and Karen have reported in. They picked up Kimberlee Mortens and are safely in the air."

"Any other intrusion?"

"No. A phone call."

"Dear old brother?"

"Yes. He respectfully asks we return his wayward sister to him."

"He knew she was here."

"Yes."

Lara mumbled, then rolled into me, waking up. "What's happening?" she asked.

Elisabeth repeated everything. "I told him I would relay his request to my alpha and requested his patience. I told him if we did indeed have his sister, a fact we had not yet verified, we would take exceedingly good care of her. He requested you call him by nine."

"All right," Lara said. "Anything else?"

"No. We could send her to Boulder."

"As I recall, there is bad blood between Brooke and Kimberlee, isn't there?"

"Is she trouble?" I asked.

"Not particularly," Lara said. "At least not as far as I know. Some dispute, I don't have the details. Good night, Elisabeth. Get some sleep."

"I'll be downstairs," she said. "I'm sorry for waking you both."

"Doing your job, Elisabeth. Thank you."

Lara kissed me. "I'm going to need your help."

"You'll have it. You know that."

"I need the cool, coldly calculating fox."

"You'll have her."

"Keep your emotions out of this," she said. "It may be hard."

"I will."

"Thank you. Let me hold you now."

I rolled over and let her pull me to her, and we slept, fitfully, until morning.

They let us sleep, but I woke at my usual time. I had class to teach. I climbed from bed and took my shower. When I returned, Lara was awake. She accepted a quick hug before disappearing into the bathroom. I dressed then laid out clothes for her. When she waddled back out, she looked uncomfortable.

"Six more weeks," I told her. "The doctor says everything is fine."

She nodded, and I helped her dress. Then we descended the stairs together. We got half way before I stopped her, my knives immediately in my hands, and I stepped in front of my mate.

"There is a stranger here."

"Probably Kimberlee," Lara said.

"In this house? Wait here." I descended the stairs slowly. Elisabeth and Karen were talking quietly to a wolf I didn't recognize, seated on the sofa with her back to me. Elisabeth saw me but let me make my own decision. I put the knives away after scanning the room again, then held out my hand for Lara. She climbed down the stairs to me, and we entered the living room.

Elisabeth jumped to her feet, Karen and the stranger following her lead.

"Alphas," Elisabeth said in a firm voice. "May I present Kimberlee Mortens, formerly of the Iowa pack. Kimberlee, my sister and Alpha, Lara Burns, and her mate, also Alpha, Michaela Burns."

The woman turned around to look at us. Lara and I crossed the room, but I kept myself interposed between the stranger and Lara, ready to deal with any threat. Lara chuckled. She was still becoming accustomed to my protective nature since she had become pregnant. Lara reached past me to shake hands with the woman, then I shook with her.

"The fox," she said. "You have become famous. Thank you for accepting me into your home."

"Lara must eat," I said. "We typically eat breakfast informally. You may join us." I turned Lara to the kitchen, guiding her and brooking no argument. Lara chuckled but let me lead her to the kitchen and settle her in at the table. Everyone else followed, Serena and Rory assuming their positions as my protective detail. They didn't normally follow me around the house, but I appreciated them. I leaned towards Serena. "Protect Lara."

"Yes," she said.

Michele Lassiter was in the kitchen. She didn't normally cook for us, but she was putting the finishing touches on a full breakfast. I didn't question it.

I got Lara settled, then interposed myself between her and Kimberlee. Serena and Rory both hovered protectively, and I was happy to have them. Elisabeth and Kimberlee took seats, and Karen took another position of security, slightly behind Kimberlee.

"I know I represent a significant difficulty," Kimberlee said. "And I wish I had not brought my troubles to you. But I myself am not trouble." She glanced at all the enforcers.

"Two of them are mine," I said. "And I have a hard time chasing them out of the bathroom when I need to use it. Karen, however, is yours, and if you make a false move for my mate, you will be lucky if she gets to you before I do."

The woman held up her hands in surrender. "I mean no ill will," she promised. "I had heard you were small and assumed you were crafty, but I did not know you would be so fierce."

"Stand down," Lara said quietly to me alone. "Let Elisabeth manage security."

I glanced over at her but I didn't relax.

"Tell us your story," I demanded.

She repeated things pretty much as we already knew, offering a few new details. As we suspected, she was being offered as a bribe to prevent a challenge to the alpha. "My brother would sacrifice me for his position. He never should have challenged the old alpha. It was a mistake he now regrets, but he doesn't know how to resign gracefully. I will not be a pawn to his aspirations, especially not to that man."

"How much of this can we verify?" Lara asked Elisabeth.

"As best we can tell," Elisabeth said, "Everything she has told us is true. We have photos of Kimberlee Mortens, and if this isn't her, she is a darned good body double. Her brother-"

"Brody," Kimberlee interjected.

"Does not appear to have the strength or cunning to hold his position. He is hanging on only because the head enforcer is exceedingly scary."

"Johnny knows he'd be a bad alpha and doesn't want the position," Kimberlee said. "But he expects his loyalty to be bought or he'll challenge my brother, probably kill him, then place an alpha in place who will give him what he wants."

"Which is?"

"A significant expense account and the opportunity to practice his sadism unchecked." Kimberlee looked around between us. "My brother is not a bad man. He isn't even necessarily a particularly bad alpha. However, he has spent so much effort staving off challenges that he has not been able to focus on running the pack properly."

"That just leads to more challenges," Elisabeth said.

"Yes."

"He should resign," I said. "Rather than offer his sister as sacrificial lamb."

"And go where?" she asked.

"Anywhere." I turned to Lara.

"No," she said.

"Why not?"

"Because a wolf who would challenge a sitting alpha once might do it again," Kimberlee said.

"So he's fighting for his life," I summarized.

"Yes," Kimberlee said. "My defection will seal his fate, unless he can buy Johnny Mack off in some other fashion. I feel badly for that, but he did not consult me before challenging the old alpha. I would have advised against it. I did not make this problem, and I should not be the one to pay for it."

"You are being very reasonable," I told her.

"I feel, at least temporarily, safe," she said. "For the first time since Brody made his fatefully stupid mistake. Thank you."

"Lara has that effect," I said. I clasped her hand.

Kimberlee smiled. "You perhaps understand my position." I did.

"Your brother may not be a bad man," I said. "But if Lara had been in the same position, she would sacrifice herself before asking others to pay for her mistake. So would everyone else in this room."

"He has grown desperate and short-sighted. Perhaps he will come to this conclusion as well."

We ate while continuing to discuss the situation. Finally I said, "I need to go. I have class to teach."

"Francesca is teaching your classes today," Elisabeth said.

"I need you here," Lara added. "You may go consult with her, then please return."

"Yes, Alpha," I told her. I kissed her quickly and turned to Elisabeth. "I want a full security detail on Lara until this is resolved."

"I don't have the forces," she said. "Not to protect the three of you. And frankly, if he wants her back badly enough to cause trouble, taking you would be a better choice than attacking Lara."

"I can defend myself better than she can right now."

Lara began to growl, but I turned to her. "It's true! You have to protect our babies. That is your only job!"

"Yes, Michaela, but you will have four enforcers full time."

"Emanuel and Eric are on their way," Serena said.

"Get Gia here," I said.

"Gia is busy," Elisabeth said. "Trust me to run security, Alpha."

"Elisabeth," I said, ready to plead with her.

"I will not allow anything to happen to your mate, Michaela," she said firmly. "Trust me to do my job."

I studied her. It was hard. Lara chuckled. "Michaela," she said gently. "What you are feeling right now is how I feel about you all the time. All the time, Love."

"Elisabeth," I said. "The pack has three hundred and forty two members. Surely there are a few toughs who could use some extra cash."

"I'm sure there are," she said. "We won't be using them."

"Why not?" I demanded.

"Kimberlee," Elisabeth asked. "Do you know the easiest way to infiltrate a pack's security?"

"Of course," she said. "You pay off any greedy enforcers you can find."

"It isn't hard finding people willing to take a job as enforcer," Elisabeth said. "It's damned hard to find one I would trust with your life, Michaela."

I stared at her. "I bet you salivated when Angel inquired."

"Yes," she said. "I did. And she'll be good, once we train her up. That's long term."

"Call Greg," I said.

"I did. He's fully committed somewhere. He wouldn't say where, just that he was using every resource he has, and the other people he would recommend as reliable are also busy. He can loan us counter-intelligence support, but no muscle."

"There is a war going on between Arizona and Colorado," Kimberlee offered.

"Oh hell," I said. "So Daniel and Brooke can't help, either. Are they all right?"

"I called Daniel," Elisabeth said. "He sounds stressed but said everything is fine. They are not directly involved, but they are on high alert. He wasn't willing to take this problem off our hands."

"Emanuel and Eric are waiting outside," Serena said quietly. "Alpha, we are ready to escort you to the school."

"None of your games, Little Fox," Lara said to me.

"No," I said. "None of my games." I turned to Serena. "Thank you."

She nodded to me then gestured me out of the kitchen, inviting me to lead. I left the kitchen saying, "I will return as soon as I am able." At the front door, I turned to Serena. "I will do whatever I think I am supposed to do, and you will tell me if I must stop."

"Thank you," she said. "Emanuel and Eric are on the porch. We will box you. You understand."

"Yes, I do."

I turned to the door and stepped out. I began down the steps, Emanuel and Eric moving in front of me, Serena and Rory flanking me. I turned around suddenly and looked at Serena. "Are you my security chief?"

"Yes," she said. "For now."

"Not Karen?"

"No. Elisabeth wants her close to Lara. If I am unavailable, you may talk to Emanuel."

"I understand." I turned towards the school.

When I returned, everyone had retired to the living room. Gia was there, taking notes as Kimberlee was dictating everything she knew about the Iowa pack.

"I should have been here for the start of this," I said to Lara as I settled down next to her.

"We'll have a transcript for you."

I sat back and listened.

Promptly at nine, Elisabeth interrupted. "It is time, Lara," she said.

"Someone call him," Lara said.

Elisabeth pulled out a phone. It wasn't her normal phone. I raised an eyebrow.

"Burner," she said. "If it rings, I know who it is, and when this is over, I can throw it away." She punched some buttons and I listened as she worked her way through two flunkies before reaching Kimberlee's brother. She handed the phone to Lara, and I listened in.

"Mr. Mortens," Lara said.

"Ms. Burns," he replied. "You have something that belongs to me, I believe."

"I am sorry," Lara said. "I didn't know that. I have a guest in my house, let me ask her." She looked at Kimberlee. "He is suggesting you brought something with you that is his."

"I stole his car," she said. "I can't think of anything else."

"We will have the car driven into Iowa if you tell us where you would like it," Lara said.

"I don't care about the car," he said. "Well, I do, but I want Kimberlee back. She is my wolf."

"Kimberlee is a sentient creature. She appears to be of legal age. By every law I know, that means she is able to make her own decisions."

"I need her," Brody said, sounding desperate. "Return her and we'll forget this little difficulty."

"Kimberlee," Lara asked. "Your brother invites you to return to Iowa. Will you do so willingly?"

"I would rather not," she said. "I think I would rather slit my wrists before I'd go back."

"I'm sorry," Lara said. "She politely declines your invitation. Perhaps there is another solution to the difficulty you have created. We would be happy to offer some advice."

"I don't need your advice," he said hotly. "I need you to stop interfering in a family matter!"

"Brody," Lara said quietly. "Do you claim your sister as your personal property? A slave? I do not see a slave collar, but maybe she took it off. Very sloppy of you."

He didn't say anything. "Please, Alpha. Give me back my sister."

"Your sister is free to return to you if she wishes," Lara said. "I will not force her. It is the policy of the Wisconsin weres to treat all sentient beings as sentient beings. There are no slaves in Wisconsin."

"You don't know what will happen," Brody said.

"Are you threatening me because I have offered to treat your sister with the sort of respect a real brother would have offered her himself?"

He grew quiet. "I know I'm a lousy brother," he said. "Johnny isn't as bad as she thinks. He wouldn't hurt her."

"She believes Mr. Mack to be a sadist," Lara said. "Does she have reason to believe that?"

"Maybe," Brody said in a small voice. "But that's not the point."

"I can't imagine offering any of my wolves as wife to a sadist," Lara said. "Much less my own sister. Are you suggesting I am a better alpha than you are? A better wolf than you are? A stronger wolf than you are?"

"You don't know what you would do until presented with the situation yourself," Brody replied.

"You should solve this problem with your sadistic enforcer yourself," Lara said. "If that means your death, at least it would be with honor."

When Brody responded, he did so quietly. "I would do that, but he would kill me. And he wouldn't stop with me. He would spread his sadism throughout all of Iowa. I can't allow that."

My estimate of Brody went up with that statement. I believe he actually cared about his pack.

"So you would sacrifice your sister to him to protect the rest of the pack?" Lara asked.

"Yes. I would hate myself, but yes."

"He won't be satisfied," Lara said. "He'll use her up and look for more. Where will you send him then? Wisconsin?"

He sighed. "You are right, Alpha. You are right. I must seek another solution. May I speak with my sister?"

"Of course." Lara handed her the phone.

"I'm not coming back, Brody," Kimberlee said immediately.

"I know, Kimber," he said. "I'm so sorry. You were right all along. I'll find another solution. Are you safe there?"

"I believe so," she said. "Yes. They are cautious, but treating me with a great deal of respect. I like the alpha's mate." She smiled at me when she said it.

"If Johnny were out of the picture, would you return? I'll need you to help me here."

"If he's dead and you promise you won't give me to someone else, yes, I'll come back. I'll need to see a body, Brody."

"I understand. Will you stay in Wisconsin, then, until this is settled?"

"If I am welcome," she said. "Do you promise not to start a war here?"

"No war," he said. "I'll find someone to help. Somehow. A hunter, maybe."

I perked up at that. Lara took one look and said, "No."

She was probably right. It wasn't really our fight, anyway.

"Good luck, Brody," Kimberlee said.

"I am sending Elaine to you," Brody told her. "You should have a friend with you. Now give me back to the alpha, please," he told her. She handed the phone back to Lara.

"Will you take care of my sister?" he asked. "I do love her, you know."

"She is welcome here as long as she wishes," Lara said. "Are you declaring war?"

"No," he said. "Your pack outnumbers mine two to one, and mine won't fight for me."

"Would they fight for Johnny Mack?" Lara asked.

"No. From him they would run. If I die, you will have more refugees."

"If they come here, we'll find homes for them in places further away."

"Thank you for understanding, Alpha," he told her.

"Good luck, Alpha," Lara told him back. She hung up the phone and tossed it to Elisabeth.

"I don't believe a word he said," I said as soon as I was sure the phone was off.

"He was sincere," Kimberlee said. "He is sending my best friend to me. Is she also welcome?"

"Do you vouch for her?" Lara asked.

"Of course."

"Then she is welcome." Lara sighed. "He won't start a war," Lara said. "He doesn't have the forces. I also don't believe he has the capital to hire the forces."

"No," Kimberlee said. "But he may try subterfuge."

Lara looked at me. "I know, I know," I said. "I won't shed my guards."

Two days later, we had another house guest. Kimberlee, who told us to call her Kimber, introduced us to her best friend, Elaine. Elaine was a nervous wolf when she first arrived, jumping at noises and eyeing all of us cautiously, but she settled in, and we achieved a new meaning of "normal".

The beginning of October arrived. Lara was now four weeks from her expected delivery. Our sex life had curtailed, but she remained pleasant company and deeply appreciative of any pampering I gave her.

Kimber and Elaine were fully incorporating into the pack, joining us for our runs and games. They even introduced a few from Iowa, but they didn't prove to be as popular. Kimber privately told me our games were better.

We didn't play any games of catch the fox. My security detail stayed glued to my sides, and I didn't even ask for anything else. I in turn stayed glued to Lara as much as I could, making sure she was deeply protected. She was getting fat and slow, and anyone who wanted anything to do with her would have to go through me.

The first Saturday in October arrived. I was hovering around Lara, and she snapped at me. "Michaela! Please! I just want to rest. Go shopping or something. Kimber and Elaine need more clothes, and you could use some, too. I'll pay your credit card bill this month. Please."

I eyed her and said sadly, "You don't want me here?"

"Oh honey," she said. "You are going stir crazy. You need to get out. Spend a day in the city. Buy some clothes for Celeste and Rebecca. Buy me a new pair of earrings. Do a little Christmas shopping. You aren't going to have time once the pups are here."

"I don't want to leave you unprotected," I said.

"I won't be. Now go. Serena is waiting downstairs for you. I am going to nap. I'll see you this afternoon when you get home. Buy something sexy. I might not be able to do everything I want to do, but I can still enjoy looking at you."

"All right," I said. "Did you clear this with Elisabeth?"

"Yes," she said. "Go."

I kissed her, loaded up on all my favorite weaponry, kissed her again, found my purse, kissed Lara, checked my cell phone, kissed Lara, checked my weapons, kissed Lara-

"Knock it off!" she said. "Go."

I kissed her once more before leaving her on the sofa. I collected Kimber and Elaine; they were both ready to go. We got downstairs, and Serena was waiting.

Elaine asked, "Where are we going?"

"No idea." I turned to Serena. She mentioned a mall in Madison, the one we normally visited.

"Great," Elaine said. "Are the stores good?"

"They aren't bad," I said. "It's not New York."

She laughed. "It's probably better than what I am used to." Then she patted herself. "Oh, I forgot my purse. I'll be right back." Before I could stop her, she ran upstairs. She was gone for a couple of minutes, then I heard a flush and she joined us.

Shortly after that, we were on our way, three shoppers and four enforcers.

We shopped like crazy. I bought a new nightgown for myself; I was sure Lara would approve. We bought clothes for the babies. We went from store to store, finally arriving at our real destination, a women's dress shop named, "Shape." I loved their clothing. I had never been a clothes horse before, but this shop could make me amend my ways.

We'd been there for thirty minutes, sorting through dresses. I looked at all our packages and turned to Serena. "I wouldn't suppose we could run someone out to the car with these?"

She frowned, look around, then nodded, sending Emanuel and Rory with them. The two were fully loaded and looked absolutely hilarious. I especially liked seeing Rory carrying the pink bag with my purchase from the lingerie store.

Serena and Eric kept up their guard duty, their backs turned to us while watching the crowds. Elaine turned to Kimber. "Hey, I really need to use the bathroom. Come with me."

Kimber looked at her. "I just went. Don't tell me you're afraid to go alone."

"Come on," she said. "Keep me company, Kimber."

"I'll go," I said. "Come on, it's just outside the store."

Elaine looked between the two of us. Kimber turned back to the clothing she was looking at, and I realized she really wanted to try the dresses on. I decided Elaine wanted to talk to her privately about something, but finally she shrugged and took my arm.

"Do we need your enforcers?" she asked.

I looked at them. I wanted Kimber protected, and I figured we would run into Rory and Emanuel anyway. "Naw," I said. "We're not going very far, and no one knows we're here. Well, no one you and I couldn't handle." I eyed the humans.

Elaine laughed. "Maybe you're right, but I hate messing up the humans. Their police get so pesky about it."

"Tell me about it," I said. "I hate being arrested. Maybe we should tread softly."

"Good plan," she agreed. We slipped out of the store.

The bathroom was down a short service hallway, but when we got there, it was marked as out of service. "No worries," I said. "There's another one." I turned us around and headed across the mall. The other bathrooms were available and remarkably, empty when we arrived.

We did what one does, and while we were washing up and checking our hair - mine was perfect, of course - my phone rang. I glanced at it. It was Serena.

"I'm fine," I said. "We're in the bathroom. We'll be right back."

"Alpha!" she said. "You promised you wouldn't do this!"

"We're just in the bathroom," I said. "I didn't ditch you. We'll be back in five minutes."

"Stay there!" she ordered. "I am sending Emanuel and Rory to you."

"Calm down, we'll be right there." I hung up and set the phone on the counter, fiddling with my hair for a minute.

Elaine picked up my phone, looking at it. "This is a nice phone," she said.

"Thanks."

Then her phone buzzed from her purse. She pulled it out, glanced at it, then she slipped both her phone and mine into her purse.

"Um-" I said, holding out my hand.

She looked at me sadly. "I'm sorry, Michaela. You don't deserve this. This should have been Kimber."

"Elaine," I said. "What did you do?"

"They have my sister. If you go easy, they won't hurt you. Lara will trade Kimber for you and you'll be home by tomorrow or the next day. They're waiting right outside."

My phone rang from Elaine's purse. She ignored it but instead grabbed my arm. "Come on. This doesn't have to turn ugly." She began pulling me from the bathroom, and she was very strong.

I decided to count the score before I did anything.

Out in the hall were six wolves. I didn't recognize any of them.

She had set me up. That bitch had set me up!

 **Taken**

I didn't wait for any of them to react. With my free left hand, I pulled one of my knives and jammed it into Elaine's arm, the one she was holding me with. I left it there. The longer it was in, the more silver poisoning she would be forced to deal with, and I didn't think these wolves were going to take the time to rinse it out properly.

She howled and dropped my arm.

I pulled my other knife, dropped to the floor, and slashed it across both her hamstrings, putting everything I had into it. I sliced one, but not cleanly. The other one I severed, and she went down, screaming.

The other wolves went into motion. To my fox senses, they were slow, but there were six of them, and while it wasn't a narrow corridor, it was still a confined space.

I was in deep trouble.

I took an instant to grab another knife from my ankle. One of them bent to grab me, and I got sprayed by his blood when I jammed a knife into his throat.

He fell away from me, clutching at his throat.

Five to one. The odds were improving, but I'd lost two knives already. I grabbed the last one from my other ankle, feinted for the main portion of the mall, then fell away, slashing at one wolf and opening a slice across his arm, but nothing fatal. I rolled, giving myself some space. I had barely enough weapons to win this if I didn't lose more than one weapon per opponent, but my chopsticks weren't the best for this type of fight.

The five of them rushed me, and they were coordinated. I feinted right, dived left, and slashed one across the buttocks on the way past. It wasn't much of a wound, but it might slow him down. But he managed to kick my legs as I went past him, and I sprawled, sliding across the floor. I jumped to my feet, intending to run, but then Elaine grabbed my ankle as I tried to run past, and she held on with a wolf's strength.

I tripped and fell again, then tried to yank my ankle from her grasp. I felt something twist, screamed, then doubled over and slammed a knife through the top of Elaine's skull.

"Take that, bitch!" I screamed.

But then the wolves were on me. I jammed my last knife into one gut. Two others had firm hold of me. But I wrenched upwards with the knife, and I knew I had reached his heart.

Three down, four to go, but I was out of knives, and the wolves were piling on.

I went down, slamming my head against the floor. I reached up and grabbed a chopstick. I got it out of my hair and got it separated before one of them grabbed my right hand. I grabbed the chopstick with my left hand and slammed it towards a leering wolf face. It buried in his cheek, and he fell back, howling. It wasn't fatal, but it would distract him.

But that was the end of the fight. Another one grabbed my hand, and they threw me onto my stomach. My arms were wrenched behind my back viciously. I kicked and squirmed, but it was futile. They had firm hold of me, and there was no way I was breaking an adult male wolf's hold on me.

I continued to scream and struggle, but then I felt rope wrapped around my ankles, drawing them tight.

"No!" I said. "Lara is going to hunt you all down and kill you! Slowly!"

"She'll trade Kimber for you," one of the wolves said. "And this will be over."

I continued to scream at them. They finished tying my ankles, then my wrists. Then they picked me up and were running.

"Michaela!" I heard Serena's voice. Behind us, I heard my entire security detail chase into the corridor after us. "Michaela!"

"Serena!" I screamed. "Serena!"

And then we slammed outside. The emergency exit alarm started blaring. There was a car waiting by the curb. They threw me in, not at all gently, flying into the car after me, and we took off.

I sat up, turning around, and the last thing I saw before they stuffed a sack over my head was Serena and Emanuel, shifting into wolves and chasing after me. But the car roared away, faster than an adult werewolf could run.

I was so screwed.

I never stopped screaming.

I knew when we pulled onto the interstate. I continued to struggle and scream, but they held me firmly, and I knew I wasn't going to get free.

"Shut her the fuck up!" one of them said roughly. "Or I'll come back there and do it."

One of the wolves whispered into my ear. "Listen," he said. "You do not want to piss that one off. You aren't going to get away. One more sound and I am gagging you. And if that's not enough, he'll make you regret it."

I closed my mouth.

"That's better," he said.

"Is that Johnny Mack?" I asked.

"Yes."

"You just declared war on the Madison wolves," I said. "Lara will hunt you down and kill all of you. We're twice your size, and you don't have the organization to stand up against us. Furthermore, we have a huge war chest and a lot of friends."

"We weren't after you. We were after Kimber. If you don't give Johnny cause to hurt you, we'll return you undamaged. Now shut up. Another sound and we're gagging you."

I shut up. There was nothing to be gained from antagonizing them, and the longer I put off any real unpleasantness, the longer Lara had to rescue me.

It was a long car ride. I was thankful I'd just been to the bathroom. I spent time counting stock.

Barring my fatal flaw of trusting Elaine, I had acquitted myself well. I had killed the traitorous bitch and, I was pretty sure, two of the wolves. I heard distinct wolf heartbeats in the car, and I counted four. Johnny Mack had been waiting in the car, and I realized they'd left one more behind. I wondered if it was the one I had stabbed in the face.

I was out of knives, but it felt like I was still wearing one chopstick and I could feel my belt still wrapped around my waist. I wasn't completely without weapons.

I struggled carefully with the knots binding my wrists, but they were well tied, and I couldn't reach them. I think the wolf next to me knew I was working at it, but he didn't say anything. Maybe he could clearly see I wasn't getting anywhere. With my hands and legs bound, I would remain virtually helpless.

We'd been driving for a while when the rough voice from somewhere in front of me said, "How many enforcers did you kill?"

"None," said another voice from the front.

"What the fuck?" said the rough voice. "Their enforcers took out three of you, plus that bitch, and you didn't kill a single one of them?"

"No enforcers," the other wolf said. "It was all her. The fox."

"Don't lie to me!" Johnny said. "What the fuck happened?"

"She was armed," the other wolf whined. "No one told us she would be armed."

"What the hell is the matter with you? She's tiny, and she killed three of you?"

"She had knives," he said. "I don't know where they came from, but she seemed to have an unending supply of them, and she knew how to use them."

"Knives?" Johnny scoffed. "God, what kind of wolves are you, you let a little girl kill three of you with some little knives. Worthless pricks."

I smiled inside my hood.

No one back talked to Johnny. He continued to berate them for some time.

"I should kill the rest of you myself," he said finally. I was all for that. Then he shut up again.

No one talked after that.

I continued to struggle with my wrists, and I felt the ropes grow slick with my blood.

We stopped once for gas.

"Keep her quiet," Johnny ordered from the front seat. "A single sound from either of you and I will kill you both myself."

The wolf next to me clasped me to him. I struggled, and he squeezed my arm painfully. He then wrapped his hand over my mouth through the hood, clasping me firmly. I could breath, although it was difficult, as the cloth of the hood was smashed against my nose. I struggled, trying to pull away from him, and he squeezed my arm so hard I thought he would break a bone.

"You seem fragile," he said quietly. "You aren't going to get away, but you can get hurt. It's your choice."

I settled down and let him do what he wanted.

Ten minutes later we were again on the way. No one had raised an alarm. Once we were on the interstate again, the wolf released me. I didn't say a word to him, but I was going to enjoy watching Lara kill him.

I was bored out of my mind. I kept replaying everything. What if I had killed Elaine in the bathroom? Could I have held out long enough for Serena to find me? What if I had killed her at the beginning instead of maiming her? Would I have gotten free?

I decided everything I had done after that was the best I could have done. It was seven wolves to one fox, and I had directly killed three and maimed one more. That one wasn't with us, so I presumed my enforcers had him. I hoped they tortured him for a long, long time.

Still, I ran everything through my head over and over.

I think I slept, leaning against the window. The sounds changed, and I thought we were perhaps in a city. There were turns, then we left the interstate. I guessed it was ten minutes later before we reached a quiet neighborhood, and a few minutes later we came to a stop. The sound changed. I heard an echo of the car; we had pulled into a garage. I listened to the garage door close automatically, and then the wolves began climbing out of the car. They dragged me after them, then picked me up and carried me into the house. We went downstairs, took some turns, and then they threw me onto a bed.

"This room is soundproofed," the wolf who had been babysitting me said. "Feel free to make all the noise you want. I don't blame you for being angry. I don't blame you for fighting back. You did very well. Your mate will give us Kimber and we'll give you back to her, and this will all be over."

"Are you going to untie me?" I asked.

"No."

"Coward. Asshole."

He slammed the door, and I was alone.

I listened for a while. I couldn't hear a thing beyond my own breathing and heartbeat plus the occasional noise as I shifted on the bed. I decided he was right; the room was probably soundproofed. I didn't hear any car noises, any talking, anything at all.

Finally I gave that up and struggled with my bonds. The hood was the easiest. It was just a bag of some sort pulled over my head. When I got it off, I couldn't see a thing. The room was pitch black. I looked around, but there wasn't so much as a glimmer of light from any direction.

I thought about my ransom nights. They hadn't been hypothetical after all. My security detail hadn't been a waste of resources, either, except I'd left them behind. I wondered if I would be dealing with this so calmly if I hadn't been tested during my ransom nights. I knew I could take anything they did to me and come out of it fighting.

I began working on my ropes. I made no headway with the ones on my wrists. I tried to free my ankles, but I wasn't able to reach the ropes.

I thought about shifting. If I shifted to fox, the ropes would fall off. But I would dislocate both shoulders. I didn't know if I could relocate them without help. I knew I could heal the damage, but I'd have to put them back into place first. I wasn't that desperate yet.

Then I remembered the chopstick still in my hair. It took some effort, but I managed to dislodge it from my hair. I struggled around again until I found it with my hands. It took a few seconds, but I got it pulled apart.

It hurt to use. The needle was too long that I couldn't hang onto it by the handle and poke it into the rope. Instead, I had to hang onto the silver. I healed the silver burns while repeatedly jabbing the sharp end of the needle into the rope.

It felt like I was making headway, but there were a lot of loops of rope, and whoever had tied it knew what he was doing. I kept working at it.

Then I heard sound at the door. I lay on my back, hiding my hands and the chopstick. The door opened, and I blinked in the sudden light from the space outside. He didn't turn on a light, but whoever it was stared at me.

"Are you damaged?" he asked.

I recognized the voice. It was Brody.

"Go to hell," I said. "You are a fucking coward. You don't even do your own dirty work. You are a disgrace to all wolves."

"Your alpha wants to talk to you," he said, crossing the room to me. He held a phone out to me.

I didn't say anything.

"Talk to her," Brody said. "Or I will send Johnny in."

"Lara?" I said immediately.

"Oh honey," Lara replied.

"Be strong, Lara. Kill them for me. Kill every last one."

Brody snatched the phone away. "Convinced?" he asked her. "She is alive, and as you can tell, reasonably unharmed. I want my sister."

"Give my mate back unharmed and we won't kill every wolf living in Iowa," Lara replied.

Brody left my cell, screaming at Lara and slamming the door.

I concentrated on healing my silver burns, then went back to stabbing the needle into the rope on my wrists.

But I hadn't eaten for hours, and healing the burns was beginning to take a toll. I adjusted my grip, trying to hang onto the safe wooden handle, but I couldn't reach the ropes that way.

I started falling further and further behind on healing the silver burns, and I knew if I didn't stop, I'd be dealing with silver poisoning. I finally sighed, found the free end of the chopstick, and slowly worked the pieces back together. I slipped the chopstick into the waistband of my skirt directly under my hands. I thought it would stay there. I lay still and tried to conserve my strength.

I don't know how long I waited. The door opened, startling me. I might have dozed. Two women stood in the doorway, backlit from the hallway. They crossed the room and looked down at me.

"Are you awake?" they asked.

I didn't answer them.

"We are here to help you use the bathroom and feed you," the other said. "But if you are not interested, we can leave."

I ignored them.

"If you wet the bed," the second speaker said, "We will let you sleep in it."

"I haven't had a bathroom break, anything to drink, or anything to eat since you animals stole me from my home."

"If your alpha hadn't stolen Kimber," the first one said. "You would not be here."

"She came to us to avoid marrying one of your animals," I said. "And based on my treatment so far, I don't blame her."

"You lie!"

"No," I said. "I do not. She begged us for asylum. She said she wouldn't let Johnny Mack do the things he would do to her."

Neither said anything right away, then the first one spoke again. "Prove it," she said.

"How am I supposed to prove something like that? Call her yourself. I can give you several phone numbers you can call; any of the people on the other end can reach Kimber."

"You killed Elaine, Frankie, Hank and John," she said.

"No. I only killed Elaine and two of the males. I damaged the other one, but he was still breathing when I was carried away. Are you going to blame me for fighting back?"

"She's telling the truth," the second woman said. "You can smell it. She's terrified, but she's not lying."

"I would run if I were going to be forced to marry that pig," the first one agreed.

"Does that mean you will help me?" I asked.

"Yes," the second one said. And my heart soared. "We will help you to the bathroom, and we will feed you." My heart sank.

"I was hoping you would untie my hands."

"That would be worth our lives," she said. "And dying would take a long time."

"Ah," I said. "So you believe me."

"I believe you," she said. "We are to carry you to the bathroom then back here."

I paused, struggling to pull the chopstick out from my skirt, making it look like I was trying to sit up. I managed to work it loose, leaving it on the bed behind me, and hoped they wouldn't notice it.

"Fine," I said once I was ready.

She bent down and picked me up. "You weigh nothing," she said. "Less than a human."

"Yes," I said.

"Wait!" said the first one. "The hood." She looked around, spotted it on the floor, and jammed it over my head. "You are not to see."

"Fine," I said.

That one led the way, and the one carrying me followed. I was brought through several rooms and then she set me on my feet.

"I am sorry," the second one said into my ear. "But this will not be as degrading as any of the other choices." Then she pulled my skirt and panties down before helping me sit down on the toilet.

I did what was needed, wriggling at the end. The wolf didn't try to clean me, but helped me to my feet and pulled my clothes back up around my waist. Then she picked me back up and carried me back to my cell. She set me down on the bed, and she was gentle about it. One of them pulled the hood off my head and walked out. The one who had been kind was left with me.

"Please untie my wrists," I said.

"No," she said very quietly. "But I also didn't notice you are making good work on it yourself."

The other one came back; she was carrying a plate with food and a glass. I looked at the plate. It was piled for a wolf.

"I eat about a third of that," I said. "I'm not a wolf."

"That's fine," said the kind one.

The food was already cut into small pieces. The one who didn't like me handed the plate to the kind one, and she slowly fed me. There was chicken and potatoes, the only vegetable the wolves seemed to eat. The potatoes were flavored oddly, but they were warm and filling.

"Enough," I said when I was full. "Thank you."

"More of the potatoes," the mean one said.

"I am full," I said. "I'm not a wolf."

"More of the potatoes," she insisted. She took the fork from the first one and speared some of the potatoes. "You will eat them or I will hurt you."

I stared into her face. "They're drugged."

"Yes," said the kind one. "I am sorry."

"With what?"

"I don't know the name," she said. "It will make you sleep, that is all. Sleep is good. Time will pass faster."

"Eat them," the mean one said.

"Did you put enough in them for a wolf or a fox?"

"We guessed," the kind one said. "Less than an adult wolf. More than for a child."

"I am the size of a wolf child of nine or so."

"We do not intend to kill you," said the mean one. "You are worth nothing dead. You will eat the potatoes."

I looked at her. "You'll kill me," I said. "Too much of whatever it is will dull my respiration. Furthermore, too much food will cause me to vomit. If I have passed out, I will choke to death. It happens to rock stars all the time. Look up Jimi Hendrix sometime."

"You will eat the potatoes," the mean one said. "You will eat them willingly or we will shove them down your throat. Either way, you will eat them."

"Fine," I said. "When I am dead, Lara will kill all of you. She will smell me on you and know to kill you slowly." I opened my mouth, and the girl angrily shoved potatoes in. I chewed slowly and gulped them down.

"Wait," said the kind one. "She's right. Rock stars die on vomit all the time. We will feed her slowly. She will pass out before we are done."

"But don't think you can fake it," said the mean one. "Your scent will change, and we know all the symptoms. This is not the first time we have used this." She looked at the amount of potatoes left. "If you cooperate, we will allow you to eat slowly, but if you try to fake it, we will pour the rest into you."

"And I will change my mind about what I told you earlier," the second one said.

I nodded.

"How much more than a child did you use?"

"Halfway between a child and an adult," the kind one said.

"A child's portion would make a child sleep?"

"Yes, and an adult portion would make one of us sleep. A male might sleep for a shorter time, but he would sleep."

I looked at how much I had eaten. "Two more forks, then let it settle," I said. I opened my mouth, ate, and ate again. Then I looked at the bed. "That pillow is thin. If you elevate my chest and head more, I am less likely to get sick in my sleep."

"How do you know all this?" the mean one asked.

"I am a science teacher. I know things."

"All right," she said. "If you agree to cooperate, I will retrieve more pillows."

"I have no choice, do I?"

"No, but you could be difficult."

"I will eat enough potatoes to sleep, and I will not fake it."

She handed the fork to the kind one and disappeared. While she was gone I asked the other one, "How long will I sleep?"

"I don't know. At least several hours. Possibly until morning."

"If you help me escape, you could go to Wisconsin with me. Lara is going to kill everyone here."

"She will trade for you," the woman said. "I am sorry, but if she doesn't trade, Johnny will start to hurt you until she does. You are lucky to be asleep. Can you feel the drug?"

I assessed. "A little," I admitted. I opened my mouth and accepted more of the dreaded potatoes.

"How long does it normally take?" I asked.

"Not usually that long. You haven't had enough. A child would fall asleep while still eating. An adult wolf might eat everything down and then fall asleep at the table. Take more."

I let her feed me more of the potatoes.

"Would you really die if we gave you too much?"

"I don't know," I said. "It depends on what it is. Vomiting from too much food was the bigger risk. The extra pillows might help. You will need to arrange me on my side with my head higher than my stomach, and do your best so I do not have a strange shape."

"Then you should eat the rest," she said. "You will sleep longer. I won't let you die."

I took a deep breath. "Will you be keeping me drugged?"

"Probably. Unless Johnny needs to hurt you. Then they'll want you awake."

"They'll need me awake for proof of life," I said.

She gave me more of the potatoes and asked, "What is proof of life?"

"Lara will want proof I am alive. She'll want to talk to me."

"I don't know anything about that. Please eat the rest. Sleeping is better. Even if you free your hands while we are gone, you won't get free. And you now have enough of the drug, even when you wake, you will be very groggy for hours."

"You are trying to be kind," I observed, then let her give me more potatoes. I could feel the drug working through my system, and I knew I only had a few more minutes.

"Kimber is my friend," she said. "My name is Emily. But you should know, Hank was Sarah's brother."

"I am sorry she lost her brother, but he shouldn't have helped kidnap me."

"No," Emily said. "He should not have. Eat the rest of the potatoes now."

I let her finish feeding me. She set the plate on the floor.

"Can you feel it?"

"Yes," I said, and I realized my tongue felt heavy. "If I choke, I will die."

There were noises, and then Sarah appeared with several pillows.

"She ate them all?" Sarah asked Emily.

"Yes. She is nearly asleep."

"You!" she said. "Say something."

"Sorry about your brother," I said.

"He was an asshole," Sarah said. "I am sorry this is happening to you."

"You... changed... mind."

"Yes. But don't ask us to help you." Then she was beside me, arranging the pillows. Emily told Sarah what I'd said about how to help me sleep. I fell over onto the pillows, and I felt my legs pulled up onto the bed. They rolled me more onto my side and used a pillow to prop me there.

"One... ribs... bent," I said. And I don't remember anything after that for a long time.

 **Waiting**

I don't know how long they kept me drugged. I remember Sarah and Emily several times. I couldn't tell you how many, and I couldn't tell you how long it was between visits. I might not even remember all their visits. One or the other of them would carry me to the bathroom and help me as much as necessary. I remember barely being able to sit up, and one of them would steady me, then clean me up and carry me back to my cell. They would give me more water and food. They told me which choices were drugged, and they made me eat the drugged food first. Then they fed me very slowly whatever else was left until I passed out again.

I don't remember ever being sick.

And then there was a change. It started the same, with them entering my cell and struggling to wake me. The bathroom, and feeding me, but they didn't seem to care what I ate or how much. Then they arranged me on the bed and I slept more.

The next time they came, I was groggy. They took me to the bathroom again, but they didn't feed me. They gave me more water and made sure I was all right on the bed.

Some time later, I woke on my own.

They had stopped drugging me. I searched for my chopstick. I found it, buried in the bed covers. No one must have noticed it, or else they didn't care. I began working at the rope.

There was noise at the door, and I struggled to put the chopstick back together. I was still fumbling with it when Emily and Sarah stepped in. I lay quietly as if I were still asleep.

"You should be awake," Sarah said.

"I am," I said. "But it's too much work to sit up without help."

I barely got the chopstick back together and dropped it on the bed behind me. They crossed the room to me and helped me to sit.

"Your alpha refuses to trade for you," Emily said. "You must convince her."

I sighed.

"We are not your enemies," Emily said. "We would free you if we could. We would run with you if we could. But we both have family. You understand."

"Yes, I understand that your pack is run by a coward and dominated by a sadist. And I understand no one is doing anything about either of those. If this were my pack, I would kill both of them or die trying, and my entire family would be here helping me."

"Then you are far braver than we are. After you have spent time with Johnny, maybe you will understand."

"If he hurts me, Lara will move heaven and earth to make sure he dies."

"Perhaps," Emily said. "But they believe she is a weak woman who will do whatever she is told when she hears your screams."

"Maybe she doesn't love me that much," I said. "I am just a fox."

"No," Sarah said. "Elaine reported everything."

"Then I am glad I killed that bitch," I said.

They were quiet for a minute. "Did you really?"

"Yes," I said. "Her and two of the males. I don't know which two. I was a little busy. The third may still be alive. I stabbed him with a sewing needle."

"Where is this sewing needle now?" Emily asked me.

"The last time I saw it was sticking out of his cheek. If he is not here, then my enforcers have him. I don't know if he lived more than a moment or two with them. They would have been angry."

The women nodded. "We are to take you to the bathroom, give you very little to eat and drink, and then Brody will give you a chance to convince your alpha to trade for you. If you refuse, or if she refuses, then Johnny comes. You do not want Johnny to come."

"I understand," I said.

Emily reached underneath me and picked me up. Sarah pulled the hood over my head, and Emily carried me to the bathroom. She stood me on my feet, then she checked the ropes on my wrists.

"Your wrists are bleeding," she said.

"I don't care. How close am I?"

She paused before answering. "I don't know. One length is frayed almost entirely, but it is a complicated knot. I don't know what it takes for it to fall off. It could just take another few minutes or it could be several days."

"If you loosened it, I would claim I did it all myself."

"I'm sorry. It is very hard for me to lie to Johnny, and he would ask."

"He's going to ask if you knew I was working on the knots."

"I am a stupid woman," she said. "What do I know about knots?"

Then she helped me use the toilet before carrying me to my cell again. As soon as she set me down, my hands found my chopstick, and I began working at the rope, trying very hard not to get caught.

The women fed me slowly, perhaps delaying. I ate lightly, but enough I would have energy to heal. They rinsed it down with water for me, then they apologized once more before leaving. They left the door open, and after a moment, Brody was standing there. He crossed the room, pulling a chair with him, and sat down facing me.

I worked on the knot. Johnny was the one I most wanted to kill, but I would accept Brody.

"Did Emily and Sarah explain things to you?"

"Yes. It's not hard to explain. One coward is going to tell another coward and sadistic bully to hurt me. Lara is going to kill all of you. It's a simple story."

"I am doing the best I can," he said. "All she has to do is return my sister to me."

"You are a coward," I said. "So is Johnny. He didn't have the guts to take me himself but sent underlings in. That makes him a coward. Lara would have been in the front, and I would have been right behind her. You are both cowards compared to other men, and especially cowards compared to two women."

"Perhaps you are right," he said. "But this coward cannot let Johnny Mack do to all of Iowa what he will do only to a select few."

"Then kill him," I said. "Drug his food and kill him in his sleep."

Brody stared at me as if it were a fresh idea.

"Oh please, you haven't thought of that?"

"No," he said. "I haven't. I do not believe we can put enough of the drug into him before he would notice."

"Other poisons exist," I said. "Some of them can't be detected until it is far too late. Look them up. Or ask Lara to do it for you. She'd be happy to drug Johnny for you."

"Perhaps my sister will be smart enough to appease Johnny," Brody said. "Long enough to do it herself."

"Will you allow me to suggest she feed the idea to Kimber?"

"Yes. But then you will beg her to rescue you."

I didn't say anything.

"You will beg eventually," he said. "Either before or after Johnny has done things to you."

"You might live if he only hurts me a little, but if he hurts me too much, Lara's rage will know absolutely no bounds, and the entire Madison pack will descend on Iowa. They may counsel her to trade for me, but they will follow her, especially for me. If he kills me, there won't be a wolf left alive in Iowa before she's done."

"She'll trade, either before you scream or after. I will strive to trade you alive. I would rather trade you without this becoming worse than it has."

He pulled his phone out and placed a call. "Let me speak to the alpha," he said.

I heard Elisabeth's voice. "One minute. May I speak to the fox?"

He held the phone to me. "Hello, Elisabeth," I said.

"Are you whole?"

"So far."

"Convince me," she said.

"Ask me something."

"The name of one of your children."

"Celeste Elisabeth Burns," I told her.

"Oh honey," she said. "Really?"

"Yes. Lara hasn't told you?"

"No. Why that name and not a kit?"

"You'll figure it out." I was saving the names of the kits to send other messages.

Brody took the phone from me. "She is alive and unhurt," he said. "Let me speak with the alpha."

"You are negotiating with me," Elisabeth said. "If Lara hears your voice again, I won't be able to control her. She has most of the pack mobilized. We have arranged for an assault force with Lima Consulting. Ask the fox who they are."

She was lying. Greg was busy.

"Tell the fox that the business Lima was on has finished." She knew I could hear. "We have Blackhawk helicopters. We have a ten million dollar war fund in cash, and we can easily liquidate fifty million more. We took down the Chicago pack for three million. How much damage can we do to you for sixty million?"

"You're bluffing," Brody said. "We'll kill her."

"You and everyone in your pack will die, Alpha," Elisabeth said, and that was the first time I heard her say that phrase so it wasn't in honor. "We will hunt you to the ends of the earth. How much cash do you have? A few hundred thousand, if that? Do you think you can hide from us with sixty million to spend finding you? Give our fox back. Now. The little fox killed three of your enforcers and that traitorous bitch when outnumbered seven to one. She did it alone. What the fuck do you think I will do to you?"

The last was growled. Elisabeth could be damned scary when she wanted to be.

Brody listened to all of it. I couldn't tell if he thought she was bluffing or not.

"I am out of choices," he said. "Your fox wants to tell you a few more things. And then if you do not agree to return my sister, Johnny Mack is going to spend some time with her. Ask Kimber what that means."

"Brody," Elisabeth said. "Every conversation we have is going to start with proof of life, and if Johnny Mack rapes Michaela, she will tell me. And then we will descend on you like the wrath of god. Right now, she is alive and unharmed, but she has been through enough in her life, and you will not add to that. Do I make myself clear?"

Brody held the phone to me. "Elisabeth," I said.

"Do you understand, Michaela?" she asked.

"Yes, Elisabeth. I am not worth all that."

"Lara won't stop, honey," Elisabeth said. "You know that."

Then, for the first time, I started to cry. "I'm so sorry, Elisabeth. This is my fault."

"No, it's not. It's Elaine's, and she got what she deserved. Good job. We're all proud of you."

"It was just the bathroom. No one should have known we were there."

"Are you ever going to fight my security again?"

"No."

"We'll get you back. Anything to tell Lara?"

I looked at Brody. "May I tell her?"

"Yes," he said.

"If you have to trade Kimber, teach her about poisons," I said. "Teach her to be patient, and she will get her chance."

"Oh Michaela," she said. "Clever fox. Brody is okay with this?"

"He wants to be rid of the problem. Tell Lara I love her. Tell her to take care of our babies."

"Let me talk to Brody again."

"She wants to talk to you."

Brody took the phone, and Elisabeth said, "You would keep quiet about poison?"

"Yes," he said. "I don't like any of this, but I can't let him do what he would do to all of Iowa."

"Don't let him hurt Michaela."

"I have to," he said. "He is insisting. He is growing impatient."

"If he rapes Michaela, we will know. Every conversation will start with proof of life, and if we are not satisfied, we descend on you. You understand."

"No rape, but she'll scream. Give me my sister."

"Give me our fox, and we'll let your sister decide if she wants to willingly come poison your problem for you."

"I'm sorry, enforcer," he said, and he hung up.

I stared at him. I hadn't stopped working on the knots, but I felt no give at all.

"You are a horrible alpha," I told him.

"I know. I never should have challenged the old alpha. But I love my pack. Do you understand?"

"If he rapes me, Lara will kill all of you. If he only hurts me, she might be satisfied with him and you, if she gets me back alive."

Brody didn't say anything, but he stood up and walked to the door. "I am sorry," he said.

"Fuck off," I told him. "Do not expect forgiveness. Free me now and we might offer mercy."

"I can't," he said, and then he stepped out, leaving me in the dark.

I worked like crazy on the rope.

It would be nice to say that I freed my wrists. I didn't. And then Johnny Mack stood in the doorway, looking at me.

He was a big wolf, and from what I could tell, ugly. He approached slowly.

I stashed my chopstick amongst the bedclothes, thinking I might still be able to free myself later. I glared at him. I didn't bother talking to him. This was someone who liked to hurt people, and nothing I said was going to change that.

"You will scream until you are hoarse or I grow bored," he said. "I won't stop until then." He turned around. "Get in here. Record this."

Emily entered the room, and she was holding a video recorder.

"There isn't enough light," she said.

"We just need sound," he said. "If you screw this up, I get to do it again."

"Yes, sir," she said.

"And I get to do it to you, too," he added.

"I won't screw up, sir, but the video will be bad without more light."

He paused. "Get more light. I want to watch later."

"Yes, sir," she said, and she fled from the room.

Johnny walked across the room to kneel in front of me. "Do you think I am bluffing?"

"No. I think you can't get it up with a woman who can fight back, so you have to do it this way. I feel sorry for you."

He backhanded me.

I collapsed to the cot and didn't bother getting up. "You hit like a girl. Impotent coward."

He punched me, and I felt two ribs crack. I smiled. "When you kill me, you lose your only chance to live. Do you even have a penis?" I asked. "Is that why you hate women so much?"

He started hitting me, cracking ribs. I began to have trouble breathing. "Shut. The. Fuck. Up!" he said, punctuating each word with a punch, and each punch breaking more of me.

"Can you hear my ribs cracking?" I said when he was done. "A few more, and they'll pierce a lung or maybe my heart. There's no coming back from that without shifting. And I can't shift with my arms and legs bound. You are going to lose when I die. Coward."

He punched me in the head, and I blacked out.

Clearly, I didn't die. When I woke, I hurt. My head was pounding and I could barely breathe. I lay on my side, and my hands and legs were untied. Gentle hands were bathing my face, and I recognized Emily's voice.

"I know you're awake," she said very quietly. "We are currently alone. Make a tiny noise if you understand."

I whimpered very briefly.

"You must shift and heal," she said.

"So he can come in and beat me again? No thank you."

"No," she said. "Your alpha has agreed to trade for you."

I sighed. Of course she had.

"Are you lying to me?"

"No," she said. "You are untied, but they saw the ropes and knew you used something. They found it and took it. They made Sarah and me strip you and took everything you were wearing. You are wearing clothes we found for you. You have no weapons. No one touched you but us, and we were as gentle as we could be."

"Will I get my belt back?" I asked. "It was a gift and is sized for me."

"You are wearing it," she said. "You are in jeans, and we used it as a belt for the jeans. It looked valuable."

"Thank you," I said. I wasn't entirely without weapons, but I didn't think my chances were good. If Lara were trading for me, then I should trust her.

"Will you please shift and heal, Michaela?"

"All right," I said. "I will need more food."

"I will send for some."

"It must not be drugged, at least not until I heal the concussion, and that will take a lot of clean, healthy food."

"Once you are healed, you must take the drug. Will you take it willingly?"

I opened my eyes to look at her, but it hurt too much, and I closed them again. I concentrated on healing the concussion. She wouldn't be able to tell, so I didn't need to fake a shift to heal it.

"Yes," I said. "I will allow you to drug me, once I am healed."

"Thank you," she said. "I am very sorry."

"This isn't your fault."

"Shift and heal now," she said.

"May I have privacy?" I asked. "I do not like to shift in front of strangers."

"I am sorry, no."

"I can't go anywhere."

"I was told to watch you. I must watch you."

"All right," I said. "Give me a minute until the headache lessens." I worked on the concussion, relieving the swelling. The headache lessened, slowly, but soon I was panting from the effort.

"I don't have enough energy to shift," I said. "I need food and maybe juice if you have it. The sugar absorbs faster."

"Can you sit up?"

Oh god that was going to hurt. "I don't know. Help me; go very slowly." She slipped a hand under my shoulder and very carefully I sat up. The pressure on my ribcage changed, and I could barely stand it. "Adjust the pillows and lay me on my back," I told her. Soon I was lying down again, and that was better. She walked to the doorway and asked for food.

She talked gently to me for several minutes, then Sarah was at the door. "Are you dying?" she asked.

"No," I said.

She brought the food in, and then the two of them took turns feeding me and giving me orange juice. It was cloying; I had never acquired a taste for it, but it was better than water right now. I asked for water to wash everything down, and they offered it.

"I will need more soon," I said. "I am going to shift now. The bones are going to pop when I do it."

I didn't start shifting. Instead I worked on healing my ribs, and they did indeed pop as I pushed them back into place, my breathing growing more comfortable. Then I began a slow shift, as slowly as I could, continuing to heal as I did so.

Soon I was fox. I rolled onto my side, panting. I concentrated on healing more, working on the headache. Then I whimpered and looked pointedly at the food, and they offered me pieces. I took them gently from their fingers, not biting. It only took a few pieces, and I healed more of my ribs.

I shifted back to human, refilling the clothes. I shifted slowly, moving into the clothing, then adjusted everything so it was more comfortable. My fingers found Emily hadn't lied; I was wearing my belt. I had more chopsticks and countless knives, but the belt was a gift from Lara, and I would have hated to lose it.

I made a big show of shifting back and forth a few times, very slowly, eating in between. I healed more with each time, and eventually I felt whole. My head still hurt, but it was manageable. I had no other significant ailments.

"Will you allow me to sit up?" I asked. "And maybe stand?"

They regarded each other. "Is this a trick?"

"No. I would like to test everything. I don't know if everything works, and I need to test the ribs. You are two strong wolves and I am harmless without my weapons. You may hold me however you feel is necessary."

So they clasped my arms firmly, helping me to sit. I breathed carefully, but I had healed fully.

"Stand now," I said. "I will be very wobbly. Please don't drop me."

They helped me to my feet, and it was a good thing they did. I would have fallen without them.

"Are you faking?" Sarah asked.

"No. Please walk me around a little. May I use the bathroom before you drug me?"

"Yes," said Emily. "But if you escape, my family will die. You understand?"

"Your family will not die due to my actions," I said.

They made me wear the hood, but they didn't bind my hands, and they led me to the bathroom. They let me take care of my needs, but Emily steadied me. I washed up after. "If I am allowed to remove the hood, it would feel good to wash my face," I said.

"Will you promise to close your eyes?"

"Yes."

"If you lie, I will hurt you."

"I am not lying," I said. "My eyes are closed."

She pulled the hood from my head slowly, checking, I supposed, to make sure my eyes were shut. She put my hands on the faucet then handed me a bar of soap. I washed slowly, then rinsed my mouth with the water. I set the soap down, turned the water off, then asked for a towel. One was pressed into my hands, and I dried my face.

At no time did I try to peek.

She pulled the hood back in place then led me back to the cell. Once I was seated, she pulled the hood from my head. "You will take the drug now," she said.

"May I eat a tiny bit more, and a little more water, and then enough water to wash down the drug. Are they pills?"

"It is a powder," she said. "It is bitter. I can mix it in something. Tea is best."

"Tea would be fine," I said.

She called out to Sarah, and then Emily fed me a little more of the food. I could have fed myself, but she was being gentle, and I let her do it. She gave me water, and then Sarah was there with the tea.

"I used my favorite tea," she said. "It tastes of apples. I am sorry if you don't like it. I brewed it strong to hide the taste. You will still taste it."

"How much of the drug is in it?"

"You will sleep fast and long," she said.

"We are coming with you for the exchange," Emily said. "And I will carry you to your alpha. We will bind your legs and your hands in front of you, but we will do that after you sleep."

"You will keep me upright?"

"Yes."

I reached for the tea, but my hands shook. Sarah held it for me, steadying my hands, and I drank it down.

"When you give me to Lara," I said. "Tell her that my kits were called Flora and Fauna, and that I told you as thanks for your kindness."

"They are gone?" Emily asked.

"Killed by wolves," I said.

"I am sorry," Emily said.

I could feel the drug already starting to work.

"Are you taking me right away?" I asked.

"An hour or two," Sarah said. "You will sleep."

"Please brush my hair before you give me to Lara."

"We will, if we are able," Emily said.

I started to droop.

"You gave me too much," I said.

"No," Sarah said. "You will sleep, but you will not die. You will sleep for a long time. There is no need for you to remember more."

I curled up into the pillows.

"Talk to me," I said.

"You are almost asleep," Emily said. The two of them talked soothingly to me, and I knew nothing else for some time.

 **Waking**

I was disoriented for a long time, in and out of sleep for how long, I didn't know. When finally I could think at all, I was in my bed, but it was not Lara holding me.

"Who?" I asked through a thick tongue.

"Scarlett," was the answer. And then I slept again.

The next time, I asked, "Lara?"

"Angel," she said.

"Lara?"

"She is fine," Angel said. "Exhausted, but fine."

"The babies?"

"They are also fine."

I started to cry, and then I slept.

The next time I woke, I said, "Who?"

"Oh Little Fox," and I was in Lara's arms.

"I'm so sorry," I said. "Oh god, Lara, I'm so sorry. I didn't believe you. I didn't believe any of you."

"Shhh," she said, rocking me. "It's not your fault."

"It is," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"No. We'll talk about it later."

I opened my eyes. We were in bed, sitting up, and Lara had her arms wrapped around me. "The babies?"

"They are fine."

"I am so sorry," I said.

"Everyone is fine."

"He is an animal."

"I know."

"Bathroom," I said. "Then take me downstairs. I'll fall asleep again." Paused. "You can't carry me now. Call someone to carry me."

"Oh honey," she said. "We can stay here."

"What time?"

"Mid-morning."

"Bathroom. Call someone. What day?"

"Thursday."

I tried counting. I couldn't. "How many days?"

"Eight since you were taken until today."

I started to cry. "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," she said. And then she was on the phone. "Send someone strong upstairs."

A minute later, Elisabeth entered. I was still crying quietly.

"You're awake," she said. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm so sorry, Elisabeth."

"She feels guilty," Lara said. "She needs you to help her to the bathroom. I think she wants you to carry her. Then she wants to go downstairs."

Elisabeth crossed the room and checked me carefully. Then she pulled me from Lara's arms, and I wrapped my arms around her neck as she picked me up. She started to set me on my feet, but I cried louder. "Please carry me, Elisabeth."

"All right," she said. And she carried me into the bathroom, then helped me undress enough.

"Do you want me to wait?"

"Yes. I might fall over."

"All right." She steadied me. I wasn't even embarrassed about it anymore. I fumbled at everything I needed to do, my limbs still barely working.

"They drugged me."

"I know. The woman who gave you to me told me they gave you as much as they thought they could so you would sleep as long as possible. They told us to expect this."

"They were trying to be kind."

She helped me stand and steadied me at the sink. Then I turned and almost fell. She picked me up. "Are you sure you want to go downstairs?"

I laid my head on her shoulder. "Yes. Help me stay awake. Feed me. I am going to try to flush the drug."

"It won't work," Elisabeth said. "We talked to the doctors. You have to let it run its course."

"Perhaps my healing ability makes a difference."

"I doubt it," she said. "But we'll do whatever you ask."

"Downstairs, then bring Lara down. Then I want my friends. I want touching." I started to cry again.

She carried me from the bathroom, and Lara was standing there, caressing me.

"Wait for help, Lara," I said. "No falling."

"I'm not going to fall," she said.

"Humor me."

She smiled and caressed my face. "All right."

Elisabeth carried me downstairs and set me on the sofa, then she went upstairs and helped Lara down. I zoned out, but once Lara was comfortable, I lay down with my head in her lap.

"I am going to sleep more," I said. "But could I please have my friends around? It's okay to wake me."

"Yes, honey," she said. She began caressing me, and I slept, but not for too long. When I woke, Angel's face was inches from mine.

"Hello, you," she said.

I closed my eyes, pushing tears back, but reached out and cupped my hand behind her head.

"Who else is here?" I asked.

"Everyone," Angel said. "Scarlett. All the enforcers. Mom. Councilwoman Vivian. The Lassiters."

"Serena?" I asked.

"Here," she said.

"Serena, I'm so sorry." I couldn't hold the tears back. I felt so guilty.

"It wasn't your fault," she said. "You trusted the wrong person. You should have been safe."

"Did you catch the one I hurt?"

"Oh yes," she said. "We did."

"Who gets credit for that one in the body count?"

"Rory," Serena said. "You get an assist. Rory caught him, then he and Eric got him bundled into a car by the time Emanuel and I stopped chasing after you."

"Is he dead?"

"Yes."

"Good."

I drifted for a while as they all talked around me. I think some of them tried to talk to me, but my brain wasn't fully functioning. I felt myself adjusted a few times as wolves sat on the sofa with me drapedacross multiple laps. I received a lot of gentle touching. Someone rubbed my feet. My face was caressed gently.

I woke to find Elisabeth had replaced Lara. Gia was in the middle, and Serena was at my feet.

"Lara?" I asked.

"Bathroom," Elisabeth said. "We were going to try to wake you to feed you."

They helped me sit up, and I blinked, bleary-eyed, at them. There was shifting on the sofa, and then I was between Gia and Elisabeth, leaning against Gia. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and Angel was there. Scarlett walked around the sofa and sat down at my feet, leaning against my legs.

I turned to Elisabeth and blinked at her. "You understood," I finally said.

"Yes," she said. "Touching."

"Thank you."

She smiled and caressed my face.

Lara rejoined us, waddling slowly. She smiled at me. She traded places with Elisabeth, and I leaned against her, resting a hand on her stomach.

"They're okay?" I asked.

"I had an ultrasound this morning," she said. "They're fine and right on schedule."

I zoned out, but didn't sleep. The next thing I knew, Francesca was setting food down on the coffee table. Lara had her feet up on a footrest. I looked at the food. Scarlett started to assemble a fox-sized plate. There was chicken, potatoes, and just for me, fruit. I stared at the potatoes.

"They usually put the drug in the potatoes," I said.

"Oh," Scarlett said. "I'm sorry." She set the plate aside.

"No," I said. "Get back on the horse."

I looked around for Vivian. She was sitting quietly. "Right?"

"It is up to you," she said. "Maybe start slow."

I nodded. "The last time it was in the tea. They tricked me the first time, but I stopped eating before I'd had enough, and I figured out they were drugging me."

"You don't have to tell us," Lara said.

"I can stop if you can't hear," I said.

"Oh honey," she said. "No, that's not what I meant."

I told a part of it. And then I tried to take the plate from Scarlett, but I didn't trust my hands. Gia helped me. I took the fork. My hand wavered, but I was able to spear a potato.

I looked at Scarlett.

"You don't have to eat them," she said. "Never again."

"I love Francesca's potatoes," I said. "I won't let them ruin that." Gia had to steady me, but I popped the potato into my mouth. It tasted wonderful, and suddenly I was ravenous. My hand began shaking more, and I dropped the fork. I tried to grab it, but it tumbled away from me, bouncing off my leg and landing on the floor. Scarlett picked it up and set it aside.

She grabbed a second fork and asked, "Do you want us to feed you?"

I nodded, and slowly Scarlett fed me while Gia steadied the plate on my lap.

"Not too much all at once," Vivian said. "Let it settle."

I nodded and pushed the plate away. Scarlett took it from Gia and set it aside for me. Then Gia helped me drink some lemonade.

I zoned out again, leaning against Gia, but then woke up and found Vivian again. "How long is this going to go on?"

"You'll be fine by morning," she said. "Weak from lack of activity. Don't overdo it."

"Anything I can do to speed it up?"

"More liquids, but it won't matter by that much," she said. "Tomorrow is not far away."

I looked at the window. It was still daylight.

"Bathroom," I said. "Then a short walk."

Scarlett climbed to her feet then pulled me to mine. She steadied me to the bathroom. "Do you need help?" she asked.

"Let's see if I can stand," I said. I held a hand against the door frame to steady me, and she stepped away. My legs held. I was dizzy, but functional. I nodded and slipped into the bathroom, closing the door.

I must have zoned out, because suddenly Angel was in with me, kneeling in front of me. "I'm tired of you helping me in here," I said.

She smiled. "Let's not make a habit of it," she said. "All done?"

I nodded. She helped me up and I reassembled my clothing, washed, and then hobbled slowly out, Angel nearby, but I was standing on my own.

"May I go outside?" I asked the room in general.

"Of course," Elisabeth said. "Serena."

Serena gestured, and Rory and Emanuel went outside in front of me. Serena and Angel flanked me. I looked over at her. "You're not an enforcer."

"I got a promotion."

I turned to Elisabeth. "No. She has school." I turned back to Angel. "School!"

"I am still going to school," she said. "But I have an easy load this term."

I glared at her, but she smiled back.

Francesca spoke up. "She's fine, Michaela. She'll need to be a full time student by midterms, but we need her now."

Angel stepped up to me, kissed me on the forehead, and said, "Did you want that walk?"

I did. I shuffled for the door then out onto the steps. It was late afternoon, and the air was crisp and clean. I stared at the stairs, but then Scarlett and Gia stepped to either side of me, and they supported me down the steps. I stumbled around the courtyard for a few minutes, several of the other wolves stepping outside with me. I called Elisabeth over, then when she arrived, I said, "Put your arm around me." I wrapped mine around her shoulder then asked, "Is Lara really okay?"

"She's tired. That's all. She is fine. I promise."

"How stupid was I? If you're going to yell, please do it now."

"You know," she said. "Yes, you were stupid, and you paid for it, but you weren't that stupid. You had no reason not to trust her."

"I thought she was trying to lure Kimber away so she could talk to her, but Kimber wasn't having it. And I had to go to the bathroom. I should have taken Serena, but I wanted Kimber protected."

"From now on, you let the enforcers manage your security. Stop second guessing us. All right?"

"All right."

"I will see to your security and Lara's. Stop insulting me by acting like I don't know my job. You do your job and don't fight us while we do ours."

"Yes, Elisabeth."

"Do you feel properly chastised?"

"It's my fault Kimber had to go back."

"No, it's not. It is her brother's. And only her brother's. We taught her everything we could about poisons. She is going to be a meek wolf. She is going to have a very difficult time for a while, but she promised me Johnny Mack is a dead man, if he doesn't kill her first."

"Oh god," I said.

"It's the best outcome we could have had."

"What else did we pay?"

"We promised no revenge."

"Unacceptable," I said.

"Tough."

"I promised to kill Brody and Johnny Mack if Brody let him touch me. He let him touch me. I intend to keep my promise."

"You will do no such thing," Elisabeth said. "Lara gave a personal promise. No revenge."

"I didn't promise."

"You will not discuss this with Lara," Elisabeth said. "She had enough stress over this. She and the babies are fine, but the doctors were not happy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Elisabeth."

"Lara promised no revenge."

"I promised them they would die. They deserve to."

"They are going to," Elisabeth said. "Kimber will kill Johnny, and without his protection, Brody won't last three days. By now, Kimber's claim is greater than yours."

"This conversation isn't over, Elisabeth," I said. "But I am too wiped out to argue."

"You will not discuss it with Lara."

"All right."

"You will not ditch your security detail."

"All right."

"Then we can discuss it when you are feeling better."

"Assemble a plan, Elisabeth."

"We already have one," she said. "We were stalling for Greg to become free."

"You lied."

"Yes," she said. "I lied. He kept telling us he was almost free, but it kept dragging on. He was heartbroken. Finally he told us to get you back ourselves. That's when we asked Kimber to go back."

"She agreed?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "I didn't threaten her, but she was going back one way or the other. Our losses without Greg's help would have been too high, and we knew we wouldn't get you out alive."

"She went back without threats?"

"She said it was her family's mess, and you shouldn't have to pay the price. She thanked us for all we had done, and she thanks you for the idea of poison. I think she'll kill him. Give her a chance."

"I will think about it," I said. I leaned more heavily on her. "Walk me around a little more then put me back on the sofa."

"You should nap."

"I want the touching."

She smiled. "You didn't use to."

"I know. I've wanted it since my first bride ransom. That's when I realized."

She nodded. "That's why all the wagers to keep us close during runs?"

"Yes. I feel vulnerable all the time. It helps."

"Thank you for telling me."

We walked around the courtyard for several more minutes, then she helped me inside.

They set me on the sofa again. I curled against Lara, but I was worried I was making her uncomfortable. So I asked for a pillow and fell asleep with my head in Scarlett's lap, my feet in Lara's, surrounded by my friends.

 **Patience**

I slept until morning. Someone carried me to bed, and when I woke, I was curled against Lara's side. She lay on her back, snoring. We were otherwise alone.

I lay there quietly for a while, listening to Lara snore. I felt weak and out of sorts, and I thought if I sat up, I would find I was dizzy.

I moved away from Lara, and she didn't awake. I rolled over to my nightstand, and I was indeed dizzy just from that. A glass of water and my phone waited for me. The phone, once in Elaine's purse, must have been left behind during the scuffle.

I realized I hadn't asked what happened to the bodies.

I picked up the phone and texted Serena. "Who is awake?"

"I am downstairs," she said.

"Please come help me," I texted back, and a moment later there were light footsteps on the stairs. Serena crept into the room, looked around for a moment, then stepped to my side and knelt down facing me.

"I'm afraid I'll fall," I said.

She nodded, and I slowly climbed out of bed, sitting on the edge to drive away the dizzy spell. I reached for Serena, and she held me steady as I rose to my feet. I clutched at her.

"Bathroom?" she asked.

"Downstairs," I said. "Grab a robe for me, please."

She helped me to the door, leaned me against it, then retrieved a bathrobe from the closet. She helped me into it, and I descended the stairs primarily under my own locomotion, but I clutched the bannister, and Serena hovered protectively.

"I think the drug is flushed," I said. "But I'm weak and dizzy."

I used the bathroom downstairs then stumbled into the kitchen. It was deserted.

"It's quiet," I told her.

"Everyone else is asleep," she said. "It's been a rough week and a half."

"I'm so sorry."

"Stop it," she said. "You made a mistake. It was a small mistake. You won't make it again. You should have been safe. Blame Elaine. Everyone else does. When we saw how she died, we knew immediately what had happened."

"She said they had her family, or something. She apologized. But she helped them. I would have gotten away if she hadn't grabbed me at the end. That's when I killed her."

"Kimber was kicking herself," she said. "She said she should have seen the signs. But she didn't, and you wouldn't have been taken without Elaine's help."

"All right," I said. "I'll try to stop kicking myself if you have all forgiven me."

"I was angry you left, but that's because I thought you were ditching us."

"I wanted Kimber protected. You know, she was the real target."

Serena nodded. "You were a target of opportunity."

"It worked for them," I said. "For now."

Serena's face clouded. "Are you going to do something foolish?"

"No."

"Let me rephrase this. Are you going to ditch me ever again?"

"I have no plans to do so," I said. "And if my mind changes, I am sure there will be a very large amount of warning."

She nodded. "All right."

"One enforcer with you, with what you did, and it would have been the difference," she said.

"Maybe," I said. "If the enforcer didn't die first. There were six plus the bitch."

"You killed or disabled four, Michaela."

"Yes, but it's my style," I said. "An enforcer would have been the first target, six to one. Or at least five to one. Serena, how it turned out was better than if an enforcer had died and I had gotten away."

She nodded. "I suppose. Hungry?"

"Starving. Help me make something."

Together we made breakfast for her, me, and Lara. She helped me carry it upstairs, and I woke Lara gently with the smell of bacon.

"Ah," she said. "My second favorite smell in the world."

"We have company," I told her. "Behave."

Serena chuckled.

I popped into the bathroom, cleaned up a little, and when I got back out, Lara had moved to the sofa. Serena had taken one of the chairs. I sat down on the sofa next to Lara, took her plate away from her, then took turns feeding both of us.

"Someone is feeling better," Lara said.

"Yes. And I am starving. I might eat three pieces of bacon this morning."

She grinned at me. The two of us cleaned her plate then started on the one we had brought for me. Lara, of course, ate far more than I did, but I still ate. By the time both plates were clean, I would still have eaten another half piece of bacon. Serena leaned over and set her plate on the coffee table, stacked on top of Lara's and mine, and there was a sole piece of bacon waiting on it. I stared at it and caught her grinning at me. When I looked at her, she nodded, so I snatched up the bacon, broke it in half, and gave the second half to Lara.

"Thank you," I said to Serena. "How did you know?"

"I saw how you looked when Lara ate the last piece," she said.

"Oh," Lara said. "You wanted it? I'm sorry-"

"No, don't be," I said. "If I were desperate, I could always go make more."

I sat back for a moment and leaned against Lara. It felt good to touch her. She put her arm around me and caressed me, the hand that was wrapped around me caressing my cheek, her other hand on my leg.

I sighed, temporarily happy.

I opened my eyes. "I am still so confused and a little muddled. Today is Friday?"

"Yes."

"Then I have classes to teach."

"Monday. Michele Lassiter will teach your classes today," Lara said.

"Vivian said you would probably have a burst of energy, but that you would still be weak," Serena said.

I assessed myself and decided she was probably right.

"All right. Lara, I feel like I should take care of you."

"I am being well taken care of," Lara said. I glanced up at her, and she seemed satisfied.

"I want a shower. A long, hot shower." I looked up at Lara again. "I'm not ready for..."

"I know. And frankly, I don't think I am, either." She looked down at her stomach. "This has been an easy pregnancy, but I am tired a lot."

My face clouded. "Are you sure you're all right? You need to tell me the truth!"

"I'm fine," she said. "The babies are fine. I'll be taking it extra easy until they pop out. I'm sure I'll start to drive everyone crazy."

I thought back to my own pregnancy. "The last month was hard for me, too. Hunting was really hard."

Serena didn't know this story. "You had pups? Where are they?"

"Oh hell," I said. "You don't know." I buried against Lara, and she held me tightly.

"Oh god," Serena said. "I'm sorry."

"Ask Elisabeth about it," Lara said gently.

I took a few breaths and decided I wasn't going to be distracted. "It was a long time ago," I said. "But I don't want to tell it. Lara, we won't make you hunt."

She laughed. "Good. I don't even want to spend the energy to shift."

Hearing that made me very nervous. I immediately began pawing at her, trying to find where she hurt.

"We have company, Little Fox," she said.

"You're hurt!"

"No, just tired, honey. It's natural."

"You shouldn't be too tired to shift! That takes almost no energy at all."

She lifted my chin to me. "Maybe for you. For me, it takes energy. I learned how to shift instantly, but it takes as much energy as it always has. If you have tricks for that, too, I'd happily learn them before the next time I am in this condition."

I looked over at Serena. "Does it take less energy when I drag you through a shift?"

"No, not really. It's like you drag me along for a ride. I could resist, I think, but in the end, it still uses my energy to do the shift."

"You think you could resist, but you're not sure?"

"No," she said. "I'm not sure. But I wasn't trying."

Lara lifted my chin again. "I know you want to experiment," she said. "You may experiment on me, and me only, when I finally have the energy for it. That won't be any time soon."

I leaned up and kissed her jaw. "Yes, Lara."

I settled back. "I do want that shower, but I haven't had one for over a week. Um. I know I don't stink like a week of fear."

"I bathed you when we got you home," Lara said. "You sort of woke up for it, but you were really out of it. You called me 'mother'."

"Did I really?"

"Yes," she said. "It was sweet. Honey, I can't begin to tell you how much I am looking forward to being a mother."

"It will be nice to have pups in the compound," Serena said. "Everyone is looking forward to helping babysit."

"Because guarding me isn't a full-time job," I said wryly.

"Guarding you is a pleasant past time as long as we know where you are," Serena said. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Serena."

"Good."

"All right. I am going to shower. I want to talk to Elisabeth for a while when she has time for me." I looked straight at Serena. "And I want you to take me to the gym. I am weak. We'll need to bring food. A lot of food. Or are you near the end of your shift?"

"No," she said. "My shift, as you call it, is whenever you are awake."

"That's too much!" I said. "That's two full time jobs."

"And that is what is required until we can find or train more enforcers."

"That could be years," I said.

"Then it is years," Serena replied.

"Stop telling the enforcers how to do their jobs," Lara said firmly. "I mean it!"

"Yes, Alpha," I said. "I'm sorry, Serena. Thank you for watching over me."

"You are welcome. Michaela, watching over you is a privilege, not a duty. Please remember that."

I closed my eyes and nodded. I didn't entirely believe it, but it was nice to hear it anyway.

The shower felt good. I dressed for the gym, chatting with Lara. She had climbed back in bed and said she was going to sleep for a few more hours, but asked me to wake her up later. She got a kiss and a quick cuddle.

I rearmed. I only had one spare pair of strap-on sheaths and would need more. "Lara?" I asked.

"Yes, Love?"

I sat down on the bed next to her. "Elisabeth told Brody something."

"What?"

"She said we had a ten million dollar war chest and fifty million more we could liquidate. Was she lying?"

"No," Lara said. "The pack keeps that much cash on hand. I dipped into it last year when we dealt with Chicago, but we have replenished it."

"And the fifty million?"

"My net worth, in round numbers anyway."

"Most of that is real estate?"

"No. About a third. A third in various forms of liquid assets: stocks and bonds, mostly. The last third represents partial interests in the various pack enterprises I have invested in over the years. And I always keep a few million in cash. Right now it's about five and a half."

"What about the property near Bayfield?"

"Pack assets," she said.

"I thought you bought it."

"I did. Then I donated the land to the pack. I bought it for pack. I told the council I won't be tithing for a few years." She smiled.

"Those numbers are inconceivable to me," I told her.

"I know. In some ways, they are to me, too. The airplanes are my only real extravagance, and even those aren't very flashy. If it were safe to travel around the country, I could see myself spending money on far fancier aircraft."

"You must think I am very silly when I worry about a few dollars."

"No, honey," she said. "I don't. The numbers you worry about are inconsequential to me, but your pride is very important. I understand. I don't always have perspective, but I do understand."

"I'm losing money every month," I told her.

"I know."

"I hardly spend anything on myself."

"I know."

"I don't want to be a kept woman."

"I know."

"I already feel kept. I don't contribute anything to the household expenses. I don't even clean the house."

"You shouldn't feel kept, but I understand why you do," she said.

"I don't know what to do," I told her.

"Would you like to know what other alpha pairs do?"

"I already know. There are probably some where the wife has her own income. For the rest, she is kept."

"Do you think those wives sit around all day, thinking of ways to spend their husband's money?"

I smiled. "I bet a few do, the ones who hate their husbands."

Lara laughed lightly. "All right, I grant you that." She patted my hand. "Do you want to know what Ysabella does?" Ysabella was the Boulder alpha's wife.

"I bet she has a household budget and a personal budget."

"Yes, she does."

"I bet we have a household budget, but Francesca is still managing it."

"Ysabella's household budget includes anything she needs to spend as the alpha's wife," Lara said.

I thought about it.

"Honey," Lara said. "You talk about your money and my money. I see it as all our money. I see us as a married couple. Don't you?"

"I-" of course I thought of us as married. "You don't think I call you 'wife' in my head?"

"No, I think you do," she said. "But do you think of us as a couple? Do we share everything?"

I didn't have a response for that.

"Honey, you're still adjusting," Lara said. "I understand."

I sat there for a minute. Lara watched me, smiling lightly.

"I love you so much, Lara."

Her smiled broadened. "I love you, too."

"What would you do if you were me?"

"I would probably be even more upset about it than you are," she said. "But I will tell you what I want you to do."

"All right," I said. "We can start with that."

"I want you to start thinking of it as our money."

I caressed her cheek. "I don't know if I can."

"My second choice, one I think you might accept, is that you let me set you up with a budget."

"A household budget?"

"Yes, and a personal one."

"Would I take over from Francesca?"

"If you wanted to," Lara said. "But neither she nor I want you to."

I was suddenly offended. "You think I can't do it?"

"No, honey. Francesca enjoys managing the house, and I like having her around. If you shut her out, she won't feel like she is welcome here."

"She wouldn't feel that way."

"She would. If you want to manage the house, you may, but Ysabella doesn't. My mother didn't. I didn't. I know how much money Francesca spends each month, but I don't have a clue how she spends it, and frankly, I couldn't care less. The house is kept the way I like it. There is always food when I want it, the repairs happen when they should, and I always have hot water."

"All right," I said. "Would Francesca be offended if I asked her to show me the books each month?"

"No. She finally stopped offering to show them to me, but I think she was put off that I always turned her down."

"If I accepted these budgets, how big would they be?"

"I don't know," Lara said. "Maybe twenty a month? Would that be enough?"

I stared at her. "You really have no clue what anything costs."

"I have a very good idea what things cost," she said. "Why would you say that?"

"Lara, I can't throw a pizza party for twenty dollars a month." I started to pull away. Now she was mocking me.

She started laughing.

"Don't laugh at me!" I yelled.

"Oh honey," she said, still laughing. "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at me."

"It doesn't feel like you're laughing at yourself," I said sullenly. "What am I supposed to spend twenty bucks a month on? I thought this was a serious conversation."

"Honey," she said. "Twenty thousand."

"Oh hell," I said after a moment. Then I started to laugh with her. "I'm an idiot."

"No, you're not. You just aren't used to numbers this big." She pulled me down for a quick kiss and caressed my face. It felt nice.

"I'm going to be needy for a while," I told her quietly. "But you need me, too."

"We can be needy together," she said. "And we have a lot of friends who are going to be helping us. Privilege of the alpha pair."

"I need the touching."

"I know. Elisabeth told me what you said to her. I'm so happy."

"Why?"

"Because wolves touch. Everyone has been careful, because you used to shy away from it. Everyone wants to touch you, honey."

"It feels nice."

She smiled. "I know. I'm glad you do now, too. Honey, Alpha isn't just a title. When they tell us they love us, they mean it. Wolves need to feel connected to their alpha. They need to feel connected to both of us and our pups. It's built into who we are."

"I'll never enjoy the licks," I said.

She smiled. "I know. You think it mats down your hair."

"And makes me smell funny."

"It makes you smell like pack, honey. You smell like you, and like pack."

I took a breath. "You're recommending twenty between the two budgets, like, fifteen and five?"

"No, honey. I was recommending twenty each. If you wanted to buy something big, we'd talk about it together."

The numbers were inconceivable to me. I didn't even try to frame it in words I could understand.

"What expenses go in each?"

"Almost everything you currently spend would be household," she said. "You almost never buy any new clothing except for special events, and those are your duty as alpha. So that's an alpha expense. You pick up the check when you're out with people."

"Sometimes that's friends."

"Yes, but the only reason they expect you to pick it up is because of who you are. Otherwise it would get split."

"Angel and Scarlett-"

"I know. And if you think about it, the financial difference between you and them is similar to the difference between me and you."

She was helping me to understand. I nodded.

"Car?"

"Alpha."

"So what is personal?"

"Personal clothing. Meals alone. Presents for me and your closest friends, the presents you would buy even if you weren't alpha. Little things you buy for yourself."

"Flying?"

"Those expenses I am paying."

"I have to think about all of this," I told her.

"You should do it my way," she said.

"I don't know. The household and alpha budget is easier for me to accept than the personal one."

"Our money, honey," she said.

"If you give me all this money, why do I have a job?"

"Because you love teaching. I would be just as happy if you focused on being alpha and a mother, but I don't think you would be. If you weren't teaching, I'd be handing more alpha duties to you than I have, and I'd also ask you to help me in other ways."

"Do you mind that I am teaching instead?"

"No."

I smiled. "Good. Because Scarlett told me a few things, and those kids need me."

She smiled. "I know. But we can find another teacher if you decide you want to be a full time alpha, businesswoman, and mother. You could teach just the special classes, if you wanted."

"Do you need me to do that, Lara?"

"No. It's an option. We can discuss it now, next year, ten years from now, or never."

"Not now," I said. "May I talk to anyone else about all this?"

"Yes," she said. "Anyone you want. They're all going to be surprised though."

"Angel and Elisabeth know about my finances. It came up when we negotiated my rematch. Maybe Scarlett too."

"And Francesca," Lara added.

"All right. I might talk to some of them. I'm going to accept the alpha budget."

"Good. It will make me feel better if you do."

I kissed her once more and got up. "You're going to sleep?"

"Yes."

"Need me to rub your back?"

She smiled. "No, but thank you. Go enjoy your workout."

I collected my security detail downstairs. It was Serena and Karen. "Just two?"

"We moved some of the enforcers to patrol," Serena said. "Two for you in the compound. Four if you leave the compound."

"May I ask you two to help me get a good workout? Or is that intruding on your security duties?"

"In the compound, as long as we can always switch duties in an instant, and we're not on high alert, yes, we can do things like that or even engage in your games."

"How about on runs?"

"We need to work that out. No fox games for a few days. Maybe not until Lara is able to run again."

I thought about it then nodded. "But I may run?"

"Yes, with us."

"All right. I want the two of you to be brutal in the gym. We need food." Karen held up a small cooler. "Good. I want a hard workout, long past when I start complaining."

Karen smiled. "All right. We'll hold you to that."

"I'm still a fox," I pointed out. "And weak today."

"We'll remember," she said. "We know what you can do."

"I want my strength back."

"We get it," Karen said.

"I need to talk to Elisabeth at some point, and I'll want a run after I recover. Then we'll see. But let's check in at the school first. I should at least make an appearance."

They nodded, and we headed to the school.

Michele Lassiter was in my classroom. I stood at the door, looking in. She didn't notice right away, but some of the kids did, then they were all looking at me. Then Michele looked and waved me in, smiling.

I was barely inside the door before the kids swarmed me. I received a mass hug, even from the kids I didn't know well, and a flurry of, "They carried you in," and "We were so worried," and "We're glad you're back".

Then there was a commotion at the door, and Francesca was there with the other kids. Kaylee flew into the room and launched herself at me. Derek caught her before she could knock me over, telling her, "Careful!" and then he let her pull me into a hug. She was crying.

"I'm sorry I scared all of you," I said.

I accepted the attention for a few minutes, then I told them, "All right, we can't do this all day. As you can see, I'm fine. I just wanted to see all of you and talk to Ms. Lassiter for a minute."

"Lily, can you take over for a few minutes?" Michele asked her.

"Yes, Ms. Lassiter," she said.

Francesca herded her kids out of the room but reached out and touched me before leaving. "I need to talk to you later, Francesca," I said. "This afternoon or evening."

"We can talk while I'm making dinner," she said. "If that works. Otherwise after dinner."

"Thank you." And then she was gone with one more touch on my arm.

I pulled Michele into the hallway. "Have you been doing all the teaching?"

"We've been rotating. Francesca has it all organized. We've had to make up what to teach. You had class notes, but frankly, none of us could teach it. We've had to adjust. We've kept notes." She looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, we didn't do a good job."

"No," I said. "I'll have to plan better. Emergencies are going to happen. Do you need anything from me today?"

"No," she said.

"I'll be back on Monday."

"I'll be here to help," she said. "In case you're not fully ready." She paused. "I don't think you've fully processed everything yet, have you?"

"No, probably not."

"I'll be here. If nothing else, maybe I can be one of your students. The material is fascinating."

"What about your job?"

"Did you know I work for one of Lara's businesses?" She grinned. "My boss was exceedingly understanding when I asked for a short leave to handle a family emergency."

I laughed. "No, I didn't know that."

"She just hired me a few months ago," Michele said.

"To help her manage her businesses?"

"Yes."

I hugged her. "Do you like it?"

"I love it."

"So if I need you to cover for me for a few weeks, you could?"

"After the babies arrive?"

"No," I said. "In a week or so. I have unfinished business in Iowa."

Serena hissed. "No, you do not. And that is not a discussion to have with civilians."

Michele looked between the two of us. "I didn't hear a thing, but if you need me to cover for you for any reason, it's covered."

"Thanks, Michele." I clasped her hand then pulled away.

Once we were out of the school, I said, "I didn't think you were paying attention."

"You weren't being quiet," she said. "And you do not have unfinished business in Iowa. That business is finished."

I didn't say anything. We got halfway to the gym when Serena grabbed my arm. "Michaela, you made promises to me. I expect you to keep them. I will protect you if you cooperate, but if you do not cooperate, I will bundle you up and hand you back to your mate. And frankly, I don't think she should have to worry about you during her last month of pregnancy."

"What does 'bundle you up' mean, Serena?" I asked calmly.

"Exactly what you think it means. You made promises. Are you going to break them?"

"I told you I would give you plenty of warning," I said. "I have not done so yet. I have no immediate plans to make your life difficult."

She studied me carefully. "I expect my alpha to keep her promises to me, Michaela. Or don't make them."

I wasn't accustomed to the enforcers talking to me like this. "Why are you angry with me, Serena?"

She looked down. "I'm not. I have never been more scared or felt more guilty than I did watching you taken away from me, Michaela. You must never make me feel like that again."

"I'm sorry, Serena."

"This is why you want to talk to Elisabeth."

"Yes. I am in no shape to do anything foolish today, Serena."

"This is why you want us to give you a workout. I should drug you instead."

"I want the workout because I hate being weak," I replied. "And I've been drugged most of the last week. I surely hope that was a poor joke."

"Some days I am not sure. I understand now why Lara and Elisabeth get so frustrated with you."

"Regretting accepting the new position?" I asked her.

She looked up into my eyes. "No. Are you going to make me regret it?"

"Not this weekend. I'll promise that much."

"Please let it go, Michaela."

"They must pay."

"They did. Let it be enough."

"Please, take me to the gym, Serena." I looked at Karen. "I thought Elisabeth wanted you near Lara."

"Former drill sergeant," she said with a smile.

"Really?" She nodded. "Good," I declared.

They took me at my word in the gym. I did whatever either of them said. We began with a light warm up, but then it got serious. It didn't take too long before they had me sweating and panting for air, and then Karen held that intensity for a long time.

Elisabeth stopped in. I tried to call a break.

"No," said Karen. She had me on a stair climber at the time, and I could barely keep up with the pace she demanded of me.

In between pants, I told Elisabeth, "Enforcer, I would like a report on my capture and recovery. I would like the details of whatever assault plans you made. I would like full data on everything we have about the Iowa pack. Please be ready for me in your office in one hour."

"Three," said Karen. "Assuming you want a shower in between."

"Alpha, the presentation will be in the committee room," Elisabeth said. She looked pissed, but she didn't yell at me.

"Thank you, Elisabeth."

"Work her until she drops," Elisabeth told Karen and Serena.

"That's what she asked us to do," Karen said.

Elisabeth left, and Karen turned up the intensity.

I held to whatever they ordered for over an hour, but I was running on empty. Eventually I began complaining. Karen called a break. They took turns slamming water and food into me, then we moved to the weights. She ramped it up slowly, but it didn't take that long until every muscle felt like limp pasta. Still, Karen managed to find more muscles I didn't know existed.

They gave me another break, feeding me and massaging my muscles. Then it was back to the weight machines, but on very light weight.

"This is just stretching," Karen said. I nodded weakly. She worked each muscle group lightly, then told me to follow her.

I could barely stand, and Serena had to steady me, but we followed Karen as she led the way to the pool.

"No," I said when I saw it. "I'm done."

"You are going in that water," she said. "And you are swimming laps."

"I can't, Karen."

"Throw her in, Serena," Karen said.

"All right!" I said. "Suit? Please?"

They had thought of everything. There was a one-piece suit waiting for me in the locker room. They let me change, but they watched me warily, lest I bolt. I wouldn't have gotten far if I had tried. Then I followed Karen back to the edge of the pool. She brought me to the deep end.

"You will dive in and swim laps, or we will throw you in and you will swim laps," she said.

I jumped in and began swimming.

"Faster!" Karen yelled at me. I stepped it up. "Faster!"

I stopped and looked at her. "I'm not an Olympic swimmer."

"You are a werefox," she said. "And you have more energy than you are giving me. Faster."

I began swimming again.

"Faster," she said. And then she threw a tennis ball at me, bouncing it off my head. It hurt. She threw two more, and I began swimming as fast as I could.

Every time I slowed down, she threw tennis balls at me. They hurt!

She made me swim until long past the point when I thought I couldn't swim anymore. I knew I was going slower, but she had stopped throwing tennis balls. I thought perhaps she had run out, as most of them were floating in the water, but I glanced up and saw she held three in her hands. She raised a hand to throw one at me, and I put renewed energy into swimming.

Finally, well into the deep end, my body gave out. It happened from one stroke to the next. I went from swimming to sinking, and I didn't even care.

Then Karen was in the water next to me, pulling me back to the surface. I sputtered, and she held me. "I've got you," she said. "You're okay."

I was too weak to even clutch at her. She handed me up to Serena, who pulled me from the water. Then the two of them held me at the side of the pool while I lay limply in their arms.

"Was that what you wanted?" Karen asked.

I turned my head to look at her. "Yes. Do it again tomorrow."

"Yes," she said. "This afternoon, we spar. Tomorrow I'll really push you."

I laughed weakly.

They fed me a little, then steadied me as I walked to the showers. When I was done, they had fresh clothing for me. I sat on the bench and pulled it on slowly.

Serena coordinated with Elisabeth. She and Lara were both waiting for me in the conference room when I arrived, and there was more food for me. I could barely walk, but I made it there without help.

"Enforcer," I said. "I thought this would just be the two of us."

"You are going to be stubborn," she said. "And we are going to be clear."

I sighed and sat where Elisabeth gestured. They let me grab some food. Elisabeth asked Karen, "Did she drop?"

"Technically, she sank."

"Good," said Elisabeth. "Do it again tomorrow."

Karen laughed. "That's what she said."

"And she should spar with Angel."

"Not yet," Karen said. "Angel needs control first."

Elisabeth nodded. "Then you and me."

"Yes," said Karen. "I have safe weapons for her to use."

"Teach me to beat six of you," I said weakly. "That's my goal. Six."

"Honey," said Elisabeth. "You understand that we'll learn to counteract your style as fast as we can teach you. It's going to seem like you're going backwards. You're already very good, and we're not used to your style. We have more room for improvement. You won't beat six of us."

"That is my goal. Find a way," I said.

"It won't be six of us," Elisabeth said. "But maybe six enforcers who haven't learned to fight with you. I don't know how we'll simulate that."

"You will wear a helmet," Lara told me. "And you guys need to be careful about her neck. Also, make sure I'm not around."

"Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth said.

I ate slowly after that, replenishing my energy. I thought I would hurt, but my muscles felt good, if tired. Finally I turned to Elisabeth. "Enforcer, I would like your report."

At first, she told me what I knew. How I was taken, what the immediate response was. How the mess at the mall was covered up. What happened to the one I had injured.

"I don't want the details about that," I said. "Unless they are pertinent."

She summarized. "You were taken through a combination of subterfuge on their part and miscalculation on yours."

I looked down at my hands. "I know."

"Everyone was taken in by Elaine," Elisabeth said. "Kimberlee was in denial at first, but the evidence was clear. You had blood on your hand by the time you grabbed that last dagger, and your handprint was clear on the handle. It was your hand that drove it into her skull, and there was only one reason you would have done that. But we also saw the silver wound in her arm and the unhealed slashes across the backs of her legs. If she had been the only wolf you had fought, we would have been impressed."

"I didn't want to kill her. She was being blackmailed. But then she grabbed my ankle. I would have gotten free." I looked at Serena. "I was inches from escaping from them. But there were four still healthy."

"We had four plus you, and they wouldn't have fought us with all the humans around," Serena said.

I nodded.

Elisabeth had photos of the scene. She went over and over how much damage I had done.

"I slashed a couple as well, but not enough."

"What should you have done differently?" she asked.

"Not have left Serena."

"After that."

"Killed Elaine as soon as I knew what was going on."

"Yes," she said.

"I let her lead me from the bathroom. Should I have killed her there and waited?"

"The hallway was a better place for you to fight," Elisabeth said. "In the bathroom, you would have been cornered. Taking the fight into the hallway was a better choice, and it got you a little bit closer to your security. I don't know the specifics of the fight, but you fight better with obstacles around, so killing her in a fashion that leaves an obstacle is probably more advantage to you than to them."

"All right. So if I have a killing blow, take it."

"Yes," said Elisabeth. "How about the fight itself? Were you trying to kill them or were you trying to escape?"

I thought about it. "Escape, I think. If I could have shifted to fox, I could have escaped, but I hadn't loosened my clothing, and I would have gotten tangled. I'd have been easy to catch if I shifted, and a male wolf on two feet is faster than I am on two feet. I couldn't outrun them."

"I concur," Elisabeth said. "You made exactly two mistakes. You left your security and you should have been faster to kill Elaine."

Lara stared into my eyes. "Leaving your security is your fault. Not wanting to kill Elaine is not."

I nodded at her.

After that they talked about efforts to find me.

"Our car was too far," Serena said. "And we couldn't leave the mess. I'm sorry, but we couldn't let the humans have the bodies. We lost time dealing with that."

"We've analyzed that," Elisabeth said. "We haven't come up with anything we can change without more forces. We sent it to Daniel and Greg as well. They both agree."

"Was it wrong for me to create the bodies in the first place?"

Lara actually laughed. "No. I am proud of you. You kicked their asses, Michaela, and if presented with a similar situation again, I want you to kill anyone you have to."

"All right. I had to be sure. Do we think there will be a next time?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "We do."

"All right. I want, I don't know. Things sewn into my clothing. Things no one will recognize. Things that will help me cut rope." I explained what I had tried to do with my chopstick.

"It has to be exceedingly subtle," Karen said. "If anyone thinks you have hidden weapons, the first thing they'll do is cut your clothes off you and throw it all away."

"That's what they did when they discovered the chopstick," I said. "I was unconscious for it."

Lara's lips clenched.

"It was the women," I said. "They were kind to me. Don't fret, Lara."

"Another woman had her hands on you?" she asked me.

"Don't tease me, Lara." She nodded just once. "Lara, there is something I need to say, but I don't want it to upset you."

"I'll be fine," she said.

"I need to know if I can heal dislocated shoulders without help." I explained about shifting with my arms tied.

"That's a bad idea," Elisabeth said immediately. "You might do more than dislocate them, especially as fast as you shift. You can heal a dislocated shoulder, although both might be rough. I've done one. It hurts like a son of a bitch, but you can do it. I wouldn't want to heal two."

"If it's life or death, Elisabeth?"

"It wasn't, Michaela," Lara said.

"It's Kimber's life," I said. "He's going to kill her if she doesn't kill him first. I need to know."

Lara sighed. "Do not do this until I am able to take the stress if it goes badly."

"All right," I told her. "I'll wait. For now."

"Thank you."

"When we do it," Elisabeth said. "We do it my way. Do you understand, Michaela?"

"Yes, Elisabeth. But I need to know."

"Yes, I agree. What else?"

I looked around the room. "What is the plan to send the message: do not mess with the Madison wolves?"

Elisabeth sighed. She slid a piece of paper to me. It was in two columns. On the left was the list of things the Iowa pack had paid. On the right was our cost. Their cost was simple: one female pack member, three male enforcers, seven students expelled from Wisconsin. Five expelled from Colorado. Two from Chicago. I didn't understand that part.

Our losses were stress to the pack, trauma to me, and trauma to Kimber.

"We came out ahead," Lara said simply.

"I don't understand this part about students."

"We expelled from Wisconsin every member of the Iowa pack. At the time, that was seven students attending college or university in Wisconsin. Our friends have taken similar steps. The students were given six hours warning to exit Wisconsin."

I looked at both lists. "And what did Brody and Johnny pay?"

No one said anything.

"And that's it?" I asked. "You expect me to do nothing?"

"Yes," said Lara. "I promised no retribution."

"You did. I didn't."

"I am still your alpha," she said. "Aren't I?"

I felt the tears start to slide down my cheeks. "Yes, Lara."

"They are both going to be dead within a year," Elisabeth said gently. "Let it go, Michaela."

I stared at my hands resting on the table. "I don't know if I can."

"Try," she replied.

I looked at her, pushing the tears away. "They made me into a victim," I said. "And I am supposed to let them?"

"I'm sorry. Yes."

"Why? Why! They are disorganized. No one is going to fight for Brody. Everyone is afraid of Johnny. If we show up in force, their defenses will melt away from us. We can put together a hundred wolves and roll right over them. Why aren't we?"

"For three reasons," Lara said. "First, I promised."

"They broke faith first, and I do not consider that promise binding," I replied.

"I do," she said. "Just because they are animals doesn't mean we are."

"We can agree to disagree."

Lara nodded and went on. "Second, I can not send anyone to fight for me, and I can't do it myself."

"Then I will go in your stead."

"She can't take the stress," Elisabeth said. "Michaela, she can't."

"Three," Lara said calmly. "While we would accomplish exactly what you said we would, what would the cost be to us? The enforcers would be at the front. Your friends would be at the front. And we would not walk away without our own deaths. Which of your friends' lives are you willing to pay for your vengeance?"

"We got you back," Elisabeth said quietly. "You had a terrible time, and we're very sorry. But we got you back, and you already made them pay heavily. If you think we have a problem with enforcers, how do you think they're doing?"

"The worst of them died," Lara said. "She died by your hand. And she died knowing she was a traitor to her best friend. And her friend knows that and spit on her body."

"She died, but she was not the worst. Brody is the worst, with Johnny a close second. They must die."

"They will," Lara said. "Kimber is going to kill Johnny, and Brody won't last a week after that. And even if Kimber fails, they are imploding. Neither of them will be alive two years from now."

"I want to speak to Greg Freund," I said.

Elisabeth made a call then slid the phone across the table to me.

"Greg," I said. "It's Michaela."

"I'm so sorry," he said. "I'm glad you're okay."

"It wasn't your fault. I didn't take your advice seriously enough."

"You're home now. That's what is important. And perhaps you have learned something."

"Yes, I have," I said. "Greg, is it safe to ask you about something illegal over this call?"

"Yes."

"This is hypothetical. If I wanted two wolves to die-"

"Stop." He said. "I won't go against Lara, Michaela."

"All right. If Lara wanted two wolves to die."

"It would take time."

"You could do it?"

"Yes. And I would. But it would take time. I can't do it right now."

"That's all I needed to know, Greg. Thank you." I slid the phone back to Elisabeth. She thanked him and hung up.

"I am not hiring a hit man, Michaela," Lara said.

I turned to Elisabeth. "I want to know what your assault plans were."

"No," she said. "We won't tell you. Ever."

"I want to know where I was held."

"We won't tell you."

"Michaela," Lara asked. "You never answered. Which of your friends should pay for your vengeance?"

"None," I said quietly. "None."

And then I began to sob. Sobbing, I slid from my chair. I crawled to Lara and laid my head in her lap.

She stroked my hair and said over and over, "I'm so sorry, Michaela. I'm so sorry."

 **Victim**

I eventually asked Elisabeth to help me to my feet. Someone had tissues for me. I cleaned up and said, "I will try to let this go." I turned to Serena. "If I am unable to do so, I will ask for another meeting. I will not slip your security. I promise."

She eyed me carefully.

"I promise, Serena."

"All right," she said.

Lara looked tired. "Do you need a nap?" I asked her.

"Yes."

"Do you want company?"

"Yes."

"I won't nap," I said. "But I'd like to hold you for a while."

I noticed that Elisabeth had a hand on Lara's shoulder. Serena and Karen were both hovering near me. I turned to them. "What are you doing?"

"We-"

"We know you don't like being touched," Karen said.

"That is no longer true," I said.

Serena reached out tentatively, touching my arm. I smiled at her, and then Karen had a hand on my shoulder.

"Touch to a wolf is comfort," Elisabeth said. "It is important to us. Especially after a conversation like this."

I nodded. "Thank you," I said. I reached for Lara's hands and pulled her to her feet. She smiled. I think it amused her how much body weight I had to put into it.

"I'm not that fat," she said.

"No. I'm that small."

Together, we all returned to the house, and Lara and I cuddled together.

We both slept.

I spent the next few days physically and emotionally recuperating. I tried to focus on what was important, having mixed success.

I think a large part of my reaction was my extreme embarrassment. Everyone had told me over and over what would happen if I left my security detail behind. But I had known better. Kimberlee had come to us for help, and we had failed her. And it was my fault.

Everyone else seemed to have moved past it. Lara was tired but accepting of my affection. Scarlett and Angel were excited about school. Angel was equally excited to begin her enforcer experience at the same time. And the entire pack was exceedingly excited about the new pups that were on their way.

I tried to focus on all of that.

I didn't restart my flying lessons right away. I told June to give me some time, but that I would call her. I had already soloed, and she gave me permission to continue to solo, but to stay near the airport. On Sunday, I asked permission to go flying.

Lara and Elisabeth weren't sure they wanted to let me go.

"I'll stay in the pattern," I said. "Promise. But if it makes you nervous, I'll stay home."

"No," Lara said. "Of course. Have fun."

"Thank you."

"We can be ready in ten minutes," Serena said, and I thanked her as well.

The field was a ten-minute car ride from the house along gravel roads. I considered walking but decided to drive. Emanuel was going to drive, but I asked if they would let me; I almost never got to drive. "Or does my driving scare everyone?" He laughed and handed me the keys.

I actually wasn't used to driving the SUVs, and I drove cautiously. "Grandma," I heard from the back seat.

"I heard that, Angel."

"You were supposed to, Alpha."

I reached back and clasped hands with her briefly, then returned to driving. I didn't let her impatience speed me up.

At the airport, the wolves wanted to do everything, but I told them, "This is something I should do for myself. But thank you."

I opened the hangar, pulled the plane out, and did my preflight. I think it was hard for them to watch me pull the airplane out of the hangar by myself, but while I am small, I am still strong. Angel was antsy to help preflight, but I waved her off.

Serena separated herself from the rest and talked to me quietly when I was about ready to get into the airplane.

"Are you going to make me regret this?"

"No, Serena. I promised."

"You're still struggling."

"Yes, I am. While I'm flying, can you make me an appointment with Vivian?"

"Yes," she said. "Today?"

"Whenever is convenient for her, but not during school hours. I need to get back to a normal schedule."

"I'll arrange it," she said. "Let me come with you."

"I can't," I said. "Ask Angel. If you have a real problem with this, we can skip it, or you can call June. But I can only fly by myself or with June."

"June is in Bayfield," she said. She looked into the hangar at the other airplane. "We can chase you if you fly away."

"You can't, Serena. Lara is in no condition to fly. And Angel can't fly that plane yet. I could, but it would be illegal."

"I don't like this, Michaela," she said. Pain filled her eyes. "Please don't do this to me."

I sighed. "I'm not going anywhere, but if this is going to torture you, you can be the one to push the airplane back into the hangar. I'll wait and fly with June next weekend."

Angel wandered over. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Serena thinks I'm going to fly away."

"Are you?" she asked.

"No, but I understand why she is worried."

Angel pulled out her phone and made a call. I couldn't tell who answered, but she explained the problem. "Could I ride in the right seat?"

"You can't," I told her. "You're not an instructor."

"I'd be the pilot," she said. "Just in the wrong seat."

It was then I recognized June's voice. "Legally," she said. "Yes. But you're a new pilot and you have no training flying the airplane from that seat."

"There's almost no wind and it's a nice day," Angel said. "Michaela is perfectly able to fly and doesn't need an instructor. I wouldn't have to touch the controls."

I held out my hand, and she gave me the phone. "June, Serena doesn't trust me. Angel is offering an alternative. But you think it's a bad idea, don't you?"

"You can't log the time if she's officially the pilot," June said. "But no, I don't think it's a good idea. Tell her I am going to start giving her lessons flying from that seat."

I hung up. "She said no. Let's push the plane back." I started to do just that, but Serena put her hand on my arm.

"Go on," she said. "Please just promise me you're coming right back."

"An hour flying around in circles," I said. "Lots of landings. That's all."

"Go on," she said.

"Thank you, Serena." I waved them away, smiling at them, and climbed into the airplane.

Then, for a long time, I stared at the controls and cried. I climbed back out and told Angel to get into the pilot's seat. "Take me for a ride, Angel."

She nodded, did her own quick preflight, and climbed in. I sat in the passenger seat with my headsets on, drying my tears.

She didn't say anything, just handled the airplane. Once we were in the air, she turned northwest. "Were you going to run?"

"No," I said. "I stared at the controls and didn't know what to do."

We flew over a few lakes. Then she found a farmer's field that was filled with pumpkins. They looked so funny from the air. We did two circles around the field. We flew around for forty minutes before I told her to take us home. She banked the plane, turning us in the approximate direction, but then told me to navigate us there without use of the GPS.

I laughed, played with the radios for a minute, and told her what heading to take. She frowned, but didn't say anything. Ten minutes later, I said, "There it is."

"I don't think so," she said.

"Straight ahead, three miles."

"Nope."

"You'll see. Come right ten degrees." Two minutes later I told her to look straight down. We were directly over the compound. "I said home, didn't I?"

She laughed.

"Circle it once on your side and a couple of times on mine," I asked. "Then we'll go land."

She did, and once I was satisfied, I gave her the heading to the airport. We had an uneventful landing, not as good as Lara's, but still good. "Take us to the hangar," I said.

"We should fill it," she replied.

"I'm going to shoot landings, if you and Serena will allow it."

We powered off in front of the hangar and both climbed out of the aircraft. The enforcers clustered around and I asked permission to do landings now.

"Of course, Alpha," Serena said.

I caressed her cheek, promised she could see me the entire time, checked the fuel level visually, and climbed back in. Five minutes later I began my first takeoff roll.

I did five takeoffs and landings, then I circled the field a few times. The house was outside the normal pattern, and I was sorely tempted to do a flyover, but I thought Serena would have a cow. I did a few more landings then brought the plane to a full stop at the gas pumps.

I had filled the first tank by the time my security detail reached the pumps. Serena was frowning.

"I was good!" I said defensively.

"Yes," she said. "I wasn't. I was a hundred yards away when you climbed out of the airplane."

"Oh, right. Expect that I will always fill up after flying."

She nodded, and we were fine.

I let the wolves put the airplane away while I did all the paperwork. It had been a nice flight, and I felt better.

Lara was livid when we got home.

"Your solo flying privileges are in the pattern only! You are grounded!"

"It's good to see you too," I said. "I wasn't the one flying." And I turned my back on her and walked right out the door, Serena and Angel scurrying to catch up.

I stood on the steps, calming myself.

"I'll go talk to her," Angel said.

"No," I said. "She'll figure it out. I'll cut her some slack. She's pregnant and tired, and she feels badly already. I just needed to calm down myself."

"Vivian will be here in another hour," Serena said.

"I am going to calm Lara down, have a bite to eat, and if you allow, go for a run before Vivian arrives. A long run afterwards, perhaps. Then I will be in for the night."

"All right," she said. "We'll be ready."

"That's easier to say lately, isn't it?" I was thinking of the instant shift she could do now.

She grinned. "It sure is."

I went back in, and Lara was still upset. "If you weren't flying," she asked me. "Who was?"

I sat her down and told her what had happened. I didn't get very far before she started apologizing.

"It's all right," I told her. "It's my fault everyone is on edge around me. I'm sorry."

There wasn't any makeup sex, but there was a little kissing. "Up for a run?" I asked her.

"No, but you go ahead."

"Vivian is coming by," I told her. "She might stay for dinner after she and I talk."

We had a nice run, if short. The word had gotten out I was going for a run, and about half the compound joined us. As soon as I stepped out onto the porch, they greeted me, most of them in fur already.

"No games today, at least none I am playing," I said. "It's a short run for me, but you all are welcome to run for as long as you desire."

I turned to Serena. "What are my rules?"

"You don't lose me," she said. "If I am not immediately next to you, you stop and begin yipping immediately. I will find you. Do not come to me. Otherwise run however you want."

"All right," I said.

I stepped down from the porch and was immediately surrounded by wolves, accepting their sniffs and nudges. Kaylee gave me a play bow, but I told her, "I'm sorry, Kaylee, not today. Your mom says I have to behave. You know what that is like."

She huffed once then offered a wolfy grin.

I heard Serena tell Scarlett, "Angel is on duty. Don't distract her."

"Can I help?" she asked.

"Play with the fox. Keep her company. She is really hurting right now." I looked over and stared at them. I wondered if I was supposed to hear that.

I loosened my clothes, dropped all my silver on the edge of the porch, pulled off my clothing, and shifted to fox. I waited for my guards to get into fur, then walked over to Scarlett. I gave her nose a lick, then batted her nose and ran.

She immediately chased after me.

Scarlett and I took turns chasing each other. I accidentally lost Serena a couple of times, but never for more than a second, and I always had several wolves around me. Every time I lost her, I yipped twice, and she was immediately there. Each time, she gave me a lick or a nudge.

Then Elisabeth came bounding into the fray, chuffing, and I bowed to her. She bowed back, and soon she was chasing me all over, completely unable to catch me. I yipped the entire time so Serena could keep track of me.

I had lost track of Scarlett, so I listened for her. With all the other wolves, I couldn't find her. I cut left and practically ran right into Serena. She turned with me, and then I came to a stop, looking around. I ducked around Elisabeth's lunge and dashed underneath Serena.

Where was Scarlett?

I yipped.

I looked around. Angel, Emanuel and Rory were all holding a guard position. I saw and heard other wolves, but I couldn't find Scarlett.

I slipped out from underneath Serena and shifted to human. "Where is Scarlett?" I asked.

The enforcers all chuffed and yawned.

"I'm worried, where is she?"

Angel shifted to human and grinned. "I love doing that. Honey, she's hunting you. She's trying to do it your way. Keep playing with Elisabeth."

I looked at Elisabeth. "Are you two helping each other?"

Elisabeth chuffed. I laughed. "All right," I said. "If I win, you have to tell me everything you can about the Iowa pack."

Elisabeth growled, and it was a serious growl.

"Okay, can't blame me for trying. If I win, Lara gets a backrub a day from one or the other of you from now until she gives birth."

Elisabeth chuffed.

"If you win, and if I can't let this thing with Iowa go, I promise to give you twelve hours of warning before I ditch my security detail."

Serena whined. Elisabeth growled, but finally she chuffed.

"I win if I make it back to the porch without Scarlett tagging me. You aren't allowed to pin me, but you can herd me. I promise to try to avoid you. Serena, I won't try to lose you."

Elisabeth chuffed. I shifted to fox and made a wild dash in the opposite direction from the compound. Five wolves set off in pursuit of me, my security detail giving me a little more room so Elisabeth could play.

She cut me off, bounding ahead and growling at me. I made a dash like I was going to cut in front of her, but then as she dashed to cut me off, I jumped over her then turned hard towards the west.

After that, Elisabeth got serious. I was trying to pull Scarlett out of position. I had no idea where she was, and I needed her to move, but she was being decidedly quiet. I wondered if Elisabeth knew where she was. I was afraid if I made a dash for the compound, I would run directly into her.

I was willing to let them win, but I really wanted those backrubs for Lara.

Elisabeth kept cutting me off, and little by little, she pushed me back towards the compound and the path she was choosing. I finally decided I was going to have to head for the compound, but on a path of my choosing. I managed to pull Elisabeth out of position, then dashed underneath Angel and began running full out for the southwest, well off the path Elisabeth had been pushing me into.

I got thirty yards before Elisabeth cut me off. I cut south, but she stayed alongside me, pushing me back to the east, then she cut me off from the south as well and tried to herd me due east.

Slowly I was forced to back away from her. Every time I tried to dash west or south, Elisabeth was there. Once I ran straight to her and she batted me over and threw herself on top of me, taking my throat, then she dragged me twenty yards east as punishment before releasing me.

I nipped at her when she let me up, then we both chuffed good-naturedly at each other and I tried running south.

Somehow Elisabeth knew exactly where Scarlett was waiting, I was sure of it, and bit by bit, I got pushed where Elisabeth wanted me. Finally I turned tail and ran. Elisabeth was surprised but quickly bounded after me. I ducked under a fallen log, cutting for the compound.

I ran right into Scarlett. She didn't even have to move, I ran right into her and bounced off. She threw herself on me, rolled me onto my back, and settled down on top of me, pinning me.

Elisabeth sauntered up while Scarlett held me pinned. Elisabeth was chuffing happily. I chuffed back at her then tried to wriggle out from under Scarlett.

She settled her weight a little more, letting me know I wasn't going anywhere, then began licking me. Elisabeth licked me, then all my enforcers did before Scarlett finally let me up.

I batted all of them on the nose and began an easy trot towards the compound, the six of them surrounding me.

Vivian was waiting when we got back. I shifted human and pulled my clothes on with my entourage seconds behind me except for poor Rory, who was left to shift the slow way.

"That was fun, Elisabeth. Thank you."

She laughed. "You made me work for it."

I turned to Scarlett. "I never knew where you were. I kept hoping you would break cover so I could pinpoint you."

"I've never tried to be so silent before," she said. "You make it look so easy. It's not!"

I looked at Elisabeth. "You won. I'll keep my promise."

Elisabeth nodded then gestured me towards the side, putting her arm around me. "Please let it go. If you let it go, we'll get Lara her backrubs. You can't do this to her, Michaela. You have to let it go."

"I'm trying, Elisabeth."

"What else can I do?"

"I don't know. I'm going to go talk to Vivian now."

"It will kill Lara, Michaela. If you go off half-cocked, it will kill her."

"I won't go off half-cocked. Revenge is a dish best serve cold, Elisabeth, and they have never seen someone like me before."

"You can't do it alone."

"Then help me."

"I can't, Michaela. You know that."

I sighed. "I'm trying, Elisabeth."

I shrugged out from under her arm, but I squeezed her hand before walking to Vivian. "May I offer you anything?"

"I'm quite fine," she said. "Where would you like to talk?"

"Your office, I guess." I helped her to her feet, and together we turned towards the school, Serena and Angel flanking us.

Several minutes later found us staring at each other. "They made me a victim, Vivian."

"I know."

"They need to pay."

She was silent at that. I thought perhaps she would ask me why, and then I could have told her, but she didn't. She didn't argue with me at all.

I told her everything that had happened. She knew most of it.

"It's all my fault. I know you'll say it's not," I said. "But it is. And I don't know how to fix it."

"What are you trying to fix?"

"I don't know," I said. "But they made us weaker."

"That's what a feud does," she said. "It makes both parties weaker. The weakness you inflicted on them is greater than the weakness they inflicted on us. Now you have to decide: are you going to work to make them weaker, or are you going to work to make us stronger?"

I buried my face in my arms, hiding from her for a while.

"Are you having nightmares?" she asked.

"No," I said.

"Are you physically harmed?"

"I was weak. I'm fine now."

"How are Lara's babies?"

"She says they are good, but Elisabeth keeps hissing at me about stress."

"You should listen to her. Elisabeth has never been known for being dramatic."

"Vivian," I said. "Every wolf who has ever made me a victim in the past is dead. A few tried and lived, but the few that succeeded all died, every single one at my hand. And now I'm supposed to let these wolves get away with it?"

"Yes. I'm sorry, Michaela. But yes. The cost of vengeance is high."

"I don't know how to let go of this. It is poisoning me."

We talked for a while. Nothing was resolved.

Before we finished, I told her, "I don't want to feel this way. But I don't know how to stop."

I taught classes on Monday. The students were happy to have me back. Physically I was fine, but Michele Lassiter seemed happy to stay and help. There were a few moments when it all caught up to me, and I would lose my thoughts for a minute or two. The kids were patient.

One time it went on for a few minutes. After a few seconds, Lily climbed from her seat and pulled me to look out the window, and Michele took over the class.

I didn't cry; I just was caught in a loop of horrible thoughts. I wanted to lash out, but there was no one to lash out at. My thoughts went around and around. Lily stood there quietly, an arm around my shoulder, a hand on my arm, and her body shielding me from any other eyes.

Finally I spoke. "How did you know what to do?"

"Ms. Lassiter told us you might have trouble for a while. We thought perhaps it would be easier to let the girls touch you, so whoever is closest will help. This time that was me."

"I am being silly," I told her.

"I don't know," she said. "I think I'd be a wreck for weeks. We're all proud of you."

I heard something Michele had said. I kissed Lily on the cheek. "Thank you." Then I turned around and tried to figure out how to correct Michele without embarrassing her.

She caught the movement from the corner of her eye.

"I thought my teaching would get your attention," she said with a grin. "I was just teaching the kids that sometimes adults don't know what they're talking about."

The kids laughed. I squeezed Lily's hand and took over the lecture again.

After that, I was able to hold it together until class was over, but as soon as the kids were gone, I began to tremble.

Michele was right there next to me. "Michaela?"

"I need to hurt someone, Michele," I said. "They did this to me. I need to hurt someone. I don't think I'm safe."

"Nonsense," she said. "And you're stronger than this. You aren't going to give them this power over you."

I took a breath, nodded, and thanked her, then I stormed out of the class and straight to Serena. "Twelve-hours-"

And her hand was over my mouth, her other hand at the back of my neck, holding me quiet. "No," she said. "Don't say it. Please, Micheala. Give us a few more days. Please."

I stared into her eyes and nodded.

"That nod means you didn't just give me warning, right?"

I nodded.

She withdrew her hand. "Promise me."

I stared at her. "I'm trying."

"Run or the gym?" she asked.

"Gym. Work me until I pass out."

She nodded and called Karen.

I didn't pass out, but my brain had completely shut down long before Karen let my body collapse.

Tuesday was better. I arose early and texted Serena. "I want a long run before breakfast. Please."

"OMW," was the response.

When I got downstairs, I found Karen and Elisabeth. "Are you running with us?"

They both looked confused, then Elisabeth said, "We were the night crew."

"Right, sorry. Serena is letting me have a run."

"Do you need someone to play with?" Elisabeth asked.

"No," I said. "I just want to run until I collapse."

Serena arrived with Emanuel. "Rory and Eric are shifting," she said. "We're ready as soon as they're done."

I nodded, dropped all my clothes on the coffee table, and shifted to fox. I prowled around the room until Serena said, "We can go, Michaela." She held the door for me, then I waited on the porch until she and Emanuel were ready. I took off for the woods, yipping twice, and simply ran.

I ran to the far north border of our property, paused a minute to catch my breath, then began running for the compound. Twelve miles for a fox is a good run. I stood in the courtyard, panting. The wolves weren't even winded. I huffed at them and took off for the woods again. I only ran another six miles, but that was more than enough, and when we got back to the house I was done.

I chuffed at them and gave each a single lick, thanking them for the run, then ran into the house. I stayed in fur until I was halfway up the stairs, then crept the rest of the way to the bedroom. Lara was awake when I got there, but she was still in bed.

"Hey, gorgeous," she told me.

"Hey, Mommy," I told her, still panting.

"Since when does a flight of stairs make you pant?"

"It's seeing you," I said. "With your mommy belly. So hot!"

"I bet."

"Eighteen miles is a long run for a fox," I said.

"Ah." She nodded. "Feel better?"

"Sure," I said. "Shower now."

I kissed her on the way past.

I held it together during classes. When I got a break, I stepped into the hallway and found Serena. "After classes, I'd like to hit the gym then go flying."

"You won't be in any shape to fly."

"Light workout," I said. "Will you call June?"

"Yes."

"Thank you."

When I got back inside, I glanced at the board, and there was a fresh limerick at the top of the board. I read it then turned to class. "Francesca is going to be disappointed with one of you. Proud and crowed do not rhyme. Pop quiz."

The kids grinned.

After school, rather than a workout with Karen, I did yoga with, of all people, Violet. As soon as I knew what we were doing, I made Serena and Eric join us. Eric whined, but Violet held a good class. I felt invigorated afterwards.

"Thank you, Violet," I told her. "I've never done yoga before."

"If you want, I can come up every few days, and once you're ready, I have DVDs you can follow. If you think it's something you would like to continue."

"You'd do that for me?"

"Certainly," she said. "I can't get the other wolves interested, but I thought it might be something you would appreciate. I'd like to know there's someone else in the pack who will do yoga with me."

We hugged, which was odd, as we didn't have that type of relationship, but felt nice at the same time.

After that we collected Emanuel and Rory for the trip to the airport. June was waiting. One of the Mooney's was sitting in front of the hangar. I presumed either June had just gotten back from somewhere or she was going somewhere after my lesson.

"Just a review today, June," I said. "If you can pull that one out of the way," I pointed at the Mooney, "I can pull out the trainer."

"You don't need a review," she said. "We're doing a cross country flight."

"Do we have time?" I asked Serena.

"Yes."

"And you're not going to freak out?"

"I'm going with," she said.

"We'll take the Mooney," June said. "I want to see you fly it, anyway."

"All right, but I've never landed it."

"Done take offs?"

"Yes."

"Good enough," she said.

June and I sat down, discussed the flight, did all the planning, and then she watched over me as I preflighted the airplane.

"Show Serena how to get in," June said.

"She knows how," I replied.

"Show her anyway," June said.

So I showed Serena where to step, where to hang on, and got her settled into the back seat. I helped her buckle her seatbelt and explained the headsets. She grinned but acted like a neophyte. Then I climbed into my seat and June settled into hers.

"Pretend I am also new," she said.

So I gave her a briefing as if she weren't to touch anything, then went through closing the door. She followed my directions literally, slamming the door incorrectly, and it flew back open. I corrected my directions, and she closed the door properly. I tried to explain how to lock it, but realized I didn't have the words, so I reached past her and did it myself.

"Good," she said. "Have you started it before?"

"No," I said. "I can't reach everything from your seat."

She helped me get it started; the procedure was different. And then she stayed extra vigilant as I taxied the airplane. We did all the right things, me following the checklist carefully and asking questions when I didn't understand, and then we had the plane pointed down the runway. June watched me carefully. I asked Serena if she was okay - she was - and then I asked June.

"Is there a throw up bag somewhere?" she asked.

I laughed and handed her one from the supply. "Lara buys them for Elisabeth."

"Elisabeth has never thrown up on a plane in her life," June said. "She loves flying. She asks me to take her out and do aerobatics with her. I have to rent a special plane for it."

"No way."

June laughed. "She absolutely loves it. She's even a pretty decent pilot, but has no interest in actually getting licensed."

I started laughing. "Your airplane for a minute, June."

June immediately applied the brakes. "My airplane," she said.

I dug my phone out of my pocket and sent a text. "Aerobatics? Seriously?" Then I turned the phone off and handed it to Serena. "My airplane," I said. "Here we go."

June released the brakes, I pushed the throttle forward, and thirty seconds later we were in the air.

"Oh my god!" I said a minute after that. "I love this airplane!"

"I thought you might," June said with a laugh. "You okay back there, Serena?"

"I'm fine, but please, no aerobatics."

We flew north, landed, and pulled the plane in front of the public building at the airport. "Let's get a soda before we fly home," June said. "Um. How do I open the door?"

I laughed and explained how to open the door, how to undo her seat belt, and how to climb out without damaging anything. She struggled to get out without pushing her seat back, so I laughed and adjusted the directions. Then I helped Serena out before climbing out myself.

We had a soda, then June pulled Serena to the side. "How's your stomach?"

"Fine," Serena said.

"The flight back will be worse. Say something if you start to get at all queasy."

I decided June didn't know about my enhanced hearing. Serena glanced at me, knowing I heard every word, but didn't tell June.

We finished our sodas and checked the weather. June asked me to describe the route back and how I would find the airport. I told her. Then she made me give climbing-into-the-airplane briefings again, and I did better that time.

Once we were in the air, June handed me an odd pair of glasses. "My airplane," she said. "Put these on."

I put on the glasses. They were frosted over except for a little window at the bottoms in the middle. I had to lift my head to see outside.

"I don't get it," I said.

"Keep your head down," she said. "We're in the clouds."

Suddenly I understood. I could see the controls and instruments inside the plane, but unless I cocked my head, I couldn't see out the windows. It was just like being in the clouds.

"Your airplane, Michaela," she said.

I took the controls cautiously and tried to figure out what I was supposed to do.

"What heading will take us home?" she asked. I told her. "All right, make a shallow right turn to that heading, continue to climb to our altitude."

It was the sloppiest turn I'd ever made, but soon I had us settled on our heading.

This was hard. Every few minutes, June tapped an instrument to remind me I was on the wrong heading or the wrong altitude. I would correct, but a few minutes later, she tapped another instrument. The instrument taps grew further apart as I settled into what we were doing.

"How far to home?" she asked.

"Twenty two miles," I told her instantly.

"Good. How long?"

I did the math in my head. "Eight minutes."

"Good. Do you want to arrive this high?"

"No. We should descend."

"Go ahead," she said. "This will be hard the first time."

I let the airplane come down, then gave it power again.

"You can let it slow down," she said. "Otherwise you come over the top really fast, and that can be hard to manage, especially if Angel is out flying in a much slower airplane."

A minute later, she said, "Are we on course, Michaela?"

I glanced at all the instruments. "Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"All right. Tell me when you think we're over the top of the airport."

"Right. Report when we're home."

Two minutes later I said, "If I did this right, home is a mile in front of us."

"Do you want to look?" she asked. She sounded vaguely disappointed.

"Sure," I said. I took off the funny glasses, glanced around briefly, and realized I had missed by a mile. I didn't think that was bad. I banked the plane to the right and said, "There, home."

June started laughing. "Clever fox." Out her window was our house. I loved flying over the compound. "Put the glasses back on and take us to the airport, smarty pants."

"May I circle first?"

"Yes, go ahead."

I banked the plane in the other direction then circled around until I could see home from my window. I did two circles, ending pointed south. I put the glasses back on then admitted I didn't know what to do.

"Can you take us over the top?"

"Yes, I think so. I didn't set up for it." I played with the instruments for a minute then banked the airplane west. "I think we're pointed at the airport."

"Close enough," June said. "Tell me when we're over the top."

We flew for just a minute, and I said, "Now."

"Take the glasses off," she said. "Set us up for landing."

I took the glasses off, blinked, then looked around for the airport. "I don't see it."

"You took us over the top, left turn, you'll see it."

I entered the pattern, listening to June's instructions on slowing us down further. She talked me through the extra steps until we turned final. "Your airplane," I said.

"No. Land it."

"June-"

"You've got it, Michaela," she said.

She rode along on the controls, but I flew it all the way down to the ground. But I was long, and she said, "My airplane," and gave it power. She did the climb out then said, "Try again. You okay, Serena?"

"I'm fine," Serena said.

I was long on the second try as well. She told me to go around, and I handled it myself.

The third try looked good, but she said, "You're going too fast. Try again."

Fourth time was the charm, and I set it down as close to perfect as I ever did. I brought the plane to a stop on the runway, let out a huge breath of air, and said, "Your airplane please, June."

She taxied us back to the hangar and helped me shut down.

I was wringing with sweat. I did the post flight paperwork while they climbed out. June didn't make me help that time. Then June pulled me to the flight office while the enforcers fueled the airplane and put it away.

"You have so much flight time with Lara that you don't need basic instruction," she said. "We'll take the trainer in the future, but I wanted you to have a taste of what that felt like. What was the hardest part?"

"Managing speed."

We talked for a while and I thanked her. Serena was waiting for me and asked if I wanted to drive. "No." She laughed.

I felt pretty good that evening, but while getting ready for bed, I stared in my reflection in the mirror, an the only thought I could think was, "Victim, victim, victim."

I slept poorly, very poorly. I knew I was wallowing in self-pity, but I seemed to be good at that. I kept hearing a voice in my head calling me, "Victim, helpless victim." I refused to accept it.

Refused.

I finally slept, but I woke haggard. I stared at my reflection before showing, and my reflection told me, "Victim."

I ignored it, as best I could, and climbed into the shower.

Lara was awake, barely, by the time I was done. She opened her eyes and looked at me, mumbling something. The only word I heard was, "Victim."

"What did you say?" I asked her.

"Do you know what time it is?"

"6:30," I told her. "Go back to sleep."

"You were restless."

"I'm sorry."

"Want to talk about it?"

"No, Lara. Please, go back to sleep. I know I kept you awake, I'm sorry."

"Honey," she said, holding out her hand. "Please come here."

I crossed the room to her and knelt on the floor so our eyes were at the same level.

"You know I love you," she said.

"Yes."

"You know you can tell me anything," she said.

"I know. I'm fine, Lara. Really."

"No, you're not. I want you to take the day off."

"Teaching helps. Normalcy helps."

"Promise me you'll be okay, Michaela," she said. "Please, I need to know you'll be okay."

"Don't worry, Lara," I said. "Take care of our babies."

"I need to take care of you," she said.

"I think right now, I need to take care of me."

"You can talk to Vivian if you don't want to talk to me, Michaela."

"There's nothing to talk about. I was a victim. There's nothing to be done about it. I need to move past it."

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm so sorry."

"I know. So am I. I only wish they were, too. Very, very sorry."

"What would help?" she asked.

"Other than slitting their throats?"

"Yes, other than slitting their throats."

"I wish I knew, Lara."

"Time," Lara said. "Maybe time."

"Maybe time," I said.

I kissed her, collected a guard, and walked over to the school to immerse myself in preparing for class.

I didn't even notice the time. The school filled, and I didn't notice. And then Serena was there, her face between me and the notes I was taking. "Michaela?"

I startled. "Don't do that!"

"I tried calling, over and over," she said. "You were lost in your notes."

"Sorry." I glanced at the time and realized class should have started five minutes ago. I scrambled to collect my papers and ran down the hall.

The kids were being very well-behaved, studying from their books. Michele wasn't there. "She has a dental appointment," Chloe said. "She'll be here soon though."

I started to teach.

The morning went fine. I was in good form, and the kids performed well. After lunch, I needed to break the kids up between the seniors and the younger kids. I asked Michele to handle the younger kids, giving her the notes I had prepared, and I took the older kids to another classroom.

About twenty minutes later, I noticed a commotion in the hall. I tried to ignore it, but then Michele appeared in the doorway. "Michaela," she said.

"Hang on, Michele," I finished my thought with the kids, then gave them a question to discuss between themselves. I gestured Michele in, but she asked me to step outside.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "Can't you read my notes?"

"No, honey," she said. "I can read them fine."

I stepped out in the hallway, and it seemed like everyone was waiting for me. Lara was leaning on Elisabeth, the hallway was filled with enforcers, and Vivian was there.

"What's wrong?" I asked. "What has happened?"

Michele was trying to herd me closer to Lara and Elisabeth. I looked past her to see Karen, Gia and Rory were guarding the far end of the hall. Past Lara and Elisabeth, Serena, Eric, and Emanuel were guarding the main door.

"I'll take your classes, Michaela," Michele said. "The kids will be fine."

"What happened?" I asked. I searched faces. Angel and Scarlett weren't there. "Did something happen to Angel? Scarlett?"

"No," said Lara. "They're fine. Come on. Let's go home."

"What happened? Did someone die?"

"No, honey, no one died. Let's go home and we'll talk about it."

"I don't want to go home," I said. "If I go home, all I think about-" I shut my mouth. "Is there a new threat? Why are there so many enforcers here?"

"Let's go home, Michaela," Lara said. "I need your help."

"Oh my god, is it the babies?" I ran to her. She seemed fine, tired, but fine. I put my hand on her stomach, then dropped to my knees and pressed an ear there. I could hear two rapid, healthy little wolf pup baby heartbeats. "They sound fine," I said after a moment.

Lara reached down and pulled me up by my elbows. Then she put an arm around me and turned me to the door. "Come on, honey. Michele has your classes."

And then Elisabeth had my other hand. I pulled away. "Lara needs your help, Elisabeth. Not me." But she took my arm again, and this time she didn't let go.

Lara began pulling me towards the doors; Vivian stepped in beside her.

I looked at the enforcers. I looked over my shoulder at the other enforcers. They were guarding the doors. But they weren't guarding them from a threat.

They were watching me.

They were guarding me.

"I didn't do anything!" I yelled. "I promised! I promised!"

"I know, honey," Lara said.

"I was right here. I was right where I was supposed to be. Where are you taking me?"

"Home, that's all," she said.

"Why is Vivian here? Why is everyone looking at me?"

"You're scaring the kids," Elisabeth said quietly. "We're just going home. That's all."

"We'll talk there," Lara said. I realized she had as firm a hold of me as Elisabeth did, and as we approached the main doors, the enforcers behind us stepped forward to catch up to us.

Emanuel and Eric opened the doors. Serena passed out through them, then Elisabeth, Lara and I, and then a moment later we were surrounded by enforcers. And they were all watching me carefully.

"You think I'm going to run," I said. "Why? I promised I wouldn't."

"Let's get you home," Lara said. "Vivian is going to give you something to calm down."

"I was calm until you all came and scared the crap out of me."

She didn't answer.

"I've had enough drugs this month!" I said. "I don't want any more."

Lara actually flinched at that, but she didn't respond.

I let them pull me into the house then watched as the enforcers set up to guard the door to the kitchen, the door upstairs, and the front door.

"Honey," Lara said quietly. "The glass in this house is bullet proof. If you try to go through it, you'll bounce right off."

I knew that. What I didn't understand is why she felt the need to remind me.

"Did something happen?" I asked. "Bad news?"

"Not of the type you think," Lara said. She and Elisabeth still hadn't released my arms. They were steering me to the sofa.

"No," I said. "If we're having a serious conversation, I want it at the table."

"All right," Lara said. And they brought me to the table. But then they stopped, still clutching my arms. "Serena."

Serena crossed the room, and Lara and Elisabeth turned me to face her.

"I didn't do anything!" I said.

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry." She stepped up to me and removed the chopsticks from my hair.

"I need those!" I said. "Stop it!"

Then she dropped to her knees and clasped one of my ankles.

"Serena! Stop it!"

I was wearing slacks. She pulled the leg of my slacks up and unstrapped my knife. Then she grabbed the other ankle and took that one, too.

That was when I began to struggle. They were taking my weapons. I needed those weapons. I started screaming. "Stop it! What if they come again?"

"Then we will protect you," Lara said. Neither she nor Elisabeth released my arms. Serena stood up and set my weapons on the table. Then Elisabeth held out my left arm to her, and Serena took that knife. Lara helped her take the one on my right wrist.

"Don't forget the belt," Lara said.

Serena struggled with it, but she removed my belt. Then she collected everything together and stepped into the kitchen. I listened as she set everything down on the small table in there.

"Why?" I asked Lara.

She didn't answer, but she and Elisabeth led me the rest of the way to a chair at the table. Then Elisabeth held me there while Lara pulled a chair next to mine. Once she was seated and had a firm hold of me, Elisabeth sat down, then clasped my arm again, one hand on my shoulder, holding me down into the chair.

"I didn't do anything!" I said.

"I know you didn't," Lara said.

"Then why are you doing this?"

Vivian sat down across the table from me. "Look at me, Michaela," she said. "We're going to talk. Do you want me to give you something?"

"No." Inside, I was in an uproar. I didn't know what had changed. I hadn't done anything. I hadn't even threatened to do anything. I was doing what I could to cope. I wasn't doing very well, but I didn't suddenly deserve the "she's insane" treatment.

Vivian looked through some papers she was holding. She turned them around and slid them across the table to me. "Do you know what these are?"

I glanced at them. "They're the class notes I wrote earlier. I gave them to Michele. You guys are suddenly worried I'm not doing a good job teaching the kids? This seems like an excessive response."

"Will you read the first one to me?" Vivian asked.

I reached for it; Lara and Elisabeth gave me enough motion with my arms to pick up the top page. "This is for the math assignment," I said. "They're learning about vectors."

I had provided the page from the textbook to reference, explained the lesson, and then provided a sample problem to draw on the board. I knew there were more problems on the subsequent pages, and the assignment for tomorrow was on the last page.

"Read it," she said. "Set it down and run your fingers over the words as you read it to me."

I set it down and read it, not understanding her point.

"And the problem you wrote out, too."

I read it then explained it to her.

"All right," she said. "What is this word?" she pointed.

"Vector," I said. "It's like a direction and velocity."

"Read it again," she said.

"Vector," I said. "That word is vector."

"And this one?" She pointed out the word "vector" several times in different places on the page.

"All right," she said. "Let's go back to this word. Please read each letter to me, one at a time, right from the paper."

"This is stupid. Vector. It's in the dictionary."

"Just read the letters, Michaela," she said very simply.

"V-I-C-T-I-M," I read. "Vector."

"Is that how you spell vector?" Vivian asked. "Look carefully."

I looked at the word. "This is stupid. It's a math class plan." But I looked at the word. "Wait," I said. "I spelled it wrong. You're upset because I spelled it wrong?"

"What word did you spell instead?" Vivian asked.

"Victim," I said in a small voice. "I spelled victim."

"And in all the other places?" she asked.

I looked. Victim. Victim. Victim. Everywhere I had meant to spell vector, I had spelled victim. I looked through the rest of the papers. I had done it everywhere.

I stared at the papers.

It all came crashing on me, all at once. Then, very calmly, I pushed the papers away and turned to Elisabeth. In a dead cold voice, I told her, "Twelve hours. Will you give me the information I need or not?"

 **Best Served Cold**

It turns out she wouldn't.

I let them cajole me. I let them beg. I let Lara yell. I finally said in a quiet voice, "I promised a twelve hour warning. After that, I am going to Des Moines, and I am killing two wolves that very much need to die." I turned to Lara. "If you'll have me back after that, I will return. If not, I understand."

They tried to argue "sense" into me. By and large, I ignored them. I only repeated I would not remain a victim any longer.

I finally turned to Vivian and looked her right in the face. "I have had a few identity problems over the last two years," I said. "But one thing I haven't really forgotten; wolves who mess with me die. Period. And I do not believe you can call that crazy. I believe it is cool, cold sanity."

I apologized to Lara. I apologized to Serena. I told them there was no way they could keep me if I decided to leave.

"Well," I said. "Unless you're going to treat me like they did. That might work," I said. "I don't think there is any coming back from that."

Lara struggled to her feet. I glanced at her, and she looked deeply distressed. "Enforcers, the fox is to be guarded twenty-four hours a day. There will be live eyes on her every second of the day from now until I say otherwise. No exceptions at all." And then, slowly, she headed towards the stairs.

"Elisabeth," I said quietly. "May I help her?"

She nodded. I rushed to Lara's side. Emanuel ran up the stairs ahead of us, and Serena followed behind. I slowly helped Lara to our bedroom.

She was done talking to me. She was tired and sweating, and I knew it was my fault.

"I'm sorry," I told her. "I have to. I don't know how else to keep my sanity."

"I know," she said. "But I have to stop you."

"Please don't hate me, Lara," I said. I helped her into the bed. "Please don't hate me."

"Oh Little Fox, I could never hate you. I wish we could do what you wanted. Will you rest with me?"

"Yes." I helped her with her shoes, then slipped most of my clothes off and climbed into bed with her. I rubbed her back for her while she tried to sleep.

I napped with her, for a short while. When I woke, Serena was there, watching me from a chair. I slipped from the bed, leaving Lara to sleep, and got dressed. I crossed to Serena and knelt in front of her. "Am I confined to the room?"

"No," she said. "First, you promised another-" she consulted her watch. "Eleven hours. The orders are to keep eyes on you. I will, however, ask you to stay on two feet. And there will be no flying today."

"Will you take me to the gym?"

"Yes. How hard of a workout do you want?"

"Can we spar for a while? Then a hard workout."

"All right."

"I'm sorry."

"I know," she said. "When we're outside, I will be hanging onto you. You understand."

"Yes. Let's talk in the gym."

She nodded. I collected my gym clothes from the closet, and Serena escorted me downstairs. Angel was home and she stepped in beside me. Outside were Emanuel and Eric.

"Four?"

"Yes." Serena took my arm and we walked to the gym. "You and I can spar lightly. I'll see if Elisabeth and Karen can join us."

"Thank you."

We arrived in the gym. The guys set up watch outside the dressing room while Angel escorted me inside.

"Please don't do this," Angel said the minute we were alone.

"Change for a workout?" I asked.

"You know what I mean. Please, Michaela."

I sighed and finished changing. "Come on. You can help them work me so hard I can't think. It helps."

When we exited the dressing room, Serena said, "They'll be along shortly." She led the way to one of the rooms we used for sparring.

"I don't have any weapons," I said.

"Simulate them," she said. "Or we can work on throws."

"I can't throw a wolf," I said. "At least not one I couldn't just kill."

"What are you going to do if you're out of weapons?"

We set up a bunch of mats, and she taught me a variety of throws, demonstrating with Angel. She let Angel try them on her, then I tried them with Angel. I was able to throw Angel if she cooperated, but if she actively resisted, it was a different story.

Karen and Elisabeth arrived. Karen watched what I was trying to do and stopped the exercise immediately. "Everyone back away from her. Michaela, I am going to rush you. Try that same throw on me. If you manage to throw me, later I will perform all your exercises alongside you, working myself as hard as I work you. If you don't throw me, your twelve hours warning becomes twenty-four."

"You're setting me up," I said.

"How about this? We'll play for information," Elisabeth said. "Throw her, and I will rule out one major city in Iowa. If you don't throw her, we get an extra hour."

"They're in Des Moines," I said.

"Are you sure?"

"Are we playing this game until I rule out all the cities in Iowa except the one they're in?"

"Ten chances," Elisabeth said. "But each time the amount of hours you give me doubles."

I thought about it. Twelve hours was the middle of the night, and that wasn't my plan anyway. "I reserve the right to stop if I keep losing. I think you're setting me up."

"All right," Elisabeth agreed.

Karen rushed me. I spun, grabbed her arm, thrust out my hip, and threw her across my hip onto the mat. She bounced immediately to her feet, facing me, but I continued to stare at where I had thrown her.

"Did you let me do that?"

"I rushed you like an idiot," she said. "But no, I didn't actually let you do it."

I turned to Elisabeth. "They aren't in Dubuque," she said.

"Oh come on!" I said. "I could have told you that."

She shrugged.

I turned to Karen. "Let's assume they aren't idiots."

"Judging by your results, I think we can say the Iowa enforcers aren't very good, either," she said.

I thought about it. "I don't know about Johnny Mack. But I saw him throw punches. He's slow. I can take him."

"Next up," Elisabeth said. "We're playing for another city or an hour. Angel, make a real effort to tackle her. Don't worry about hurting her. They won't, and she'll heal. But it needs to be a high tackle for that throw."

Angel rushed me. I ducked under it instead of throwing her. She flew over me.

"No point," Elisabeth said.

"Sorry. Instinct."

"Try again, Angel," Karen said. Angel rushed me again, and this time I tried the throw Serena had taught me. I actually managed to throw her, but Angel held onto me, and we tumbled to the mats together. I yelled in pain.

"Point to us," Elisabeth said. "We get an hour."

I rolled onto my side and stared at my left wrist.

"Heal it," Elisabeth said. "Or fight with it like that. Serena."

Serena gave me a one second warning. I scrambled to my feet, but she took me down with a tackle, and I felt two ribs crack.

"Point to us," Elisabeth said. "You're up, Karen."

"Stop!" I rolled onto my side, trying to breath.

"Your enemy isn't going to stop because you are injured," Elisabeth said.

I ignored her and concentrated on my ribs. I felt them heal. They weren't broken, just cracked. Then I stared at my wrist.

"Elisabeth, I need help with the wrist."

Immediately she was kneeling beside me. She didn't touch it. "Oh it's broken good."

"It wasn't, but then Serena took me down and I landed bad on it a second time."

"Are you going to heal it yourself or do you want me to straighten it?"

"You. Ignore the screams."

She clasped my wrist, straightened it, and then I healed it. I panted for a minute or two when I was done. Elisabeth helped me sit then sat down next to me.

"Elisabeth, this is stupid. That's not how I fight."

"I actually thought you could do it," she said.

"I'm focused too hard on one technique that isn't instinctual," I said. "It slows me down."

"Bones okay?" she asked.

I nodded. She stood up then helped me to my feet. "Half speed," she said. "We're not playing for points. Karen, help it become instinct."

We spent two hours at it. Karen taught me several throws, and they took turns letting me try them, half speed for a while, then cautiously speeding up.

By the end of two hours, I was pretty tired, but they were pretty sore. Angel had to shift a few times after landing badly, but she was grinning. The other enforcers were treating her just like one of them. I knew how it felt to be included with the big girls.

"All right," Elisabeth said. "Free for all. We are going to rush you one at a time. You may make any move you want, but you only get a point for a successful throw. We get a point for a take down or if you get injured. We're playing to ten points. If you win, I'll give you three cities. If we win, I want twenty-four hours."

"Delay between rushes, heal between injuries or if I call a pause."

"Agreed," she said. "But we're at full speed, and I'm including myself. I'll name each attacker."

"You'll rush me in a fashion consistent with the throws you've taught me?"

"Not necessarily, but you have other ways to evade, and if you think we're not giving you a fair chance, you can stop us to negotiate."

"All right," I said. I took a few breaths, wiped the sweat from my forehead, and then barely had time to react when Elisabeth said, "Angel."

I ducked under her reach and tripped her.

"No point," Elisabeth said. "Serena."

Serena took me down.

"One-zero," Elisabeth said. "Are you all right?"

I climbed to my feet. "Yes. May I have just a little more delay?"

"All right," she said. "But when we're done, we're playing this game for real, as if we're trying to catch you. No points though."

"I'll lose."

"I know."

"All right," I said. "Go."

"Karen." I ducked under Karen and spun towards Elisabeth. She nodded to me and rushed me.

I threw her.

"Stop." I said.

I stared at Elisabeth. "Did you give me that?"

"No," she said, climbing to her feet. "But I'm trying to fight consistent with the skill we're expecting you to face, not my real skill. So is Karen. Serena and Angel are doing their best."

"Thank you. Ready."

"Serena."

I feinted a duck but then snagged her wrist and gave her a toss. She tried to grab my wrist as she flew over my hip, but I ducked away from that and bounced away from her.

"One-Two," Elisabeth said. "Karen."

Karen rushed me from behind. I ducked low and rolled under her, narrowly missing her fingers.

"Good," said Elisabeth. "Me."

She paused and rushed me, taking me down and knocking the wind out of me. I gasped for air. She let me catch my breath while hovering over me.

"I'm fine," I said, once I could breath again.

"The fight would have been all over at that point," she said. "I need you to keep going, even when injured. I'll let you heal, but I need you ready to at least be evasive."

I nodded.

She backed away, waited until I nodded, and said, "Angel."

Angel took me down, then helped me to my feet. "Well done," I told her. "Good feint."

She smiled. "Sorry," she said quietly.

"Play to win," I said. She nodded.

"Three-two," Elisabeth said. "Karen."

The score turned eight-five when I snapped my arm between the floor and Karen's hip. I cried out, climbed to my feet, and said, "Done. You get your extra day."

Then I almost fell over, but Serena caught me. She lowered me gently to the floor, and Elisabeth checked my arm. "It's already straight," she said. "You should have healed it."

"I'm out of energy," I said. I concentrated, but I had nothing left. "I need food."

"Karen and I brought food," Elisabeth said. "Angel, can you get it? It's just outside in a little cooler."

I sat quietly; I had just enough energy to block the pain from the arm. Angel was gone only a few seconds, then she was kneeling in front of me. She stuffed me with bread and pieces of lunchmeat, not bothering to make a sandwich. Serena handed me a bottle of water.

I shoved the food down, let it settle for a minute, then hurried it on its way. As my blood sugar began to settle, I concentrated on the arm.

"Are you sure it's straight?" I asked Elisabeth.

"No. Do you want help?"

I nodded.

"It will cost you," she said.

"Another day?"

"No. A promise. If you do get away from us, you will call me before you do anything too foolish. You will tell me your plan and let me poke holes in it."

"Promise," I said.

Delicately, Elisabeth took my arm. "Hold her," she said, and the other wolves steadied me, Serena settling in behind me to support me with her body. Elisabeth did something painful to my arm, then she said, "Now. Heal it."

I collapsed against Serena when I was done.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Are you lying about the extra day?"

"No."

"You scored five to our eight. I will give you one more city if you promise you aren't lying."

"I promise, I am not lying. You have until five AM, the day after tomorrow."

"Des Moines," Elisabeth said. "They aren't in Des Moines or any of the most immediate towns."

"Does that include Boone, Ames and Ankeny?"

"Yes, they aren't there, either."

I opened my eyes and searched her face. "Are you lying?"

"Are you?"

"No."

"Then I will make you another promise. If you escape, and if you call me before you enter Iowa, I will tell you whether or not I lied."

"And you won't lie?"

"No."

I closed my eyes. "Why this game?" I asked after a while.

"We're trying to help," Karen said.

"We know you will shake us eventually," Serena said. "But until you do, we're going to give you every skill we can."

"And maybe if you know we're helping," said Elisabeth, "maybe you'll wait longer. Maybe you'll work with Vivian." She paused. "Maybe you won't go."

I opened my eyes and looked straight at Karen. "You were military?"

"Yes."

"Drill sergeant, you said." She nodded. "I'll give you three days if you find me a sniper rifle, teach me to use it, and help me make silver bullets."

"Angel," Elisabeth said immediately. "Stay with her. She isn't to leave this room. You two, with me."

The other three left the room, and then I heard them leave the gym entirely. On their way, Elisabeth told Eric and Rory I wasn't to leave.

Angel fed me more food then sat down and looked at me.

"How are classes?" I asked.

"Good," she said. She paused. "I'm not earning A's."

"Oh honey," I said. "Do you need help?"

"No. It's been hard to study."

"Oh honey, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay." She grinned. "I have a job lined up no matter how well I do."

"Earn A's," I said. "You'll be more proud of yourself if you do."

She nodded. "I'm going to talk to Mom about it. She'll help. Scarlett has been studying with me, and she's doing very well, but I keep thinking about keeping you safe."

"Oh honey."

"If you promised to wait, it might help."

"You little shit!" I said. "That wasn't even subtle!"

"Michaela," she said. "I'm not playing you."

"I'm not waiting," I said. "I'm sorry. You need to take responsibility for your grades."

"I know."

"You are not responsible for my safety. I am."

"And the enforcers."

"No. I am. That's it. I accept help, but in the end, my safety is my responsibility. Not yours or anyone else's."

"Lara bought a plane. Did you know?"

"Nice topic change," I said. "Have you seen it?"

"No. Not yet. She's getting upgrades for it. June told me."

"She hasn't told me."

"Distractions."

"Yeah."

The other enforcers returned while Angel and I talked about airplanes. They knelt down next to me.

"We are giving you a chance to withdraw your offer," Elisabeth said. "We do not believe you have considered how you will obtain access to this rifle you want while on the run."

"It's not the sort of weapon you're going to find in some random gun shop," Karen pointed out.

"I have thought about it," I said. "Elisabeth, you're going to keep it on your fireplace mantle. Unlocked. With the ammo."

"I don't have a mantle."

"You'll put it somewhere I can break in, grab it, and go. The reasons you'll do this is because you know I'll go for it, giving you a little extra chance to catch me again, and because if I do get free, you'd rather have me shoot him from -" I turned to Karen. "How far?"

"A thousand yards," Karen said. "In light winds and if he's standing still."

I looked back at Elisabeth. "A thousand yards instead of up close and personal."

"All right," Elisabeth. "That's three days on top of the one we already earned."

"Yes." I was going to need the time to do my research anyway.

"You will spend an hour each day with Vivian," she said.

"All right."

"You will take a sleep aid that she prescribes."

"For tonight and two more nights," I agreed. "Not the last night. I don't want to be groggy." I turned to Karen. "Can you get me the gun?"

She smiled. "Yes, and I even have the silver rounds."

I laughed. "You already have the gun."

"Yes."

"It'll take down a wolf?"

"Yes. You'll need to hit his heart, which is a small target, or his head, which is a big target, but at a thousand yards, glancing blows can happen."

"So if I knock him down, be ready to put one more round into him?"

"Yes."

"If I lose the gun, can you get another one? I suspect you would rather not actually give it up."

"Yes. Fifty-thousand dollars. You can owe me."

"Seriously?"

"I'll throw all the ammo in for free."

I laughed. "Deal. If I return it or never use it?"

"Then I'll pay for any ammo you use during training," Elisabeth said.

"Can you get me a night scope?" I asked. "I mean, as long as I'm asking."

She laughed. "It has one."

"I love you, Karen," I said.

"I love you, too. Now, we're going to tell you all the things that can go wrong."

"After dinner," I said. "I'm starved. I want a shower. And then can we go shooting?"

I had never fired a rifle before. I had fired shotguns loaded with silver buckshot, but a rifle was very different.

They took me at my word; I only had a normal escort, and they didn't treat me with any great deal of suspicion. But Elisabeth begged me not to tell Lara what we were doing. That was an easy promise to make. Karen brought a pistol as well, and I fired that a half dozen times.

"There," Elisabeth said. "That will explain the smell of gunpowder."

Over three days, we went through hundreds of rounds of ammunition, firing one or two rounds at a time. The third day, we were firing at a thousand yards. I thought I was doing okay. We had hung a set of wooden balls from a tree, so I could see when I hit something. Karen took the gun from me and said, "This is what is possible. Watch through the spotting scope."

There were four balls hanging from ropes. She fired four times, about a second apart per shot, and each shot got a new ball swinging. Then she concentrated on one and kept hitting it even while it was swinging wildly.

"Shit," I said.

"You'll need a still target at this range. Let's close back to two hundred and you can try moving targets."

At two hundred, I could hit them if they were moving slowly, but swinging around, I couldn't touch them. Then we went back to a thousand yards and Karen said, "You're as good as you're going to get without years of practice. Let's fire a few silver rounds. They don't carry quite as well." Then she demonstrated she could still hit one of the targets. She rolled away from the gun and it was my turn.

It took three shots, but I hit my target. I put rounds into the next two targets.

"It was two extra lines in the scope," I said.

"Yeah, about, at this distance. At two hundred yards, they'll both be the same."

"If I get a clean headshot?"

"He's down and won't get up. And honestly, I think even a standard round in the head would kill him, but maybe not in the heart. I prefer silver, anyway, because a silver round anywhere can still kill him just like it could in a human."

"So if I can't get a head shot?"

"A body shot will knock him down, he might get up, he might not, but if he does, he won't be chasing you. His friends might, though."

"Thank you, Karen."

"Please don't do this," she said. "Please, Michaela. Find a way to let it go."

I didn't answer but packed up the gun and remaining ammunition. "Four clips," Karen said. "Twenty rounds each. Two are silver, two are standard. There's another two hundred rounds of standard. I don't have any more silver. Everything will be in the case. Please don't do this."

"Thank you for helping me, Karen."

"We're trying to make you feel like you have control," she said. "Please don't leave us."

I hugged her and walked to the SUV, carrying the gun. Elisabeth took it from me. "It will be in my front closet," she said. "And I won't lock the house door. You don't have to break a window."

"Are you going to put a tracking device in it?"

She laughed. "Count on it. There are tracking devices on each car and little ones in your clothes."

"You are full of shit."

She bent down in front of me, pulled out a knife, and cut open the hem of my jeans, then stood up, holding a small device.

"Shit," I said. "I bet it has crap for range."

She laughed.

"You're bluffing," I said. "That little thing can't track me."

"Okay," she said. "I'm bluffing."

"If I get to Iowa in front of you," I said. "Don't follow me."

"I won't promise that, but I will take it into advisement. Now, do I have to tell you what it is going to do to Lara if you get yourself killed?"

"No. Do I have to tell you what it will do to Lara if she has to lock me in a cage because I am insane?"

"Work with Vivian. Six months. I promise you'll get better. Give it six months. If you give it six months, and they both aren't already dead, all of us will help you. We'll plan a world class hit. Six months of learning to shoot. Karen will come, and she'll shoot for you if you can't do it. We'll all learn to shoot like that."

I considered her offer. I really did.

"Tomorrow at five AM," I said finally. "But I am still trying to get past it. I'm not succeeding. They have to die."

She sighed. "Lara doesn't need this right now, Michaela."

"I know, but she's better off without me right now."

Elisabeth pulled me into a bone-crushing hug, and then we got into the car and drove back to the compound.

Over dinner, Lara said, "You haven't taken off yet."

"No. I made a promise to Elisabeth to let Vivian have a little more time."

"What did she pay you for this promise?" Lara asked.

I lied. "Nothing."

Lara didn't believe me, but she didn't push it. No one else said a word. After dinner, I asked for a run, then I took a shower and cuddled with Lara until we fell asleep together.

I felt Karen's eyes on me as I fell asleep.

I woke during the changing of the guard. And at 4:30, Elisabeth joined Serena. I went back to sleep. They would get tired of watching me. I slept in, getting up when Lara did.

They followed me into the bathroom. Someone watched me while I used the toilet. Someone watched me while I showered. I ignored her.

I spent the day doing research, trying to find where Brody and Johnny were. I didn't get vary far. I wasn't very good at it. I wondered if Gia were blocking me somehow.

I bided my time. I had two wolves minimum watching me at any time except in my bedroom. Then it was one or two depending on how Serena was feeling about me at the time.

I moved a radio into the bathroom so I could listen to music while in the shower. The radio had a docking station for my iPod.

I spent time in the gym, but took my showers at home. Some times I played the radio; some times I sang. I had a lousy singing voice, but I didn't care. Everyone loves to sing in the shower.

Three days later my opportunity came. I got a good workout in the gym and an escort home from Serena and Angel. Serena sent Angel up to watch me while I showered. I collected my change of clothes from the closet, palming a few extra things while I was in there. I grabbed my undies and socks as well, I set everything in the bathroom, then stepped back out and stripped in front of Angel. I tossed the clothes towards the laundry basket, but missed. Angel walked over to toss them into the basket, and I turned to the bathroom, closing the door and locking it with Angel in the other room.

"Michaela!" she said. "Let me in. You have to let me in!"

"I'm just taking a shower," I said.

"I'm supposed to watch you. I'm going to get in trouble, Michaela," she replied.

"I'll sing, okay? You can listen to me sing. I won't stop singing until I open the door again."

"Come on, Michaela," she said. "Let me in."

"I've had eyes on me for days, Angel," I said. "You can listen to me. How far can I get from one song to the next?" I turned the water on, still talking to her. I unwrapped my iPod, hidden in my change of clothes, and slipped it into the clock radio. I picked the right play list and hit Play.

My bad singing voice began to emit from the radio.

Man, I had a bad singing voice.

I pulled the clothes on then went to the window and opened it very carefully and quietly. I checked my spare knives and assorted other items, climbed out the window, hung from one arm, then dropped to the ground.

It was a two-story drop, but by hanging out, I only dropped about ten feet. I tucked and rolled, then climbed to my feet, gathered the things I had dropped, and took to the woods, circling behind Elisabeth's house. I hoped she wasn't home.

I sneaked to the front door and slipped inside, as quietly as I could, and found the gun case exactly where she promised it would be. I grabbed it, closed the closet door, and slipped out. I moved back into the woods, then I began running.

The airport is ten minutes by car. It took me close to thirty on foot. I was well outside hearing range of the compound by then, so I didn't know if the alarm had gone off. I had my phone though, and no one had tried to call me.

I slipped into the hangar. The trainer was there as was one of the Mooneys. June had the other one with her, I supposed, wherever she was. Probably Bayfield. I turned to the trainer, then stopped. The Mooney was faster, and I knew how to fly it. They keys were locked in a safe, but I knew the combination.

I tossed everything into the plane, pre-flighted it right in the hangar, then opened the hangar door and pulled the plane out. I closed the hangar. Ten minutes later, I was in the air.

I turned the plane northwest. If they figured out I had stolen the plane, they would assume I would head directly towards Iowa. I didn't want to take that obvious a route.

I was in the air when I felt my pocket vibrate. I fumbled around and pulled out my phone. There was a text from Angel.

"Please, Michaela, come home."

I stared at it then wrote back, "Sorry for tricking you." I set my phone on the seat.

Two minutes later, I received a new text. "Lara charging me with extreme dereliction of duty."

I stared at it and stared at it.

"No," I wrote. "She wouldn't."

"Do you know the punishment?" She wrote back.

"Angel, she wouldn't," I wrote her. Then I texted Elisabeth. "WTF. I fooled her, and you're going to kill your own cousin?"

Angel wrote me. "They locked me in the cell. They forgot to take my phone. Elisabeth trying to calm Lara down. But she'll follow orders. You know she will."

Elisabeth wrote me, "Lara livid. Angel disobeyed direct orders. She has two hours."

I started to cry. I wrote back, "No, you can't do that!"

"Lara screamed it at her," Elisabeth wrote. "She can't back down now. No one will ever believe her in the future."

Angel wrote me. "Please don't let them kill me."

Elisabeth wrote, "This is going to destroy the pack, Michaela. Call me. Right now."

I stared at the messages. I wrote Angel. "I won't. I'm sorry." I wrote Elisabeth. "Can't."

My phone rang, but there was no sense in answering it. I wouldn't be able to hear it over the noise of the airplane. I declined the call. I wrote Elisabeth. "I can't call. Too noisy."

There wasn't anything for a while.

"Where are you?" she finally asked.

I looked around. I hadn't been doing that for a while, and I was completely lost.

"Not entirely sure," I wrote.

"If you come home, I can calm Lara down," Elisabeth wrote. "If not, Angel is going to pay for this. That's not fair to her, Michaela."

Angel wrote, "Please, Michaela, come home."

Elisabeth wrote, "Call me. Right now!"

I ignored both of them and tried to figure out where I was.

My phone rang again. It was Elisabeth. I denied the call.

"Do you want Angel to die, Michaela? Is that the price for your vengeance?"

"Lost," I wrote back.

"Call me!"

"Can't. Too loud. Told you."

"Damn it. Get somewhere quiet."

"Can't," I said. "Let me figure out where I am."

I got an approximate location, forty miles northwest of the compound.

"Where did you get a car?" Elisabeth sent.

"Not in a car," I said.

"Where are you?" she wrote.

"Not sure. Altimeter says 3200 feet."

"Turn around! Didn't you check the weather?"

"Skies are clear, winds light," I wrote.

"Not in Iowa," she wrote. "Line of thunderstorms moving east. Turn around!"

"Lying," I said.

"Find an airport and land, check the weather yourself," she wrote.

I checked the map and decided I wanted a long runway. I remembered the trouble I had landing this plane when June was along. I had planned on landing at a major airport in Iowa, something with a horribly long runway. I didn't want to land at some tiny little airport.

"Hayward," I wrote back.

"No! Turn around! Find someplace closer."

"They're all small," I wrote back.

"So? You can handle it."

"Are you lying?"

"No."

"If I come home, will Lara pardon Angel?"

"Yes."

I sighed and turned the plane around. I programmed the GPS to take me home. "Meet me at the airport," I wrote back. "Bring Lara or June."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

I wrote Angel. "I am coming home."

"Thank you," was her reply.

Elisabeth wrote, "Be careful. Meet you there. Lara coming. She's very angry."

"Babies?"

"Babies are fine, but this is bad for them. Damned fox."

"Don't yell until I land."

"Use the GPS," she wrote back.

"I am."

After that I ignored the phone and focused on flying the airplane. When the GPS said I was ten minutes away I let the airplane slow down, then let it begin to descend. My phone went off and I glanced at it.

"Honey," it said. "Radio. Pack frequency. Please."

The pack always used the same frequency when flying from place to place. I switched to that frequency and keyed the microphone. "November-seven-eight-four-wolf-run on frequency," I said.

"Oh honey," came Lara's voice. "You took the Mooney."

"Don't yell."

I flew right over the top of the airport, the wheels still up and five hundred feet above pattern altitude. Then I flew past it and circled the compound twice.

"Get back here," Lara said.

"Wanted to circle the house," I said. "I like looking at it."

"Land that airplane, Michaela," she said.

"Not until you tell me Angel gets a complete pardon."

There wasn't a response.

"Lara, this plane is a lot faster than the only one you have. Angel gets a complete pardon, or I swear, you'll never see me again."

"Complete pardon," she said. "If you land safely, park the airplane, and throw the key out the window."

"Promise."

"I promise," she said.

I turned the plane back to the airport.

"Lara?"

"I'm right here, honey," she said.

"Do you hate me?"

"No, honey. I could never hate you."

"You know why I asked for you or June?"

"Yes. What's your airspeed?"

"120."

"Slow to 90. Pull the throttle slowly, keep the nose up. Trim as needed."

"Doing it."

"Hold that altitude until you're comfortable."

I flew over the top of the airport again, then started flying a box around the airport. "Good," she said. "Prop to full RPM, honey."

I pushed one lever.

"Mixture rich."

That was another lever.

"Check your airspeed," she said.

"Ninety," I told her. "I'm still high."

"That's fine," she said. "Lower the landing gear."

"You always do it on downwind," I said.

"I know, but it changes the way the plane flies. Lower it now and get used to it."

I flipped another lever and the plane immediately bucked around. I fought it, then adjusted the trim. I'd lost three hundred feet, but I had control.

"Gear down," I reported. "I lost some altitude."

"You're fine," she said. "You need to fly a wider pattern in that plane than the trainer. I want you to fly patterns and come down slowly."

I continued to fly a box, flying upwind directly over the runway, then left turns until I was flying up the runway again, twelve hundred feet above the ground. Slowly I came down.

"Altimeter?" I asked. She read a number, and I changed a setting. "Wind?"

"Five knots from your left. Barely anything."

"Thank you."

"Fuel pump on," she said.

"Where is that?"

"Switch near the throttle."

I looked and found it, flipped it on.

"You haven't been up long enough to change tanks. Wheels are down. Verify."

"Wheels down," I said.

"Mixture full rich?"

"Yes." I verified it with my hand.

"Prop full RPM."

"Yes, prop full RPM."

"All right," she said. "Ready to land?"

"I hope so."

"Land it just like the trainer but five knots faster. You'll need to carry power on final. Remember how to judge where you're landing. If it looks bad, go around. Be careful when you roll the power in. That's a lot of power."

I flew upwind one more time, then a left turn. Then another left turn. I watched the runway out my left window. When I was directly opposite where I wanted to land, I pulled the power, extended the flaps one notch, held altitude until the plane slowed a little, then let the nose drop and watched my airspeed.

"More power," Lara said.

I gave it a little power, slowing my descent.

"Turn base," she said. And I began my turn. "Turn final," and I began what I hoped was my last turn.

"You're low, honey," I gave it more power, then watched my touchdown.

"Seventy-five knots now, put in the rest of your flaps, watch your airspeed, power as needed."

I did what she said, then I was over the runway. I pulled the last of the power, pulled the nose up, and landed the airplane slightly left of the centerline. I used brakes carefully and came to a stop on the runway.

"Nice landing," Lara told me. "Can you taxi or do you want to shut down right there?"

"I'll taxi," I said.

My hands were shaking, but I carefully brought the airplane to a stop in front of the hangars.

"Please don't hate me, Lara," I said in a small voice.

"I love you, Little Fox. Shut down the engine and throw the key out the window. Then wait for Elisabeth."

"Angel is pardoned?"

"As soon as the key hits the ground."

"Is the wing good enough?"

"Yes honey, the wing is good enough."

I found the shutdown checklist, followed it, and a moment later, the world was silent. I pulled the key from the ignition, opened the little window to my left, and dropped the key out the window. Then I pulled my headphones off and pushed the seat back. After that, I waited for Elisabeth.

 **The Cell**

The enforcers surrounded the airplane. Elisabeth and Serena stepped up to the plane. Elisabeth tried to open the door, but it was latched. I reached across and unlatched it.

Then I turned to the front, staring out the window, and let the tears begin to stream from my face.

I had failed.

Again.

But at least Angel would be okay. I guessed that would have to be enough.

Elisabeth opened the door then stared at me.

"Climb out," she said after a while. I ignored her. I closed my eyes and waited for whatever was coming.

"Michaela," she said gently. "I am afraid I'll hurt you if I drag you out. Please climb out."

"You're going to hurt me anyway," I said.

"No one is going to hurt you," she said.

"You should," I said. "I deserve it."

"No, you don't. Stop feeling sorry for yourself. You made the right choice."

"Is there really a storm?"

"Yes. I'll show you the weather report. You should have checked."

I held my hand up where she could see it. I was still shaking. Then, my eyes still closed, I turned to her and held my hands out. She reached under my arms and pulled me like a child from the airplane. Then she turned around and handed me to Serena, who set me on my feet. Elisabeth climbed down from the wing, and then Serena and Elisabeth each took an arm.

"Angel," she said. "Secure the aircraft. Rory, help her."

"May I apologize to Angel?" I asked quietly.

"Yes," Elisabeth said. They turned me, and I opened my eyes. "Angel, come here first."

Angel turned away from the airplane and walked over. She looked nervous.

"I'm sorry," I told her.

She closed the distance and hugged me. I hugged her back, Elisabeth and Serena hanging onto me the entire time.

"Thank you for coming home."

"I wouldn't have let them kill you," I said.

"Kill her?" Serena said.

"Later," said Elisabeth.

"I love you," I told Angel. "I'm sorry."

She tightened her hug then released me. "I'll talk to you later," she said.

I nodded. I didn't think that was going to happen.

Then Elisabeth and Serena marched me over to Lara. She was sitting on the edge of the picnic table holding a portable aviation radio. She set it down and climbed slowly to her feet when I approached.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," I told her. "I understand if you hate me."

"I don't hate you," she said. "And I'm sorry for what has to happen now."

She stepped forward and hugged me, then pawed at me to make sure I was okay.

"Thank you for helping me to land."

"That was amazingly foolish."

"I was expecting access to a longer runway."

"Oh." She paused. "I understand."

She pulled away then said, "Take her home. Lock her up."

I didn't resist as they bundled me into the car. During the short drive, they relieved me of all my weapons. Then, numbly, I was led to the cell in the basement of the barracks.

I'd been here before. The floor was linoleum over concrete. The walls were concrete block. There was no window, and the door was designed to hold in an errant wolf. It bolted firmly from the outside. There was a light in the ceiling high overhead, but the switch was outside. When they left me, there were no furnishings of any sort.

They left the light on.

I stood there staring at my surroundings, not saying a word. Then I leaned against one wall and slid down to the floor, wrapped my arms around my legs, and wondered what I was going to do next.

The answer was simple: shiver.

The floor was cold.

I was bored immediately, of course, but the cold was worse. I climbed from the floor and began moving around to try to keep warm. I would rather have slept through the boredom, but it appeared that wasn't to be an option.

I found a level of activity that kept me warm, but it didn't do a thing for the boredom. But I hadn't eaten since before my workout earlier, and I didn't have much in the way of energy reserves. The adrenalin rush from earlier had eaten through even more, and trying to keep warm had eaten the rest. Soon I began to shake from low blood sugar.

I lasted maybe an hour. I had entered the cell intending to be stoic. I had entered the cell upset with myself for endangering Angel. But now I was growing angry. I wasn't the one who had endangered Angel; Lara had. And even my kidnappers had given me better accommodations than this.

I walked to the door and began kicking it, hoping for someone to come.

I heard Serena's muffled voice nearly immediately. "Back away from the door, Michaela." I backed to the far wall and waited. The door open, and she entered, the door closing behind her.

We stared at each other. Well, she stared; I glared.

"What?" she finally asked.

"I would like to know what my sentence is," I said. "I would like to know if I can expect the Spartan accommodations to be improved before I freeze to death. I would like to know where I should relieve myself. I would like to know if I might have anything at all to relieve the boredom, if I am not going to be allowed to sleep." And then I spat the last. "I would like to know when the execution will be."

"Michaela, I am sorry," she said. "I don't understand half of what you just said." She looked like I was delusional.

"Let us start with the accommodations then. Perhaps you will notice it is somewhat chilly in here. Perhaps you will notice the concrete floor and the lack of any chair, bed, or so much as a thin sheet for insulation from the cold. Maybe this is not a problem for a wolf, but it is for a fox. The last time I was locked in a room, I at least had a bed to sleep on. They even gave me pillows and blankets. But then, they weren't intending to execute me in the morning."

Her gaze softened. "I'm sorry," she said. "Elisabeth and I were both still very upset and scared when we left you in here. Neither of us was thinking about anything except keeping you safe."

"So freezing me wasn't an intentional portion of my punishment?" I asked. "Just a happy oversight?"

"You aren't being punished, Michaela."

"It feels like it," I said.

"This is the only place we have that we know you can't escape from. We'd lock you in your room, but you've already demonstrated an ability to escape."

"It's my life," I said. "By what right do any of you hold me prisoner?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "That is a question for the alpha, or at the very least, the head enforcer. I won't discuss that with you."

"I am awfully tired of wolves holding me prisoner," I said.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I will arrange something for you here. Did you need to use the bathroom?"

"Not immediately. Am I to use the corner of the room?"

She sighed. "You are being overly dramatic."

I didn't respond to that.

"When you need to use the bathroom, knock on the door. We're keeping someone outside. Either I or Elisabeth need to escort you if you leave the room, so there may be a delay. Don't wait until the last minute."

"When is my execution?"

She closed her eyes for a moment, I imagined to control her response. She opened them and said, "Why are you asking such a stupid question?"

"Lara was going to execute Angel for letting me trick her. I imagine my punishment needs to be worse."

"You need to talk to Elisabeth or Lara about that," Serena said. "You aren't being punished. I told you, we don't know where else to keep you. We're trying to figure out how to help you."

"Karen's gun, the keys to my car, and detailed maps of where I should go would be helping me. That's all the help I require."

"You aren't being punished. No one is being executed. I don't have any other answers as to how long you will be kept here. You will need to speak with Elisabeth and Lara. I believe one or the other intends to talk to you later, once Lara has calmed down further and can speak rationally."

"All right," I said. "Thank you."

"I will improve the setting as much as I am able. Are you going to abuse my trust?"

"Trust?"

"Please, Michaela. Do I need to worry you're going to-"

"Kill myself? Or whoever enters the room next?"

"Yes."

"No, I am not."

"Michaela," she said. "You are far too clever. I don't know if you are smarter than I am, but you are definitely far more clever than I am. If I bring you the things you ask, will you use them go give me cause to regret it?"

"You would trust my answer?"

"Yes, I would."

"Really?"

"Yes."

"I will not abuse anything you offer me to appease my comfort and my boredom."

"I do not know if the boredom is intentional," Serena said. "I will bring books. If the boredom is intentional, then Elisabeth can be the one to take them away again."

"Thank you."

"Anything else?"

"Not at this time," I said.

She nodded. "We're trying to help, Michaela."

"It doesn't feel like it."

"I know."

Then she knocked on the door. It opened, and she stepped out.

I paced around the room for twenty minutes before the door opened again. "Step away," Serena told me, and I moved to the far end of the room again.

Eric and Rory stepped in dragging an exercise mat with them. They looked at me guiltily before setting it on the floor. Then they walked in and out of the room carrying sheets, a number of blankets, and several pillows. They stepped out, and Serena entered carrying a bag full of books and another bag with bottles of water. She set them down near the door.

"I'm sorry," she said. "We don't have any beds that we can get down here easily. I felt the mat might be more comfortable than anything else. If there isn't enough bedding, we can bring more."

"Thank you."

"I brought a variety of books and some water. I'll bring dinner later."

"Not hungry, but thank you anyway."

"I will bring dinner later," she said, repeating herself. "I have a folding chair for you if you want it. I am trying to find something more comfortable that will fit. If it looks like you will be here for a while, and if the alpha doesn't forbid it, I'll get you something. I don't know what yet."

"Thank you," I said again.

She stepped closer and studied me. "Are you as close to losing it as you look?"

"Probably closer," I said.

She reached out a hand, and when I didn't flinch away, she cupped my cheek. The contact felt nice, and I pushed my face against her hand. Seeing my reaction, she pulled me into a hug.

She was warm, and I clung to her.

"You're shivering," she said.

"So cold."

I managed not to sob.

Then I pushed her away. "No," I said. "You're my jailor. I'm not going to succumb to Stockholm Syndrome this fast."

"Oh Michaela," she said. "Please don't think of it like that."

"Lara once promised me no cages. This is a cage. And you're the one opening and closing the door. What does that make you, if not my jailor?"

"It makes me a confused friend who doesn't know how to help."

"Thank you for the comfort. I'll take the chair, but I don't know if I'll use it."

"Drink some of the water," she ordered before stepping out. "If you want company, I am happy to stay."

"No. Thank you."

The door closed, and I heard it latch.

I immediately grabbed all the sheets, blankets, and pillows, and I made a nest for myself on top of the exercise mats. They were far better than the cold floor. I curled up on my side, pulled the corner of a blanket over my head, and tried not to cry.

I don't know how long I slept. I woke to the door opening. Serena stepped in carrying a small table.

"Hello," she said.

I ignored her.

She set the table down, then brought in a chair. It was from Lara's dining room. I knew from past experience it wasn't that comfortable, but it was better than a folding chair. She set it down in front of the table. Then on her last trip, she brought a tray of food.

"Several of your favorites," she said.

"Not hungry."

"You should eat."

I didn't respond.

She puttered around for a minute. She checked the water she had left. I hadn't touched it. She didn't seem pleased by that. I didn't care.

"Come on," she said. "Get up and have something to eat. You'll feel better. I bet you're hungry. It's been a stressful day."

"Not hungry," I said, lying.

"I'll leave it here. I'm sorry, no silverware, but everything is easily picked up."

"I'm sure it's fine," I said. I waited until she was gone and buried myself in the covers again.

Sometime later, the door opened again. I was immediately awake. I heard Lara's heavy tread. I sat up.

She looked around then turned the chair to face me and sat down. She glanced at the tray of untouched food.

"You should eat," she said. "You will feel better."

"Alpha," I said. "I would like to know what my sentence is. I would like to know if I am to be executed, and if so, when I can expect that to happen. If not, then how long do you intend to incarcerate me. I would like to know the exact laws I am being punished for breaking."

She closed her eyes. I seemed to have that effect on people. She didn't answer immediately, but when she opened her eyes again, they were filled with pain and sorrow.

"Little Fox," she said. "It isn't like that. This isn't punishment. This is protection."

"From whom?"

"Yourself."

"I suppose if I were to suggest I don't need protection from myself, you wouldn't agree."

"No, I would not."

"I suppose if I were to suggest you don't have the right to do this, you wouldn't agree."

"No, I would not."

"I suppose if I were to accuse you of breaking your promises to me, you would feign confusion."

"Which promises are those, Little Fox?"

"No cages."

She sighed. "I am following a more recent promise."

It was my turn to be confused. "Which promise is that?"

"It wasn't so long ago you told me how much you loved me, and you told me if you ever forgot, I was to lock you up until you remembered."

I stared at her. "There is a problem with that."

She averted her eyes. "You don't love me anymore?" she asked.

"I don't know how I'm supposed to forgive you for threatening to kill your own cousin." My voice cracked, but I didn't cry.

"Serena!" Lara bellowed. I covered my ears.

The door opened. "Alpha?"

"Find Angel," Lara said. "Now. I don't care where she is. Get her here."

"Yes, Alpha." The door closed, and Lara looked at me sadly.

"I am so sorry, Little Fox."

"Sorry enough to let me leave?"

"Sorry you are hurting."

She shifted, clearly uncomfortable. "Are the babies all right?"

"Yes," she said. "I am trying to stay calm."

"I'm sorry. I know the timing couldn't be worse."

"You didn't pick the timing. Neither did I."

"I tried waiting, but... You saw."

"I know. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize it was that bad."

"Frankly," I said. "Neither did I. Having a plan actually helped."

"You seemed better. I didn't understand why. You were planning this."

"The control helped. You know, I'd have gotten them."

"I don't believe you would."

"It would have taken a few weeks," I said. "I wasn't sure how I was going to find them. But I would have found them. It wouldn't take more than a week or two if Elisabeth would just tell me where they are."

"You can't get close enough, honey," she said.

"A thousand yards," I said. "I can get within a thousand yards. Even as a human, I know I can get within a thousand yards. I can get within a thousand yards of almost anywhere."

She looked at me in confusion.

"Oh shit," I said. "I think I just got someone in trouble."

"I'll make a deal with you," she said. "Tell me what you mean, and I will forgive whoever is supposed to be in trouble."

"Before or after you scream at me and all of them?"

"Possibly after, but I will forgive them."

"Karen has a sniper rifle and silver rounds."

Lara studied me, thinking about what I had just said. "Hell," she said. "I didn't even consider that option. Whose idea was it?"

"Mine. I didn't know she already had one, but I knew she was a drill sergeant. I figured she might know where to get one."

Lara nodded and asked a few more questions. I answered them. Finally I said, "Tell me where they are, give me Karen's gun, and I'll be back in a week."

"I'm sorry, honey," she said. "No. But I won't yell at anyone. I will have a quiet chat with Elisabeth."

"They knew I'd get free eventually and were trying to give me the best chance they could."

"I know. I knew about the sparring, but not the rifle."

There was a knock on the door, and then it opened. Angel slipped in, and the door closed behind her.

"Am I in trouble again?"

"No," Lara said. "Why does Michaela think I was going to kill you?"

She grinned, but she looked nervous at the same time. "I lied to her."

I stared at Angel.

"God damn it!" I yelled. "God damn it!"

"I'm sorry, Michaela," she said softly.

"Don't compound your lie to your alpha with another lie to your alpha," I told her hotly. "You are damned proud you outfoxed the fox."

"I didn't know they would lock you up," she said. "I just knew everyone was so scared, and Lara was screaming at Elisabeth. If we didn't find you, she was sure none of us would ever see you again. And it was my fault. So I said I could get you to come back."

"She asked for Elisabeth's phone and mine," Lara said. "I didn't know what she was doing, but suddenly she was screaming for Elisabeth."

"Until you told me you were in an airplane, all those texts from my phone and Elisabeth's were from me," Angel said. "When I told them you were gone, Lara yelled at me for a few minutes, and Elisabeth did, too, but then they told me to help find you."

"No extreme dereliction of duty," I said numbly.

"Is that what she told you?" Lara said. "Oh honey, no. Never."

"I told Elisabeth," Angel said.

"Is the storm real?" I asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "It will arrive here later tonight. It's a doozy. It's already very windy out there. If you'd been up for another hour, you would have had a challenging landing."

I looked at Angel. She was having a hard time meeting my gaze. "I'm not mad at you," I told her. "But don't lie about something like that again."

"Without running it past me first," Lara appended.

I looked at her. "If you say something like that, then the next time someone warns me of an incoming storm, I am going to assume it is an attempt to manipulate me and won't believe her."

She nodded. "You're right. Is there going to be a next time?"

"Depends on whether you ever let me out of this hole."

She smiled. "All right. Honesty. Promise."

I looked at Angel. "We had to get you back," she said. "We didn't know you were in a plane."

"No one could figure out how you found a car," Lara said. "We just knew you were a lot further than you should have been able to get on foot."

"You didn't track me to the airport?"

"We did eventually, about the same time you told Angel you were in a plane."

I looked at Angel. "I fooled you. You fooled me. As much as it hurts to be outfoxed, can we call it even?"

"I don't know. I think I fooled you bigger than you fooled me."

"Don't push your luck," I warned her.

"We're even," she said immediately. "Are you all right, Michaela?"

"No. Go home and study."

"I could stay here," she said. "Scarlett could come over."

"No. Thank you though."

She knocked on the door then left when it opened.

"Does that take care of that issue?" Lara asked.

"Yes, but I'm still going to get out of here eventually. And I'm still going to kill them."

She sighed. "At least you're honest about it."

"You can't keep me in here forever, Lara."

"I can, you know."

"How long before the combination of anger, boredom, and fear turn into real insanity?" I asked. "How long before it turns into hate? How long before the only choices are to let me go, decide you're keeping me in a cage forever, or you decide to put me down?"

"If you make promises to me, will you keep them?"

"Or give you fair warning I am not going to anymore."

"Will you be satisfied with a promise to hire Greg if they are still alive two years from now?"

I considered her offer. "No."

"Michaela," she said. "I vowed no retribution. That was part of the price of getting you back intact. If I have them killed now, everyone will know I did it. My reputation is important to the pack."

"I'm not asking you to kill them, Lara. I am asking you to let me. I didn't make any promises. Actually, that's not true. I promised you would kill them, but I guess I can't make promises on your behalf. I interpret that to mean you can't make them on mine, either."

"Unfortunately," she said. "I can."

I sighed. "Stalemate."

"Give Vivian three months to help you get past this," Lara said. "They're going to implode anyway."

"Give me the location of their compound and three days, and I'll be past it. My way is far more efficient. And it rids the world of two people the world is best rid of."

"Please give me something that lets us share a bed, Michaela." Her voice cracked.

I sighed, curled up in myself, and lay back down on the bed. I didn't have any more words for her. She wasn't going to budge, and neither was I.

Eventually Lara struggled to her feet and shuffled to the door. "I'm sorry, Michaela," she said.

"I am too." She knocked at the door and stepped out. "Lara. I'll try not to hate you, but I won't last long down here. It's a cage."

"Please try to remember you love me."

And then the door closed.

I curled up and cried.

Sometime later, Elisabeth entered my cell.

"You're hurting her," she said from the doorway.

I ignored her. She crossed the small room and sat down in the chair. I didn't even poke my head out of the blankets.

"You can at least acknowledge me so I know you're listening," she said.

"What do you want, Elisabeth? Come to berate me? Growing up, were either of you ever kidnapped?"

"No. I imagine it's eating you up."

"Ever go through any of the things I've been through?"

"No."

"Then don't lecture me."

She was silent then let out a breath. "I didn't come to lecture. I came to ask if you needed anything."

"What time is it?"

"Ten."

"Is it storming?"

"Soon, probably another hour or so."

"I would have seen the storm. I would have found an airport."

"Lara had to talk you down."

"For that runway, yes. I would have found a longer runway."

"We didn't consider new pilots when we built it," she said.

"No reason to have done so," I replied. "May I have a bathroom visit?"

"Yes," she said. "The exit from the basement will be locked and guarded."

"I understand." I climbed to my feet slowly. Elisabeth knocked at the door, then once it opened, she reached for me and took my arm. I let her lead me to the bathroom; it was just down the hall. Eric and Karen guarded the doorway to the stairs.

"Are you going to watch?"

"There are no windows," she said. "Are you going to do anything foolish?"

I looked at her. "No. I'm not that desperate. But if I were, you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"I know," she said.

I stepped into the bathroom and took my time. It was just a half bath: toilet and sink. No shower. But there was soap and several towels, so I washed as best I could, trying to wipe away the stink of anger and fear. I looked in the mirror; I didn't like what I saw.

I turned around and stepped back outside. Elisabeth took my arm and led me back to the cell.

"Do you need anything else tonight?" she asked.

"Directions to their compound, keys to my car, Karen's rifle, and this door unlocked."

"Ha ha," Elisabeth said. She glanced at the food. "This is all old now."

"I didn't ask for it. I don't want it."

"You should have eaten. You would feel better."

"Go away, Elisabeth," I said. "You can all just leave me alone. If you aren't letting me go, we have nothing further to talk about. I will knock if I need anything."

"Don't be like this."

"Like what? What am I being like? Like someone who isn't allowed to make her own choices?"

"You need help."

"And we seem to disagree on what form that help should take. Eventually one of us will change her mind. Are you prepared to jail me forever, Elisabeth? Are you? Is Lara? Right now I am hurt and angry, but those emotions are going to turn deeply bitter, and you know I won't be able to stop that. Either give me what I want or leave me the fuck alone."

Wordlessly she collected the uneaten food. At the doorway though, she paused. "I'm sorry, Michaela. I wish we could find a better way. Or a compromise. If there is something you want to eat in the morning, let us know." Then she stepped out.

My cell door closed, and I was left alone.

I curled up and willed myself to sleep.

The next day went much the same. In the morning, Serena arrived with food I didn't eat. She gave me a bathroom break. Vivian stopped by and tried talking to me. I ignored her. Elisabeth and Lara both tried to talk to me, and I ignored them as well. I ignored my food and water and didn't talk to anyone except to ask for bathroom breaks and to thank them for bathroom breaks.

Vivian came by in the late afternoon, and I continued to ignore her.

Everyone who stopped in tried to entice me to eat. They were even more concerned I wasn't drinking any water.

The second full day went the same, but twenty minutes after Vivian left, Lara returned with Elisabeth and Serena.

"You will drink the water, Michaela," Lara said.

"I'm not thirsty," I said dully.

"You could try working with Vivian," Lara said. "You could try to get better, not wallow in your sorrow."

"When you have walked in my shoes," I screamed, "you may then lecture me."

The room echoed with my words and then it was again silent for several minutes. I stared at the floor, curled up with my knees tucked to my chest, my back against the wall.

"Michaela," Lara said eventually. "We will not force feed you. Yet. You will drink the water. If you prefer something else, we will get it."

I looked up at her, glaring. "And if I don't?"

"We will pour it down your throat."

I looked away, not responding, livid at another choice being taken from me. We sat that way for several minutes, none of us saying anything.

Finally, Lara sighed. "I'm sorry, Elisabeth. Do it."

"No," I said. I held my hand out. "I'll drink it."

Serena stepped over and handed me a bottle of water, the top already opened. I drank it slowly while they watched. She took the bottle from me when I finished.

"Thank you," Lara said softly. "Another bottle every hour until we feel you have rehydrated, then normal amounts after that. Elisabeth or Serena will watch you drink them. If you want something else, you may ask."

"I don't deserve to be treated like this."

"You should be under professional observation, Michaela."

I looked up at them. "Honestly?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yes. You aren't thinking clearly. You should eat. When you finally escape, you're going to want your strength."

I knew it was a ploy, even if she was right. But I also knew I wasn't going to escape unless she let me.

"Not eating or drinking were the only pieces of control I had left, Lara. Now you have taken one more away from me."

"Trade me," she said.

"What?"

"Trade me. Find something else, and start eating."

I started to cry quietly. "Maybe tomorrow."

"Do you want us to stay?" she asked kindly.

"No."

"Is there someone else you want?"

"No."

Elisabeth helped Lara to stand, and they filed out. After that, I drank the water whenever Serena or Elisabeth handed me a bottle.

Nothing else changed.

The next day, the three of them returned together.

"What now?"

"What would you like for breakfast?" Lara asked.

"Not hungry."

"Trade me," Lara said. "Or offer a wager."

"Go away," I said. "Unless you intend to hold me down and force food down my throat, go away."

Serena handed me a water bottle. I drank it, and they left.

I ignored Vivian and drank the water they gave me.

I did nothing but sleep, drink water, and go to the bathroom.

I lost track of the days. I lost the ability to thank them for bathroom breaks. I stopped asking for them.

I wet my bed.

I didn't even notice. Elisabeth did. "Oh honey," she said as soon as she walked in. I could barely look at her; I had so little energy. I didn't know what she was upset about now.

When I finally understood, I sobbed in embarrassment. I let Elisabeth hold me, even though I knew I stank horribly.

She picked me up and carried me from the room. I lolled in her arms. She said, "Close the door. Absolutely no one goes in."

Then she carried me home. Lara was in the living room, napping on the sofa.

"What happened?" she yelled.

"Nothing," Elisabeth said. "I am handling it."

Elisabeth carried me upstairs, set me on the edge of the tub, and started the water. She pulled my horrible clothes off me then lowered me into the rising water.

Lara appeared in the doorway moving slowly. Her nose told the story. I turned away, still sobbing my embarrassment.

"Oh honey," she said.

Elisabeth collected my clothes from the floor and tossed them into the shower. She turned the water on and let the water wash away the evidence.

"Find someone to stay with her," Elisabeth said. "Let her bathe. Wash her hair. I'll take care of the other evidence."

"It's going to just happen again," I said.

"No, it won't," Elisabeth said. "I'll see to it."

Lara made a phone call, and a few minutes later, Serena and Francesca arrived. She talked to them quietly, and then the two of them replaced Elisabeth. Francesca bathed me like a baby while Serena waited.

Elisabeth disappeared. She was gone for a while. Francesca and Serena had just pulled me from the tub when she got back. They were drying me and helping me to dress. Elisabeth stepped into the room, picked me up, and carried me into the bedroom. Lara was sitting on the bed. Elisabeth set me on the bed, and Lara lay down on her side, trying to cuddle me. I turned away from her and let her hold me for a minute, then I pushed away from her and stood up.

"Take me back to my cell," I said. "Unless you're letting me go."

Elisabeth and Serena were kind as they marched me back to the cell.

Elisabeth had cleaned my room for me. Everything was fresh.

After that, I got a bathroom break with every bottle of water, whether I needed it or not, and another one late at night. There weren't any other accidents.

I still didn't eat.

 **A New Plan**

I had no idea how long I'd been kept in the cell, but I found out later it was nine days. Lara was nearly due. I hadn't eaten a single morsel of food.

The door open and Lara shuffled in slowly, Elisabeth behind her.

"Please sit up," Lara said. I struggled, and Elisabeth helped me. Then she helped Lara sit down beside me.

"Six months," Lara said. "If they're alive in six months, I'll hire Greg. I won't let you do this yourself. It's more complicated than you realize."

"Hire him now."

"He's still not available."

"Will he be available in six months?"

"If he's not," she said. "We'll help you do it."

I looked over at her. "Help me now."

She sighed. "Serena," she said. Serena stepped into the room. I noticed they weren't closing the door in between visitors. I was too weak to take advantage of it.

Lara noticed me glance at the door. "You'd have a chance if you had kept your strength up."

I shook my head. I didn't want to waste energy on the words. I knew there were more wolves outside my door.

Serena handed Lara a manila folder.

Lara removed a picture from the folder and handed it to me. It was black and white and was just blobs. I couldn't really focus on it.

"What?"

"That's my latest ultrasound. That's Rebecca, and that's Celeste. Or maybe the other way around. I'm not sure."

I looked at the ultrasound. "Pretty."

"Our babies, Michaela."

"Your babies."

"Our babies!" she yelled. "Those are our babies. Our babies. Our babies. They have two mothers. And I am not raising them alone. We started this together, and you are going to help me raise them. You are going to teach them to become pups, and you are going to teach them what it means to be a fox. Our babies!"

I stared at the ultrasound, too dull-witted to understand.

Lara handed me another photo. It was a picture of her and me at our wedding.

I started to cry.

She handed me another photo: her and me in fur. We were playing.

Then a photo of her alone in fur. Then her as a human, looking very happy.

"I took this one," I said.

"Yes, you did. And I was looking at you and thinking of how much love I was feeling."

There was a photo of Elisabeth. One of Angel and Scarlett together. One of my students from last year.

There was a get-well card Kaylee had made and another signed by all my current students.

She had a picture of me in my kayak and a second one with both of us taken the day I'd used my fishing rod to let her drag me through a race. I was laughing.

"This isn't fair," I told her.

"This is what you've forgotten!" Then she pulled them all away from me except the ultrasound. "Our babies need you! I need you!"

She looked up at Elisabeth. "Help me up please." Elisabeth and Serena pulled her to her feet. Lara left all the pictures.

"You will eat your breakfast," Lara said. "You are going to need your strength. Greg Freund gets here in an hour to help plan your assault. You may want a shower as well. Everyone will be waiting when you are ready."

And then slowly she walked out. I stared after her. Francesca and Karen were waiting, and I saw them each take an arm, and then she was out of sight.

I looked at the ultrasound. "Her babies," I said quietly.

"No," Elisabeth said. "Your babies. Do you want to shower before or after breakfast?"

I blinked at her. "I don't understand."

"That's because you haven't been eating," she said. "Normally you catch on much quicker."

"She's letting me go?"

"Yes."

"I won?"

"If that's what you call it," Elisabeth said.

I looked at the photos, one after another. Then I set them aside and struggled to climb to my feet. Serena stepped forward and helped me.

"Do I stink?" I asked.

"Yes," Elisabeth said.

"One or two bites, then a shower, then breakfast."

Serena stepped out of the room and came back with a plate. "Fruit or cold chicken?" she asked. "We'll have a hot meal for you after your shower, whatever you want."

I looked at the fruit and took a slice of apple. Then a piece of chicken. I tried to take the entire plate from her, but my hands shook too badly.

"I'll bring the plate," she offered. "Just let me know when you want something."

I took another apple slice and nodded. Then Elisabeth helped me walk slowly home.

Lara didn't eat breakfast with me. I actually hadn't seen her.

"Where is she?" I asked.

"My house," Elisabeth said. "Crying."

I didn't have an answer for that. I ate slowly and carefully, not caring much what it was. I remembered there was bacon.

"I'm going to get sick if I eat more," I said. I hadn't eaten much.

"We'll bring it with us," Elisabeth said. "We have a warming plate ready in the conference room."

I nodded and climbed to my feet. Elisabeth helped me walk back to the barracks. I was still pretty unsteady. I climbed the stairs slowly.

When I stepped into the conference room, Greg and Wendy were there along with Serena, Karen and Emanuel.

Greg and Wendy looked at me with sad eyes, but they crossed the room and hugged me. Elisabeth helped me to a chair, and everyone else sat down, Elisabeth next to me. Greg had the head of the table. Greg had a stack of manila folders in front of him. Elisabeth had one as well.

"I thought you weren't available."

"I'm not," he said. "I'm heading back this afternoon. I don't know how long the current assignment is going to take. I'm so sorry, Michaela."

"Not your fault. Thank you for coming."

I looked around the room. "I'm not going to be much good today."

"We have several briefings to discuss," Elisabeth said. "We'll go over them and we'll decide the best course. You will spend the time to get strong before we will let you pursue it. We can refine when your brain is working better."

"All right," I said. "Who is running this?"

"Greg and I are," Elisabeth said. "We're just waiting for two more people and we can start."

I turned to Greg. "Can you tell us about your current assignment?"

"Sorry," he said. "We don't do that. You understand."

I nodded.

We sat quietly. I didn't have anything to say, and they were waiting.

Then the door opened, and Scarlett and Angel stepped in.

I turned to Elisabeth. "What day is it?"

"Wednesday."

"You two should be in school," I said.

"This is more important," Scarlett said.

"They can't help," I told Elisabeth.

"They are here for a reason," Elisabeth said. "Are you really going to fight about this?"

"No. I'm sorry."

I accepted hugs from both of them. Then they stood behind me, a hand on each of my shoulders.

"They're here to touch me?" I asked.

"Partly," Elisabeth said. "Ready to get started?"

I nodded.

"All right," she said. "This is not bait and switch. Greg is here to help plan the assault. But there is a price."

"What price?"

"You have to look at every photo I give you. Really look at it."

I nodded, and she slipped the first photo from her folder. "These are your babies," she said. It was the ultrasound I had seen earlier. "This one is Celeste Elisabeth Burns," she said, pointing. "And this is Rebecca Angel Burns. Or maybe the other way around."

"Really?" Angel asked.

"Really," Elisabeth said.

Angel kissed the top of my head. I took the photo from Elisabeth and stared at it. "Lara's babies," I said quietly.

"Your babies," Elisabeth said. "Can you see them both?"

"Elisabeth, this is stupid."

"This is the price," she said. "You want the information we have. You want to plan an assault. You want Karen's rifle. You want food and support. This is the price. Pay it."

I nodded.

"Point to the two babies," she said. "Show me your babies."

"Lara's babies," I said.

"Your babies," she said. "Which one is which?"

I pointed them out. "We'll name them after they're born," I said. "Celeste Elisabeth and Rebecca Angel."

"Who picked the names?"

"I did."

"Do you see their heads?" I pointed. "Toes?" I pointed. "Hands?" I pointed. "Two beautiful, healthy babies, Michaela. Look at them."

I stared at the ultrasound and nodded. Elisabeth eventually took the photo from me and handed it to Scarlett. She stepped around the table and pinned the photo to the wall where I could see it.

"Greg?" Elisabeth asked.

He opened one of his folders and withdrew a piece of paper. He slid it to me, facing me. I took it. It was a map of Iowa.

"Iowa," he said. "The state's pack has fragmented badly over the last six years. We color-coded the approximate range of each of the fragments. Those borders are not fixed, so don't read too much into them."

I stared at the map.

"There are contingents in Sioux City and Dubuque," Greg explained. "They have small ranges, but they have considered themselves isolated from the main pack for a long time, years, we believe, perhaps decades. They keep to themselves. There have been recent attempts to consume them by the surrounding contingents, but we believe they have not gone well. Our data is not as reliable as we would like."

I looked at Elisabeth and pointed to Des Moines. "There's a Des Moines faction, and they seem to be biggest, according to this map."

"Yes," she said.

"However, the ones you want are in Iowa City," Greg added.

I stared at the map then set it down. Elisabeth pulled the next photo from her folder. "This is Lara when she was Kaylee's age," Elisabeth said. I stared at the photo.

"She was beautiful even then," I said.

"Yes, and fiercely independent," Elisabeth said. "No one realized then she would become our alpha, but in hindsight, it should have been obvious."

I stared at the photo of my wife. I looked at it, then at Angel. "Family resemblance," I said.

"Yes, a little," Elisabeth said. "Angel has her build."

"She's much bigger than I am," Angel said.

"You haven't finished filling out," Elisabeth said. Then Elisabeth took the photo and handed it to Angel. She pinned it to the wall.

Greg began talking again. He slid an aerial photo to me, or perhaps an image from Google Maps. "It is unfortunate we aren't going after the Des Moines faction," he said. "This is a photo of their compound. As you can see, it is quite the fortress."

"And that would be a good thing?" I asked.

"Yes." He slid several more photos. "This is the Iowa City headquarters." I was staring at multiple pictures of a large house in suburbia.

I looked back and forth between the two. "Why is the fortress better?"

"I'm glad you asked that," he said. He leaned past Elisabeth and moved the aerial view of the Iowa City neighborhood to the top. "We highlighted the pack house. As you can see, they have neighbors. Human neighbors." I stared at the photo.

"They set up their headquarters in the middle of a human residential neighborhood?"

"Yes," he said. "With significantly closer neighbors than the house in Madison."

"There are implications," Wendy said. "Basically, an all out military-style assault couldn't be ignored by the human authorities. The other difficulties are related."

"There are also no good places for surveillance that aren't under human control," Greg said. "The photos we've taken have been either at extreme range or from walk-by surveillance."

I looked at the two choices, the compound just outside Des Moines or the neighborhood in Iowa City.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "This is the main reason why we refused to help you. If it were the Des Moines pack, the answer would have been different."

"It's not the only reason," Karen said. "We'll get to those."

I nodded before looking at the folder in front of Elisabeth. She pulled out a picture from my wedding day. She added several more. "Do you remember this day from a little over a year ago?" she asked.

"Yes." I stared at the photos.

"What is this one?" she asked.

"Lara and I. Kaylee and Thomas. You and Angel."

"Do you remember your ears?" Angel asked.

"The pack kept howling," I said.

"Why were they howling?" she asked.

"They were happy."

"Yes," Angel said. "They were happy to see you marrying Lara. Weren't they?"

"Don't do this, Angel."

"This is the price," Elisabeth said. "It's a small price given that you're asking the people in the room to die for you."

"I'm not!"

"You are," she said. "Pay the price." She tapped the next photo. "What is this?"

"Lara and I dancing," I said. It was taken from behind me, and Lara couldn't have looked happier.

"She looks happy," Scarlett said. "Tell us why."

"You know why."

"Tell us, Michaela. Why does she look happy?"

"We had just gotten married."

"Keep going," she said.

"We were dancing. We had never danced together before. I didn't know how. I just moved where she wanted me. It was fun."

Elisabeth made me explain every photo. Then she pulled out more photos and accepted shorter answers for each of them. Me dancing with Ron Berg. Me with Elisabeth, and she looked insanely happy, too.

"Why am I so happy?" she asked.

"I don't know."

"Because I was dancing with you," she said. "I was dancing with my new sister-in-law, and the only person on the planet I love more than her is this woman." She showed me another photo of Lara in her tuxedo.

Angel and Scarlett worked together to pin all the photos on the wall.

Serena slid a plate of food to me and a glass of lemonade. I took them quietly and began to work my way through the food.

Greg sent a bunch of pictures in my direction. "These are the protective forces around the house. There appear to be eight or ten enforcers. We don't get many glimpses of them. They don't patrol the grounds; that would be obvious. But sometimes we see one of them on the deck, and a few times we have gotten lucky with a shot like this." The next photo was taken through the patio door from quite some ways away. In the background stood a wolf.

"What is he holding?" I asked.

"An assault rifle," Greg said. "We don't know the model." Then he showed me several others. "But this is a Glock sub-machine gun." He rattled off the statistics. "We presume the rounds are armor-piercing, but of course, we don't know. They could be straight silver rounds, which are easy to stop with body armor, but of course, will explode a wolf head just fine."

"They're armed like this in a human residential neighborhood and no one cares?"

"Apparently," he said. "We don't know how they're getting away with it."

I paged through the photos. "How do we deal with this?"

"In open ground, that sniper rifle you learned to shoot would be great. But of course, you wouldn't get more than one or two before the rest took cover in the house. After that, well. We have an assault plan we'll show you later."

I nodded. Elisabeth's folder was empty, but then Scarlett gave her another one. It was thicker than the last one. She slipped the first photo to me. It was Bree Callahan. She added photos of Robert and Virginia Callahan.

"Why am I giving you these?" she asked.

"You're reminding me of the help you gave me last year."

"What else?"

"I don't know."

"There are other Bree Callahans in the world," Elisabeth said. "Other girls you're going to help in the future. Maybe this girl." She added a picture of Kaylee. "Or this one." Sophia. "This one." Ava. Then Scarlett and Angel and Chloe and all the other girls in the pack, some of whom I didn't even know.

Then she paused and gave me another photo. It was a female wolf I didn't know. It looked like an older photo.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"My mother," she said. "She died during a raid to try to kill an alpha." Then Elisabeth added a picture of Emily from the Iowa pack, carrying me to Lara. Sarah was there as well. She lined up the photos of her mother with the two women from the Iowa pack. "Some day, some little girl can remember her mother died in an assault, just like Lara and I remember."

"This isn't fair!" I screamed at her.

"No," she said. "It's not. It is, however, fact. And the price. Look at those photos. Are you ready to help kill those two women? I believe they were kind to you, were they not? Do you believe they'll survive an assault on the house?"

"They might not be there," I said.

"They are," Greg said. He had surveillance photos. "This one is from two days ago."

The photos all got pinned to the wall.

Greg spoke. "Assault plans are basically of three types: some sort of bomb, a full frontal assault, or a sniper or several snipers. Let's talk about a bomb."

"Wait," I said. "What about catching them away from the house."

"Good idea," he said. "The two you want almost never leave. Brody has not so much as stepped out onto the deck the entire time we've been watching. Johnny goes onto the deck for a few minutes now and then, but he is extremely elusive. If I were planning this operation, I would not try to plan on taking advantage of an exceedingly rare exit from the house."

"All right," I said.

Elisabeth pulled out photos. They were from Bayfield. Kayaking. Dinner at the Rittenhouse. The sheds I had built, including a few when we were building them. One of Lara looking at something, and her expression could best be described as "amazed".

"What do you think she is looking at?" Elisabeth asked.

"Me," I said. "She's looking at me, isn't she?"

"Yes, she is looking at you. She is watching you build these sheds. I looked through your house afterwards, and I found your name just like you said I would. I found it everywhere. Those sheds were nothing for you, were they?"

"No. The rafters were tricky. The rest was easy. When I built the garage, I bought prefab rafters."

Elisabeth had more photos from in and around Bayfield. Someone had gotten a photo of me pushing Lara off the sailboat. I stared at it. "Where did you get this?"

"Ava took it," Scarlett said. "All the kids have a copy."

"I didn't know."

"You were so angry," Elisabeth said. "With reason. Lara makes mistakes sometimes, doesn't she?"

"Big ones."

"You almost died that day," Elisabeth said.

Scarlett and Angel both took in deep breaths. They hadn't known. They had watched me go for a swim, but they hadn't known Lara had to save me.

"Yes," I said. "The water was much colder than I realized."

"Lara saved you."

"Yes. If she hadn't, I would have died. But to be fair, she pulled me in after her."

"After you pushed," Elisabeth said. "And when she grabbed you, you basically jumped in with her, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"But Lara had made a big mistake. Did you forgive her?"

"Yes." I looked at Angel and Scarlett. "I'm glad I did. She talked me into something that has become very important to me." I got extra touches for that.

Then Elisabeth added a particularly ugly photo. It was taken at the mall where I had been kidnapped. There were three dead wolf bodies and a lot of blood.

"We sniffed a lot," Serena said. "Trying to find out if any of the blood was yours."

"None of it was," I said.

"We figured that out. I was amazed you had done this."

"I'm not," said Greg. "Michaela, you're amazing."

"But this was the result of a mistake, wasn't it, Michaela?"

"Yes," I said in a small voice.

She returned to the picture of Lara just about to land in the water. "You forgave Lara."

"Yes."

She tapped the other photo. "I wonder whether you can forgive yourself."

I stared at both photos for a while. Then I turned the ugly one upside down. "Please don't pin that one up. I'll look at all your pictures, but please don't pin that one up."

"All right," Elisabeth said. She pulled out one more photo. "What's this?"

"The airplane landing at the local airport."

"I took that," Angel said. "That's your most recent landing."

"This represents another point of forgiveness," Elisabeth said. "Everyone in the pack forgives you for this. Can you forgive yourself?"

They pinned up the pictures. Elisabeth took the photo of the dead wolves and put it back in her folder on the bottom of the other pictures still there.

"All right," Greg said. "We were discussing bombs. There are four basic ways we can blow the house up. We can drop a bomb from an airplane."

"You can do that?" I asked.

He smiled. "It would be expensive but can be amazingly effective. It has a nice advantage of being insanely safe for our side."

"I like safe."

"The next choice," he said, "is some sort of ground launched military weapon such as mortar rounds, rocket-propelled grenades, and the like. These might be good choices on a more isolated target, but there are excessive difficulties for this location. I do not recommend it."

I nodded.

"The third choice would to somehow plant a bomb. This involves access to the house. The only way I think we can do this is if we had inside help. I do not believe we will find that sort of help, but you could certainly try."

"All right."

"The last is a car bomb. We could either outfit a van as a bomb and run it right into the house or we could plant a bomb to the bottom of their car sometime."

"Those don't sound bad."

"They aren't. Now, there are really only three problems with using a bomb of any nature. First, you don't know you're going to get your target. If I drop a military weapon from an airplane, I can destroy the house. The other choices could leave spots of the house that are relatively undamaged."

"We could miss."

"Exactly. Next, bombs are messy. We are likely to do damage to surrounding structures. I presume you do not want a plan that kills innocent humans walking in the street." He showed me a picture of kids playing in the yard next door.

"Fuck."

"That sums that up," Greg said. "Furthermore, bombs tend to really, really get the human authorities in a frenzy. We do not want that kind of attention."

"No bombs."

"I won't help you with a bomb in a residential neighborhood," Greg said. "And you are not the woman I think you are if you would pick this route."

"No bombs," I said again.

The photo of the kids playing next door went up on the wall.

Elisabeth pulled out a photo of a very young wolf in fur.

"Who is this?" I asked.

"Lara the first day she shifted."

"She looks different."

"Puppy fur," Elisabeth said. Then she added more photos. "This is me on my first shift."

"That one is me!" said Angel. "Wasn't I cute?"

"This is Scarlett."

They showed me photo after photo.

"I don't recognize this one," Elisabeth said.

"Let me see it," Serena said. Elisabeth slipped the photo across to her. Serena looked at it. "Elisabeth, that's your mother."

Elisabeth took the photo back and then hugged it for a while. Then she handed it to Scarlett. "Put this one next to the kids playing, please." Scarlett pinned it up.

Then Elisabeth pulled out a photo of very young wolves in fur. She handed it to me.

"These aren't werewolves, are they?"

"No," she said. "Natural wolves, maybe three weeks old or so. Lara would really, really like to see your babies looking like that, and you are the only person who can give her that."

"You bitch," I said quietly.

"Pay the price, Michaela. Look at the pictures."

I sighed and looked through all the pictures. I stared at the one of Lara the most, but I caressed some of the others as well. Then Elisabeth thrust the one of the natural wolf pups at me.

Finally, Scarlett and Angel pinned them all up.

"The next type of assault," Greg said, "Is a military full frontal assault. We don't know the exact layout of the house interior, but we've made a model with a rough idea."

"I made the model," Scarlett said. She seemed pleased with herself. "Greg, when this is all over, could we use a very, very tiny bomb and blow it up? I never want to see it again, knowing what it represents."

"I'll leave Karen with something just perfect for it," Wendy said. "We have a little C4 with us."

"Oh goodie!" Karen said. "I love C4. Blasting caps, too?"

Wendy grinned at her. "Of course. What good is C4 without blasting caps?"

Scarlett retrieved the model, which was on a table to the side of the room. She set it on the table. It was open on top so you could look in. Then she showed how you could lift off each layer so you could see the upstairs, main floor, and basement.

"As you can see, it matches the photos on the outside. We've had to guess on the inside," Greg said. "We have several plans for a full frontal assault. Several of them are with the available pack forces. The rest involve my people."

"We're not doing a full frontal assault," I said.

"You wanted Lara to kill every wolf in Iowa," Elisabeth said. "That's a full frontal assault."

Greg set up figures in the house. He set up humans holding guns. And then he had a variety of wolf figures. Each wolf had a name on it. And there was even one small fox.

He ran several scenarios, over and over, talking through them. In the first, the wolf representing Angel died first, then about half our forces before we retreated under heavy fire. It went downhill from there. In one of them, he added a wolf labeled Lara, and he had two tiny wolf pup figurines he left to the side.

"This isn't funny," I said.

"No," he said. "It is not. It is, however, honest."

In the next scenario, he pushed over the figure representing Lara. When he was done, he held up the two tiny wolf pups, and Angel and Scarlett behind me began making mewling noises.

"Stop it!" I said, covering my ears. They got louder, whining and crying for their mother. "Stop it!"

"Michaela," Greg said gently. "We don't know who is going to die in an assault of this nature. But I absolutely guarantee you, some of your friends will die. I promise you, you will lose friends. Maybe only one or two. Maybe all of them. You will lose friends."

I nodded. "What if we wait for you?"

"The outlook is better. I can bring enough forces we will overwhelm and win. Some of my forces will die, guaranteed. The death benefit you would pay is a million dollars each. Well, I presume that Lara would pay. If your forces augment mine, then again, some of your friends may die. Your mate may die. You may die. I promise you, there will be friendly deaths. Given the firepower in the house, and given that we can't blow the house up, I estimate at least five friendly deaths, possibly far more, depending upon how good they are."

"We can win," Wendy said. "But at a stiff price."

"I won't help though," Greg said.

"What?"

"This is a full frontal assault in a human residential neighborhood. Rounds go everywhere. This would be messier than a bomb. And the human authorities would go insane."

I nodded. "There's still the sniper approach. And there's the send Michaela in alone approach."

Elisabeth had a new folder. She pulled out the first photo. It was a tombstone with Angel's name on it.

"Stop it!" I yelled. "We won't do it that way."

One had Scarlett's name. One with Karen's. Serena's. Lara's. Mine. Rebecca Angel's.

"That's just ridiculous!"

"The next alpha may not want the previous alpha's children to live," Elisabeth said quietly.

"Put those away," I said. "Please don't make me look at them anymore."

"All right," Elisabeth said. She collected the photos. But then Greg slid the two tiny wolf pup figurines to rest in front of me, and Angel and Scarlett began mewling again.

"You two stop it!" I looked at Greg. "Snipers."

"All right," he said. "This type is the only plan I can help you with in this neighborhood." He pulled out maps and more surveillance photos.

"These are the points with line of fire onto the back deck that are sufficiently far enough away to avoid detection. As you can see, they are all the upstairs windows of some of the surrounding houses. You might be able to do something from one of these outside locations, but the problem is that you would need to wait days for the opportunity."

He went through all of them with me.

"The most viable choice would be to place snipers here, and here." He showed me on the map. "Then wait for the opportunity. Eventually Johnny Mack will step outside and we can take him. I don't know how we're supposed to get Brody."

I stared. "If we get Johnny, Brody will fall to a challenger."

"That is my guess as well," Greg said.

"So, this is our plan," I said.

"Sure. So, to place snipers at these windows, we either kill the human occupants, or take them prisoner and hold them in their homes for a week or two."

I stared at him. "Neither of those are viable choices."

"Good, I'm glad we agree. The other choice is to buy the two houses. Neither is for sale. But if we offered enough money, you could convince them to leave. That tends to leave a paper trail, but that's probably not a problem if the human authorities have no reason to become suspicious. Sell the houses at a loss later."

"Downsides?"

"It takes one to three months to set up and then several weeks to implement, waiting for the right moment. Tell me, how long do you think you can stare through a rifle scope waiting for your shot? A few weeks? I know I'd go crazy, but I have a few guys who are just patient enough to do it. Anyone can be killed if you are determined enough."

"Plus," said Karen. "You can miss. I've missed shots like that before."

"The guy moves just as you fire," said Wendy.

"The wind around houses can be weird."

"All sorts of things can happen," Greg said.

I nodded numbly. Elisabeth had a new set of pictures. Me. Lara. Lara happy. Lara looking very upset.

"This was yesterday," Elisabeth said. "When she realized we couldn't change your mind."

She went on and on with more photos.

"Oh," Greg said. "I forgot to mention. The guys from the house can fire back."

"Or see you and fire preemptively," Karen added.

Elisabeth nudged the wolf pup figurines even closer, and Angel and Scarlett began mewling for "Mommy Fox, Mommy Fox".

Elisabeth placed another photo of the ultrasound in front of me and ordered me to look at it. Scarlett and Angel kept mewling.

And I began to sob.

I heard Serena make a call. "She's ready."

Elisabeth kept pushing photos of me. The ultrasound. Lara. The wedding. Herself. Scarlett and Angel dancing. Angel studying. Angel doing a fist pump. Lara kissing me. Photo after photo, and I continued to sob.

Elisabeth pushed the ultrasound at me again. Angel and Scarlett changed their tone. It was still "Mommy Fox, Mommy Fox," But it was said with excitement, with joy.

The door opened behind me and Lara walked into the room. I sobbed, staring at the photos, and Lara crossed the room, stepping between Angel and Scarlett, and wrapped her arms around me.

"Please help me raise our babies," she said. "Please. I don't want to be a single mother."

I turned around and wrapped my arms around her, pressing my head to her belly, and listened to the pitter patter of my babies' hearts.

 **The Real Plan**

I switched places with Lara, giving her my chair, and wrapped my arms around her. With her sitting and me standing, I was slightly taller than she was. She held me tightly.

Elisabeth, Scarlett, Angel and Serena crowded around behind me. They all held me.

"We're so sorry," Elisabeth said. "We're so sorry you hurt."

"I remember now, Lara," I said.

"I know."

I cried myself out.

Eventually Lara turned around. I took the chair next to her, pulled as close to her as I could get. My friends clustered around us.

Lara addressed Greg.

"Can you kill Johnny Mack and Brody Mortens?"

"Johnny Mack for sure. Brody Mortens, maybe, but I can't promise it, not without drawing human attention."

"Brody will die if Johnny does," Lara said. "The other enforcers won't support him. One of them will challenge him."

"That is our assessment as well," Greg agreed.

"Will you do this for us?" Lara asked.

"When?"

"Is Kimber still alive?"

"This woman?" Greg said, presenting a photo. It was Kimber on the deck of the house. She was crying. "Two days ago."

"Does she ever leave?" I ask.

"Not that we have evidence," he said.

"She is owed greater vengeance than I am," I said. "Give her a chance."

"Six months?" Lara asked. I nodded. She turned to Greg. "Six months. If Johnny Mack is not dead in six months, will you do it?"

"Yes," he said. "If I'm not available on that schedule?"

Lara turned to me.

"We'll wait," I said.

Greg slid an envelope to Lara. She opened it and looked at it, then nodded to him.

"How much?" I asked.

"You don't need to know," Lara said.

"How much?"

"A million dollars," Greg said. "It's only that high because we'll have to buy those two houses, and we're going to loose a lot of money when we sell them."

"A million dollars for my vengeance," I said.

"Yes," said Lara.

"You would pay this for me?"

"Yes," she said again.

"But you don't want to."

"It would be breaking my word. No, I don't. But I will do it for you."

I got up and walked around to Greg. I hugged him and whispered into his ear. "Thank you for showing me what is important."

"My pleasure," he said.

I hugged Wendy as well, then I turned to Greg. "Greg, do you believe that the world catches up to people like this?"

"I believe he is a rabid animal who will get put down one way, sooner or later."

"If it is later, he is allowed to hurt other people in the meantime."

"That is true," he said.

I turned to Lara. "We have let these people take too much from us. I do not believe we should spend anything else on them. But perhaps a modest donation to Amnesty International or some other suitable charity is in order."

She smiled broadly and struggled to her feet, Elisabeth and Serena helping her. Then we were in each other's arms.

But I felt defeated.

 **Delivery**

"Michaela," came Serena's voice over the radio. "Land. Now."

"What's wrong?" I asked.

"Land, come straight to the hangar. We have to go."

Then I heard Angel's voice. "Fly the plane, Michaela," she said. "Make this a landing to be proud of."

I set up my landing, set the plane down gently, and taxied carefully to the hangar. I killed the engine and started doing the paperwork.

Angel was immediately at my door. I had to open it for her, and she unbuckled my seatbelt and pushed the seat back.

"I have to do the paperwork," I said.

"I'll do it." She pulled me from the plane and thrust me at Serena. "Go. I'll catch up."

Then Serena was dragging me towards the waiting car. "Serena! Stop! What's going on?"

"It's the babies," she said. "Lara's water broke!"

Emanuel was already behind the wheel of the car. Serena practically tossed me into the car, following after me. "Go, go!" she said, slamming the door. Serena pulled my seatbelt around me and clicked it closed then sat down next to me and buckled in. "We're buckled!"

We made the ten-minute drive in three minutes.

We came to a stop in front of the school, which also contained a small medical center. Wolves don't go to human hospitals; there are too many pesky questions to answer.

As soon as the car was stopped, Serena opened the door, unsnapped both our buckles, then dragged me from the car. Emanuel ran ahead, opening doors, and Serena half dragged me into the school. We ran together to the medical center, bursting in through the doors.

Karen was waiting just inside the medical center. She pointed, and Serena dragged me in the right direction. We burst into the delivery room, and the midwife started yelling. "Scrubs!"

Serena pulled me back out and dragged me to the wash station. I began scrubbing up while Serena pulled a set of surgical scrubs over me. Then she took over washing my hands for me while I stood there like a child. When she was satisfied, she grabbed a sterile towel and thrust it at me. I'm not sure what that did to the sterility.

But it's not like the wolf pups were going to catch anything. They were werewolves, after all.

I dried my hands, then Serena shoved me back into the delivery room.

There were two midwives. Lara was already on the bed, looking quite calm in spite of the unusual position she was in, with her legs up in the stirrups. Elisabeth was there, looking nervous.

"Thank god," she said. "I'll wait outside."

"You'll do no such thing, enforcer!" I said. "You will wait here for your nieces. You know you want to see them as much as we do."

She grinned. "You're right. I didn't want to intrude."

I yelled at Serena. "Get Angel here! Where is Francesca?"

"She's making food," Elisabeth said. "You know how Aunt Francesca is about feeding people. Gia is helping her. Angel and Scarlett are already on the way. Vivian is coming, too. She wants to see."

"Everyone wants to see," said the midwife. "The alpha is having babies."

I crossed to Lara and took her hand, then kissed her.

"You guys are all worked up," she said. "Wolves have been having pups for a long time."

And then she made a face.

"What was that?" I asked. "Are you in pain?"

"Oh honey," she said. "Contraction. Calm down. Can someone get my wife something to calm her down?"

"How long?" I asked.

"Soon," said the other midwife, seated in front of Lara's open legs. "Very soon."

Angel barely made it in time. Serena kept everyone else out but sent Angel in, probably to help keep me calm. Then, a very short while later, the midwife was cleaning the first baby. She wrapped it up and offered it to me, but I pointed to Elisabeth. Elisabeth took the small creature, and I had never seen her look at anything so tenderly.

"We made a baby," I whispered to Lara.

"We did," she said. "Now we're making another one."

It wasn't long, and Angel was holding the second little baby. The midwife helped Lara, and then I climbed onto the bed next to her. Elisabeth slipped to Lara's side, holding the baby for her to see. Angel came to my side.

"Lara," I said. "Look. We made two beautiful babies."

"Yes," she said. "We did."

Elisabeth moved her baby to Lara's arms, and Angel gave me the second baby. "Hello, Rebecca Angel Burns," I said.

"Hello, Celeste Elisabeth Burns," Lara said.

I stared into the beautiful faces of our two little babies.

Then my face grew troubled.

"Lara," I said. "We have a problem."

"I know," she agreed.

Instantly we had the attention of everyone in the room. I looked at Angel. "Are you sure this is the second baby?" She nodded.

"And this is the first baby?" Lara asked Elisabeth. Elisabeth nodded.

"Lara, mine doesn't look like a Rebecca."

"And mine doesn't look like a Celeste."

"Yours looks like a Rebecca," I said.

"And I think you're looks like a Celeste," Lara agreed.

I stared into the face of the baby I was holding. "Hello, Celeste Elisabeth."

"Hello, Rebecca Angel," Lara said.

Elisabeth and Angel switched sides of the bed. "You really named a baby after me?" Angel asked.

"Yes," I said. "But you better not play favorites."

"I couldn't possibly," she said. "They're both so perfect."

"This one looks like a trouble maker," I said.

"So does this one," said Lara.

"They got that from their Mommy Fox," Elisabeth said.

"Damned right," I agreed.

"Honey, don't swear in front of the babies," Lara said. "You know they start picking up words at an early age."

 **Pups**

Three days later, I picked up Rebecca from her cradle, holding her close for a moment, then handed her to Elisabeth. Then I gathered up Celeste. Along with Lara, we all moved down the stairs.

Francesca was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, and I handed her my baby. I slipped out of my clothes and wrapped a blanket around me. Francesca carried the baby outside for me. Out in the grass a large, comfortable hammock waited for Lara, the babies, and me. Serena and Karen helped Lara into it, and Elisabeth handed her Rebecca. I climbed into the hammock next to Lara and accepted Celeste from Francesca.

Lara and I cooed at our babies, then I allowed Scarlett to take the baby from me. Karen took Rebecca. Then, slowly, the two babies were shown around to the assembled pack. Not everyone had made it, but there were hundreds of wolves, all wanting a peek at the new pups and their mothers.

The babies began to fuss, and suddenly Lara found her arms full. I pulled a blanket up for a little modesty, which amused Lara.

"Don't let them eat too much," I said. "Just a little."

"I know," she said. "You've told me."

"I'm sorry," I said.

People clustered around, then moved on, making room for the next.

"Who is taking photos?" I asked Elisabeth.

"Practically everyone," she said.

"All right," I said. "That's enough milk for them. Give me Rebecca."

Lara looked down, found the right baby, and pulled her away from a plump breast, handing me the squirming baby. I pulled her to my arms, holding her against my chest. She sought out my breasts, but I wouldn't have any milk for her.

I cuddled my baby and cooed at her, then looked at Lara. "She'll get sick if she eats too much, honey." Lara pulled Celeste from her breast, and the baby began to complain. Angel was holding a pacifier, which calmed the baby at least for a few minutes. From past experience, we knew it wouldn't last.

Celeste liked her milk.

Lara covered herself, holding the baby and cooing. I burped Rebecca. She gurgled happily and clutched my hair.

I looked at my little baby cradled in my arms.

"Lara," I said, my eyes surely shining. "You made such beautiful babies."

"We made beautiful babies, Little Fox," she said.

"Yes," I said, laughing with joy. "We made beautiful babies. Pictures."

"Everyone in the pack is taking pictures," Angel said. "Just do it."

"Is Gia here?" I asked.

"Right here," I heard Gia's voice.

"Where is Francesca?"

"Everyone is here," Rory said. "Do it."

"All right," I said. I looked into my baby's eyes, then pulled her to my chest, cuddling her closely. I felt for her. I felt for her wolf. I began my own shift, feeling for my baby.

Her wolf was elusive, hiding from me. But I am Fox. No wolf can hide from me for long. I found my baby's wolf, and I said, "Hello, come with Mommy Fox," and then I was a fox.

And my baby was a wolf.

"She's beautiful!" Scarlett said. "Look at her. Oh my god, she's so cute!"

Rebecca tried to bite my nose. I curled my lip at her and she sat back on my chest, looking at me.

Then there were hands taking my baby away from me. I whimpered for a moment, but Angel said, "Let me hold her, please, Michaela."

And I chuffed and shifted back to human. "May I have Celeste now?"

Lara handed me Celeste. I cooed at her and cuddled her, and then I found her wolf. Her wolf was also hiding, but I found her, and I said, "Come to Mommy Fox." And then the fox was holding the small wolf pup.

Elisabeth took Celeste from me. I whimpered, then chuffed and shifted back to human again.

"Grass," I said. "Help us down to the grass."

Strong arms pulled me from the hammock, and Lara too. Then we sat in the grass, an open circle of wolves around us. Angel handed me my baby, and I set her in the grass and said, "There is Mommy Wolf. Rebecca Angel, can you walk to Mommy Wolf?"

I steadied the little wolf. She looked around for a moment. Then Lara called her. She listened first, then she sniffed. Then she took her first stumbling steps to her mother.

Elisabeth handed me Celeste. I kissed her nose then set her in the grass, pointed to Lara. Lara called to them both, and moments later, two wolf pups were crawling into Mommy Wolf's lap.

A moment after that, Mommy Fox was kissing Mommy Wolf.

I have never been more in love.

 **December**

December arrived. The pups were growing. They hadn't learned to shift on their own yet, but I knew it would be soon. We had no shortage of help raising them, and I frequently had to beg to play with my own babies. Even diaper duty didn't seem to discourage anyone, not even the boys from my classes.

Kaylee and Thomas seemed especially pleased to no longer be the youngest pack members in the compound.

Angel and Scarlett finished fall classes, earning straight A's. I was so proud of them.

I insisted on continuing all my physical training. Bare-handed I couldn't beat Karen or Elisabeth, and no one ever expected me to. My reactions were faster than theirs, but not sufficiently fast to make up for their weight, strength, and reach. When sparring with them, the matches took as long as they did only because they had to hold back to avoid hurting me. In a real fight with either of them, I would be toast.

With the other enforcers, I could hold my own for a longer period of time, but I just couldn't do enough damage to any of them to actually win a sparring match.

But no one wanted to face me with knives. I was deadly with knives. Elisabeth and Karen were a challenge for me, and I had to be very careful with the other enforcers, but one on one, I could take any of them with my knives, and even up to three of them was possible, but not consistently.

"We know what to expect," Elisabeth said when I grew despondent. "I warned you."

"I know," I told her. "Don't worry about it, Elisabeth. Just keep training me. It helps, okay?"

I got better with Karen's sniper rifle, although I wasn't remotely as good as she was. It took patience, but I bought my own; no one knew about it. That was tricky.

I finished my pilot's license. It took some foxy subterfuge on my part, and a few tears to boot, but I convinced them to let me go flying alone. I then behaved myself until a flight in December. I made an extra foray, then called Lara from a small airport in western Wisconsin.

"Where the hell are you?" she asked immediately.

"I'm so embarrassed," I told her. "Please don't yell."

"Are you all right?" she asked, her tone softening immediately.

"Yes," I said. "Please don't make me tell you what I did."

"Where are you?"

"Platteville," I replied.

"You weren't supposed to be there, Michaela."

"I know," I said in a small voice. "I got lost."

"How did you get lost?"

"Half the radios turned off," I said. I didn't mention that I had intentionally pulled the circuit breaker for them. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Honey," she said. "Is the plane okay?"

"Everything is fine now. A circuit breaker had popped. I think I might have snagged it or something. It was pulled out. I didn't figure it out until I got on the ground. Everything is fine now, but I needed gas and I knew you would be worried."

"Do you need me to come get you?" she asked.

"No," I said. "I'm filled up and will head straight home. I'm so sorry, Lara."

"Things happen," she said. "I'll call Serena. Elisabeth is with her, too."

"I'll come home and take my lumps," I said. "I love you, Lara."

I got back in the plane and flew home. I pulled up to the fuel pump and shut down. Serena and Elisabeth approached the airplane looking grim. I popped the door and climbed out.

"I'm sorry," I said immediately, staring at the ground. "I got lost."

They stepped up to me, neither of them saying anything. They stopped three feet away from me. I didn't look either of them in the eye. I brushed away a tear and stepped forward, straight to Serena. She didn't welcome me, but I stepped right into her, and she wrapped her arms around me.

"I'm sorry," I said again. "I didn't mean to."

"I know," she said.

"I think you should come with me in the future," I told her. "I was so scared." I started to shake a little.

"You're fine now," she said, holding me tightly. Elisabeth put a hand on my shoulder in comfort.

But that night, I began planning in earnest. I had some wolves to kill.

No one really thought I was going to let it go that easily, did they?


	6. Chapter 5

**Best Served Cold**

We had a lovely Christmas. The middle of December arrived with no snow in sight, but I knew there was snow in Bayfield. Two weeks before Christmas, after Rebecca and Celeste were in bed for the night, I curled up with Lara in front of a fire downstairs.

"I love you so much," I said. "I'm sorry I've been so much trouble for you."

She kissed the top of my head. "I love you, too, Little Fox. And you're not that much trouble."

"You haven't heard the trouble I'm about to cause," I replied, pulling more tightly to her.

"Oh?" she asked. "Should I be worried?"

"Yes," I said. "I was wondering how you might feel about Christmas in Bayfield. There's snow. I don't know what trouble that makes for you politically."

She lifted my lips for a kiss. "Who would we bring?"

"I don't know if it's a good idea," I said. "The enforcers all have families. So if we invited Angel and Scarlett and several enforcers, then we'd have to also invite Francesca and Gia, which is fine, but also Serena's brood and I don't know who else. It might get unwieldy. I just wish we could have snow at Christmas. All this brown and gray is depressing."

Lara squirmed around and dug out her phone. She hit a speed dial, and I heard Serena answered. "Is it too late for you and Emanuel to stop by, Serena? If not, it can wait until tomorrow."

"No," she said. "Now is fine."

Then she called Elisabeth and Francesca, inviting them to stop by as well. Angel and Scarlett came with Francesca. Soon we had a little party going. Francesca served drinks, and then once everyone was settled, Lara said, "Christmas with snow is more fun than Christmas without snow."

There were a few grins.

"There's snow in Bayfield," Serena said.

"Family should be together for Christmas," I declared. "We'd have to bring half the compound."

"Why stop with half?" Elisabeth asked.

"It's too cold to camp out," I said. "We don't have enough housing for everyone yet, unless we're a lot more intimate than one little fox enjoys."

"Then we'll stay at the resort on Madeline Island," Lara said.

"We'll never get reservations on this short notice. I'm sorry, you all came over here for nothing," I replied.

They all grinned at me. Every single one of them.

"You're right," Lara said. "We'd never get reservations on such short notice. However, if someone had made reservations six months ago, she might just have been able to reserve the entire resort."

I pulled away and looked up at Lara. She was grinning at me. "Merry Christmas," she said. "We have the resort from the twenty-first until the second of January."

I pulled her into a fierce kiss, then pushed away. "Then why did you make everyone come over?"

"We wanted to be here when she told you," Scarlett said. "Thank you, Alpha."

"You all knew?"

"Yep," said Angel. "And you didn't have a clue. We got you."

"You did," I agreed. I snuggled against Lara and smiled at all of them. "And I don't mind."

I closed my eyes and thought about it for a minute, mentally ticking off what I would need to do before we left. I opened my eyes and said, "I sure am glad I got my Christmas shopping done early. I glanced into the corner, where we had a tree set up. The wrapped presents were spilling out everywhere. I had checked through them daily, but I didn't find any from Lara to me. Nor had I found any when I searched the rest of the house. I even searched her office, which was tricky to get away with. Nothing.

I narrowed my eyes at Elisabeth, then schooled my features. I hadn't searched her house, and I was sure she would happily hide presents there.

"What did you get us?" Scarlett asked me.

"You? Who said I got you anything," I replied.

"Is it a pony?" she asked.

"I most certainly did not get you a pony," I told her. "I was going to, but your mother forbade it. Blame her."

"I could keep it at Francesca's," she said. "Couldn't I, Francesca?"

"No," Francesca said. "If I let you keep one, then Angel and Gia will both want one. I might be willing to suffer one pony, but three would be too many."

I kissed Lara's neck and asked, "Do you have everything planned, or did you want me to plan things?"

"I have it all planned," she said. "But everyone here is assigned the task of inventing a new, winter-friendly game, and I want all games to be fox friendly. You may team up if you want." She was looking at Angel and Scarlett when she said it.

"Does fox-friendly mean she has to win?" Elisabeth asked.

"No," Lara said. "Just not too rough. Kaylee and Thomas will want to play, too."

A week and a half later, we were on our way. Due to the amount of people and equipment going, we drove up in a long convoy, trading around every couple of hours. Lara and I through unspoken agreement split up and moved around vehicles at every stop. I started with Scarlett and her family: father Nick, mother Tara and little brother Thomas. In spite of the amount of time Scarlett spent at our house, I hadn't actually spent enough time with her parents. We told embarrassing Scarlett stories for part of the ride.

At the break, I found myself with my student, Catherine. Her parents were Faith and Brendon, and she had a little sister named Monique, who was twelve. It was Faith's turn to drive, and Brendon offered me the front passenger seat.

"Don't be silly," I said. "I'm much smaller than you and will be perfectly comfortable in the back seat with the girls."

"I wouldn't hear of it," he said. "But I don't mind if you pull the seat up a notch or two."

I laughed and climbed in.

Catherine looked a little nervous, perhaps wondering whether her parents were going to embarrass her. I wouldn't have allowed it. Instead, as soon as we were going, I told them how proud I was of their daughter. I think I embarrassed her with the praise I offered, as I went on for a while, but her parents were beaming. When I finally wound down, Brendon reached over and messed Catherine's hair.

"Dad," she whined, but she was smiling.

I asked Brendon what he did for a living. "Computers," he said. "Boring, I know."

"Not at all," I said. "Faith?"

"I'm Brendon's boss," she said, grinning.

"Oh," I said. "Is that true at home as well."

"Yes," Brendon said immediately. "All three of my women have me wrapped around their fingers."

I looked at Monique, sitting quietly while watching me intently. "So, Monique," I said. "Do you know what you want to be when you grow up?"

"Yes," she said. "I want to be an enforcer."

Her parents didn't seem to be put off by it. "Do you?" I asked. She nodded.

I glanced at Faith and asked just loudly enough for her to hear, "Is that something I should encourage?"

She nodded just once then said, "We want to get her into your school, but her academics aren't like her older sister's."

"Is she serious?"

"Yes," Faith said.

"Why do you want to be an enforcer, Monique?" I asked.

"I'm really good at sports," she said. "And it's an important job. It's like being a police officer, sort of. " She looked down. "I'm probably not smart enough."

"Nonsense," I said. "Do you work hard in school?"

"Yes," she said. "But school is hard for me. I'm not smart like Catherine."

"You're already bigger than me," her sister said. "And you kick my butt at half the sports we play."

"She gets good grades," Faith said. "But not straight A's."

"Math is hard," Monique said. "I like social studies though."

"For an enforcer, I bet social studies is a lot more important than math. Do you get along with the kids at school?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "Most of them." She smiled. "I go to a human school. I have to hold back at gym, and Mom won't let me play any of the team sports with the human kids."

"What sports do you get to play then?"

"There's a wolf league in town," Brendon said. "Soccer in the spring and fall, basketball in the winter, and cross-country and track in the summer."

"The compound would be a little far to do all those every night," I said quietly to Faith.

Faith looked at me. "Is there anything you can do to get her in?"

I began asking Monique about math and science, and it was clear she hated them. She wouldn't be remotely interested in my program.

"I know what you're doing," she said. "You're interviewing me for the science program." She looked down. "I'm not doing very well."

"No," I said. "You're not. But I am a very clever fox, and perhaps we can do something else."

She looked up. "I'd be real good at the kayaking," she said. "And other stuff."

"That's good," I said. "If you're one of my enforcers, you'd have to be very good at kayaking." I paused. "How are you with little kids?"

"I started baby-sitting this year," she said. "I really liked it."

I studied her for a minute, thinking furiously. I didn't want to lead her on. She was ill-suited for my science program, but with some small alterations, she could join on some of the other classes, such as the camping skills and water skills classes.

"Do you like to swim, Monique?"

"Yes," she said. She glanced at her sister. "Please, Alpha, I know I can't take your science classes, but would you let me take your other classes, like the camping and stuff?"

I glanced at Faith, and her look was one of pleading. "Is that what you want?" I asked very quietly, and she nodded.

"Honey," I told Monique. "I don't know. I think I can say 'yes' to some of them, but I need to talk to a few people, and probably more with your parents."

"Please, Mom!" she said immediately.

"You heard the alpha," Brandon said immediately. "She has to see if there's a spot for you. But if you go, you have to promise to do whatever your big sister says."

"That's not a problem," Catherine said immediately. "She can come as far as I'm concerned. She's always good."

And that was about the best praise I could have wanted.

"I am going to be rude and make a phone call," I said, turning to the front. I gathered my phone and called Elisabeth. "Do you know Monique Simpson?"

She paused. "Catherine Simpson's mother?"

"Little sister," I said. "She's twelve."

"No," Elisabeth said. "Should I?"

"I think you should meet her," I said. "When we switch cars."

"All right," she said. "Any particular reason."

"I think she may be curious about what it's like to be an enforcer. I thought you should be the one to tell her."

"Oh really," Elisabeth said. "Yes, I think I would like to meet her."

I hung up and said quietly to Faith, "Elisabeth will ride with you from our next stop."

Faith looked over at me and smiled. "Thank you."

"She's too young to decide this," I said.

"It's all she's wanted for years," Faith said.

I turned to Catherine and asked her, "What did you like most about fall term?"

For the final segment to Bayfield, I rode with Lily, her parents, James and Joan, and her little brother, Max. James drove and insisted I sit up front. I asked him what he did for a living, and he went on for ten minutes talking about his middle-management position for one of Ron Berg's companies. He name-dropped a lot.

Lily offered an apologetic look.

I tried to decide if he was always like this or just nervous. I had met Joan when interviewing Lily but hadn't spent any time with James before. When he wound down, I asked Joan what she did.

"She's an accountant," James answered immediately. Joan opened and closed her mouth. I saw a look of annoyance flash across her face, but she smothered it.

I was annoyed as well. I tried again. "Do you like your job, Joan?" I asked.

"It's a boring job," James answered for her. "But she's good at it."

If looks could kill, James would have been dead.

I wondered if he would let his son speak for himself.

"Max," I asked. "How old are you?"

"He's nine," said James immediately.

I had just about had it. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. "Joan," I said. "I've never asked Lara this. Do wolves suffer PMS like humans do? Because I swear, I feel bloated right now."

"Oh, I hate that feeling," Joan said immediately, flashing a grin. Joan went on for a minute or two with her main complaints, then went on to talk about her recent exam.

Lily looked between the two of us then grinned. "I hate the cramps," Lily said, getting into the swing of things. "But I'm so glad I don't break out like some of the human girls do."

Joan leaned past Max and patted Lily's shoulder. "I'm sorry about the cramps, honey."

"It's okay," Lily replied. "I'd rather have cramps once a month then testosterone 24-7."

Max looked like he would rather have been almost anywhere else. James looked like he would rather the women were anywhere else. That was when I asked Lily what she liked most about fall term, fitting in my praise for what an amazing student she was. I managed to talk more to Joan and even to Max.

And then I helped Lily do her own name dropping. She called me "Ms. Burns" once, but I pointed we weren't at school, so she switched to Michaela. Then I got her to mention Elisabeth's and Lara's names.

After that, four out of the five of us were much more comfortable with the drive, but towards the end, I pulled James back into the conversation. "James, do you fish?"

"Yes," he said. "But isn't the lake frozen?"

"You've never been ice fishing?" I asked.

"You fish for ice?" Lily asked.

"Yes," I said. "The bergs can put up quite a fight." Lily and Joan grinned. James looked disgusted.

Max looked at me dubiously. "You're not fooling me," he said. "But it sounds boring."

"I suppose you don't care about the fishing contest then, Max," I said. "We have prizes."

"Prizes?" he said, his eyes lighting up.

"Yes," I said. "For the twelve and under kids, there's a new iPod."

"How about the under eighteen kids?" Lily asked immediately.

"I'm not sure," I said. "It will be something good."

"Is there a contest for the adults?" Joan asked.

"Of course," I said. "I don't have all the details."

While I was talking, I fished out my phone and began texting Lara. "Promising a fishing contest. I hope you can fit it in."

"LOL," was the reply. "Already scheduled."

We arrived at Bayfield and went straight out to the ice road leading to Madeline Island. James read the danger sign, but I assured him it was safe.

"Settle in and meet in our room," I told Elisabeth and then repeated it to Francesca, adding "Bring Angel". Twenty minutes later, there were five of us.

"So?" I asked Elisabeth.

She smiled. "She's only twelve," Elisabeth said.

"I thought perhaps you might like to start indoctrination early."

"What are we talking about?" Lara asked.

"Monique Simpson wants to be an enforcer," I said. "I believe Elisabeth would feel better about enforcers who had grown to love their high school teacher."

"I hadn't even thought about that," Elisabeth admitted.

I turned to Francesca. "She can't make my program. I don't know what to do."

Lara immediately spoke up. "Head Enforcer, do you believe the pack could use a high school program geared specifically for prospective enforcers?"

"There's no room in Michaela's schedule to teach it," Francesca said. "And I'm over-extended as well."

"Put them in the regular program that Francesca is teaching," I said. "But put them in those of my classes that make sense, and have some of the enforcers also teach some of the classes. Get them into as many of my classes as they can handle."

"That would be all the fun classes," Angel said immediately. "Do you want Scarlett and me to see how we feel about Monique over the next couple of weeks?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said immediately. "Francesca, if we authorized another teacher and told you that we were going to start funneling a few prospective enforcers into your program, what type of teacher would you want?"

"Anything that offloads from me," Francesca answered. Then she and Elisabeth talked about the types of classes to be taught. Angel listened intently.

"Mom," she said. "I could teach some of those."

"Not with your schedule," Francesca said immediately.

"No," Angel said. "But later."

Elisabeth frowned. "No. I don't want any enforcers tied to a school schedule. We can guest teach, but that's all."

"We should get Violet to teach yoga," I said. "And Karen to teach martial arts."

"Yoga?" said Elisabeth dubiously. I smiled sweetly.

"I don't want responsibility for the enforcer program," I said. "But I will take students into my existing classes as it makes sense."

Francesca looked at Lara. "What are you telling me you want me to do, Alpha?"

Lara turned to Elisabeth. "Do you want to proceed with this? You would need to be involved heavily."

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "But it won't fix our immediate problem. It's a long term plan. Ten years from now, however, we could be enforcer rich."

"That would be a nice problem to have," Lara said. "All right. I like this. Francesca, start a search for a third teacher for the school. The three of you to consult as needed, and the three of you to agree on whom we'll hire. Elisabeth, how did you feel about Monique? Would you want her in this new program?"

"It's hard to tell," Elisabeth said. "What if she's not really cut out for it?"

"We'll get all our kids ready for college," Francesca said. "Maybe she'll go in a different direction, but we won't let this program hurt her long term career chances."

"Then yes," Elisabeth replied. "I want Monique in the program."

"Do we need to free up more funds from the council?" I asked.

Elisabeth smiled. "This will be part of the money to be spent training enforcers. They didn't tell us how much to spend. Some of the council members won't like this, but the ones who count will be fine."

"This sounds good," Lara said.

"I have one more question," I said. They all looked at me. "Is this a little predatory? She's only twelve."

"No," said Elisabeth. "I started training to be an enforcer from the day I was born. So did Lara."

"We won't strong-arm anyone," Lara said. "I am more worried about parents using this program to maneuver their kids closer to the pack power base when the child isn't really interested in becoming an enforcer."

"Let the older kids interview prospective students," Angel said. "Sometimes it's harder to fool other kids than it is to fool adults."

"I have a pretty stringent interview process for my students," I pointed out. "Elisabeth can have an equally stringent process." I paused. "And ultimately, if we take some kids who don't become an enforcer, is that a real problem?"

"No," Lara said immediately.

And just like that, a new focus was born, and what might turn out to be a long-term solution to a chronic pack problem.

Elisabeth looked pleased.

"We still have a problem for the next six years," Elisabeth said. "But Michaela, thank you. This should help."

The resort we used on Madeline Island consisted of a central lodge and a number of cabins. The cabins were of various configurations. Lara and I had a larger cabin with two bedrooms and a lovely living room. This gave us, along with the babies, one room, and a second room for Elisabeth. Before going to bed, two more enforcers would move into the living room, keeping watch for the night.

The resort staff checked us in, but as we had in the past, the staff got the entire duration of our visit off; we were assured no staff would be on site, and we had relative privacy. The pack would prepare our own meals and clean up after ourselves.

I woke at three, my internal alarm easily getting me up, and collected first Rebecca and settled her in on Lara's left side, then pulled Celeste from her crib and snuggled her in on the right. Lara looked up at me and smiled. "Thank you," she said.

I sat down on the bed watching the three most important girls in my life. Lara was such a beautiful mother. It was amazing to see my strong mate being so incredibly gentle with our babies. I curled up on the bed and snuggled against all of them, cuddling against Lara and Celeste, with one hand draped around to hold Rebecca on the other side.

Lara gazed at the two babies with a beatific smile. She looked over to me and said quietly, "Thank you, honey."

"For fetching the babies?"

"For being here with me," she said. "For being part of this. I wouldn't have these two without you. I wouldn't have wanted to do this alone, and I can't imagine anyone who would be a better mother than you."

I closed my eyes, feeling guilty, but I pressed it aside.

"I love you so much, Lara, and I love Rebecca and Celeste so much, too." I gazed down at Celeste, sucking away at her late-night meal.

Rebecca finished first. She always did. Celeste was growing faster, but they were both very healthy.

"It looks like Rebecca is done first," I said.

"Shocking, isn't it?" Lara said.

I sat up, collected Rebecca, and laid her over my shoulder, patting her back gently. She gurgled happily then offered a healthy burp and gurgled again. Still holding her, I settled back down next to Lara, cuddling with my baby. She settled in right away.

When Celeste was done, Lara burped her, and then the four of us cuddled for a while.

"Lara," I said. "If something happened to me, they'd be okay, wouldn't they?"

Lara narrowed her eyes at me. "Nothing is going to happen to you."

"The world is a dangerous place for a fox," I said. "I have never met an old fox. Never."

"Please don't talk like this," Lara said. "Honey, please."

"They'd be okay, wouldn't they? You'd have lots of help."

"Michaela," she said. "Nothing is going to happen to you. You are going to live to a ripe old age, right alongside me."

I looked into Lara's eyes. "I need to know. Would they be okay?"

"No," Lara said. "They would not be okay. And neither would I. So nothing is allowed to happen to you. Do you understand me?"

I lifted my gaze to the ceiling then finally said, "I'm just being silly. You're right. I'm the safest fox that has ever lived. Thank you, Lara."

We cuddled for a little longer. I checked two pair of diapers, finding them both dry for a change. Carefully I climbed out of bed. Rebecca had fallen asleep, and I returned her to her crib. Celeste was sleepy but not quite asleep yet. I took her from Lara, walked her around the room for a few minutes, then settled her into her crib as well.

Lara was asleep by the time I climbed back into bed with her.

The babies got their morning feeding. Lara was in the shower when there was a knock at the door. Answering it, I found Lily and Catherine there.

"Good morning, girls," I said. "Were we expecting you?"

"Baby sitting service!" Lily said cheerfully. "Where are the little darlings?"

"That's not necessary," I said. "You guys are up here to have fun."

"We'll watch them until after breakfast," Catherine said. "Have they eaten?"

"Yes, and you missed the diaper change," I said. "Good timing."

"Bummer," Lily said. "I was looking forward to changing diapers." She sighed dramatically. "Don't worry, Michaela, we won't teach them any dirty limericks."

"Lara and I wanted to be the ones to give them their first exposure to snow, girls."

"We'll stay right here with them," Lily said, gesturing to the living room. "Come on, hand them over."

I laughed then stepped aside. The two filed into the room, each scooping up a baby. They had both babysat for us before, and they knew everything they needed to do.

Lara and I had a pleasant breakfast but hurried back to our cabin. When we got there, we found a party. Monique had joined her sister, and she was locked in conversation with Angel. Scarlett had joined Catherine and Lily, playing with Celeste and Rebecca. As soon as we stepped in, Scarlett looked up. "Would you make them wolves, Michaela?"

I smiled. "In a few minutes. We're going to take them out in the snow."

"Yes!" Scarlett said. "I brought my camera, but I want to go out as a wolf. Do you think I could?"

"Yes, Scarlett," Lara said. "Who else?"

All five girls wanted to play as wolves. "If that's too many, I can wait," Angel offered. "I don't know if I'm on duty today."

"There's a duty roster," Elisabeth said. "It's pinned up on the back of the door." She pointed to the exterior door.

Angel got up to peruse the schedule. "I'm on nights all week?"

"It sucks to be the low enforcer," Elisabeth said. "You'll be on days next week. Make sure you get some sleep today so you won't fall asleep tonight."

"Alpha," Angel asked. "Were you going to post a schedule of the activities?"

"Yes, Alpha," I added. "I would love to see a schedule, too."

Lara laughed. "I can't post a full schedule because it will be weather dependent. But I'll put something up after lunch. This morning we're playing outside in the snow. After lunch we're getting cross-country snow skiing lessons, and there is fishing before dinner. There will be a run on pack lands after dinner, then we return here for a bonfire."

"Is that the fishing contest?" Lily asked.

"The fox is running the fishing contest," Lara said.

All the eyes turned to me. I stared at Lara then said, "I will determine rules after further discussions with Lara," I said. I needed to get a more complete view of the schedule.

Lara grinned at me. "Daytime activities will include skiing, snowshoeing, fishing, and maybe snowball fights."

Everyone chuckled at that.

"We'll have running, games and bonfires in the evenings," she continued. "Angel, did you prepare a game?"

"Scarlett and I made one together," she said.

"Then you may pick which evening you wish to share it."

"Today will be an introduction to ice fishing," I said. "After that, we will have a minor contest each day and a grand overall winner to be declared during the New Years Eve celebration. There will be prizes for most game fish caught and biggest game fish caught. There will also be a booby prize for worst thing caught."

"So if I hook Monique?" asked Lily. "Would I win?"

"Hey!" her sister said.

"No," I said quickly. "It must be caught from the water, and pushing her in first doesn't count either."

Monique stuck her tongue out at Lily.

"Is that part of the enforcer sign language, Elisabeth?" I asked.

"No," said Elisabeth. "That particular gesture goes back much further."

"All right," I said. "Are we ready to go play? Give me Celeste, please." I began stepping out of my clothes, laying them neatly on the sofa then accepted Celeste from Lily. I sat down on the floor, the baby cradled on my chest, and looked into her eyes. "Are you ready for something new, my little love?" I asked her.

I reached inside her, found her wolf, and pulled her with me into an instant shift.

"Oh, she's so cute," Lily said. "I don't know if I'll ever get tired of seeing them like this."

Wolf pup and Mommy Fox stared into each others' eyes. Lily reached down to take the pup from me, but she scampered away.

I shifted back to human. "She'll let you hold her later," I said. "Rebecca now, please."

Catherine gave me Rebecca. I pulled her to wolf, and she immediately went chasing after her sister. I shifted back to human, laughing, and pulled my clothes back on. "Girls," I said. "Let's go outside."

They didn't really understand words, of course, but they recognized my tone. I pulled on my winter clothes and stepped to the door, Lara following, and immediately there were two wolf pups waiting for us to open the door.

"Shift and join us," Lara said to the teenagers.

I opened the door, and two small wolf pups poked their noses outside and froze. They hadn't ever seen snow.

I bent down and scooped up Rebecca then turned to Elisabeth and handed her a squirming pup. Lara grabbed Celeste, and we all stepped outside. I heard a yip as I was about to close the door, so I held it for Angel and Scarlett, already in fur.

"If you can't get the door open," I said to the other girls, "howl and someone will come open it for you." Doors that belonged to pack had handles a wolf could open, but the resort wasn't quite as accommodating.

Lara and Elisabeth carried the babies down the steps. Then they set the girls down slowly. Neither pup knew what to make of the snow. Rebecca began whining, trying to pull her feet away. Celeste jumped at Lara, trying to get picked up again.

I walked a few feet away and sat down in the snow. "Girls," I said. "Come here."

Celeste didn't stop jumping at Lara. Rebecca turned to face me but whined.

"Come on, baby," I said, holding out my hands. "Come to Mommy Fox."

Rebecca took a tentative step, sinking into the snow. She jumped back, bumping into Elisabeth's legs.

Scarlett and Angel were hanging back, watching from the steps, but then jumped down and ran over. They each flopped down in the snow, one on either side of the path between the babies and me.

Rebecca looked over at Angel, saw her tail waving back and forth, and immediately pounced on it. Celeste was immediately distracted from jumping at Lara, saw her sister gnawing at Angel's tail, and decided that looked like fun. She jumped on her sister.

"Celeste," I said in a firm voice. "Come to Mommy Fox. Now!"

Both girls froze. Celeste turned to me and began plowing through the snow to me. She crawled into my lap with her ears back and tail down. I picked her up and looked into her face, then kissed her nose and set her back down in my lap. She licked my hand.

Celeste jumping on her had distracted Rebecca from Angel's tail. Seeing her sister get a kiss, she wanted one too. She bounced over to me, leaping nearly straight up with each step, trying to avoid the snow. Angel and Scarlett both chuffed their amusement. Lara was beaming broadly at our little girls.

Finally Rebecca was close enough and she made one final bounce, landing on my feet, and then she crawled into my lap next to her sister, looking up into my face. I picked her up and gave her a quick kiss.

Then I picked up some of the snow and said, "Girls, this is snow. It's fun to play in. And you can eat it." I took a bite of the snow, then offered it to the girls. They each took a bite, but then reared back. They hadn't expected a cold bite of snow. Both of them lapped at their mouths. Then Celeste leaned forward and took another bite.

"Angel and Scarlett, do you want to play in the snow?"

They both chuffed and immediately climbed to their feet. Scarlett threw herself at Angel, and the two of them began chasing each other around, biting at the snow, throwing a lot of it around, and occasionally tackling each other, rolling over and over in the soft snow. I turned the babies around to watch them. When Angel ran past, Scarlett on her heals, Celeste leaped from my lap, chasing after Scarlett.

"You have a tail, Scarlett," Lara said immediately.

Scarlett looked over her shoulder and saw Celeste gamely chasing after her. Scarlett slowed down and let the wolf pup catch her. Celeste made a pounce for Scarlett's tail, but Scarlett spun around, grabbed the squirming pup, and rolled over with her, shielding her inside her legs, coming to a rest with Celeste perched across her chest.

Angel ran to me and bowed to Rebecca, then turned and flicked a tail at her. Rebecca leapt from my lap, and Angel kept her busy, pulling her tail to safety only at the last moment.

Soon the four of them were taking turns chasing each other.

I heard a camera clicking. When I looked up, Francesca was taking photos, a smile plastered on her face.

There was a howl from our cabin. Lara chuckled, and Elisabeth ran up the stairs to let the rest of the girls out. They stepped outside and all chuffed happily as Celeste and Rebecca both stalked Scarlett, burrowing through the snow rather than jumping over it. Scarlett feigned indifference, and we all watched as the two pups launched themselves at her at the same time.

We watched as all five teenagers played in the snow with the two little pups. The games had been going on for a while when Scarlett let the two pups catch her again, rolling onto her back with both pups on her chest. She looked at the pups for a moment, then growled at Angel, who was just about to leap at her. Scarlett gently rolled over, dislodging both pups, then grabbed Rebecca by the scruff and carried her to me, setting her in my lap. I immediately pulled the baby into my arms, finding that she was trembling.

"Game over!" I said immediately. "Angel, give Celeste to Lara. Let's go warm these two up."

One of the advantages of being the alpha pair is a ready abundance of open arms happy to babysit. Thus, after the babies had lunch, Lara and I took everyone cross-country skiing. About half the wolves already knew how as I had taught them over the last two years. Newcomers to the experience were my newest students and their families. Lara had rented equipment from Benny for everyone who didn't have any, which we would keep until it was time to leave.

We skied for a couple of hours, then declared a break. There were pups to be fed. Then Lara had a surprise for me.

I actually didn't choose to ice fish very often. I enjoyed fishing far more in the summer when I could bob around in my kayak, but I had done my share of sustenance fishing over the years, summer and winter. I, of course, had my own equipment, as did several other pack members; Lara bought enough equipment for everyone. We drove into Bayfield for bait and to pick up fishing licenses for those few who didn't have them.

Wisconsin Fish and Game should have been paying me a sales commission with all the fishing licenses I had made people buy.

But the surprise came in the form of ice fishing houses.

Lara bought outright two icehouses and rented four more. She'd had them pulled to one of my favorite winter fishing spots, and they were arranged in a semi-circle, waiting for us. The ice was already plenty thick for driving on, but there hadn't been all that much snow, so we were able to drive across the frozen water to the icehouses. Lara made me close my eyes during the drive.

I laughed when I saw the icehouses.

Everyone climbed out of the cars and we huddled together while I described the rules to the fishing contest. Once that was settled, I got a raise of hands for who already knew how to fish. We offered place in the icehouses or outside, and those who knew how to fish started boring holes through the ice.

I taught the basics to everyone else.

I didn't do any fishing that day myself, instead opting to work my way from group to group, offering advice or simply talking to people. Lara caught up with me during one of my circuits and pulled me into a hug. "I am so proud of you, Little Fox."

We caught fish. None of them were huge, but we had enough to supplement dinner tonight.

Partway through fishing, Angel and Scarlett disappeared. I didn't notice when they left, but I was standing outside when Elisabeth drove back up. She had driven them back to the resort. "Angel is going to sleep," she explained. "Scarlett is going to rest with her but join us for dinner."

We had a good time.

Lara came out of our bedroom pushing a cradle. I was sitting on the sofa cuddling with a sleeping Celeste. I stared into her face; she was so beautiful. I whispered to my baby, "I will make you safe, Celeste. Mommy Fox will make you safe, honey."

Scarlett had Rebecca, who hadn't quite fallen asleep yet. I looked up when I heard Lara with the cradle, turning to face her. She had a smile.

"The babies can sleep out here," she said.

I looked down at Celeste and back at Lara. "Why?"

"Because Mommy Fox and Mommy Wolf have business," Lara said. She rolled the cradle to the corner then took Celeste from me and carried her to bed. I watched her take my baby, but she was Lara's baby, too, so that was okay.

Lara disappeared into our bedroom and came out with Rebecca's cradle, moving it next to Celeste's.

"Business?" I asked her.

"Yes," Lara said. "Business."

"Rebecca isn't quite asleep," Scarlett said. "I'll put her to bed after she falls asleep. You two have fun."

I stared into my baby's face for a moment, but Lara walked around the sofa to me, reached for my hands, and pulled me into her arms. "You must be quiet, Little Fox," Lara said to me. Then she bent over and picked me up, throwing me over her shoulder.

I suppressed my usual squeals at her behavior, not wanting to disturb our babies. Lara carried me into the bedroom, closed the door gently with a foot, then lowered me equally gently to the bed. I tried to scramble away from her, but she grabbed an ankle and pulled me back to her.

"Oh no you don't," she said. She growled playfully. "Mine."

I pulled away from her, but she tugged me to her again, then held onto me as she climbed onto the bed, crawling her way up my body and pinning me to the bed. She leaned over me, staring into my eyes.

"Say 'yes', Little Fox," she ordered.

I studied Lara's face, the face of the woman I loved so much. I glanced past her to the door.

"They're safe, Michaela," she said. "You know they're safe. Now look into my eyes and tell me 'yes'."

I looked back into her face. "I love you so much, Lara. I'm sorry I'm such a pain in the ass."

"You're not a pain in the ass, Michaela," she said. "I know we haven't done this lately, but I don't want our marriage to end just because we're now parents. You are mine. Tell me 'yes'."

She let me reach up and caress her face.

"I love you so much, Lara," I told her again. Then I looked away.

"Hey," she said. "What's wrong?" She shifted her weight, pressing more firmly against me, which let her use one of her hands to turn my face back to look at her. "What's wrong, honey?"

"I miss you so much," I told her. I felt a tear slide down my cheek. "I want you to make me scream your name, but we'll wake the babies."

She brushed my lips with hers, then each of my eyes. "You'll just have to whisper instead," she said. "Now tell me 'yes'. Tell me I may do what I want to do to you."

"Oh Lara," I said, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Yes, always yes."

Eventually, I woke the babies, but it was okay.

I had developed a habit of keeping store gift cards in supply. I used them for minor prizes for some of the pack events or as gifts for people I didn't know well. I preferred giving more specific gifts, but with the amount of gifts I gave out to the pack as the alpha, it would have been a full time job for multiple people to obtain appropriate gifts for everyone.

The gift cards made great prizes for the fishing contest.

But I'd made up the idea for booby prizes on the spot, and I didn't want to give gift cards for that. And I wanted something more substantial for the overall winners. I called Hadley Smith and asked her to bail me out. She sent Ava shopping for me for the items I had selected. Donald Lassiter hadn't driven up with the rest of us but would drive on up Christmas Eve. He brought the prizes, well concealed, for me.

But I didn't have any booby prizes, so in the morning I told Lara, "I need to go shopping in Bayfield, and I don't want a lot of people along with me."

"You will take a proper security detail," she said immediately. "And be back before lunch."

"Yes, Alpha," I told her with a grin. I melted into her arms. "Thank you."

"For letting you go shopping?" she asked, wrapping her arms around me.

"No. For all of this. And for last night. I love you so much."

She kissed me, kissed me deeply, and I knew I was loved. I clutched at her, and when the kiss broke, I laid my head against her shoulder, continuing to hang onto her.

"I'm not a good alpha," I told her.

"Nonsense," she said.

"Not like you," I said. "I couldn't do what you do for the pack."

"I've had a very long time to learn," she said. "And a very long time to think about how I want the pack to be. But you make the pack a better place. And you make me a better person."

"The pack wouldn't survive without you," I told her.

"Of course it would," she said.

"But it would be fine without me."

She pushed me away and looked into my eyes. "Are you sick?"

"What?" I asked. "No. Perfectly healthy."

She studied me, then pulled me back to her. "Then the pack won't be going without either one of us, will it?"

"No, Lara," I said. "It won't."

"Good. Because whether or not the pack would survive, I wouldn't. And there are a lot of people who would be very devastated if something happened to you."

We clung together for a while, then I pushed away, stealing another kiss first. "Will you do something new to me tonight, Lara? Or will you be too tired?"

"Oh, Little Fox," she said. "I know I've been tired, but I find myself getting more and more of my strength back every day. I don't know if I'll do something new tonight. But I will do something." She grinned. "Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. Did you buy me a good present?"

"Maybe," I said. "You might not like it."

We kissed again, and then I pulled away from her. I found my phone and called Serena. "Enforcer," I told her. "I need a security detail for me in Bayfield."

"Will you tell us what we're doing?" she asked.

"A little shopping, nothing hard core."

"Didn't you finish your Christmas shopping, Michaela?" she asked.

I laughed. "Weeks ago. We're buying booby prizes for the fishing contest. Pick my detail carefully, please. I don't want anyone to know what I buy."

"How soon are we leaving?"

"As soon as you're ready," I told her. "But there is no rush."

"Will you make them pups before you go," Lily and Catherine asked. "Please?"

I turned to Lara, and she nodded, so starting with Rebecca, I pulled each of them to wolf, and soon the girls were cuddling the wolf pups while I got dressed to go shopping.

Ten minutes later, Serena arrived at the cabin with Gia, June and Emanuel. Gia didn't often take guard detail and wasn't trained for it, but we weren't expecting trouble, and I was well-equipped to help defend myself. We piled into one of the SUVs, and I asked if I could drive.

As we climbed into the car, Serena reminded me, "We're your guard detail. We do not carry your boxes or help you shop. We watch for trouble. If you want help, bring someone with us."

"Naw," I said. "I'll be fine."

We got to town. A lot of the shops were open only during summer months, but there was plenty open for my needs. Serena remained plastered by my side; she rotated the other three between guarding outside the shops I was in and one more inside with us, remaining near the entrance. I felt safe.

I felt safe.

I turned to Serena at one of the stores while my purchases were being totaled. "I feel safe, Serena," I told her.

I don't think she understood the implication.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her cheek. "Thank you. I feel safe. You don't know how rare this is for me."

"Lara makes you feel safe," she replied.

"Maybe," I said. "But I am always worried I will disappoint her, and she'll realize how foolish she has been, falling in love with me. But you watch out for me for different reasons, reasons no one can take away."

She pushed away a little and studied my face. "You're a fool if you think she could ever stop loving you."

I looked away. "She'll stop. I'll go too far one day, and she won't have a choice."

"Don't be ridiculous," Serena said. "If you go too far, she might become very, very angry with you, and she might hate how she will be forced to punish you, but she won't stop loving you. Ever. You are hers and you will remain hers. Wolves mate for life, and they never stop loving. Never."

I hugged her again. "It's nice of you to say that."

"No!" she said, pushing me away again. "Listen to me, Michaela. I'm not just saying it. It's true. The only thing that could even tarnish Lara's love for you is if you stopped loving her and the babies. And that isn't going to happen, either."

I looked away from her. "I'll go too far one day," I said.

"And when you do, you will take your lumps so she can forgive you."

I took a breath. "I'm just being silly," I said. "Thank you. Do you think we have enough?"

"You know I haven't been paying attention."

"Oh please," I said. "You raised your eyebrow at the moose hats."

"Only because you tried to make me model it," she said. "I'm on duty."

"We have enough, but I want to buy some fudge for everyone."

When we arrived back at the resort, we found Lara watching the girls play with the pups in the snow, Elisabeth and most of the rest of the enforcers watching on. As soon as they saw me, the pups ran up to me, begging to be picked up. Instead, I carried my purchases to the front porch of the cabin then sat down so the two wriggling pups could climb into my lap.

I fluffed their fur for a moment then told them to go play some more. Kaylee ran up and gave Celeste a big lick, then flicked a tail at both of them. Soon little Kaylee was hopping around in the snow, both pups trying to pounce on her.

She was amazingly gentle with them.

Lara sat down next to me, and I leaned against her.

"Are you ever going to stop loving me?" I asked her.

"No."

"What if I did something really terrible?"

"Still no."

"What if I, um-"

"Little Fox," Lara said. "What's going on?"

"What if I killed someone on the council?"

"Did he or she have it coming?"

"Yes," I said.

"Then my love won't even flicker."

"What if I told everyone your deepest secrets?"

"Then I would paddle your bottom in front of the entire pack. There would be pictures."

I leaned my head against her shoulder. "Be serious."

"I will when you are," she said.

I took a breath. "What would it take for you to stop loving me?"

She sat quietly for a while.

"Lara?"

"I'm working on it. Where is this coming from?"

"What would it take?"

"Why are you so insecure today?" she asked.

"Just answer the question, Lara."

"I would have a hard time if you turned into a bad mother," she said. "But I wouldn't stop loving you. I would have a hard time if you had an affair. But I wouldn't stop loving you. I would be very, very angry, but I wouldn't stop loving you."

"What would it take, Lara?"

She huffed. "Tell me, Little Fox. What would it take for you to stop loving me?"

"If you stopped loving me," I replied immediately.

"Well then," she said, sounding pleased with herself. "I must love you more than you love me, because that won't stop me from loving you."

"Brat," I said, bumping my shoulder into her. She bumped me back, very gently.

We did more skiing that afternoon, then went fishing. The enforcers tried to beg off, but I ordered them to fish. We brought the pups with us, setting up beds for them in one of the fish houses.

Scarlett's mother, Tara, won the booby prize that day. Scarlett's little brother, Thomas, hooked a small perch, and then the perch tangled the line around Tara's line. Tara thought she had a really big fish, and she ended up pulling Thomas's fishing line right out of his hands. When she finally pulled her line in, she pulled Thomas's fishing pole back through her ice hole, and then landed his small perch.

I gave Thomas credit for the perch. He was actually pretty upset when he lost his line, but he was quick to calm down when he discovered what happened. I held a little ceremony during dinner, pulling one of the moose hats over Tara's ears. "You are obligated to wear that for the duration of our vacation," I said.

She was a good scout and wore the moose hat any time we were outside. She told me later, "It's warmer than the one I had. Thank you." I got a hug for it.

"You woke the babies last night, Little Fox," Lara told me. She already had me naked, and her fingers were teasing me mercilessly. I was panting quietly.

I writhed under her, not answering.

"I need you to be quiet, Michaela," Lara said.

"Maybe you should let me do this to you, Lara," I said, squirming.

She threw a still-dressed leg over me, sitting on my hips carefully. I opened my eyes and looked up at her. Her fingers continued to stroke my skin, paying particular attention to my breasts and nipples, tugging gently on the piercings while she was at it.

"Do you want me to stop?" she asked.

"No!"

She grinned. "I didn't think so."

"But I want my turn, Lara," I said.

"There are no turns," she said. "I like doing this. You like when I do this. We both win."

I reached for her, and she immediately caught my hands. "No, no," she said. "You know the rules. Your hands stay where I put them." She pressed my hands back on the bed above my head. "If you move your hands again, I will punish you. Please don't try me tonight, Michaela. I need you submissive."

I relaxed my arms instantly, and Lara smiled.

"I know you feel you should be doing this to me," she said, teasing my breasts again. "But I need this far more than anything else. Will you let me have what I want? I believe I am giving you what you want."

"I want to give you pleasure, too, Lara," I said.

"This is my pleasure, Little Fox. Now, ask me to take you."

I watched her face. She was leaning over me, smiling and watching my eyes. I smiled hesitantly. I closed my eyes, "Please take me, Lara."

And she did, slowly and deliberately.

Before she was done, I heard Rebecca gurgle happily from the next room, and I heard Scarlett pick her up and assure her all was right with the world, that Rebecca's mommies were loving each other. In between my gasps of pleasure, I heard Scarlett explain to my baby that the sounds I was making were the best sounds in the world.

I came, gasping Lara's name, trying to be quiet, and then I disobeyed and threw my arms around Lara, clutching her to me, my body still shuddering. "Hold me," I begged her. "Hold me and don't let go."

Lara declared Christmas Eve to be a pack play day until after dinner and then family time until late afternoon on Christmas Day. We had a modest Christmas Eve dinner and a more lavish banquet planned for Christmas Day. As a portion of our present to everyone, Lara and I would prepare the banquet.

I had presents for everyone in attendance. I actually had presents for everyone in the pack, although most of those were small gift cards. Lara and I had established a rule that only our closest friends were to give us presents, but anyone was welcome to give small gifts to Celeste and Rebecca. We had quietly talked to key people to make sure everyone understood the definition of a small gift.

Most of the presents I had were listed as from both Lara and me. Lara had a few friends in the pack that weren't my friends, and for those, she had bought their presents. I had handled the rest.

We all gathered together for dinner in the lodge Christmas Eve. Lara gave a short speech, acknowledging the holiday as being based in Christianity, but pointing out it had become a part of American culture. "For pack, this is a celebration of the winter solstice and a time to acknowledge the close friendship that pack brings to us all. And it is also a time to acknowledge our families, and the bonds that our families each share."

Then she worked the room a little. "Not everyone has family here." She touched Karen on the shoulder as an example. "But all of you are part of the family that Michaela and I share, and any of you with no other family here is welcome to share the day with us tomorrow. Any families who wish to share the day with us are also welcome, but we want families to enjoy their individual customs."

She stopped by Benny. "Benny, do you have family in town?"

"Yes," he said. "My sister. Our parents are gone, and we have no close cousins. I am spending the morning with my sister and her family." He reached out and clasped June's hand.

"Have they met June yet?" Lara asked.

"Yes. She is also invited."

"Enjoy your time together, June. Will we see you later tomorrow, Benny?"

"Yes, Alpha."

She squeezed his shoulder and moved on.

Lara worked the entire room, touching everyone in attendance, if only briefly. She exchanged words with a few others, but most of what she said was addressed to everyone. She ended back at the table with me, standing behind me with her hands on my shoulders. She collected Celeste from Elisabeth and handed her to me, then looked around, wondering who had Rebecca. "Where is my other daughter?" she asked.

"Here, Alpha," Lily said immediately. She rose from her seat and carried Rebecca to us, the baby awake and alert, watching Lily with fascination.

Lara collected the baby then wished everyone a pleasant evening. We collected a security detail for an escort to our cabin. Then Elisabeth sent everyone home except herself and Karen. Angel looked surprised. "I have duty tonight. When should I be back?"

"Tomorrow night," Elisabeth said. "Spend Christmas Eve with your family or your lover, as you see best. Karen and I have the duty tonight."

That earned them both hugs, and then we were six.

Lara and I sat down on the sofa, each of us holding a bundled up baby. Elisabeth lit a fire, and Wendy sat on the coffee table in front of me, peering down at Celeste.

"Are they both awake?" she asked.

"Wide awake," I said.

"Do you think you could make them wolf pups? I would really like to hold a little pup."

The adoring look she gave Celeste warmed my heart. I thought back and realized she never played with the pups. She looked up at my inquiring look.

"The girls all want to play with them so much," she said. "I haven't had a chance to even change a diaper, much less hold a pup."

"Oh Karen," I said. "You should have said something." I handed her Celeste, then unbuttoned my blouse. I needed close skin to skin contact, but with the babies, I didn't necessarily need to be naked. Once I was ready, I took Celeste back from her, slipped her out of her clothes, and pulled her wolf to the forefront. After a moment, I had a squirming wolf pup licking my fox face. Karen reached forward and pulled Celeste into her arms.

Celeste didn't want to cuddle; she wanted to play. I shifted back to human and said, "They're both always rambunctious when I make them pups," I explained. "Maybe you want to play on the floor with them. They like to chase wolf tails."

Karen smiled and set Celeste onto the floor. I took an already naked Rebecca from Lara and pulled out her wolf, then Lara set her on the floor as well.

The two sisters immediately began to play together. Karen stripped out of her clothes and began her own shift. I curled into Lara and sighed happily while watching the girls play. A few minutes later, Karen finished her shift. The girls saw her and immediately hid from her.

"They like to play hide and seek," I told Karen. "You get a half a point each time you catch one; they get a point every time they pounce on your tail."

Karen chuffed and went sniffing around the room for the pups. She found Rebecca; they weren't very good at hiding after all. But rather than catching her, she turned her back and sat down, sniffing for Celeste. Rebecca paused a moment then leapt on Karen's tail, grabbing hold and hanging on. Karen turned around to catch her, but Rebecca held onto the tail and was dragged around on the floor, snarling fiercely. Three circles later, and Celeste burst from her hiding space, overshooting the tail but then having her sister dragged over her. She ran after the tail, and Karen let her catch it.

Elisabeth, Lara and I watched in amusement as Karen played with the puppies until finally they both fell over on their sides, exhausted. Karen nuzzled them for a moment, then pushed them together into a little pile and wrapped around them on the floor, sharing her warmth with them. She looked up at us as she laid her head on the floor.

"We'll need to feed them before they sleep," Lara said. "And I am not feeding them as wolf pups."

"Sharp teeth," I said.

"Yeah."

Karen huffed and wrapped around the pups for a moment longer, but then she pulled away, and I collected Celeste from her. I returned her into her human form and gave her to Lara, then repeated the process with Rebecca. Karen began shifting back into human as well while the babies ate their before bedtime meal.

Later, Lara let me pamper her in bed, giving her a thorough, although quiet orgasm. She kissed me afterwards, licking her own taste from my mouth, and we cuddled together, my head resting on her shoulder. We murmured softly at each other, and I thought Lara would sleep, but then she gathered my hands in one of hers, and I caught a smile in the dim light.

"Oh no," I said. "I feel really good right now, Lara."

She giggled. "You're going to feel even better very soon, Little Fox."

And I did.

What do you get for a wolf who has everything?

I spent months agonizing over what to get Elisabeth and Lara. In the end, they ended up with similar presents.

I used the photo of Elisabeth's and Lara's mother as a young wolf and found a sculptor who could make a ceramic replica. I then used the same photo as well as one I got from Francesca of their mother when she was older, and I found a painter who did a painting of the human wolf with her hand on the furry wolf.

Then I agonized over which of them got which. In the end, I gave the painting to Lara and the sculpture to Elisabeth. I made the decision based upon one simple fact: my house with Lara had little room for sculptures but there was artwork on the walls I was willing to relocate.

I bought something for each enforcer, but Serena's was special. I went back to the jeweler who had done my fox earrings, carrying photos of Serena's children, Alan, Jeremy and Kaylee, in their wolf. I had gotten them all to pose for me and given the jeweler all the photos I had. Included were individual photos as well as a group shot so he could see relative sizes. The hardest part was getting photos that looked like natural wolves. He made a pendant necklace using the wolves as inspiration.

Scarlett and Angel were just as hard. They would have been perfectly happy with clothes or electronics, but I wanted something more unique than that. I considered artwork and jewelry. In the end, I bought Scarlett a set of fountain pens in different sizes. Angel received two gifts. The first was a book titled, "The Architect's Companion," which was designed to help her learn a little more about Scarlett's job. And then I bought her a high quality paddle to replace the inexpensive one she had purchased when she bought her kayak.

For the babies, I bought a Christmas ornament each, clothes, and a few toys for them to play with.

We started out Christmas morning. Lara wanted to exchange presents in the bedroom, but I told her I wanted to include Elisabeth when we exchanged. "Unless that's something naughty," I said, gesturing with my nose to the package she was holding.

She smiled and assured me Elisabeth already knew what it was.

I texted Angel. "Awake?" I sent a similar message to Serena. They were both awake, so I asked Serena to call Angel and arrange a time at their earliest convenience to come to our cabin. "Bring Francesca and Gia as well, please."

She called back ten minutes later and said, "We're on the way."

Lara had just finished feeding the babies when there was a knock. Everyone trooped in and exchanged greetings. I hadn't told Lara I was doing this, but she smiled when she saw everyone come in.

Karen was the head of Lara's security team, and Lara had a gift for her. I then gave Serena her gift. She loved it, and I got a hug and a kiss from her. "Thank you so much for looking out for me," I told her.

Angel was puzzled by the book, but Scarlett took one look through it and whispered into her ear an explanation. Angel beamed, but I think she liked the paddle more. Scarlett loved her pens.

We finished passing out gifts to Francesca and Gia and accepted a few for ourselves. The babies received far more, not having a clue what the fuss was about, but when asked to make them into pups, I readily obliged.

I handed Lara and Elisabeth their presents at the same time. Elisabeth opened hers first. The older wolves grew quiet as she pulled it out. Serena and Francesca recognized the wolf, of course.

"It's a wolf," Angel said.

"Not just any wolf," Francesca said quietly. "Elisabeth, that's your mother."

"I know," she said quietly. She stared at it, and I saw tears slide down her cheeks. I'd never seen Elisabeth cry before. Francesca started to tear up as well, and Lara had grown very quiet. Elisabeth looked at me and said, "It's amazing, Michaela. Thank you so much." She pulled me into her arms and held me for a while.

Lara didn't open her present until Elisabeth had released me. I had boxed it carefully and told her, "Be gentle with this." She opened the box and unwrapped it carefully.

"Mom," she said quietly when she saw what it was. I watched as she brushed the painting with her fingers. She turned to me, not able to speak.

"I hope it's okay," I said.

"It's wonderful, Little Fox," Lara replied. She pulled me into a hug, holding the painting by the frame while hugging me.

Other gifts were exchanged. Lara gave me my present last. Nestled inside was a hand written book titled, "Traditions and Customs of the Madison Weres". I pulled it out, giggling, and began paging through it. It was written in Lara's careful hand, and there were illustrations on many of the pages.

"Everyone helped by reminding me of different traditions," Lara explained. "Scarlett did the illustrations."

"We'll still let you know about any that are coming up," Angel said. "But there are little customs and traditions that we may not normally think about because they're so automatic to us."

"I love it," I said. "Thank you, Lara!" I pulled her into a hug and kissed her.

"I wanted to give you something you couldn't get anywhere else," she whispered into my ear.

"It's perfect," I told her. "I love you so much."

It was a wonderful Christmas.

"What are we doing now?" Angel asked.

"Well," said Lara. "We-" she stressed the word. "Are doing whatever the fox wants to do. You," she gestured at everyone else, "and your families are free to celebrate with your normal traditions or join us as you most prefer."

Lara and I made dinner. We kept it simple but ample, accepting help only at the end when it was time to serve. It probably all would have been better if Francesca had made it, but it was important to Lara and me that we do it. I think everyone appreciated our efforts, and everyone ate with a hearty appetite.

Over dinner, I passed out the rest of the presents I had, receiving a few myself. The enforcers gave me a DVD of "The Fox and The Hound," which was worth quite a few laughs. And my students had a carefully constructed white board eraser with a long handle that I could use to reach the top of the board at school.

"It comes with a guarantee we won't ever hide it," Derek promised.

"But that doesn't mean we won't put it out of your reach," Lily added.

Dinner wrapped up, and everyone helped to make quick work of cleanup. Francesca tsked at the state of the kitchen, but it didn't take long to clean everything up.

"All right," Lara said when the place was spick and span. "Bonfire and stories."

"Baby wolves!" insisted Lily. "Bring out the pups!"

Three nights later, it was my night to make a game. We moved to pack territory after dinner and had several fires going before I explained the game.

"Okay, everyone partner up. If you're in a relationship, you have a partner." We had an odd number of people, and Gia was shy about picking a partner, finding herself odd woman out. I asked her if she would be the referee for the first game. "We'll rotate you in for the next game," I told her.

"Now, we need to make teams." I ran around counting one-two, one-two, assigning each couple to a team. Lara and I were on team one.

"All right, here's what we're going to do. One team is the kidnappers. Each pair of partners will pick one half of a couple from the other team and kidnap that person. You have ten minutes to hide. The remaining partner has thirty minutes to find his or her partner. You must not cluster together. If you can see or hear another of your teammates, you are too close together."

"This will be easy," Lara said.

"Now, to make it more difficult, once you have hidden your kidnap victim, you are allowed to tag searchers. But you may not tag the person searching for your victim. So, for instance, if Lily and Jeremy kidnap me, then they can tag any of the searchers on my team except Lara."

"Kidnap victims, you are not allowed to make any voluntary noises. You are not allowed to actively resist your kidnappers. However, you may passively resist."

"What does that mean?" Kaylee asked.

I whispered to Lara, "Try to drag me away, but let me resist." Lara immediately began pulling on my arm.

"Help, help!" I yelled, trying to tug away.

"That would be actively resisting," Serena said.

Then I went limp and sat on the ground. Lara picked me up and began to carry me away.

"And that is passive resistance," Serena said.

Lara set me back down.

"You must guard your prisoner," I said. "Stay within ten yards. But if anyone comes close, you can capture them by touching them. At the end of the game, you get five points if you still have your kidnap victim and one point for any searchers you catch. The game is over when thirty minutes elapses, all kidnap victims are found, or any remaining searchers have been caught. If you tag a searcher, that searcher should howl briefly twice. Gia, you will keep track."

She nodded.

"The team captain for the kidnappers will howl the start. Gia will howl at nine minutes to give everyone one minute warning, and then at ten minutes. At ten minutes, you must put your prisoner down and not make that person move any further. Gia will howl one long howl when the game is over."

I looked around. "Any questions?"

"Stay on pack lands," Lara said immediately. "And do not mistreat your prisoners."

"Can we go in fur?" Scarlett asked.

"Yes," I said. "Anyone except prisoners may shift to fur once the game starts, if they wish. But you must wait until the game starts."

"Who picks who gets kidnapped?"

"Partners will hold hands up like this," I said, raising Lara's hand. "And kidnappers pick either partner."

"Who goes first?" Lara asked.

"Team Two, do you want to be kidnappers or prisoners first?"

They gathered together, huddled up, then turned to us. "We'll kidnap first."

"We'll play one game and then see how it goes," I said. "Any more questions?"

I answered a few more questions, making up rules on the spot, and suddenly everyone was ready.

"Okay, Team One," I said. I lifted Lara's hand into the air. As soon as it looked like all the team one partners were ready, I said, "Whenever you're ready, Team Two."

Team Two conferred for a moment. Emanuel gave a quick howl, starting the clock. Emanuel and Serena made a beeline for Lara and me. They pulled Lara and me away from everyone else, each of them clasping one of my arms. Serena asked, "Side wager?"

"What do you want?" Lara asked.

"If your searcher fails to free our prisoner, then we want summer jobs for Alan and Jeremy," Emanuel said. "If your searcher finds the prisoner, then we'll take the pups one night a week for a year."

Lara laughed and looked at me. I nodded, and she agreed to the wager.

"Don't let anyone else tag you, Lara," I pointed out.

But they dropped my arms and immediately grabbed Lara. "We're taking you, Lara."

Lara's expression was priceless, but she started laughing. "Do me proud, Little Fox," she said.

I was pretty surprised. I was expecting Lara to search for me. Serena and Emanuel picked Lara up, one arm and one leg each, and began running away with her towards the north. As soon as they were gone, I threw my jacket off, loosened my clothing, and shifted straight to fox. I kept my ears tuned to them the entire time.

I had to admit, Team Two had been very clever. The entire team headed north along the same path, which would obscure scent tracks and was making it more difficult for me to track Serena and Emanuel.

I listened carefully, and they all ran north for four minutes before individual teams began peeling off to the left and right. I completely lost track of which team was Emanuel and Serena. When Gia howled the nine minute warning, there was a scrambling for hiding places, and I had a fairly good idea where most of the teams were hiding. I heard two prisoners mutter: Donald Lassiter got slapped in the face with a tree branch, and Faith Simpson's kidnappers dropped her. I immediately told Michele where to find her husband and Brendon where to find his wife. "But be careful, they didn't split up as much as I thought they should."

I was actually a little unhappy with what they had done. They had traveled all on the same path, obscuring their separate tracks, and one team had set up right on the back trail of all the other teams.

I caught a few more voices, a few coughs, a few sneezes, but not a single sound from Lara, Emanuel or Serena. Still, every sound I picked up was one team I could eliminate.

Gia howled the ten minute mark and said, "Go, Team One."

I ran to the left. I was going to do a big loop of each hiding group that I hadn't identified. I knew I could find each team just from the sounds of their breathing, if I got within forty yards, which was outside their range to capture me. And I thought I could identify Lara's breathing separate from anyone else's.

While there were a lot of us playing, the way things were broken up, there were only 11 teams on each side. The first group I found consisted of Scarlett as the prisoner, captured by Edward and Iris. Edward and Iris were talking to Scarlett and didn't seem to be shushing her, so I decided that was legal. It also made it easy to avoid them.

I discovered Elisabeth next. She and Karen had taken June. They were being very quiet, with June stuffed under a pine tree. I had to get very close; I heard Elisabeth's heartbeat and breathing, but needed to get close enough to verify it wasn't Lara. Elisabeth was in fur, crouched in the snow, and she was watching me approach. I only saw her ears and nose, not enough to have eliminated Lara, but I was pretty sure Lara wouldn't have shifted into fur, so I backed away. And that's when Elisabeth huffed her displeasure. If I had gotten any closer, she could have pounced on me. I soon as I heard the huff, I was sure it was Elisabeth.

Benny got caught by Lily and Jeremy. Michele found Donald, and Brendon found Faith. I heard wolves huffing severe displeasure and howling; the team that was camped out on everyone else's back trail was catching them, but I didn't hear any voices, so I couldn't identify the team in question.

I did a circle of all the other camps, and was halfway around before logic kicked in.

Serena knew I tracked by sound. She knew all the wolves tracked by scent. When I track, I don't follow the trail left behind by my prey. I wouldn't follow the wolves' trail; I would make my own. In other words, I would do exactly what I was doing, following around the edges, looking for them.

The wolves, on the other hand, would all follow the scent trails, taking them directly into anyone on the back trail. And Serena and Emanuel could catch anyone except me.

I huffed my displeasure, weaved my way through the other hidden teams, and approached the team set up in the middle. I got close enough to hear heartbeats, and there were a lot of them. I couldn't separate them out. I looked, but I couldn't find either Emanuel or Serena.

I let logic make my decision. I stepped right into the middle of all the wolves. I found Serena and Emanuel hunkered down in the snow next to each other; they both watched me.

I still didn't see Lara. I cocked my head, listening carefully, then chuffed. I walked up to both of them then nudged them aside. They were lying on top of Lara, hiding her from me. She sat up and hugged me then howled briefly.

Gia immediately howled the ending. We all returned to camp.

Those of us who could shifted back to human. In the final score, all the searchers were caught except me, Brendon and Michele.

"All right," I said. "That didn't work very well. Does this game have promise?"

"Maybe," was the consensus.

"Who had any fun at all?" Everyone's hand went up. "Okay, that's higher than I was expecting. What part was fun?"

"It was fun kidnapping Lindsey," Kaylee said immediately.

"Okay, kidnappers," I said. "Did all of you enjoy kidnapping your victim?"

They all raised their hands.

"Kidnap victims, raise your hand if you enjoyed that part."

No hands went up.

"Oh," I said. "I'm sorry. I would have enjoyed that part. This is a bad game."

Scarlett raised her hand.

"Scarlett, you had a question?"

"No. I'm raising my hand. I had to think about it. I enjoyed being kidnapped. I didn't enjoy sitting in the snow waiting once I heard Angel got caught. Iris and Edward let me talk once Angel got caught, but still-"

The other kidnap victims agreed with that sentiment. Lara was quiet. I turned to her. "Alpha?"

She turned away from everyone else so only I could see her and she spoke quietly. "I was frustrated with Serena and Emanuel, but I couldn't say anything."

I turned to Serena. "Your strategy was brilliant."

"But awfully close to cheating," she said. "The game turned out almost exactly as we thought it would. We thought you would get to us last."

"I figured it out," I said.

"Well, I don't believe we used a fair strategy," Serena said. "We fit to your rules, but the rules need to change."

"I had expected every group to go in a different direction," I said. "I thought you might confuse your trails. But I hadn't expected you to all take the same trail, and I really hadn't anticipated camping out on anyone's back trail. It's almost as if you have been learning fox tricks."

That earned me some chuckles.

"It would be an easy rule to abuse," Serena said. "But we can make it illegal to do it intentionally. Clearly what we did was intentional."

"Do we want to try it again?" I asked. "With the new rule?"

"Thirty minutes is too long," Scarlett said.

"Twenty?" I suggested.

"Yes," she said. "And only eight minutes to hide, not ten."

I looked at Team Two. "Would eight minutes be enough?"

They weren't sure. "Maybe if we can pick our victims and then start the timer," Elisabeth said.

"This game favors the wolves," I said. I looked at Kaylee. "Alan, did you carry Lindsey?"

"I helped!" Kaylee said.

"She did," Alan replied. "I don't think Kaylee could carry her half of one of the adult males, but she was fine with Lindsey."

I looked at Benny, but he held his hands up in surrender. "We get to play. If I were driven by my competitive side, I shouldn't even be here."

Michele spoke up. "I think human searchers should be offered a handicap."

"Human searchers can't be captured," Elisabeth offered immediately.

"And may use a flashlight," Michele added. "And if you take Donald again, then you have to leave a trail I could actually follow somehow."

I looked at Team Two. Nick, Scarlett's father was on Team Two.

"Let's think about that. We're going to play again with Team One being the kidnappers. "Whoever kidnaps Nick or Tara must kidnap Nick this time so he doesn't have to search until we figure out a fair handicap."

Everyone seemed ready to try it again.

"Okay, someone substitute for Gia. Gia do you care which team?"

"Team Two," she said.

"I'll switch with her," Karen offered immediately.

"Monique, come with me," I said. Monique was partnered with Max, Lily's nine-year-old little brother. I put my arm around her and pulled her away. "Are you happy teamed with Max or should we split you up?"

"I picked him," she said. "He's a good kid."

"Do you want to be the victim or the searcher?"

"I'd be fine with either, but I think you should let him search. He'll have more fun. Unless it's Angel and Scarlett who kidnap us. He has a crush on Scarlett."

I laughed. "Go on back to your partner, Monique."

I stepped up to Lara and said quietly. "I want her in my classes. I think I'd trust her with our babies."

"Tell me more later," she said.

"Okay," I said. "Team One will divide the victims between us. We're going to let the pair with the youngest member pick first at least until we get to the adults."

I huddled my team together. "We're going to play this easier than they did for us. I want everyone taking off in different directions. You are free to cross paths, but I want everyone to have fun. It doesn't matter if they find us. It matters if we have fun. Also, it's up to you, but it's okay if you ask your kidnap victims which one should get kidnapped."

Then I sent the teams with kids to pick their victims.

Lara and I ended up with Edward and Iris. When we asked them who they wanted us to kidnap, Edward started looking nervous. I think he was trying to decide whether he should volunteer, but then take the ego hit of Iris rescuing him. Or should he take the ego hit of letting Iris get kidnapped, but then he had the chance to be the hero. Or to fail.

Iris broke his stalemate by saying, "Can I search?"

"All right," he said. "If you really want to." I think he looked relieved.

"Letting Michaela and Lara kidnap me would be fun, too," she said. "But I think I want to search."

Donald and Michele were set to kidnap Monique. I stopped over and whispered quietly to Michele, and she said, "We're set."

I stepped back, took hold of Edward's arm, and said, "Howl our start, Lara."

She howled the start, and I bent to pick up Edward. "No," Lara said. "Shift to fox. Lead the way. I'll carry him. Set a pace I can follow."

I realized she could probably run faster carrying him alone than with my help. I yanked off my clothes, shifting back to fox, then watched as Lara tossed Edward over her shoulder. I immediately set off for the west, listening to Lara in my footsteps while counting seconds.

We ran west for two minutes then I cut us to the south, then east. Iris could follow our trail, but we would be downwind of her most of the time, so she couldn't catch our scent and track straight to us. When I estimated we were six minutes into our time to hide, I dashed to a spruce tree, shifted to human, and held the branches up. I didn't have to say anything. Lara stuffed Edward into place.

It was dry and he would warm it up.

"Not a sound," she told him quietly once he was settled.

"Let's go obscure the trail," I told Lara. We shifted back to fur and ran back to our last major turn. I set a clear trail southwest instead, eventually looping around to our trail at another point. Then I backtracked us so that our loop trail would have more scent than the one we'd really taken.

Then Lara shifted back to human and ran twenty steps in the snow, barefoot, then shifted back to wolf. We ran further back our back trail then exited it via a fallen log and raced back to Edward. We checked to make sure he was still there, then we settled in to wait.

Karen howled the start for Team Two to find us, and I began listening.

Iris wasn't used to foxy ways, and our false trails confused her for a while. But she puzzled through it, and soon I heard her following the proper track towards us, moving slowly. In fur, she found us with about five minutes to spare, but she wasn't sure at first where we had stashed Edward. She walked up to both of us and sat down, looking between us.

Lara yawned at her.

She sniffed around the tree several times, not realizing we had put him under the tree. She came back and glared at us, actually putting a wolf paw on her hip, a good facsimile of a human gesture.

I shifted to human. "You have to find him, Iris. He's close." Then I shifted back to fox. It was way too cold to sit naked in the snow.

She sniffed both of us, then sniffed around the tree before she found where we'd put him. As soon as she saw Edward, he howled a quick victory.

When we got back, everyone seemed in better spirits. Only one searcher got caught, and of the rest, one searcher didn't find his partner. Everyone else found his or her partner.

"We intentionally made that easier," I explained. "Was it fun?"

Everyone's hand went up.

"Searchers, was it too easy?"

"Yes," Emanuel said.

"No," said Iris.

There were chuckles.

"You were up against the alphas," Karen said. "And you probably aren't used to fox tricks yet."

"I wasn't that tricky," I said. "Lara carried Edward, and I didn't even know how to get her to do any fancy tricks until we had him hidden." I patted Iris on the shoulder. "Besides, you did find us. That's pretty good when against the alphas."

She smiled at that.

"Are we giving up on this game?" I asked.

"No!" was quite clear.

"Same rules?"

"Yes," suggested Serena. "We'll scatter the way you did."

"All right. This time, whoever was the searcher last time is the prisoner this time. We'll raise our hands. Karen, which side do you want to switch with?"

"Team One," she said.

"She can have my spot," Benny immediately offered.

"Karen, do you want to be searcher or prisoner?"

"Either is fine," she offered. I was pretty sure she would rather be a searcher, but I let her switch with Benny.

"Benny, do you recognize our voices?"

"No. Do I need to?"

"No," I replied. "As long as you can tell the difference between a bark when someone is caught and a howl when someone is found."

"That's easy enough," he said.

"All right," I said. "Team one, raise your hand if you're a prisoner this round." I lifted my hand.

Monique and Max immediately surrounded me. I smiled sweetly at them and accepted a quick kiss from Lara. "You know she's going to find us," I told them.

Monique whispered into my ear. "Scarlett isn't the only one who is the target of a crush."

I laughed and ruffled Max's hair.

"Not him," Monique whispered again, and she was grinning. I hugged her quickly.

"Do you want to go in fur?" she asked. "You'll be warmer, won't you? What does your fox weigh?"

"Thirty pounds or so," I said. "But I won't let the two of you carry me as a fox. There's nothing to hang onto."

"Will you cooperate if I carry you solo?" she asked. I eyed her. A human girl of twelve wouldn't be able to run with me without risking dropping me, but I thought Monique wouldn't have a problem.

"All right," I said. "As long as it's not by my scruff."

"I won't hurt you," she promised.

I nodded and shifted to fox. A minute later, Serena howled the start. Monique bent over, and I let her gather me into her arms. She rolled me onto my back, cradled in her arms, and I huffed at her. She laughed and said, "Max, go!"

It was jarring being carried like that while she ran, but no worse than when Lara throws me over her shoulder. We ran straight for five minutes, then Max came to a stop and turned to face Monique. I began huffing when Monique began to give me to him, but she said quietly, "You have to be quiet and cooperate." She draped me over him so I was looking over his right shoulder, hanging on with my front paws while he cradled the rest of me. It was actually reasonably comfortable. Max immediately turned right, and I didn't see what Monique did.

He carried me to the edge of a frozen pond before setting me down in the thick rushes along the shore.

"Was that okay?" he asked quietly. I chuffed even more quietly, standing up and looking around.

"No," he said. "You have to lie down."

I looked at the snow. Twenty minutes in the snow was going to get cold, but I lay down obediently.

Monique joined us with seconds to spare. She sat down next to me. Max prowled around a little, then settled down as well. Benny howled the start, which earned him some chuckles from Monique and Max. His howl was almost as bad as mine.

"This is fun," she said to me. "But Lara won't have any trouble finding us."

I chuffed agreement. Even I would have had to work a lot harder than Monique had done to lose Lara, and with only a few minutes to do it, I don't think I could lose her.

"Although I did lead a trail right to another group," Monique added with a grin. "Maybe they'll catch her."

It was possible but unlikely. Still, I thought it was clever of her. I didn't know whether Lara could follow me, as Max had carried me at the end, or if she would follow Monique, who had been carrying me.

After that, Monique and Max talked quietly. I paid some attention to them but used my ears to hear how the game was going. It was boring to wait, but I didn't think it would take Lara very long to find me. I wondered if she would take her time to let the kids have a little more fun.

I couldn't hear that much movement; we were well spread-out, and most of the wolves were outside the range I could hear them when walking quietly. But several minutes after Benny had howled, I heard a wolf approaching quickly from the direction Monique had come, and I recognized Lara's tread. I remained very quiet, but she tracked straight to me.

I exchanged licks with my rescuer, then Lara howled my rescue. We gave Monique and Max a pair of licks each before we began herding them back to the compound.

We played four games total before clustering around the bonfire to compare notes.

"Does this game show promise?" I asked.

"Yes," said Francesca. "But I think it's going to be difficult to make it even."

I looked around, searching faces for dissent. Some of the kids looked a little unsure. "Lily," I finally said. "Did you want to say something?"

"No, Alpha," she said immediately.

I frowned at her. "Lily," I said. "What did you like about the game?"

"It was fun to kidnap people," she said. "It was fun being kidnapped, at least at the beginning. It was fun searching."

"What didn't you like?"

"Waiting."

I smiled.

"When we play the tennis ball game," Derek said, "we play games in the courtyard while we're waiting, either while we're waiting to go search, or when we're waiting for the searchers."

After that I let people come to their own conclusions, not offering more to say, and withdrew into the background. Lara saw me doing it and raised an eyebrow, gesturing with her nose that there were clearly things left unsaid. I shook my head just once and stepped further back

So Lara stepped forward and said, "If people want to play with the rules of this game, we can see if we can make it into one we want to play more. Just make sure you agree on the variations of the rules before you start a game."

After that we enjoyed the bonfire, exchanging stories and eating snacks.

Back at the cabin, while Lara was feeding Rebecca and Celeste, I found myself accosted.

"Why that game?" Elisabeth asked.

I smiled sweetly but didn't say anything.

"Therapy," Lara said.

"Partly," I admitted. "Desensitization."

"You got weird when we started talking about the boring parts," Angel said.

I looked down at little Celeste, cradled in one of Lara's arms, sucking away at a breast. Angel sat down next to me. "Michaela?"

"Hmm?"

"You're telling us something, but I'm not sure what."

"Am I?" I asked.

"Did playing the game help?" Francesca asked softly.

"I don't know," I said. "Probably not. It wasn't a real kidnapping, after all."

"Do you want us to play more?" she asked.

I didn't have an answer for that, either. I leaned against Lara's arm and cradled Celeste with her instead.

"Other than bride nights," Karen asked, "and Michaela, has this pack had any other kidnappings?"

"No," said Lara.

"I've been on rescue missions before," she said. "Some were successful; some were nothing but payback." She knelt down and looked me in the eye. "This wasn't a casual game for you."

"No," I said, returning her gaze. "It wasn't."

"Why this game?" Elisabeth asked again.

I glanced at her but still didn't have an answer.

"There's not a simple answer, Sister," Lara told her. She looked at me. "Do you know why you picked this game?"

"Maybe I'm clutching at straws," I said. I looked down. "Maybe I don't want to be the only one. Maybe I want all of you to know what it's like. But I don't think I can make a game that would give you more than the tiniest glimmer."

"Can you tell us?" Francesca asked.

I looked around the room. "Serena, did you have a ransom night?"

"Yes," she said.

"Were you scared when they took you?"

"No," she said. "I was laughing, at least until they gagged me." She smiled. "I got to cut their hair." She had gotten away from her kidnappers and then surrendered afterwards.

"So, no adrenalin involved?"

"Maybe a little," she said. "About the same I get from climbing into an airplane with you."

I stared at her, trying to decide if she was teasing me or serious. Finally I shrugged.

"Imagine a ransom night when you don't know what was going on," I said. "When the people you trust most are suddenly treating you far differently than you ever would have expected."

"Are you still upset about that?" Lara asked.

"No. But imagine."

"I'm sorry," Angel said quietly after a minute.

"Long past, Angel. I'm not blaming anyone. I'm trying to ask you to imagine."

"Your heart was pounding out of your chest," she said. "The entire time. You calmed down in the car a few times, but we could smell your fear. We kept trying to take your fear away."

I looked away. "Not my best moments," I said.

"No one blames you," Lara said. "That was my fault."

"It was all your faults," I said. "Well, maybe not Karen and Serena. But the rest of you, yes. I should have understood. But we're past that. I'm not trying to dwell. Have any of you been as afraid as I was on my ransom night?"

"Yes," Serena, Elisabeth, Lara and Angel said immediately and simultaneously.

"When?"

"For me," Serena said, "the day you were taken from me. I imagine you were more scared."

"No," I said. "I was angry, very, very angry. And deeply disgusted. They were such cowards, and I was sure they were plunging both packs into war. That made me very angry."

"The night of the coup attempt," Elisabeth said. "I was terrified that night."

I reached out and clasped her hand. Then I released her. Rebecca was done eating, and I took her from Lara. We cooed at each other for a few minutes before I let Scarlett take my baby from me.

I looked up at everyone, finding most of them watching me.

"Don't worry about it," I said. "It was an experiment. I don't think it worked. I hope no one had a horrible time."

"There's something you're not telling us," Angel said.

"Maybe," I said. "If so, I'm sure you'll figure it out." I paused. "Look, it was just a game. Okay? We're making too much of it." I took Celeste from Lara and she buttoned up. I held Celeste for about ten seconds before Angel was pulling her out of my arms.

I would have told them more, but I wasn't really sure about any of it myself. I wanted them to imagine. I wanted them to understand me a little more, but I didn't think I could even express it myself, much less to anyone else.

New Year's Eve arrived. The nearly two weeks had done wonders for Lara; she had fully recovered her strength from the birth.

Our love life was doing very well, too.

During the celebration, I announced the winners for the fishing contest. Thomas won the kids' prize and was tickled pink. Alan won for the teenagers. And Benny, in spite of only spending part of the time with us, won the adults' prize. There was some minor muttering about him being a ringer, but that was squashed when Eric and Rory congratulated him wholeheartedly, saying, "It's nice when the fox makes these games. Everyone has a chance."

"Even a human?" Benny had asked.

"Even a human," Eric said.

It was gratifying to see Benny being accepted.

Most of us stayed until early on January second, with a few families leaving the day before for work the next morning.

It was lovely to be home.

And it was time to plan.

 **Departure**

I spent the first two weeks in January making arrangements. In bits and pieces, I moved the things I would need to my office at the school. I stashed an "emergency pack" in the car, which theoretically were the things someone would need if one were stranded in a ditch during a Wisconsin blizzard. I hadn't driven a car alone in some time, and perhaps people thought it was odd I was preparing the way I was, but no one actually said anything to me about it.

I also found time to research my target. I needed to be careful; I wasn't sure what breadcrumbs I might leave for Gia to notice. I did only minimal research, and I buried it amongst so much other web research that hopefully it wouldn't be obvious.

I started taking one or the other baby for a post-feeding walk, getting Lara used to going to sleep afterwards.

Finally, I decided I was ready.

"I love you," I told Lara. "You're so beautiful when you feed them."

"Yeah, yeah," she said. "It's dark. You can hardly see."

"Honey, will you love me forever?"

She sighed. "Yes, Michaela. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," I said. "I never want to hurt you."

She studied me as I sat cross-legged on the bed, watching her. "Are you thinking of having another affair?" she asked me. She was grinning while teasing me into a good mood.

"I was hoping for a threesome with, um... Someone. I'm sure there's someone in the pack you'd want a threesome with."

She chuckled. "I'm sure there are worst ideas you could come up with, but for the life of me, I can't think of any."

I took Rebecca from her. She needed to be changed, so I took care of that. I bounced her around a little, making sure to get a good burp, and the baby was soon fast asleep. I set her back in her crib. By the time I was done, Celeste was finally done eating.

She was noticeably bigger than her sister.

"Are you sure Rebecca is okay?" I asked.

"She's fine," Lara said.

I changed Celeste and bounced her, then stopped by the side of the bed and sat down. "Give Mommy Wolf a kiss, baby," I told the baby. I leaned her down to trade kisses with Lara. Then I took my own kiss from my wife.

"Go back to sleep," I said. "I'm going to take her downstairs until she's asleep."

"I can do it," she said.

"No, I'm wide awake anyway," I replied. "I love you."

We kissed again, and I listened as Lara settled back into the covers. I slipped out of the room and walked quietly downstairs, bouncing Celeste gently. Karen and Eric were both downstairs and looked up as I appeared. The enforcers had all gotten used to my appearances with a baby over my shoulder.

"I can take her," Karen said. "If you want to go back to sleep."

"Naw, she'll be out soon," I said. "This walk is more for me than for her."

"Can't sleep?" Karen asked.

I shook my head and let Karen hold the baby for a while. It was only a few minutes before Celeste scrunched her face for the last time and fell fast asleep. We waited several minutes, then I took the baby back.

"Good night," I said.

"Good night," they both wished me.

I crept up the stairs quietly and slipped back into the bedroom. Lara was on her side, sound asleep. I kissed Celeste once more and whispered to her, "Mommy is going to make sure you and your sister are safe. Mommy loves you, Celeste. Never forget."

I kissed Rebecca in her sleep, reminding her that "Mommy Fox loves you so much."

I stopped beside the bed, staring at Lara. Part of me wanted nothing more than to fold myself into her arms and confess everything I had done. I stared at her for a while.

I loved her from the depths of my heart.

Instead, I stepped quietly into the bathroom and gently closed the door. Equally cautiously, I opened the window, looked outside to make sure there was no one in sight, and slipped through the window. I closed it as far as I could while hanging most of the way out of the window, then lowered myself as far as I could before dropping to the ground.

I wondered why Lara didn't put bars over the window to prevent me from doing just what I had done.

It was a cold night, and I was dressed in nothing but my pajamas. I ran around the back of the house, carefully making sure no one was watching, then crossed the compound to the front door of the school. I slipped inside and made my way to my office.

Upon arriving, I pulled the things I would need from their hiding places. I checked the case containing the sniper rifle, which I had hidden in the ceiling panels. I had cash, maps, more weapons, and a few more clothes. I pulled on some clothes then sat down and wrote a note.

 _My dearest Lara,_

 _I am sorry. I know what I've chosen to do will hurt you very badly. I wish I could find another way. If all goes very well, I'll be back in a week. If they hide from me, it may take as long as a month._

 _Don't send anyone after me. This is something I must do alone._

 _We will never be safe when people believe they can mess with us and get what they want from doing so. Lessons must be taught. I cannot allow any wolves to believe they can kidnap a member of our pack and live to tell the tale. As long as any of them is alive, our babies are not safe._

 _I will make our babies safe._

 _I love you. I love Celeste and Rebecca. Please tell Serena I'm sorry._

 _If when I'm done, you will have me back, I will be back. If you can't love me anymore, I will understand._

 _Please forgive me._

 _Michaela_

I left the note on my otherwise bare desk where they would certainly find it. I then composed an email to Michele Lassiter asking her to make sure my classes were covered, letting her know where to find class notes.

I gathered everything and slipped from the school, wondering how long it would be before the alarm sounded. Would Karen and Eric hear my car? I had intentionally parked it further away from the house the last time I'd driven it. I guess I would have to see.

I loaded everything into my car from the driver's side, not wanting to open more than one door. Then I climbed in, started the car, and slowly, quietly pulled out of the compound.

No one chased me.

It's a three and a half hour drive from the compound north of Madison to Iowa City. But I stopped at two cheap auto sales lots on the way. I stole a pair of Iowa license plates at the first one; at the second, I stole a second set, but replaced it with the first set I had stolen. I put the stolen plates on my SUV. It was likely the first dealer would notice the plates were missing and report them. It was far less likely the plates at the second dealership would be noticed as having been changed. With luck, I had a safe pair of untraceable plates for at least a couple of weeks.

I finished my drive to Iowa City. I had already planned all my routes, but the maps I had didn't give me elevation information. What looked like good line of sight from a map could be hopelessly poor. Similarly, a concealed location may not be as concealed as it appeared.

I drove around Brody Mortens' neighborhood without actually pulling into the housing development. A half a mile away was a small commercial office building. I had checked, and it looked like some, if not all of the building was available for lease, meaning the offices should be vacant. Driving through the building, I found things to be better than I thought.

There was a berm between the parking lot and the street passing behind the building, complete with bushes growing along the top of the berm. I climbed out of the car bringing a pair of binoculars with me. Dragging a sleeping pad we use for winter camping, I climbed up onto the berm, lying on my stomach, the pad underneath me to protect me from the cold ground, and when I was barely poked above the top of the small hill, I turned in the direction of Brody's house. Peering through the binoculars, I could see the house I was sure was his. There was a narrow gap between other houses, but I could see most of the deck and one upstairs window.

I settled in to watch.

My phone buzzed shortly after. I slithered away from the top of the hill and pulled it out.

"Get back here!" was the message. It was from Elisabeth.

I called her.

"What the fuck! Michaela, get your ass back here!"

"I'm sorry, Elisabeth. Did you find my note?"

"Lara is beside herself, Michaela."

"As long as people think they can do what these people did, Elisabeth, we aren't safe. I'm not safe. More importantly, my babies aren't safe. What would Lara do if someone kidnapped Rebecca and Celeste? She'd do anything they demanded. I can't allow that. These people need to know if you mess with us, you die."

"That is Lara's decision," Elisabeth said. "Not yours."

"They are my babies too, Elisabeth, aren't they?"

"You are not alpha!"

I didn't respond right away.

"I didn't mean it that way," Elisabeth said eventually, somewhat calmer. "You know what I mean."

"Yes, Elisabeth, I do. I am not alpha. I know that. But I am Mommy Fox, and Mommy Fox is going to make her babies safe. And I am a hunter, and I am going to do what must be done to the wolves who think they can get away with hurting me, with hurting us."

"Please, Alpha," she said. "Come home. The pack needs you."

I sighed. "Elisabeth, I am a half mile from their house. I have line of sight to the deck."

"What good is that going to do? The first thing I did was check with Karen. She still has her sniper rifle. Whatever gun you have won't reach that far."

"It was hard, Elisabeth, but I found my own. I couldn't get a night scope though."

"Everything has been going so good, Michaela. You've been happy."

"I had a plan, Elisabeth. A plan to keep my babies safe. To keep me safe. To keep the pack strong. No one messes with the pack and wins. And they think they won. I am going to fix that impression."

"Michaela," Elisabeth said. "You haven't given Lara a choice. If you aren't back by noon tomorrow, she will be forced to declare you rogue and banish you from the pack."

I pulled the phone away and stared at it for a while.

"Michaela?" Elisabeth said. "Did you hear what I said?"

"Yes, Elisabeth," I replied, putting the phone back to my ear. "Tell me I am wrong. Tell me my babies aren't at danger because these people got away with kidnapping me. Convince me I'm wrong and I'll come home."

"They aren't any danger," she said. "They're going to implode. Half of them will be dead by the end of this year."

"What about the other half, Elisabeth? What about the surviving, desperate wolves. What about the stories they spread? I would have preferred swift, sure retribution. Instead, revenge will be served cold. But there will be revenge, and it will be sure and complete. Elisabeth, convince me the pack is safer if I let them live, and I will come home."

She took a breath but didn't respond to that. "She's going to banish you, Michaela!" Elisabeth said. "She won't have a choice. You've gone rogue. Her orders could not have been more clear."

A lump formed in my throat.

"Elisabeth," I said, "When they're older, please tell my babies how much I loved them."

 **One, Two, Three**

I didn't wait for a response. I killed the call and turned off the phone. There was nothing more to be said, after all.

I climbed back to the top of the hill. I watched.

It was another two hours before I saw the first out on the deck. I stared through the binoculars. The figure on the deck was definitely a wolf. He was so bundled up, I wasn't sure if it was one of the ones who had kidnapped me. But it was a male wolf, and as far as I was concerned, any males living in that house were fair game.

Most importantly, I had the right house, or at least I thought I did.

I waited. I watched. No one noticed me. No one disturbed me. What business existed in the office building behind me faced the other way, and no one came around the back.

I watched. I waited.

I saw more wolves periodically. I recognized one of my kidnappers. I saw a female I thought might be Emily; I wasn't sure. I would avoid killing any females, but if they died inadvertently, that was unfortunate. They may have tried to be kind to me, but they were all culpable in what had happened. We would have heard if Johnny Mack was dead, and if no one had killed him yet, then everyone here was to blame for it.

I watched a while longer, and then I slipped down the hill slightly, looking around. I needed a second location. I pulled a bandana from my pocket and tied it to a bush next to my hiding location, far enough below the top of the berm it wasn't visible from Brody's house.

I identified three likely locations. I moved down into my car, started it, and set the heater to high while I studied the maps I had printed. I made a decision and put the car into gear.

I drove six blocks, timing the drive. It was longer than I would have liked. But I found a quiet road, and right next to the road, a large, sturdy tree. I parked and climbed the tree, bringing my binoculars with me. It took me a minute to reach the branch I wanted. I turned away from the trunk and lay down across the branch, raising the binoculars to my eyes. I searched, and I found my bandana hanging limply from the bush where I had tied it.

I mimed taking a shot then descended from the tree as quickly as I could: five seconds. I ran to the car and slammed the door. Eight seconds. I checked the map of the area. I smiled.

I drove away carefully and found a hardware store where I bought the things I would need. I drove back to the tree and proceeded to nail boards into the side of the tree, forming a ladder. I wouldn't use it climbing back out of the tree but it would make it faster climbing up.

And then I got in my car and drove east back into Wisconsin. I changed my license plates, found a motel, and climbed into bed.

I woke in the late afternoon. I turned on my phone and collected the messages. I had three text messages from Lara: "Please come home so I can forgive you." The next was, "I need you, Michaela." The third broke my heart. "I will love you forever."

There were more messages from Elisabeth, Serena, Angel and Scarlett. They were all one form or another of ordering, begging, or cajoling me to come home.

The one from Karen was the most useful. "Don't wait after you fire. Don't admire your handiwork. Take the shot and run."

I listened to a few of the voice mails. There was only one from Lara. "Little Fox, please come home. Please don't leave me. I need you. Rebecca and Celeste need you. Michaela, I love you so much. Please come home."

"I love you too, Lara," I said out loud, fighting back the tears.

I drove to a clothing store and bought more clothes. I found a fabric store and bought a sewing kit. I bought groceries. I then drove two towns away, finding another motel. I never bothered checking out of the first. I didn't know if Lara would hire Greg Freund to find me. I didn't know if they could trace my cell phone. I was willing to let them catch me eventually, but I didn't want that to be too soon.

I spent a couple of hours making more preparations, using the sewing kit and clothes. I had dinner and napped, then left the motel at midnight. I drove into Iowa, found a quiet place to change the license plates, and called Angel.

"Michaela!" she said. She started crying immediately. "Please come home."

"Oh honey," I said. "You know I can't. Do you understand why?"

"You are being foolish. Lara is very angry."

"I know," I said. "Are you allowed to talk to me? I don't want you to get into trouble."

"For now," she said.

"As long as there are wolves who think we are weak, then we are all in danger, my babies most of all. These wolves think we are weak. I am about to disabuse them of that notion. I will not have my babies taken by wolves, Angel!" I said the last almost as a yell. Then I calmed down. "I'm sorry," I told her.

"Oh Michaela," she said. "We'll keep Rebecca and Celeste safe. You know we will. We'll keep you safe, too."

"Honey, I know you would try. But your job will be so much easier when I am done here."

Angel begged with me for a while. I let her. Finally she said, "Elisabeth is here. She wants to talk to you."

Angel didn't wait for permission. The next voice I heard was my sister-in-law's. "You are being foolish," she told me.

"Tell me I am wrong, Elisabeth. Convince me we're safer with them alive."

"We're safer with you a respected member of the pack!" she said. "We need you."

"I would have come home when I was done, Elisabeth. I would come home and accept my punishment. But I will not leave my babies in danger. I'm sorry."

"You're destroying Lara for your vengeance!" she yelled at me.

"My babies must be safe. I must be safe. No one messes with the Madison pack and gets away with it. The message must be clear. Lara didn't kill them all, so I am going to. If you have anything nice to say, say it. Otherwise we're done, Elisabeth."

She was quiet. We both were for a long time.

"I love you, Little Fox," Elisabeth finally said.

"I love you too, Elisabeth. May I speak to Angel one last time."

"Oh Michaela," she said. "Please come home."

"You know I can't. Please, let me speak with Angel now."

She handed the phone back to Angel. She was crying, and I heard Scarlett whimpering with her.

"Please, Michaela," Angel said.

"I'm sorry, Angel. I love you so much. Take care of your girl."

"No!" she said. "You're coming back!"

"I won't be welcome, Angel. I love you so much. Always remember that. Ask Elisabeth if you don't understand. I have to go now."

I hung up the phone and powered it off before it could ring again. Then I sat in my car and cried. Twenty minutes later, I drove away. I drove back to Iowa City and found a place I could park and sleep for a few hours. I made a cocoon in the back seat and tried to sleep.

It was still dark when I woke. I was warm in my little nest. I stretched. It was cold in the car. I climbed back to the front seat and started the engine, turning the heater on after giving the engine a chance to warm up.

I contemplated checking my phone for messages, but I knew it would be more of the same. I wondered if they even understood. How could they not? How could they believe my babies would be safe as long as there were wolves who thought they could hurt us with impunity?

The Iowa wolves would learn. I would teach them.

I chuckled at that thought. I was a teacher, after all. Then I grew sober.

I warmed up, grabbed a bite to eat, and found a gas station that was open. I used the restroom, then drove to my first location. I scouted carefully first from the car, then on foot. There was no sign my chosen location had received any particular attention during the day.

I pulled the things I would need from the car and set them into place. Then I retrieved my rifle. I bundled up in warm clothes, pulling a white blanket over me at the end. It wouldn't stand up to a serious look, but it might disguise me a little against the snow. Slowly I moved until I was peeking over the top of the hill. I found the correct house and settled in to watch.

It was after seven when I saw the first wolf on the deck. I waited patiently. That wolf went inside, and I saw no more movement for another half hour.

Then I saw a female step outside. She moved stiffly. I looked through the scope on the rifle directly into Kimbelee Morten's face.

She was still alive.

I watched her for a while, and then she moved back into the house.

I waited. It was cold, but I waited.

Another wolf came out, lighting a cigarette. I watched him.

And then I saw a male wolf standing at the upstairs window. I couldn't make out who it was, but I didn't care. I had two male wolves in my sights.

I chambered a silver round, took careful aim, took a breath, held it, then gently squeezed the trigger.

I didn't wait to see what happened. I immediately worked the bolt, chambering the next round. The one on the deck looked startled, and he was looking around; he must have heard the report from the gun, but he wasn't taking cover. I centered the crosshairs on his face, then lifted it for elevation, took a breath, held it, and squeezed gently.

The kick of the gun meant I didn't see the impact, but I took one quick look, and I knew I had gotten the second one. The evidence was clear. I wasn't sure about the first one.

I slid backwards down the hill, leaving my surprises behind, and ran to my car. I got in, started the engine, and was gone thirty seconds after taking my second shot.

I drove carefully but quickly to my second location. I left the engine running and took only my rifle with me. I climbed the tree, leaned out on my branch, and then waited, staring through the scope.

It took them ten minutes to find my first spot. There wasn't a chance of hiding it, of course, if they were at all determined to find it. The smell of gunpowder and fox would be overwhelming to a wolf nose. I watched as first one wolf, then two more prowled around my firing position; none of them was Brody Mortens or Johnny Mack. One of them was one of my three other kidnappers. I centered the crosshairs on his head, waited for him to pause, took a breath, and squeezed.

I didn't wait to see what happened. I beat my time from yesterday, driving away carefully.

I drove south for an hour, watching for a tail. I never saw one. I didn't want to remain in Iowa; I was sure the motels wouldn't be safe. I wasn't sure how much longer I was safe in Wisconsin, but I felt perhaps if Elisabeth caught me, at least she wouldn't execute me.

I turned east and drove into Illinois, then worked my way back into Wisconsin, well east of the border to Iowa. I drove to Madison, found a place to pull over, and turned on my phone.

It was full of messages. I ignored all of them. It was one-thirty in the afternoon, ninety minutes after the deadline Elisabeth had given me. I called Angel.

"Michaela!" she said when she answered.

"Hello, Angel," I said quietly. "Are you allowed to talk to me?"

"No," she said.

"All right. I don't want you to get into trouble."

"I'm not allowed to talk to you, but no one said I couldn't listen to you," she replied.

"Angel," I said slowly. "You've learned too many games from me."

"I have one message for you. If you called, I am to tell you to call Greg Freund."

"I can't afford him," I said.

"Lara told me to tell you to call him," she said. "Please, call him."

"All right," I said. "I'll call him."

"Will you tell me where you are?" she asked.

"I'm not in Iowa right now. I think perhaps I'm not currently very welcome."

"You got them already?" she asked. "Oh god, Michaela. Please come home!"

"I can't, Angel. I'm not done. And I'm too late."

"No! You come home, Michaela."

Instead of answering her, I told her a story from my childhood. A happy story. It was perhaps the only happy story from my childhood I had ever told her. When I got done, I told her, "I have to go. I'm pretty sure Elisabeth is trying to track me."

"Please call Greg Freund," she said.

"I will. Now, go report this phone call to Elisabeth so you don't get into trouble. You know they'll have your phone bugged, and mine too. So they know, but you go report it anyway."

"Please come home."

"Goodbye, Angel."

"Wait!" she yelled. "Don't stop calling. Please, Michaela. I need to know you're all right."

"Not for a few days," I said. "I'm going to find somewhere safe and hide for a while, maybe a week. I can't use my phone, or else I'll have to move again. Bye."

I hung up and immediately began driving, heading east. I drove for twenty minutes before calling Greg Freund.

"Hello, Michaela," he said.

"Are you allowed to talk to me, Greg?"

"The Madison alpha has indicated to me that one of her pack members has gone rogue. However, she also informs me that the Madison pack has no current ties or interests extending outside of Wisconsin, and if I were to take any contracts for the surrounding areas, she would not mind."

"I can't afford you, Greg."

"I was given to believe you perhaps had some funds available."

"Some, yes. But not the million you need."

"Perhaps you could use better intelligence gathering than you have at your disposal, Michaela."

"What would a hundred thousand dollars buy me, Greg?"

"I can monitor all their communications. I can also tell you if they move."

"Have you been monitoring them?"

"As soon as Lara called me yesterday morning. You stirred them up good."

"I wouldn't suppose it was Johnny Mack or Brody Mortens in the upstairs window."

"I'm sorry, no," he said. "Or if it was, you missed. We've heard both of them making calls."

"Greg, I don't know how to get the money to you. I moved it, but I don't know if Lara moved it back."

"Give me the account information, Michaela, and we'll see."

I dug some papers out of my bag and read the account information to him. There was a pause, and then he said, "The money is still there."

"Greg, Elisabeth tells me I am banished."

"I know," he said softly. "I asked the Madison Alpha if she would mind if I were to hire any former members of her pack. She told me she had no problem with that."

"Did you just offer me a job?"

"I believe I did," he said.

"Do you have to ask Daniel permission for me to enter his territory?" Lima Consulting, Greg's company, was based out of a compound near Boulder, Colorado. Daniel Bancroft was the Boulder alpha.

"Yes," Greg replied.

I thought about it.

"I'm sorry it's come to this, Michaela. Think about it."

"Greg, grab that money. I'm not going to need it. I'll take whatever intelligence you think is wise. If they move, I really need to know."

"I'll send you another phone," he said. "Where do you want me to send it?"

I thought carefully before answering.

"Michaela," he said. "I just took your money. I never stab my clients in the back. You are now a client. I won't report you to anyone else."

"I'm heading to Eau Claire to hole up for a few days. Let them be on high alert for a while."

I heard keyboard tapping. "There's a motel east of Eau Claire." He gave me the name and directions. "How are you on cash?"

"I'm good," I said.

"Don't use your credit cards," he said. "And Wisconsin plates in Iowa are going to stand out."

"Already taken care of, Greg. Thanks so much. I have to go. I'm sure Elisabeth is surprised to see I'm in Madison and already has every enforcer in the pack heading my direction."

"Be careful, Michaela. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

We hung up and I powered my phone down, then turned around and headed for Eau Claire.

 **Four, Five**

The motel was exactly where Greg said it would be. This was the big test. If he was lying to me, I could expect company in the next few hours. I checked in and climbed into bed.

I was pretty sure he wouldn't sell me out to Iowa; I wasn't sure he wouldn't sell me out to Lara. I needed to know.

I woke up six hours later to peace and quiet.

I stayed at the motel for four days, venturing out only for meals. I received the phone from Greg and got daily status updates.

"I don't have any ears on the ground," he said. "This is strictly electronic. But they are electronic idiots; they never change out their phones. I am pretty sure your main targets haven't left the house."

"Is anyone from Madison asking about me?" I asked him on the last day.

"No," he said. "What do you want me to say if they do?"

I was disappointed.

I had photos with me of Lara, the babies, Elisabeth, and Angel. I spent a lot of time looking at them. I brushed the photo of Lara with my fingertips a lot. I kissed the babies a lot.

I missed them all terribly.

I called Greg on the last day. "Greg, am I wrong?"

"About what?"

"About my babies being safer if these wolves know what happens when they mess with us."

He paused before answering. "No, you're not wrong."

"Greg, when this is over, I want you to spread the word. I want you to let every wolf pack in the country know that the Madison wolves are under my protection."

He started laughing.

"It's not funny!"

"Oh, Michaela, it certainly is. A fox protecting wolves. That's funny as hell."

"I'm hanging up now!"

"No, Michaela, don't. I'll make sure the other packs all know. How much may I tell them?"

"Tell them I am like a ghost. Tell them they won't see me coming. Tell them I have faked my own death six times so far. Tell them I killed my first wolf when I was six and have..." I counted briefly. "A hundred and eleven so far."

"Seriously?"

"Yes," I said. "Seriously."

"Michaela," he said. "There were rumors, about ten years ago, of a fox in New England."

I didn't say anything.

"You're that fox."

"No one messes with me, Greg. No one!"

I drove to Iowa City late that night, arriving at four AM. I found a spot a quarter mile away, loaded the gun with standard rounds, but had a clip of silver handy, and stepped out of the car. I kept the engine running and the car turned towards my escape route. There was no one on the streets. I threw a foam pad over the hood of the car, leaned down, worked a round into the chamber, and looked through the scope at the front of the house.

I put a round through one of the three visible security cameras. Then, working carefully, I took out the other two, catching my cartridges as I worked the bolt. I took out the security lights. And then I emptied the rest of the clip into the side of the garage, not caring what I hit.

Then I calmly got back into the car and cautiously drove away.

Total duration from first shot to driving away: forty seconds.

I crossed back into Wisconsin at Prairie Du Chien. No one followed me. I swapped the plates again and returned to Eau Claire. My phone rang when I was halfway back.

"Busy fox," he said. "You missed that time."

"I wasn't aiming at anyone," I said. "Do you suppose they'll be on high alert for a few days."

"I would think so," he said. "Do you know what you're doing?"

"Winging it, Greg," I said. "Any sign the police are looking for me? I made an awful racket."

"And yet, somehow, you got away with it. Your luck won't last."

"I don't need too much more," I replied. "Anything I need to know?"

"They're buttoned down tight," he said. "That's all I know."

"Good," I said. "Have they called Lara?"

"Not through any channel I am monitoring," he replied.

"They must know it's me," I said. "There would be fox scent all over."

"Would you like me to call Lara?" Greg asked.

"No," I said. "It doesn't matter."

I slept for a few hours then got up for a meal. I drove west an hour and called Angel.

"Hey," she said when she answered.

"Can you talk?"

"I can listen," she replied.

"I'm fine. Please, tell me, are my babies okay?"

"They miss you."

"They miss being wolf pups. I think perhaps they'll figure out how to shift all on their own much earlier than most wolves do. They know it's possible."

"They miss you," she said. "Everyone misses you."

I didn't respond to that. I sat on the phone. "Anyway. I'm fine. I'll call you tomorrow."

I drove back to the motel and slept for a few more hours. Then I returned to Iowa City, again changing into the Iowa license plates. I approached from the west. I found a secluded location to park, stripped out of my clothes, and shifted into fox. I shrugged into the harness I used to carry things while a fox, and I went hunting.

It was four AM. Watchers would be sleepy, alertness having faded hours ago. I circled Brody's house, a mile away, listening very carefully. I did nearly a full circle before I thought I heard someone. I heard a brief scraping sound, perhaps the sound of someone scuffing at the snow with his boots. I listened carefully, and it came again, giving me a direction and distance.

I moved south, then east, listening very carefully, but hearing no other noises. I took my time, then slowly moved north.

I heard him again. He wasn't very good at remaining quiet. I stopped and listened for a good fifteen minutes. I could hear small noises from the houses around me, the furnaces running mostly, and a car drove past now and then.

I moved closer to the noise, closing to within forty yards directly downwind before I saw him; his back was turned, and he never saw me. A large male wolf was watching the street where I had fired from last night. I watched from cover. Every now and then, he scuffed at the snow with his boots and stamped around a little, perhaps trying to stay warm. He wouldn't need to worry about that much longer.

I stepped away carefully, silently, and disappeared around the nearest house. I shifted into human, grabbed two knives from the harness, and then crept back around the house. He had his back to me, and I didn't see any weapons. I picked my path, deciding I could get within ten yards while remaining in cover.

It was cold being in skin, but this wouldn't take long.

I moved closer, fighting to remain silent, choosing each step carefully. When he stomped around again, I moved quickly, closing the distance.

He sensed me right at the last moment and spun around, but I closed the last few yards in a rush, ducked under his attempt to fend me off, and slammed a dagger into his leg, ripping open his femoral artery.

I cut off his scream with a slash across his throat, earning myself a grotesque, bloody shower.

The wolf dropped to his knees, then fell onto his face.

I ran back to my harness, stuffed my knives into it, then shifted into fox. I ran back, brushing away at my footsteps. I brushed away all signs of me, then I ran.

If the humans found him, it would leave them with a puzzle.

I made it to my car. I shifted to human, threw the harness into the car, and quickly cleaned myself in the snow. I jumped into the car and drove away. Ten minutes later, sure no one was following me, I slowly worked my way back. I was very careful, but I drove right past where the body was lying in the bushes. There was no sign it had been discovered yet. I got out, looked around, and found a place a few blocks away with line of sight with this location.

I drove there then waited, first loading silver rounds into the rifle then watching through the binoculars.

It was another two hours before they sent anyone to check on their fallen wolf. I saw another wolf, still on two feet, approach the body. I waited for him to make a call before rolling the passenger window down. I sighted through the rifle scope, chambered a round, and squeezed.

That was four and five.

My ears ringing for hours, I drove carefully away.

 **Six**

I called Greg after I had cleaned up.

"Any sign of human activity?"

"None."

"Anything else I need to know?"

"Nothing you can't guess," he said. "They aren't discussing their plans over their phones, but every indication is they aren't moving on."

"Any sign they're calling in for reinforcements?"

"Yes, but they aren't getting any." He paused. "Lara called."

It was my turn to pause. "What did she want?"

"Nothing in particular," he said. "She said they had refugees."

"From me?"

"Not specifically. More people running from Johnny Mack."

"Was she telling me something?"

"Maybe that the wolves aren't supporting them."

"All right. Any idea how many enforcers are left?"

"Maybe three or four," he said.

"Thanks, Greg," I said.

"Michaela, she doesn't ask about you, but she knows if there was anything she should know, I would tell her."

"Thanks, Greg," I repeated. "I'm going to go now."

I climbed into the shower and cried.

Afterwards, I was too tired to drive anywhere to call Angel. I slept through the night. I stayed in the motel the next day, eating cold meals in my room.

I couldn't imagine it was going to get easier. I didn't like using the gun, but because they were so heavily armed, I had little choice of my own.

I stayed another day at the motel before returning to Iowa City.

I spent four hours scouting the area before taking up a new location. I couldn't see the deck from my new location, but I could see two upstairs windows. I hunkered down and watched.

I got cold.

I got bored.

But still I watched, listening the entire time.

When the sun began to brighten the eastern sky, I climbed back into my car and drove back to Wisconsin.

It was three more nights before my luck changed. Someone became complacent. Someone stood backlit at the window.

I squeezed the trigger slowly.

I drove to Superior via Minnesota, stopping only in out-of-the-way places for gas. I found another motel and slept until noon.

I called Greg. He had no news or me. "They aren't moving."

I drove into Minnesota and called Angel.

"You were supposed to call days ago!" she said. "I've been frantic."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Lara will forgive you if you come home."

"She banished me, Angel."

Angel didn't respond to that.

"Where are you?"

"Right now? Duluth. I'm not staying, of course."

"There's a wolf pack in Duluth, and they aren't very nice."

"I know," I said. "I'm not staying. Maybe I'll go to Bayfield for a few days. Do you think Elisabeth would look for me there?"

She laughed weakly. "She will after I tell her what you said."

She had to report the conversations, and I understood that.

We talked for a few more minutes. I asked her about school. "You don't really think it's going well, do you?" she replied.

"I'm sorry."

"I know," she said. "Haven't you hurt them enough?"

"I promised them they would all die, Angel. I won't chase after the enforcers, but Johnny Mack and Brody Mortens are going to die."

"I wish you could just challenge them," she said. "You said Johnny was slow, that you could beat him."

"If I thought they'd accept, I'd do it," I replied. "But they're both cowards."

After that, I told her to get back to studying, and to hug Scarlett for me. She was about to hang up and I said, "Angel. Kiss my babies for me, too."

"Come and kiss them yourself," she said, hanging up before I could respond.

I stayed in Superior for a week, mulling over my choices. Finally I called Greg. "Do you know the Dubuque alpha?"

"I know of him," he replied. "They stick to themselves."

"Could you contact him on my behalf?"

"Yes," Greg said. "What do you want?"

"I want him to referee a challenge."

The line grew silent.

"Would he do it?"

"I don't know."

"Would I be walking into a trap?"

"Not if I send an observer," he said. "He'll want to know what's in it for him."

"If I die, he'll have the gratitude of the Iowa City wolves. If I win, he'll be rid of a dangerous neighbor. Either way, he wins."

"I'll call him. It might take a few days."

"I'm just chilling," I said. "Let me know."

It took three days before Greg got back to me. "He'll do it."

"Well then, let's find out if Johnny Mack is less of a coward than I think he is."

I hung up with Greg and drove back to Duluth. I used my phone to call Brody Mortens.

"You bitch!" he screamed at me.

"It's nice to hear your voice, Brody," I said. "How is your sister?"

"Fuck you! Your alpha promised me no retribution."

"I promised you would all die, Brody. But if it's any consolation, I'll make sure Johnny Mack isn't alive to terrorize Iowa."

"What do you want, Michaela?"

"Brody Mortens. You are unfit to rule. I hereby offer challenge."

"You're insane," he said.

"I presume it will be your champion against mine."

"You mean against Elisabeth? I don't think so. If you want us, come and get us."

"No," I said. "Against me. One little fox. Is Johnny Mack afraid of me, Brody? Are you? I'm one little fox. I'm tired. I want this over. I bet you do too."

"Sure," he said. "Stop by. We can do it here, any time," Brody suggested.

"No thank you. I was thinking about a refereed fight. Say, Dubuque? Think about it. I'll call you tomorrow." I hung up before he could respond, powering off my phone.

I spent the night at a motel in Spooner. I called Greg in the morning. "Any news?"

"Brody Mortens called Will Walters after you talked to him."

"Will Walters?"

"The Dubuque alpha."

"And?"

"Will offered to host a challenge."

"Does Mr. Walters know I'll be using silver knives?"

"Yes. He won't allow you to bring any guns with you, but he won't take your knives."

"And he'll make sure Johnny Mack is equally disarmed?"

"Yes."

"How soon can you have an observer here?"

"Wendy can be there with six hours warning. You understand; she is only an observer. She will report to me. You're not paying enough for a full guard detail."

"I understand, Greg. What will you do if Dubuque fails to fulfill the promises?"

"Kill them. And they know that."

"I'll call you back," I said.

I used my phone to call Brody. "So, Brody. Thought about my offer."

"We accept," he said immediately. "Maybe you should drive home to Madison and kiss your babies goodbye."

"I'll take that under advisement. I will have observers. Do you understand?"

"Who?"

"Lima Consulting. This will be a fair fight."

"It will be a short fight," he said. "You're not going to last ten seconds against Johnny. If he were easy to kill, I'd have done it already."

"Well, either way, you get rid of a problem, don't you?"

"Noon, tomorrow," he said. "Say your prayers."

I called Greg back and made final arrangements. Then I called Angel.

"Hey," I said.

"Hey," she said quietly.

"This will all be over by one tomorrow afternoon," I told her.

She started crying quietly. I heard Scarlett in the background, and there was some fumbling with the phone.

I talked quietly, not sure if either of them was listening. I told them how proud I was of both of them. I thanked them for their friendship over the last two years. I promised them they would have good lives.

I didn't promise to call them again.

Finally Scarlett picked up the phone. "We love you, Michaela. Everyone loves you."

"I love you, too."

I drove back to Eau Claire for the night.

 **Challenge**

Wendy flew straight to Dubuque. I waited in my car, hidden well away until I heard from her.

"I have checked out the challenge ground," she said. "I can not promise you no treachery, but I have not detected any." She gave me directions.

I arrived fifteen minutes early, approaching by the agreed path, hoping I wasn't driving into a trap. I pulled up in front of a warehouse building near the Mississippi River waterfront. I saw wolves waiting, including Wendy.

I came to a stop fifty yards away, studying them. If they were going to take me out with a sniper, they had a chance. I didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean anything. Finally I pulled forward and parked.

Wendy stepped forward, waiting for me. I checked my wrists and ankles one last time, making sure I had easy access to my weapons. I was wearing loose jeans and loose sleeves in my shirt. Lara's belt was wrapped around my waist. I had two chopsticks in my hair.

I was as armed as I could be.

I locked the car after climbing out of it. Wendy smiled a grim smile. I stepped forward, but we didn't hug.

She was there as an observer, not a friend.

"Hello, Alpha," she said.

"Not alpha anymore," I replied. "Just Michaela."

"Hello, Michaela," she said. "You have arrived first. Your opponent will arrive from the other side. The Dubuque pack promises a fair fight with no interference. You will be searched for firearms and explosives, and then we will step inside. Your opponents will be similarly searched."

I nodded. "I will keep my knives."

"Yes," she said. "This is understood."

And so I stepped forward. Two wolves, both male, stepped forward. I held my hands away from my sides, and they began a very thorough search. I stood there silently, accepting it. If they were being this thorough with me, perhaps they were being equally thorough with the Iowa City wolves.

They let me keep all my weapons.

We made our way inside where Wendy introduced me to a moderately large wolf with grey hair. "Michaela Burns," she said. "This is Will Walters."

"I am pleased to meet you, Mr. Walters." We shook hands.

"I have met Johnny Mack, Ms. Burns," he said. "This will be a short fight. You are very foolish."

"Perhaps," I said. "But at least after this afternoon, this issue will be resolved for me."

He led the way deeper into the warehouse. There was a large open space, free of any obstacles barring the support pillars. They wouldn't be much use to me, but I didn't expect to need them. I studied the area, anyway. There were a dozen wolves surrounding the area, loosely spaced.

"Do you mind if I look around?"

"Suit yourself," he said. "Remain where I can see you."

I nodded. I walked the room, watching for dust, cracks in the floor, debris, or anything else I would want to know about. The floor was uneven in a few places, but otherwise there was little of note. I finally returned to stand next to him and Wendy.

"Your opponents are arriving," he said. "Please wait here."

The Dubuque alpha crossed the open space, heading for another door opposite the one I had used. I waited, my heart starting to pound in anticipation.

"Calm down," Wendy told me immediately.

"Am I throwing off fear scent?"

"Yes. This was a mistake."

I imagined Johnny as large, fast, and invincible. I imagined him as the most terrifying wolf I could ever encounter. After another minute, even I could smell my own fear.

It was several minutes before Will Walters reappeared leading Brody and Johnny Mack. No other wolves entered the room. The three of them approached halfway across the room and waited.

I turned to Wendy. "Thank you."

She studied me. "I'm sorry to see this day."

"Have faith, Wendy. You trained me well."

"Not well enough."

I shrugged then turned and crossed the space to stand before Brody. I made sure they saw my hands were shaking.

"I could smell your fear from across the room," Johnny said from beside him. "Your death is going to be very painful!"

"There will be no interference," Will said. "This fight is to the death, either that of the fox or the two wolves."

Brody looked at him sharply.

"My wolves will keep all this to a one-on-one fight," Will went on. "The observer from Lima will not be allowed to interfere. No one will be allowed to interfere. There are no firearms in this building, but I have sharpshooters on the roof, and any late arrivals will be met with extreme violence. Are there any questions?"

"No."

"Return to opposite sides of the room. You will begin when I howl."

I backed away, watching as Brody and Johnny also backed away. Four of Will's wolves stepped up to Brody and four more stepped up to Wendy. Wendy glanced at them but didn't comment. Brody didn't appear pleased, but he also didn't say anything.

Will stepped back, clearing the space, then asked firmly, "Ms. Burns, are you ready?"

"Yes," I said.

"Mr. Mack, are you ready?"

"Damned right I am," he said.

Will Walters howled.

I stepped forward cautiously. I expected Johnny to charge me. Instead he strode forward purposely, his eyes never leaving me. I rested my hands on the handles of my knives, then stopped and waited for him.

Johnny stopped five paces from me and said, "No one has stood up to me in seven years. I can taste your fear, but you have more courage than any of the enforcers in the pack."

"I didn't realize you would recognize courage," I said. "Let's get this over with."

He charged.

He was fast, faster than I was expecting. I scrambled to evade him, barely slipping past him. I didn't draw my knives.

He spun, just as fast, and I scrambled away again. He pursued, pursued, pursued.

He was nearly as fast as Lara. He was nearly as fast as Elisabeth. He was much, much faster than I had expected after the slow punches he gave when I was their prisoner.

He kept up the pursuit, never quite reaching me, never making a mistake, and I backed away in a circle, avoiding him, avoiding his leaps and lunges, avoiding his attempts to grapple with me.

I made a mistake and he managed to trip me, but I rolled away and jumped to my feet before he could reach me. I backed away.

Then I made another mistake, and he managed a punch against my ribs. I flew away from him, my ribs cracked but not broken.

He let me climb to my feet. Everyone heard while the ribs cracked back into place. I healed them. I don't believe anyone understood what that meant. I wheezed as if it was difficult to breathe.

"That has to hurt," he said. "I bet it slows you down."

I grimaced, waiting for him.

I slowed down, staying barely away from him. I still hadn't drawn my knives. Twice more he managed glancing blows, each of them knocking me away from him, once I slid for ten feet before coming to a stop.

He let me climb to my feet. I did so slowly.

Then I stood there, panting, my face a rictus of pain, and Johnny approached slowly.

"I heard something about Chicago," he said. "I actually thought you might be something to worry about. I guess I was wrong."

He rushed me, and I didn't resist when I collected me in his arms. I didn't resist when he began squeezing me.

He didn't resist when I pulled my knives from their sheaths and slit his throat. Then, to make him release me, I slammed them down into both biceps. He dropped me and I rolled away from him.

He stood there for a moment, gawking at me, his mouth opening and closing, but not saying anything.

"Beat by a fox," I said. "A tiny little fox. You pathetic, cowardly asshole."

I stood up straight, healing the last little damage. "And I am unscratched," I said to him quietly. I breathed slowly and evenly in front of him.

He fell over and lay still.

I calmly stepped up to his body and pulled my knives from his arms where I had left them. Then I slit his throat more deeply, just to be sure, although the growing puddle of blood was telling.

I wiped the bottom of my shoes off on his shirt, stepping away from the puddle of blood, and turned to Brody.

He was staring at me, not moving. So were the other wolves.

"My name is Michaela Burns," I said firmly. "I am your best friend or your worst nightmare. I may no longer be a member of the Madison pack, but they are under my protection."

And then I began stalking Brody Mortens.

He tried to run.

The Dubuque pack didn't let him. They guarded the exits including two wolves in fur at each door. I couldn't run faster than Brody could, but I followed him around relentlessly, taunting him.

"You started this, Brody," I said. "Now it's time to finish it."

Finally Will Walters grew tired of the chase. He gestured to his wolves, and six of them corned and captured Brody. They pulled him back to the center of the room where I waited calmly. Then his wolves set up a circle, leaving Brody on his knees in the middle.

"Get up," I told him. "I promised you would die for what you did, but I have made sure Johnny Mack will not be a problem for anyone else. A death at my hands is cleaner than you'll get elsewhere."

Slowly he stood. And then all at once, he rushed me.

I stepped under his lung and let his own momentum bury one of my daggers in his chest. I wasn't sure whether I got his heart, so I pulled a knife from an ankle sheath and waited for him.

He went down to his knees. I stepped up behind him and slit his throat, then I slammed my knife into the top of his skull.

I broke my hand in the process, but I didn't care.

Brody fell over and I stepped away, panting.

I glanced at both bodies. I was sure they were both down. "Mr. Walters, would you be so kind as to have your wolves verify this issue has reached a conclusion."

He gestured, and four wolves stepped forward. They rolled each body over, and it was clear I had been thorough. One of the wolves pulled my knives from Brody then crossed to me, handing them to me.

"Thank you," I said.

"This issue is concluded," Mr. Walters declared.

I nodded to him. "I thank you, Mr. Walters, and I thank the Dubuque pack. The Iowa City pack, or whatever is left of it, is now short one alpha."

"I thought you were claiming it for Madison," he said.

"No, I am not. How Iowa wishes to be ruled is up to the wolves of Iowa. But if any further strife reaches Wisconsin from Iowa, I will return. I would rather not do so."

"If you do, it won't be to Dubuque," he replied. "We mind our own business. We are not interested in the goings on of anywhere but the area immediately surrounding Dubuque."

I bowed briefly to him. "Might I ask two more small favors? Is it possible to clean up before I depart? And once I gather my things, could you arrange for my vehicle to be returned to Madison?"

"There are bathrooms," he said. He gestured, and a wolf stepped forward. I followed to a staircase up to a second floor at one end of the warehouse. I was shown to the bathroom, where I cleaned as best I could. I cleaned my knives as well, returning them to their sheaths, and then followed the wolf back downstairs.

Will, two of his wolves, and Wendy followed me to my car. Wendy collected the case with my sniper rifle. I collected my clothes. I then handed the car key to Will.

"Are you not returning to Madison?" he asked.

"I am not welcome," I said.

He nodded. "I will contact your alpha and arrange for your car to make its way there."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Walters. And thank you again for hosting this event."

He nodded, and I followed Wendy to her rental car.

It wasn't until we were in the air that I began to sob.

 **Part Two**

 **Boulder**

Greg met Wendy and me at the airport when we landed. Along with him were Daniel and Brooke Bancroft, the Boulder alpha and his daughter and heir.

Daniel officially welcomed me into his territory but verified I was not applying for membership in his pack.

"No," I told him. "I am not a wolf."

The Lima Consulting compound was east of boulder, out in the scraggy plains. Greg gave me a brief tour.

Compared to the pack lands, the compound was small, consisting of the land that would formerly have been a farm, perhaps, one square mile. There were several buildings devoted to housing, a mess hall which doubled as a movie theater, a squat building with offices, and a variety of buildings devoted to training. There was a gym, a track, a rifle range, and an obstacle course.

I was introduced to Donna Olson, a human who "runs the compound with extreme efficiency." She took over from Greg and showed me to a small but comfortable room that was to be mine whenever I was at the compound. She gave me the schedule for meals and other activities.

"The gym is always available," she said. "The hours for the firing range are posted at the range." She ran over a few more rules then asked if I had any questions.

"I'm sure I will," I said.

"The rest of the day is yours. Greg wishes to meet with you in the morning; he will want to debrief you on your recent activities."

I nodded dully, and Donna left me to myself.

I took a shower and climbed into bed, curling into a ball. I had made my babies safe, or at least safer, but at a cost I would rather not have paid. It all settled in; I was banished. I was no longer welcome in Wisconsin. I may never see Lara again. I may never see Rebecca and Celeste again. I had lost my mate, my babies, and all my friends, everything that mattered to me

I hadn't felt this alone in nearly three years.

I eventually slept, and once I slept, I didn't wake for fourteen hours.

When I did wake, it was to knocking at my door. I stumbled from the bed and answered it. Wendy was waiting there. I blinked at her.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I thought you would be up."

"What time is it?"

"Six-thirty," she replied. "You have time for a quick shower and a bite to eat before your debrief."

"Five minutes," I said. "I don't have much in the way of clothes."

"Whatever you have is fine," she said.

I gathered a few things and stumbled down the hall to a shower I shared with my most immediate neighbors. I showered quickly and dressed even more quickly before following Wendy to the mess hall.

There were only a few people eating. "Am I behind everyone else?"

"Not that many people are in residence right now," she said. "Some days this will be full. Other days it's like a ghost town."

I nodded, collected a small plate of food, and ate quietly.

Wendy escorted me to Greg's office. "Do I need an escort?" I asked her.

"No. But perhaps a guide."

We knocked, and she showed me in. "Thank you, Wendy," Greg said to her. I stepped in and took the chair he indicated.

"I already asked Wendy about the events from yesterday," he said. "Congratulations."

I shrugged it off. I didn't feel much like I had won anything.

"This is going to take some time. Do you need anything?"

"No, thank you," I replied.

"If you need a break, say so. If you need something to drink, ask."

I nodded, and the questions began.

I spent most of the day with Greg. His questioning was very thorough. He asked for an overview of everything, and I told him about my planning, how I had left Madison, and briefly what I had done in Iowa. After that, he drilled down, extracting every possible detail from me. He took notes on his computer the entire time.

We took a brief break every couple of hours but ate lunch in his office.

By late afternoon, we had analyzed every detail and discussed what I had done correctly and what I had done wrong.

"I do not like the way you fought Johnny Mack," he said at the end.

I shrugged. I had won. That's all that mattered to me.

"Wendy told me you were terrified."

"I wanted them overconfident," I said. "I did everything I could to make sure I smelled insanely terrified. I don't know if it helped make him overconfident or not."

He nodded. "Unless you have anything else, I believe I have everything. I am going to print out a summary of events, and I would like you to sign it. I just need a few minutes."

I sat back and waited while he worked at his computer. Ten minutes later, his printer began making noises, and then he slid a stack of paper to me. I skimmed through them. "Initial each page and sign the last one," he said. "If you see errors, let me know."

Everything seemed accurate.

"You may have a few days to settle in," Greg said. "You will start additional training on Monday. I may have missions for you very soon."

"What should I expect?"

"I don't know yet. You'll need to be flexible for now."

I nodded. I was fine with flexible.

"I have a small amount of paperwork for you." He pulled a manila file folder from his desk and extracted the top page. "Donna will have more, but I handle this form myself." He slid it across the table to me. "The death benefit for all our employees is an even one million dollars. We need to know who to pay it to."

I glanced at the paper.

"Do you need to think about it?"

"Of course not," I said. He handed me a pen, and I filled in two names: Celeste Elisabeth Burns and Rebecca Angel Burns. I added contact information and handed it back.

Greg barely glanced at it. "Please fill in the alternates."

I didn't like the implications; we would only need alternates if my babies were dead. I looked at him with pain in my eyes, but nodded. I listed Lara, Elisabeth, and Angel. There was room for one more and I wrote in Bree Callahan. I checked the box that these were to be considered one after the other, not sharing. If something happened to me and the babies, then Lara would receive everything.

Greg looked it over before sliding the single sheet of paper back into the manila folder. "I expect you to do what you must to make sure I never pay this out, Michaela."

I took a breath and nodded.

I spent the next several days wallowing. I missed Lara. I missed my babies. I missed my friends.

I was terribly miserable.

I ate; I slept; I took care of my most immediate needs. By the weekend, I asked for directions to the gym. I worked myself until I dropped.

On Monday I received a notice to report to the gym at nine. My training began.

I spent Monday shuffled between various Lima Consulting employees, all wolves, all much, much bigger than I was. I decided they were probably all ex-military. They evaluated my hand-to-hand skills, my physical prowess, and my ability with weapons. They didn't seem impressed.

By late afternoon, I was beat. I had just gotten my ass handed to me in another sparring session. Greg stopped by, Wendy in tow, and one of the wolves asked, "Why is she even here?"

The four wolves gave Greg a rundown of my shortcomings. "She can barely shoot," one said. "She knows nothing about procedures," said another. "Her combat skills are, at best, poor," said a third. "She has no strength, even less reach, and her technique is amateur."

I hung my head. Everything they had said was right.

"Cameron," Greg asked of the last one. "What's your body count?"

Cameron puffed out his chest. "I don't like to brag."

"I believe yours is the highest here, isn't it?" Greg asked.

The four wolves conferred with a look, then Cameron said, "Yes."

"What is it?"

"Twenty-seven," Cameron replied.

"Jordan?" Greg asked.

"Seventeen."

"Bryce?"

"Eleven. Three were wolves."

"Wait," I said. "Cameron, how many of yours were wolves?"

"Four."

"How many of those four were in hand-to-hand combat?"

"None."

Greg grinned at me. "Michaela, what is your body count?"

"One-hundred and sixteen," I said.

"She's lying!" Cameron exploded.

"How many were wolves, Michaela?" Greg asked.

"One-hundred and sixteen," I replied.

"She's a fucking liar!" Cameron said.

"How many were in hand-to-hand combat?" Greg asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I suppose it depends upon how you define hand-to-hand combat. I usually prefer to lure them into traps."

"Wendy," Greg asked. "How many wolves have you personally witnessed Michaela kill in single combat?"

"Four," she said. "All males, all huge. One of them jumped her with no warning. The other three were challenge fights."

"Bullshit!" Cameron said.

Wendy stood up straight and stared at him. "Are you calling me a liar?"

"Well, no," he said immediately.

"Michaela," Greg asked. "How many times have you shifted today?"

"None," I said.

"So in spite of this underwhelming vote of confidence, you didn't need to heal?"

"Cameron broke my ribs," I said. "And my wrist. I healed them."

"Bullshit!" he said. "She never shifted."

"That's what I said," I replied. I sighed and turned to Wendy. "Break my arm."

"No," Greg said immediately. "Perhaps a less violent demonstration will suffice."

I nodded. Wendy pulled out a knife and walked up to me. I held out my left arm, expecting her to cut my hand. Instead, she plunged the knife into my forearm.

"Damn it!" I screamed. Wendy stepped back, her knife embedded in my arm. I hissed and pulled the knife out. Blood poured from the wound. I focused on it and slowly it healed. When it was done, I slumped. "I'm going to need to eat soon," I said, panting.

"Fuck," said Cameron, staring at my arm.

"Michaela, why did they give you such a poor combat rating?"

"Because I wasn't using my knives," I said. "I wouldn't want to hurt them."

Cameron scoffed.

Greg tossed me a knife. I was still holding Wendy's, my blood coating the edge. I caught the one he threw me. "Cameron," Greg said. "Try not to let her kill you."

He flew at me.

I barely evaded. I was sore, tired, and needed food.

But he was a wolf. He was slow.

I ducked under him, slashing with Greg's knife as I slid past him, scoring a cut on his side. I stabbed backwards with Wendy's knife, embedding it in his buttocks. He spun, howling and pulling the knife from my hand.

"Michaela normally has four," Greg said. He threw me another knife, which I caught.

Cameron wrenched the knife out and came after me with it. He was good, of course he was. I evaded him but took a punch in my side and went flying.

I healed the cracked ribs as soon as I was on my feet.

"I need food for this, Greg," I said quietly.

"Don't get hit again," he replied.

Cameron came after me. I avoided him, backing away, ducking, twisting, moving backwards in a circle.

"Greg, I don't want to kill him!"

"Your knives aren't silver," he said. "He'll heal."

I barely avoided a slash from the knife, then didn't quite avoid the next. I hissed as Cameron scored a line across my forehead.

I backed away. "Fuck this," I said. When Cameron launched his next attack, I slashed his knife arm rapidly, scoring four long, deep slashes before he even registered the first. I slammed the knife in my left hand into his gut but didn't press towards his heart. Then I spun around behind him, leapt up onto his back, and ran the hilt of the other knife across his throat.

Then I backed away, panting.

Cameron slowly turned around, a hand to his throat.

"I used the hilt," I said. "It might hurt, but you're not dying. And I didn't go for your heart. Greg, end this."

Greg stepped forward, interposing himself between Cameron and me. "Go heal," he said quietly.

Cameron nodded.

"We're done today," Greg said. "Wendy, get Michaela cleaned up and some food into her. We'll discuss this tomorrow."

Tuesday morning, a very subdued Cameron gave a fair and accurate appraisal of my skills. It was far more positive than the one from Monday afternoon. When he was done, Greg asked, "All that, and the reason she is here is for her scouting abilities."

They made a training plan. It involved weapons, unarmed combat, and various forms of skulking and hiding. I wondered if they had hiding tricks I didn't already know.

Over the next week, I discovered they did. But I had a lot they didn't know. I didn't share.

I performed poorly with the handguns. The wolves tried to teach me, but I just did poorly. But there were humans on Greg's team, including a small woman named Gina Fisher. Gina saw me on the firing range and stepped over. She watched for a while.

"Bryce," she said when I had emptied another clip. I was hitting the target, but I was firing slowly and my groupings were poor. "Why are you giving her such a big gun?"

"It's the smallest I have," he said.

Gina nodded then pulled a gun from a shoulder holster. She checked it, pulling the clip and ejecting a round from the magazine, then handed me the gun. She inserted the round back into the clip and handed that to me.

It was a small gun, and when I looked at the rounds, they were small, too.

"Twenty-two," she said. "Try it."

I slid the magazine into the handle of the gun, chambered a round, and then sighted down the firing range at my target. I squeezed off a shot. Then three more. Then I emptied the clip. The slide locked back, letting me know the magazine was empty.

It was a lot of rounds.

When I was done, I was smiling. I had just emptied the entire gun into a group far tighter than anything I had done so far. I turned to Gina and smiled.

"It's small," she said. "It won't punch through body armor. It can easily bounce off a think wolf skull. But it's small and accurate. Load it with silver rounds and you can easily take down a roomful of wolves. Just make sure to put several rounds into each.

I turned to Bryce.

"I'd rather you carried something with some real stopping power."

"I'd rather stick to my knives, but if I have to carry a gun, I would prefer something I can shoot."

He nodded. "I'll get you one."

"She can have that one," Gina said. "I have more, and it's company issue. But you'll need to get your own holster."

After that, I practiced daily with the gun. I grew comfortable firing it at a variety of distances and conditions, but I never grew comfortable carrying it.

I trained heavily through the end of the week and into the weekend. This kept up until lunch on Sunday. Greg stopped by my table where I was eating alone, quietly. He sat down.

"I need you in my office at three today," he said. "I believe I have an assignment for you."

"Already?"

"Yes." He paused. "We haven't talked about this. You have a short temper."

"I've kept it in."

"I know. But you are going to meet a client today."

"Greg, you aren't going to make me do something I find distasteful, are you?"

"No. But the client is a little high strung."

"I'll be polite," I replied.

I went back to my room, cleaned up, and found a clean set of clothes. I arrived at Greg's office a few minutes short of three. The door was open.

"Good," he said. "Come with me."

Greg led the way out of his office, down the hall, and to a conference room. When he arrived, Donna was there with several other humans. I was the only were in the room. One of the humans was a small woman, although several inches taller than I am. She was dressed simply, but her clothes were expensive, and she was quite attractive, with a fit figure and stylish hairstyle.

Donna introduced Greg to Suzanne Waters. She didn't introduce me. Greg, Donna and Suzanne sat down. Greg gestured, and I took a place behind and to his right. The three other humans took places around the room. I decided they must be bodyguards. Greg ignored them, but I kept an eye on them.

They watched Greg. They paid no attention to me. The woman did, taking glances at me periodically. She caught me studying her and smiled a warm, friendly smile.

"Suzanne," Greg said. "You wish to visit Washington DC. You wish to travel without attracting the sort of attention you usually receive. You wish a bodyguard that will not stand out as a bodyguard. Have I summarized?"

"Yes," she said. "Your previous guards have been quite adequate, if intimidating. They don't have a clue how to blend."

I knew what my mission was to be.

"So you wish someone less..."

"Big," Suzanne said.

"You wish someone who may appear to be something other than what she is."

"Yes." Suzanne looked at me. "Her?"

"Michaela Burns," Greg said. "Suzanne Waters."

I stepped forward and shook hands with her. Her grip lingered, and she ran the fingers of her left hand up the skin of my wrist, stopping when she encountered the wrist sheaths with my knives.

"What is this?" she asked. "Some sort of brace." But she was smiling, and she hadn't released my hand.

"No, ma'am," I said. Greg could explain if he wanted to.

One of the men scoffed. All three looked at me dismissively. The one who scoffed said, "The studio won't allow this."

"It is not the studio's decision," Suzanne replied.

"Studio?"

"Suzanne's stage name is Suzette," Greg explained. I hadn't heard of her, but I wasn't up on the latest pop culture.

"Perhaps you've seen my latest movie," Suzanne said. "Dust and Blood?"

"I'm sorry," I said. "I don't get out much."

She studied me. I finally pulled my hand away from her. She frowned. "You really don't have the vaguest idea who I am?"

"I am sorry," I said. "Is that a prerequisite for the position?"

She smiled. "No."

"Being able to protect her is," the scoffer said.

I eyed him, then dismissed him. He was big, but he was only human.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order," Greg suggested. I sighed. "Michaela, protect Suzanne."

Greg nodded, and the three men rushed towards Suzanne. I yanked her behind me, meeting the first one as he rushed towards us. I ducked under him then threw him over my hip. He flew across me and took down the second man.

The third pulled a gun and began to level it towards me.

I blocked his gun towards the ceiling; it wouldn't due to duck under it, as Suzanne was behind me. I hammered his solar plexus twice, then jabbed my fingers into a bundle of nerves in his right shoulder before taking the gun away from him. I ejected the clip to the floor, worked the slide to eject any round in the magazine, and dropped everything to the ground.

I kept track of Greg and Donna. Donna reached into her jacket, and I was immediately in front of her. I dashed my hand inside her jacket, withdrew the gun she was about to pull, and dropped it to the ground behind me. Then I pulled a punch to her throat and pushed her backwards where she tumbled onto the table.

Then I worked the men over.

"Michaela," Greg said, and I froze, backing away.

The men slowly climbed to their feet, watching me warily. I retrieved Donna's gun, helped her to her feet, and handed it back to her.

"Sorry about that," I told her.

"Why didn't you kill her?" Greg asked.

"She might not have been threatening Suzanne," I said. "What if she were a cop, trying to help?"

"Any questions, gentlemen?" Greg asked. He was smiling.

They each eyed me warily but stayed well away from me. Still, I kept myself between Suzanne and any threats. She crowded behind me, not quite touching.

"Suzanne?" Greg asked.

"What's your name again?" Suzanne asked.

"Stand down, Michaela," Greg told me.

I relaxed the tension in my body, calmed my breathing, and then turned around to face her. "Michaela, ma'am," I said.

There was a scuffing sound behind me. I spun, catching a knife one of the guys had thrown at me. I eyed the knife. It was fine craftsmanship. "Thank you for the gift," I said. "I'll add it to my collection."

"Shit," one of the men said. "She's fast." He looked at me. "May I have that back?"

"Suzanne?" Greg asked again.

I didn't turn around this time, not even to glance at Suzanne when she put a hand on my arm.

"She'll do," Suzanne said.

"Very good," Greg said.

"Michaela," Donna said. "I will meet you in your room in thirty minutes."

"Yes, ma'am," I told her. I took another look at the knife. It was heavier than I cared for. I tossed it dismissively on the table and headed for my quarters.

Donna took me clothes shopping in Boulder. She bought me a variety of outfits, each designed for different situations. "You will be expected to blend," she said.

"What does that mean?" I asked.

"Look like her companion, not her bodyguard."

In two brisk hours, I acquired a fresh wardrobe. I missed my wardrobe from home.

I missed Lara, Celeste, and Rebecca.

Donna returned me to my quarters shortly before dinner. Greg stopped by my quarters after dinner. He stayed for twenty minutes, giving me more information I would need.

"She's contracting you for a week," he said. "She may extend that." He handed me an envelope. "Two new credit cards. You probably won't need them. Suzanne's primary bodyguards will be on loose duty, covering the locations you visit, but not hovering too closely. You will stay plastered to her side."

"What if she chooses to dance or something like that?"

"Stay as close as you can without looking obvious," Greg replied.

"Fine," I said.

"Sometimes celebrities like her have stalkers. We dealt with her most recent stalker, so you shouldn't need to worry about that. Your biggest threat will be overenthusiastic fans. Try not to rough them up. That tends to lead to annoying lawsuits."

"Greg, I haven't had any training in this. I could protect her against real threats better than fake ones."

"You are a natural diplomat, Michaela," he said. "I have complete faith in you.

We left the next morning.

 **Capital City**

We flew by private charter, of course. Suzanne's studio guards handled most of the arrangements, and they seemed professional enough about it. I did what Greg said. I plastered myself by her side and tried to give the appearance of being her friend. I smiled at her, chatted amiably, and never stopped using my ears or eyes to scan for threats.

Suzanne used a limousine service for transportation around the DC area. They met us near the side of the plane. The bodyguards searched the limo, then I checked it myself. We checked in to the hotel and promptly left for lunch, Suzanne barely taking a moment to touch up her appearance.

I had learned the three human males were Evan, Frank and Paul. Paul seemed to be the senior of the three. We left Evan and Frank to secure the hotel.

In the car I asked her, "Why don't you travel with a retinue? Isn't that what most stars do?"

"This isn't enough?" she asked, gesturing between Paul and me.

"I guess I don't know how these normally work. This is my first time guarding a major celebrity."

"Well, you're probably right. My costars always seem to have no end of people hovering around. I don't care for that. I love acting. I love being in the movies. I love the things my success brings. I don't like being a celebrity."

"You had to expect it before I got into it."

"I didn't realize what it would really be like. Everyone wants something from me. I can't go on a date without wondering if the only reason she said 'yes' is because of who I am. I can't trust anyone pretending to be a friend, because they all want something."

"What about friends from before you became famous?"

She looked away. "I spent several years as a raving bitch," she admitted. "I'd like to think I learned some modesty. The initial fame was a heady experience." She looked at me. "You don't seem impressed by me."

"You're very attractive," I admitted. "But I've never seen any of your movies, and I don't seem to be star struck."

"You must want something from me. Everyone does."

"I want you to let me protect you," I said. "I probably won't have to, but if I ever tell you to do something, I want you to do it without asking questions. I want you to trust me to do my job. I won't tell you how to make movies. I expect the same consideration."

She eyed me carefully. "I almost believe all that," she said.

I shrugged.

She didn't want me acting like a bodyguard. She tried to treat me as a girlfriend. It started the moment we pulled up in front of the restaurant. She took my hand.

I didn't make a scene, but I quietly whispered, "Treat me like a cousin, not a girlfriend. If I need that hand, I don't want to ask permission to use it."

She released my hand, but she still crowded me.

In the restaurant, we both sat at the table. Paul waited outside, close if we needed him, but not intruding on Suzanne's lunch.

"He's never done that before," Suzanne said. "He's always hovered. I think you frightened him."

"If he wants to meet frightening, he should meet my sister-in-law."

"You have a brother?"

"No. My wife's sister."

She looked away. "Your wife."

"Yes. We're going through some issues right now. I don't know if they're going to get better or not."

She perked up. "I understand."

I ate sparingly. No one bothered us.

We spent the afternoon touring the monuments. Everything was so different than if Lara and I had been here. If she and I had come, the enforcers would have thoroughly checked every venue before letting us from the car. Paul exited first, but all he did was a quick scan and then stayed relatively nearby. I stayed close to Suzanne and kept an eye on people, but no one paid her much attention.

While standing in the James Madison Memorial, I quietly asked her, "Are you sure you're all that famous?"

She laughed. "I'm normally wearing less clothes and more makeup. I can't go outside near home without being recognized, because people are expecting celebrities. But here, no one is particularly looking for me, and there are so many other things to draw their attention. Everyone is looking for a congressman instead."

I glanced at her. "You definitely don't look like a congressman."

"Thank you," she said with a smile.

She was recognized at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. I heard her name from behind me and stiffened.

"You've been recognized," I said.

"If they make a scene, get me out of here," she said. "If they're polite, I don't mind talking to them."

I nodded.

She put her hand on my arm. "You aren't responsible for whether or not people recognize me."

I nodded again.

I rotated around so I could keep an eye on her. I found a couple watching us, a man and a woman pushing a stroller. They looked to be in their upper twenties. I identified Paul and gestured for him to come a little closer. He worked his way to us slowly.

The woman said, "I'm sure it's her."

"I admit it looks like her," the man said. "But what would she be doing here, and I don't see any bodyguards."

I turned my back on them and put up a "stop" gesture to Paul. He looked like a bodyguard. I didn't. Then I turned to Suzanne and partially draped myself over her arm. "Don't clasp me," I said. "But look comfortable with the affection."

"That won't be hard," she said.

"They aren't sure. Do you want to make their day?"

She smiled. "Sure."

I led her closer to the couple, listening to their conversation.

"It can't be her. What celebrity goes anywhere without a wall of bodyguards?"

"Hand them your camera and ask them to take a picture of us," I told her.

She grinned at me. I got us closer, and then we turned to the man. "Would you take our picture?" she asked him, holding out the camera.

"Sure," the man said.

Suzanne wrapped an arm around me and smiled. The woman gulped. With or without guards, Suzanne has the smile of a star, and the woman recognized the smile. The man took several photos before handing the camera back.

"Boy or girl?" Suzanne asked, gesturing to the stroller.

"A girl," the woman said. "Her name is Daphne."

"What a beautiful name," Suzanne said. "Could I hold her?"

"Um." The woman said. "Sure. If you want."

"Please," Suzanne said. We waited for the woman to pull her baby girl from the stroller and place it carefully in Suzanne's arms. Suzanne held the baby properly. I raised an eyebrow.

"I have a nephew," she said in explanation. "But I never get to babysit." She looked down at the chubby faced baby.

Mine were far more beautiful.

"Maybe you would like some pictures," I suggested. "I could take them." I stepped closer to the woman. "If you say her name too loudly, she'll get swarmed. Please, she just wants a quiet afternoon."

"Is it really-"

"Yes."

"Where are her bodyguards?" the woman asked.

I smiled sweetly. "Please don't take any pictures of me."

I took the camera from the man. Suzanne stood between the couple, still holding their baby and looking down. She rotated the child slightly so I could see her face. I took a handful of photos before handing the camera back.

Suzanne kissed the baby on the forehead before handing it back. "Enjoy your stay," she wished them, and I pulled her away.

"It was her," the woman said quietly to her husband. "She held our baby! Suzette held our baby and kissed her!"

"We should maybe get out of here," I said. "I don't know if she's going to get louder or not."

We made a decorous departure.

Dinner was a dress up event. I had a little black dress to wear, which Suzanne pulled from the closet and insisted was perfect. "I can't carry my weapons," I told her.

"You can't carry them tomorrow, anyway," she said. "We're visiting my congresswoman."

I wore the LBD and felt naked.

Dinner was quiet. Suzanne looked tired afterwards. I caught her yawning.

"I'm sorry," she said. "Long day. I wanted to go dancing, too."

I didn't at all mind that we went straight back to the hotel afterwards.

It grew awkward from there. Our hotel room was beautiful, but it was still a single bedroom with a single, king-sized bed. Suzanne expected me to share the bed with her. Instead, I slept in the chair.

It would have been more comfortable if I could have curled up in my fur.

The next several days went much the same as the first. By and large, Suzanne went unrecognized, but when she was, she was gracious but we beat a hasty retreat.

I got a call from Greg. "You made Facebook."

"I made Facebook?" I asked.

"Well, Suzanne did. You are conspicuously absent."

"Is she holding a baby?"

"Yes."

"I was holding the camera."

He laughed. We discussed things professionally for a while. Then he asked gently, "How are you doing?"

"Fine," I said crisply.

"Michaela, it's me. How are you? Honestly."

I didn't answer right away. "I want to go home," I said in a small voice. "Is she ever going to forgive me? Will I ever be able to go home?"

"I don't know, Michaela," he said gently.

"Should I call her?"

"Focus on your job there," he said. "She knows how you feel."

"How does you know that?"

"Because I told her."

I was quiet all day. Suzanne noticed and finally dragged me into a coffee shop. "All right," she said. "I've told you everything about me. I want to know about you."

"I'm your bodyguard, Suzanne," I said. "What else do you need to know?"

"Well, today you're a downer, and I want to know why."

I had been scanning the people in the coffee shop. I looked at her for a moment, then went back to doing my job. "I am sorry, Suzanne. I will strive to be more pleasant."

She didn't say anything but drank from her coffee. I felt her eyes on me. "There's something about you that doesn't make sense," she said. "You are small and beautiful. I love your hair."

"Thank you," I said.

"It's very striking. And no way were you ever in the military, not with hair like that."

"I could have been out for a while," I suggested.

"Military types always look the same," she said. "And none of them look like you."

I shrugged.

"How did you get good enough to beat my guards? They must be twice your size, but you made them look like fools."

"Maybe I had better training."

"Maybe Paul is an ex-Navy SEAL," she said. "There isn't any better training."

"I'm sure that's what he chooses to believe," I replied.

"Michaela, you will answer my questions."

"You should have this conversation with Mr. Freund, ma'am," I replied.

"Do not ma'am me," she said. "I thought we got that out of your system on the first day!"

I glanced at her. "I have faster than normal reflexes. It comes with my small body; there is less distance for the signals to travel, so I can react faster."

That was utter hogwash. I wondered if she would buy it.

"You didn't even doubt you could take them," she said. "I saw the way you looked at them. I am an actress. I am a professional at reading people."

"Then you tell me."

"You're not human."

"Oh?" I asked. "Then what am I?"

"I don't know. A space alien."

I chuckled.

"Or. Um. A vampire."

"We've been outside a lot," I said. "Don't vampires burn in daylight?"

"Maybe you're a very old vampire," she said. "They can go out in daylight."

"I didn't know that," I said. "I'm sorry, I'm only thirty-something."

"Thirty-something?" she asked.

"A girl has to have some secrets," I told her.

She laughed. "All right. You're not a vampire." She studied me. "You're not military."

"And I'm not a space alien. I'm just me, Suzanne. Your bodyguard. Isn't that enough?"

"For now," she said finally. "I'll drop this if you tell me why you're sad today."

"And never bring it up again?"

"No. I won't bring it up until the next time I need to blackmail you into telling me what I want to know."

I smiled. "I miss my babies," I told her. "That's all."

"You have babies?"

"My wife has babies. We have babies. Um. You know what I mean."

"Why are you here with me then?"

"She kicked me out of the house. I did something she didn't want me to do."

"So?"

"I did something she really, really didn't want me to do."

"What?"

"Something illegal."

"Oh," she said. She didn't say anything for a while, and I thought perhaps that was the end of it. "Did anyone get hurt?"

"I can't answer any questions on that, Suzanne."

"Did the people who got hurt deserve it?"

"Yes."

"Does she know that?"

"Yes."

"Then she'll forgive you," Suzanne said simply. "Give her time."

I looked away, watching the people in the coffee shop. We were getting a few looks.

"We need to go," I said. "We're gathering attention."

"I know," she said. "They're watching you, not me. One of them is about to ask you for a date."

I glanced over to see one of the guys accept a nudge from his buddies.

"My god," I said. "Are they even out of college?"

Suzanne glanced over. "Twenty-five, but you're hot. I'd do you in an instant. If, you know, you weren't a mommy and all."

The guy worked his way through the room, coming straight towards us.

"Time to go."

"I'm not done drinking my coffee," Suzanne said, leaning back in her chair and smiling sweetly at me.

"It's time to go, Suzanne," I repeated.

"Agree to answer my questions and we'll go."

But then the guy was there, staring at me. "Hi," he said.

"Hi," I replied.

"Have we met before?"

I glanced at him. "Are you a guard at Maryland Correctional Institute for Women?"

"What?" He said. "No. I'm Congresswoman Delancy's aide."

"Ah, then we probably haven't met," I said.

The guy couldn't have backed away faster, fleeing to his buddies. Suzanne was silently laughing.

"Seriously," she said. "That's what you came up with?"

"I had to think fast," I replied, scanning the room. "May we go?"

She nodded. I disposed of our coffee cups, and she took my arm as we exited the coffee shop.

"We've talked about this," I told her, freeing my arm.

"Is that where you learned how to fight?" she asked.

"Where?"

"Prison?"

"Maybe," I said.

She took me to a nightclub that night. It made me nervous, but the light was dim, and she assured me no one was going to recognize her. I wore my LBD again.

"Don't you have anything better?"

"Sure," I said. "I have a full wardrobe back at the mansion, but I think my wife would scratch my eyes out if I showed up. Or yours."

"Mansion?" I asked.

"Sure," I said. "Don't I look rich?"

She looked at me, cocking her head. "I can never tell when you're kidding."

I sighed. "If I were rich, would I be your bodyguard?"

"Maybe you're an adrenalin junkie," she suggested.

"There's skydiving for that, or Wal-Mart for Christmas shopping."

She laughed.

There was a line at the club. Suzanne led the way to the back of the line.

"Don't you cut the line?" I asked.

"Only if I want to be recognized," she said. But then she eyed me. "But maybe you can get us in." She smiled sweetly. "Come on. Let's see what you can do."

"We can wait in line," I told her.

She smiled fiendishly at me. "Do you like to live dangerously?"

"I'm a bodyguard," I told her. "You tell me."

"If you get us in, I'll pay you an extra five thousand dollars."

"And if I can't?"

"Then you answer any of my questions."

"I don't think so," I said. "We can go somewhere else."

"Three questions," she said. "You answer three questions."

I studied her. "What three questions?"

"First question: what are your babies' names?"

"All right. Next?"

"What did you do that your wife kicked you out?"

I thought about it. "I'm sorry, I can't."

She frowned. "Okay. Tell me why you did whatever you did."

"All right," I said. "Last question?"

"Have you thought about sleeping with me?"

I laughed. "Fine. Come on." I pulled her to the front of the line, ignoring the protests from behind us. I got the doorman's attention and tried flirting with him.

I didn't have a clue how to flirt with a man, and I knew I was failing miserably. He watched me for a minute then turned away, letting one more couple in the door.

"Oh for heaven's sake," Suzanne said. Before I could respond, she pulled me into her arms and gave me a huge kiss, with tongue, right in front of the doorman. I struggled for a minute, and eventually she released me.

The doorman opened the door for us.

Suzanne brushed my lips with her fingers, brushing away a little dampness, then, giggling, pulled me into the nightclub.

It was dim, and the music was loud. Suzanne pulled me to a free table in the corner, and it was a little quieter. She flagged down a waitress and ordered wine. I asked for a diet soda.

"She'll have wine, too," Suzanne said.

"And the soda," I added.

I watched the crowed but spoke to Suzanne. "You can't do that again!"

"Why not?" she said. "It was nice. Didn't you think it was nice?"

"Lara is the jealous type," I said. "And I am the loyal type."

"She's not here to get jealous, and she threw you out," Suzanne said. "That makes you a free agent."

"Suzanne, don't do it again, or find another bodyguard. I mean it."

"Oh fine," she said in a sharp voice. "It wasn't that good a kiss anyway. You're sort of a limp fish."

I glanced at her, and she was grinning.

"Suzanne-"

"Relax, Michaela," she said. "You made your point. I will assuage my hurt feelings by making you work to do your job." She studied me. "If I get mauled, Greg will fire you."

I couldn't decide if she was serious. I shrugged at her. Let him fire me.

"You act like you don't care."

"I'm a survivor," I said. "I would get by."

The waitress returned with our drinks. I took a sip of my wine to be polite, then switched to the soda.

Suzanne pressed her leg against mine under the table. I glared at her.

"Hey," she said. "It's crowded in here, that's all." She drank more of her wine. "So, first question. What are your babies' names?"

"I got us in. You owe me five grand."

"I got us in," she fired back. "You owe me three answers. What are their names?"

I sighed. "Celeste Elisabeth and Rebecca Angel," I replied. "They're four and a half months old."

"Why did you do whatever it was you did?" Suzanne asked.

"It's complicated," I replied.

"That's not an answer."

"They were a threat to my babies," I replied.

She studied me. "Why were they a threat?"

"I answered your question."

"No, you didn't. You haven't told me anything. Why were they a threat?"

I looked away, watching the crowd. No one paid us any particular attention, and the corner table was sufficiently isolated we were, at least temporarily, safe.

"They were given to believe if they kidnapped our babies, my wife would pay them off."

"How did they come to this conclusion?"

"I have answered your question, Suzanne."

She looked away, taking a large drink from her glass. Finally she looked back at me. "I would have paid you if you had gotten us in. Do you usually renege on your debts?"

"I did something illegal, Suzanne," I said. "If I tell you too much, it could lead to trouble for both of us later."

"I'm not asking what you did. I am only asking you why."

"Because she's paid off before, okay?" I said hotly. "She had already paid them off once."

Suzanne's eyes grew wide. "For the babies?"

"No," I said.

"Do you have other children?"

"No."

"Oh god, Michaela," she said. "For you?"

I looked away.

We sat quietly for several minutes. Then she rubbed her leg against mine.

"Suzanne," I said, pulling my leg away.

"Have you?"

"Have I what?"

"Have you thought about sleeping with me?" she asked.

I turned back to her. "The only woman I want to sleep with is my wife."

"Have you thought about it?" she asked again.

"I already answered you."

"No, you haven't. It's a yes or no question. Have you thought about it?"

"Sleep, yes," I said. "The chair wasn't comfortable. Have sex with, no."

She smiled. "If you hadn't thought about it, you wouldn't be afraid of sharing the bed with me. It's a big bed."

"Suzanne," I said. "If my wife ever forgives me, she is going to ask me about what I did during this time. My wife can be very persistent in her questioning, and it can be very difficult for me to lie to her. I do not intend to have anything else to apologize for. I think I already have enough."

"Right, yes," she said after a moment. "I'm sorry." I felt her eyes on me. "I'm not used to someone turning me down."

"That's because everyone wants something from you."

"And because I'm just that amazing," Suzanne said, but she was smiling again.

"Well, Suzanne," I said. "I want two things from you. I want you to allow me to do my job. And I want you to stop giving me more things to explain to Lara later."

She held out her hand. "All right. Shake on it. I'll give you what you want if you give me what I want."

"Suzanne, god damn it!"

"Hey, you haven't even heard what I want."

"Fine," I replied. "What do you want?"

"Dance with me."

"Suzanne-"

"Dance. That's all. I won't stop flirting, but I'll keep it under control. And you can have the bed tonight."

"That's not necessary," I said.

"We'll share it. I promise to stay way on my side of the bed. We're both small, neither of us take much space."

I sighed and shook her hand.

Suzanne, by and large, behaved after that. Our first week drew to a close, and she told me, "We're going to New York for a few days. I want to go shopping." I called Greg and he told me to stay with her.

We went to New York in the morning. We had lunch and then went shopping. Suzanne bought several outfits for herself then insisted I try on a red dress.

"It goes perfectly with your hair," she told me. "And it's your size, I'm sure it is."

"I can't guard you from the dressing room."

"I guess I need to go with you then."

We fought over it.

"I'm going to win, Michaela. The sooner you realize that, the sooner we can get past this."

I growled and let her follow me to the dressing room. She waited outside my door and I tried on the dress. It fit perfectly.

"Let me see."

I opened the dressing room door.

"Wow!" she said after a moment. "Stockings and shoes and maybe a little adornment."

"Suzanne, no."

"We've talked about this, Michaela. What Suzanne wants, Suzanne gets. I'm tired of your LBD. We're getting the dress, and you must be properly outfitted."

Before we were done, she bought more clothes for me than she did for herself. She tried to buy completely impractical shoes for me, but I told her, "I won't wear them. I can't protect you in shoes like that."

"Will you stop fussing if I get you ugly shoes?"

I sighed. "Yes."

We stayed in New York for four nights. Suzanne kept her word. She flirted heavily, but she didn't get any more physically forward than she had been. If Lara ever took me back, I would have to explain one kiss, but I hadn't instigated it, and I knew in the scheme of things, she would forgive me for it.

I flew back with her to Los Angeles, riding with her in the limousine to her house. Her house was beautiful, of course, and I quietly admitted I was impressed.

Her main guards secured the house and then I escorted her inside. We left the bags for the hired help.

"You are officially off duty," she said, closing the exterior door. "We can let our hair down."

"I need to return to Boulder," I told her.

"Your flight is in the morning," she said. "It's late and the flight crew is tired."

She gave me a tour of her house. It was large, far larger than one person would need.

"I bought it when I had my large retinue and was throwing lavish parties four times a week," she said with a grin. "This is my room."

It was huge but tastefully decorated. I looked around. "You can stay here with me tonight, if you want."

"Suzanne," I said. "No."

"Fine. Party pooper. We could have a wonderful slumber party, but you're a prude." But she led me out of her bedroom and to the bedroom across the hall. "Yours."

"It's beautiful, Suzanne," I said.

"It could be yours for as long as you want," she said, eyeing me up and down with a grin.

"You're just looking for a conquest," I said. "It won't be me. I am immune to your charms."

"I bet I can crack your nut by midnight tonight if you stop saying 'no' all the time."

"No."

She laughed. "Why did I know you were going to say that?"

Suzanne and I had a nice time for our last evening together. She ordered Chinese food and we watched movies. She grinned at me and said, "You haven't seen my movies? Seriously?"

I laughed. "No. But tell me you aren't that vain."

She pouted. "I was just hoping the star power would wear you down."

"You were not," I said. "You like knowing there's not a thing I want from you, not even your body."

She studied me. "How about one of the classics, then?"

We watched a couple of Marilyn Monroe films and went to bed. In separate beds.

 **Supreme Betrayal**

I got back to Boulder late afternoon on the next day. It was Saturday, and I'd been gone nearly two weeks. I got picked up at the airport and had a debriefing with Greg right away.

"The client was very pleased," he said after extracting everything he could from me. "She says you are exactly the woman for the job and wants you on permanent retainer."

"I don't know what that means, Greg."

"She wants you on the next flight back to Los Angeles, Michaela."

"Oh." I looked down into my lap. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her something was coming up here that I needed you for, and we would get back to her after that."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Was it that rough?" he asked gently.

"She kept trying to lure me to bed."

He laughed. "And that would be so bad?"

"Greg," I said quietly. "I'm married."

"Even though she banished you?"

"Maybe she'll forgive me someday."

"All right," he said. "Your bank in Madison has branches in Colorado. Here is your balance."

He slid a piece of paper to me.

"How is it you have this information?" I asked.

He grinned.

I looked at the numbers. The number was one hundred, twenty thousand, and change. "I don't understand."

"We did almost nothing for your recent issues," he said. "I offered you a refund. Consider it a partial apology for not being there for you when you needed us. Plus your salary and bonus pay for the last two weeks."

"Bonus pay?"

"Our employees are paid a flat, although small base salary and bonus pay based on the jobs they perform." He gave me more paperwork, which I glanced through.

"Thank you," I said.

"Take the next few days off," he said. "I'll need you Tuesday beginning at ten AM."

"Do you have more to tell me?"

"We are facilitating a meeting between two pack alphas," he said. "You will be available and observe."

"Should I look for anything in particular?"

"I don't have anything in mind right now, but I will want your impressions later."

I nodded.

Tuesday morning rolled around. Wendy and Cameron met me at my room in the morning. I was dressed casually. Wendy took one look and told me, "Business casual. Change. Then we'll go to breakfast. You can bring your knives, but leave your gun."

I nodded and changed, and we went to breakfast. Over breakfast I asked them if there was anything else I needed to know about the meeting today. Neither of them had much to offer. It wasn't even nine by the time we finished breakfast, but neither of them seemed to want me to head back to my room.

"You can tell us all about Suzette," Wendy said. "Come on, we can head to my quarters. They're bigger."

"I'm not sure I am supposed to talk about my assignments," I replied, but I let them lure me to Wendy's room.

They tried to draw me out about Suzette, but I refused to answer their questions. We'd been there for twenty minutes before I finally asked, "Wendy, what is going on?"

"Just killing time," she said.

"Are you trying to see if I'll tell secrets?" I asked. "I won't."

"No, Michaela," she said. "Honestly, we're only trying to kill a little time before the meeting."

I looked between them, with Cameron standing casually against the wall, Wendy sitting in one of her two chairs. I had the other.

"You could tell me what the meeting is about," I said. "Greg asked me to observe, but he didn't have more to offer."

"We'll all find out soon enough," Cameron replied.

"So what's the story why I am there?" I asked.

The two exchanged looks, then Wendy said, "Bodyguard."

"Whose?"

"Greg's," Cameron replied immediately.

"You know," I said. "If you don't want to tell me, fine. But I need to know what I am supposed to be doing. Greg's bodyguard? Seriously?"

"You're a good bodyguard," Wendy said. "Your client was very pleased."

"The worst threat was a couple with a baby stroller," I said. "We all know if Greg needs a bodyguard in a room full of wolves, I am the last person on the compound anyone would pick."

"Look," Wendy said. "We're going to walk in. You'll stand with Cam and I. We stay quiet. We stay polite. We observe. We don't need any story. We're just there. Okay?"

"All right," I said. "You could have just said that."

Cameron changed the topic, engaging Wendy in a discussion of some past missions. I listened, curious, but also deeply suspect. Something was going on, and they weren't telling me what.

Finally it was time to go. Wendy told me, "Remember. We're there to observe, not react. Whatever happens, keep your mouth shut unless someone addresses you directly."

"Right. Fly on the wall."

"Exactly," she said.

I thought it was odd they both flanked me, as if they were guarding me.

I thought it was equally strange we descended into the basement of the office building. "Aren't there nicer meeting rooms upstairs?" I asked.

"These are more private," she said. We arrived at the bottom of the stairs and turned right, passing through a secure door. We then turned to the first door on the left, and Wendy used a card key to unlock the door. She opened the door and Cameron preceded me into the room, Wendy right behind me.

We were not the first to arrive. There was a large conference table. Seated at the end was Daniel Bancroft, the Boulder alpha, dressed in a business suit. To his right was Brooke, his daughter and head enforcer. Daniel and Brooke had become friends. I was surprised to see them. I turned to say hello, but Wendy pulled me back and said quietly, "They aren't here as friends."

I nodded and let myself be led to a location on the wall. Daniel looked at me.

Greg was there along with more of his wolves. He stopped by. "We're only waiting for the other alpha." Then he stepped away again, not staying to talk.

There was a small commotion, and Wendy leaned over to me to whisper in my ear. "Michaela, do not react. I know it's not going to feel like it, but everyone in this room is a friend."

I turned to her. "You just said-"

"Remember what I said. I can't say another word, and I wasn't supposed to say that."

The door opened, and the first one to enter was Lara.

I stared at her. She didn't even glance at me. I knew she saw me; she was never that unaware. She didn't even acknowledge me.

I took a step towards her, but Cameron and Wendy both put a hand on my arm.

Behind Lara were Elisabeth, Serena, and Angel. Not a single one of them looked at me. And behind them were Christopher West, the councilman who hated me the most, and Albert Stein, who wasn't one of my biggest fans on the council, either.

I looked over at Wendy, searching her face, but she shook her head. However, neither she nor Cameron released their hold on my arms.

Lara greeted Daniel, Brooke and Greg. Greg did introductions. They all sat down, with Lara next to Daniel, across from Brooke. Greg took a seat next to Brooke. Greg's enforcers assumed watchful positions along the walls and in front of the door. The councilmen took seats behind Daniel.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Daniel asked Lara very quietly. A wolf wouldn't have heard him, but I did.

"I have to," she responded. "I don't have any other choice." She paused. "You should know she can probably hear you."

He looked straight at me, and I stared straight ahead, feigning indifference. But my heart was a lump in my throat, and I felt sick. She hadn't even acknowledged me. None of them had, not even Angel. Not a one of them looked at me.

"So she can," Daniel said after a moment. Then he turned to Greg. "We are ready to begin."

Greg stood up. "These proceedings are being recorded. This room is being recorded from multiple angles. The principals will receive copies of all raw video and audio. Furthermore, the hallways and other rooms in the lower level of this building are similarly recorded, and that media will also be provided to all principals. If you have something to be said you do not want to share with anyone else, do not say it within this building."

Lara nodded understanding.

"The subject has had no advance notice of these proceedings," Greg continued. "The subject has had no access to counsel or advice and has had no particular reason to believe these were perhaps necessary. This is per agreement of both the Boulder and Madison alphas. Are there questions?"

Damned straight, there were questions, but he wasn't looking at me, and I had been told not to react. I wondered how long that was going to last.

I searched the faces, but everyone was pointedly not looking at me. I couldn't believe any of them could be in the room and not once look at me.

There were no questions. Greg continued. "The subject has not been disarmed."

It was pretty clear who "the subject" was, as much as he was dancing around it. I didn't know what was going on, but Greg was the only human in the room, and I was pretty sure the enforcers around the room weren't here to protect Lara and Daniel from each other, or Greg from either of them.

"Thank you, Mr. Freund," Daniel said.

Greg sat down, not looking at me.

Daniel paused, looking at papers arranged in front of him. "Then let us begin." He looked straight at me. "Michaela Burns, please step forward."

Every pair of eyes in the room turned to me. It was the first time most of them had looked at me. Most of the expressions were blank. Angel's brow was furrowed, her lips pressed tightly together.

Christopher West looked insanely pleased.

I thought perhaps Albert Stein looked uncomfortable, but he was difficult to read.

I couldn't read anything from Lara or any of the rest.

Wendy and Cameron hadn't released my arms. I hadn't made any attempt to obey Daniel's order. Wendy and Cameron took a half step forward, tugging on my arms. Numb, I let them pull me forward to stand near the end of the conference table.

"Michaela Burns," Daniel said. "Do you know why you are here?"

"Because Greg told me to be," I replied. "Other than that, no." I suppressed my desire to say something more cutting. This was definitely a time for my fox cunning to take over far more than my fox independence.

I could be very cunning. I was sure I would need to be.

"You have been charged with a lengthy list of offenses," Daniel said. "These proceedings are to determine the validity of the charges and, if deemed guilty, the sentences to be imposed."

I was on trial. I was on trial, and everyone in the room knew it before I had stepped into the room. I turned to Greg. He didn't even have the grace to look chagrined.

"Fuck you," I told him slowly and clearly. I looked to a space between Daniel and Lara. "That goes for all of you."

"Silence!" Daniel bellowed.

I looked around the room, wondering how many I could kill before they took me down. Wendy and Cameron tightened their hold on my arms. I hadn't been subtle.

Christopher West looked like he was hoping I would try it. I decided if I were going to kill anyone, I would start with Greg and head for dear old Mr. West after that. I narrowed my eyes at him, not saying a word, and his grin faltered for a moment, then grew even wider.

Finally I returned my gaze to Daniel. "I see," I said finally. "Am I afforded counsel? Am I to hear the charges leveled against me?"

"We do not operate like human courts," Daniel said. "You will defend yourself, or not, as you choose. This is not a cat and mouse game between two lawyers, but instead a search for the truth." He paused. "We require you to disarm before we may proceed further. Doing so willingly may serve you better than if we are required to use force."

I studied him. Every pair of eyes in the room was watching me. Wendy and Cameron still had firm hold on my arms, one hand on my upper arm, one clasped at my wrist. I looked between them, glaring at Wendy for a moment.

"I will disarm," I said. "If my guards will allow me to do so."

Daniel nodded, and they both slowly released me, but they each kept a hand on my shoulders. It was possible I could escape from them and kill Greg, but I didn't think so.

I reached up slowly and pulled two chopsticks from my hair. I set them on the table in front of me. I pulled the silver belt from around my waist, a gift from Lara, set it on the table, then gave it a shove; it came to a rest directly in front of her. She looked down at it, then looked up at me. Emotion flickered across her face, but it was too brief to read.

She had always been good at hiding her emotions from me, all of them except anger.

The knives at my wrists were next. I rolled my sleeves up slowly, unstrapping one sheath at a time and setting it down firmly on the table.

"I will need to either bend down or place a foot on this fine table to finish the process."

"Angel," Lara said. "Collect the knives on her ankles."

Without a word, Angel climbed from her chair and moved around the room. I turned to face her. She looked me in the eye for a moment, then knelt down in front of me. I offered first one leg, then the other, and she removed my sheathed knives. She set them both on the table before me, then retreated to her chair.

She never said a word. She never smiled.

She never apologized for betraying me.

"I am disarmed," I stated. "I would like to point out I did so willingly. I understand you may wish to verify I have no holdout weapons."

"That's all she carries," Lara said quietly.

"You don't know that, Alpha," I said. I held my arms away from my sides. Lara turned to Elisabeth, who got out of her chair and stepped in front of me. I turned to face her. "Be thorough," I told her. "I wouldn't want to be accused of any duplicity. Unlike everyone else in the room."

She searched me perfunctorily.

"Enforcer!" I said. "Do it correctly!"

"Yes, Alpha," she said immediately.

"Don't call me that," I said.

Elisabeth didn't respond to that, but she searched me far more thoroughly. When she offered me deference around my more private places, I told her, "That's a prime location for a woman to hid something. Check in it properly. I could have a garrote sewn into my bra or a gun taped to my leg."

She searched my legs higher, patting through the slacks. Then she stood up. "I would need to partially undress you, Alpha."

"I told you not to call me that. Do what you need to do."

"Yes, Alpha," she said, staring straight into my eyes. Then, with more tenderness than I would have expected, she opened the front of my blouse, unbuttoning most of the buttons.

I glanced over at Lara. Her lips were pressed tightly together, but she wasn't saying anything. Or growling at her sister.

Elisabeth searched my bra thoroughly. There wasn't anything to find, and she and I both knew it before she had started. She buttoned me carefully when she was done.

"She is carrying no other weapons," Elisabeth declared.

"Check my hair," I said. "Who knows what I could hide in this hair."

Elisabeth cracked a shadow of a smile, quickly smothered, but she stepped around Wendy and stood behind me, searching my hair carefully.

"The collar of my blouse," I said when she was done. And after that, "The waistband of my slacks."

But when I said, "My shirt sleeves," Lara said, "Enough."

Elisabeth returned to her seat.

Greg gestured, and one of his enforcers stepped forward. He had come prepared, as he had a zippered pouch ready. He held up each weapon on the table, named it, and then it went into the pouch. Greg wrote a note for each item. The enforcer reached for the belt waiting in front of Lara.

"No," I said. "If this is a list of things to return to me at some point in the future, I do not ever want to see that belt again. I have returned it to the person who gave it to me, and she can keep it."

Lara flinched, but said nothing. She gathered the belt to her, staring down at it.

Greg stood up and moved to stand in front of me. He set the paper in front of me. "Please verify this list is accurate."

I glanced at it.

"It's fine."

"Sign it," he said, holding out a pen. I signed the list. He handed the list to the wolf holding the pouch. The list went into the pouch, the pouch was zippered closed, and then Greg produced a metal zip tie which he used to bind the zipper closed. He returned to his seat. The wolf holding the pouch moved back to his place along the wall.

"I have disarmed," I said to Daniel. "Willingly."

"Thank you, Ms. Burns," he replied. He looked down at the paper in front of him, then over at Lara. She paused, then nodded, just once.

Daniel stood up. "Michaela Burns, Omega Fox of the Madison Weres, alpha of the Madison Weres, formerly Michaela Redfur, alpha fox of the Bayfield foxes, you are charged with three counts of abandonment, four counts of endangerment of a valued pack asset, eight counts of insubordination, five counts of dereliction of duty, eight counts of aggravated insubordination, five counts of aggravated dereliction of duty, eight counts of extreme insubordination and four counts of extreme dereliction of duty."

I stared at him for a moment, then collected myself.

"I see. If deemed guilty, may I know the sentence to expect?"

"Yes," He said. "Endangerment of a valued pack asset carries a maximum sentence of death. In this case, due to the nature of the asset, there would be a lesser sentence. Abandonment, insubordination and dereliction of duty are relatively minor offenses that are typically punished through some form of pack service. Aggravated Insubordination is more severe, and the punishment must include some period of incarceration. Aggravated dereliction of duty is even more severe and carries a longer period of incarceration. Extreme insubordination and extreme dereliction of duty each carry a required sentence of death."

I already knew the punishment for extreme dereliction of duty. Listening to the list, however, my heart had climbed back into my throat, pounding mercilessly, and I knew I stank of fear.

"Who-" I croaked. I tried again. "Who brings these charges against me?"

Lara stood up. "I do."

I stared at her. Her expression was grim, but offered me nothing.

"You want to kill me?" I asked. "You want to kill me? Why? Why!" I screamed the last word, then my emotions caught up to me.

She hated me. She hated me so badly, she wanted to kill me.

The woman I loved hated me so badly, she wanted to kill me.

The mother of my babies hated me so badly, she wanted to kill me.

I began to hyperventilate and to sob. My knees grew weak, and I slumped to the floor before Wendy or Cameron could stop me. I bent down to the floor and sobbed.

"We understand these revelations are unexpected," I heard Daniel say from some distance away. "We will recess while the prisoner collects herself. Secure her."

I didn't resist when strong wolf arms clasped my wrists and shackled them behind my back. I didn't resist when strong bands were wrapped around my arms, pulling them tightly to my sides, and locked in place. I didn't resist when I was lifted by my secured arms and half carried, half dragged from the room.

They didn't take me very far. We went out the room, turned back towards the entrance, and crossed in front of the staircase up. We crossed to the other side, and I discovered a cell waiting for me.

I didn't resist when Wendy and Cameron dragged me into the cell. They set me gently on a waiting cot.

I didn't even look at them when the left me there, the heavy steel door banging closed behind them.

I fell onto my side and wailed.

 **The Details**

I do not know how long I lay there. Eventually I curled into a ball, my grief overwhelming.

Lara wanted to kill me. She wanted to kill me for doing what she should have done in the first place. She wanted to kill me for protecting my babies, for protecting myself, for fulfilling the promises I had made to rid the world of a group of wolves the world very much need to be rid of.

They should all be thanking me.

And instead, they were going to kill me after their sham of a trial.

They were supposed to be my friends. They were supposed to be the people who I could most count on.

But they were wolves. I should have known better.

It was some time later when my cell door opened. I didn't even look up.

"Michaela," Wendy said. "I am allowed to read a brief statement to you. As Mr. Freund stated earlier, every space on this level of this building is being continuously recorded. The audio sensors are highly sophisticated and can pick up the slightest of noises. No discussions regarding your hearing are to occur outside of the hearing room. No personal discussions of any sort are to occur within your hearing. You may ask me questions regarding your treatment outside of the hearing room. You will be offered food and water and reasonable access to sanitary facilities. You will be offered fresh clothing daily or as required. Do you understand what I have read to you?"

I looked up at her. "Go to hell. Fuck the mock proceedings and kill me. Get it over with. That's what's going to happen in the end."

She didn't react, but stared at me for a moment before saying, "I repeat. Every space on this level of the building is being continuously recorded. Do you understand what I have read to you, or do you need me to repeat it?"

"Yes, I understand what you read."

"Your hearing is set to resume in," she checked her watch. "Thirty-four minutes. I have food and water for you, and you may use the facilities if required."

"Yeah, because all that will be so much fun with my arms bound," I told her sarcastically.

"If you are calm and promise to remain reasonably calm, I am allowed to release your arms."

I looked up at her. "This was to prevent a suicide attempt?"

"Yes," she said. "Or other forms of damage."

I laughed at her. "Ask Lara if these bonds would stop me."

"You are currently calm. If I release you, will you remain calm?"

"I am sure there will be more fits of despair, but I am not suicidal, nor will I become suicidal."

Wendy stepped further into the room. She helped me sit up then pulled me to my feet. She released the straps binding my arms then stepped behind me and removed the shackles.

"If you become violent, these will go back on."

"Then you better keep Greg well away from me." I stared her in the eye. "And fuck you, too."

She didn't say anything, but she averted her eyes. I wondered if she was ashamed at her part in these things.

"When did you know this was the plan, Wendy?" I asked her.

"Questions of that nature may only be asked in the hearing room," Wendy stated.

"And if I ask in the hearing room, will you answer there?"

"Questions of that nature may only be asked in the hearing room," she repeated.

"Fine," I spat. I sat back down on the cot. "Go away."

"You must eat," she said. She paused. "If you do not eat or drink, I am obligated to take steps you won't enjoy."

"The prisoner must be healthy when she is executed?" I asked.

"Questions of that nature-"

"Yeah, yeah," I said. "So is this lunch or dinner?"

"A late lunch," she said. "Will you eat willingly?"

I sighed. "Yes."

"Bring it in, Cameron," Wendy said, raising her voice.

Cameron appeared in the doorway carrying a tray. Behind him was another wolf, one I didn't recognize. The second wolf set down a small table in front of me. Cameron added the tray of food and then the second wolf set a bottle of water on the table. The two of them stepped back outside, and I reviewed what I was offered.

There was enough food for a wolf, and it was heavy in protein and starch. There were no greens and no fruit.

"If it is not to your taste, you may make reasonable requests," Wendy said. "We will strive to fulfill them."

"Am I obligated to eat all of this?" I said with a gesture. "I am fox, not wolf. You have eaten with me before. You know how much I eat."

"The cooks don't," Wendy said. "As long as you appear to be eating in a healthy fashion, I will be satisfied."

I picked up the plastic spoon. I ate some of the chicken, choking it down, then some potatoes. I opened the bottle of water and rinsed everything down.

Wendy didn't say anything but simply watched me dispassionately.

I ate maybe a quarter of what they brought me. I couldn't choke down anything more. I pushed it away.

"Finish the water," she ordered. I nursed it slowly.

"Fruits and vegetables," I said. "A variety." I looked up at Wendy, and she nodded.

"Anything else?"

"Nothing fried, greasy or heavy."

I took another sip of water. Wendy checked her watch.

"Do you have somewhere to be?" I asked her.

"Ten minutes," she said. "I thought perhaps you would prefer to use the facilities."

I climbed to my feet and finished the water.

"There is more water in the hearing room," she said. "Leave all that here; someone will take it away. Cameron and I will accompany you whenever you are outside your cell or the hearing room."

"So Cameron is going to watch me use the toilet?"

"No. But I am."

"Lest I club myself over the head with the seat?"

"Yes."

"I wouldn't want to steal your pleasure," I said. "I know how wolves feel about abusing foxes. I should have known I was wrong when I thought any of you were different." I didn't bother to even look at her to see if she reacted.

I held out my arm.

Wendy took the offered arm then said, "Cameron."

He was waiting outside. He stepped into the cell, took my other arm, and the two of them marched me out of my cell and down the hall, opposite the hearing room. The room at the end was a bathroom, complete with shower, sink and toilet. There was no curtain over the shower.

"Is this room recorded?" I asked.

"All spaces on this floor are recorded," Wendy said.

"Fine. Fuck you both," I said. I dropped my slacks and sat down. Cameron turned around quickly, but Wendy watched me carefully. I finished and washed up.

"I imagine I stink," I said. "Do I have time to clean at the sink?"

"Four minutes," she said. "So no more than two. You will arrive on time whether you are ready or not."

I unbuttoned the blouse and used a hand towel to wash what I could quickly wash, ending with my face. I dried with another towel and buttoned quickly.

"May I bring this towel with me, Wendy?" I asked. She studied me for a moment then nodded.

I stepped forward. Wendy and Cameron took my arms, and I was marched back to the hearing room.

Everyone was waiting for me, and there was even a chair waiting for me at the end. Wendy and Cameron led me to the chair, waited until I sat, then stepped away.

Daniel waited a moment then said in a firm voice, "If everyone is ready, I believe we may proceed."

"I have questions," I said immediately. "Am I allowed to ask them?"

He pursed his lips. "Perhaps I can anticipate some and answer them. This is an informal hearing. The evidence against you will be presented. You will remain quiet. When all the evidence has been presented, you may offer your defense. This is not a human court, and we do not follow human proceedings. You may ask questions of anyone in the room. If you require anyone not present, we will make all reasonable effort to present him or her. That may be via telephone. If you require evidence you are unable to obtain while in custody, you may describe the evidence you require and where it may be found. I will decide whether we will take your word for the existence of this evidence or require it to be collected."

"Will anyone not currently in attendance be later presenting evidence against me?"

"Only if it is in response to your defense."

"Will everyone currently here remain available until these proceedings have completed?" I asked.

"Yes."

I studied the room for a moment.

"I have other questions."

"You may ask them. I will not be pleased if you waste our time or use your questions for speechmaking."

"I would like to understand why I am not allowed reasonable privacy outside these hearing rooms."

Daniel looked at Lara for a moment then turned back to me. "We will not suffer charges of collusion in your defense."

"In other words, I am on my own, and you are afraid someone would coach me."

"Yes."

"And when I am alone, or using the facilities?"

"We understand there is a severe emotional trauma associated with these hearings. We do not wish that emotional trauma to end these hearings precipitously."

"In other words, you're afraid I'll kill myself?"

"Not afraid," Daniel clarified. "Simply cautious."

I smiled at him. "Well then, perhaps you would indulge me for only another moment or three."

He cocked an eyebrow.

"No," said Lara. "Alpha, if Michaela wishes to kill herself, there is no power on earth that is going to stop her. Give her whatever privacy seems reasonable."

"No," said Greg immediately. "Lima Consulting is responsible for the prisoner's well-being until the completion of these hearings, and we will not take chances."

"So you intend to drug me?" I asked. "I guess if we're all admitting these hearings are a sham, drugging me won't matter to the outcome."

"These hearings are not a sham!" Daniel thundered. "You question my honor!"

I studied him and then said very clearly, "Given the way I have been treated so far, I question the honor of everyone in the room. Every single one of you. But you are wolves; what else should I expect? I should have known you weren't any different than the ones who once killed my babies. None of you."

"Michaela," Angel said, almost a whine.

"Silence!" Daniel bellowed.

"With the exception of some of the less notable names present," I stated, "I have been treated with extreme dishonesty by everyone in the room, you not least of all, Alpha. Yes, I question your honor!" It was my turn to yell.

The room grew silent. Daniel studied me, not saying anything, but his face was flushed and his jaw drew tight.

Brooke put her hand on his arm. He glanced down at her, and they exchanged silent communication. He nodded to her, and when he faced me, he was notably calmer.

"Your complaint is noted," he said. "And understandable. I will state clearly and simply: these are honest hearings. You have not been pre-judged. You will be tried based on the evidence presented here."

We stared at each other. "Well then, if I am to receive a fair hearing, and I am the only voice to speak in my defense, then I believe drugging me would be inappropriate. Are we agreed?"

"Greg," Lara said. "Let this go."

"No," he said. "I am responsible for her."

"No, Mr. Freund, you are not. I am responsible for my own safety. I do not know why all of you continue to argue with me on that point." I turned back to Daniel. "Alpha, are we agreed I will not be drugged?"

"Of course you will not be drugged," he said. "But if you are a danger to yourself, you will be restrained."

"As if that could stop her," Elisabeth said under her breath.

"Silence!" Daniel ordered her.

"Well then, I guess we are left with a demonstration." I was still holding the towel. "Greg, how many of your wolves will it take to prevent me from injuring myself?"

"Cameron and Wendy are sufficient," he stated.

Elisabeth shook her head.

"Madison Alpha," I stated. "I believe I am about to demonstrate a pack secret. Will this add to my charges? If so, then I request you resolve this without my demonstration."

"Greg, please, you can't stop her," Lara said.

"I am responsible for her safety," Greg repeated.

I sighed.

"Madison Alpha, I request immunity from prosecution for what I am about to demonstrate."

"Michaela," Lara said. "Please don't do this."

"I won't kill myself," I said. "I request immunity."

She sighed and nodded.

"I need to hear you say it."

"You have immunity," she said.

"Boulder alpha, do you also guarantee immunity?"

"Are you going to hurt anyone?"

"Only myself, and no more than I am able to heal. I believe your head enforcer can attest to my healing ability."

"Then you have immunity."

"Mr. Freund," I said. "Everyone underestimates me. Even you." I reached behind me, offering the towel to Wendy. I looked over my shoulder at her. "If you knock me out, I won't be able to heal it afterwards. Take that into consideration."

Then I looked down at my wrist and, with a thought, opened it wide.

I hissed with the pain as the blood began to bubble and spurt from the wound. Wendy dashed forth and wrapped the towel around my wrist. It quickly turned crimson.

I looked at the other one, and a fresh cut appeared there.

"Stop it!" Wendy yelled into my ear. "Michaela! Stop it!" She grabbed my other wrist, wrapping it in the towel as well.

I grimaced from the pain, but I looked at Greg. He held a shocked expression. "Perhaps you would prefer to see my throat slit instead? Or maybe I should close my eyes?" I closed my eyes and formed a new, shallower cut on my upper arm."

"Stop it!" Lara yelled. "Michaela, heal those!"

I opened my eyes and looked at her. "I don't take orders from you," I said. "Not after you banished me."

There was an intake of breath, but no one spoke.

"Greg, are you satisfied?"

"Shift and heal them," he said.

I looked down at my arm and healed the shallow cut. "Wendy, I need to see, left one first."

She released my left arm from the towel. I began healing it, and the wound closed. Then I pulled the right from her and healed that one.

I looked at Greg. "It's a lot like healing. Now, short of drugging me, do you think you could stop me if I decided to commit suicide?"

"No," he said in a small voice.

"Well then, I presume I will be offered a reasonable modicum of privacy when I am alone in my cell and when I am using the facilities. Are we agreed?"

"Yes," he said. "If the alphas agree."

"Yes," Lara said immediately.

"Yes," said Daniel. "But there must be no collusion. Recordings will be turned on from the moment your cell door is opened until you are returned to your cell. The recordings will be turned off in the bathroom, but no one may accompany you."

"Thank you," I said.

"Did you have other questions before we may proceed?"

"Just one more," I said. "I would like to know when the people in this room knew these hearings were going to occur."

Daniel studied me. "In what way is that pertinent?"

"I don't know," I said. "As I am left deeply in the dark about everything that is happening, I can't judge what is pertinent, what is not."

Daniel was the only person who could look me in the eye, which meant to me that everyone had known for quite some time. I wanted a complete answer.

"Return the prisoner to her cell," Daniel said. "We will discuss this issue."

"Closed door hearings. Yes, I can see that I will receive a fair trial. But you are wolves, so I should have expected betrayal."

But I turned my back on him and walked to the door, waiting for my keepers to catch up. Wendy and Cameron stepped up on either side of me, each firmly taking an arm, and then another wolf opened the door. Without a word, I was marched to my cell. I stepped inside, and the door closed.

I immediately deflated.

I crossed the short distance to the cot and curled into a ball.

I wondered why Lara hated me this badly. I wondered why everyone else had helped her. I wondered what happened to Greg's vaunted honesty; that alone told me I wasn't going to be set free. He wouldn't risk my spreading rumors he couldn't be trusted.

I wondered why they had taken so long.

I wondered why I had been given the assignment to guard Suzanne for nearly two weeks. Were they just getting me out of the way while they set this up? It didn't seem like it would have required that type of setup.

I wondered why, if Lara wanted me dead, she had cared whether I demonstrated my ability to harm myself as readily as I could heal.

I thought about that. Was it so important she find me guilty first? Why would that matter, if she was so angry as to bring these charges against me in the first place.

I wondered why Christopher West and Albert Stein were here instead of more respected members of the council.

I wondered whether these were questions I should be asking out loud.

I wasn't left alone very long, perhaps twenty-five minutes. The door opened and Wendy stepped in. "They're ready."

I climbed back to my feet and stood in front of her. "You don't have to say a word. These proceedings are a sham. There is no way Greg would risk his reputation for this duplicity if I could possibly live to tell the truth. I have nothing else to lose. You have helped take everything left to me. I hope you all rot in hell."

She rocked back, horror crossing her face. She was about to say something, then clamped her mouth shut. Instead, she took my arm, Cameron on the other, and they marched me to the hearing room.

Everyone waited for me, and no one looked me in the eye. So they didn't intend to answer my last question. So be it.

I took my seat.

"Boulder Alpha," Wendy said immediately. "Before we proceed, I believe I must relay something I was just told in the hallway."

I didn't even bother looking at her.

"If it were pertinent, it should not have been discussed in the hallway," Daniel said immediately.

"You make your rules, I make mine," I said. "I will say whatever I want, whenever I want, where ever I want. If you don't like it, you can add to my charges."

"It was not a conversation," Wendy said. "It was a statement by Ms. Burns. I believe it is relevant."

Daniel studied me. "Then perhaps she should repeat it."

So I did.

I could tell not a single one of them had considered it. I couldn't believe it. Even Greg looked startled by my statement.

I gave them a moment to think about it before crossing my arms. "Now, Alpha," I said directly to Daniel. "What was that about this hearing not being a sham? No one in this room expects me to go free, or at least Greg doesn't. And I don't believe Lara would have asked him to take part in this if she believed I would live to spread the word."

Daniel considered me. I could hear his heart beating more rapidly than normal. So were about half the heartbeats in the room.

"Ms. Burns," Daniel said eventually. "Your logic has some merit. But I will state again. These are honest hearings. I have come to these proceedings as impartial as possible, and the results are not a forgone conclusion. You have enough facts to search for other possible conclusions. I will not address this issue again."

I shrugged. It didn't matter. They were about to deny an answer to my previous question, and I was going to do what I was going to do, and that would be that.

"Regarding the question you asked. We do not believe the answer is pertinent and we will not be answering."

"Very well," I said. "Then if I am to be denied knowledge everyone else in the room has, with no way of obtaining it, then I decline to participate in these hearings."

"Stop!" Lara said.

"And as I have no one to speak for me other than myself, if I do not participate, I believe the conclusions are entirely forgone," I went on.

"Elisabeth!" Lara screamed. "Stop her!"

"And as the conclusions are forgone, there is no reason to waste any more time." And then I slowly opened a cut across my cheek.

Elisabeth burst from her seat, leaping onto the table and straight at me. I began slowly opening a cut across my throat.

I didn't even try to avoid Elisabeth. She knocked me out of the chair, and we both went tumbling. And then she struck me across the head, and I knew no more for quite some time.

I woke slowly, my head pounding. "Great," I thought. "Another concussion."

I moaned.

"Lie still," an unfamiliar male voice said. "You've got quite the concussion."

"Who?" I croaked.

"My name is Craig," he said. "I am a medic. Before you ask, I don't know why you are in the cells or what is going on, so I can't answer any questions except those pertaining to your health."

"They told you to say that," I said softly.

"Yes."

I opened my eyes and immediately closed them. I should have known better. Pain stabbed through my head.

"Can you dim the lights?"

"I'm sorry," he said. "They have two settings, on or off."

"How long have I been out?"

"Several hours," he said. "You need to shift and heal. Do you need me to categorize your injuries?"

"Concussion," I said. "Poorly healed slice on my left cheek. Short, shallow slice across my throat. Once I heal those, I may find cracked ribs or some serious bruising."

"Good summary," he said.

"Do you have food for me?" I asked him.

"Yes. Do you need some now?"

I considered. "I need to sit up a little. Are there more pillows?"

"I will obtain some," he said.

"You are being very solicitous towards the condemned," I said.

"I don't know anything about that. I was told to get you whatever you requested for your comfort."

"I suppose a water saw to cut my way out isn't in the offering?"

"No," he said. "I'm afraid not."

"Pillows. And juice, if it is available for me. And water."

"I will return shortly."

I heard him get up. He knocked on my cell door. It opened. He left, and I heard someone else step in.

"Wendy?" I asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Making sure I don't do it again?"

"Yes."

"Elisabeth knows how hard to hit me. I bet you don't."

"I can safely choke you out in about ten seconds," she said.

"I can stop my heart in two," I replied. "I think. I haven't been willing to try it. I'm not sure I could start it again."

"Why haven't you, then?" she asked. "Why such a dramatic display?"

"Why Wendy, I believe you are breaking the rules."

"Fuck," she said. Then she said. "I believe you were bluffing."

"I was raising the stakes. You're going to answer my question. And you're all going to answer any other questions I have. Or admit this is a sham and keep me drugged."

She sighed but didn't respond.

The medic returned and Wendy stepped back out, the medic replacing her. He helped me sit up, which hurt like crazy. Yes, I had cracked ribs. I leaned back into the pillows, panting and clutching my aching head.

"I have orange juice," he said. "I am told this is your preference."

"Only for this. The sugar hits fast."

He held it for me, and I drank slowly. I waited for a bit, trying to hurry the juice along, but my head hurt too much.

"Shift now," the medic said.

I sighed. "Why does everyone constantly think they get to tell me what to do?"

I concentrated on the concussion, trying to decrease the swelling. I'd done this before; I wondered if I would be doing it again anytime soon.

It took me a while, and I was panting with the effort by the time I had alleviated at least some of the damage.

"More juice," I told him. He gave me more.

"I have things to eat," he said. "I'm told these are your favorites."

I opened my mouth, not caring what he put in it. It was chicken. I chewed and swallowed slowly. I ate a little more then asked for water.

After that, I concentrated more on the headache, relieving more of the pounding. I opened my eyes cautiously, then threw my arm over my eyes, shielding them from glare of the overhead light. Then I concentrated on the ribs; they were cracked, not broken, and easy to heal.

When I was done, I asked, "How bad is everything else?"

"Nothing is bleeding anymore, but you risk a scar if you don't heal them."

"Like I'm going to live long enough for it to matter."

"Ms. Burns," the medic said. "There are a lot of very worried faces upstairs. Your alpha pounced on me the moment I appeared, asking for information about you."

I thought about what he had said. "I don't believe you were supposed to tell me that."

"No one told me what I could or could not say," he said. "Please, heal the wounds. It may not matter to you today, but maybe it will in the future."

I sighed. "Do you have a mirror?"

It turned out he did. He held it up. I opened my eyes again and looked at my face. He had cleaned the cut; it was held closed by a series of small butterfly bandages. I concentrated for a moment and watched it heal. Then I reached up and pulled off the bandages. The medic took them from me. I took the mirror from him and examined my face, brushing away a little of the blood. All healed, but I looked like hell.

Then I examined my neck. I hadn't gotten very far; it looked very much as if a man had cut himself shaving. I healed it anyway.

"Anything else?" I asked.

"Not that I could tell, but other than a quick look to make sure there weren't any other mysterious wounds, I haven't disrobed you."

I checked my limbs; they seemed fine. I could wriggle my fingers and toes without any discomfort. I sat up slow and levered my feet off the bed. The room began to spin, and I moaned.

"Damn, I hate concussions," I said. "Couldn't they just have answered my question?"

"All I can give you is acetaminophen," the medic told me.

"I know. I'll take them." He handed me three pills. I slammed them down, chasing them with water. I held my head in my hands, my elbows on my knees.

"Rest," he said. "Do not exert yourself. And for heaven's sake, don't take another blow to the head while you are still suffering the symptoms from this time."

"Thanks for your help, Craig. You're going to need a body bag soon."

"I hope not," he replied. "There are a lot of people upstairs who are worried about you."

"They're the ones who are stuffing me into it."

He didn't respond that. Instead he collected his things and knocked at the door. He left; Wendy returned.

"Well," I said. "Now what?"

"Rest," she replied.

"I would like to know if you intend to answer my question. If not, there is no reason I should suffer through a few days of feeling like this."

"If I promise to get an answer for you by the time I next come to see you, will you rest?"

"Which answer will you get?"

"Whether we'll be answering."

"I will expect an answer available by the next time the cell door opens," I replied. "Whether that is you or someone else."

"Craig won't be able to answer."

"Wendy, I have been given a great many reasons to distrust everyone. Right now I believe you are playing word games with me."

"I will have an answer by the next time I see you, and that will be sometime this evening."

"All right," I said. "Thank you." I opened my eyes and looked at her. Then I looked over at my pillows and very slowly lowered myself to them. Wendy pulled my feet up on the bed and pulled a blanket over me.

"The lights are either on or off?" I asked.

"Yes," she said.

"Off, then, if that is a choice."

"I'll knock several times on the door before turning them back on. You'll have time to shield your eyes."

I didn't say anything but simply closed my eyes and tried to sleep through the raging headache.

I slept. I couldn't have told you how long. There was knocking at the door, and I woke, not remembering where I was. It was dark, and then it wasn't. I hastily pulled the covers over my head with a groan.

The cell door open and Wendy entered.

"Dinner," she said.

"You woke me for dinner? You couldn't let me sleep?"

"We will answer your question once you are healthy enough for us to proceed," Wendy told me. "We will also answer your other questions except those related to the personal motivations of any individuals involved in these proceedings."

"Why that exclusion?"

"I am not authorized to answer any questions at this time," she replied.

I closed my eyes.

"Will you behave? Will you rest?"

"I was resting," I said. "But I do not intend at this time to take any drastic steps. I can not promise what mood I am going to wake up in tomorrow."

She sighed. "You need to eat. And you need to rest. You need to be able to use your brain again."

"That will be a day or two."

"Then it is a day or two."

It was my turn to sigh. I slowly climbed to a sitting position, my eyes still closed. I opened them slowly. "Feed me then and let me go back to sleep."

Cameron came in and set a tray down on the table that Wendy had carried in. I picked at the food and drank the water.

"No more," I told Wendy after a while.

"You barely touched it. All you did was push it around like a petulant child."

"Want to trade places?"

"Eat a little more, Michaela. You need the strength the food provides."

I sighed and ate a little more of the dinner. "Satisfied?" I asked her.

"You need to finish the water while I'm here," she said.

"Oh for heaven's sake!" Then I clutched my head and moaned for a moment. "Fine." I drank the water.

I didn't wait for her permission. I turned away from her and lay back down in the bed. Again she pulled the covers up over my shoulders.

"Lights off?"

"Yes."

"I'll be back in an hour to take you to the bathroom," she said.

I sighed. "Fine."

It took me two days to recover from the concussion. Craig checked on me a few times, not saying anything that wasn't directly related to my medical condition. I saw Wendy and Cameron more often.

During one of their visits, I asked Cameron, "How do you feel about the vaunted Greg Freund stabbing me in the back like this?"

He tightened his lips but didn't answer.

During the next visit, I asked Wendy, "Is there a kangaroo somewhere? I always wondered why they were called kangaroo courts."

She managed to avoid a retort, but I thought perhaps it was a close thing.

Still, she was trying to be kind. So the next time she came, I asked her, "Do your attempts to be kind to me help you assuage the guilt you must feel for your part in this?"

"Michaela," she said sternly. "I am not allowed to tell you anything I haven't already told you." She stressed the last three words, and I thought perhaps she was really trying to tell me something.

"You know," I said. "If you don't want people to think the worst of you, maybe you shouldn't leave them in the dark over important topics. Like, oh, 'Hey, Michaela, congratulations on singlehandedly righting a wrong and making your pack safer. Again. Now, if you don't want to be tried for capital crimes, you should perhaps run to Canada faster than I can chase you.' You know, something like that."

She pursed her lips, ordered me to drink the water she brought for me, then helped me down to the bathroom.

I stopped taunting her after that. It wasn't making me feel any better, and it wasn't accomplishing anything. I felt I had goaded her into revealing as much as she was going to.

It was Friday morning when we finally resumed. I was offered breakfast and a shower along with fresh clothes; I recognized them from my closet at home.

I wondered why Lara would have bothered bringing fresh clothes for me.

When I was brought to the hearing room, everyone was waiting. I made my way to my chair and sat down.

"Ms. Burns," Daniel said. "Do you still wish the answer to your question?"

"Yes."

"You understand it is not pertinent to these proceedings."

"I understand you are telling me it is not pertinent," I said. "I also understand you believe there are reasons you do not want to tell me. It may be related to why there are so many other things no one is telling me. The way this has been handled has been bullshit from the beginning, and everyone in the room knows why except me. I believe that information is exceedingly pertinent."

He studied me then turned to Lara.

"For most of us," she said, "the day Angel encouraged you to call Greg."

"I knew before your challenge," Wendy said.

"My other enforcers were not privy to any of this before they needed to be," Greg said. "That means Tuesday morning."

"So let me review," I suggested. "Everyone from Madison, Greg, Daniel and Brooke knew prior to my conversation with Angel, and Wendy knew when she was acting like a trusted friend for the last several weeks."

"Yes," Daniel said. "That is accurate."

Angel refused to look at me.

Every face in the room looked grim except Christopher West. He couldn't be more pleased at the events so far.

I was missing something. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I was missing something important.

But I knew I would figure it out. The only questions were, would I figure it out in time, and would it be enough?

"Thank you for answering," I said. "I have no further questions at this time."

Lara immediately said, "I would like to add additional charges to the list of charges. I would like to add one more count of Endangerment of a Valued Pack Asset."

"That would be for the events on Tuesday?" Daniel asked.

"Yes," she said. "Also related to those events I will add one charge of each level of Insubordination and one charge of each level of Dereliction of Duty."

Lara and I stared at each other, not quite glaring at each other.

"Will there be anything else, Alpha?" Daniel said.

"Yes," Lara said. "Michaela. You will eat your meals and drink the water that is offered to you, in keeping with your normal appetite. That is a direct order from your alpha, and failure to follow that order will result in additional charges of Insubordination. Do you understand?"

"You have just given me an impossible order, Alpha," I told her. "My normal appetite is based on the amount of physical activity I exert. Right now, that would be about zero. In order for me to burn the food you are shoving down my throat, I would need to find other ways to burn that energy. Do you wish me to pursue these alternate methods?" I required extra food when I healed, and I was sure Lara knew exactly what I was talking about.

"No!" she said firmly. "Michaela," she added more softly. "Eat reasonable meals."

I studied her before responding. "I hear and understand your order, Alpha. I question your right to order me to do anything, but that is another matter."

Daniel spoke. "Then if there is nothing else, we shall proceed. Ms. Burns, I strongly encourage you to remain quiet. You are not to disrupt these proceedings. You are not to question the witnesses at this time; you will have opportunity later."

"If I have objections?"

"This is not a human court. I am the sole judge of what material will be presented."

I considered my options.

"I have one more small question then, and then I will shut up."

He nodded.

"Why you? Why doesn't Lara pronounce my sentence and tell Elisabeth to kill me?"

"Lara is unable to provide an unbiased decision. It may be that I am not completely unbiased, either, but I represent a compromise. I am as unbiased an alpha as anyone was willing to trust. And I think given the grave nature of the charges against you, you understand why it requires a pack alpha to sit as judge."

He had just told me something else that was important. I added it to the list.

"Will there be a transcript?" I asked.

Daniel smiled. "You said one more question and then you were done."

"I appear to not be thinking as far ahead as I normally do," I said. "I seem to be off balance. I believe that is the intention of everyone here, so congratulations! It's working. I realized if there is no transcript, I should take notes. I have not been offered the opportunity to do so."

"You will have access to all materials presented," he said after a moment. "And you may take notes as you judge appropriate."

Greg gestured, and one of his wolves retrieved paper from a cabinet in the corner of the room. He gave me several pads of paper and several pens in a variety of colors.

"If you need a break, please wait for a pause," Daniel said. "May we proceed?"

I nodded.

Daniel turned to Lara. Lara stood up, looked at me briefly, then down at her notes. She began pacing before she started speaking. I had never seen her pace before, except for the night we had announced our wedding to the pack, and she had been exceedingly nervous.

"The facts of this case are not in dispute," Lara began. "Everyone present already knows them, but they must be reviewed." She paused. "For some of the facts to make sense, we must first review some history."

Lara then spent a half hour outlining my independence, my repeated refusals to fully accept her authority as alpha, and my repeated attempts to escape my security detail. She then went into the details surrounding our initial dealings with the Iowa City pack, beginning with Kimberlee Mortens first arriving in Wisconsin. She repeatedly discussed my cavalier attitude towards my security detail and offered in evidence such incidents as the times I had spread cayenne pepper across my trail or climbed out the bathroom window.

She then described the events that led to my return to Madison. Then she explained how I had refused to get over my own feelings of victimization, leading up to my stealing the plane to fly to Iowa. This was the first time during her testimony that I felt she was deeply unfair to my position. She explained my return to the compound, including Angel's role, and my subsequent internment, ending with the meeting with Greg nine days later.

"After that meeting, everything seemed fine. Michaela seemed resigned, even her old self again. The babies came, and she was a perfect mother, far more than anyone could have hoped. While we understood she was still troubled, she seemed to be getting past everything. She was handling her duties and responsibilities and, by and large seemed cheerful. We learned later that was a sham."

It hadn't been, and characterizing it as one was unfair. I opened my mouth to say something, but Daniel held up a hand. "You will have your chance later."

Lara explained that she knew I was troubled. "She kept asking me if the babies would be okay if something happened to her. I ordered her to make sure nothing happened."

I took notes. She hadn't made any such order. She had only said, "Nothing will."

She finally got to my disappearance and the subsequent efforts to retrieve me before I did anything that couldn't be undone.

And then she finished, and I didn't have a clue what she had said that was supposed to correspond to any of the charges against me.

Lara sat down. Daniel consulted the clock and frowned. "Elisabeth, will your testimony be as lengthy as Lara's?"

"No, Alpha," Elisabeth said. "Perhaps twenty minutes."

"Proceed, please," he told her.

Elisabeth repeated some of the things Lara had said, but she had details Lara didn't have. She made a point of stressing how much I resented my security detail, which didn't seem like the correct word. "She even made us promise not to tell the alpha what she was doing and threatened to escape us if we didn't agree to her demands."

I had done that, but Lara had agreed with me. Elisabeth didn't mention that. I made another note.

"Serena, I believe you are next," Daniel said, consulting his list.

"I know it's early, but could we break?" Lara requested. "I would like some fresh air."

"So would I," I muttered, and if looks could kill, she would be hurting. Lara had the grace to look chagrined at her choice of words.

Daniel declared a break and announced we would resume at one.

I stood up and turned my back on all of them, standing by the door while waiting for Wendy and Cameron.

Serena spoke after lunch. She reiterated many of the things Lara and Elisabeth had said, but then she began to dwell on events in Bayfield. "I knew something was going on, as well," she said. "It was subtle. She was too willing to accept our protection. She was too complacent, almost meek. Michaela is anything but meek! But the real clue was a conversation we had while shopping in Bayfield."

She paused, looking around, then she turned straight towards me. She hadn't looked at me all morning, but she looked straight into my eyes. "She called me in the morning and said we were going shopping for prizes for the fishing contest."

"Booby prizes," I said.

"Yes," she said "Booby prizes."

"Ms. Burns," Daniel said.

"My apologies," I replied. "An involuntary reaction."

"Control yourself," he said. "Go on, Serena."

"We were shopping for booby prizes. She was picking out the silliest things. I pretended like I wasn't paying attention, but of course, I was." She smiled. "Trying to figure out how her mind works is fascinating and frustrating. She bought several cheesy fake moose fur hats with fabric antlers. I couldn't understand why anyone would buy something like that. But once she started giving them out for prizes, people began competing to win them."

She paused and shook her head. "I digress. My apologies. It was while we were shopping that she asked me the strangest question." She looked away for a moment, then returned to look straight at me. "She told me I made her feel safe. I didn't understand at first. That was my job, and I didn't understand. I told her that Lara makes her feel safe, too. She told me that she knew that was temporary, that she'd go too far one day, and Lara would stop loving her. She said she knew I cared about her for other reasons, and that those reasons would never change."

Serena paused. "She was right about that. Those reasons will never change."

She looked down at her hands for a moment, then looked up again. "But I told Michaela that she was crazy if she ever thought Lara would stop loving her, that no matter what she did, Lara would always love her. And I know that to be true."

She paused.

"I'm sorry," she said, looking back at Daniel. "I have a point. The thing is, Michaela was sure she was going to go too far. She was absolutely sure of it. And the reason she was sure of it was because she was planning everything that has happened since. She planned all of it, and she was planning it for months."

Serena looked down. "That's why she was happy. She had a plan. I think she was waiting for Lara to be strong enough. She was waiting to make sure the babies would be cared for. And then she did what she was planning." She looked directly at me again. "She did exactly what she told everyone she was going to do. She promised Brody Mortens and Johnny Mack that they would die by the hand of the Madison alpha. She thought that would be Lara, but she is Lara's right hand as much as Elisabeth is. She told us, clearly and repeatedly that she was going to kill them. And then, in spite of all of us forbidding her to do so, that's exactly what she did."

I stared at her.

She looked up at Daniel. "I'm done."

"May I request a bathroom and water break?" I asked immediately.

"Ten minutes," Daniel said immediately.

I climbed from my seat and strode to the door, waiting for Wendy and Cameron.

I didn't figure out what was niggling at me, but I knew I was closer. Serena had been telling me something. Whatever she was telling me was important. But the fact that she was telling me something was important as well. And I was sure Lara and Elisabeth knew what Serena had been trying to tell me.

Why was Angel here?

Why had Lara been so afraid of what I would do to myself if she wanted me dead? She was not acting like someone who was out for vengeance.

Why was Christopher West here? That was a big question. Why wasn't Ron Berg or Vivien here?

I finished in the bathroom and stepped out. Wendy and Cameron escorted me back to the hearing room. When I got there, there were fresh pitchers of water on the table, and a glass at my seat.

They hadn't let me near glass since this had started. I stared at it. They suddenly weren't afraid I'd use it for nefarious reasons.

Wendy and Cameron released me as soon as I was inside the hearing room, and Greg didn't do anything to avoid me when I stepped past him to reach my seat. Wendy and Cameron retreated to their place along the back wall, and no one could have stopped me if I'd grabbed the glass, shattered it against the table, and gone after Greg with it.

They didn't think I had cause to kill him.

There wasn't a wolf in the room who remotely thought I wouldn't kill someone who I felt deserved it.

They didn't think Greg deserved it, and they thought maybe I realized it, as well.

But he had been exceedingly deceitful. They all had. And they were trusting me.

I stared at the water glass. I looked around the room. A few people were watching me, but no one was remotely close enough if I had decided to do something.

I went around and around, puzzled over what was going on.

I studied Serena. She wasn't watching me, but I was sure she was aware of my eyes on her. She was always aware of what I was doing, and I didn't think that had changed.

I realized something. I was sure she still loved me. And if she did, did that mean Lara did, too?

I felt tears crawl into my eyes. I brushed them away, then collected my glass and pulled one of the water pitchers closer. I filled my glass and sat down.

Daniel didn't rush me. Everyone was in the room, but he let me sit there, thinking, watching everyone.

Finally he caught my eye, and I nodded to him.

"Let's continue," he said. Greg returned to his seat, and everyone settled down. "Angel," Daniel said. "I believe you are next."

Angel nodded and looked into her lap. Then she looked over at Lara. She stared at Lara for a long time, and I wondered if perhaps she was hoping for a reprieve.

"Enforcer," Elisabeth said gently. "Give your testimony."

And Angel stood up. She talked about how she knew me, how I was a teacher at the school, how much the kids relied on me. I wondered what that had to do with anything. She talked about my school duties at length.

Then she talked about Celeste and Rebecca, talking about them at length as well.

She talked about both my kidnap nights, how I didn't understand the first time, but that in the end, as troubled as I was, I had honored the tradition as best I was able. "For the second one, she was unbelievable. I couldn't do what she did. I don't think even Elisabeth could."

"Not and lived," Elisabeth said.

Angel talked about how I had fooled almost everyone during my second ransom night, that everyone had underestimated me.

She told me about how she and Scarlett wouldn't be together if it weren't for my influence. I brushed away tears. She watched me while she said it. And I knew she was telling me something, just as Serena had been.

Finally she talked about my tricking her the first time back in October. She told the entire story without embellishment, including how she had tricked me to return. "But I had to. We didn't know she was in a plane, but there was a storm coming, and if I hadn't tricked her, she would have flown into it. She wasn't a good enough pilot for that."

Then she told about the events from a few weeks ago, how she had learned I escaped while she was preparing to go to school, but how everyone knew I'd been gone for hours.

"How did you know it was hours?" Daniel asked.

"She sent an email," Angel said. "To Mrs. Lassiter."

"Did you see this email?" Daniel asked.

"No."

"I did," Lara said. "It was stamped as 3:47 AM, which would correspond to a three AM feeding, burping time, then giving me a little time to fall asleep, followed by the time to travel to the school, collect her things, write a note to me, and write a note to Michele."

"All right," Daniel said. "Continue, Angel."

"I knew Lara and Elisabeth would try to reach her. But I thought she would be more likely to talk to me than to either of them. So I asked Elisabeth what to do, and she said, 'be her friend. For now, be her friend. Remind her she is loved.' So that is what I did." Angel looked at me. "Short of dragging her back to Madison by her hair, it's what I most wanted to do anyway."

Angel told the rest of the story, relaying the conversations she and I had. She worked from notes, and I realized she must have been taking them while we had been talking. Her recollection was better than my own. She quoted me fairly accurately.

Angel finally finished. She sat down and stared at her hands.

"Thank you, Angel," Lara said gently.

Angel looked at her, and she had a fierce expression, but then she looked back at her hands again.

"Greg, I believe you are next," Daniel said.

"Yes," Greg said, standing up. "I will consume the most time and will present the most testimony. We will hear Michaela's own words as she describes how she destroyed the leadership of the Iowa City pack. It will take some time to go through everything. Wendy will give her testimony partway through mine, then I will wrap up."

I stared at him, suddenly wishing I had used the glass.

"I take it wolves don't recognize Miranda rights," I said.

"No," Daniel said. "We recognize truth."

Greg then laid out every single detail of how I killed the wolves in Iowa. He spent hours at it that Friday afternoon. It grew late, and there were a couple of breaks, and finally Daniel said, "Greg, can you reach a good point to break for the night?"

"Now is fine," he said.

"We'll gather in the morning," Daniel said. "Nine AM."

I was the first one to the door, Wendy and Cameron stepping up to flank me.

"Bathroom, please," I said, tight lipped. They gave me a bathroom break. I enjoyed the solitude then stepped back out into the hall. I faced both of them. "Tell Greg for me, if I get another chance to kill him, I am taking it. I should have taken the one you gave me earlier. I will not bypass additional opportunities."

I stepped past them, not waiting for them to escort me, and walked directly to my cell door. I spun around and looked at Wendy. "And the same goes for you."

She looked down at me from a foot away.

"I don't make idle threats," I told her. "And you know if I get a weapon in my hands, I can do it."

Cameron opened the door. I entered the cell and spun around again. "If you attempt to bind me the next time you see me, just put me down, or I swear, I will see how big a mess I can make of the conference room by opening every artery in my body all at once. These proceedings are a sham. Get the fuck away from me."

I turned my back on her and ignored the closing door.

I stood there fuming for a long time before curling up on the cot.

Wendy didn't visit my cell after that. Instead it was Cameron and one of the other wolves, one of the males I didn't know. They were polite but firm. The first time they took me to the bathroom, Cameron said, "I understand you keep your promises."

"Yes," I said. "Or give warning that I am not going to do so."

"Will you promise to perform no acts of destruction in the bathroom?"

"You are worried I am going to break the mirror and go crazy with a shard?"

"Yes."

I softened my expression. "I will not abuse your trust of allowing me to clean up in relative privacy."

"But if I accidentally leave a door open?"

"I'm so out of here," I replied. "You'll never find me."

"You're very cocky," he said. "We're the best in the world at finding people."

"I've gone up against a lot of wolves beginning when I was six years old, Cameron. I have lost exactly three times. Once when I was nineteen and miscalculated. The other times were when I trusted the wrong wolf. Do you really think I will make that mistake again? You're all animals. I thought there were exceptions, but I believe that has been disproved."

He features darkened, and his fists clenched.

"Intend to prove my point, Animal?" I asked him. "Go ahead." I stood straight up and waited for him.

"For a fox, you aren't remotely as cunning as I expected," he said. "The bathroom is there." He pointed. "You may shower in the morning."

I slept fitfully, waking repeatedly to nightmares. I felt like crap and really needed a run. I rather doubted I would get one.

Cameron said nothing to me when he served my breakfast. I had sparingly, drank the water offered, then announced I was ready for a shower.

I had fresh clothes waiting for me in the bathroom, again from my closet in Madison.

When I finished, Cameron said, "There is a delay. I do not have details. I was told one more person was coming. You are to wait in your cell."

"Fine," I said.

I dozed fitfully and woke groggy when Cameron returned. I blinked at him, then climbed to my feet. He and the other wolf held me firmly as they led me to the hearing room, and they hovered over me when I sat down.

Daniel was already there, as were Greg and Wendy. Greg was sitting in his usual seat with Wendy next to him.

The glass at my place was plastic, as was the pitcher.

"We seem to be short a few people," I said. The only wolves from Madison in the room were the two council members, Christopher and Albert.

"Everyone will be along shortly," Daniel said. "Please be seated, Alpha."

I raised an eyebrow as I took my seat. "I do not believe that title is accurate."

"I believe you are mistaken," he replied.

"Do we know how much longer these proceedings will take?" I asked. "I am curious to see how I shall be executed."

"Why do you insist on antagonizing me?"

"I believe I have been highly motivated," I replied.

After that, no one said anything. I sat quietly, not looking at any of them. There was a knock at the door, and when the wolves opened it, Brook and Lara stepped in followed by the rest of the Madison contingent.

They were all wearing skirts and blouses, and last in line was Scarlett. None of them looked at me when they sat down.

"Alpha," Daniel said. "Will you introduce the new wolf?"

"Scarlett," Lara said. "Stand up and introduce yourself."

Scarlett stood up and looked anywhere but at me. "I am Scarlett Tate. Um. I'm a member of the Madison pack." She looked at Lara. "Was that right?"

"Yes, Scarlett," Lara said. "Thank you."

"Will Ms. Tate be speaking today?" Daniel asked.

"I thought she should be available in case her testimony is required," Lara said.

"Very well," Daniel said. "You may sit down, Ms. Tate."

"I object to her presence," Christopher West said, pointing. "She is not required."

"Neither are you," Daniel said immediately. "Would you care to leave with her?"

Christopher sputtered. "But- but- I represent the council!"

"No," Lara said firmly. "You do not! I represent the council. You represent a small, vocal minority whose presence I find odious. My patience with you is near its limits, so I recommend you sit down and shut up, and if you crack so much as one more smile during these proceedings, I will personally make sure it's the last smile you ever make. That is your alpha sitting at the other end of the room, and I find your pleasure in these proceedings to be reprehensible."

Christopher took in Lara's body language and he shut his mouth.

And I had just learned something vital. I just wasn't sure what.

"All right," Daniel said. "Greg, I believe you had more testimony."

Greg stood up. It took him ninety minutes to bring everyone up to his part in arranging the challenge. He used recordings of our conversations extensively coupled with his own notes. He did a good job of painting me as a cold, efficient murderer.

But I wasn't on trial for murder.

Greg said, "Wendy will describe events at the challenge, and then I will finish." He sat down and Wendy stood up.

"Excuse me," Lara said. All eyes turned to her. "Before Wendy testifies, I would like to list additional charges."

Wendy sat down and Daniel told Lara to list them.

"I am adding five charges of trespassing on pack territory." She paused. "I am unable to determine the exact count that is appropriate. These cover Michaela's returns into Wisconsin once entering Iowa."

Daniel raised an eyebrow then turned to me. "Do you understand the charges?"

"Yes," I said. "What are the penalties?"

"Trespassing is normally charged when evicting someone from pack territory," Daniel explained. "Normally eviction is the only penalty. For a repeat or egregious offender, the offender may be given a beating before the eviction. From time to time, there are monetary damages. In my history, I have killed two especially egregious offenders but only after repeated offenses." He turned to Lara. "I do not believe you will be seeking extreme penalties in this case."

"No," she said. "I am treating this as a first offense. I want the charges on record."

"Very well," Daniel said. "Wendy, if you would proceed."

Wendy stood again and presented the events of the challenge calmly and without embellishment until the end. All she said at the end was, "Good riddance."

I stared at her. She was looking at me when she said it.

Then she sat down. Greg stood up and continued, explaining how I had come to be here. He offered a short summary of the wolves I had killed in Iowa City. He also spoke without embellishment until the end. "I didn't believe what she did was possible, not for one small fox with virtually no outside support. I advised Lara to deny Michaela's repeated requests for permission to handle this issue. I thought she'd get herself killed, or worse, involve the human authorities. She did neither, although some of that involved luck that one shouldn't count on."

He looked around the room, then faced Lara. "I grossly underestimated your mate. You have my apologies."

"Everyone underestimates her," Lara said. "Repeatedly, in spite of continued evidence that her abilities are unbounded. I don't blame you any more than I do myself."

Greg nodded and sat down.

"Alpha," Daniel said after a moment. "Do you have further testimony to offer?"

"I would summarize," she said. "I will be brief."

"We will listen to your summary and then break for lunch."

"Boulder Alpha," I said immediately. "I will have questions, and I would prefer to ask them prior to the break. It may be you will have immediate answers, and then I will have opportunity to consider your answers. It may be you will wish to consider your answers, and you will have time to do so."

"All right," he said. "Alpha, if you would summarize please."

Lara stood up. She gave a brief summary of events. She didn't say anything anyone didn't already know, and she only took a few minutes. She sat back down, and Daniel thanked her.

"Alpha," he said, turning to me. "You have questions?"

I studied him for a minute. "I believe that title is inaccurate," I said.

"So you have stated. I believe you are mistaken. You have questions?"

"Yes," I said. "We have received several days of testimony from those gathered here. And we have a list of charges filed against me. But not once has anyone related these charges to the testimony offered. I do not know how I can defend myself against charges when I do not understand which charges apply to which of my actions."

Daniel looked to Lara. "She is correct. These charges are yours, Alpha. Can you answer this question now, or do you require time to prepare."

"I can answer," she said. Lara stood up, pulling a piece of paper from her stack of papers. "Let us start with the minor charges. Endangerment of a Valued Pack Asset. That asset is you, Alpha." She waited for my reaction, but I refused to give her one. "There are four counts, one for each time you engaged in violence without proper protection."

The irony of the charge didn't escape anyone.

"Three charges of abandonment. That would be your mate and your two children."

Again she waited for me to respond. I sat still, waiting for Lara to continue.

"Now we come to the larger charges. You already understand one charge each of Insubordination and Dereliction of Duty."

I nodded.

"The different levels of Insubordination all refer to the same events; it is up to the court to decide if you are guilty of Insubordination and how extreme." She paused, watching me, but I offered no response. "One charge is for violating my order that there would be no retribution. One charge is for violating orders to allow your protective detail to protect you. The other six are for your repeated refusal to return home when ordered."

"I am sorry," I said. "Which orders were those?"

"Two direct orders from me and four more from Elisabeth," Lara explained.

"All right," I said. "Please continue."

"Finally, Dereliction of Duty. There is one charge of simple Dereliction of Duty related to your teaching duties. You are not charged with the higher levels for that offense."

"It is good to know you don't intend to kill me because I failed to show up for work."

"Quite," she replied with the ghost of a smile. "The remaining four charges are for the four times you engaged in violence in Iowa."

"Will you explain why defending the pack constitutes Dereliction of Duty?"

"You were not defending the pack!" she said hotly. "You were engaging in vengeance!"

"Regardless of my motives," I replied calmly, "would you explain why that constitutes Dereliction of Duty?"

"You have multiple duties that do not constitute going off half-cocked, Michaela," Lara said firmly. "You have repeatedly been given orders by me to see to your personal safety. Placing yourself in danger is contrary to those orders. You have a duty to protect the pack. You have a duty to protect your young. Harrying off to Iowa to enact vengeance is not in keeping with those duties."

"You have stated three distinct duties you believe I have failed to perform," I said. "And four instances of when I failed to perform them. Should that not be a total of twelve counts?"

She stared at me and then said quietly, "This was a compromise."

"Thank you, Alpha, for your explanations," I said. "I have no further questions at this time."

Lara sat back down and Daniel excused us until after lunch.

 **Banishment**

As soon as we convened after lunch, I stood up and addressed Daniel. "I have questions."

"I thought you might."

"The Madison alpha has brought these charges to me. I wish some additional clarification of the charges. With the exception of the charges of trespassing and perhaps endangerment of a pack asset, as I understand these charges, they may only be applied to a member of the pack. Is that accurate?"

"It is," he said.

"Well then, I move that the majority of the remaining charges be immediately dismissed, as I was not a member of the pack when the events in question occurred."

I leaned on the table, looking directly into Daniel's eyes. He returned my gaze then spoke calmly. "Well, if that were true, you would have legitimate cause for dismissal of most of these charges. When did you notify your alpha that you were removing yourself from the pack?"

"I didn't," I said. "She banished me."

Lara didn't say a word.

"I am afraid I am confused," Daniel stated. "Did you receive some sort of official notice you had been banished?"

"Yes," I said. "Elisabeth told me."

"I did no such thing," Elisabeth stated firmly.

"You certainly did!" I said hotly.

Daniel raised his hand. "Alpha," he said clearly. "Did you receive written notice?"

"No, of course not."

"Did your alpha tell you that you had been banished?"

"No."

"So your evidence is that your head enforcer informed you that you were banished, a claim she denies?"

"She did tell me I was banished," I said. "And yes, that is my evidence. Does anyone doubt my word?"

"I did not tell her she was banished," Elisabeth repeated.

"You did!" I repeated.

Daniel held his hand up again. "Alpha, perhaps there has been a misunderstanding. We should calmly-" and he stressed that word, "arrive at the cause of the misunderstanding."

"She told me I was banished," I said in a quieter voice.

"Enforcer," Daniel said. "Do you know why your alpha believes she was banished?"

"Yes," Elisabeth said. She faced me. "Alpha, I did not tell you that you were banished. What did I tell you?"

I ran her question through my head several times. "You told me if I did not return to Madison by noon the next day, I would be banished. I did not return." I paused. "You lied. Elisabeth, you lied to me!" I glared at Lara. "We agreed there wouldn't be any lies like that!"

"I didn't lie, Alpha," Elisabeth said calmly. "At the time I stated the words, that was Lara's plan, one I pressed on her."

"I changed my mind," Lara said. "Also at Elisabeth's urging. And Serena's."

I looked between the three of them. "I could have come home," I said quietly. I considered everything, and it all rushed at me. I began to hyperventilate. "I could have come home. Oh god, I'm never going to see my babies again, and I could have gone home."

I slumped back into my chair and buried my face in my hands.

I could have gone home. I had been welcome back home the entire time.

No one said a word. No one attempted to comfort me; I wouldn't have accepted their attempts, anyway. I sat quietly, stunned and silent.

When finally I looked up, wiping tears from my eyes, the first person I saw, the one seated closest to me, was Scarlett. She hadn't tried to hide the tears sliding down her cheeks. Next to her was Angel. She was clasping Scarlett's hand, and they were both white knuckled.

If that had been my hand, it would have been crushed.

There was a box of tissues on the table in front of me. It hadn't been there before. I pulled several, then climbed to my feet and turned away, addressing to my needs. There was a trash can near the doorway, and I walked over to dispose of the soiled tissues. When I turned around, I saw that Scarlett was pushed away from the table, and her legs were crossed.

She was wearing a skirt, which wasn't unusual for Scarlett, but she was seated in an un-ladylike fashion, which wasn't necessarily unusual for a twenty-year-old, and wasn't particularly unusual for Scarlett. Except when Scarlett took the time to appear in feminine clothing, she also was more likely to act ladylike.

During my first ransom night, one of my punishments had been a tattoo on my buttocks. The tattoo said simply, "Lara's" in a fine script. Over the past year and a half, I had threatened to heal it away a few times, but I had never done so.

During my second ransom night, one of my punishments was to be a subtle tattoo of a set of wolf tracks on my ankle. I was offered an alternate punishment, one fairly severe, but if I accepted it, then each of them would accept a tattoo instead.

I had instead negotiated with Elisabeth for far more. I got her away from the cameras and then told her I wanted a set of tracks all the way up my leg to my hip, and I wanted a mix of wolf and fox tracks to represent Lara and me walking through a shared path of life. I then told her in exchange for my accepting such a long tattoo, I wanted fox tracks mixed in with the wolf tracks on each of their ankles.

Several of the women had balked at the fox tracks. I accused them of dishonoring their alpha - me - but finally told them they were free to adorn their bodies as they chose. They began my severe punishment, my payment for them each accepting a tattoo, but when they did, Scarlett whispered to me she would be accepting a tattoo as long as mine, and that while she would not have as many fox tracks as I would have, she would incorporate fox tracks. She also told me Angel was doing the same thing.

Scarlett was sitting in the chair, her legs cocked at an odd angle, and her skirt pulled up above her knee. Her fingers were brushing against her leg in a fashion that could be considered subconscious, but her fingers were repeatedly circling one of the fox tracks high on her leg. She tapped the marks. She circled the marks.

And I was sure she was doing it deliberately, as nonchalant as it appeared.

Seated next to her, Angel was wearing a skirt as well. Angel never wore skirts. I didn't think she even owned any. But she was wearing a skirt, and it was also pulled up over her knee, exposing her tattooed leg. She wasn't brushing the tattoo the way Angel was, but the combined wolf and fox tracks were readily visible to me.

They wouldn't have been visible to me when I was seated, nor were they visible to most of the wolves in the room. But they were visible to me.

Serena was sitting between Angel and Elisabeth. Serena hadn't been tattooed with the rest of us, but she was wearing a skirt, and she had pulled it up. On her leg, readily visible, was a tattoo similar to mine. It was subtle, only on her ankle, but it was clearly a set of wolf and fox tracks. I had never seen that tattoo on her before; it was new. Serena was making no particular effort to bring attention to it, but she was seated in a fashion her ankle was exposed to the light and visible to me, even with Angel and Scarlett partially blocking my view.

Seated past Serena was Elisabeth. She was in a skirt. I had seen Elisabeth in a dress only once, and it was under extreme duress. Elisabeth's tattoo was on her far leg from me, but she had turned her chair to face me, one ankle resting on the other knee, and she had one hand resting casually on her ankle, the fingertips just touching a set of fox tracks.

At the end of the table on this side, next to Elisabeth, sat Lara, my mate. She was also wearing a skirt. From time to time, Lara dressed in a feminine style, but it was rare. She was more likely to dress in a suit with slacks, and I didn't realize she even owned a business suit with a skirt, but she was wearing one today.

Lara had accepted her own tattoo the night of my ransom, the same length as mine, but on opposite legs from mine. Mine was on my right leg; hers was on her left. When we stood side-by-side, the pair of tracks was together. The way she was seated, I couldn't see her tattoo, and she wasn't doing anything to bring attention to it.

I stood there, staring down the line of my pack mates. And then Lara stood up, stretched, then turned around and lifted her left leg to the seat of her chair. She bent down to adjust her shoe, her skirt riding up her leg a little further, and when she straightened, she very clearly ran her fingers up the outside of her leg, following the path of the tattoo. It was a clear, deliberate move, and it was done in a fashion I could clearly see it.

She glanced over in my direction and saw where I was looking, staring at her leg. I caught the ghost of a smile, and then she sat back down.

I moved back to my chair, drank some of my water, and addressed Daniel. "My apologies."

"Quite understandable," he said. "Alpha."

I nodded in understanding.

"I understand I have not been banished as I was led to believe," I stated. I stared at Elisabeth. "I was led to that belief deliberately. There was amble opportunity to disabuse me of the notion I had been banished." I glared at Angel. "I would like to know the original reasons why I was to be banished, and I would like to know why I was not."

"Those are not pertinent," Daniel said immediately.

"Are we going to start that again?" I asked. "It didn't go well last time."

Daniel turned to Lara. "Answer her questions or talk her out of asking."

Lara stood up before speaking. She paced around for a moment then turned to face me. "Please retract your questions."

"Answer the first and I will consider retracting the second."

"Retract the second, agree not to bring it up again, and I will answer the first," she offered. "As Daniel has stated, my motivations are not pertinent to these proceedings, and I will indulge you only so far."

I looked around the room, hoping for clues, and I found one. Scarlett was seated sufficiently close to the end of the table, and she was pushed away from the table slightly. Her skirt had ridden up even further, and she was frantically scratching her leg, as if she had an itch, but she was scratching directly over the highest of her fox tracks.

I stared at it for just a moment before I realized I wasn't being subtle, and they were, so I schooled my features and turned to Lara. "Agreed."

"You were rogue," she said. "But you were pack. If Brody Mortens had called me to complain about your actions, he could have demanded I resolve the issue. I would have been obligated to hunt you down, utilizing all the pack resources available to me. Furthermore, he would have had cause to bring charges against you and would be at these proceedings to bear witness against you. This is a very minor point, but he could also have demanded significant reparations for your actions; this was not a significant reason. By declaring you banished, if he were to call, I could tell him it wasn't my problem and to solve it himself."

We stared at each other for a while. "I believe there is more to it than that," I told her.

She looked away for a moment. "Yes, you are correct."

"I have already retracted my second question," I said. "A good faith answer would have been complete."

"You already know the second reason, Michaela," she said. "If you were banished, you would be protected from proceedings of this nature."

She didn't sit down. I stared at her while I tried to consider everything she had said.

"You didn't exert every effort to apprehend me," I said finally. "But you didn't banish me."

"Brody Mortens never called me," Lara said. "And so I was under no obligation to him to pursue you."

"You have offered two reasons why you originally chose to banish me," I said. "Was it the weight of the two answers that led to your decision, or would either of them have been sufficient weight?"

"Either were of sufficient weight," Lara replied.

I rose slowly from my chair and began my own pacing. I turned to her. "You changed your mind. You chose not to protect me from these proceedings. Why?" I paused. "Why?" I yelled. "You're charging me with capital crimes. If I had been banished, you would not be bringing these charges against me. How can you hate me this much?"

She didn't answer me, but her expression was one of deep concern.

I turned away from her, walking to the door again and staring at it. When I turned around, Scarlett's hand was resting casually on her tattoo. As I stepped closer, so was Angel's.

I moved to my place at the foot of the table and looked at Lara. "Thank you for explaining."

She nodded and sat down.

I looked at Daniel.

"As it appears I was never banished, I move the trespassing charges be dropped. If I were a pack member, they do not apply."

"Madison Alpha?" Daniel asked immediately.

Lara turned to her right. Christopher West and Albert Stein were seated in chairs behind Daniel, acting as observers, not participants in the proceedings. "Mr. West?" she asked. "Are you opposed to dropping the trespassing charges? I believe you argued strenuously for them in the first place."

"That was when she was to be banished!" he said hotly. "I haven't said anything about it since."

"The Madison pack has no objection to dismissing the trespassing charges," Lara stated calmly.

"Excellent," said Daniel, turning back towards me.

"I was given ample reason to believe I had been banished. Does anyone wish to dispute that fact?"

Daniel looked around the room.

"No," said Lara. "While you were not given proper notice of banishment, you were given to believe you had been banished."

"Lara, are your babies in attendance? I have not seen you take breaks to feed them, and I have neither seen nor heard them."

"No," she said. "They are well cared for back home. I miss them."

"As do I," I said. "Are we agreed then, that you believe the babies have ample care during brief periods of separation from their mother?"

"Yes," she said.

"Are we agreed they currently need you far more than they need me? I am not the one who has been feeding them."

"Yes," she said.

"Are we agreed that when I left, the babies were well cared for?"

"You are addressing the issue of abandonment?" Lara asked.

"Yes."

"The issue of abandonment isn't that you left. It's that you didn't return."

"When I left, I left behind in my office a note to you. Do you have it?"

"Yes," she said. She dug through her papers and pulled out the note I had written.

"Will you read it, please?" I asked her.

She nodded and read the note. Christopher West didn't look happy. Good.

"I believe I clearly stated my intention was always to return. I expected there to be punishment, and I expected to pay it. But the only reason I didn't return was because I believe I was banished." I looked at Daniel. "I move the charges of abandonment be dismissed."

Daniel took the note from Lara and read it again. Then he looked up at me. "Motion denied," he said. Then his expression softened. "Abandonment is a minor issue, and you have made your point."

I took the hint and dropped it.

I looked around the room. I had clues, ample clues, but I needed time to put everything together.

"Boulder Alpha," I asked. "Is it your intention to continue these proceedings tomorrow. I believe it will be Sunday."

"I would prefer to spend the day with my family," he replied.

"So would I," I stated.

The corner of his lips curved up for a brief moment.

"I believe I need time to consider everything." I paused. "I have a few other things I would like to address, but may I suggest we otherwise adjourn and not meet again until Monday? I believe I will be ready to proceed by then."

"Madison Alpha?" he asked immediately.

"Agreed," Lara replied.

"After we have addressed your other concerns, Alpha," Daniel said to me, "we will adjourn until Monday."

"Boulder Alpha," I said. "You have stated repeatedly you intend for these hearings to be fair and unbiased, and that I will be given ample opportunity to defend myself from these charges. Is that still your intention?"

"Yes," he said sternly. "I also said we would not address this again."

"That was only a prelude. If I am to defend myself fairly, then there need to be certain concessions so that I may do so. Is that also agreed?"

"Yes," he replied. "Depending upon the concessions."

"It may be that while I consider everything, I may have additional questions. Is there some way they could be answered? Otherwise I will need to ask them on Monday and then immediately ask for another adjournment while I consider them. As I have access to no other counsel, I don't know how else to build my defense if I am left ignorant of things everyone else probably knows."

"Write out your questions. Greg will forward them to me, and I will make decisions. You will need to wait until Monday to make inquiries of the witnesses."

"Thank you. Finally, I wish to object to my treatment so far."

"Excuse me?"

"I have been locked in a cage since Tuesday," I stated. "My brain requires physical exercise to rid my body of the poisons that cloud an inert body. In other words, I demand ample opportunity to run. I am unable to think as clearly as required for a capital case when I spend most of my time locked in a tiny cell."

"Absolutely not!" Daniel said immediately.

"I have not been convicted of a single crime," I stated. "And if you are truly unbiased, then you have not yet judged me. Furthermore, I would run as a fox, and my top speed is significantly slower than a wolf's. If Lima Consulting can't prevent my escape while I run through these scrublands, they don't deserve their reputation."

"You are demonstrably extremely dangerous, Michaela. You could kill your guards and run."

"I am a pussy cat as a fox," I said. "My claws and teeth are no match for a wolf hide. Because I am so much smaller as a fox than I am as a human, it is trivial once I shift to lock me into my fox form. Lara and Elisabeth are able to vouch for that. Furthermore, no one in this room can accuse me of breaking my promises, and I promise to make no attempt to abuse my freedom. I only want the exercise."

"You are exceedingly good at hiding," Daniel said. "You are exceedingly good at eluding your protective detail, wolves that have had over two years to become accustomed to your tricks."

"Oh for crying out loud," I said. "Send someone to the store. Buy an electronic dog tracker. Attach it to a harness in a fashion I can't remove it without far more time than I could possibly have. Lara and Elisabeth can also explain how to do that. They've done it before."

"She's right," Lara said. "I trust her promise, but she has offered sufficient methods to enforce her promise."

Daniel looked first at Lara then turned to Greg. "Will you accept this responsibility?"

Greg turned to me. "You will shift to fox in your cell. We will prepare you in your cell. You will run only where we allow. You will remain on our property; it is somewhat smaller than you are accustomed, so your variety will be limited. At the end of your runs you will be returned to your cell."

"Or the shower?"

"Or the shower," he agreed. "Yes, Boulder Alpha. Lima Consulting will ensure the prisoner remains a prisoner."

"All right," Daniel said. "Anything else?"

"When I want a run how do I request one?"

"Knock on your cell door. Someone is posted outside," Greg said. "There may be a delay from your knocking and someone answering."

"Thank you. That is all I have for now."

"Then we are adjourned," Daniel said.

I stood up, turned around so I was facing away from everyone, then lifted my leg to tie my shoe. While I did so, I pulled the hem of my slacks up moderately and caressed my tattoo briefly.

I made sure Scarlett could see.

 **Puzzling It Out**

When I was returned to my cell, I told Cameron, "I require a table at which I may write. I require ample paper and writing implements, preferably in mixed colors. I require these as soon as possible."

"You didn't want to run?"

"Later," I said. "Perhaps before dinner, if I could have warning, and then again later in the evening."

He nodded and disappeared but returned only a few minutes later with several pads of paper and a supply of pens and pencils. Before he gave them to me, he said, "You made threats against the lives of Wendy and Greg. I believe these pencils would be sufficient weapons for you. Before you will be returned to the hearing room, you will shift to fox, and I will search your room to verify you have returned everything to me."

"Very prudent," I said. "Thank you for the warning."

"Do you need anything else at this time?"

"Water and I'll ask for a bathroom break eventually."

"I will bring water once I find a desk for you."

I sat on the cot with my back against the wall and a pad of paper in my lap. I began writing down questions.

Why did Lara bring these charges against me?

Why is Scarlett here?

Why wasn't I banished, if banishing me would protect me?

Does Lara hate me?

Does Elisabeth?

What is going on with the tattoos?

Why is Christopher West here?

Why did Greg agree to his role in this?

I paused, considering my list. There were more questions. I knew there were. Nothing made sense, but I was sure I had all the pieces of the puzzle, and I only needed to put them together.

It was time to ask other people more questions. Cameron returned with one of the unnamed male wolves. They opened the door and asked me to remain seated on the cot. I nodded, and they carried a small desk into the room, and then a chair. "This is the best we have," he said.

"It will be adequate," I said. "Cameron, if I temporarily retract my threat on Greg and Wendy's lives, would they come see me?"

"There will be no collusion," he said immediately.

"That's not what I asked."

"I will relay your request," he stated. "It is not my decision."

"Thank you."

He stepped out and my door closed.

I ignored the desk for now. I was going to use it later, I imagined, but I was fine on the cot for now. I moved it around, though, so I could leave a glass of water in easy reach. I drank a bit, thinking, then looked at my list.

I took a second pad and wrote down one question in big bold letters, leaving it sitting on the end of the cot closest to the door, facing so anyone who came in could read it. Then I collected it and wrote a number of names on the bottom half of the list, adding questions marks after a few of them. I returned the pad to the end of the cot.

Then I used a third pad and wrote another question, and I added two names to that sheet, a question mark after one of them. I left the second pad next to the first one.

After that, I studied my set of questions, running them over and over in my head.

Why was Scarlett here? Was she here because Lara expected to need her testimony? Or was she here as a message to me?

Perhaps it was both.

I stared at my list, wondering what else I should be asking.

I zoned out for a while, and then there was a knock on the door before it opened. Cameron stepped in.

"Alpha," he said. "I need you to state your intentions towards Greg and Wendy. I need you to speak clearly."

"You mean you need me to state I have no intention of killing them during this visit."

"Yes." He smiled.

"I have no intention of killing them. I will hold myself to that promise from now until Monday morning or until I have given ample warning I am rescinding it again."

"What does that last part mean?"

I sighed. "Ample warning is just that. Take it or leave it."

He stepped out and closed the door for several moments, then it opened again. Greg and Wendy stepped in, and the door closed behind them.

I tossed my pad of paper, with all my questions on it, onto the cot next to me, spinning it so they could see it. Doing so caused both of them to glance down at the cot, and there was no missing the questions I had waiting for them.

I stood up, still holding a sharpened pencil, and approached Greg slowly. He stood, watching me, and I looked up into his face. Then I stepped sideways a half step and studied Wendy.

Neither of them flinched, and Wendy didn't try to impose herself between me and Greg.

I looked back and forth one more time and said, "I haven't figured everything out." But I picked up the first pad, making sure once more they both saw the question on it.

"Who are my friends?" was the question. The list was Lara, Elisabeth, Serena, Angel, and Scarlett. Daniel and Brooke were listed but with small question marks after them. Greg and Wendy were on the list but with several questions marks after their names.

I threw the pad back on the cot. I made it look casual, but I made sure it spun facing them. Their eyes couldn't help but follow the motion, in case they hadn't already gotten the message.

"Mr. Freund," I said. "I do not know if you can answer this. If so, then I retract the question. Am I currently being recorded?"

"Yes. The recording goes on before we open the door and goes off when we are done."

"You have stated the recordings will be made available to the interested parties. May I ask when they will have access to them?"

"When the proceedings are over."

"So I am able to work out my thoughts on paper in privacy, at least until after the hearings?"

"Yes."

"Are you able to offer me assurances any papers I produce will not make their way to anyone else at least until after these hearings are over?"

He paused. "I can assure you that the only way anyone may have access to your papers is if Daniel orders it."

"Greg, I need to know whether I have privacy or not. Please speak plainly."

"Daniel has not ordered any invasion of your privacy beyond those required to ensure there is no collusion. I do not believe he will do so between now and Monday morning, but I cannot offer any promises. No one from Lima Consulting will disturb your papers without Daniel's order or your permission. Unless Daniel orders it, I can offer a shredder early on Monday, if you feel there are papers you would like to destroy."

"It is possible to reassemble shredded material."

"I can offer promises to burn the results once shredded." He paused. "I understand you may not trust my promises."

I studied him. "I accept your offer to shred and burn my papers Monday morning."

"If I have your assurances you will attempt no foul play, you may do the shredding yourself. If I do not trust your assurances, you may watch while one of my wolves does it for you. I am sorry, but you won't be able to witness the burning."

"Thank you," I said. I paced for a moment then turned around again. "I would like to go for a run. It will be what is for me a long run. I would like to shower afterwards and then have a small dinner. I will work after dinner but would like another run before bedtime. That may be late. I may ask for another shower before bed. Will you grant these requests?"

"Yes, subject to the terms discussed earlier," he said immediately.

"Lara and Elisabeth explained how to lock you into your fox form," Wendy said. "You will have four wolves surrounding you from the moment you leave the basement until the moment you return. Will you accept me as one of them?"

"Yes," I said. "Thank you. When will you be ready?"

"Now, if you like. Do you require privacy for your shift?"

"Not necessary," I said.

"You will shift in here and then step out into the hallway and stand passively while we prepare you," Wendy said. "I will thoroughly search you both before the run and afterwards."

"I understand. Now?"

She nodded.

I stepped clear, loosened my clothing, then bent down and shifted into a fox. I slithered from the clothing, shook myself once, and then pranced out into the hallway.

When I arrived, I saw Cameron waiting for me, a shopping bag at his side. I walked over to it and poked my nose into the bag, examining the contents. No one tried to stop me.

Wendy said, "Michaela, come here." I turned around and pranced over to her. It felt good to be in fur. I was excited at the opportunity to run. I shook once more, fluffing out my fur and, presumably, shedding quite a bit of loose hair at the same time.

Wendy knelt down. "I am going to examine you. You will not resist."

I chuffed at her.

She reached out for me, and I stood quietly, looking up into her face. She ran her fingers through the fur around my neck then leaned further forward, running her hands down my fur all the way to my tail. Then she clasped my cheeks gently and said, "Open your mouth as widely as you are able."

I offered a large yawn and allowed her to turn my head this way and that while she looked inside my mouth.

"You aren't going to like this part," she said. "Stick your tongue out."

I lolled my tongue. Cameron stepped forward, handing her a small pad of gauze, and before I could react, Wendy clasped my tongue through the gauze, then lifted my tongue so she could look underneath it.

When she was done, I spat for a while, trying to get rid of the taste of the gauze. I was sure there were filaments of it stuck to my tongue. Wendy waited until I was done and then said, "Roll onto your back."

I did, tucking my tail between my legs for modesty.

She searched through my fur very thoroughly. Her fingers paused when she discovered the piercings at my nipples. She thumbed both of them, and I huffed at her.

"What are these?" she asked. But of course, I couldn't answer. I huffed some more when she dug through my fur to get a better look, but I didn't resist.

"Oh," she said. "Oh. I am sorry."

I didn't respond.

"For the record, the fox's nipples are pierced. That is what my fingers found."

I growled at her menacingly, but I didn't nip.

Wendy's hands moved lower, moving along my sides and stomach, searching for irregularities. I don't know what she was worried about.

"Move your tail, Michaela," she said.

I growled at her.

"I don't have a choice," she said. "Move your tail or forget your run."

I moved my tail away. She examined me closely, which I found embarrassing, but her hands were not too invasive.

Finally she was done and let me get up. I slinked away from her, fluffing out my fur, my back turned to her. She let me sulk for a minute then said, "Michaela, come here."

I turned around and walked up to her. She was holding a harness in her hands, the sort one might use for a dog.

"If you want your run, you will accept this," she said. "I will be adjusting it so it is quite snug." She showed it to me. "There is a location transmitter here." She showed me a knob at the back, well wrapped in duct tape. "While you may be able to damage this given sufficient opportunity, it would take you some time."

I chuffed agreement.

"If you shift back to human once this is in place, you will in effect slice yourself into pieces. The material is very strong. The alphas both tested the strength themselves and are satisfied."

I chuffed. I already knew all this.

"The location transmitter is waterproof, and there is no standing water on our ranch anyway. It is also highly shock proof. It has a several mile range, and we have a dozen receivers."

I yawned. Whatever.

"Once I am satisfied, Cameron and I will shift here. Then we will collect your other two guards at the base of the stairs. You may run for however long you want, within reason. We aren't staying out all night."

I chuffed.

Wendy knelt down, and I turned sideways, allowing her to stuff me into the dog harness. I hated these things, but it was a small price to pay for a proper run. She buckled it, but it was too loose. It took several tries until she was sure all the straps were sufficiently snug.

"Are you all right?" she asked. I chuffed.

I prowled around the corridor while they shifted. They each took several minutes. I felt quite superior and began to prance again, in spite of the harness. Finally they finished, and I led the way to the door at the end of the corridor. Wendy howled briefly, and the door opened from the other side.

There was one wolf on two feet managing the door and two more wolves in fur waiting for us. I strode through the door then turned to the door to the staircase. Wendy stepped in front of me and used her body to push me away from the door.

Whatever.

The wolf on two feet opened the door to the stairway, using some sort of card key and a security code I couldn't see. Two of the wolves preceded me up the stairs. I followed them, and Wendy and Cameron followed behind.

Once we were outside, I stopped and looked around. I knew the ranch well enough to pick my own route. I set off at a comfortable lope, and my escort fanned out around me, not attempting to guide me in any particular direction. I was sure that would change if I tried to leave the property.

I had no intention of pushing anyone's buttons.

I spent fifteen minutes at a comfortable lope, then I barked twice and moved into a run.

I ran three times around the perimeter of the ranch. It wasn't satisfying without my own pack members along, but I was able to loosen up. I felt better afterwards, and at the end of the third circle, I turned my nose back to the training warehouse and slowed to a lope. I loped around for a while longer, not taking a direct route back to my cell, but not pushing anyone's patience, either.

I wasn't necessarily in a hurry to return to my tiny cell, but I didn't think abusing the run was going to gain me any good will.

Several minutes later, we were back in the basement hallway. Cameron and Wendy accompanied me and began their shift. I sat on the cool floor, panting at them and waiting for them to finish shifting.

Wendy finished first and pulled her clothes on. For a moment, I was tempted to give her as thorough a search as she had given me, but I decided it wasn't her fault, and really, I wasn't interested anyway.

She moved to me and knelt down, unbuckling the harness. "I must search you again," she said.

I huffed my displeasure but let her do whatever she wanted.

When she was done I headed towards the bathroom. Wendy opened the door for me and turned on the lights. Clothes were waiting for me, and there were fresh towels.

"The cameras in here are off," she said. "The ones in the hallway are not, so standing in the doorway, I am being recorded. We're late for dinner, which isn't entirely a problem, but you may not want to take too long."

I chuffed and waited for her to close the door before shifting to human.

I enjoyed my shower. I contemplated a show of defiance by forcing her and Cameron to eat cold dinners, but I decided I had long made my points. I didn't need to be petulant about it.

This time.

I cleaned up, brushed my hair, and dressed before stepping back out. My hair was still wet from the shower.

Wendy and Cameron were talking quietly but turned to face me when I exited the bathroom. "It takes a long time to dry my hair. I imagine you want to eat, so I will dry it after the evening run, if that is fine with you. I would rather not sleep in wet hair." There was a wall-mounted dryer, normally used for hands, but I had already been using it for my hair as well.

She nodded, and I stepped to my cell, waiting for her to open it.

"Thank you for the run," I told her, stepping into the cell.

"You are welcome," was her reply before the door closed.

The run had cleared my head, although I knew I would need more before I was fully thinking straight. I stared at my list of questions. I hadn't been looking long before the door knocked, and Wendy entered with my dinner. I glanced it over. "That's still far more than I eat."

"I know," she said.

I ate a few bites while she watched. "I would like to pick at it," I said. "Is it critical you watch? Maybe bring more water, then come back in ninety minutes for a bathroom break. I'll have eaten as much as I'm going to by then."

"All right, Alpha," she said.

"I'm not your alpha, Wendy," I replied.

"Perhaps not," she said. "But you are still Alpha."

"If anyone believed that, we wouldn't be here today."

She didn't respond but instead stepped away, and I went back to my papers.

I studied everything I had written. I had one pad with the question, "Who are my enemies?" There were only two names, Christopher West and Albert Stein. I had question marks after Mr. Stein. I had also written down, "Other members of the council" with more question marks.

I studied that page. I crossed out the question marks. Lara indicated Mr. West was a member of a small but vocal minority, and I interpreted that to mean more than him and Albert Stein. I crossed out the question marks after "Other members of the council" but added the words, "How many" and "Who?" I kept the question marks after Mr. Stein's name. I had no evidence beyond his presence here; I thought perhaps he was a detractor, but without a frank discussion with Lara, I could not be sure what his full role was.

Mr. West would not be remaining on the council. He would be lucky to keep his life. If Lara were forced to kill me, he would be next. If I somehow wormed my way out of these charges and were invited back to the pack, I would kill him myself.

I set that sheet aside. I couldn't answer those questions with the information I had. I looked at my list of friends.

Lara, Elisabeth, Serena, Angel and Scarlett had been clear. I grabbed my list of longer questions and wrote down more questions: "Why all the subterfuge? Why not speak plainly? Why not offer proper counsel?"

I thought the answer to those questions were all the same.

I went around and around my questions.

Wendy returned. I accepted a bathroom break, and she removed my tray of food.

"Wendy," I said.

"Now what?" she asked.

"May I have a light I can control?"

She studied me.

"I promise I have nothing nefarious planned for it, and even if something nefarious were to come to mind, I promise not to act on it. A small desk light."

"There is plenty of light in here."

"I will be asking you to turn those lights out at bedtime."

"There is no electrical outlet in here, and the door seals very tightly. I can not run an extension cord."

"A battery powered camping light of some sort would be fine, anything I can use hands free."

"Everything you ask for is one more thing I need to make sure you aren't using to plan an escape or a murder."

"I have not been convicted of any crimes, but I am being kept in a cell anyway. I am the only one in this compound who has acted in good faith, and yet I am the one being severely mistreated. If I am not executed, I will remember that. I will also remember if my reasonable requests are honored. I won't argue this issue further."

Wendy turned away, still not answering.

"I may have temporarily withdrawn my vow to kill you and Greg, Wendy, but whatever reasons you had for this, I was treated with a great deal of duplicity that I did not deserve. I haven't figured out this puzzle yet, but you know I will, and you damned well better hope either that I am executed or that I figure out some pretty fucking fabulous reasons why you would have turned on me like this. If I am supposed to trust you, then you will fucking start trusting me."

"I will see what is possible," she said quietly. "When would you like your run?"

"What time is it?"

"Nine-fifteen," she said.

"At ten, then," I said. "Will an hour stress my privilege?"

"No, an hour run is fine."

I studied my notes. I studied my questions. I wasn't asking the right question. Oh, I was asking good question, but there was another question I needed to ask.

Wendy returned while I was studying my papers. She knocked, paused, then entered. I glanced up. She had a camping light with her, something I could set on the desk.

"It has two power settings. On high, it only lasts about two hours. On low, about ten. We will not replace batteries in the middle of the night."

"Low will be fine, and I may not use it. I wanted the option." I paused. "What are the chances I could have a watch?"

"Michaela," she said. "Give me a break."

"I'm only asking, and not that strongly."

She sighed and pulled her own watch off, setting it on the desk.

"Thank you," I told her.

"Do you want pajamas tonight after your run?"

"That would be nice, thank you. Before my run, I would like a few minutes of Greg's time. Is that possible?"

"I'll see." She stepped back out of the room and returned after a moment. "He'll be here in just a minute."

"Thank you," I said.

And then she stepped out, not quite closing the door behind her.

I looked through my questions. Then I grabbed the last pad and wrote in big, bold letters, "What is REALLY going on?" Because this damned well wasn't about Lara wanting me dead.

I stared at the question until I heard a door open in the hallway and then Greg's confident step against the floor. He appeared in the doorway.

"Thank you for coming," I said. "I have questions for Daniel, but I wanted to explain them to you."

"That isn't necessary," he said.

"I believe it is," I said. "I am politely asking for answers to these questions. I am not demanding. Do you understand the difference?"

"Yes." In other words, I wouldn't raise a stink if I didn't get answers.

"If either he or Lara would rather I retract the questions, I will do so." I waited to let that settle before going on. "I believe I already know the answer to the first question, and the rest are dependent upon me being correct. The remaining questions are basically different versions of one single question. I asked it in different ways in case they were willing to answer one form of the question but not another."

"All right." Greg held his hand out for the paper in my hands.

"I wouldn't mind an answer tonight," I said. "But if that is not possible, that is fine." Then I handed him the sheet. The questions were simple.

 _If I had returned to Madison after the challenge in Dubuque, would I still be facing similar hearings?_

 _Would Lara have officiated?_

 _Would Daniel have officiated?_

 _Would Ron Berg have officiated?_

 _Would Christopher West have officiated?_

 _Who would have officiated?_

"I understand I may only receive partial answers or no answer at all."

 **Eureka**

When I returned to my cell after my run, I found my sheet of questions waiting for me on my pillow with partial answers in Lara's hand. Yes, I would be facing a similar hearing. No, neither she nor Daniel would have officiated. She hadn't answered the remaining questions.

I didn't know what that meant. But it left me with another question.

Am I better off being tried in Colorado than back in Wisconsin?

It was the middle of the night when I woke from a deep sleep, sitting bolt upright in the dark. I scrambled for the camp light, turned it on, then dug through my papers until I found the pad with the question, "What is REALLY going on?"

Below it, I wrote in large letters, "Politics. Fucking politics."

The answers to most of my other questions became clear. My wolves were telling me, as loudly and clearly as they could, they were on my side. Wendy had told me that before this started, but I suddenly had been given ample reason to believe otherwise.

Why couldn't anyone be clear? More politics. I didn't think I was going to puzzle that out any further. I didn't think it mattered.

Lara hadn't brought these charges to me willingly; it was politics. Furthermore, Lara would have protected me if she thought I needed the protection.

She thought I could beat the charges, maybe not all of them, but enough of them.

So who was the real enemy? That was easy: Christopher West.

I was going to stomp him into the dirt. He was no challenge to me.

I turned off the light and went back to sleep and didn't waken again until Wendy knocked on my door in the morning.

I ate and took a morning run with a shower afterwards. I worked on my defense, picking at lunch, until late in the afternoon.

I stood up, stretched, and then turned over most of my notes. I crossed to the door and knocked firmly, then stepped back and waited.

Cameron opened the door and stepped inside. "Bathroom break?"

"Please get Wendy," I said.

"She is on her way."

When she arrived, I looked down at my cot. The paper from last night with the bold words, "Fucking Politics" was clearly visible. She glanced at it but schooled her features.

"You wanted me?"

"Wendy," I said. "I am Michaela Burns, Alpha Fox of the Madison Weres. I wish a run and I demand a proper security detail." I said it firmly and as haughtily as I was able. It was a tone I didn't take very often and wasn't very good at it, but I had been practicing the tone of Dame Maggie Smith and thought I had it down well.

"What was wrong with your security detail yesterday or this morning?"

"It did not include my head of security. That is not you. I would accept as an alternate my head enforcer. But I would prefer a detail picked by either of them, and I cannot imagine such a detail would not include one and or the other of them."

She looked at me, cocking her head. "What do you really want?"

"Exactly what I said. I want a run. I want my own security detail, not one borrowed from someone else. I understand there may be two security details, but I want my own."

She still didn't trust me. She thought I was up to something.

I sighed. "I'll shift to fox. I won't be able to speak. There will be no collusion. All I want is a proper run with a proper detail. I wish to be properly surrounded by pack. I have not been convicted of any serious crimes, and I am not going to be. Now, please kindly relay my demands to whomever can make a decision and return with my answers."

And with that, again haughtily, I stepped away and returned to digging through my notes, but I already had my plan.

I really didn't want anything other than what I was asking: a run with my friends. And they all owed me.

"I will relay your request," Wendy said.

"Demands, Enforcer. They are the demands of the Alpha of the Madison Weres."

And when I looked up at her, she was smiling.

"I will relay your demands, Alpha."

By Wendy's watch, it was thirty-five minutes before she returned. She knocked and stepped into my cell. "You may have your run, Alpha. Your security detail will meet you when you step outside."

"Thank you, Wendy," I said sweetly.

"Promise me you aren't attempting collusion and I won't be as intrusive in my search of you as I have promised to be."

"No collusion, Wendy. Just a run. A long run. But if you feel the need to be intrusive, I will accept stoically. I do not promise for Lara."

"Quite," she said. "We are ready now."

I stood up, loosened my clothing, and was out of them moments later, my furry form filling me with energy.

I fluffed my fur and stepped past her.

When we finally stepped outside ten minutes later, Serena, in fur, was waiting right by the door. At the bottom of the steps, also all in fur, was everyone else: Lara, Elisabeth, Angel and Scarlett. I chuffed and barked happily. I gave Serena a quick, happy lick, accepting one in return. Everyone else received her licks, and then I approached Lara slowly. At her feet, I rolled over onto my back, exposing my throat to her.

She practically threw herself on me, covering me with her weight and plunging her mouth to my throat. She held firmly, not squeezing, just holding me, for a very long time.

Then she let me up, giving me a flurry of licks. I returned them.

I set off in a run.

We didn't play, we only ran, my friends clustered around me the entire time, jockeying for position. I was still in a dire situation, and play was inappropriate.

We ran until I was dead tired. And still I wanted to run, but I grew slower and slower. Finally, Lara stepped in front of me. She licked me and then pointed me back towards the training center that housed my cell.

I huffed at her, but she nudged me with her shoulder.

I huffed again, but turned back towards my cell.

Partway back, however, Elisabeth jumped in front of us, blocking our path. I came to a stop and sat down, wondering what was going on. Lara lay down on one side of me, and Serena on the other, so I lay down between them. Elisabeth backed away several paces, then she barked at me.

It wasn't her normal voice. I cocked my head, puzzled. She did it again, and I realized something. She was mimicking someone else. I cocked my head in the other direction, and she barked a third time.

She sounded suspiciously like Christopher West.

I launched myself at her, from still to full speed in the blink of an eye. I flew at her, growling for all I was worth, and threw myself at her neck.

I was only thirty pounds; any of the wolves were easily five times my weight. With any warning at all, there was no way I could ever possibly knock Elisabeth from her feet like this. But she let me knock her over, coming to a rest on her back with me perched on top of her. Still growling, I plunged my mouth towards her throat, clamping down firmly.

I harried her throat, not causing real damage, but I wasn't looking for submission. I was simulating a kill.

Wendy came from the side, intent on breaking up what she perceived as a fight. Lara launched herself into the space in front of Wendy and growled menacingly. Wendy backed off immediately.

I harried Elisabeth's throat for a while before slowly climbing off of her. She rolled over, looked at me, and chuffed repeatedly.

I had the last of my answers.

 **Defense**

My wolves were in business suits again on Monday, their tattoos peeking out below the hem of their skirts. I had requested "feminine business attire" before bed on Sunday night, and was surprised to find my own business suit waiting for me Monday morning. I didn't even own one, or hadn't, and it didn't fit perfectly, but it was close, and I was comfortable wearing it.

Everyone who mattered knew what the skirts meant, but Scarlett went out of her way to make sure I got a good long look at her tattoo. I smiled at her in thanks.

Daniel convened the meeting, asking if anyone had issues to raise before I began. No one did.

I stood up. "Boulder Alpha," I said. "I am Michaela Burns, Madison Alpha. Does anyone dispute that claim?"

"Of course not," he said after a moment.

"I would like to know something. Since when does the alpha follow orders from the head enforcer?"

"Excuse me?" he replied. "I'm afraid I don't understand."

"There are four charges of insubordination leveled against me for failure to obey my head enforcer's orders. I happily accept recommendations from the head enforcer and consider them very carefully, just like I do from the head of my security or even a member of the pack council. But they are recommendations, not orders, and I cannot be charged with insubordination for not obeying them. Those four charges should be dismissed."

"Madison Alpha," Daniel said. "Do you have a response?"

She, in turn raised an eyebrow to Christopher West.

"Oh fine," he said. "She won't wriggle out of the rest."

"We withdraw four counts of insubordination," Lara responded.

"Thank you," I said. "We're getting down to a manageable list of offenses. There are two more charges of insubordination for my failure to return to Madison at the alpha's orders. I do not recall receiving those orders. Would you care to refresh my memory?"

"One was a text message to your phone delivered the day after your departure. Did you receive it?"

"I received several text messages from your phone," I said. "Three, I believe. None I recall receiving were orders. Perhaps you still have a copy and can read it to me."

Lara withdrew her phone from her suit pocket, paged through it, and then said, "A text message from me to you saying, 'Please come home so I can forgive you'."

I smiled. "Ah, that message. I remember that message. But where is the one with the order?"

"That is the one with the order," she said.

"Since when is the Madison Alpha so wishy-washy in her orders. We all saw last Tuesday what an order from Lara looks and sounds like. She doesn't use words like please. She states very firmly what she wants, and there is no doubt in anyone's mind that she is making an order as alpha, not a request as my mate."

"A request from your alpha is as good as an order," Daniel said.

"Is it?" I asked. "Lara, how long would we be married if every time you opened your mouth, out popped an order?"

"We wouldn't have gotten much past a first date," she said.

"Are there times you have made an order to me that I have interpreted as a request, and you have had to clarify the nature of the order?"

"Yes," she said.

"Do you know how to phrase yourself so I can determine the difference between a request and an order?"

"Yes."

"Did you do so this time?"

"No."

I looked at Daniel. "The charge stands," he said. "But you have made your point. Again."

"Madison Alpha," I said. "There is another, perhaps similar charge?"

"A voice message. You weren't answering your phone."

"I did not intentionally avoid your calls," I said. "So if you got voice mail, the phone was probably turned off; it was off a lot to avoid easily tracking me."

"That was my assumption," she replied.

"And was this so-called order phrased in as wishy-washy a fashion as the text message, to the best of your memory?"

"Yes," she said. "I know I said, 'Please.' "

"I believe the voice mail is the same as the text message," I said. "Neither were delivered as orders, were intended as orders, or were interpreted as orders. They were requests from one mate to a next, not from alpha to pack member."

Daniel nodded understanding.

I was working my way around the edges, dealing with the easy issues. I was also walking a tightrope. I was pretty sure they needed to find me guilty of something, and if I was able to discredit too many of the lesser charges, that would only leave the more extreme charges. I had to leave them something.

But I wasn't done cutting down the list of charges to a manageable length.

"I would like to discuss this issue of Endangerment of a Valued Pack Asset." I looked at Daniel. "Am I property?"

That question left them uncomfortable, one no one answered.

"All right, let me rephrase. Can anyone offer any precedent where this law has been used against someone for endangering her own life?"

"I cannot," Daniel said. "I would not choose to do so."

"Does anyone in this room wish to declare me a slave, some sort of pack property? If so, then I will plead guilty to those charges."

Again, no one said anything. Even Christopher West looked uncomfortable.

"Is it possible for me to know what idiot pressed for this particular charge?"

Lara's eyes flickered to Christopher briefly before returning to me. "No, we will not answer that."

"All right," I said. "Either drop those charges or, as Madison Alpha, I will level similar charges against most of the people participating in these proceedings, beginning with Christopher West and moving on from there."

"What?" he said suddenly. "I haven't threatened any valued pack assets."

"Then you admit that charge does not apply to your threats against me?" I didn't wait for his answer. "Or Elisabeth last Tuesday when she gave me a concussion. Or events during bride ransom night. Or Serena during particularly rough training sessions. Or perhaps those few times when my mate has been somewhat more exuberant in our play, and I have actually suffered damage. But no, we'll definitely start with Christopher West."

He sputtered, and no one else said anything.

"Alphas," I said. "Dismiss the charges or not, but they would be a horrible precedent. I would be guilty of those charges every time I climb a tree, or engage in play. One could argue for those charges during most of my self-defense training, as there is risk to my body every time. One could argue I shouldn't be allowed to get near a small airplane due to the risk. One could even argue I shouldn't be allowed to cross the road, and I certainly wouldn't be allowed on a hunt or most pack play nights. Furthermore, most of you would be just as guilty as I am."

"Withdraw the charges," Christopher West said sullenly.

"Very gracious of you, Mr. West," I said. "I am somewhat puzzled why you are even here, much less feel you have the influence to make that recommendation. Lara, will you withdraw the charges?"

"Yes," she said.

"Very good," I said. "Thank you. I would like to discuss all the charges of insubordination. Several people in this room have referred to me as 'Alpha', including you, Daniel. If I am alpha, then what obligation do I have to follow orders issued by my co-alpha, and how can I be charged for insubordination when refusing those orders?"

Daniel turned to Lara, and she immediately stood up. "Scarlett," she said immediately. "You helped to officiate at my wedding to Michaela. Part of the ceremony involved elevating her to alpha. The part I wish to address was actually conducted by two of our younger enforcers, but I hope you can remember the proceedings."

"Of course, Alpha," Scarlett said immediately, rising to her feet.

"When Michaela was asked if she would fulfill the duties of alpha," Lara asked Scarlett, "do you remember her response?"

"Not word-for-word," Scarlett replied.

Lara looked at me for a moment, then said to Scarlett, "Please relate them as best you are able."

"She talked about how some of the duties of the alpha were duties everyone in the pack had. I think she mentioned protecting the pack and teaching the young." Scarlett turned to me. "Then you said you would stand beside Lara as Alpha, but only because that was what Lara wanted."

I sighed. "I said, 'Any authority I wield, I wield because it is Lara's wish.' "

"Thank you, Scarlett," Lara said before turning to me. "I believe that addresses my right to issue you orders. You are alpha, but you are second to me."

I didn't think it was going to work, but I had to give it a try. I nodded agreement. Lara and Scarlett both sat down, and I consulted my notes. "Let us address the remaining charges from last Tuesday. There is one count of insubordination, the severity undetermined, presumably for ignoring Lara's order to 'stop'. And there is an equal issue regarding Dereliction of Duty." I paused. "At the time in question, I had every reason to believe I had been banished from the pack. Furthermore, I am convinced everyone in this room knew I was under that impression, and no one had done anything to remedy the misunderstanding by that time. If I had been banished, then Lara's orders to 'stop' carried no weight."

"That is a good argument," Daniel replied immediately. "Would it have mattered if you knew you hadn't been banished?"

I thought about it. "No. I will plead guilty to the charge of insubordination. I do not feel it was aggravated, and I absolutely deny it qualified as extreme insubordination. I will accept the Boulder alpha's decision if the Madison alpha will withdraw the most grievous level of the charge."

"Withdrawn," she said immediately.

"I will render my decision at the end of these proceedings," Daniel said.

"Of course," I replied. I considered taking a moment to argue for leniency but decided that particular charge was the least of my concerns.

I was down to two more charges of insubordination, one related to defying Lara's orders for no retribution and one for ditching my protective detail. I wasn't happy about the second one. I thought I could wriggle out of both of them, but I wanted to leave them for now.

"I would like to move on to the charges of Dereliction of Duty. Let us start with the least, dereliction of my teaching duties." I paused. "Serena, after I was returned from Iowa this past autumn, you overheard a conversation I had with Michele Lassiter. It was a conversation you interrupted. Do you recall this conversation?"

"I do," she said.

"Would you relay the details? Paraphrasing is fine."

"Michele had been teaching your classes in your absence, sharing the duty with a few other adults. You asked her if she would be available to continue to do so because you had unfinished business in Iowa. That is when I interrupted, stating you most certainly did not, and pointing out that was not a conversation to have in front of civilians."

"Quite so," I said. "Do you recall what Michele said after that?"

"She said she would always be available to help with your classes as necessary."

"Thank you, Serena." I looked around, my gaze settling on Lara. "When I wrote the note to you, I also sent an email to Michele. Do you know about it?"

"Yes."

"Do you know the content well enough to describe it?"

"You asked her to handle your classes until you got back."

"Do you know what else I left with her?"

"Three months of class planning notes," Lara replied.

"Does anyone wish to say anything else on this matter?" I asked. I didn't ask for the charge to be dismissed. I knew Christopher West would love to hear me convicted of dereliction of my teaching duties, but I didn't think Daniel would do so.

"No," Lara said after a pause.

"All right, there are four charges of dereliction of duty related to the four different days I engaged in violence in Iowa. Basically, by killing the Iowa City wolves, I am charged with Dereliction of Duty. Before I address that, does anyone wish to argue they didn't deserve to die?"

"It's not about whether they deserved to die," Lara said.

"I know. I'll come to that. Did they deserve what happened?"

"Yes," said Daniel. "They deserved what happened. There are no murder charges on the table."

"Thank you. I would like to address the first three charges of Dereliction of Duty." I paused. "Is it your charge that there were other duties I was to be engaged in at the exact time I was doing those, or only that if it had gone badly, I wouldn't be able to fulfill my other duties."

"Both," Lara said.

"Refresh us with the duties I was skipping, please?"

"You were not seeing to your personal safety. You were not protecting your children. You were not protecting the pack."

"Thank you, Alpha," I said. "I believe the fact that I am standing here, alive and well, is proof that I was most certainly seeing to my personal safety." I turned to Greg. "When you last visited Madison, you explained in detail why retribution against the Iowa City wolves was not something I could do. You and everyone else here went to great effort to convince me I would do nothing but get everyone else and probably myself killed. Is that correct?"

"Yes," he said.

"Were you wrong?"

"Yes."

"And why were you wrong?"

"Because I underestimated you." He paused. "The main targets were not the enforcers; the main targets were Brody Mortens and Johnny Mack. A direct assault on their home would have led to deaths."

"And yet, I succeeded in killing six enforcers as well as Misters Mortens and Mack. Could I have done so if I had not attended to my personal safety in the process?"

"I don't know."

"Anyone? Does anyone want to argue I was foolhardy while killing the enforcers?"

"I will not dismiss the charges," Daniel said.

"Fine. I have made my point, I believe. So that leaves protecting my young and protecting the pack." I turned to Lara. "Would you again read the letter I left you?"

She read the letter, and when she was done, I asked, "What reason did I give for moving forward with my plan?"

Lara again read the pertinent part of the letter.

 _We will never be safe when people believe they can mess with us and get what they want from doing so. Lessons must be taught. I cannot allow any wolves to believe they can kidnap a member of our pack and live to tell the tale. As long as any of them is alive, our babies are not safe._

 _I will make our babies safe._

I turned to Elisabeth. "During one of our phone calls, I asked you if I was wrong. It was the phone call you told me I would be banished. Did you argue I was wrong?"

"I told you half of them would be dead from the impending implosion."

"And I argued that still left the other half, who would now be desperate and looking for trouble. I also argued the rumors they spread about the weak women of Madison would cause us widespread trouble. Did you argue that I was wrong?"

"No," she said.

I turned to Greg. "You and I had a similar conversation. Did you argue I was wrong?"

"No," he said.

I faced Lara. "Is the pack safer with those wolves dead?"

"Yes," she said.

"Is the pack reputation stronger because those wolves are dead?"

"Yes."

I turned back to Greg. "What rumors did I ask you to spread once this was all over?"

"That the Madison pack was under your protection, and anyone who messed with them would get a visit from you."

"I was not derelict in my duties!" I stated firmly. And then I thundered, "I was doing my duty!" I pointed at Lara. "I was doing your duty, and yours," I said, pointing to Elisabeth. "Those wolves were a continued threat to me, to my babies, and to the entire pack. I put them down like the rabid dogs they were, and I would do it again!"

Daniel didn't even yell at me for my tone, but I caught Brooke nodding. "Alpha," she said quietly. "I would have done the same thing, no matter how firmly you forbid it. And you know it."

"Hush, daughter," he said. He turned back to me.

I looked at the clock. "Perhaps it is time for a break."

Over lunch, I reviewed my notes. I felt fairly good so far. I was going to go for a complete acquittal, but I was sure I'd be found guilty of at least a few of the charges. I had, after all, been insubordinate.

When we reconvened, Daniel again asked if there were issues to discuss before we proceeded.

"Why is Brooke here?" I asked suddenly. "Is she your bodyguard, Alpha?"

"No," Brooke said quietly. "I am your potential executioner."

"Oh," I said in a small voice. I had assumed it would be Elisabeth, but then perhaps Lara couldn't have handled that. "Well," I said more cheerfully. "I intend to make this a wasted week for you."

"I would be very pleased if you did," she replied.

"All right," I said. "Everything I said about killing the enforcers goes over twice for Brody Mortens and Johnny Mack."

"You were not seeing to your safety," Lara said immediately. "Johnny Mack nearly killed you."

"Oh please," I said. "I engineered every second of that fight. I was surprised by his speed, but he was still slower than either you or Elisabeth, and with my knives, I can take either of you three times out of four, and I can do it at the end of a long sparring session when I'm tired. He was child's play."

"He nearly killed you!" Lara screamed at me. "Michaela, he nearly killed you."

I turned to Wendy. "How would you have categorized my emotional state at the start of the fight?"

"Confident."

"Excuse me. I'm not asking for your interpretation after the fact. I am asking about your impression at the start of the fight."

"Oh, my apologies. You smelled terrified. Far, far more terrified than you did last week."

"What else?"

"Your hands were shaking."

"And once the fight started?"

"You acted like prey," she said. "You didn't even draw your knives."

I turned away from her, looked around the room, then set my gaze on Christopher West. I walked around the outside of the room until I was standing in front of him. "Mr. West, would you stand, please?"

"Why?"

"You're not afraid of me, are you?" I asked. I didn't show him I had a sharpened pencil hidden in each hand.

"Of course not," he said. He stood up and puffed out his chest.

I imagined him as Johnny Mack, but even bigger and faster. I imagined him as the fastest, strongest wolf I had ever encountered, and I knew, absolutely knew he wanted me dead.

"Well?" he asked after a minute.

I continued to imagine him as a threat. Then I imagined what would happen to my babies if this asshole managed to get rid of me, and immediately I felt my heart rate increase. I thought about Flora and Fauna, dead now so many years, and the wolves who had killed them. I imagined Christopher West as one of those wolves, come back from the dead to kill Rebecca and Celeste, my lovely, lovely little wolf babies.

My heart began to pound, and I felt the adrenalin moving through my system.

I thought about the photos Elisabeth had shown me last fall, photos of gravestones with Rebecca's and Celeste's names on them.

I began panting in my fear.

I knew, I absolutely knew, if I died, my babies would die.

I backed away from Christopher West, slowly backed away, sliding past Daniel and Brooke.

I could hear Lara's heart rate, increasing in response to my clear fear. I couldn't smell my fear yet, but I knew I had to be giving out fear scent.

Finally I took several deep breaths. "It takes a while to calm down when I do that," I said, trying to be calm. I looked at Lara. "There is no threat, honey. You can calm down. I am safe."

She nodded, but I saw Elisabeth's hand on her arm, and I knew it had been difficult for her to stay seated while I had displayed such clear signs of panic.

"Daniel," I said. "I can't smell myself."

"You stink of fear. It is nearly overwhelming." I looked, and his hands were gripping the edge of his chair. So were Brooke's and Serena's.

"It affects all of you so strongly?" I asked.

"Yes," Daniel said. "We all want to protect you, and we're not even sure from what."

I took several more deep breaths, then I threw the two pencils onto the desk. "What affect do you suppose it had on Johnny Mack?" I asked, the question rhetorical. "I believe a short recess would be appropriate. You can air out the room. I will shower. Do I need fresh clothes?"

"Yes," Daniel said. "Go. Someone will bring you a change."

Wendy and Cameron beat me to the door and hurried in my wake as I headed to the bathroom, shedding clothes on the way. At the bathroom door, I turned. "I'll need a sniff test in fifteen minutes."

Wendy nodded. "I'll fetched fresh clothes for you then step in. You know the cameras will need to be on."

"I don't care," I said.

"My apologies," I said once everyone was back in place. I stood at the end of the table wearing a fresh blouse and black skirt, my hair pulled back and still wet.

"I would like to understand your demonstration," Daniel said.

I smiled. "Does anyone doubt my ability to generate a fear response on command?"

Christopher West puffed out his chest. "You were terrified of me. As you should be."

"God, you're an idiot," Wendy said before she could hold it in.

"Silence!" Daniel said to her. "Oh hell, everyone was thinking it. Michaela, the pencils were surrogate knives?"

"Who wants to see how quickly I can kill with them?"

"I wouldn't mind," Scarlett muttered.

"No more comments like that, Scarlett," Lara said.

"Yes, Alpha," she replied. She didn't look at all contrite.

I turned to Wendy. "Did you get a chance to judge Johnny Mack?"

"Yes, I believe so."

"Your assessment?"

"Big. Strong. Long, long reach. Deadly to anyone untrained."

"Better than you?"

She laughed. "No. He was an amateur. He was big, strong, and with a long reach. He was relatively fast, but nearly everyone in this room is faster. But this room is filled with the elite."

"Who in the room is fastest, that you've seen?" I asked her.

"You mean after you?" she asked.

I looked around. "Without my knives, every wolf in the room can take me. Even Scarlett, and she is untrained. With my knives, the results are different. Do I need to prove it, or have I done so sufficiently in the past?"

I looked at Lara. "He almost killed you, Michaela," she said.

"I let him believe he was going to win because it amused me to do so, Lara. I displayed a fear scent to ensure neither Brody Mortens or Johnny Mack backed out. That left me with an adrenalin overdose, resulting in the shakes, so I took my time at the beginning while flushing the adrenalin out of my system. I needed some time to calm down. But after that, I could have killed him several times over, especially once I let him finally catch me. He didn't want a quick kill. He wanted to beat me up for a while first. My evidence is simple. I am here. He is not. And my win was decisive."

"You have been given repeated orders to see to your safety," she said. "I wish to add another charge of aggravated insubordination for letting the fight drag on longer than necessary. That is dangerous."

I sighed. I couldn't argue against that.

I turned to Daniel. "I believe I have addressed all charges of dereliction of duty."

He nodded.

I stepped away from the table, considering the remaining charges. Finally I turned back. "It would be ridiculous to charge me with extreme insubordination for not accepting a security detail."

"It is an ironic charge," Daniel admitted. "Are you asking it be dismissed?"

"No," I said. "From the very beginning, I have repeatedly stated to almost anyone who would listen that I am responsible for my own safety. I accept help from time to time, but by and large, I am responsible for my own safety. Not Lara, not Elisabeth, not Serena. And thus, I am the final arbiter of when I require a security detail and when I do not."

"And look how wrong you were this past October," Elisabeth said.

"Quite," I said. "I trusted the wrong wolf." I went on. "I am the one responsible for my safety, and I reject the notion that a security team can be forced on me against my will." I stared at Daniel. "I reject the notion that I am a prisoner whose movements can be limited through the decisions of anyone else. I have free will and I will continue to exercise it."

I looked at Lara. "We have fought over this since the beginning of our relationship. Has my position been clear?"

"Yes. Has mine?"

"When I was invited to the pack, if you told me I could face charges of insubordination for ditching my security detail, do you think I would have accepted?"

"No," she said quietly.

"When I talked to you and Elisabeth prior to accepting pack membership, we discussed how I would respond if you became heavy-handed over my personal choices." I looked around the room and raised an eyebrow.

Lara paused before responding. "Whether you like it or not, I am responsible for your safety. You knew that was my position before accepting the offer to join the pack. Furthermore, you knew how protective I was, and you knew that while I don't want to be heavy-handed, as alpha I have the right. It is my responsibility to protect you as I best see fit, and it is my right to order you to accept your protection detail."

We glared at each other. My heart was pounding in anger. I turned away and tried to pull my emotions back under control. I remained angry, but I reigned it in enough I could control my words. I turned back around and took a large breath of air.

"I am a fox, not a wolf," I stated. "I do not concede this point. I will argue to my dying breath that I am a sentient creature and make my own decisions. While I agree that membership in the pack comes with obligations and responsibilities, I fiercely deny the cost of pack membership includes my freedom." I looked directly at Daniel. "If you find me guilty of this charge, you are telling me I am her property." I pointed at Lara. "I require a short break."

Daniel nodded. "Ten minutes."

Calmer, although not calm, I look around the room and consulted my notes.

"That leaves insubordination for defying Lara's order there would be no retribution. I am Michaela Burns, Madison Alpha. I promised Brody Mortens, Johnny Mack, and the enforcers who were involved in my kidnapping that they would die. My promise predates Lara's orders to the contrary. Furthermore, it was absolutely my duty to do what I did. I stand by my decision."

I paused.

"Furthermore, in effect, Lara rescinded her order the day Greg came to visit us this past autumn. She gave me permission to plan an assault."

"I did not give you permission to carry it out."

"No," I said. "But I argue the original order was no longer in force, and I suggest that it was an order that shouldn't have been given, anyway. After all, you shouldn't give orders forcing me to break such important promises." I smiled sweetly at her.

She scowled at me.

"Unless there are additional charges," I said. "I have nothing further."

I sat down.

Daniel looked at me then looked around the room. "Does anyone have anything further to say?"

"She is a loose canon!" Christopher West yelled. "She threatens council members. She refuses to recognize her proper place in the pack. She flouts pack tradition." He began to sputter.

Daniel let him sputter, and when he finally wound down, Daniel said, "Anything else? No? Then I will render my judgment in the morning. The prisoner will remain a prisoner, and the isolation will remain in force until I have rendered judgment. I do not want any last minute appeals for mercy to be colored by charges of collusion."

Greg visited me later. "Elisabeth has talked Lara out of a run with you tonight."

"I understand," I said. "Thank you for telling me." I paused. "Do you believe I should ask you for one last run?"

He laughed. "No."

"Greg, we're not better. I don't know if we're going to be better. What you did was damned shitty, regardless of the motives."

"Do you intend to say those same words to anyone else?"

"I will certainly have words for Lara. I do not know whom else. No one else tricked me into giving evidence to be used against me."

He sighed. "Perhaps you haven't finished thinking everything through." And then he stepped away, and I was alone for the evening.

I sat bolt upright in the middle of the night.

Greg hadn't given evidence against me. He had given evidence of my commitment to duty coupled with my competence in doing it.

I curled up and went back to sleep.

Smiling.

 **Judgment**

I ate a sparing breakfast. Wendy tsked at me.

"What?" I said. "It's not like it's a last meal." I frowned. "If I have a last meal, it damned well better include spicy tuna rolls and some tuna nigiri!"

She smiled but didn't respond.

I looked up at her. "I'm nervous, Wendy. I won't keep more down."

She nodded and took the rest away, although I snagged the water from the tray.

I showered afterwards, and when I was done, I found a pure white dress waiting for me. I smiled at it. I decided it was Lara displaying a rare sense of humor. Sacrificial white.

I returned to my room and waited nervously, pacing the room.

Wendy and Cameron arrived to escort me to the hearing room one last time. They didn't touch me but flanked me instead, acting more like honor guards than prison guards.

Everyone was waiting for me. My chair was not waiting, so I moved to the foot of the table and stood proudly.

I looked around the room. Brooke wasn't giving anything away; either Daniel hadn't told her what to expect, or else she just wasn't sufficiently invested to give anything away. Christopher West didn't look pleased, but I didn't particularly care. Lara looked nervous. Her jaw was tight and her forehead furrowed, and she was clasping her hands together under the table. I could see from the set of her arms. Elisabeth was calmer. Serena looked at me with some worry, and Angel and Scarlett were clasping hands and both looked nervous.

I wonder if anything had been discussed before I arrived.

"Does anyone have anything to say before I render judgment?" Daniel asked.

I thought about commenting, but I was pretty sure Daniel had already made all his decisions, and nothing I could say would improve my position. I shook my head, and everyone else remained silent.

Daniel picked up a piece of paper.

"I do not enjoy these types of proceedings," he stated. "I do not enjoy hearing the types of charges we have discussed this past week. I do not enjoy rendering judgment on issues such as these."

I thought about apologizing but kept my mouth closed.

"Michaela Burns, Omega Fox and Alpha of the Madison Weres, you have been charged with a lengthy list of offenses. The counts of trespassing on pack lands were dismissed. The counts of endangerment of a valued pack asset were wisely dismissed. Four charges of insubordination were dismissed. The remaining charges remain before us."

He took a breath. "Michaela you have argued that it was your intention to return to Madison to, as you say, take your lumps and afterwards resume your duties. You did not do so. However, I believe you honestly feel you would have if you weren't led to believe you had been banished. While you should have verified your banishment, I believe your pack leadership had ample opportunity to inform you it had not been carried out. Therefore, I find you not guilty on the charges of abandonment and dereliction of duty as regards your school duties."

"Thank you," I said.

Christopher West began to sputter. Daniel turned to him. "Oh shut up. Or I will charge you with contempt of court."

Christopher shut up.

I couldn't believe he hadn't charged me with that. He turned back to me and smiled. "I did not believe adding insult to your existing injuries would help the situation."

"Thank you."

"You have pled guilty to one charge of subordination but left it to the court to determine the severity. I find you guilty of one charge of insubordination for the events last Tuesday. I will list sentencing shortly."

I nodded.

"You are charged with two counts of insubordination for refusing Lara's orders to return to Madison. You have argued that Lara phrased them as requests, and Lara admits to having done so. You have both stated you recognize the difference between requests from a mate and orders from the alpha, and everyone here knows Lara is able to make it clear when she is making an order. I find you not guilty of these two charges."

"Thank you," I told him.

Daniel set the paper down and looked straight at me. "I find this next charge disturbing. Lara has ordered you to see to your safety. You admit to intentionally dragging out a challenge match for what appears to be the simple reason that you felt you could. You did so against an opponent you have described as a 'rabid dog that needed to be put down'. I agree with your assessment of the individual in question."

Daniel paused, studying me. "I do not fully understand why you felt the need to display signs of fear at the start of the fight. Will you explain?"

"I wanted him overconfident."

"Did you think he would make mistakes by being overconfident?"

"Oh," I said. "No, I'm sorry. No, I didn't want them to back out. That's all. I wanted to be absolutely sure the fight would start as a one-on-one challenge fight. I made sure to give Johnny Mack every reason to believe I would be easy prey. Maybe it wasn't necessary. Maybe it was poor judgment. I would welcome your wisdom."

"Are you appealing to my vanity?"

"No. You are a strong male wolf. I am a fox. You have perspective I do not have."

Daniel quietly consulted with Brooke, primarily through looks. He turned back to me. "I cannot judge Johnny Mack's state of mind; I find it unlikely the lengths you took were necessary. But I do not find fault with you, either. You are building a reputation, and perhaps helping him underestimate you was, indeed, necessary." But he folded his hands. "I understand the need to pull yourself fully together before completely engaging with Mr. Mack, and thus you were required to drag the fight out at the beginning. But you admit to dragging it out longer than necessary, perhaps significantly longer than necessary, and you have admitted you did so because it amused you to do so. I believe you were showing off."

He paused, shaking his head. "If Brooke were ever to drag out a fight without a much better reason than you have given, I would be livid with her. I find you guilty of insubordination." He turned to Lara. "And if she were ever to do it again, I would elevate future charges to aggravated insubordination."

He turned back to me. "When you have a rabid animal to put down, you put him down. You don't play with him. Doing so is not seeing to your personal safety, an order you should follow in the future."

"Yes, Alpha," I said, trying to sound contrite. "I wouldn't say showing off, sir, but I would say savoring. That's an ugly trait when wolves do it, and it isn't any less ugly when I do it. It won't happen again."

Daniel nodded. "Your alpha ordered no retribution against the Iowa City wolves. I do not buy your argument she rescinded her offer by allowing you to plan an assault. I don't believe you do, either. Guilty of aggravated insubordination."

"Yes, Alpha," I said. I agreed with his verdict. It was the only one I had expected to face when I'd started this.

Christopher West was looking much happier, but he was going to be disappointed. Daniel wouldn't have bothered lecturing me if he were going to have me executed.

"You have been ordered to accept a security detail. You have been charged with one count of insubordination for evading your security detail. However, we have heard testimony of three times you have evaded your security."

I wasn't expecting this.

"You evaded your security, and you were kidnapped. You evaded your security with the intention of enacting vengeance, and you turned around only because you were tricked to do so. And you evaded your security a third time, again with the intention of enacting vengeance."

He paused.

"I miss-spoke. You evaded your security with the intention of engaging in actions your security team would have prevented, actions that would be dangerous to you. I suspect there are other times you have evaded your security, but I am not concerned with a pack member who wants a few minutes of solitude. The constant attention is wearing, and I understand that. I find you guilty of one charge of insubordination for the first of these three offenses, the one that directly led to your kidnapping, and two charges of aggravated insubordination for the other two occurrences."

I glared at him but managed to press my lips closed. Daniel set his notes down and folded his hands together, then looked up at me.

"I am not declaring you property. You are, however, a member of a wolf pack. You accepted membership, and I believe you understood the implications when you accepted. Furthermore, you are the alpha's mate, and I believe you understand the related implications of that as well." He looked down for a moment then back up at me. "Do you believe Ysabella enjoys her restrictions?"

Ysabella was Daniel's mate, and she had far harsher restrictions than I did.

"No," I said sullenly.

"No one expects you to like it, Michaela," he said. "But we do expect you to accept it." He paused again. "Your alpha has both the responsibility and the right to order you or anyone else in the pack to accept protection. Do you understand?"

"Why am I the only member of the pack in this position?"

"Because you are the alpha's mate. And you are not the only member. Your children are in the same position. Whether you like it or not, it is necessary."

I glared at him, and my mouth got away from me. "If wolves weren't arrogant, murdering assholes, it wouldn't be necessary."

There was a collective intake of air. Daniel tightened his mouth for a moment but managed to speak calmly. "That is not an accurate description of anyone in this room."

I looked down. He was right. "I'm sorry. You are right."

The room was silent until Daniel spoke again. "Most wolves are arrogant. That includes many of the wolves in this room. It certainly includes me and your alpha. It also includes the fox in the room."

I kept my head down but nodded.

"Some wolves are murdering assholes," Daniel said. "That is the reality of the world. It is a reality everyone in this room would change if we could."

I looked up. "I am doing my part," I said. "One-hundred and sixteen."

"Quite," Daniel said. "But in the future, you will do so with whatever security your alpha orders. Do I make myself clear?"

I stared at him for a moment. "Yes, Alpha."

He scanned his list. "That addresses everything except the most serious charges, dereliction of duty. I have already addressed one of these charges. There are four charges of dereliction of duty remaining, and if you weren't doing your duty, I would be forced to find you guilty of extreme dereliction of duty. However, you most certainly were doing your duty!" He spoke quite firmly at the end. "Not guilty."

"What?" said Christopher West. "Of course she's guilty!"

"You, sir, I find in contempt of court," Daniel said immediately. "Greg, see to it this man spends a night in one of your cells, beginning immediately."

"What?" Christopher said. But Greg gestured, and four of his wolves stepped forward and firmly escorted Christopher from the room. We heard his ranting all the way down the hall.

I tried very hard not to smile. I failed.

"Thank you, Alpha," I said when Daniel turned back to me.

"For the verdict, or for the contempt charge?"

"I was thanking you for the verdict. I would not rejoice in the contempt charge."

"There is hope for you yet, Ms. Burns." He looked around the room. "Does anyone wish to contest my findings?"

"No, Alpha," Lara said immediately.

"No, Alpha," I echoed.

Everyone else remained silent.

Daniel turned to Lara. "Do you wish me to assign sentencing?"

"Yes, thank you."

Daniel turned to me. "Michaela Burns, I have found you guilty of one count of insubordination for evading your security detail, leading to your capture. I believe you have suffered more than sufficiently for that offense."

I nodded.

"There are two other counts of insubordination. I sentence you to twenty-five hours of pack service per charge. I presume the Madison pack has a means of assigning duties and tracking your time."

"We do," Lara said.

"That leaves three charges of aggravated insubordination." Daniel leaned forward, studying me. "Lara, what is the typical Madison pack punishment for aggravated insubordination?"

"Typically a beating," Lara said. "For repeat offenders, a particularly severe beating. Daniel, she breaks too easily for that. I can not possibly allow anyone else to touch her, and I couldn't bring myself to do it personally."

"A beating would be a wolf punishment, but she is not a wolf," Daniel agreed. "And the charges are too severe to accept pack service."

Daniel frowned. "I dislike incarceration, as it consumes pack resources and takes an otherwise useful pack member and turns her into a drain on the pack." He sighed. "A beating would be so much easier. Two months house arrest. Credit for time served. You may leave your home to perform your duties for the pack as determined by your alpha. You may use the gym for physical health. You are otherwise confined to your home. You will not run and you will not shift to fox."

"Lara?" I asked.

"You contest my punishment?" Daniel asked sternly.

"I have a duty that requires me to briefly shift back and forth to fox."

"How briefly?"

"Less than a minute as fox."

"I will allow you to perform this duty," he said, "subject to approval by your alpha."

"Thank you, Alpha."

Daniel looked at Lara. Lara was frowning and looked upset, but I didn't understand why. Daniel turned to me.

"Furthermore, your rights as alpha are suspended until you have fulfilled your sentencing." He paused. "Your alpha may choose to override this portion of your sentence if required in the conduct of pack business."

"Yes, Alpha," I said.

"Last, until you have completed your sentence, you will offer your throat to the enforcers of your pack, and you will submit to their authority."

I looked down. "Yes, Alpha."

Daniel looked around the room. "Unless I have missed something, I believe these proceedings are complete."

"I concur, Alpha," Lara said. "Thank you so much for your assistance."

"Thank you, Alpha," I told him.

And then, I only had eyes for Lara, and she turned to me.

Daniel smiled at both of us. "Sentencing to commence upon arrival in Madison. Go on, you two. Get out of here."

Lara and I ran around the table, meeting each other in the middle behind Serena. She pulled me into a crushing hug, which I returned. But then I held my hand out, searching for whoever was beside me. I found Serena's hand and pulled her into the hug. And then Elisabeth was there, and Angel and Scarlett, and they all hugged me.

Everything was all right again.

We left the next morning, traveling by small convoy to the airport. I was not involved in any of the details or discussions of how we would travel but simply went where I was told.

Our SUV pulled up in front of a small jet at the airport. Elisabeth and Angel searched the plane while Lara, Serena, Scarlett and I waited in the car. By the time they were done, the rest of the convoy had had disgorged its occupants, and I saw Greg, Wendy, Cameron, and several other of Greg's enforcers. Daniel and Brooke arrived with their own contingent of enforcers to see us off. Councilmen West and Stein were not in sight.

I looked out the window and turned to my head of security. "Serena, I will be traveling straight from the car to the aircraft."

She faced me and raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?" she said. "You will do what you are told."

I stared into her eyes for a minute; she stared back without speaking.

"Right," I said. "Of course." For the next two months, I was not the alpha and would answer to her. And even to Angel, I presumed. "Serena, I would prefer to travel straight from the car to the aircraft without engaging in discussions with anyone along the way."

Lara pursed her lips but didn't say anything.

Angel and Elisabeth reappeared a few seconds later. With Angel flanking her, Elisabeth stopped by to talk briefly with Daniel and Brooke and then with Greg and Wendy. I could have listened in to the conversations if I focused on doing so, but I ignored them. When Elisabeth turned towards our SUV, Serena told me, "Wait in the car." She and Lara stepped out and closed the door. Lara headed for Daniel, grabbing Angel on the way. Serena and Elisabeth stood immediately outside the car where I waited with Scarlett.

"I had to remind her," Serena said.

"How did she take it?" Elisabeth asked.

They had to know I could hear every word, and it wasn't any effort to do so.

"Fine," Serena said. "She'll accept you and me. I don't know about the other enforcers."

"She'll be fine," Elisabeth said. "She knows she got off lightly. She'll make a game of it." Elisabeth turned and faced directly into the car where I was sitting. I wasn't sure she could see me through the tinted windows, but she knew where I was. "Won't she?" Elisabeth asked.

I thought for just a moment then nodded. Elisabeth seemed satisfied.

"Why is she still in the car?" Elisabeth asked.

"She requested permission to travel straight to the aircraft," Serena explained.

"Ah." Elisabeth watched Lara talking to Daniel. I glanced in that direction and saw that Greg and Wendy had been invited to the conversation. Angel flanked Lara, and I smiled, watching her settle into her role as enforcer. "Is she angry with us?"

"Not at me," Serena said. "But I haven't given her reason to be."

"Even I can hear them," Scarlett said quietly into my ear.

"I know," I told her. "This conversation is for me."

"Michaela," Scarlett started to say, "Angel-"

"Hush," I said immediately. "There is more going on, honey. It's politics. Keep your mouth shut. I haven't figured it all out, but I will."

I turned to face her. She looked hurt.

"Honey," I said. "I didn't get it until you showed me your tattoo. And Angel wore a skirt! Where did she get a skirt?"

"It's one of mine," Scarlett replied.

"What did it take to get her into it?"

"It was her idea," Scarlett said.

"All right," I said. "No more. Do you understand why?"

"No."

I smiled. "Neither do I." But I caressed her cheek. She clasped my hand but didn't say anything else.

I wondered whether Scarlett had been left in the car with me for a reason. Perhaps she had, but I wasn't going to let her get into trouble. I was done letting Lara use my friends to deliver messages she should deliver herself.

We sat quietly for another minute before Serena opened the car door. "Scarlett," Serena said. "Stay with Elisabeth. Michaela, come with me."

I climbed out first. Serena took my arm in a firm grip, and together we walked directly to the aircraft stairs. I glanced down at her grip; it was completely unnecessary.

"Seriously?"

"Get used to it," Serena replied.

"Serena, I have had enough of being kept in the dark. You don't think I'm going to run away, so this is something else."

"Right now," she said in a very quiet voice. "It is diplomacy."

She was treating me like a prisoner, offering an excuse for my snubbing Daniel and Greg.

"All right," I said. "And when we get home."

"Then it is diplomacy of a different nature," she said.

"And if I want a more detailed explanation?"

"That is a conversation for the alpha or the head enforcer," Serena replied.

"Thank you for explaining what you could," I replied.

We arrived at the steps into the aircraft. Serena gently pushed me ahead of her, a hand on my shoulder as we climbed the short stairs together. Serena's tread changed as she ducked to avoid the ceiling. I stood up as straight as I could, a subtle expression of humor. We turned to the right, and Serena pointed to the first seat on my left, pushing me into the seat. "Buckle in," she ordered.

Once I complied, she sat down on the seat across the aisle from me, sitting at an angle so she was facing me. I was fairly sure that would be Lara's seat.

"Thank you," I told her.

She nodded.

We watched each other. Her heart rate was slightly elevated, and I couldn't tell why. I cocked my head, listening to her.

"What's wrong, Serena?"

"Nothing is wrong," she replied.

"You can tell me it's none of my business," I told her. I cocked my head the other way and asked in a small voice, "Do you hate me?"

"What?" she said. "No, of course not."

"Are you angry with me?"

"No." She narrowed her eyes. "Are you contemplating giving me reason to?"

"Your heart rate is elevated," I said. "Are we still friends?"

She smiled, but it was hesitant. She nodded. "Always."

I returned the smile. "Please tell me what is wrong, Serena."

She looked away, but I leaned forward and grabbed her hand. I knew that would make her uncomfortable, so I only squeezed it for a moment before releasing it.

"I fully intend to be a model prisoner, Serena," I assured her.

"I know," she said quietly. "Have you ever gone two months without shifting?"

"Serena," I said. "Please listen very carefully. I didn't appreciate the way some of this was handled. I trust Lara had very good reasons for it, and I'm sure you realize she and I will be discussing those reasons. But I know who the real enemy is. And you know how stubborn I am. Do you think I am going to let the enemy win?"

She turned back to face me, not answering.

"Christopher West wanted me disgraced and probably executed. There are other members of the council who, at the very least, wanted me put in my place. I knew when I started this Lara would be forced to punish me somehow. The punishment Daniel handed down is about what I expected. I don't promise I won't turn moody. I don't promise I will respond well if the enforcers push me too far. But the worst you are going to get from me is a smart mouth."

"And if I get a smart mouth from you, I am obligated to deal with it," she said. "Or worse, let Gia do it. How are you going to respond if she disciplines you?"

"Good question," I said. "I don't know. Probably poorly." I looked out the window for a while. "Serena, do you think Daniel is punishing you along with me?"

"Yes," she said. "I had the clues to know you weren't done with this."

"I'm sorry," I told her.

"I'm not."

My head snapped back to stare at her.

"Don't you dare repeat this," she said. "I am so proud of you, Michaela."

I couldn't help but smile at her praise.

"May I see the tattoo?" I asked her.

She immediately lifted her leg and set her foot across my knee. I pushed up the hem of her jeans and admired the tattoo, brushing my fingers across it.

"Scarlett did it for me," Serena said. "The second night you were gone."

"The night I thought I was banished?"

"Yes."

I leaned over and kissed her ankle. I didn't have any other words. She let me caress the tattoo once more before pulling her leg back.

"You are going to need to look contrite," Serena said.

I considered what she said. "I am sorry I couldn't find a way to do my duty without violating the alpha's orders."

After that, we sat quietly. Once there was a commotion at the doorway, Serena rose from her seat and moved into the aisle, ducking from the low ceiling. She stood behind me, a firm hand on my shoulder.

I looked up at her.

"Get used to it?"

She nodded.

It felt nice.

I waited until we were in the air before I turned to Lara. "Why the duplicity?" I asked her. "Why couldn't you be up front with me?"

Lara frowned before unbuckling her belt and standing up. She turned backwards to address Elisabeth, Serena, Angel and Scarlett. "I am giving all of you a direct order," she said in her best Alpha voice. "None of you are to talk to Michaela about any of this. Not a peep. Not a hint. Nothing. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," they all said immediately.

"Furthermore, if she asks you any questions about any of the last two months, you will report the conversation to me immediately. If she hints about it, you will report it to me. If you think she is thinking about asking you about it, you will report it to me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Alpha," I said immediately. "Does that mean I am not to inquire how their classes are going, or who is going out with whom, or how the babies have been?"

She turned to me and frowned. "I don't know how to possibly give an order you won't wriggle around."

I unbuckled my own belt and turned around in my seat, looking over the back of it. "Does anyone here have any trouble distinguishing between the things Lara wouldn't mind us talking about and the things she would?"

Everyone immediately turned to look at Angel and Scarlett.

"We're not stupid," Scarlett said immediately. "Basically, if it has to do with Michaela being gone, it's off limits."

"You will error on the side of caution," Elisabeth said immediately.

Everyone turned to Lara and she nodded. "As Scarlett said, no one here is stupid. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," Scarlett and Angel said immediately.

Lara turned to me. "As for you. You will not talk about any of this to anyone except me. This is a direct order from your alpha. If you talk to them about it, it is an automatic charge of aggravated insubordination. The first offense will be an additional one month on your existing sentence. A second offense is another two months. A third offense is an additional four months and a beating. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," I said immediately.

Lara turned around and glared at Angel and Scarlett. "Failure to report her is banishment. If you aren't sure, report her."

"Scarlett and Angel," I said immediately. "Keep notes of any conversations we have and give them to Elisabeth."

"You are not alpha!" Lara said firmly to me. "You do not give orders!"

I lowered my eyes immediately. "I am sorry, Alpha. I should have phrased that as a suggestion."

Lara softened her tone. "You will give the notes directly to me," she told them.

Lara glared at everyone, and when she was done glaring at them, she glared at me. In a small voice, I said, "Serena, you need to report the conversation we just had."

"Alpha," Serena said, looking up at Lara. "I need to report a questionable conversation I had with your mate."

Lara tightened her mouth but didn't say anything.

"She noticed my elevated heart rate and asked what was wrong. I attempted to demur, but she was insistent." Serena went on to provide an overview of our discussion. She finished by saying, "I hadn't quite gotten to the point of telling her you were proud of her, too."

"Damn it, Serena!" Lara said. "You did now!"

"I didn't tell her Elisabeth is, either," Serena said.

Lara began to growl.

I turned around, being intentionally awkward about it, and sat back down in my seat. Then I asked in a small voice, "Why wouldn't you want me to know that?"

I had the desired effect. Lara's attention left Serena and returned to me. She didn't answer. I looked down at her feet. "Why wouldn't you want me to know, Lara?" I didn't look up; I simply waited.

Lara finally shifted position, and when I glanced up, she was looking at Serena. "You're the one who is going to be stuck guarding her for the next two months. I suppose that is punishment enough. Please don't push it."

"No, Alpha," Serena said immediately.

Lara sat down and looked over at me. "Because I don't want to encourage you for next time," she said.

"I don't think there will be a next time," I told her. "Word is going to get around. Don't mess with us." I looked her in the eye. "I would do it again, and you know it."

"Next time," she said, "you won't be alone."

We reached across the aisle and held hands and didn't let go until the flight landed.

But she still hadn't answered my questions.

We arrived at the compound in two vehicles, Emanuel and Rory having met us at the airport. By the time we came to a stop, most of the residents of the compound were waiting, bundled up for the weather. I searched arms, looking for two little bundles of baby. I didn't find them.

"Lara?" I asked. "Where are our babies?"

"They're waiting inside," Elisabeth said.

I turned to Lara. "Will I be able to see them before you lock me up?"

"House arrest," she said immediately. "That means in the house."

"Oh," I said. "I didn't know." I smiled. "May I go see them?"

"Not yet," Lara said. "Wait in the car."

Everyone else got out. Serena and Emanuel took up positions next to my door. There was some signal, and Serena opened the door then reached in and took my arm. I slipped out of the car. Emanuel closed the door then took my other arm, and a moment later, Elisabeth was standing directly in front of me.

I looked up at her, wondering what was going on.

"Eyes down," she said so quietly no one else could hear. I immediately lowered my eyes, staring into her chest instead. Elisabeth reached out, clasping my arms, and Serena and Emanuel released me. Elisabeth shoved me forcefully against the hood of the SUV, bending me backwards uncomfortably.

I didn't struggle.

She took her time lowering her mouth over my throat.

It is difficult for a human mouth to close properly over a human throat. This would be far easier for her as a wolf, or if I were a fox. But still, she took as much of my throat into her mouth as she could, and then she began to tighten.

I began to whimper immediately. But Elisabeth didn't relax and instead tightened even further. My token whimpers of submission turned real. My heart began hammering in my chest, and I knew right away I was giving off a fear scent.

Elisabeth held me like that, and it was very difficult to avoid turning my whimpers into yelps.

Finally Elisabeth released me, slowly, but she whispered into my ear. "You understand?"

"Yes," I said in a low voice. "Everyone is angry I did your duty, and now I have to pay for it besides. Finish it." I was hurt and angry.

She didn't release me entirely. Instead, she roughly handed me to Serena. I expected Serena to march me into the house, but instead, she also pushed me against the car. I looked around frantically, but when she pushed me further, I leaned back against the hood and lifted my chin for her.

She was almost as rough with me as Elisabeth had been, something she had never done to me before, and she held me just as long as Elisabeth had.

After Serena, one by one, the other enforcers in the pack took my throat, some more gently than others. Gia and Angel were last. By the time it got to Gia, I was near tears. I could smell my own fear as wolf after wolf wrapped teeth over my throat. Gia took me from Rory and, at first, handled me roughly. But when she wrapped her mouth over my throat, she was gentle.

The gentleness was almost as bad, and I felt tears sliding down my cheeks when Gia pulled me back off the hood of the car. She passed me to Angel, who hesitated.

"Do it," Elisabeth said into her ear. "It's important, Angel."

Angel was gentle, guiding me over the car as much as pushing me. She bent down and would have only brushed her lips to my throat, but I whispered, "Do it right, Angel." My voice cracked when I said it.

"I can't," she whispered. "I can't hurt you."

"Do it right," I told her again.

So she took my throat, and she squeezed until I whimpered, and then she held me like that, squeezing painfully until her teeth broke my skin.

She pulled me from the car, and Serena and Elisabeth were waiting, each taking an arm. My throat was wet, and I wondered if I was bleeding. I glanced at Angel, seeing her wipe a drop of blood from her lips, and I knew it was mine.

Serena and Elisabeth began marching me to the door. "Lara!" I yelled. "Please don't let our babies smell me like this!"

Serena and Elisabeth immediately halted our forward progress, and Lara said, "Angel, Scarlett. Take the babies out the back. Keep them until I call you."

"Yes, Alpha!" Scarlett said immediately. The two of them dashed into the house. I heard them leave out the back, and a moment later, Francesca appeared in the doorway, holding it open.

Serena and Elisabeth marched me into the house, not releasing my arms until we were over the threshold. Lara followed behind, closing the door.

I had been looking forward to a homecoming. I should have realized I was coming home as a prisoner. I kept my eyes lowered to the floor and asked meekly, "May I please clean up?"

"Of course," Lara said immediately. "Welcome home, honey."

I looked over at her but kept my eyes down. I brushed the tears away from my face. Lara stepped closer, and I was ready to step away if she pulled me into her arms. But instead she reached out with one hand and lifted my face to her. "Remember what Serena said to you on the plane," she said.

She didn't let me look away until I nodded once. Then I turned away, following Serena up the stairs. I stopped at the foot. "I'm not going to run away," I said. "Am I allowed privacy?"

"I am still the head of your protective detail, Michaela," Serena said. "That hasn't changed."

"If there is a threat in this house while Lara's babies were here, then our enforcers are all incompetent."

"If I don't verify for myself, then I am incompetent," Serena stated.

I nodded, not looking up at her, and followed her up the stairs and to the room I shared with Lara. I studied the door, and I felt the tears welling in my eyes again. Serena stepped inside and quickly but thoroughly searched the room before calling me inside. I closed the door behind me and leaned against it, looking around. Serena stepped out of the closet and crossed to the bathroom, giving it a cursory look, then stepped to the shower and turned on the water for me. She turned back and saw me leaning against the door.

As soon as she looked at me, I lowered my eyes.

"Oh, hey," she said, stepping towards me. "No, Michaela, it's not like that."

I reached for my throat. It was sticky. I pulled my fingers away and looked at them. My fingertips glistened with my own blood.

"Isn't it? Now I understand why you were nervous earlier," I told her. "Angel wouldn't have done this if someone hadn't told her to."

Serena didn't say anything, but when I glanced at her, her brow was furrowed with worry. "Enforcer," I said. "May I know if I should expect more of this?"

"You should have this conversation with Lara," Serena said.

"I believe I will be able to remain calmer if I have it with you," I replied.

"Your sentence is not meant to be a slap on the wrist, Michaela," Serena said. "More importantly, it must not look like one."

I slumped, wondering whether I long I would last if I were going to be passed from one pair of wolf jaws to another for two months.

"Michaela," Serena said. "When Kimberlee Mortens arrived on our doorstep, a war began. And it wasn't just between the Madison pack and the Iowa City pack. The war did not end with the death of Brody Mortens, and it did not end with Daniel's sentencing yesterday."

I looked up at her. "Who am I fighting?"

"I certainly hope not me, Michaela," she responded. "And I am going to have to report this conversation to the alpha."

I instantly became angry. "I didn't start this conversation! I asked what to expect for my punishment."

"No," she said. "You didn't start the conversation, although that last question was borderline."

"Then you set me up."

"Not intentionally. Michaela, I'm trying to help."

"If you just added a month to my sentence, I hope you understand why I won't consider it helping."

"I didn't," she said. "Lara may yell at me, but she won't yell at you. I promise."

I looked back down. "Wolf promises don't mean much to me right now, Serena. May I shower now?"

"Yes. But may I ask for a promise?"

"What?" I looked back up at her.

"Do you promise to give me no trouble?"

"I intend to do my very best to remain a model prisoner, Serena," I said. "I do not know if I will succeed."

"All right," she said. "I guess I wouldn't want a promise for something you aren't sure you can control."

She stepped aside so I could proceed to the bathroom, but I waited, still leaning against the door.

"Serena," I said. "I can handle you and Elisabeth taking my throat. More than that is going to push it and diminish my ability to remain a model prisoner. If that happens again, I will run. I do not deserve it."

I didn't wait for her to respond but stepped past her to the bathroom.

I was still in the shower when Lara stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

"Are you okay?" she asked gently.

I wasn't. I didn't answer her. A few seconds later, I heard her clothes land on the floor, and then the shower door opened and she stood there, looking at me. I couldn't meet her eyes.

"Go away," I said quietly.

She didn't answer with words, but she stepped into the shower, reaching for me. I tried to pull away from her, but there was little room to retreat, and soon I found myself enveloped in her strong arms, pulled against her. I tried to push away, but she was far stronger than I was, and holding me wasn't difficult for her.

"Shhh," she said.

"Get out!" I screamed at her. "I didn't deserve that. Get out!"

"It was necessary," she said.

"Yeah, because the wolves need to put the fox in her place. Get out!" I screamed the last two words.

"Michaela," she said gently. "If you think about it, you'll understand why it was necessary. You're reacting from your fear, and you're smarter than this."

"We had agreements, Lara," I said, trying to push her away. "With my history, and you're going to pass me from one set of wolf jaws to another? Leave me alone."

"Will you let me explain?"

"Fine," I said. "Let me go."

"No," she said. "Michaela, you were coming home as the conquering hero. Do you think that's the right impression?"

I didn't answer her, but I let her hold me for a while.

"I am still angry with you," I told her. "If you aren't here to answer my other questions, go away."

"Tell me what you're angry about," she said.

"The subterfuge."

"Not the trial?"

"The way it was conducted, yes. I knew you would have to punish me. I didn't realize there would be a trial, but I'm not angry about that. But the subterfuge and the way you let me believe the worst have made me angry. I can't trust any of you anymore!"

"How about the punishment."

"I don't deserve all of it!"

She tightened for a minute, then asked, "What else?"

"Threatening banishment if my friends don't report me. You're making them pick sides."

"Are you going to grill them, Michaela?"

"Not now! Now I don't even dare talk to them about anything at all, in case I slip. Did Serena report our conversation?"

"Yes. No one is in trouble for it."

"I could have been, and I didn't even go looking for that conversation. I can't talk to anyone about anything. I'll slip; it won't be intentional, but I'll slip, and then if they report it, you'll add to my sentence. If they don't, but you find out, you're obligated to banish them."

"If you slip, they'll report it. Your suggestion to take notes was a good idea. I hadn't thought of it."

I pushed her away. "Get out!"

She looked at me. I was glowering at her, and she was a little angry too, but she softened her expression and asked, "What else are you angry about?"

"That you won't answer my questions."

Then she spoke very quietly. "Maybe that's why I am here now. And maybe we can work through our anger with each other."

"You don't have anything to be angry about."

"Don't I?" she asked. "You disobeyed me. You went around behind my back while letting me believe everything was fine. You made decisions you had no right to make."

"I had every right!" I spat. "As the offended party, I had every right. If you think I am ever going to accept an order that could be phrased as 'Michaela, remain a victim', you are insane. And as the mother of the next potential targets, I had every right."

"We could discuss the first one," Lara said tightly. "But do you think you had more right on the second than I do?"

I looked down, not meeting her eyes. "No. Of course not." Then I looked up. "Serena said you were proud of me, and you agreed with her."

"I'm proud you were so fierce. I am not proud you did it in the first place. I am very angry, Michaela. I am not happy with Daniel, either. He let you off far too easily."

"I was doing my duty!"

"You were doing one version of it," Lara said. "You weakened me in the process. You weakened me badly. I used every bit of political capital I had to keep you alive and bring you back here!"

I looked back down. I hadn't thought about the political difficulties I was causing her. "I'm sorry."

"You're sorry. That's just great," she said. "My only focus since you left has been to get you back here alive."

"I'm sorry," I said again.

"I'm supposed to be able to count on you, Michaela! I am supposed to be able to count on your support. Publicly, I need you to stand next to me, not opposed to me. And privately I need to know you are being honest with me. How the hell am I supposed to trust you now?"

I didn't have an answer for that.

"All you had to do was come to me."

"You wouldn't have let me do it!"

"Not alone, no," she replied. "But we would have figured something out. I don't know what, but we would have figured something out."

Her words deflated me entirely. I hadn't spent any effort at all thinking about the trouble I had made for the alpha. I had thought about the personal side of things, the hurt for my wife and my friends, but not once had I considered what I was doing to my pack alpha.

"I'm sorry," I said again quietly. "I didn't think about any of that." I looked up. "You should have banished me."

"How could I possibly banish the woman I love? And you aren't getting off that easily."

I looked back down. "Now what?"

"You have deceived me, but you have never broken a promise to me," she said.

"I won't do anything like this again," I said quietly.

"Oh, you are going to promise me a lot more than that," she said. "In private, you may argue with me all you need. In public, I will even accept a certain amount of dissent. But in the end, in public, we are one voice. I don't care how wrong you think my decisions are; you will support me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Lara."

"Promise."

"I promise."

"No rescinding that promise, Michaela."

"I know."

She took several deep breaths. "Come here," she ordered.

"No!" I said firmly. "Get out!"

"Now what?" she asked tersely.

"I am the only one responsible for my own safety! I agree I was insubordinate on the other issues, and a two-month sentence is appropriate for those charges, but you charged me with insubordination for exercising my own freedoms!"

"Daniel went through that with you!" Lara yelled back. "You agreed!"

"I shut up because I was digging a hole," I said. "I do not agree. You talk about respecting the freedom of the weres living in Wisconsin, but you're a hypocrite."

"You're the hypocrite," Lara spat back. "Tell me. Are you going to demand Rebecca and Celeste have a security detail?"

"That's not the same," I said. "I am their mother, am I not?"

"Yes," she said more softly. "And I am your alpha."

"I am an adult!" I screamed.

"So when they're sixteen, you aren't going to want them protected?"

"Of course I am, but-"

"But nothing!" Lara said. "It is necessary. Am I wrong?"

"It is my decision, not yours, and charging me with insubordination over it is going to destroy us, Lara."

I would have run, but she was between me and the shower door. I was naked and vulnerable, and I didn't want to discuss this in the shower. I turned to face the wall. "Get out."

"Am I wrong? Is it necessary?" She asked it calmly.

I spun around. "Yes, it's necessary!" I stepped forward and began banging my fists against her chest. She let me hit her a few times then captured my wrists and pulled me to her.

"Doesn't Serena make you feel safer, honey?"

"It's my decision!"

"Does she make you feel safer?"

"Yes."

"Don't you want to feel safe?"

"That's not the point!"

"What is?"

"Charging me with insubordination over it."

She held me quietly for a minute. I tried pushing away, but she didn't let me go. Finally she said, "You agreed you won't ever again publicly defy me, and you agreed that's not a promise you'll rescind."

"So you're going to publicly order me to accept the detail and I'm stuck?"

"No. Let me finish."

"Fine."

"If you aren't going to publicly defy me, then you won't need to ditch them again, will you?"

"What if we have a fight and I want privacy? You know we're going to have fights. And you know I need time alone to calm down."

"We can work that out," she said. "But that's not why you were charged with insubordination. Are you ever again going to ditch Serena so that you can do something I've ordered you not to do?"

I thought about it before responding. "No," I said finally.

"Promise me."

"No! You can't order me-"

"I can," she said. "You admit the security is necessary."

"What's next, Lara?" I asked. "When do you start treating me like Daniel treats Ysabella?"

"I'm not going to," she said. "Accept Serena's protection. Understand that at isolated times you and the girls will have extra restrictions, but even you will agree that at times, those are necessary. That's all."

I pushed away a little, and she allowed it. I looked up at her. "Promise."

"I promise. If you accept the security."

"And when I need a private walk?"

"We'll work something out. During high risk times, you may not get it."

I looked down, and Lara collected me against her again.

"Promise me, Michaela. Accept the security."

"No walls," I demanded.

"No walls."

"No cages."

"No cages," she agreed. "Accept the security."

"You're going to declare every time a high risk time!" I accused.

"No," she said. "We may not always agree with the risk assessment, and you may argue with me about it, but I am not trying to trick you into accepting more than you admit is necessary."

"If I don't agree with your assessment, I am not accepting tightened restrictions."

She kissed the top of my head. "I tell you what. I won't ask for tightened restrictions for you any more often than you ask for them for Celeste and Rebecca."

"God damn it, Lara!" I tried to push away. She didn't release me.

"Don't be a hypocrite, Michaela," she said. "We're both going to be protective of those two. They're both going to grow up with a lot more restrictions than you'll ever have. But if there's a reason to tighten their restrictions, that same reason is almost certainly going to apply to you as well, isn't it?"

I pushed away, but I did it gently, and Lara let me look up at her again. "Do you want more children?"

She smiled. "Maybe. Do you remember how protective you were?"

"Whatever rules I am about to agree to apply to you whenever you are pregnant or in some other way not at your best."

She smiled. "Agreed. Accept Serena's protection."

"And if I ditch them for privacy, are you going to charge me with more counts of insubordination?"

"I hold that right," she said. "I will apply it if your rebellion is egregious."

"What does that mean? Last fall in Bayfield when I peppered Karen-"

"Do you intend to teach Celeste and Rebecca about cayenne pepper?" Lara asked. "Do you intend to serve as a poor example to them? How do you think they'll respond at fourteen if they see you routinely getting away with ditching your security but we punish them for the same thing?"

"I'm not a child!" I said firmly.

"No, but the necessity is no less, regardless of your extreme capabilities."

I closed the distance and wrapped my arms around her. "If this becomes more heavy-handed than it has been, we will be discussing this again."

"Promise me, Michaela."

"All right. I promise if this becomes more heavy-handed, we'll be discussing it again."

She didn't laugh, but the tension between us relaxed. "You know what I need to hear, Little Fox."

"I'll accept Serena's protection," I said quietly.

"And you'll accept I have the right to protect you how I see fit."

"No walls!"

"I have the right to erect walls," she said. "But I am not going to."

I sighed. "Yes, Alpha, you have the right to protect me how you see fit."

She leaned back and used two fingers to lift my face then bent her neck and captured my mouth with hers. It was a short kiss, and we were both still tense, but I accepted her kiss.

"Thank you," she said. "Still angry?"

"We're not done." I paused. "You could have added a month for my conversation with Serena. I shouldn't have to watch everything I say that closely, especially as this is already going to be a difficult time for me."

"If you don't go looking for the forbidden conversations, and any transgressions are isolated, I will not add to your sentence. I may add to your pack service hours. But if you push this, I will be terribly angry."

"I don't want to break this rule, Lara," I said. "If I do, it won't be intentional."

"Then we're agreed. What else?"

"You will answer my questions!" I told her firmly.

Lara reached past me to grab the shampoo. She began washing my hair. I think we both found it calming.

"I can not have you acting like you are publicly submissive to me then go off and do whatever the hell you want anyway."

"I know. I thought you would have to punish me for it. It didn't occur to me there were political ramifications just getting that far."

"Well, there were. More than you can imagine."

"I'm sorry." I was. I should have thought about that, but I hadn't, not once.

"Talk to me about your sentencing," she said after a while.

"The house arrest is a light punishment. I'm not upset about that."

"It's offering your throat that is a problem."

"Yes. If they do that again, I am going to freak out."

"Well, you're right. Two months is light. Daniel realized as soon as he said it I wasn't happy, and that's when he added the rest."

"How long did you want?"

"Six months. And fifty hours of pack service is hopelessly inadequate. I would have given you four times that. You easily do twenty-five hours of pack service a month already, so all we gained from this is the inconvenience of having to record it."

"If you don't agree, why don't you add to it?"

"If I do, then I am telling everyone Daniel let you off lightly, and they'll wonder whether you should have been judged guilty on more of the charges. I would undermine the entire process, which would add to the political difficulties."

"Do you hope I slip to give you an excuse?"

"Hope? No. But I will not be lenient, either. If you give me the slightest excuse, I am adding to your sentence."

She was still washing my hair. It felt nice. "Why are we having this conversation in the shower?"

"For one thing, no one else can hear us," she explained. "For another, I need to touch you, and you need to be touched. But the conversation can't wait. We can't afford for you to get your back up. I know you're upset, and I don't blame you."

"Can you explain the subterfuge?"

"No, but can't you figure it out for yourself?"

"I know there are politics involved. I don't know why Christopher West is still alive."

She stopped washing my hair.

"Did you leave him for me to deal with, Lara?"

She began washing again.

"You can't kill him the fox way, Michaela," she said quietly.

"You won't stop me if I do it the wolf way?"

"No, I won't."

I brushed the soap from my eyes then opened them and looked at her. "Was David the first wolf you killed?"

"No."

"Why are you letting me do this instead of doing it yourself?"

"Hmm." She paused, but her hands continued to shampoo my hair. It felt nice, and I closed my eyes again. "If you want me to do it, I will," she said. "If you think it is better for me to do it than you, I will."

"But as protective of me that you are, you're letting me do it?" I opened my eyes. "Aren't you feeling well?"

"Physically?" she asked. "Never better." She smiled. "Close your eyes."

I closed them and moaned as her hands massaged my scalp.

"You trust me to do it. You trust me that much. He's on the council. He must be fierce."

"Don't you think you can handle him?"

"I kicked the ass of Greg's best wolf," I said. "Damned right I can handle him!"

"Do you need help with the politics involved?"

"No." I paused "And Albert Stein?"

"No, not him."

"Anyone else?"

"No. Move on."

"The charges." I thought about it. "You needed to throw the book at me, and you trusted me to fox my way out of the worst of it. And then you had to add more to give Daniel plenty to convict me of while letting me talk my way out of the worst."

She didn't answer.

"Did he find me innocent of charges he shouldn't have?"

"At least the lesser charges of dereliction of duty," Lara said. "I would have convicted you of those. I can't be detached enough to decide how many charges or whether any of them would have been aggravated dereliction."

"Are you upset he declared me innocent of those?"

"No. I think if he couldn't convict you of the worst charge, he felt he had to let you out of all of them."

"The subterfuge." I moved closer to her. "That hurt."

"I know."

"That almost ruined it."

"You were supposed to trust us."

"I would have if I hadn't been blind-sided like that. I don't understand."

"Figure it out."

"Politics."

"Do you need more explanation than that?"

I thought about it. "I don't know."

"Do you believe any of us wanted to do it that way?"

"I thought you all wanted me dead."

"You should have trusted us."

"You heard what I told Serena. I knew I was going to go too far. I believed I had."

"I know. And now?"

I pressed against her and wrapped my arms around her.

"I am going to say one more thing, Michaela," Lara told me. "You are going to accept your punishment stoically and with a great deal of humility. If the enforcers issue an order, you will do it. If they demand your throat, you will give it meekly, and you will remain meek. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Do you understand why?"

"Politics."

"I need you back on the council. I need the majority of the council to agree you have served your sentence and learned your lesson. I need to go in there and confidently say, 'She'll never do it again' and have most of them believe me."

"Yes, Alpha," I said. I buried my face in her neck. "Will I be alpha again?"

"Yes. We're clear? Never again, and you will accept every bit of your punishment without complaint. If Gia or Rory take your throat and then order you to abase yourself, you will do it."

"Yes, Lara," I said humbly.

She'd been washing my hair for a long time.

"I really need you on the council, Michaela," she said quietly.

"I'll be a model prisoner, Lara, but you know that many wolves at my throat-"

"I know. They won't do that again, not all at once. But-"

"I know," I said.

"Even Gia and Angel," Lara said.

"Angel won't push it. And Gia was gentle."

"I'll be ordering Angel to push it, Michaela."

"Not all of them at once, Lara," I said. "Please. You can't make me terrified of them then tell me I must accept their protection. I will run, and it will be your fault."

"You're right. It won't be like that again."

"I'll be meek." Lara kissed my forehead and continued to massage my scalp for a few minutes. "Lara, I will not accept any orders to remain a victim."

"I know," she said. "But you need to come to me, Michaela."

"Like I did last fall?"

She sighed. "We both have things to learn from this."

"Am I clear?" I asked.

"You will come to me. You must not publicly defy me."

"And when I do?"

"We'll figure it out together."

I leaned against her. "Okay. May I see our babies, Lara?"

"Let's get you rinsed off."

"I still stink."

"No, honey, you don't. You smell fine." But she pulled me into her arms, and I went willingly.

We held each other for a while. I tried not to cry. Lara rinsed us both and turned off the water. It felt nice to let her dry me. She had pajamas and a robe waiting for me in the bedroom, and I let her dress me. I sat on the bed and watched her dress. Lara held her hand out to me, and I rose from the bed and took it. She led me downstairs.

I heard Francesca in the kitchen. Serena and Elisabeth were in the living room, waiting for us. "Call Angel," Lara said before we were even at the bottom of the stairs. Elisabeth pulled out her phone and said only, "Bring them."

"Michaela," Lara said. "Come sit on the sofa." She pulled me after her, and we sat down, Lara on the end, me in the middle. I leaned against her but watched the door anxiously. Elisabeth stepped outside, and it was only a minute later before the door opened again.

Lara held me to the sofa, and so I was still sitting when Scarlett stood in front of me, holding Rebecca so she could see me.

"There's Mommy Fox, Rebecca," Scarlett told her. "Do you want to go to Mommy Fox?"

Rebecca squealed and held out her hands for me. Scarlett twirled my baby around like a little baby airplane, landing her right into my arms.

I started crying immediately. "Oh baby," I said. "Oh honey." I pulled her to me, crying.

Rebecca gurgled happily, wrapping her fingers in my wet hair and tugging on it.

Angel was holding Celeste, and then I had one baby in one arm, one baby in the other.

"I missed you both so much," I told them. "Mommy Fox had to make you safe, but I'm home now." I cuddled, kissed and caressed them both for a long time, oblivious to everything else going on around me.

They started to fuss, but I wasn't ready to give them to Lara yet for feeding.

But then Angel was there. "Michaela, if you give one to Lara, I have a bottle for the other one."

"Bottle?" I asked. "No, Lara feeds them."

"We transitioned them to formula," Lara said gently. "That was the delay. That's why Greg gave you that job." We had planned to breast feed them until six months, and they weren't six months yet.

I looked over at Lara. "Oh honey," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"Shhh," she said. She was holding a bottle. "Give me one and you can feed the other one."

My arms were full, but I nodded, and she reached forward, taking Rebecca from me. I adjusted Celeste, and then Angel was holding a bottle out for me.

"I already checked the temperature," she said.

I offered Celeste the nipple, and she immediately latched onto it. Her eyes stayed on mine as she began to suck from the bottle.

I was filled with a sense of wonder and joy, staring into my little baby's eyes. Finally I tore my eyes away and looked over at Rebecca. Lara had positioned her so I could see her face. She was staring at Lara, slurping away at her bottle.

I looked up. "Serena!"

"Do not take that tone with me, Michaela," she replied immediately, stepping around the couch to look down at me.

"I made the world safer for my babies, Serena," I told her.

"Yes, Michaela," she said, kneeling down in front of me and caressing Celeste's head. "You did."

I looked down at Celeste and over at Rebecca, then looked at Serena again. I looked her straight in the eye. "If there remains a price I am to pay so that I may continue to keep my babies safe, I will pay it."

Serena smiled. "I know you will, Michaela. Are you going to make me proud?"

"Yes."

 **Omega**

I sat in the living room, watching the clock, watching the minutes tick down. I had fifteen minutes to go when Angel opened the door.

"Angel," she said, announcing herself. Because people come and go in my house at all hours, I had long ago required everyone entering the house to announce herself. Doing so kept me from worrying who was in the house.

She stepped across the threshold, then I heard Scarlett announce her name.

Angel stepped past Serena and Rory, my guards for the day, and stared at me.

"Michaela!" she said. "Shift to fox and give me your throat!"

"I am not allowed to shift to fox for another-" I glanced at the clock. "Fourteen minutes. If you wish to contest my understanding of my sentence, you may bring it to the attention to the alpha."

"Damn it," she said. "Come on, Michaela, no one here is going to tattle on you."

"No way," I said. "If Lara walks in here and sees me in fur even ten seconds early, she'll give me another month. No way. These two months have sucked!"

Serena chuckled but didn't interfere.

"Fine," Angel said. She stuck out a booted foot. "Kiss my foot."

I laughed and bent down and kissed the top of her boot. At least it was clean.

"Oh, knock it off," she said. "I'm here to run with you."

I stood up and looked into her face. "You've been sweet. Unlike some people-" I glared at Rory.

"If you can't do the time, don't do the crime," Rory said.

I had worked off my fifty hours of pack service as quickly as I was able, finishing all fifty hours even before my first month of house arrest was over. Lara told Francesca and all the enforcers to assign me any tasks they wanted as long as they didn't interfere with my teaching duties. I had cooked, cleaned, washed cars, read to two elderly pack members with failing eyesight, run errands for both of them and three other elderly pack members and produced public service announcements for the pack website.

The alphas had enjoyed that one immensely.

I thought it was ridiculous to send me running errands with my protection entourage, but I did what I was assigned.

But I had also been treated with a great deal of respect. Everyone knew what I had done and why I had done it. I received quiet comments praising me for what I had done as well as how well I was taking the resulting punishment for doing it. I thanked people for the support but also told them I'd been wrong to defy the alpha.

Other than that first day, the enforcers had been gentle, although some had made a game of it. However, I mouthed off to Serena one day after a difficult day at school, and she'd had me lying on my back faster than I would have expected. I was already saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry," on the way down, but she had drawn blood, and my whimpers until she released me had been real.

Lara had noted the exact time we had returned to the house in Madison. "We arrived home at 4:46 PM," she had said. "I will credit you with one week of incarceration at the Lima compound." She had consulted a calendar and declared my sentence over at exactly 4:46 PM this afternoon.

At 4:40, I turned to Serena. "Please, find out where Lara is."

"She is on her way," Serena said.

"Please, Serena," I said. "I don't dare shift until she gets here."

"Honey," Serena said. "Do you really think she'd make you wait?"

"Michaela," Scarlett said. "I need your help."

I turned to her immediately. "What's wrong?"

"It's school," she said. "It's math. I just don't get it."

"You don't get math?"

"Well, just this one problem. Will you help me?"

I glanced at the clock. "Of course, honey," I said. "Did you bring it with you?"

"Yes," she said. She unslung her book bag. She and Angel had probably come straight from school. The three of us moved to the dining room table, Scarlett and I sitting down next to each other, and Scarlett spread her books out, finding her calculus book. "I know how to do it, but it doesn't make sense. You know what I mean?"

"All right," I said. "Show me."

She opened the book, found the proper page, and pointed at one of the problems in the problem set. "It's this stuff with E," she said. "I just can't envision the formula in my head, so I can't envision whether I'm doing the problem correctly. I think I am, but I need to see it."

"Oh," I said. "Sure. You'll want to get used to E. It gets used a lot." I paused. "Well, in some sciences. I don't know so much about engineering and architecture."

Scarlett and I began discussing the problem. She showed me how to solve it, and she did it perfectly. "But I don't see it," she said.

So we talked about that. And then there was a crunch of car tires on gravel, and twenty seconds later, Lara, Karen and Elisabeth entered the house, announcing themselves. Five seconds after that, Scarlett said, "Ohh, now I get it."

I kissed her on the cheek and whispered quietly, "Thank you for the distraction. I knew that's what it was, but it still helped."

"We can run now?" Scarlett asked.

I glanced at the clock while getting up. "Two minutes." I turned to Lara. "Cutting it close."

"Sorry," she said. "Traffic."

I crossed the room to her and let her pull me into her arms. I looked around, and we were missing enforcers. "What? The rest didn't want one last opportunity to order me around?"

"I'm thinking of making that rule permanent," Lara said.

"Yes, we all know how good an idea that would be," I replied.

"Where are the girls?" Lara asked.

"Michele Lassiter took them," I said. "After I made them wolves."

Lara frowned.

"She was fox for a few seconds each only," Serena said. "She shifted back as quickly as we took a pup away."

"If it's any consolation, I outright refused Angel's order to turn fox early."

"Angel..." Lara said in a low voice.

"Hey!" Angel said. "She's not telling you everything!" She stuck her tongue out at me.

"Oh, that was mature," I said to her. Then I returned the gesture.

My phone went off, playing a portion of the William Tell Overture.

I ran to the front door and pulled it open, then stood at the threshold.

"Lara?" I asked.

"How long was she a fox, Serena?"

"Less than a minute total," Serena responded.

"Come on, Lara," I said. "Kaylee asked if they could be wolves, and Michele commented on how cute they were, and Serena said it was okay. And no way was it a full minute. It's not like I went anywhere."

"One extra minute per second she spent as fox without my permission," Lara said.

I turned around to see if she was serious. She was.

I didn't bother arguing with her. "How long, Serena?" I asked.

Serena actually went through the motions. "Maybe, I don't know. Fifteen seconds each."

It had probably been longer than that, but not egregiously longer.

"You know, Alpha, I wasn't trying to cheat. Thanks for accusing me of it. I'll be in my room." I slowly climbed the stairs, hoping the entire way Lara would tell me she was kidding.

She never said a word, and the room was quiet behind me. Serena followed me up the stairs.

I turned to face her. "Seriously?"

"Sorry," she said.

"Fine."

I stomped to my room. Serena stepped ahead of me at the last moment and did a quick scan before letting me enter.

Once I had closed the door I turned to her. "Was she being petty?"

"I don't know," Serena replied.

"Please invite Angel and Scarlett and ask them to bring a deck of cards."

She pulled out her phone and hit a speed dial. A minute later, Angel knocked at the door then entered, Scarlett behind her.

"Lock it," I said. "A game of hearts okay?"

"Not poker?" Angel asked immediately.

I shook my head. Angel and Scarlett pulled up seats, and soon we were engrossed in the game.

"I still think we should play for something," Angel said.

"All right," I said. "The three losers have to tell an embarrassing story about themselves."

"Oh god," said Serena. "Fine."

We were all giggling upstairs for far longer than the extra thirty minutes Lara had tacked onto my sentence. I hugged everyone and thanked her for distracting me.

When we descended, the house was full. I'd been listening to people arrive, and I figured out that's why Lara had made me wait. I walked straight up to her. "You could have just said more people were coming."

"I know," she said. "I'm sorry. I was feeling playful."

Part of me wanted to remain angry, but I slipped into her arms and kissed her quickly, accepting her apology. "So, warden," I said to Lara, "have I paid my debt to society?"

"Yes, Little Fox, you have."

"Serena!" I yelled. "I am going for a ten minute run. When I get back, I expect someone to have fetched fresh tennis balls."

I let Lara find my tennis ball. The hardest part was making it look like I had done my best to hide it.

"Lara?" I said.

"Yes, Little Fox?"

"Do you think they heard me in Chicago?"

"You were kind of loud."

"I think I heard a picture fall off the wall downstairs."

"Are you sure that wasn't Angel snorting?"

"It may have been."

"Lara?"

"Go to sleep, Little Fox."

"Alpha?"

Lara sat up. "Michaela?"

"Am I alpha again?"

"Yes."

I snuggled closer. "I hate to conduct business in bed, but I would like you to call a meeting of the pack council at the soonest convenience. It is not an emergency, but I do not care to wait until the next quarterly meeting."

"Is Saturday before the picnic okay?"

I smiled and kissed her neck. "Pack play night isn't for two more weeks."

"I moved it up," she said. "I hope you don't mind."

"Saturday is perfect. Please make sure Christopher West is here."

"Are you going to do anything I won't approve?"

"Not during the council meeting."

She pulled me tighter, but she didn't say anything further.

"Lara?"

"Go to sleep!"

"I can't. Can we go for another run?"

"Is that what you really want, or are you negotiating?"

"You could let me be on top."

"What did you really want, Michaela?"

"Just hold me and tell me you'll always love me."

"Oh, Little Fox." She pulled me tighter. "I will certainly always love you."

"Lara?"

"Oh for crying out loud."

"Do I snore?"

"No."

"Well, one of us was snoring, and if it wasn't me, it was someone other than me."

She chuckled. "Sorry."

"I like it. But if you spoon me instead, you don't snore."

"You woke me up because I was snoring?"

"No. I woke you because I wanted you to spoon me."

I spent a significant amount of time before Saturday as fox. I'd spent two months on two feet, and I had really, really missed my fox.

I had no trouble finding people to run with me.

Saturday arrived. Lara asked me how long I needed for the council meeting. "Five minutes," I told her. "Unless there is discussion."

"We'll meet at three. If we finish early, we can start the party early."

"I will be throwing my weight around."

"All thirty pounds?"

"Yep. Will you back me up?"

"Yes."

"You're not even going to ask me about it?"

"Are you playing politics?"

"Yes."

"You're not very good at it."

"I know."

"I'll back you up."

I kissed her.

At two-forty I told Serena, "I want a full security detail on me tonight until I tell you otherwise."

"Are you expecting trouble?"

"I am making a statement. I know it's an imposition, but I want Emanuel and you. I don't care who the other two are. Leave Elisabeth free."

"It's fine."

"I'm sorry, I should have told you yesterday."

"It's fine," she said. "Let me get Emanuel here."

"I need to change," I said. I paused. "You will not interfere in what I do tonight, and you will know when I need you to back off. That's part of the statement I am making."

"Will you tell me first?"

"No."

"Is Lara going to be angry?"

"No. I don't think so. Maybe. I don't know. I'm doing it anyway."

She sighed. "Is there going to be another hearing?"

"No."

At ten minutes to three I told her, "I am going to the meeting with whatever detail is assembled. You'll have a little time to collect the rest, but probably not much." I headed for the door without waiting for her, but she caught up to me and preceded me out the door. Emanuel and Rory were waiting. "I'll collect Angel-"

"No. She isn't experienced enough for this. Is Eric available?"

She nodded. "I'll get him while you're in the meeting."

We headed for the barracks via the school. From my office I collected a manila folder. Arriving at the barracks we found Gia and Karen guarding the door to the council chamber. The doors were open, allowing entrance. My security detail peeled off at the doorway. I turned to them. "I do not expect this meeting to last long unless someone else brings something up.

"Yes, Alpha," Serena said immediately.

I caressed her check and accepted touches from all the wolves there before I brushed past them and into the council chambers.

About half the council had already arrived. Lara and Elisabeth were quietly talking to a few council members. Elisabeth immediately detached herself and drew me to one side. "What's going on?"

"You'll see. Is there wagering?"

She laughed. "No. Should I be worried?"

"I may be doing something very foolish, but I think it's the right thing to do."

"Is Lara going to be angry?"

"Serena asked the same question. She's going to be surprised. She may object. If so, she'll convince everyone else to her side instead of mine, and that's fine. I expect you to vote with her when it gets to a vote, but if you agree with me, I hope you will argue for me."

"Michaela, I always vote my conscience, regardless of Lara's opinion."

"And yet, I have never seen you vote in council contrary to Lara's wishes."

"That's because she's always right."

I laughed. "I might be wrong this time, but even if I am, I will make a statement."

"Are you about to challenge Christopher West?"

"Why, Elisabeth, I am Omega. I am not allowed to challenge anyone."

"Except, apparently, members of other packs."

"Well, I'm not their Omega." I licked my lips. "Head enforcer, I will require fifteen seconds of your time with the alpha immediately after the meeting, and I mean immediately, prior to any of the council members leaving the building."

"Yes, Alpha," she said immediately.

At three, Lara called the meeting to order. We had a quorum, barely, and Mr. West was in attendance.

"Michaela asked for this meeting," Lara said. "She promised to be brief."

I stood up, opened the manila folder, and slid a single sheet of paper to Lara. She read it and said, "No!" in a firm voice.

"Yes," I said. "I insist."

"No," Lara said again.

"Read it. Open it for discussion. I will accept the council's decision."

Lara looked at the paper and began reading. "As Michaela Burns, Omega Fox and Madison Alpha, has demonstrated her competence in single combat, her status as Omega is rescinded."

"I'm sorry if that's phrased poorly," I said. "If there is better phrasing, I am happy with that."

"This is foolish," Lara said immediately. "For all the reasons we offered you Omega two years ago."

"No one in the pack is going to mess with me," I said. "I play for keeps, so petty games aren't going to happen or someone will find silver between his ribs."

"You could be challenged when you don't have your knives."

"Frankly, Lara, no one would dare. They would have to kill me, because they would know the instant I got my hands on my knives, I'd turn around and kill them. And if they kill me, you'll kill them. Or Elisabeth will. I can handle anything else."

"This is foolish," Lara said again.

"Maybe," I said. "But I believe it is wrong for me to hide behind the shield of Omega when I am clearly capable of defending myself against virtually all challengers. Even you."

She sighed. "Discussion?"

"I think it's a great idea," Christopher said immediately. God, what an idiot.

"That's an argument for Lara's position," Vivien said too quietly for anyone but me to hear.

Discussion lasted about ten minutes, and Lara didn't raise any further objections. I leaned over to her and said, "If you ask, I'll withdraw my motion."

"I don't like it," she said. "But you're probably right. We'll let it go to a vote, if this is what you really want."

"It is," I said.

She reached down and clasped my hand.

In the end, Lara abstained. The motion passed unanimously.

"Is there other business?" Lara asked. There wasn't. "We are adjourned," she said.

"Alpha, head enforcer, I require a brief conference immediately. And I mean immediately."

I didn't wait. I grabbed Lara's hand and began pulling her towards the door, making sure we got there before anyone else did, Elisabeth on our heels. I led them out the chambers and down the stairs. "Serena, give us privacy," I said on my way past.

As soon as we had some distance, I said, "Head enforcer, unless Lara overrides me, I want you to take all steps to ensure Christopher West stays for the picnic. If he attempts to leave, you will delay him while sending someone to retrieve me."

"Damn it," Lara said.

"Are you overriding me?" I asked her.

"No. Is that what this was about?"

"Yes. Are you going to ask me to stand down?"

"No."

I smiled. "Thank you. Let's start the party early."

It was a nice party. It was mid-April and a beautiful, if crisp day. Perfect wolf weather and not bad for one small fox, either.

I consumed no alcohol and ate carefully. Nearly everyone from the council remained for the picnic, and when I wandered past Elisabeth, she assured me Mr. West had made no indication he would be leaving early.

"He's been eyeing you. I think he's planning trouble."

"Good. Maybe he'll make this especially easy. You will let me handle this."

"Yes, Alpha."

I found Lara and told her the same thing. "Yes, Alpha," she said.

Then I pulled Serena to the side. "You should know. It will be announced shortly. I have renounced my status of Omega. If he doesn't beat me to it, I will be challenging Christopher West immediately after dinner. He will either voluntarily resign from the council or I am going to kill him."

Serena's eyes widened, but she didn't reprimand me. "Yes, Alpha," she said after a moment.

"You may tell Emanuel, no one else."

"If he challenges you," she asked, "are we to stop him?"

"You will stop anyone who attempts to jump me without warning or when I am unarmed or injured. Otherwise I will fight my own battles." I paused. "Would that be in keeping with expectations if I were a wolf?"

"No one challenges the alpha's mate unless he is willing to also challenge the alpha. And there is no way your security detail will let anyone jump you."

"Thank you." I hugged her briefly.

Once the meal was over, I leaned to Lara. "Announce my new status."

She sighed but stood up and collected everyone's attention. "Thank you for coming. We'll have a nice run shortly. Little Fox, do you have a game planned tonight?"

"No, but hopefully we'll play something I can enjoy."

"I'm sure someone will recommend something," Lara said. She paused and began pacing.

"Just do it, Lara," I said quietly.

She glared at me then addressed the wolves. "I have one short announcement. As Michaela has demonstrated such extreme competence in dealing with challenges, she has asked her status of Omega be withdrawn. The council has agreed. Michaela Burns, Alpha Fox of the Madison Weres, is no longer Omega status. She may now both accept and offer challenge." Lara paused. "She still has a security detail, and she is my mate. And she plays for keeps. Only a fool would challenge her."

"Does that mean we can take her throat on a run?" Rory asked. I wondered if Elisabeth had primed him with that question.

"You may try," Lara said. "You may want to think about what she'll do in return when she has her knives back."

"I wouldn't kill you, Rory," I said. "I'm sure a little silver poisoning won't be too unpleasant."

There were a few chuckles. Rory grinned at me.

I stood up. "To be clear, I do not expect to be sucked into petty dominance games. I play to win. If you decide to play rough with me, expect me to play rough back." And I let my knives show.

"All right," Lara said. "We'll mingle for another twenty minutes or so, and I'm sure someone will provide some entertainment for us by then."

I was immediately surrounded by curious wolves, some of them my students. I basically said, "We'll figure it out as we go." I answered a few more questions then said, "Let's talk later. I have something I need to do." I stepped through them then turned to Serena. "Showtime. I want a huge audience. If necessary, help me gather one."

I crossed thirty yards of field, drawing closer to where Christopher stood, talking to a few people. "Christopher West!" I said in a voice designed to project. "You are an idiot!"

The wolves closest to me moved away, and all the wolves began forming a circle.

Christopher turned to me, surprise evident on his face. "How dare you address me in this fashion?"

"Oh, I definitely dare," I said. "Your inept machinations resulted in a great deal of unnecessary heartache for much of the pack. You took great glee in seeing me tried for capital crimes, and you did so for the simple reason that I embarrassed you during a council meeting last autumn. Due to your extreme stupidity, you have lost what little confidence you had with your alphas, the enforcers in the pack, and a significant number, perhaps all, of your fellow council members. You are incompetent and too stupid to know it."

"How dare you?" He thundered, advancing on me.

"We've been through that," I told him.

By now, every wolf in attendance was silent, watching the scene unfold.

"If you can get half the council members here to tell me I am wrong," I said, "I will offer you my heartfelt and deeply embarrassed apology."

He drew closer, stopping five feet in front of me. I crossed my arms, but my hands were on my knives. I didn't think he would recognize my posture, but every enforcer in the pack did. My security detail stepped away from me, leaving me to handle it. Lara stood nearby, also watching, but not saying a word.

"Alpha!" West said. "Control your mate!"

I knew he was addressing Lara, but I turned the tables. "I wouldn't dream of controlling my mate," I replied. "It's much better when we are strong for each other."

He sputtered at me.

"You declared war on me when you took great glee in seeing me tried for capital crimes," I said. "As I said, you have lost any confidence we have had in you, and you are unfit to remain on the council. You will resign or face challenge!"

"You can't order me to resign," he said. "And who would dare challenge me?"

"You asked me that once before," I said. "The answer hasn't changed. I will challenge you."

"You can't challenge me!" he yelled.

"You really weren't listening," I said. "I am no longer Omega. I certainly can challenge you."

"Actually," Ron Berg said. "I'm not sure you can. You are already on the council, and you can't hold two seats. At the very least, it would require a vote of the council, the entire council."

"I see," I said. "So, Mr. West, are you so afraid of me, you will hide behind a technicality like that?"

"You can't challenge me," he said. "And I'm not resigning."

Behind me, I heard Serena and Emanuel talking quietly. "You or me?" Emanuel asked.

"You hate politics," Serena said.

"So do you," Emanuel said.

"But I'm better at it than you are," she replied.

He sighed. "Make me proud."

Serena stepped up to my side.

"No," I said quietly. "This is my fight. I'll goad him until he loses control."

"This is better."

"I can beat him."

"I know you can."

"Name me your champion. That's an order."

"I'm sorry, but it's not a legal order, or I would. I'd rather you killed him, but either way, everything you said is correct."

"So," West said. "Is your pet enforcer talking sense into you?"

"I can't believe you're afraid of a little fox," I said.

"You can't challenge me!" he said.

Serena stepped past me, and she had already loosened her clothing. "No," Serena said firmly. "But I can. Christopher West, I deem you incompetent and a danger to the pack. As long as you kept yourself to issues of business, you were a valuable member of the council and a fine resource to us all. But you have become filled with hubris and, I believe, are suffering from onset dementia."

I stepped away from her. I had wanted to handle this, but having Serena on the council would be a good thing. I hoped she was good enough for this.

"When that bitch taught you the instant shift," he yelled pointing at me, "she assured the council you had no political aspirations."

"Mr. Berg, may I challenge him now for the insult?"

"Yes."

"Christopher West," I yelled, "You have insulted me for the last time! Defend yourself!" Before I was done, I was flowing past Serena, and she made no effort to stop me. West screamed defiance and launched himself at me, but I ducked under him and left a corpse in the grass. It was over before anyone could react. I stood over him, not even panting, then knelt down and cleaned my daggers on his clothes and deliberately replaced them in their sheaths.

"Alpha," I asked, "was that fast enough?"

"Yes, Alpha," Lara replied.

I turned to Serena. "Will you howl for me?"

She lifted her nose to the air and howled my victory.

The remaining wolves were silent.

My heart was pounding from the adrenalin. I took several deep breaths then looked around. "I am Michaela Burns, Madison Weres Alpha. I am a friend to all in the pack who fight for the good of the pack, but I will not tolerate machinations and scheming!" I looked down at Christopher's body. "If any of you are engaged in backstabbing politics or underhanded machinations, I strongly suggest you stop. Immediately. No one in the pack is an enemy. We should all stick together for our common good. If you are unable to do so, leave. You all know where the border is."

I turned to Lara. "Alpha! There is an opening in the council. I do not know what the policy is. Serena would be a good addition. That is all I will say on the matter."

"I agree, Alpha," Lara replied. "Mr. Berg, I believe we have a quorum."

"I move we provisionally elevate Serena Moss to the council," Ron said. "Do I hear a second?"

"I will second," Vivien said immediately.

"Discussion?" Ron asked.

Every wolf was silent.

"Ms. Moss, will you accept this duty?" he asked kindly. "I do not believe it is one you covet, but I believe you would be well-suited."

"No, it is not a position I covet," she agreed. "Yes, I will serve."

"Then I call the vote. All in favor?"

There was a round of "ayes", including my voice.

"Opposed?" No one spoke.

"The ayes have it. Congratulations, Ms. Moss. There will need to be another vote of the full council to confirm your status, after which you would be subject to challenge."

"Thank you, Mr. Berg," Serena said.

"Alpha," I said to Lara. "I require a few minutes to clean up. Will you secure things here and assign someone to organize the remaining activities tonight, then meet me in our quarters?"

"Yes, Alpha," she replied. "Five minutes."

"Thank you. Angel, Scarlett, you are with me." Without waiting to see if they were following, I began striding towards the house. My enforcers all formed a wedge around me, and Angel and Scarlet caught up, flanking me. The seven of us stepped through the remaining wolves.

"Alpha!" I heard from behind me. I turned around to see Violet addressing me. She smiled. "I'm glad you're on our side."

"Me, too, Violet. Me, too. It's good to be pack."

Then I spoke quietly enough for only the wolves closest to me to hear. "Angel, Scarlett, start howling."

They lifted their noses and immediately began howling. From the crowd of gathered wolves, Rory immediately joined them, then my students and some of the adults. Violet raised her nose and began to howl, and then most of the remaining wolves were howling.

My security detail remained on duty, silent, but I saw Elisabeth howling, and Lara smiling broadly. I leaned over and kissed Angel's cheek, then Scarlett's.

Then I lifted my own nose. I didn't try to howl; the assembled wolves would have begun laughing at me. But I gave five happy, fox barks.

Then I put a hand on Angel's shoulder, and on Scarlett's, and they immediately drew silent. I held up a hand, and Lara held up a hand. It took a moment, but the assembled wolves grew silent, all looking between Lara and then me.

"It is good to be pack!" I said again. I paused just a moment, then crisply turned around and headed for the house. Behind me, I heard Lara begin howling, and the assembled wolves immediately joined her.

It was good to be pack.


	7. Chapter 6

**Mythology**

It can be difficult to sieve truth from myth. From mythology there are gods, devils, angels, demons, were-creatures, fae of all sorts, ghosts, ghouls, goblins, and other creatures that go bump in the night. We know some of these exist, but we don't know whether they all do.

We know some of the mythology about these creatures is also true. Silver weapons are very effective against were-creatures. The mythological silver bullet isn't a myth at all.

But we also know some of the myths are wrong. Werewolves are not ravening beasts, unless they choose to be. They are not forced to changed by the light of the full moon, nor is their change limited by the moon. You cannot become a werewolf; you are either born that way or you are not.

A fun, intellectual conversation amongst weres is to discuss the nature of the myths and how they could have originated. Some were probably started intentionally; others came about by accident. Perhaps someone out at night under a full moon saw a werewolf change, and that is how that myth began.

No one knows for sure.

We don't know if the gods exist. If they do, there is little direct evidence they frequently meddle in the affairs of mortals. I know the fae exist; I've met some, after all. Ghosts, goblins? I couldn't tell you.

Oddly enough, it never occurred to me to ask Lara. It never occurred to me to ask, for instance, whether vampires exist.

I probably should have asked.

 **All Is Right**

"Mommy Fox! Mommy Fox!" I heard from two high-pitched, little girl voices the moment the door opened. I stepped into the house, Serena right on my heels. She had long ago given up trying to get into the house ahead of me. From the couch, two two-year-old werewolves launched themselves at me, shifting into pups mid-air. Serena and I were used to this ritual; it happened several times a week when I arrived home from school. She stepped to my left, intercepting Celeste, and I caught Rebecca, staggering under her weight. Unlike a werefox, werewolves don't get smaller in fur, and while Rebecca was smaller than her sister, she already weighed almost as much as I did in my fur.

I hugged my squirming daughter, kissing her on the nose and accepting a face bath from her before setting her down.

I turned to Serena, holding out my hands, and she handed Celeste to me, the pup nearly launching herself from Serena's arms to jump into mine. I hugged her, kissed her nose, and accepted another face bath before she joined her sister.

The two of them ran around me then bowed to me, inviting me to play with them.

I turned to Nora, the nanny we'd hired to take care of the kids during the day. They had their own security contingent, but enforcers were security officers, not baby-sitters. "Were they good?" I asked Nora.

"They're always little darlings," Nora said. I smiled. They weren't. They were darlings for me, reasonably well behaved for Nora, and playful with Angel and Scarlett. Everyone else had her hands full with them. "Did you need more from me, Alpha?"

"Date tonight?" It was Friday, and Nora was popular. She was twenty-two years old, very sweet, and lovely. She dated frequently, both men and women, and her social life was a source of amusement to me.

"Sophia and I are going out," she said with a grin.

Sophia was one of my former students and was at college now and no longer living in the compound. We didn't see much of her, but like all my former students, she had a standing invitation to pack play nights, and she attended from time to time. We were also likely to see her in Bayfield during the summers, but it was early spring, and she would be busy with her college studies. I had been pretty sure she preferred the boys, so I raised an eyebrow.

"I'm wearing her down," Nora said. "It's just in fun. She enjoys teasing me as I enjoy trying to seduce her."

I wasn't going to get into the middle of it. They were both adults, after all, and neither of them were my responsibility.

"I've got the girls, Nora," I said. "Have fun tonight."

"Oh, don't I always?" she asked. And she did, too. She was firm with the pups, but she was fun, too, and they loved her to pieces. Everyone did. She flounced upstairs to her room, presumably to prepare for a hot date trying to convince Sophia to pull her clothes back off.

The pups were still circling me, trying to get me to play with them.

"All right, you two. Mommy Fox is going to change into casual clothes, then we're going to hang out until Mommy Wolf comes home. You can ask her to take us all for a run."

Mommy Wolf arrived at home a half hour later. Celeste and Rebecca hadn't shifted out of fur the entire time. I heard Lara and Karen walking across the compound and told the pups, "Mommy Wolf is home."

They both spun around twice in excitement then dashed to their favorite ambush places near the door. A moment later, the door opened, and Lara clearly said, "Lara and Karen" before stepping across the threshold.

With snarls and yips, the two pups threw themselves onto their mother. I stood back and watched as Rebecca went low, tangling Lara's feet, while Celeste went high, leaping for Lara in a great bound. Well, a great bound for a two-year-old werewolf pup. The tactic would have worked on me, if they'd caught me by surprise. But of course, they neither surprised Lara nor were large enough to knock her over.

Instead, she caught Celeste as the pup leaped for her, holding her in one arm, then reached down and scooped Rebecca up as well. Soon both pups were cleaning Lara's face while she laughed at them.

"Hello, babies," she said to them. "I missed you both so much today."

My heart swelled as I watched my wife demonstrate her gentle love for our little girls.

Lara caught me grinning and asked, "And just why do you look so pleased?"

"I was wondering when you wanted to produce two more," I told her.

She stopped, frozen, perhaps wondering if I were serious. Lara was a wonderful mother, and she had been very stoic during her pregnancy, but it had been a difficult time for both of us, and I knew she hadn't enjoyed feeling as helpless as she had as her time had drawn near. I didn't know if Lara wanted more children or not. We had both alluded to it over time, but nothing seemed settled.

"Anxious to see me fat again?" Lara asked, a lilt in her voice belying the serious nature of the question.

Instead of answering, I stepped forward and pulled Rebecca from her, kissing her quickly and setting her down before doing the same with her sister. Then I folded into Lara's arms, wrapping my own around her and lifting my face for a kiss. Lara slipped one arm around my back, her other hand cupping the back of my head, holding me steady as her lips sought mine.

Rebecca and Celeste prowled around our feet, but they had learned not to interrupt our kisses.

When finally the kiss ended, I told Lara, "The girls have a lot of energy. Do you think you have time for a run?"

Lara kissed my nose and said, "I'm sure I can find time." She turned to Karen, her head of security. "Did you want to pass the word?"

"Yes, Alpha," Karen said immediately. She stepped to the side, pulling out her phone. I knew she'd call Elisabeth first, and if we waited a few minutes, the courtyard would be filled with wolves in fur. In the meantime, Lara pulled me to the sofa, and I curled under her arm. Moments later, we each had a wolf pup perched on our laps, demanding attention. I found myself scratching behind Celeste's ears as I leaned against my strong wife.

All was right with the world.

"I have bad news," Lara said.

So much for everything being right with the world.

"Tell me," I replied.

"We can't go to Bayfield this weekend. And I'm going to need your help."

"Pack play night next weekend," I said. I shrugged. "You can make it up to me later." I offered an impish grin.

"You're not upset?"

"Are you going to tell me about this help you need?" I asked.

"Later." She glanced down at the pups.

It wasn't often that Lara asked for my help, and it was even less often she surprised me. I usually knew what was going on before she did.

"Business or politics?"

"Business?"

"Not so bad, then." I had been getting better at the politics, but I didn't care for them. I wasn't that good at business, either, but she probably needed me to placate someone. I was good at that, it seemed. I wondered what I would end up offering whomever it was Lara had offended.

I leaned more tightly against her, and one armed, she held me more tightly.

"It's hard to believe," I said.

"What?"

"Four years," I said. "Four years ago, we didn't even know each other. Who would have thought all this would come from such a difficult beginning?"

Difficult, indeed. My introduction to the Madison werewolf pack leader had been when Lara had picked me up by the scruff of my werefox neck as I'd been fleeing from her enforcers. I had done everything I could to escape, including scratching and biting her as viciously as I could, but she had simply shaken me a few times and told me to knock it off; she only wanted to talk. I hadn't been at all interested in talking to her.

"I did," she said quietly. "You were so beautiful."

"Dangling from your hand?" I asked, stiffening a little, but Lara simply pulled me more tightly against her.

"Yes, even then," she said. "I knew immediately I had mishandled our meeting, but it was too late."

I glanced over. Karen was midway through her shift from human to wolf.

"What a mess I've made of your life," I told her. I made it sound like a joke, but deep down, I still believed it. She should have married another wolf, not a troublesome fox.

Lara growled her displeasure, and our daughters both put their ears back.

"She's not growling at you two lovelies," I said. I bent over and kissed Rebecca. "Play nice, Lara."

"I'm sorry," she said, kissing two furry foreheads. "But your Mommy Fox is being foolish." She used her hand, the one draped across my shoulders, to turn my head to face her. "You are the one I want, Michaela. You know that."

I was immediately embarrassed. I tried to not let her see my insecurities, but sometimes they came out.

"I'm sorry," I said in a low voice.

"You're a pain in the ass sometimes," she said. "But that's the nature of a relationship. And I bet I'm a bigger pain in the ass."

"True," I admitted, forcing a grin. And of course, she was, but she was worth it. I'd given up so much to be with her, but I had gained so much more. I still missed my home in Bayfield, and I continued to resent constantly being followed around by a security patrol, but other than that, life was about as perfect as it could be.

I gave Karen another glance. She was almost done with her shift. I felt badly for her. We still hadn't taught her the instant shift, and it was unlikely we ever would. I knew her shift was painful, but she never complained, and unlike some of the wolves, she never hinted she wanted me to teach her how to instantly shift.

I listened for a moment. I could hear wolves out in the courtyard, some already shifted, some still in the process. "Sounds like a few more minutes," I said. "We're going to have an entourage."

Lara smiled. "Don't we always?"

We did. Sometimes it bothered me. I would have liked to spend time with just my immediate family sometimes, but when you are married to the wolf pack leader, the concept of "immediate family" took on a whole new meaning. I was a fox, and the constant presence wore at me, but I had stopped complaining years ago.

Mostly.

We cuddled on the couch for a few more minutes. Karen finished her shift and took secure position near the front door. Serena leaned against the wall near the dining room, keeping an eye on things while giving Lara and me the illusion of privacy. I looked over my shoulder.

"Are Emanuel and Kaylee joining us?"

She nodded. "Is that all right?"

"Of course it is," I said. "The more the merrier. Serena, your daughter asked me if she could join my summer program."

Serena frowned. "What did you tell her?"

"I told her she should ask her parents for permission to apply."

"Oh thanks," Serena replied. "So I'm going to be the bad guy?"

It was my turn to frown. "You won't let her? I'm sorry. I guess I assumed." I turned away, embarrassed. Serena didn't want me teaching her daughter?

But Serena pushed away from the wall and walked around the sofa so she was standing in front of Lara and me. "Isn't she too young?"

"If you let Kaylee go," Lara pointed out, "Thomas is going to want to come, too. Tara may not be happy with you."

"I'm sorry, Serena," I said. "I can tell her she's too young this year."

She knelt down. "Your classes are full, and I can't manage Kaylee when I am supposed to be watching over you."

"Alpha," I said to Lara, "Is there room in the budget for me to hire two interns to help teach the summer program?"

"Scarlett already has a job this summer," Lara replied, "and Angel will be on enforcer duties."

"I wasn't thinking of either of them," I said. "I was thinking of Alan and Jeremy." They were Serena's two boys; they had graduated from my program and were at college now, but they were good boys, and I would enjoy their help. "If either of them is uninterested, we could open the invitation to any of my graduated students." I looked at Serena. "I'll manage the classes, including any interns."

"Before I approve anything," Lara said, "I want to know the rest of what you're thinking about."

I grinned at her. She knew me well. "I thought we could invite a few more people to my classes."

Lara narrowed her eyes. "How many more?"

"How many pack members do we have in high school?" I asked, "Entering eighth grade to freshly graduating?"

"Too many for you to manage with just Alan and Jeremy helping," Lara replied.

"It can't be that many," I countered. "There are fewer than four hundred pack members. Assuming an even age distribution, there can't be more than thirty-five or forty kids in high school. Human teachers handle classes that size."

"Classroom classes," Lara said. "We need a higher level of supervision for what you're doing. And while Alan and Jeremy would be able to help teach, they aren't sufficiently dominant to handle the kids."

"Not all the kids would come-"

"Yes they would," Serena countered immediately.

"What if we charged a fee?"

"The parents would pay it," Serena explained. "Michaela, you are the alpha, and if past history is any indication, Lara would be there quite a bit, too. Plus the kids talk about your classes. There might be a few kids that won't come, but you would have nearly every eligible child attending."

I thought about it. "If the idea would be that popular, aren't we almost obligated to do it?"

Lara shook her head. "You are a problem child." She sighed. "We need at least two more adults. Dominant adults. The kids in your classes are exceedingly well behaved. Most wolf teenagers are not so disciplined."

"Maybe Francesca would want to help."

"Francesca is not a dominant wolf," Lara said.

"I can't have Angel?"

"No. She'll be there as an enforcer. And you will not use her on the sly, either."

"I think you would need three or four interns," Serena said, "unless the adults you pick happen to know the skills you're teaching."

"If I find the help, may I do it?"

"Let me think about it, Michaela."

"If we're going to do it, I need to start preparing now."

"We'll talk again tomorrow night," she replied. "With Francesca, Elisabeth, and perhaps a few people from the council."

"I want to be there," Serena said.

"Of course." Lara looked over at Karen, now in wolf form. "Have you been listening?" Karen chuffed. "You'll be there, too." She chuffed again.

"Time to run," I said with a smile. "Let's go, girls!"

The pups didn't need to be told twice. They both scrambled from our laps and ran to the door, whining at it.

"Karen and Serena first," Lara said, standing up. She pulled me to my feet, running her hand through my hair before turning me to the door. Serena stepped past us to the door but waited until I approached. I knelt down and grabbed my daughters.

"Karen and Serena first," I repeated. They both whined, but when Serena opened the door, neither of them tried to bolt out the door first. Karen slipped through the door first, then Serena stepped into the doorway. She did a quick scan of the courtyard then nodded, and I released the pups, who dashed past her legs, barking with joy.

I loosened my clothing then shifted into fox, leaving my clothes in a pile on the living room floor. I stepped past Serena myself then looked out at the assembled wolfs.

Celeste and Rebecca were running around in circles, chasing each other and pouncing on the occasional tail. We had about half the compound, including all of my current students. Scarlett and Angel were standing together on the porch, still on two feet, with Angel standing behind Scarlett, her arms wrapped around her mate. I bounced over to them, and they both knelt down.

Wolf greetings tended to involve a lot of wet, slimy tongue. I was known to offer the same style of greeting, but I tended to prefer nuzzling instead. I rubbed my face along Scarlett's cheek, then Angels, and they both took a moment to stroke my fur.

Everyone liked to stroke my fur. I couldn't exactly blame them.

"May we come to dinner, Michaela?" Scarlett asked. Like they had to ask. I chuffed at them.

Lara stepped out, still on two feet. She looked around then pulled out her phone. "Are you coming?"

I heard Elisabeth's response. "Sorry, yes. I'm on my way. Do you have enough security?"

"Serena, Emanuel, Karen and Eric," Lara replied. "And Angel."

"I'll catch up," Elisabeth said. "Tell the fox to behave."

Lara laughed. "You heard her, Michaela. Angel, I'm sorry, but you're on duty."

"Angel," Serena said, "You're with Emanuel and Eric." Emanuel was the lead enforcer for Rebecca and Celeste. With Elisabeth not there and Karen in fur, Serena was acting head enforcer, at least until Elisabeth arrived. Not even Lara would override her without a very good reason. "Fox, will you be watching over the pups?"

Silly question. I chuffed agreement.

"Scarlett, do you mind helping her?"

Scarlett smiled. "I'd love to." Both girls adored Scarlett, and she loved them deeply.

"Let's go," Lara said. She shifted right out of her clothes, the same way I had, and Serena was only seconds behind her. Lara howled, and the entire pack took off for the north.

We quickly split into two somewhat amorphous groups; most of the pack was in the front group, but the pups couldn't run as quickly, and they set the pace for the second group. It was a pace I could keep, but it wouldn't be too many years before my babies could easily outrace me.

None of that kept Rebecca and Celeste from trying to keep up with the older wolves, but as the faster group pulled well ahead of us, the pups slowed down and became easily distracted. Rebecca stalked a leaf that had blown across her path, and Celeste decided it was time to stalk Mommy Fox. Mommy Fox was more interested in running, so I ran Celeste around the group twice then ran past Rebecca, knowing my flashing tail would catch her attention. Pretty soon I had two wolf pups chasing me, and a moment later, Scarlett was at my side, flashing her tail at the pups as well.

We all ran.

Around us, the enforcers kept us safe. We were running slowly enough that Lara was able to take a few big bounds and jumped right over the pups and me in one great leap; she was magnificent. I chuffed at her.

We ran a couple of miles until the pups began to lag. I huffed twice and pulled our group to a stop. Rebecca and Celeste both plopped down in the dirt, panting heavily. Scarlett curled up next to them, offering a little warmth and protection.

Lara nuzzled her daughters for a moment, giving them a few licks, then offered one to Scarlett as well. She looked at me and offered a wolfy grin. I yawned at her and sat down, not interested in the game she wanted to play. Lara bowed to me, but I lay down instead of bowing back.

Sometimes Lara pushed it, making me play even when I didn't want to. I didn't mind playing, but I couldn't watch the babies and play with her at the same time, and it wasn't fair to make Scarlett babysit them while we played.

I let the pups catch their breath, then I shifted to human for a minute. "Lara," I said, "Do you think they're old enough to learn how to hunt rabbits?"

She looked at her daughters, cocking her head to the side, then chuffed at me.

"Fox style or wolf style?" I asked.

She walked over to me and gave me a quick lick. Fox style it was.

I turned to the pups. "Celeste. Rebecca." They both lifted their noses to me. "Do you want to catch a rabbit?"

They both jumped to their feet, exhaustion forgotten.

"Come here," I told them. It was only two steps, but I didn't want them running around again. "Sit back down and listen." I waited. They were only two and a half, but they understood. And obeyed. They didn't always.

"We're going to be very quiet," I said. "You will both do exactly what I do. When you're older, Mommy Wolf will teach you how to hunt like a wolf, but today you're going to learn to hunt like a fox." I looked at Scarlett. "You too."

She chuffed and grinned at me.

I looked around at the other wolves. "I wouldn't suppose you guys can be quiet as mice?" I knew they couldn't, but maybe they would at least try.

The pack had for years kept deer farms to raise deer for release on pack lands. A year ago, they added rabbits to the list, my preferred prey. When I was hunting here only sporadically, it hadn't been necessary, and it probably wasn't really necessary now, either, but by periodically releasing wild rabbits on the pack lands, I could hunt more often without depleting the supply. Still, we wouldn't find any very close; the trail we were on was well traveled, and the rabbits stayed away from the wolf trails.

"We'll go west," I said, pointing. I cocked my head, listening. In the distance, I could hear the rest of the pack. There were a variety of birds, and I thought I heard a squirrel in a tree to the east, but I didn't hear any rabbits yet. That would change if we headed west a half-mile or so.

"Let's go," I said. I shifted back to fox and turned west. The pups immediately began following me, joined immediately by the rest of the wolves. I took three steps then turned my head to look. Celeste and Rebecca were following me, but I wanted them beside me.

I stopped then did a human gesture. I patted the ground next to me. Rebecca raced her sister to reach the spot, and they tussled until I huffed at them. I nudged them apart then stepped between them, nudging them further apart so I had room to walk between them. Then I took two steps and made sure they walked alongside me.

I used my ears to track everyone else. Scarlett was off my left haunch, watching, and the rest were arrayed behind me, letting me take point.

I began trotting through the undergrowth, leading a route with few obstacles that would cause noise.

Scarlett knew how to walk quietly now, so when she disturbed some leaves, I knew it was intentional. I froze in place and everyone else froze with me. I licked both my daughters once, hoping they would know they should stay where they were, then I turned around and stopped in front of Scarlett.

Both girls sat and watched.

I nosed the leaves she had disturbed then gently batted her nose. She hung her head, feigning embarrassment. It was a lesson for the girls, and I licked her once in thanks for giving me the opportunity. Then I stepped between the pups and turned us west again.

Every time any of the three of them made noise, I turned to them and huffed very quietly. Pretty soon, all three were as quiet as I could expect them.

I knew baby wolf attention spans wouldn't be very long, so I used my ears while I led us to a little clearing that frequently had rabbits near it. I kept everyone far quieter than we needed to be; I would hear the rabbits long before they would hear us, and as long as we weren't horribly loud, we could be almost on top of the rabbits before they would bolt, anyway.

But moving quietly was good practice for all of them.

I glanced over at Lara. She offered a wolfy smile at me. A glance at the enforcers showed them alert but calm.

Then I heard Elisabeth on our back trail, and she wasn't being particularly quiet. I froze and huffed annoyance. But without making noise of our own, there wasn't any way to ask her to move more quietly. I froze us in place again.

If the pups hadn't been along, I wouldn't have worried about it. But I wanted them to have a reward for their patience, and I was pretty sure it wouldn't last much longer. I shifted to human and pulled them both closer.

"You two are both being very good," I whispered to them. "We'll wait for auntie Elisabeth, and then we'll go catch that rabbit I can hear. If we're very, very quiet, we'll be able to sneak very close, and then we can pounce on them. Are you two ready to pounce?"

For that, I got a couple of licks.

I nuzzled both of them, giving them affection while waiting for Elisabeth. She arrived a minute later, and it took her only a second or two, looking at all the adult wolves, to realize the game. She held back and I looked into her eyes. She chuffed once, letting me know she understood, and I turned back to the pups.

"If we make a little noise, the rabbits won't hide," I said, "but as we get closer, we need to be very, very quiet. If we scare them away, anyway, we can try again another day." I pushed them both back into position beside me then shifted back to fox. I fluffed out my fur, listened, then began moving forward at a careful pace.

I hadn't actually heard any rabbits yet, but I knew I would soon, and my confidence was confirmed a minute or two later when I heard a couple of rabbits right at the edge of my hearing.

I froze and cocked my head. From the corner of my eye, I saw Rebecca mirroring me, although I knew she wouldn't be able to hear anything. I looked over at Lara, but she yawned. She couldn't smell them yet. They were right at the edge of my hearing, and there were a lot of smells between them and us, so I wasn't surprised.

I listened for another moment then changed our direction. I lost the sound, but I had a pretty good idea where they were. I took us to within a hundred yards, and I could hear their little hearts beating. I kept us quiet but not overly quiet until we were about fifty yards, then I froze us.

Both pups were sniffing like mad, and Celeste was practically quivering with excitement.

Lara, stepping very carefully, moved closer, taking a position off my right, on the other side of Rebecca. Scarlett was watching Celeste.

After that, I took one step at a time. It wasn't necessary to be that careful, but it was good practice, and I knew it would be harder for the wolves to be silent. I had to circle us around a clump of bushes; I could have gone under them and made almost no noise, and the pups were small enough they could have followed me, but it would have been nearly impossible for the wolves to move through silently.

We reached the edge of a small clearing, one hardly worth mentioning. There were two rabbits just on the other side of the clearing. I froze so the rest of my little hunting party was still hidden from view. By now, everyone knew where the rabbits were, even though they couldn't see them. The wolves wouldn't have their positions as accurately as I did, but it was close enough.

I couldn't decide if it was best to let Celeste and Rebecca chase the rabbits. I was pretty sure they wouldn't catch one on their first try, after all. Or was it more important for them to see how it was done.

Lara decided for me. Taking very careful steps, she poked her nose into the clearing, and I saw her muscles tense. We were going to show the pups what to do. Lara could probably leap on them from where she was, but she probably couldn't see them yet.

I stepped into the clearing, moving silently. I was proud of my little pups; they moved with me, equally quiet, moving through the grass. Lara let us get ahead of her.

I took us to within ten yards. The rabbits froze. I froze. They had heard one of us. I tensed my muscles.

I wasn't sure who leapt first. It may have been Celeste, or it may have been Scarlett, seeing Celeste couldn't control herself anymore. But suddenly there were two wolves after one rabbit.

Rebecca, not to be outdone, dashed after the other one. Lara made two bounds and caught Rebecca's rabbit. Rebecca leapt onto the rabbit as well. Scarlett caught the first rabbit, and Celeste was fighting her for it.

I bounced forward, huffed once at Celeste, then tapped her very gently when she didn't release the rabbit.

We don't fight over food.

Celeste still fought Scarlett for the rabbit, so I pounced on her, rolling her onto her back and taking her throat. My baby immediately went limp. I squeezed very lightly, and she whimpered at me, so I released her and climbed off.

She rolled over onto her stomach and sat up. And that was when Scarlett dropped the rabbit between her paws.

Celeste looked up at me, and I chuffed at her, so she threw herself at the rabbit, working at the neck. I glanced over, and Rebecca was doing the same with the rabbit Lara had caught while Lara watched her, a huge wolfy grin on her face.

I shifted back to human. "Celeste."

She stopped growling at her rabbit and froze.

"We don't fight over food."

She lifted her mouth from the rabbit and looked at me. Rabbit blood tinged the fur around her mouth.

"I better never see you fight another wolf for food. Do I make myself clear?"

She hung her head and chuffed once, very quietly.

"Good. Now, go thank Scarlett for letting you help her catch the rabbit."

I wasn't sure what she would do. She climbed off the rabbit and stepped up to Scarlett, then rolled onto her back, exposing her throat. Scarlett leaned over and gave her a quick lick.

"Good girl," I said quietly. "And you were both very good during the hunt." I turned to Lara. "Pack shares, but this is hardly enough."

Lara shifted herself. "Can you quickly find two more?"

"Of course." I cocked my head. "The rest of the pack is heading this way. They'll scare the nearby game. I'll need to get some distance."

"Serena, who else do you need?" She meant for my guard detail. Serena stepped over to Angel and bumped her.

"How long do you need, Michaela?"

I hadn't heard any other rabbits. "Ten, maybe fifteen minutes," I said. "Less if Angel helps catch one."

Serena huffed. Angel was on guard duty. I would have grabbed Scarlett, but Lara would want her with the pups.

"Meet us back at the house then," Lara said.

I turned around, jumped, and shifted to fox in the air. I loved doing that. I came down on four paws and headed west, Serena and Angel following me.

I ran us west for five minutes at the best speed I could make without growing winded, then stopped and listened. It didn't take me more than a few seconds to identify more rabbits, and five minutes later, I had two more. Angel carried one of them for me. I shifted to human and said, "Serena, we'll move faster if the big wolf carries the second rabbit instead of the little fox."

She huffed at me but picked up the second rabbit. I flowed into fox and set a path for the compound, the two wolves flanking me.

Then I froze. I thought I heard something, a sound that didn't belong. Serena and Angel came to a stop next to me. I cocked my ears then turned around, facing back west, listening intently.

The woods were quiet, quieter than they should be. There was a light breeze blowing through the leaves. I tuned that out. I tuned out the sounds Angel and Serena were making: breathing, their hearts beating, strong and sure, the blood whooshing through their veins.

It was too early in the year for insects, but there should have been birds.

In the distance, much further away than would have caused the birds to grow quiet, I could hear the other wolves moving towards the compound. I swiveled my ears away from them and tuned them out. I took two steps forward; Serena and Angel matched me. I turned to Serena, reaching out to draw a line in the forest floor. I did the same in front of Angel.

Serena huffed. She wasn't going to let me leave without her. I didn't intend to leave; I only wanted them quiet. I drew the line again and took three small steps forward. Serena and Angel stayed where they were, but I was pretty sure if I went further, Serena would be at my side.

I listened.

I heard birds in the distance. I heard the trees groaning lightly. There were a couple of chipmunks to the south and, faint, more rabbits north of us. There were birds east of us, but I couldn't hear a single bird to the west or northwest.

I listened for heartbeats. In these conditions, I could hear a mouse heartbeat at a hundred yards or thereabouts, and anything bigger than a mouse even further.

Nothing.

I looked over my shoulder at Serena and made a point of sniffing madly, then drew another line in the forest floor. She dropped her rabbit and stepped up to me. I stepped back two steps. Serena began sniffing carefully.

I could tell right away she smelled something. She grew alert, and she continued to sniff. I stopped watching her and went back to listening, but I couldn't hear anything I shouldn't.

Serena flowed into human and turned to me.

"Something died out there," she said quietly. "I can't tell what. It's faint. Do you hear anything?"

It was chilly, and I didn't feel like flowing into human skin to talk. I yawned, a calming signal. It was a good way to say 'no'.

"So, whatever you thought you heard, it's too far away to pick up a heartbeat?"

I yawned again.

"Maybe a car on the road?" she said. While the pack owned the land immediately around us, there were roads that passed through our territory. They weren't used that often, but they did get some traffic. I didn't know what I'd heard, but I didn't think it had been a car. But it was probably nothing. I yawned and looked over my shoulder towards the compound.

"Michaela," Serena said, "You're not normally given to false alarms. You know I take you seriously."

I looked at her. Then I looked at Angel. There were only three of us, and I was worthless without my silver. If there was anything out there that needed investigating, this wasn't the right group to do it. I turned towards the compound and took two steps.

I heard as Serena shifted back to wolf. I waited for her to pick up her rabbit, but instead she stepped over to a tree and lifted a leg, marking the tree. I'd seen the wolves do that before, but it was rare; it scared the game. But any of the wolves would now readily find this tree. I huffed quietly, just once, and then Serena picked up her rabbit, and we turned towards the compound.

I listened carefully the entire time. After a minute or so, the forest immediately around us was filled with all the right sounds.

But back behind us, I still didn't hear any birds.

When we arrived at the compound, everyone else was already there, still in fur, but they had waited for us. Serena and Angel dropped their rabbits next to the others. I shifted to two feet, grabbing a blanket from the edge of the porch.

"Angel and Scarlett," I said, "please see to the rabbits. Alpha, Serena, Head Enforcer, I need to talk to all of you." I didn't wait but walked briskly away, out of hearing range of everyone else. The rest were slow, as they had to shift into human form as well, grabbing their own blankets, but soon the four of us huddled together.

"I heard something," I said. "I don't know what." I explained as best I could. Elisabeth looked at me dubiously.

"Something died out there," Serena added. "I couldn't have told you what. I marked a tree, in case we want to find the same place."

"You don't know what you heard?" Lara asked.

"No," I replied. "It might be nothing. If it hadn't been for the lack of birds, I probably wouldn't be making such a big deal of it."

"We came straight back," Serena said, "or as straight as we could. Our trail should be easy to follow."

Elisabeth looked at her for a moment. "You think she heard something?"

"I trust Michaela's instincts," Serena said. She turned to me. "Could it have been a car?"

"I don't know." I cocked my head, trying to remember. "I don't think it was a car. It might have been nothing: a branch rubbing strangely against another tree, but it's not breezy enough for that." I turned to Elisabeth. "It's probably nothing."

"I'll send Rory and Eric to check it out," Elisabeth said.

"Let's share the rabbits," Lara said, "and if we're taking the fox seriously, then take her seriously, Elisabeth."

"Karen and I will go, too," Elisabeth replied. "If both of you and the pups will all be together. Everyone else remains on duty until we get back. Serena, handle things here."

"It's probably nothing," I said. "Let's not get everyone else worked up."

"Serena, grab Emanuel and search the house," Elisabeth said. "Every nook and cranny."

"After she gets her rabbit," I said with a smile.

"Yes," Lara said with a matching smile.

Elisabeth nodded, and as a group, we turned back to everyone else, and a few seconds later, we were all back in fur, accepting a tiny morsel of the rabbits we had caught.

Dinner was just going onto the table when Elisabeth returned. I heard them arrive and a slight creak on the porch, then the door opened. Elisabeth said, "Elisabeth and Karen," then the two of them stepped into the house. "Alphas, a moment."

We both turned away from the table and joined Elisabeth and Karen. They looked tired. Lara and I held hands, and Serena stood at my left shoulder. I reached over and clasped her hand for a moment, too.

"Nothing," Elisabeth said quietly. "We found the tree you marked, Serena. We didn't smell anything we shouldn't. We ran the inner perimeter." By that she meant they had headed west to the first road then ran along side the roads, doing a circuit, but not crossing any roads. "We were thorough in the immediate area but ran quickly otherwise. We didn't smell anything unexpected. Serena, I don't know what you smelled, but we didn't find whatever you thought died."

She turned to me. "There were fresh car tracks on the road west of your location." It was a gravel road, so tracks would show easily. "It looked like it was pulling a trailer."

I shrugged. I didn't think I'd heard a car, but if they hadn't found anything, they hadn't found anything.

"We then ran the outer perimeter. We scared up some game, and someone has been running four-wheelers through the ditches along the road." She turned to Lara. "I hate it when they do that."

"I do too," Lara said, "but I don't think there's much we can do about it."

"There are signs some humans have been ignoring our 'No Trespassing' signs," Elisabeth said. "Far to the northwest."

"There's that eagle's nest," Lara said.

"It was getting too dark to really check it out," she said, "but it was near the nest." She turned to Karen. "Take Eric and Rory back there tomorrow and see if you can figure out what they've been doing. If they're disturbing the nest, set up more surveillance cameras."

"If they need to be reported, I should do it," I said. I wasn't associated with the US Fish and Wildlife department anymore, but my word still carried a little weight. It wouldn't be the first time we had reported people damaging the environment in some way. We had a pretty low tolerance for that.

"I called Gia," Serena said. "She checked the electronic sentries." Our property was now riddled with electronic monitoring. Some days I wondered how much of it was designed to keep track of one little fox. "Everything is green."

"I guess it was nothing," I said. "I'm sorry for wasting everyone's time."

"No," Elisabeth said firmly, stepping closer to me. She reached out and clasped my chin gently, raising my eyes to hers. "Do not apologize. You heard something and you reported it. Serena smelled something, too. Everyone did what she should have. If you hear it again, report it again."

I nodded once and she smiled.

"Little Fox," Lara said, "do you need a lecture about not investigating on your own?"

"No," I said. Which didn't mean I wouldn't investigate if the need arose, but I didn't need her telling me she wouldn't want me to. Lara would keep me locked behind a mile-high wall if she could.

The three of them looked at me carefully; they all trusted me about almost everything. But when it came to my own personal safety, they felt they had cause to be concerned, even though I hadn't done anything in two years to cause distrust.

Well, almost nothing, anyway. I would be pretty insistent about time alone when Lara and I had a fight and I needed to cool down.

"Promise," Lara said after a moment.

I sighed. "I promise I remember every word from the last time you lectured me."

Lara didn't find me funny and began growling quietly.

"Alpha," Elisabeth said. "May I?"

Lara looked at her and nodded, silencing her growl.

"What?" I said. "Why does everyone assume I am an idiot?"

"No one believes you are an idiot, Michaela," Elisabeth said.

"I am our best scout-"

"Actually," she said. "You're not."

I opened my mouth to protest, but she held up a hand. "Let me explain."

"Fine," I said, my voice terse.

"When subterfuge is required," Elisabeth said, "You are hands down our best scout."

She gave me a moment to digest it. "All right."

"But on pack lands, subterfuge is far from the top priority. If there is the need to raise an alarm, you are close to our worst scout."

I opened my mouth to protest again, but she said, "Let me explain, Michaela."

"Fine," I said again.

"If there is a human out there, then the only two dangers are being filmed shifting or being shot. Of all of us, Karen is the one least likely to be filmed shifting. Do I need to explain why?"

I thought about it. "She doesn't shift in the woods where there might be hidden humans with cameras."

"Right. The rest of us all do." By that she meant the instant shifters: me, Lara, Elisabeth, Serena, Emanuel, Angel and Scarlett.

"Any of us can be filmed in fur and it proves nothing," Elisabeth said. "And a human can't get near the compound without setting off a dozen alarms."

"All right."

"So the other danger from a human is being shot, and any of us can take being shot better than you can."

"I'm harder to hit," I said, "and I can heal it faster."

"Not enough to matter," Elisabeth said. "What is a wolf going to do if she gets shot?"

"Try to kill the person who shot her."

Elisabeth smiled. "What else?"

I didn't know what she was getting at.

"What did I do when Natalie shot me?" Lara asked.

"I don't know," I said. "I was concentrating on Natalie.

"You have ears," Lara pointed out.

I turned back to Elisabeth. "Fine, a wolf is going to howl."

"What is a fox going to do?"

"Yip."

"Which sound carries further?" Elisabeth asked.

"Just say what you're getting at, Elisabeth."

"If there is a human on our property and is a real threat, then the most important thing is to warn the rest of us so we can deal with it. That means a wolf howl. You would go silent and not raise any alarm until you got back here. A wolf, if necessary, would raise the alarm."

I sighed. "Fine."

"Let's say it's a human who isn't a threat."

"Then it doesn't matter," I replied. "Any of us could find the human before he would find us."

"Yes," she said. "But a wolf would get back here faster than you would."

"Fine."

"What if it's a real threat, like an incursion from another pack or a weretiger?" Elisabeth asked. "Again, the most important thing is to raise the alarm."

I didn't like where this was going.

"Michaela, you are far and away the sneakiest of all of us, but patrolling pack territory does not require what you're best at. It requires someone who runs fast and can raise an alarm when necessary. If someone is on pack territory, we don't care if our scouts are seen."

"Fine."

"So, I want a promise from you," she said.

"You could trust my judgment."

"I'm going to," she said.

I raised an eyebrow.

"If you are out with an improper escort, and there is something that needs to be investigated, I want you to promise to do nothing you wouldn't want Lara doing if she was there instead of you."

I stared at her.

"If one of us-" and she gestured to herself, Lara, Serena and Karen, "-are with you, then you will do what we order."

I sighed. "Fine."

"Promise," she demanded.

"I promise. What if it's Rory and Eric?"

"What would you want Lara to do?" Elisabeth asked.

I looked down. "Get one of you."

"Would you want Lara to send half her security away to retrieve us?" Elisabeth asked gently.

"I don't know," I said. "It would depend on the nature of the threat."

"I want you to be conservative, Michaela," she said. "We'll trust your judgment if you promise to be conservative and do what you would want Lara to do. Promise me."

I didn't want to promise anything, and they all knew it.

"What if-"

"No," Elisabeth said quietly. "We aren't playing that game. If there is something that requires investigation, then I want you to treat it seriously. Michaela, think about it. I just told you that we trust your instincts. If you think something requires investigation, it probably does. Why would you take yourself less seriously than you want us to?"

"I could have saved-"

"No!" she said. "You and Serena did the right thing today. When there is something that requires investigation, the most important step is making sure I know about it, even if it's nothing."

"I'm not going to report every little noise," I said.

"Of course not," she replied. "But if there is a real threat in our woods, then you can bet that threat knows about you and your skills. To assume anything else is reckless."

"Elisabeth, you know how close I can get without being detected." The answer was simple: I had once gotten to within fifteen yards of her without her smelling or hearing me.

It was her turn to sigh. Then she took a breath and asked, "Why are you fighting me on this? Security is my responsibility, and I am telling you how I want to handle security."

She was right.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I will take a conservative approach and do either what I would want Lara to do or what I believe you would want me to do."

"Is that a promise?" she asked.

"Yes."

She smiled. "Thank you."

"I'm sorry I argued with you," I told her contritely.

"I'm not."

"Excuse me?"

"I know you hate this," she said. "You've been with us for nearly five years, and you still have a difficult time relinquishing any control. We need this conversation from time to time. I don't mind. I'm happy you are willing to have it."

"On security issues, I'm supposed to shut up and do what I'm told." I looked briefly at Karen and Serena. "Not undermine your authority."

"I am much happier to have had this conversation in front of your head of security," Elisabeth said. "Otherwise I would have had to relay it to her. And I think it was good for Karen to hear it as well." She glanced at each of them. "Did either of you have more to say?"

"We did the right thing today, Michaela," Serena said. "Do you doubt that?"

I thought about it before answering. "I feel better that you checked, Elisabeth, even if there wasn't anything to find. Thank you."

"I want to point out," said Karen, "that I think something was out there."

I turned to her in surprise.

"Both of you thought there was something," Karen said, gesturing to Serena and me. "Maybe it was just a hawk taking a rabbit."

"Or those eagles," I said.

"Yes," she said. "Or those eagles. But you heard something. Serena smelled something. And in our investigation, we found a few things that we should already have known." She turned to Elisabeth. "I want to run twice daily perimeter patrols. We've gotten complacent."

"You are head of Lara's security," Elisabeth said. "And it needs one of us-" she gestured around, "-doing the patrols."

"Not alone!" I said.

"No," Karen said. "Not alone. But any of the younger enforcers can partner with us."

"I don't believe it needs to be one of you on every patrol," Lara said. "Any enforcer should be able to handle a patrol like that, or she shouldn't be an enforcer." She looked pointedly at Elisabeth.

"I'm not worried about them on patrol," Elisabeth said. "I'm worried about them trampling evidence." She looked at Karen. "I will take your morning duties with the alpha for a while. You will train the younger enforcers how to run the patrols you want."

"May I suggest something without anyone getting upset?"

They all turned to me. "No promises," Lara said, but she was grinning.

"We have five students in the enforcer program. Except during times of specific stress, it seems like they should be able to help patrol, and it would be good training." I had no responsibility over the enforcer program in the high school, although my outdoor classes were a mandatory part of the program.

"You and I were doing perimeter patrol together when I was eleven, Elisabeth," Lara said.

"Our land was smaller than," Elisabeth pointed out. "Quite a bit smaller." She paused. "Incorporate the students, Karen."

Karen nodded. "Does anyone mind if I train Scarlett as well?"

"She's not an enforcer," Elisabeth said.

"No. She's an enforcer's mate and she has a good head on her shoulders."

"It can't get in the way of her college," I said.

"It won't," Karen replied.

"Then I have no objections," Elisabeth said. "Alpha?"

"No problem here, but don't put any pressure on her for it, Karen."

Karen nodded.

"Anything else?" Lara asked.

They all shook their heads.

I turned to Lara. "Are you going anywhere else tonight?"

"No." She smiled. "Elisabeth, you can probably release some of the enforcers from duty."

 **Summer Plans**

"So," I said in our room that night. I grabbed Lara's hand and pulled her to the sofa. "You said you needed my help this weekend."

"Morgan Yarrow resigned."

Lara was involved in a variety of business ventures. Most of them were related to real estate, although she also had partial interests in a large number of pack-run businesses. She used a variety of employees, most of them pack members, but not all of them, to help her run the businesses, keeping an eye on them from a high level. Michele Lassiter had been helping her for two years, and Elisabeth used to also manage some of their mutual interests, but Lara kept a close hand herself.

"Refresh my memory, Lara."

"Brighton Heights Motors," she said.

"Oh, right," I said. "Did Morgan own that?"

"Morgan's uncle does, but he's eighty-seven and hasn't been involved in the business in years."

"So Morgan just up and quit the family business, a pack business?"

"Morgan isn't pack," Lara explained. "And Lance-"

"The uncle?"

"Yes. Lance refused to give Morgan the business. It's willed to Lance's children, and Morgan decided he was tired of building up someone else's family business."

"I'm missing something. How is Lance pack but Morgan isn't?"

"Lance's wife, Patricia, is Morgan's aunt. Patricia is human."

"Ah. Does Morgan know about us?"

"No."

"Why was Morgan running the business instead of Lance's children?"

"Lance's daughter is Patricia Greene."

"Doctor Patricia Greene?" I laughed. "The pups' pediatrician?"

"One and the same."

When you are the alpha pair, and there is a pack member who provides a quality service you need, you go to the pack member. The pups didn't actually have much need for a doctor; we had used a midwife for their birth. But they still got checkups with her. Most of her business, of course, came from humans who had no idea she was a werewolf.

"You said Lance's children..."

"Rod is, frankly, an idiot," Lara said.

"So when Lance dies, the business will go to the daughter, who won't have time to manage it, and the son, who is too stupid to manage it."

"Lance's share of the business," Lara explained.

"This is getting more convoluted." I smiled. "I like convoluted. How much does Lance own?"

"Sixty percent."

"Who owns the other forty?" I thought I knew the answer.

"The pack."

I thought she was going to say that she did.

"Doctor Greene will vote her shares with you?"

"Yes, or seek to sell them." She sighed. "I tried to get Lance to buy out the pack for years. My dad did before that. I could never get him to agree to pay what it was worth."

"So sell at a discount."

"When I became alpha, I agreed to a council mandate about pack assets. Sale of pack assets over a certain value requires council approval. The council won't approve the size discount Lance demanded. And no one else was willing to go into business with him. There's no one I can sell the pack's forty percent, not at a price the council would approve."

"So you're stuck managing it?"

"Morgan did a good job," she said. "I don't like his timing on quitting. I would have liked him to help us find his replacement. But I don't blame him."

"All right. I think I'm caught up," I said. "You aren't suggesting you want me to run it?" I knew nothing about car sales.

"You'd be good at it, if you spent a few years as a salesman first," Lara said. "But no. There's a sale this weekend. That's why Morgan's departure is so poorly timed. We need someone able to authorize sales."

"There must be a sales manager."

"There is, and he's a very good sales manager. However, he'll do anything to make a sale."

"Ah, including underpricing the cars?"

"Yes."

"Lara, I'm not qualified-"

"I know. I'm going to have to do it."

"Ah, and thus we can't go to Bayfield, but that doesn't explain what you need from me."

"All that explains why I'm not available to do what I need you to do," she said.

"So there are two reasons we're not going to Bayfield this weekend?"

"Yes, although we could have gone up Saturday morning if it weren't for the emergency at the dealership."

"So you need me Friday night?"

"Yes. Actually, Michele Lassiter needs you."

"Is this going to be as convoluted as the auto dealer?"

"It depends upon how many questions you ask."

We smirked at each other.

"All I need you to do is let Michele Lassiter pick you up for dinner and pay the bill."

I narrowed my eyes at her, knowing there was more to it than that.

"And agree to anything she says," Lara added.

"Keep going."

"And be charming."

"You want me to take Michele Lassiter to dinner? That doesn't seem so bad. Who else is going to be there?"

"Your enforcers," Lara replied.

"And..."

"Frank Harvey and Devon Anderson."

I sighed. "I thought you sold that trucking company." Frank Harvey and Devon Anderson were the union representatives for the truckers and other hourly employees of a modest trucking company Lara used to own.

"I did," she said. "I only held a minority interest, anyway."

"So why are we dealing with them now?"

"I sold my interest to Helen West."

"Any relationship to the dearly departed council member we used to know and love?" I asked. The last part of my question was sarcastic. I had killed Christopher West.

"His sister."

I stared at Lara. "And you're sending me?"

"Helen West won't be there. She left town. I'm not sure where she is now."

"So why is the trucking company your problem?"

"She stopped making payments on her loan to me, and we repossessed it last week."

"Lara, this meeting seems a little too important to send me," I said after a moment.

"It's just dinner," Lara explained. "Frank and Devon are representing the workers. They want to buy the firm. Everyone is operating in good faith. They came to me with an offer the day after we repossessed. It was a little low, and Michele is going to present a counter-offer. They aren't going to quibble over the counter offer, but they're going to want other concessions. Michele will handle it. But I need you there, and Michele is going to call you 'Alpha' at every opportunity."

"Do you own the entire company?"

"About fifteen percent. The employees already own about forty percent. The remainder is owned by various investors."

"Most on the council?"

"Yes," Lara said. "The employees want to buy all of it. There are a few minor investors who don't want to sell, but the rest will, at the price I'm asking."

"So I just, what?"

"Be charming and pick up the check."

"All right." I'd done it for her before. "Why did you make it sound worse than that?"

"You know," she said. "I shouldn't have. I'm just so tired of dealing with some of these things. I invest in these businesses, either as myself or on behalf of the pack, because they are new businesses started by pack members. Dad did the same thing. If someone comes to us with a reasonable business plan, we help them get started. But I have my fingers in far too many pies, and I've been trying to get rid of them. I hate when they come back."

"And now you're dealing with two like that."

She nodded. "Elisabeth used to help, but she's already overworked with her head enforcer duties. It wasn't so bad when she was just one of the enforcers, but she has divested herself of everything that consumed attention, and I just can't ask her to take on any of this."

"Is that why you hired Michele?"

"Yes, and she's been great, but I need three more of her, and I can't find them. Not within the pack, and I can't possibly go outside the pack for this." She paused. "If you ever get tired of teaching and wanted to go earn a business degree, I wouldn't mind a bit."

I paused. "Was that a request?"

"No, honey. I think you're happier as a teacher than you would in business."

"I think you're right," I agreed. "But I don't mind helping when I can." I moved closer on the sofa, and Lara slid her arm around my shoulders. I shifted position so I was leaning against her, my head against her shoulder. Lara kissed my hair.

We cuddled quietly for a few minutes before I asked, "I'm sorry I upset you earlier. I know my sense of humor gets out of hand."

She cocked her head for a moment. "Ah, the snide comment about promises."

"I shouldn't have said that."

She kissed my head again. "I reacted poorly. I should know you use humor when you're uncomfortable. It's how you defuse your own reaction. My response didn't help."

I shrugged. "I keep waiting for the other shoe to fall."

"Which shoe is that?"

"The razor wire fence around the compound. Or a tracking collar I can't remove by shifting, I suppose." I sighed. "Elisabeth keeps putting tracking devices in my clothes."

"She's pushing your buttons," Lara replied. "I don't think any of them actually work."

"They do," I said. "She had a detailed map of my every step she showed me one day. I lost a wager with her."

"Did you?" Lara asked. "She didn't tell me."

I pushed away and turned to look at her.

"Honest," Lara said. "I don't know a thing about it, honey. What was the wager?"

"I don't want to tell you."

Lara began to smile. "But you're going to, aren't you?"

"If she won, which she did, I had to buy a dress she picked out."

Lara cocked her head. "I can't see my sister in a dress."

"The dress is for me."

"So what's the problem?"

"It's pink." I spat the last word.

"So I take it I'll never see you wearing it?"

"That depends," I said.

"On?"

"Whether Elisabeth forgets about the wager."

"My sister is not terribly forgetful. I take it there's more to this wager you haven't told me."

I nodded. "I have to wear it for three future events of her choice. There are also shoes and panty hose to go with. And she gets to do my makeup."

Lara began to laugh.

"It's not funny!" I said. "This hair," and I fluffed my red hair, "does not go with pink."

"So what was the wager itself?"

"I found one of her tracking devices in the jeans I'd been wearing," I said. "I asked her why she kept putting them in my clothes and stated firmly they couldn't possibly work."

"Ah ha," Lara replied. "I think you were played, Michaela."

"We had my laptop with us," I explained. "We had a meeting later, and I don't like leaving it in the car. So when we went to lunch, she pulled up a web page that showed my every movement for that day."

"Honey, I'm pretty sure nothing in your clothing is providing her with that information."

"I accused her of putting a tracker on my phone instead. She pulled up another web site with that tracker. Then she had Serena walk across the mall with my phone, and that signal moved, but the other one didn't."

Lara began grinning, then schooled her features.

"You know something!" I said. "Tell me."

"I don't think so," she said.

I moved away from her on the sofa. "Fine."

"Wait," she said. "I want a wager if I'm right."

"You'll tell me whatever it was that just made you grin?"

"Yes, but only if you accept my wager."

"What?"

"If we decide I'm right, you don't let Elisabeth know you figured it out, and you keep her wager."

I sighed. "You want to see me in pink?"

"My sister works very hard, and I want you to let her have her fun."

I stared at Lara for a moment.

"You don't think the things she keeps putting in my clothes are anything but a red herring?"

"Oh, I bet they do something, but it might be little more than those anti-theft devices they use at the stores. I bet she can track you all over the compound with them, but that's about all." Lara paused. "Honey, you know she has your best interests at heart."

"I know." I thought about it. "What do I get if you're wrong?"

"I will preface this by saying you already conceded her wager, and if it weren't for me, you would be wearing pink."

I sighed. "Agreed. I just want to know what she's really doing."

"If you decide I'm probably wrong, then I'll do anything to you tonight you ask."

I grinned. "You would do that anyway."

"No, I'd do anything to you I like."

"Those are almost the same thing," I replied.

"Did you want something else?" she asked. Her smile faltered a little.

"No, Lara." I moved closer.

"So we're agreed. Even if we figure out it's not the trackers in your clothes, you'll continue to let Elisabeth think she won, at least until after you've worn this pink dress the requisite number of times."

"Yes, Lara." I slipped under her arm. "Tell me."

"She was tracking something else. Maybe Serena's phone. Maybe her own."

"Serena had her phone with her, and Elisabeth promised me it wasn't her phone. Would she lie?"

"She'd lie, but if she said it wasn't her phone, then it wasn't her phone. But honey, what else did you have with you?"

"I made Serena bring my purse with her, too," I said. "But there wasn't anything in it I couldn't identify."

"What else?"

"I always have my knives, and I probably had a couple of my chopsticks. You know I don't go in public without them. I'm glad I don't teach at one of those schools with metal detectors."

"You're usually quicker than this, Michaela," Lara said quietly. "What else?"

"Your belt, but I know she wasn't tracking that."

"It wasn't anything you were wearing, honey."

"Please just tell me, Lara," I said.

"Honey, I could be wrong, but if she wasn't tracking her own phone or Serena's, then maybe she was tracking your computer."

I froze, thinking about it.

"Please don't be mad, honey," Lara said. "You trust Elisabeth, don't you?"

"Why would she track my computer?" I asked in a quiet voice.

"In case it's stolen. It's probably really Gia tracking it."

"Do you know for sure?"

"No. That's a level of detail I don't worry about. Gia is handling information security to the best of her ability. I can't do a better job than she can, so I leave her to it."

"You think that's it?"

"It might be a mix of things," Lara said. "It could be everything. Your phone, your computer, and the little things she leaves in your clothes. You go through all those stores with their detectors. Maybe they feed to some central security site. I don't know."

"Well, she was clearly tracking me."

"Are you sure she wasn't tracking herself?"

"She wouldn't let me look any further back than that day, and it showed me in our house until we left to go shopping. She wasn't our overnight guard. And it's more likely she would track me than herself."

"Do you remember the web site?"

"She wouldn't let me see, and she erased my browser history so I couldn't go back and look."

"Are you mad?"

"No," I said. I looked up at Lara. "She and Serena help you keep me safe, Lara." I cuddled more tightly against her. "I trust both of them as much as I trust you."

"But you still worry we're going to build a cage around you? I don't want to live inside razor wire any more than you do, honey."

"The razor wire is symbolic," I said. "I keep giving up my independence, a little at a time."

Lara didn't say anything. It was an old fight.

"I'm not complaining," I said. "I just don't know how far it's going to go." I paused. "Twenty years from now, when I'm not as fast as I am now, I wonder what my life will be like. Will you let me step outside? Maybe you'll keep me in a big hamster ball all the time."

"Oh honey," she said.

I shrugged. "That's better than what I used to worry about," I pointed out. I looked up at her.

"Oh?" she said.

"That fear assumes you won't have grown tired of me twenty years from now." I offered a smile. "You think she's tracking the computer?"

"Yes, probably."

"All right," I said. "I concede our wager. I guess that means you aren't going to let me tickle you."

She smiled. "Probably not," Lara agreed. She lifted my chin and lowered her head for a kiss. It was soft and sweet. She broke the kiss then pulled me into her lap, cradling me so I was sitting sideways, my feet on the sofa, then pulled me into another kiss.

I clutched at her. We'd been together for nearly five years; our four-year anniversary was coming up at the end of the summer. And I never got tired of kissing her. I loved being in her strong arms.

She broke the kiss and looked down into my eyes. I smiled at her, a little hesitant, unsure what she would do.

"I love you so much, Little Fox," she said. "I wish I could give you everything you want."

I pulled her lips to mine for another kiss, one filled with love, and I let her feel my desire for her. She held me tightly, and I drew out the kiss until we were both breathless. When finally we parted, both panting a little, I whispered, "I can't imagine being happier, Lara." I caressed one of her arms. "I love when you hold me like this. We have two beautiful daughters and good friends who love us. Nothing else matters."

Lara caressed my face. "I have plans for your body tonight," she said.

"Good."

"But do you mind if I just hold you like this for a while?"

"I like when you hold me like this," I replied. "Is something wrong, Lara?"

"Everything is perfect," she said. "I just want to take my time tonight. It seems like everything is a rush lately."

She continued to caress my face, and I closed my eyes, enjoying her touch. She brushed my lips with her fingers, and I tried kissing them.

There were times I tried to treat her the way she treated me, but she was never able to enjoy it. She enjoyed when I pleasured her, but when she was feeling this tender, she always seemed to want me to accept the attention. It used to make me feel guilty, but I had learned to enjoy everything she did to me, and I had long stopped fighting her over it.

"So gentle for such a strong wolf," I whispered as she gently caressed my face again. In response she bent her neck and kissed my forehead. "I love how magnificent you are, Lara. I notice it in little ways, like tonight when you leapt over all of us." I sighed happily.

She continued to caress me, her fingers occasionally stealing to the buttons of my blouse, opening one button at a time. When she finally got to the last one, I opened my eyes and looked up at her.

"Lara," I said, "You may do anything you want to me. I will do anything you want. But I have one request."

"Oh?"

"I want to feel as much of your bare skin as you feel of mine."

She smiled. "That's all you want?"

"Oh no," I said. "I want a great deal. But that's my request." I looked at her shirt. "If I start undoing buttons, will you let me?"

She smiled and nodded.

I returned the smile then shifted my position and slowly began releasing her buttons. Her hand moved to my hip, and she let me undo all the buttons of her blouse, pulling it out of her jeans. The way I was draped across her, I couldn't pull the blouse off, but I could at least feel more of her skin, and that's what I wanted. She let me stroke the skin I had exposed, but then she shifted me until I was on my back again, her right arm supporting me, and her left moved up to stroke my side, inside the blouse.

It felt nice, and I closed my eyes.

She took her time; she definitely took her time. I was squirming long before she finished pulling my blouse off of me, releasing my bra at the same time. She slipped out of her own blouse. I opened my eyes, hooked a finger in the front of her bra, and said, "This too."

"All right," she said. "But then you close your eyes and keep them closed."

"Yes, Lara," I said, closing my eyes obediently.

She caressed my face and teased my breasts. She leaned over and kissed me deeply, her hand moving down to my jeans to unzip them and release the button, but then she was stroking my sides again.

We didn't talk, not with words beyond, "Oh," now and then.

Finally I didn't think I could take it anymore. I opened my eyes and reached for her, pulling her face so she was looking at me.

"Please take me, Lara, or let me please you."

She smiled. "I told you to close your eyes."

I closed them immediately.

"I need you very submissive tonight, Little Fox."

"Yes, Lara," I said. I lifted my chin, offering my throat if she wanted it. Rather than lowering her teeth, she caressed my neck with her fingers.

"You will keep your eyes closed until I give you permission to open," she ordered.

"Yes, Lara," I whispered.

She shifted position on the sofa, and I knew she was about to pick me up. I reached an arm for her neck, leaning into her, and then she stood, me still in her arms.

"My strong wolf," I whispered.

Her lips brushed mine, and then she carried me around the room, I thought to the bed. She set my on my feet and held me steady, then her hands slid down my sides, her thumbs sliding inside my jeans. I steadied myself with my hands on her shoulders then squirmed cooperatively as she stripped my jeans and undies down my legs.

"Step out of them," she said, helping me.

"Please, Lara," I said, "You too."

I heard rustling and a moment later, she stepped into me, wrapping her arms around me. We stood there for a moment, our bodies pressed together. I laid my head against her chest and breathed in deeply.

"Oh Lara," I said. "Tighter."

And she did, holding me as tightly as I liked. By now she knew exactly how firmly to hold me.

I could hear her heart beating in her chest.

"I love that sound," I told her.

She held me for a moment then began to relax her arms, and I knew she was going to pick me up again. One arm slid down my back to my legs, and I wrapped my arms around her neck, leaning into her arms. She scooped me from my feet then gently laid me into the bed.

Sometimes - most of the times, really - Lara is more forceful than this. Oh, she never forced me. I loved everything she did to me. But she was being especially gentle in spite of her dominance. That usually meant she was troubled.

When she climbed onto the bed, I said, "Lara?"

"Yes, Little Fox?"

"Are you all right?"

"Yes, honey. I'm fine."

"Please, may I look at you when you say that?"

"Oh, honey, I'm fine. You may look."

I opened my eyes. Lara was kneeling over me, her face not far from mine. I reached out and caressed her cheek.

"What's wrong?"

"Everything is fine, Michaela."

"Something is wrong. Why won't you tell me? If you don't tell me, you know I'm going to worry."

"Nothing is wrong." But she pulled me into her arms and held me tightly, and I knew she was lying.

"Tell me, Lara."

"Close your eyes," she ordered.

"Promise you'll tell me and I'll do whatever you say."

"Close your eyes," she said again.

I closed my eyes gently. "They're closed," I replied.

She leaned away from me and kissed me over each eye.

"What's your biggest fear?" she asked me.

"That you'll stop loving me."

She pulled me back into her arms, holding me tightly. "Oh honey, you know that's never going to happen."

"What is yours?" I asked quietly.

"That you'll stop needing me."

"Then I guess we both have silly fears," I said. "Shouldn't we be worried about the girls?"

"We both have our irrational fears," she replied. "The girls we can do something about. We can protect them. But I can't make you need me."

"And I can't make you continue to love me," I replied. "But you know I'm always going to need you. And more importantly, I am always going to want you."

"And I will always love you."

"Is this what was bothering you?"

"Yes."

I pushed away so I could look at her. Her brow was furrowed.

"Tonight, Lara," I said, "I need to feel your touch."

"Close your eyes, Little Fox," she said. Once I did, she took my hands and moved them so I was clutching the headboard. "Do not let go," she ordered.

"Did you want to tie them?" I asked.

"No, I want you to obey me."

"I won't let go," I said quietly.

And I didn't.

I stretched then listened before rolling over to Lara. "Why is our house full of people?" I asked her.

She grinned at me.

"They're down there hoping to tease me, aren't they?"

"I'm sure no one is here to tease you, Little Fox."

I rolled on top of her, surprised when she let me. I perched over her. "Are you in a hurry this morning?"

"You have classes to teach, and even I wouldn't let you teach class smelling of as much musk as you do this morning."

I grinned at her. "Then I guess we'll have to kill two birds with one stone. I'll be in the shower."

I rolled off of her, surprised that she let me, and slipped into the bathroom. I was barely stepping under the water when the door opened behind me. Lara followed me right into the shower and had me pressed against the back wall instantly. She kissed me deeply, water running over both of us. I fumbled for the soap while she was kissing me then began to lather her back.

She broke the kiss and took the soap from me.

"Lara, wait," I said. "If you're going to do to me what I hope you're going to do to me, then I should wash you first."

"Oh? What if I don't want to wait?"

"We both know I'm going to be worthless afterwards, and I really want to wash you."

She grinned and gave the soap back to me.

"You have two minutes, Michaela."

"That's hardly enough to wash such a fine body as yours, Alpha," I replied. But I knew she was serious, and I began washing her carefully but quickly. She stood upright and let me, and the shower was big enough I could work my way all around her body to wash her while she stood in one place.

I was very thorough, and I had her squirming before my two minutes were up.

But she must have been counting, because suddenly she turned to me, took the soap away, then lifted me in her arms. I wrapped my legs around her and held on tightly. Moments later, she turned so the water was running over my head, wetting my hair. I held on as she washed my hair for me, taking far longer with my hair than I had with her entire body. She washed her own hair as well, which took almost no time at all.

"Climb down," she ordered eventually, and I unwrapped myself. Lara washed me thoroughly, head to toe, leaving both of us soapy before she pressed me against the back wall of the shower again, sliding a leg between mine. I looked up into her eyes and smiled.

"Say my name," she said.

"Lara," I whispered. And she slid her leg into my crotch, pressing against me.

She took me, slowly at first, then quickly, firmly, but I knew she wouldn't let me come until I was screaming her name.

She didn't even need to order it. She knew what I needed, and I knew what she needed.

She supported me as the orgasm arrived, and my scream turned guttural. As the shocks ran through my body, I clung to her, then screamed her name once more before collapsing in her arms, panting badly.

She held me while I caught my breath.

"You know my body so well," I whispered.

She leaned away, propping me against the wall.

"Open your eyes, Michaela."

I opened, staring into her eyes.

"Today, with me, you are safe," she said. "And tomorrow and the next day, and every day forever and ever, I will love you and keep you as safe as I am able."

"Oh Lara," I said, wrapping my arms around her and hanging on tightly. She wrapped her arms around me as well. "I love you and I need you, now and forever. Never let me go."

"It might be hard for you to teach class if I don't let you go," she chuckled.

"Don't tease," I told her. "Hold me tighter."

I was feeling really good, but I knew she needed to hold me, and she did. We clung together, my heart still pounding.

"Can you feel my heart?" I asked.

"Yes."

"You make it do that," I told her.

She squeezed me once more then slowly relaxed. But I continued to clutch at her as she turned the water off. She sluiced the water from my skin then opened the shower door and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around me.

I let her treat me like a doll, both of us feeling a little needy. She dried us both, including a hair dryer and brush for my hair, then carried me into the bedroom and set me on the bed. She dressed herself quickly then picked out my clothes and dressed me, taking her time. I smiled and watched her dreamily.

I could have shaken off the languor, but I didn't want to, and she seemed happy to take care of me this morning.

"Are you really going to let me carry you?" she asked.

"I can walk if I have to," I replied.

She grinned and picked me up then carried me downstairs. The main floor of the house was full of wolves, and we both knew it, but I wasn't sure Lara realized just how many people were waiting for us.

She received applause as we appeared at the bottom of the stairs. I simply laid my head against her shoulder and sighed happily.

It had taken me a long time to realize how important all this was to her, and even longer to accept my role the way she most wanted it.

"You knew they were all here," Lara whispered, quietly enough only I would hear.

"Uh huh," I replied quietly. "You make me feel so good, Alpha," I said loudly enough for everyone to hear.

That earned me some chuckles.

"Alpha," Francesca said, "is she even going to be able to teach today?"

"She's resilient," Lara said. "She just needs a little food."

"I smell bacon," I said.

"Eric ate it all," Serena said.

"Nonsense," Francesca said. "Chloe and Catherine are cooking more." She pulled out a chair from the table. "Put her here, Lara."

Chloe Lassiter and Catherine Simpson were both seniors this year. They, along with Catherine's little sister, Monique, lived with Lara and me during the week but went home to their parents most weekends. Monique was a 14-year-old freshman this year but had been the first student in our enforcer program. I had fourteen kids in my science program, and there were five more, including Monique, in the enforcer program.

Lara crossed the room, the wolves parting for us, and lowered me into a chair, pushing it into the table before taking the seat next to me. I immediately clutched her arm and laid my head on her shoulder, sighing happily.

Lara chuckled.

I was hamming it up a little, but only a little. Lara did make me feel that good. But around me I could see smiles and relaxed postures.

When the alpha pair was doing well, the pack was doing well, after all. And Lara and I were doing very, very well.

So I milked the post-coitus languor, letting my students wait on me, letting my friends make little comments on the health of my sex life, letting my mate preen under the praise of her virility.

Chloe and Catherine poked their noses out a few minutes later carrying pancakes and bacon. They served Lara and me then let anyone else who wanted serve himself.

"Ms. Burns," Chloe asked me. "What is our first class today?"

"Chloe," Catherine. "She already held class."

"She did?" Chloe asked, wide eyed.

"Yes. She gave a lecture in sex education."

I actually blushed at that one while everyone else laughed, but as soon as the laughter ebbed, I said, "I hope you were all taking careful notes."

"It wasn't very edifying," Catherine complained. Then she changed her voice to sound like mine. "Lara. Lara. Lara. Lara!" She actually screamed the last word.

I roused myself. I thought there was actually an important point to make.

"Catherine," I said. I looked around. "All of you, actually. My wish for all of you is that your future mates make you as happy as Lara makes me. I am deeply proud of my relationship with Lara. We have our share of disagreements, but we're strong enough, and we trust each other enough to work through them. It takes trust to be honest with your mate." I turned to Lara, who was watching me. I put my hand on her cheek. "It takes trust to be willing to be vulnerable with your mate." I looked around again. "It wasn't easy for me to learn I could be vulnerable with Lara." I smiled at them. "It took even longer before I learned I could be vulnerable with all of you, too."

I captured a few eyes in mine.

"I love all of you," I said. I turned to Elisabeth. "Do you remember the first night I was here?"

"How could I forget?" she said, returning my smile.

"I was so scared."

"Why were you scared?" Chloe asked.

"Oh honey," I said, "that is a long story." I turned to Lara. "Do you think we should tell that at the bonfire next weekend?"

"Not if you intend to act it out," she replied. "And we would need to tell a version suitable for our youngest members." She turned to Serena. "I doubt you want Kaylee learning what a fox hunt is."

Serena's eyes grew wide. "No, I do not."

"Let's not focus on that right now," I said. I looked at Elisabeth. "Do you remember what you told me?"

She smiled. "You asked if I found you intimidating. I pointed out I could snap you like a twig."

"Do you remember what you said?"

"I said several things."

"You told me you liked me," I said, "but that I didn't belong here."

She lowered her eyes. "I'm sorry, Michaela, I was wrong."

"I agreed with you, Elisabeth," I said. I laid my head on Lara's shoulder again. "We were both wrong."

I could tell Lara was smiling broadly.

I lifted my head and looked around. "My relationship with Lara isn't the only unexpected relationship in the pack. Chloe, your mother is human. And I'm sure we've all seen June's boyfriend, Benny." I shrugged. "Friends come in all packages. So does love. When you find it, celebrate." I turned to Lara. "I intend to celebrate with you until my dying breath, my love."

She leaned forward and kissed me quickly.

"Class dismissed," I said quietly, stealing a piece of bacon from Lara's plate.

After dinner that night, we collected in the council chambers. Present were Lara, Elisabeth, Francesca, Serena, Karen, and me. We also had a conference call going with several of the council members. I was a little surprised to be getting this much attention. I hadn't thought the idea would require so much discussion.

"Everyone knows what this is about, but I want Michaela to present it again," Lara explained.

I wished I'd prepared better, and I would rather have had the council members in the room so I could judge their body language. I was forced to speak for the conference phone, which felt like I was yelling to the people physically present.

But I presented what I wanted to do. Then I explained the concerns that Lara and Serena had laid out.

Francesca came prepared. "There are currently a total of thirty-seven students who would be eligible," she said. "I am going to be blunt. Michaela, you have taught the elite of the pack. You have never met the average pack member."

"I don't think you want to put it that way, Francesca, but I understand your point. I agree that my usual way of dealing with an exceedingly unruly wolf is not appropriate for the children of our pack."

No one laughed at my joke.

"Let me ask this," I said. "How do people feel about expanding the summer program if we can do so without adding discipline problems?"

Over the phone, someone immediately asked, "What will it cost the pack?" It sounded like Violet.

"I'm sorry," I said, "I don't have those numbers yet. It would depend upon how many students we added and how many additional adults we needed to hire as chaperones. I do not know whether you would want to charge a fee. I would really like to find a way to offer opportunity to children who couldn't normally engage in some of these activities. I believe it would be good for the pack."

"May I suggest," said Lara, "that we decide what the best choice is without worrying about the financial aspect? Frankly, if it's good for the pack, I know we'll find some way to pay for it. And if it's not good for the pack, we aren't going to do it no matter how inexpensive it is."

"All right," said Violet, "as long as we don't ignore the cost. Michaela, what are you hoping to accomplish?"

"I feel like we have two packs," I said. "We have the pack that attends pack play nights, and we have the pack I never see. We give a great many opportunities to the students who attend Wolf Run High School. But I wonder if we are serving the rest of the pack equally as well. I realize my responsibility as a teacher at Wolf Run is to my students here. But I also have responsibilities as Alpha, and I am not sure I am fulfilling those as completely as I should be."

Everyone was silent for a long time.

"She has a valid point," said James Bent, one of the council members. "To some extent, she also has a conflict of interest between her two positions. Michaela, it has never been the position of the pack council that the pack leadership is responsible for the education of individual pack members."

"Then why do we have a school?"

"Originally, to educate the few children living at the compound, which as you know, represents only a fraction of the pack."

"It started with me teaching Elisabeth and Lara," said Francesca. "Then I added the children of a few enforcers. It grew from there." She paused and then she wouldn't look at me. "Michaela, you understand I am also the principal of Wolf Run?"

"Yes, Francesca," I said.

"I will support expanding your summer program only if you maintain the same standards as your all year program," she said. "That means students by invitation and after an extensive interview process."

I was confused. "Don't I already have all the students that belong in my regular program?"

"Probably not," she said. "But we would be interviewing for fitness in your summer program. One requirement would be willingness to accept a very tiny fox's dominance." She paused. "Every child at Wolf Run wants to learn. They love learning. The average wolf teenager couldn't care less about high school."

"But they would care about the things I am offering to teach."

"Michaela," Lara said, "Do you remember Rory's behavior the first time we went kayaking? Double his insolence towards you and then consider you are offering to have ten to fifteen students like that."

"Ten to fifteen out of the twenty I am suggesting we add?"

"Yes," Lara said. "Some of them would act up only if encouraged by the antics of others. And some of them don't act up themselves so much as encourage the others to do so. But yes, ten to fifteen big wolves that you can't effectively discipline yourself."

"And," said Serena quietly, "probably one or two who know what a fox hunt is."

That comment landed with a thud. No one said anything for a while as we all absorbed the implications.

Then I took a breath. "Are we agreed my idea has merit, but needs refinement?"

"I would volunteer to help chaperone for two one-week periods this summer," said James Bent over the phone.

His offer surprised me. "Really?"

"Yes," he said. "Will there be kayaking?"

"Yes," I said. "Definitely."

"Hang on," he said. We all waited a moment. Then he spoke again. "My mate has asked if I would like her to also help chaperone and is offering to be there the entire summer. Hanna is not a dominant wolf, however."

I looked to Lara. I had met Hanna a few times, but had never talked to her. Lara nodded, and I said, "I'd love her help, James."

"Alpha Lara," James said, "I applaud your mate's goals. I would suggest we expand her summer program by ten students. And I would point out my sister is looking for a job."

"What happened to that coaching position?" Lara asked.

"Budget cuts," James replied.

"She's a coach?" I asked.

"Girls' high school basketball," James explained. "It was only part time. She lives with Hanna and me."

I turned to look at Lara. I didn't know James' sister.

"Carrie is solid and reliable," Lara said. "Other than Violet's concerns about the costs, which we'll come back to, our only other concerns are related to discipline."

"I would like to see the students in action," I said. "What if we hosted a few weekends in Bayfield in May? We can invite interested students and at least one parent, maybe five or six at a time. I can hold an introductory class in two or three of the activities."

"Your prospective interns couldn't come," Serena said. "They would be getting ready for the end of their college terms."

"My current students could help," I said. "What if the summer program requires recommendations from a student committee? Angel and Scarlett have helped interview in the past. This wouldn't be any different."

"We will also have a pack play night late in May and invite any students we are still considering," said Lara, "but not make final offers until we see how they behave in a larger group."

"All this sounds like a plan," I said after a few people nodded. "Is it time to discuss Violet's question?"

"Lara was right," Violet said. "If this is good for the pack, we'll find a way to pay for it. But I would like to know what we're agreeing to."

"Do we want to charge a fee?" I asked.

Francesca looked very uncomfortable.

"I do not want us to charge a fee," Violet said, and Francesca's expression smoothed. "I do not want Francesca burdened with issues of money. I want her teaching students. That goes for you as well, Michaela. If we charge a fee for this, then we are always going to ask, 'Do we charge a fee for this activity?' So no. We will fund this in other ways."

"The biggest costs will be Carrie's salary, food, and equipment rental," Lara said.

"We should build a few more shelters," I said. Four years ago, Lara had surprised me by purchasing a significant amount of land near Bayfield, gifting the land to the pack. We now had a lodge on pack land as well as a few small shelters my students used when we went to Bayfield for classes. The shelters were simple to build. "But we need them anyway." I turned to Serena. "Could my security detail help build them, if there aren't any other distractions?"

She looked at Elisabeth. Elisabeth answered for her. "You, Eric, Rory and me."

Serena nodded to Elisabeth and then turned to me. "Yes, if it's just the five of us."

"I'll be there, too," said Lara. "With Nora and the pups."

"So we'll have Emanuel and Karen as well," Elisabeth said.

"Michaela," said Violet, "I would like estimated costs by the end of next week. I expect your estimates to be reasonably accurate and complete."

"I don't know what Carrie will cost," I said. "James, does she understand this is only a summer position?"

"I'll talk to her about it," he replied. "May I invite her to pack play night next weekend?"

"Yes," said Lara. "And I hope you and Hanna will be there."

"We will," he said.

"So we're doing this?" I asked.

"Tentative approval," Lara said.

I smiled. "Thank you."

"I hope you know what you're getting yourself into, Little Fox," she said.

 **Business As Usual**

Michele Lassiter actually drove out to the compound Friday evening. I offered to come to her; it was silly for her to have to drive to the compound, but she said, "Chloe will take my car, and you can drop me off at home afterwards."

She arrived at six. I'd had a short run with my security detail and the pups but was dressed in a business suit and waiting for her when she arrived. Security for me was Serena, Eric, Angel, and a new enforcer, Portia, one of Karen's friends. She'd been with us for a year now. She was quiet and very competent.

Serena was nearly a constant presence for me. I still thought it was ridiculous to require her to watch over me when I was at home or school, but I appreciated her watchful gaze whenever I left the compound. I rarely was allowed away from the compound with less than four enforcers, but I had gotten used to it, more or less.

Portia had come to us late last winter. Karen had facilitated the meeting, and Elisabeth had done a background check on her before allowing Portia into our territory. I presumed that check included a call to Lima Consulting, but I hadn't asked. I hadn't been in attendance at the initial meetings, but when I heard we were considering a new enforcer, I had insisted on meeting her. We met at the council chambers, and I arrived with a full security detachment. Elisabeth and Portia were already waiting. They both stood up when I entered. Elisabeth introduced us, and we shook hands before sitting down.

"You may go first," I told her with a smile that didn't reach my eyes.

"You're the fox I've heard so much about," she said. I inclined my head.

"What have you heard?"

"I heard about Chicago."

"What did you hear?"

"I heard you singlehandedly humiliated Avery Grant."

"Is that what you heard, or did you hear details that you translate into that statement?"

"I've heard details," she replied. "I do not know if they are accurate."

"Where did you hear these details?"

"From a former Chicago enforcer named Keith Henry. He is now an enforcer in Atlanta, and I did a job there."

"Will you tell me what you were doing in Atlanta?"

"No, ma'am, I am sorry, but I will not. Please do not ask."

"If you were to become an enforcer with this pack, would your answer change?"

"No, ma'am," she replied. "Is that a problem?"

"If you will be on my security team or that of my wife or my children, then I want to know what kind of person you are. You will find a way to show me." I turned to Elisabeth. "I'm sorry. You know I trust you."

"I'm glad you're here, Alpha," she said. "Do not apologize."

I nodded and turned back to Portia. "I will respect the privacy of your prior clients, although natural curiosity won't necessarily stop me from asking questions. I will never order answers unless they directly affect pack security."

"What does that mean?"

"If we are ever dealing with someone you once worked with, I expect your loyalty to be to this pack."

"Yes, ma'am," she said. "It would be."

"All right. You were asking about Chicago."

"As I heard it, Avery Grant challenged you. Your alpha tried to deny the challenge, as your status was omega at the time, but you accepted the challenge anyway."

"That is accurate," I replied.

"I understand you shift very rapidly."

I didn't like having my skills so well advertised, but I had used my ability to shift in front of a large number of unfriendly enforcers, so I had to expect some of them to talk about me.

"Yes," I said. "You could say that."

"I don't have details of the fight. I had cause to meet Avery Grant. He was a very large wolf. Would you explain how you beat him?"

We wouldn't have gotten this far if Elisabeth didn't have a certain amount of trust. On the other hand, Elisabeth, Lara and Serena had been very clear my security detail would be extensive during this interview. I considered her.

"You don't have to explain, Alpha," she said when I was slow to answer. "I understand your reticence."

I didn't want to show her my weapons so instead I asked, "Who has a knife for me?" I was rather surprised when Elisabeth reached down to her leg and pulled out a silvered knife. She handed it to me carefully.

Portia looked at the knife in my hand. "That is sized for you, not her."

"Yes," I said. "And I am very good at catching them. That day, there were a great many wolves providing knives for me to use. Are you able to use your imagination to fill in the details, Portia?"

"Was it a fair fight?"

"The only help I received was in the form of knives throw into the fight for me. No one else touched him. You have to decide for yourself if that made it a fair fight or not. When it comes to a wolf who wants me dead, I don't worry about fair. I worry about killing him by any means necessary."

She nodded once. "There are more rumors about you."

"I'm sure there are."

"It is said Avery Grant was not the first wolf you have killed."

"He was not."

"Nor was he the last."

"No, he was not."

"Were you in fur or skin when you killed these other wolves."

"I've done both," I said, "but I was primarily on two feet for the most recent five."

"Five." She said it like she didn't believe it.

"Three challenged me, one attacked me with no warning, and one I challenged."

She paused, studying me. "Why do you need any security detail at all?"

"Deterrence," Elisabeth answered. "And she's not invincible."

"If I am assigned to your security, will you take orders from me?"

I paused. Portia had been leaning forward, but as soon as I didn't immediately answer, "Yes", she leaned back.

"It's complicated," Elisabeth said. "There is no way she would take orders to abandon her children. If her children are threatened, the only order she'll accept is, 'Guard the pups'. Every enforcer in the pack knows that."

"All right," Portia says.

"You should assume I would do what I felt is best for the pack," I said. "I wouldn't leave members of my security detail to die. We go in as a group and we leave as a group. You would need to learn my style, and you should assume I would be fighting with you, not cowering behind you. Would you expect a different answer from my wife?"

"No," she said. She paused. "No. I see your size and I feel like I am dealing with a willful teenager or a fragile human. You will take some getting used to."

"You should expect me to act like an alpha of the pack," I said. "With a fox twist."

She leaned forward again and nodded. She turned to Elisabeth. "Can she handle herself?"

"She is fragile. But yes, she is exceedingly competent."

"I want the job," she said bluntly. She turned back to me. "What do you want to know?"

We talked for two hours. I spent the entire time trying to decide if she was lying to me. I was far less worried about the answers themselves than the truth of the answers. In the end, she did a very good job dodging questions about her prior clients, but not once did I feel she lied to me. If she didn't want to answer a question, she was direct about it. I decided it was time to wrap up.

"Has my questioning changed your mind?"

"No, Alpha."

"All right. There's something I haven't asked. Why do you want to join our pack?"

That was when she smiled. It was the first smile she'd shown me. "I am ready to settle down," she said. "I am tired of forming attachments only to leave a few weeks later."

"So that is your reason to leave your current employment and join a pack. Why this pack?"

"There are a few packs I would consider," she said. "Boulder is my second choice."

"Is that because Boulder's current head enforcer is female?"

"Indirectly," she said. "The head enforcer being female is an indicator of the pack's attitude towards women."

"All right. Is there more?"

"I came here first primarily because of the pack's reputation and conversations with Karen. If you turn me down, I will approach Boulder. If they turn me down, I don't have a third choice."

"I have one more question. What are your political aspirations?"

Elisabeth began to growl. "Michaela-"

"I want to know," I said. "Silence that growl." I looked directly into her eyes until she lowered her gaze and grew silent.

"My apologies, Alpha."

Portia looked back and forth between us. "Chain of command is confused?"

"I am stepping on Elizabeth's toes even being here," I said. "Both she and my wife periodically have to remind me to stop questioning Elisabeth's competence. She is exceedingly competent, but I am Fox and am still not fully accustomed to depending on others." I looked at Elisabeth gently. "I am sorry, Sister. You know I can't help it."

"I told you I am happy you are here, Michaela," she said. She lifted her eyes. "Portia, please answer the alpha's question."

"I have no political aspirations," she said. "I will defend my position in the pack. I will take orders from the alphas, the head enforcer, or the leader of any team I am assigned. I am qualified to lead teams, but would expect to be a member of the pack for some time before that would happen. I have no desire for any more lofty positions than that."

She turned to Elisabeth. "I'll take the crappy assignments. I don't mind night duty, and if you told me that was what I would have for the next ten years, I would still want to join this pack. I do not change diapers, and if I am assigned to willful teenagers, they will find me to be exceedingly dominant." She gestured to me with her nose. "I do not know what to do if given conflicting orders by the alpha and the head enforcer."

"The chain of command for security issues is Lara, Elisabeth, the heads of the various security details, and then me," I said. "However, if you are ever in a position to protect me or protect my children, you damned well better make sure my children are protected. Do you have a problem with that, Elisabeth?"

"No, Alpha," she said. "I do not."

"Portia, do you have any further questions for me?"

"No, Alpha. Thank you for your time."

I stood up. "Elisabeth, I will accept your judgment on this issue. Thank you for indulging me."

"Thank you, Alpha," she said.

I was barely out of the building before my phone rang. "What is your real opinion?"

"I think she would be a good fit, but I don't want you to make this decision based on my conversation with her."

"I'm not," Elisabeth replied. "But if you have misgivings, I want to hear them."

"Caution, but probably no more than you have," I said.

"She has impeccable references," Elisabeth said.

And so, Elisabeth asked Lara to invite Portia into the pack and assigned her to my team. So far, she had worked out well.

We climbed into the SUV. Eric took the driver's seat with Michele riding shotgun. Portia had the back seat. I sat between Angel and Serena and felt like I always did when sitting between two wolves: like a small child. Angel wasn't quite as large as Lara and Elisabeth, but she was actually slightly taller than Lara, and she was spending a lot of time in the gym. She had become an impressive wolf.

"How is school?" I asked.

"Good," she replied. "I'm anxious to be done."

"One more year."

"Half year," she replied. "I have one more required class next fall." She paused. "I haven't told Scarlett yet."

"Will you accept some advice?"

"I'll listen to it," she said with a grin.

"Your relationship with Scarlett is more important than graduating early. She may not want to attend the last half of senior year alone."

"I already told Elisabeth I'd be available early."

"And if necessary, I will un-tell her, Angel."

"You're meddling, Michaela," Serena said from the other side.

"Yes," I said. "I am. Tell me, Serena. Am I wrong? Do you and your mate each present each other with fait accompli, or do you talk about it first?"

She sighed. "Angel, she's giving you good advice."

"It's not like Scarlett and I have classes together," Angel said. "We did freshman year, but not after that."

"Still," I said, "this is a life choice, and she is your mate."

"We're not married-"

"Do you consider her your mate?"

"Well, yes," Angel said.

"Does she consider you her mate?"

"Yes."

"Then she is your mate."

"I'll talk to her," Angel said. "But I feel like I'm going through the motions with college. My real education is here now."

"Angel, if I had my way, you would go get that business degree," I told her. "Both Lara and Elisabeth have them. You need to look at the long picture."

She paused before answering. "I'll think about that when the pack can afford it. Right now, the pack needs me." She paused. "In fact, you and I can attend together." She turned to face me, raising an eyebrow. "I do remember you once stating you wanted a college degree. What's going on with that? I'm not sure you're in a position to lecture me, Alpha."

I stared at her, and I was the first one to lower my gaze. "I wasn't trying to lecture, Angel. I just want what is best for you."

She put an arm around me and hugged me quickly. "I know. And you're right. I should talk to Scarlett. But I consider us as having a deal about business school. We go together or I don't go at all."

"Angel-"

"No. I don't want to go alone. Scarlett needs a fifth year to finish her architecture degree, but if I am going to pursue an MBA, I want someone to go with me."

I sighed. "Serena, would you be upset if I said I wanted to go to college?"

"Of course not, Alpha."

I caught both of them smiling, and when I looked in the rearview mirror, I saw Eric was smiling as well.

"Why is everyone smiling?"

"Why haven't you already been going?" Serena asked. "Answer honestly."

"I've had a lot to do with my job," I said.

"And?"

"You already know the answer, Serena."

"Tell me anyway."

"I didn't want to add to your work load."

"You know, there are online programs," Serena said.

"When I go, I want the entire experience," I said.

"So you're going to live in a dorm?" Angel asked.

I laughed. "Okay maybe not the entire, entire experience. I'll talk to Lara about it. Did you need to be there, Serena?"

"No."

"It won't be full time," I said. "You're awfully quiet up there, Michele."

"If you need tutoring, let me know," she said, turning around and offering a grin. "Honestly, I think college would be good for you."

"It would fix the holes in my education?" I asked.

"No. It would fix the holes in your confidence."

"I think it's time you tell me what you need me to do tonight. Lara told me I should be charming, pick up the check, and back you up."

Michele smiled again. "This meal is relationship building. That's all. Lara invited them before that other issue came up. They aren't expecting to talk business. They just want an expensive meal out on Lara's money. You're there so they don't feel slighted, but we're also trying to get them used to dealing with me instead of running to Lara with everything."

"So let you handle everything. If I don't understand what is going on, do I shut up, or should I ask?"

"Ask. Be involved. Try not to undermine me, however."

"If I have a problem, I'll play with my hair. I'll establish an apparent habit when we first meet so it seems natural if I do it later."

"All right," Michele agreed.

Dinner was at one of the steak houses owned by a pack member. Between all the various pack members, businesses in the food industry were popular. Until they sold it, Elisabeth and Lara had owned a line of grocery stores. There were still three small neighborhood grocers, four catering services, and seven restaurants owned and operated by various pack members, including a new bakery that was just getting off the ground. I was a minority investor in that business.

For my own money, I had long accepted Lara's offer of a very generous budget to cover my costs as the alpha's mate, but I had turned down her offer of a personal budget as well. With my duties as alpha's mate covered, and living in Lara's house, my personal expenses were almost nothing, and even on my teacher's salary, I was saving money every month. So with Lara's and Elisabeth's help, I had begun investing in pack businesses, and I was even on the board of directors of two small startups.

Neither Lara nor I had a financial interest in tonight's restaurant, The Back Burner. I thought it was an unfortunate name for a restaurant, but it was a good place for business meetings. Rather than one large dining room, there were several modest rooms as well as a few fairly private alcoves. We pulled up to the front of the restaurant, and Serena said, "Portia and Angel, check the arrangements." The two climbed from the car, and then Eric drove us to the parking lot beside the building. Michele and I talked quietly while we waited.

Several minutes later, Portia rapped her knuckles on Serena's door. Serena opened the window, and Portia reported, "It looks clear. We have a back room. We're early. The restaurant is otherwise pretty full. We'll encounter fewer people if we arrive through the back."

"Unless it's a problem," I said, "I would prefer to use the front door."

"Portia?" Serena asked.

She shrugged. "No objections."

"I have some," Angel said. "I recognized the wolves at one of the tables. I do not want to take the fox past that table."

"Portia?" Serena asked.

"There were two tables with wolves in the main dining room," she said. "I didn't see anything wrong with them."

"Serena," Angel said. "I'm serious. I do not want them even seeing the fox is here tonight."

"Take her seriously," I said just loudly enough for Serena to hear me, "and find out what's going on later."

"No," she replied. "I will find out what is going on right now." She turned back to Angel. "There is more I need to know, isn't there?"

"Nothing specific. I told Elisabeth about it. I had two of them in one of my classes last year, and they asked more questions than I cared for."

"What kind of questions?"

Her eyes flashed to me for a moment. "May I tell you privately, Serena? I reported everything to Elisabeth. Should I have told you, too?"

"Only if Elisabeth told you to," she said. "Can we get Michaela inside without being seen?"

"Through the back. We went in the front and out the back."

"Angel," I said, "did the wolves in question threaten me?"

"Michaela," she whined.

"Answer me, Angel."

"Elisabeth told me not to tell you or Lara. Please don't put me in the middle, Michaela."

"Serena, your call. I will be talking to my sister-in-law."

"For that conversation, Alpha," Serena said, "she is your head enforcer, and security is her responsibility, not yours."

"If there are wolves in this pack who want a fox hunt, I will damned will give them a hunt they'll never forget!"

"Michaela," said Angel, "it wasn't that. Okay? It wasn't that. They're just really big assholes, okay?"

"We'll go through the back," Serena said. "Angel to lead. Michaela, you will stick to my side. Do I make myself clear?"

I sighed. "Yes, Serena."

"Michele," Serena said, "I want it to look like we're guarding you. Angel and Eric, you stay between Michaela and anyone who might recognize her. No one will see her behind you. Portia, take up the rear."

The enforcers all climbed out of the car, and then Eric made a point of helping Michele from the vehicle, holding her arm the same way Serena often held mine. I was the last one out, and I couldn't see a thing past all the wolves, and even Michele was bigger than I was. We made our way to the building and stepped inside, pausing to let our eyes adjust for a moment. Angel led the way, and I arrived at our assigned room without ever seeing any other wolves. Michele took a seat, gesturing me to a place on her left. Serena left Eric, Angel and Portia to guard the entrance to our little room while taking a place behind my chair.

I glanced over at Angel, and I could tell she was upset. I gestured to Serena, who bent down over my shoulder.

"Would it violate security to send Angel to talk to me for a brief moment?"

"Are you going to grill her?"

"I'm going to give her a hug and thank her for watching out for me."

Serena glanced over towards the entrance. "She's being emotional."

"She's upset. She's afraid I'll make her tell me what they said. I already have a good idea. I'm going to drop it. She was my student and my friend long before she became an enforcer. She'll get better. Serena, I really like having her on my security detail."

"I'll take her place for a minute," she said.

Serena stepped away and moved to stand behind Angel, whispering in her ear. I did the best I could to ignore the conversation, but I couldn't help it. She simply told Angel, "The alpha wants to see you. You aren't in trouble."

Angel nodded once and backed into the room, waiting there until Serena took her place. Then she stepped around to me. I stood up before she got there and held my arms open, asking for a hug.

"I'm on duty," she said, stopping two steps away."

"Get over here, Angel," I told her.

She took the two steps, and I wrapped her in a hug. She crouched down for me before returning the hug, and I could speak directly in her ear.

"I love you, Angel," I said. "Thank you for watching out for me."

"You're not going to make me tell?"

"No, honey."

We squeezed each other for another minute, one of us being far more gentle than the other was, and then we released each other. I caressed her cheek briefly and told her she was back on duty. She returned to Serena, and the two exchanged places again.

After that, Angel looked confident and professional. Serena returned to her post behind me and whispered, "Better. Thank you, Alpha."

I reached behind me and clasped her hand for a moment.

A minute later, our waitress appeared, a mid-twenties wolf named Paige. Serena interrupted her, and I heard her tell Paige that she was to answer no questions about who was in this room. We wouldn't be using this restaurant if the staff was indiscrete, and the woman nodded understanding before turning to Michele and me.

"Will there be more coming?" she asked.

"We're expecting two more," Michele said. She turned to me. "Did you wish to select a wine?"

"I will only have a splash or two," I said. I looked up at Paige. "I mean that, by the way. Do you understand?"

She nodded.

"What non-alcoholic drinks are available?"

"A variety of soft drinks, iced tea, lemonade, coffee, hot tea-"

"Hot tea," I said, "A pot, if that is possible."

"Yes, Alpha," she said.

Michele ordered a starter bottle of wine and a second bottle with dinner. "And water," she added.

Paige disappeared, and before she could return with my tea, Eric said over his shoulder, "They're here, but it looks like there are four of them."

Serena moved away from me and looked past Eric. "Let them through," she said. "Portia, I need you inside with me." Then she turned to me. She spoke quietly, but I heard every word. "I need you to remain hidden from the next room."

I nodded. I thought everyone was being paranoid, but I was long used to it.

A moment later, the enforcers parted, Portia stepping backwards and taking a place in the corner. Michele and I stood up, and four large wolves stepped between Angel and Eric.

Michele shook hands with two of the men; it was clear she knew them, and then she introduced me to Frank Harvey and Devon Anderson. Frank looked to be about fifty and very hale. Devon was a few years younger and built like a cement block. But when I shook hands with them, they both offered a polite grip.

"This is Kurt Andreen," Frank said, gesturing to another wolf. He looked a little out of place in an ill-fitting, cheap suit, and when we shook hands, his grip was weak. That didn't say anything except he was being careful not to squish my hand.

"And this is my son, Zachary," Frank said.

"Please call me Zach," the man said. He was dressed better than Mr. Andreen, and his grip was firmer than I prefer, but I decided it wasn't intentional. "Who are all of these?" He gestured to my security detail.

"Dinner with the alpha is never just with the alpha," I said. "They're here to make sure no one disturbs us."

"It's like meeting a mob boss!" Zach said. His father winced. "They're your muscle."

"More like meeting the president, Zachary," Frank explained. "I do not believe you should compare our pack to organized crime."

I smiled to let them know there was no offense taken. "To be honest, I've had that thought myself a few times in the past. I once asked Lara who she thought would play my part as the moll in the movie adaptation." I played with my hair a little.

Frank returned my smile.

"We weren't expecting four of you," Michele said. "We'll need to ask for a couple more chairs." The table was big enough for six, but it was going to be cozy.

Michele and Frank made small talk until the waitress returned with my pot of tea and a basket of bread.

"Oh," she said. "Do we need more places?"

"Two more," Michele said.

Paige was quite efficient, and it was only a few moments before the six of us were seated. I had Zach to my left. Michele had Kurt to her right. Frank and Devon were across the table from us.

Paige poured my tea. Michele explained about the wine but suggested we may need additional bottles, and Paige asked for drink orders.

"I'll have, um," said Zach. "Um. A martini. Shaken, not stirred."

Frank didn't quite groan, but I wondered if it was a close call. I wondered if Zach had the vaguest idea what a martini was. Well, he wasn't my responsibility to babysit.

"Gin or vodka?" Paige asked.

"Um," said Zach.

"Ron Berg told me the vodka martinis here are very good," I said, "but I'm sure the gin martinis are equally good."

"What she said," Zach answered. "A vodka martini. Shaken, not stirred."

"Very good," said Paige. She even kept a straight face. "Did you wish to call the brand?"

Zach looked like a deer in the headlights.

"Perhaps you would like Grey Goose vodka," I suggested quietly.

"Is that good?" he asked me.

"Yes," I said. "Just as importantly, it's not from Russia."

He frowned. "I thought all the best vodka was from Russia."

"That is what the Russians would like you to believe, but neither Lara nor I purchase any products made in Russia, and Grey Goose is as good as any vodka you might find."

"All right," he said. "Grey Goose, please." I thought it was a close call, but he didn't ask for it to be shaken a third time.

Frank and Michele discussed wine for a moment, and Frank declared he would enjoy the wine Michele had ordered. Devon asked for wine as well, and then Kurt looked uncomfortable. Finally he turned to Frank, who told him to get what he wanted. He offered a relieved look and asked the waitress to bring a beer. "Whatever is on tap is fine," he said.

"Sir," she said, "we have twenty-one varieties on tap. We have a list." She leaned forward, collecting the wine list from the center of the table, and opened it before handing it to Kurt. Kurt looked at the list, chagrined.

"Doesn't Elisabeth usually get the Sam Adams?" I asked Michele.

"Yes, I think so," said Michele. "Rory likes Guinness, but it's an acquired taste. Daniel keeps Sam Adams at home." She turned to Kurt. "Daniel is my husband."

"I just want a beer," Kurt said.

"Perhaps the Sam Adams Boston Lager," Michele said.

"I can bring a sample," the waitress offered.

"No, a regular glass will be fine," he said. "A big glass."

"Yes, sir," Paige replied. "I'll bring a second basket of bread, and your wine will be along in a moment. I'll tell you about our specials when I get back with your drinks."

Frank looked embarrassed. I didn't think he should, although I was curious why he had brought Kurt and Zach. This wasn't a pretentious restaurant, but they were acting like they never went anywhere fancier than McDonald's.

"Well," said Michele. "Thank you all for coming tonight."

"I should have warned you we were coming as four," Frank said. "It was a last minute decision. We decided some of the younger drivers should have some representation in these talks. Kurt and Zachary are here to learn and keep their mouths closed."

"Quite all right," Michele said. "We're happy to have them." She looked at Kurt. "You and Zach are drivers?"

"Yes," said Kurt. "I drive long haul, Madison, Minneapolis, then all the way to Tacoma, sometimes with stops in North Dakota and Montana. I return through Portland, Denver, and Des Moines."

"I do local deliveries," Zach said, tearing off a piece of bread. But I noticed his napkin was in his lap and he didn't stuff the bread into his mouth while any of us were looking at him.

"My son is young," Frank said, "but he's a good driver."

"I like driving," Zach said. "I can listen to my music, and unless I'm really late, the people are usually nice to me when I make a delivery."

"You know," I said, "those sound like excellent reasons to like your job, Zach. Do you drive a big truck?"

"I'm licensed," he said, "and sometimes I have to do an interstate trip, but in town we use smaller trucks."

"You know," I said, "I've never thought about this, but do we need, well, permission to drive outside Wisconsin?"

"Some professions have special dispensation by agreement of all the alphas," Michele explained. "Over the road truck drivers and airline pilots, for instance."

"And military personnel," Frank said. "I was special forces in my younger years. That's how Devon and I met."

"Frank was my sergeant," Devon explained.

That was when Paige returned. She set out a second basket of bread, Kurt's beer, and Zach's martini. Zach eyed it dubiously. Then an older gentleman appeared carrying a bottle of wine. Paige pointed to me, and the sommelier stepped around the table to me.

"Michele," I said quietly.

"Ask Frank," she said even more quietly.

"Frank," I said immediately, "would you care to do the honors with the wine?"

"Of course," he said. So the sommelier made the circuit of the room. We all watched as he made a show of opening the wine. Frank sampled it and declared it excellent, and then the sommelier crossed the room to me again and began filling my glass.

"Two splashes," I said. "And don't refill it later unless I ask."

He nodded and filled my glass more than I wanted. Well, I didn't have to drink it all, but I hated wasting it. He filled Michele's, then Frank's and Devon's before setting the wine bottle on the table before departing.

Paige told us the specials, and I found myself with something I rarely experienced: the need to order my own dinner. But I'd been to dinner with Michele before. "I am having the lamb but I'll trade you some for some of whatever you order," she offered.

"Fish?"

"Perfect."

I stressed with Paige that I wasn't a wolf, and she smiled.

"I understand, Alpha. A human portion?"

"Yes, perfect."

She finished taking orders. Zach still hadn't touched his martini. Paige was about to leave when he spoke up. "There's no ice in my drink."

I put my hand on his arm, stealing his attention, and Michele waved Paige out the door.

"Frank," I said, "Have you ever thought about how they make a martini?"

"You know, I can't say I have."

"Does anyone mind if I act the science teacher for a minute?"

"Of course not," Frank replied immediately. "This should be fascinating."

"Well, a martini is actually quite simple in most ways. It is almost pure vodka, or if you prefer, gin. You start by preparing the glass. I am not a martini drinker, so for me this is a science experiment. But it seems like the preparation of the glass is the biggest difference in how martinis are made. You want to start with a cool glass. The times I have watched, the bartender pours a small amount of Vermouth into the glass, swirls it around, and then dumps it out."

"What?" Zach said.

"Yep. I guess you just want a light coating of Vermouth on the glass. I'm not sure why, and I'm sure there are other ways to make one. Then the bartender prepares the shaker. It's a metal container. He fills it with ice, and then he adds the vodka. He puts the lid on top and then shakes it."

I turned to Zach. "There's ice in your martini, but it's so small, you can't see it. But by shaking the vodka in the ice that way, it gets really, really cold very quickly, almost too cold to hold the shaker any longer. The ice breaks a little bit, leaving tiny shards of ice in the vodka, and of course, some of it melts, watering the vodka every so slightly. Then it is poured through a strainer into your glass, and they add a garnish." I pointed to Zach's drink. "In this case, he used a twist, which is a bit of lemon peel. You could have asked for olives or onions instead. If you go somewhere else, they might not have a twist at all, but you would get one or two olives."

"So there's ice."

"Touch the glass," I said. "It is probably quite cool. When it arrived, it would have been at least as cold as Kurt's beer, and probably colder."

Zach picked up his glass and declared it quite cold.

"You want to hold it by the stem to avoid warming it with your hand, I believe," I said. "And you should understand that's four ounces of high quality vodka. That one drink is as much alcohol as four beers. I hope you aren't driving tonight."

Zach took a sip. It was clear he wasn't impressed and wished he had ordered beer, but he didn't say anything.

"What I find interesting is how quickly the vodka chills," I added. "It has to do with the surface area of the ice and how quickly you move the vodka over the ice. It's a lot like having a high wind chill index in the winter. And as I understand it, a common mistake is to over-shake the drink, which waters down the vodka if too much ice melts or breaks into pieces small enough to slip through the strainer. But part of the art is to let some of the ice break up into tiny shards. Or so I understand, anyway."

I shrugged. "There are others who demand their martinis stirred, which doesn't chill them as much, but they don't want the vodka to get watered down. I couldn't tell you which is better. It's probably a matter of taste." I picked up my tea. "As you can guess, it's a science experiment to me."

"So that's pure vodka?" Devon asked.

"Nearly," I said. "A hint of Vermouth. There might be enough for a wolf nose to detect it, but I don't think I could. And, as I said, a little water. But yes, almost entirely pure vodka."

"It sounds like a complicated way to get drunk really fast," Devon observed.

"I believe that's the entire point," I said with a smile. "But I'm sure chilling the vodka like that is important to the enjoyment."

Zach took another sip of his martini and set it aside, looking unhappy. I decided to let it go for now, but if Paige asked for a second round, I was going to ask Zach if he wanted a beer.

Michele took the conversation back from me. I listened politely and played with my hair for a moment or two, just establishing my willingness to play with it.

Michele kept the conversation light. Paige returned, bringing more bread and checking on our drinks.

Zach eyed his martini then, surprisingly, finished it in one gulp.

"Zach," I said quietly, "would you rather have a beer?"

He turned to face me, hesitation on his face.

"You should drink what you want," I said. "I'm just having tea."

"Did I really just drink four beers?"

"About, yes."

"I never drink more than that," he said. "Tea?"

"Coffee, water, maybe a coke?"

He looked at the waitress. "Can I have a Coke?"

"Of course, sir," she said to him. Kurt asked for another beer, and otherwise we were good.

Our food arrived. I took as much of my fish as I was going to want and transferred the rest to my bread plate. Michele tried to give me an entire lamb chop, but I asked for just a little. The sommelier appeared with the dinner wine. I hadn't even touched the wine from earlier, and I waved him away entirely this time.

Then we were left in peace to enjoy our meal. We ate quietly for a minute or two before Michele nudged me and picked up her glass.

I nodded, waited just a moment, then lifted mine. "Would anyone mind if I made a small toast?"

"Of course we wouldn't mind," Frank said, lifting his own glass.

"To a good meal shared with new friends," I said.

After that, I played my part, engaging everyone in careful conversation. Frank actually surprised me. I expected him to want to dominate the conversation, but he was gracious and helped me draw out both his son and Kurt.

During a lull, Zach leaned over to me. "What's her name?" He gestured towards Eric and Angel.

"That's Angel," I said. "She was the maid of honor at my wedding with Lara."

"Could you, um. Introduce me?"

"She's on duty, Zach," I said. "And she's in a committed relationship."

"Oh." He paused. "Is it serious?"

"Yes."

"Oh. Um. Maybe you could introduce me anyway."

"Not while she's on duty," I said. "She's a new enforcer, and she would get in trouble if she let you distract her."

"When does she get off duty?"

"Not until I am home for the night, and I don't know the enforcer's duty roster after that. I'm sorry. She might have overnight duty."

"Maybe you could give me her number."

Well, he was persistent, and I was beginning to regret bailing him out of his social difficulties earlier.

"Zach," I said gently, "she has a mate, and she is fiercely loyal. How was your steak?"

"It was good," he said.

After that, he didn't take his eyes off Angel.

Michele and Frank didn't talk business until after dinner. Paige cleared our things, and we placed orders for after dinner drinks. I decided to splurge. "Paige, I would like a Bailey's over ice."

Zach immediately wanted to know what that was. "You can smell mine when it comes, if you like. If you like how it smells, you'll probably like it."

Frank ordered port, and Zach wanted to know what that was.

"It's a dessert wine," I replied. "I personally don't care for it, but some people like it."

We ordered our drinks, and Michele turned the conversation to business. I listened intently, but she had everything well in hand. Twice she asked me, "What do you think, Alpha?"

Both times I just said, "You have our complete confidence, Michele."

Zach wandered away, and I saw him trying to chat up Angel. I sighed and edged away until I was practically touching Serena.

"It's fine," she said quietly to me. "If Angel can't handle it, Eric will chase him away."

"He's persistent, and I don't want her getting into trouble."

"This is good experience for her. It's going to happen more in the future, and I'm glad she gets a chance to handle it in front of us. She's fine, Alpha."

"If I have to drag him away-"

"I'll let you know."

I edged back into the conversation. Frank hadn't noticed me edge away, but he noticed when I returned. He looked around and saw his son trying to distract Angel. He frowned.

"I'm sorry, Alpha," he said quietly.

"It's fine, Frank. Just so you know, she's mated and exceedingly loyal. He's not going to get anywhere with her, but if he's too pushy, she'll let him have it. My head of security is letting this continue as good training for her. I do hope your son takes 'no' graciously."

"About as graciously as he orders a drink," Frank said. "I shouldn't have brought him tonight, but the drivers voted who they wanted us to bring, and he's popular with the other drivers."

"It's quite all right, Frank," I replied. "But maybe you should invite him to rejoin this conversation."

"Zach," Frank said immediately. When his son ignored him, Frank spoke more loudly. "Zach, the conversation is over here."

From Zach's body language, it was clear he wasn't interested in our conversation, and he was slow to leave Angel's side, but finally he turned towards us and stepped up next to his father.

"I was talking to her, Dad," he said.

"She's mated and not interested," Frank replied. "You weren't going to get anywhere with her, and you're wasting an opportunity to learn something."

Zach huffed, but he didn't fight his father any further.

We hung around for another half hour. Paige came by a few times, and then finally I paid the bill. A few minutes after that, by mutual consent, Frank and Michele agreed to talk next week. Frank gathered his team, they offered their goodbyes, and then they were gone.

Serena stepped up behind me. "Ready to go, Alpha?"

"Whenever you're ready," I replied. I turned to her. "I have a request you are free to deny."

"Please don't, Alpha."

"Ask Angel to see if the wolves she dislikes are still here."

She stared down into my face. I smiled sweetly. "I would rather go out the back and avoid a scene, Alpha."

"Where is the fun in that?"

She stared at me for a good thirty seconds before asking, "What are you hoping to prove?"

"Honestly? I just want a look at them."

"How close a look, Alpha?"

"Closely enough I would recognize them if I ever see them again."

"If I ask you to remain in this room while I check the situation, would you?"

"Of course. Serena, if you don't want to do this, I'm not going to push it. But if there is a problem in the next room, don't you think both you and I should know about it?"

"You promise to wait here."

"Promise."

"Thank you." She collected Portia from the corner then talked quietly to Angel. She left Portia and Eric guarding the doorway, and Angel led the way through the restaurant. I lost sight of them, and it was too noisy for me to hear them after they stepped away.

I turned to Michele. "Did you get what you wanted?"

"It was just dinner," she said. "Thank you." She shook her head. "I'm sorry you were stuck baby-sitting."

"It's all right, but I hope Lara is home when we get there. I'm going to want a run."

We talked for another minute, then Angel and Serena reappeared. Angel waited at the door and Serena stepped to me.

"According to Angel, they are gone," Serena reported. "There were two groups of wolves, but both older than freshly out of college. I would prefer we exit via the back door."

"You're the boss," I told her.

She took my arm. This time Angel took the lead and both Eric and Portia were last. We exited the back of the restaurant and were heading to our SUV when Angel froze.

"Fuck," she said firmly.

"Eric, Portia!" Serena said immediately. The two of them immediately flowed forward, Eric taking point with Angel to his left, Portia to his right. Serena moved me into the slot behind Eric, and again I couldn't see a thing. I grabbed Michele's arm and pulled her next to me.

"Stay with me," I whispered to Michele. "But don't hang onto me." I reached inside my sleeves and put my hands on my knives.

"There," Angel said, gesturing with her nose.

I couldn't see past the wall of enforcers. I tried jumping up to look over their shoulders, but Serena put a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Knock it off." She raised her voice. "Edge around them. You three maintain the wall."

Eric began moving forward and towards the left, Angel and Portia staying glued to him, and Serena pushing me along to remain behind him. Our formation slowly turned to face right as we continued to move forward and left, and I had a pretty good idea where "they" where. Whoever "they" were.

But I had my ears going, and I heard, "Isn't that Angel? Hey, Angel."

"Don't answer them," Serena said. "Keep moving."

We were halfway to the car when the wolves stepped up to us.

"Hey, Angel," one of them said. "Who are your friends?"

"Distract them, Angel," Serena said quietly. "We keep moving though."

"Hey, Reed," Angel said. I could see the tension in her back. "This is Eric and Portia. What are you guys doing?"

Serena swiveled me so she was between me and whoever was talking to Angel and began pushing me towards the SUV. "Keep walking, straight to the car," she said. I nodded understanding and did what she ordered. Michele stayed plastered to my side.

"Are these, like, some of your enforcer friends?" Another voice asked.

"How many, Serena?" I asked quietly.

"Never mind. Keep moving." She pushed me, trying to move me faster.

"Yes," said Angel. "We're off duty tonight and decided to get some dinner, but we go on duty soon and can't stay. We'll see you around though."

I tried to peek around behind Serena, but she growled at me and interposed her body. "Alpha, please," she said.

"Who is that?" the first voice - Reed, I gathered - said. "Oh my god, it's the alpha!"

"Keep moving," Serena ordered, and I didn't argue with her.

"How many, Serena?"

"Six. Keep moving." The SUV's security system beeped. "Michele, step ahead and open the nearest door and climb in. Alpha, you are immediately behind her."

"Wait up, Alpha!" Reed said.

"Leave her alone, Reed," Angel said firmly.

"What?" he said. "I'm not good enough to meet the Alpha?"

From the sounds, I knew Angel, Eric and Portia were at our back, but perhaps ten steps away. I concentrated on the other sounds. There were enough of them it was difficult to pinpoint what everyone was doing by sound, but it hadn't turned ugly yet.

"I can defuse this, Serena," I said.

"Get in the car, Alpha."

Michele climbed in.

"Serena, they're pack. I have responsibilities."

She still had her hand on my shoulder.

"Alpha, please get in the car," she said.

I stepped forward and began to climb in.

"What's the matter, Alpha?" Reed said. "Afraid to meet a real wolf?"

I froze, then turned around. Serena was right behind me.

"Please, Alpha, get in the car."

From the running board of the vehicle, I was able to look past her. As she had said, there were six wolves arrayed against my three enforcers. Serena was watching me and not the threat.

"They're drunk," Serena said. "Get in the car or I will make you get into the car."

"And then you're going to leave three of my enforcers to deal with those six wolves?"

"Get in the car, Alpha."

"Come on, Alpha," Reed said. "I'll show you how a real wolf treats a pretty little thing like you."

I tightened my face.

"Serena, we are not leaving anyone behind." I stepped out of the car.

"God damn it, Michaela!" she spat.

"My life is no more valuable than Angel's, Serena." I looked over at Michele. "Climb up front and lock the doors."

I slammed the door and stepped past Serena. She didn't stop me.

I walked up behind Eric and nudged Angel to the side. I flowed between them, Serena stepping between them as well, and suddenly there were five of us facing off against six. I stopped two steps from Reed.

"You're Reed?" I asked.

"Yes, ma'am," he said. "You're even smaller than I thought."

I had my hands on my knives but hadn't drawn them yet. I could smell the alcohol.

"How many of you agree with Reed and think you can show me a real wolf?" I asked. "How many of you want my enforcers to report your position to the pack alpha? I wonder whether Lara will send Elisabeth to break every bone in your body, or if she'll do it herself."

They sobered quickly, but Reed was an idiot.

"As for you," I said to him, "You have two choices. By Monday morning, you will either have vacated pack territory or you will present yourself with the most humbling apology I have ever heard. To suggest I would cheat on my mate with anyone is highly insulting, and it takes a particularly crass wolf to suggest it. Learn some manners by Monday or get out of my territory."

Reed's friends had stepped back from him, but they hadn't taken off yet.

"Here is what is going to happen tonight," I continued. "Serena is going to count down from five, and when she gets to zero, you will all either be gone or a pile of corpses. My wolf body count is one hundred and nineteen, most of them far bigger and far less drunk than all of you."

"Five," said Serena.

"If you wish an audience with the alpha," I said.

"Four."

"You will make an appointment."

"Three."

"I will be happy to meet with any members of the pack who treat me with respect."

"Two."

Five of them took off.

"One."

I drew my knives, and Reed began to soil himself, frozen in fear.

"Reed," I said, "You are drunk and being stupid. If you apologize profusely on Monday, I will forgive you. Otherwise get out of my territory. Get the fuck out of here before Serena reaches zero."

He turned and ran.

We watched them run.

"Angel take these," I said, holding out the knives, my hands shaking.

As soon as my hands were free, Serena grabbed me and had me in the car seconds later. Everyone else climbed in, and Eric got us out of there. I turned to Serena and began sobbing.

She pulled me into her arms, and then I felt Angel at my back.

"Would she really have killed them?" Portia asked from the back seat.

"Damned right she would have," I said between sobs.

Portia waited a full minute while I calmed down, then she said, "Good."

I finally pushed away from Serena. Michele held out some tissues to me, and I cleaned up, not looking at anyone. We were halfway home before I quietly asked, "Are you angry with me, Serena?"

"No."

"Are you going to yell at me?"

"No, but I bet Elisabeth and Lara do."

I looked over at her. "If you had a plan that didn't involve leaving anyone behind, I would have behaved. But I won't leave anyone behind."

"Is it a mistake to allow Angel on your security detail?"

"It wouldn't matter who was there," I said. "Tell me Lara would have handled that differently and I will apologize."

"She would have," Eric said. "If she had been there tonight, that asshole would be dead now."

"Serena?" I asked.

"I am going to get my ass chewed, Michaela," she said.

"Do you believe I should have let you drive us away as you intended?"

"Our responsibility is to protect you," Serena replied.

"Your responsibility is to protect the pack," I countered. "They're pack."

"You know that's not how Lara or Elisabeth see it. It's not how I see it."

"If I were Lara, would you have ordered me into the car?"

"I don't know, Michaela. But you aren't Lara."

I smiled. "I know. My body count is much, much higher."

"It's not a joke," she said.

"How much trouble are you going to be in?"

"Quite a bit."

"I'm sorry about that."

"I'd rather be in a lot of trouble than tell Francesca we left her daughter to face her half of six drunk wolves," Serena said.

"They wouldn't have done anything," Angel said.

"They were looking for a fight," Eric said.

"I agree," said Portia.

"That ended about as good as it was going to," Serena said. "But I have to report it. Lara and Elisabeth are going to chew both our asses, Michaela."

"I can hold my head high," I said. "One of us should call Elisabeth."

"I will," Serena said. She fished out her phone. She held a tense conversation with Elisabeth while I collected my knives from Angel, replacing them in their sheaths on my wrists.

I heard Elisabeth say, "Let me talk to the fox."

I held out my hand, and Serena set the phone into it.

"Everything is fine, Elisabeth," I said. "I need a run when I get back, and if you want to chew my ass afterwards, fine."

"Serena needs to write a report," she said. "Take two enforcers with you." She paused. "I'm not talking to yell at you. I am calling to ask what you want me to do."

"Get their names from Angel. If Reed's apology is sufficiently contrite, I will consider the matter over. Otherwise he is banished. Will Lara override me?"

"She would have him beaten, but she won't override you."

"Where is Lara?"

"We'll be another hour. Have a good run."

I handed the phone back to Serena and stared dully out the window.

 **Surprise**

"How badly do I smell?" I asked as we pulled into the compound.

"Pretty bad," Angel said. "But it didn't start until we got in the car."

"Serena, Elisabeth wants you to write up the report and told me to take two enforcers for my run. I'll shower afterwards. Will you approve Angel and Scarlett? I don't want to wait for anyone else."

"Long run?"

"Half hour."

"You'll remain on pack territory."

"Absolutely."

"That's fine."

"Thank you. Angel, call Scarlett."

Eric parked the SUV, and by the time we had climbed out of the car, Angel had completed her call with Scarlett. "She's on the way."

"Thank you, Angel," I said. I turned to Serena. "I know I stink."

She knew what I wanted and pulled me into another hug. She was still holding me when Scarlett arrived, and then I had both her and Angel clustered around me.

"What happened?"

"We ran into Reed and his friends," Angel said.

"That fucking asshole," Scarlett said. She never talked like that.

I pushed away from Serena. "Thank you," I told her. She nodded.

"Scarlett, you are a temporary enforcer. You are watching over Michaela, not playing with Angel. Do you both understand what that means?"

"Yes, Serena," Scarlett said.

"Go on, then. If Lara and Elisabeth get here before you're back, I'll send them out to find you."

I loosened my clothing and shifted into fox, then stood and waited for Angel and Scarlett. They didn't lose two thirds of their size when they shifted to wolf, so they actually had to disrobe or risk tangling in their clothing. I left mine in a pile, and I saw Portia pick it all up for me.

I pointed my nose north and headed towards the woods, Angel and Scarlett flanking me.

We ran at my top speed for twenty minutes before I collapsed in a heap near the extreme northern edge of the pack property. Neither of the wolves was even panting. My top speed was an easy lope for an adult werewolf. They both stood over me while I caught my breath.

I wasn't particularly paying attention, so I didn't notice when Angel went on alert, but suddenly she began growling, stalking slowly forward. After the briefest pause, Scarlett joined her, and the two of them stood, side-by-side, their hackles raised, growling loudly.

I jumped to my feet and swiveled my ears, trying to hear whatever it was they were growling at. I didn't hear a thing except the two of them. If there was something close enough for them to smell it, I should hear it, even over their growls.

Then Scarlett stopped growling and instead raised her nose to the sky and began to howl. It wasn't a victory call.

It was a howl for help.

Now I definitely couldn't hear anything. I had no idea what was going on.

But they were scaring me, a primal fear. There were two angry wolves, and while they were two of my dearest friends, I suddenly was filled with fear.

But I moved closer. If we were in trouble, safety was to the south, the direction they were facing, and without knowing what the danger was, I couldn't make any decisions.

Angel turned around and snapped at me, driving me back.

She had never done that before. As soon as I backed away, she turned back towards the south, her growl becoming even more fierce. Scarlett continued to howl, calling for help.

But we were six miles from the compound. Would anyone hear her? There were a lot of trees between the compound and us, and six miles is a long way for a voice to carry.

There was a noise behind me, and then a flash of something in the corner of my eye. I began turning to look, but firm arms wrapped around me, lifting me from the ground. An instant later, the world was flashing past us, far, far faster than I had ever traveled.

I immediately began growling and yipping. I bit the arms holding me. I squirmed. I struggled. But the arms only tightened firmer around me, holding me pressed against a chest.

I tried to crane my neck and bite whoever was behind me, but one of the hands reached up and wrapped around my muzzle.

Only a few seconds had elapsed since the arms had grabbed me, and I had no idea where we were. The world continued to pass in a blur. I whimpered and struggled. Whoever held me was significantly stronger than I was and was able to hold me firmly without hurting me.

So I shifted into human. I did a slow shift, taking two or three seconds instead of doing it instantly; I was worried I would have my face or chest crushed.

If I surprised my captor, I couldn't tell. He adjusted his grip around my chest, the other hand shifting to my hair, holding my head firmly.

I began screaming and kicking. In the distance, I heard two wolves howling, but I couldn't believe how distant the sound was.

Nothing I did mattered.

I tried slamming my head backwards, but the hand in my hair was stronger than I was. I tried kicking upwards with my heels, but I couldn't connect. I tried squirming.

With two hands, I grabbed one finger on the hand holding my chest and tried to peel the hand off me, perfectly willing to break the finger.

The creature simply curled it's fingers more tightly into my side, and I couldn't even get a proper grip.

I shifted back to fox, an instant shift, hoping the creature would drop me, but he adjusted his grip around my chest without a pause in our frantic dash through the forest. The hand that had been in my hair wrapped back in front of me and grabbed my muzzle again, cutting off most of the sounds I tried to make.

Then, suddenly, we came to a stop on the road. There was an SUV parked on the side of the road, and we came to a stop at the back. The creature released my mouth and opened the door, and I saw a glimpse of the outside of a small cage, barely big enough to hold me while in fur.

"You're going in the cage," someone said into my ear. "You will fit better in this form, but either way, you're going into the cage." A moment later, he shoved me into the cage and had the door slammed closed and latched before I could turn around and attack his hands. I got my first good glimpse at whoever had taken me.

It was male and looked, by and large, human. His skin was exceptionally pale, and he appeared to be about average size for a man. I guessed his age in the forties.

I launched myself at the door of the cage, snapping and snarling with every bit of venom I had. It didn't even faze him. Instead, he casually applied a padlock to the cage latch and then added several more around the perimeter of the door, latching it closed.

I continued to throw myself at the cage, but it was exceedingly sturdy, and I already knew I wasn't going to break my way out of it. He calmly finished securing the cage then looked straight at me.

"My mistress wishes to meet you," he said.

Then he smiled, and I saw the hint of fangs. I stared at him.

Vampire.

I wore myself out throwing myself against the cage. The vampire ignored me. He didn't even order me to quiet down. It was like he didn't even realize I was there, making a racket.

He had thrown a blanket over the top of the cage before closing the back of the SUV, but my antics had slowly worked it loose until it fell down on one side of the cage. It didn't do me any good. I couldn't see anything but dark sky out of the windows.

We came to a stop. I renewed the noise I was making, but the vampire appeared to ignore me. After a moment, we were moving again. We drove for only a minute or two, slowly and making a number of turns.

I had no idea where we were.

We came to another stop. The vampire shut off the car and climbed out. A moment later, the back door of the SUV opened, and I could see past him. We were in an airport hangar. A moment later, a second person joined him, this one female, and I was sure she was a vampire, too.

"All this trouble for a fox?" she asked.

"Werefox," the male said. "The mistress wants to meet her."

I threw myself at the cage, knowing it was futile, slamming myself into it over and over.

The male crouched down until our eyes were on a level. "You have a choice. If you calm down, I will let you hear what it is. Otherwise I will choose for you, and it will be the least pleasant choice for you."

I threw myself at the cage twice more and hissed at him, but then I lay down and put my head between my paws.

"Very good," he said. "We have a private jet." He gestured, but when I looked, I couldn't see it. "If you agree to be quiet, you may ride in the passenger cabin. If you are going to continue this racket, you will ride in the baggage area. The entire aircraft is pressurized, but the baggage area will be colder and, I understand, much louder."

From a crouch, I threw myself at the cage, angry beyond any compare.

"So be it," he said, standing up. He reached along the side of the cage. I redirected my attack, but again, he didn't even flinch. Instead, he picked up two metal pipes. Working calmly, he slid one pipe between the bars of the cage near the top, threading the pipe in one side of the cage and back out the other side. The female stepped up to the opposite side, and the two used the pipe as a handle on the cage, beginning to pull me from the SUV. A moment later he slid the second pipe through in a similar fashion, but at the extreme back of the cage. They pulled me from the back of the car, set me on the floor, then slammed the tailgate closed.

After that, they carried me to the aircraft. It was a sleek jet, and I was immediately envious. The carried me to the nose of the jet, set me down again, and after a moment, the woman opened a door in the side of the nose. They picked me up and slid the cage into a small forward baggage compartment, pulling the pipes out of the cage as they pushed me firmly inside.

Without another word, she closed the baggage door, and I was left in utter darkness.

I went into a rage.

I lost all track of time. It was the most unpleasant airplane ride I had ever experienced.

I was consumed by a small number of overwhelming thoughts, the worst of which was simply, "Not again."

I didn't make a dent in the cage. It was far studier than a standard cage that would be used for a more mundane animal, and I decided it must have been made for me. Someone had gone to a significant amount of work to capture me.

If the vampire mistress wanted to meet me, why hadn't she just made an appointment?

I didn't like any of the answers to that question.

But I knew this: I was in deep trouble.

I wondered if I would ever see Lara and the babies again.

I'd already had a bad night, but if it had been bad leaving the restaurant, this was far worse.

I hoped Angel and Scarlett were okay. I hope Lara didn't take out her anger on them.

By the time we landed, I was a wreck, emotionally and physically. I hadn't had anything to drink since leaving the restaurant, and I had expended a significant amount of energy trying to break the cage. I had tried brute force, but I had also tried foxier ways to escape the cage. Try as I might, I couldn't reach any of the locks holding the door closed.

After a while, lost between anger and despair, I faded away.

I came alert when we began our descent. From the forward baggage area, there wasn't much engine noise, but there was significant wind noise, and I heard when that changed, and I felt the angle of the aircraft dip. Still, lying in the cage in the dark, it seemed like a long time before I heard the sound of wheels landing on concrete. We came to a stop, and then after a moment, began rolling again.

It must have been a major airport. We taxied for some time, making a number of turns, before we came to a stop and the sound of the engines faded away entirely. A few minutes later, there was clanging from outside, and we were moving again, slowly. I decided we were being towed into a hangar.

We turned, rolled backwards, and after a minute or two came to another stop. There was more clanging, and I heard the tow tug drive away. Then it was quiet.

I sat in the dark for several more minutes before the hatch opened. I saw the female vampire first, and beyond her the man. I immediately hissed at both of them, but I didn't have the energy to throw myself at the bars any longer.

They didn't bother talking to me. The pulled me from the aircraft the same way they loaded me, and moments later, I was in the back of another SUV. The male threw another blanket over my cage, but this time he tucked it in underneath the cage so it wouldn't fall off so easily. Two minutes later, we were on our way.

I lay quietly, my head between my paws.

I didn't know where we were, only that it was much warmer than Wisconsin in April. I didn't think we had flown internationally, although I hadn't gotten a look at the license tag of the car when they had loaded me. I should have been more observant, and mentally, I kicked myself.

But I didn't think the flight had been overseas. I didn't think a jet of that size was designed for nonstop transatlantic flight. We could be in Mexico, but I thought somewhere in the southern United States was more likely. Beyond that, I couldn't have told you.

Our drive was perhaps a half hour. The blanket wasn't so thick to block every bit of light, but I couldn't see a thing except for the occasional shadow across the material, and the noises I heard told me nothing.

But I could tell when we entered an underground parking garage.

We came to a stop. I heard two doors open and close and a moment later, the rear door opened.

"We're here," the male said.

I hissed at him and threw myself against the door of the cage, but it was halfhearted.

If I ever got a stake in my hands, though, he better look out. If I can kill werewolves, I can kill vampires.

They shifted the cage, peeling the blanket up from the back, and then the pipe slid across at the back. They dropped the blanket back in place. There was a slight gap at the corners, but I couldn't see much. They did the same at the front, and I thought perhaps they used more than one blanket. Then they lifted me from the car.

I tried to peer through the gap, but I only caught glimpses, seeing almost nothing. I threw myself against the edges of the cage, but it didn't accomplish anything. But at least they knew I wasn't done fighting.

It wasn't a long walk, only a few minutes. We entered into what was, by the sound of it, a sturdy building of some sort, passing through two more solid doors before they set me down. I tried to look around, but all I could see was the edge of a metal door and a section of wall.

The male walked away. The female stayed with me, but when she wasn't moving, she was utterly silent.

She had no heartbeat.

And suddenly all the pieces came together. It had been the vampire I had heard, and then not heard. They had no heartbeats, and with her still, I couldn't hear anything. No heart beating, no blood pumping through veins, no lungs breathing air.

She was, in other words, my worst nightmare: an enemy I couldn't hear.

I tracked the male, however. He left the room by a different door than we had entered, paused, and then spoke.

"I have her."

I heard another voice, a woman. "Bring her in. Don't keep her waiting."

"Yes, Mistress," the male said. I heard him return, and a moment later, the two vampires picked up my cage. They strode forward and set me back down on the floor.

"What is that?" said the newest vampire.

"The fox," the male vampire said.

They were utterly silent for several of my heartbeats.

"Let me see," the newest vampire finally said.

They joggled my cages as the pulled the blankets off. As soon as I could see, I screamed my anger and began throwing myself against the cage in my rage.

I never saw the newest vampire move. I wasn't really paying much attention to her. But she was at one side of the room, and then suddenly she was in front of the male vampire, lifting him from the ground in one hand.

I stopped fighting the cage and looked up.

"Why is she in a cage?" the vampire screamed. "I need her help, you imbecile! Do you think she is going to offer to help me after you bring her to me like this?"

"You told me to bring her," the male said. "I brought her." He managed to say that in spite of dangling from his neck. He didn't even struggle with her, although he had both hands on her wrist, perhaps helping to support his weight. "You do not reward failure, and I did not want to risk a refusal. You didn't say how to bring her and you didn't say why you needed her, so I made sure she came."

The female screamed and threw him across the room. The male slammed into the wall but then immediately was standing, waiting.

Lara couldn't have thrown me one handed like that, and if she had been thrown that way, she wouldn't have bounced to her feet so quickly.

I was so screwed.

"Get out of here, both of you," the female spat. "But Kristian, if she refuses to help, you will suffer."

"Yes, Mistress," he said calmly. A moment later, both the original vampires were gone. I hadn't seen them leave.

I turned back to the remaining vampire and spat my anger at her. She crouched down in front of me, and we stared at each other.

"You have my deepest apologies, Ms. Burns," she said. "This was not how I intended your arrival."

I wasn't sure I believed her, but I knew I was outclassed physically. My only chance out of this was to outfox her. I lay down with my head between my feet, not saying anything.

"I am not sure I believe that is acceptance of my apology," she said.

It wasn't, but I wasn't going to do anything to confirm her suspicions.

"This is my fault," she said. "Kristian was right. I did not tell him how to bring you here, only to bring you here. My mind was on other things, which I would like to explain to you shortly." She paused, studying me. "I am going to carry you into my bedroom," she said. "I will set out some clothes for you then open your cage. The only exit from my bedroom is through this room. I will wait for you. I will tell you, I know you are very fast for a were, but I am much, much faster than you are. Do you understand what I am saying?"

I chuffed quietly at her.

"I believe that is a sound of agreement. If so, please make that sound again." So I chuffed once more.

With that, she picked up the cage. I lay quietly. There was nothing to be gained through insolence at this point. She carried me into the next room, and I looked around. It was clearly a bedroom, but the door was very, very thick and I thought perhaps it could be bolted from the inside. She set me down in the middle of the room then stepped away for a moment then turned back to me and crouched down.

"I understand you are very petite," she said. "If that is true, make that sound again."

I chuffed at her.

"I am five-foot-four," she said. "Are you smaller than I am?"

I chuffed.

"All right. My clothing will be loose on you, but it will have to do. I will set out a few choices on the bed, and you may choose from amongst them. I do not have shoes that are likely to fit you, but I presume you can go bare for a conversation."

I said nothing but watched her as she moved around the room. She collected clothes from a dresser, laying them on the bed, then more from her closet. She turned to me and crouched down again.

"I suspect you are very angry. I will apologize again when you emerge. I will allow you to call your mate and assure her of your health, and then we will discuss why I need you. You may be considering other options, but this is your best choice. When we are done talking, you may leave, if you wish. You have my word."

I wasn't sure whether her word meant anything, but I wasn't going to tell her that.

"Do you understand?" I chuffed.

She didn't bother opening the locks. She reached out and crushed them, one after another. I stared at the wreckage.

I didn't think Lara could have done that, and this vampire did it casually.

Finally, she opened the door, leaving it hanging wide.

"I'll wait for you in the next room. I hope you will be polite." She stood up, stepped across the room, and closed the bedroom door behind her.

I couldn't hear a thing through the door. It was the most soundproofed door I had ever seen.

I slipped out of the cage and made a quick scout of the room, still as fox. I found no other exits, not even an air vent. I decided a vampire probably had no need of fresh air. I found nothing that was readily apparent as a weapon, and I had severe doubts I could have beaten her regardless of what weapon I might find.

The vampires were far, far faster than I was.

I shifted into human form and made another patrol of the room, although I didn't make any trouble. I decided the only thing that interested me at that point was my freedom.

I was terribly afraid, which far drowned out my anger.

Finally I investigated my choices on her bed. She offered me undies, two different bras, a skirt and blouse, a pair of slacks, and a bathrobe. The bras weren't going to do me any good, and I ignored them. I decided I wanted loose clothing I could shift out of. I pulled on a pair of the undies and decided they would do. I grabbed a short-sleeved white blouse and a wrap-around skirt. Everything was too big, but it would do for now.

It wasn't the first time I had worn someone else's clothing that was too big; if I could make my way in some of Lara's clothing, I could wear these.

I took a big breath and stepped from the room.

The vampire turned and looked at me. We stared at each other from across the room, perhaps twenty feet separating us. I studied her for a moment, then looked around the room. It was some sort of sitting room with sofas and chairs. There were two other exits. I eyed both of them.

"You wouldn't make it, Ms. Burns," said the vampire.

"What do I call you?"

"I believe for now I would prefer if you referred to me simply as Mistress."

I studied her. "Fine," I said. "Mistress. I believe you offered to allow a phone call."

"I will allow you to assure your mate you are safe. I would ask you not to do anything that would precipitate a war. It would not be good for the Madison pack. I will also not allow you to describe me in any detail. Attempts to do so will result in the termination of the phone call."

"I understand," I told her. I held my emotions in check. "What do you want with me?"

"I will explain after you have made the phone call."

"If I decline to help you, will you release me?"

"Yes. I will return you to Madison. I will not allow you to know where you have been taken. I do not want a war."

"Phone?"

She crossed the room to me, walking normally, and held out a cell phone. I took it from her.

"Are you not concerned this can be traced?" I asked her.

"No."

"Are you going to limit the length of my call?"

"If you do not offer too much information, and do not spend hours talking to your mate, no, I will not limit the length. The call cannot be traced."

"If I do not reach my mate on my first call."

"Ms. Burns, please call your pack however you wish."

I had made a point of memorizing several phone numbers. I punched in the pack hotline. It rang three times before I heard Gia's voice. "Hello," she said.

"Don't say a word," I said. "It's Michaela. Answer my questions with yes or no. Are you alone?"

"No."

"Are the right people there with you?"

"Yes."

"Is your sister okay?"

"Yes."

I breathed a sigh of relief. "Is your boss there?"

"Yes."

"Put the call on mute, tell her who this is, then let me speak to her."

The call went silent for only a few seconds, then I heard Elisabeth's voice. "Michaela."

"I didn't run."

"I know."

The vampire was watching me. I stared at her for a minute.

"Where are you?" Elisabeth asked.

"I'm not allowed to tell you," I said. "I am unhurt and have been assured I will remain that way. This wasn't the fault of my security detail."

"I know," she said. "No one here is in trouble. Well, you and Serena are, but let's not worry about that right now. Are there demands?"

"I have been told that I was not invited here the way the boss here would have preferred," I replied. "It seems my help is desired. It has not yet been explained why."

"What do you need from us right now?" Elisabeth asked.

"I'm going to put you on mute for a moment, Elisabeth. Hang on." I pulled the phone away and muted it, turning it to face the vampire so she could clearly see it was muted.

"Can you hear both sides of the conversation?"

She nodded.

"I have been very careful."

"You have."

"If I share more information, will you terminate the call?"

"They undoubtedly know you were taken by vampires. Is that what you wanted to tell them?"

"Yes."

"Go ahead. Do not describe me, and I would prefer if you do not share my gender."

I turned the phone back to me and unmuted it. "Elisabeth, what is the werewolf relationship to vampires?"

"It depends upon the pack. To the best of my knowledge, there are none living in Wisconsin, so our pack has little to do with them. The packs in other territories are frequently subservient to them."

"Is there anything else I should know?"

"Probably quite a bit, but I don't know that much myself," she said. "I'm sorry."

I looked at the vampire. "When can they expect my next call?"

"An hour."

"Elisabeth, I am told you can expect another call in an hour."

"Why did you use this line?"

"It always gets answered. I wasn't sure you would answer an unknown caller. May I speak with Lara?"

The pause was brief. "Michaela," she said, and I knew I was loved.

"Lara. I'm fine."

"Be smart, Little Fox," she said. "Come home to me. I need you."

"My original captors were not very polite," I said. "Their boss so far has been more accommodating and has expressed regret. Has someone assured my security detail I am safe?"

"They're both right here," she said.

"I have to go. I love you, Lara. And tell everyone standing there I love them, too. Give my security detail hugs for me."

"I will. Be smart, Little Fox. Now is not the time for an emotional reaction. Be smart and come home to me."

"I will, Lara."

I took a breath and ended the call, holding the phone back to the vampire. We studied each other for a moment. I tried to keep the hostility from my eyes.

"I apologize for my odor," I said eventually. "I've had a bad evening."

"I am deeply sorry for that. I accept responsibility, but it was not my intent for you to be taken from your home in a cage. I had meant an invitation."

"A firm invitation?"

"If you would not come to visit me, then I would have asked for a telephone conversation. But I do not care to conduct business by phone, especially not sensitive business. We would have negotiated an in person meeting."

"Would I have had the option of saying 'no'?"

"I would have found inducement to change your mind."

"A threat?"

"Would it have taken a threat to convince you to meet with me?"

"I am not always the one who makes these decisions," I said. "It is unlikely my alpha would have allowed me to come to you, but we could have arranged for you to come to us. Would that have been possible?"

"I would have preferred for you to come here, but if we could not have come to an agreement, then I would have flown to you, if offered an invitation."

I watched her, but I realized there was no way I could tell if she was lying to me.

"Well," I said, "I am here. Perhaps we should attempt to start fresh." I paused. "The wolves would complain about my scent."

"If it bothers you, you may shower," she said, "but there is no need on my account."

"Then perhaps you can tell me what you want, and if I need time to consider your request, I may ask for an opportunity to freshen up."

"Yes," she said. "Do you have other needs before we begin? And what would you like for refreshments?"

"Water or hot tea would be nice, and yes, a brief break would be good."

"Very good. Ms. Burns, you will not escape my home. Please do not attempt to do so. I swear, I will release you when we have completed our conversation. As you say, you are here. We may as well discuss why."

I thought carefully before speaking. "I am not given to breaking promises."

"Neither am I."

"What assurances will you offer me?" I asked her, "If I agree to enter into these conversations in good faith?"

She paused. "If you agree to engage in these conversations honestly, and then choose to not assist me, I will return you to your home in your current condition, more or less."

"What does that mean?"

"I will cloud your memory of this evening so that you cannot identify me. As I said, I do not want a war. You will suffer no undue damage, although I will be required to take a very small amount of your blood. You will be right as rain when your mate takes you into her arms, which would be later today."

"It is after midnight?"

"Yes."

"Will I also forget events from prior to my meeting with your associates?"

"Perhaps," she said. "But this is not a wholesale slaughter of your memories."

"There were events from earlier in the evening I should relay to my alpha. At the very least, I would want her to know I could no longer remember them."

"I will allow you another conversation if we can agree on what will be discussed."

"All right. And if I agree to help you?"

"Then of course, I also will not harm you. I will require a slightly larger sample of your blood for reasons I will explain at that time."

"How large?"

"A glass," she replied. "Not enough to weaken you."

"You will make no threat against my family or the Madison wolves?"

"I will make no threats designed to secure your cooperation. However, if you betray me, that is another story."

"Will I be allowed to discuss your request with my alpha?"

"Of course, but not necessarily all the details until you have agreed to assist me."

"You are not looking for war."

"No, I am not looking for war."

"Neither are we," I replied. "War weakens both sides. If you treat me as you have indicated, then I will overlook the abrupt manner of my arrival."

She smiled. "I would like to hear the rest of your promises."

"I agree to enter into an honest discussion and will listen to your request. If I find a clear opportunity to escape that seems to offer better odds than believing you, I will take it. I will not pursue bad opportunities at this time."

"Prudent," she said after a moment. "Come with me and we shall see to your most immediate needs." She turned and gestured to one of the doors, and I thought it was different than the one by which I had been carried in. We stepped forward together, and the vampire opened the doors, gesturing for me to proceed before her.

So far, everything had been impeccably decorated. The walls in the corridors were of a lustrous wood. Lighting was subdued, but sufficient. I had seen no windows, but as I believed we were underground, that made sense.

We stepped forward into a short corridor, took a turn to the left, and then she gestured to another door.

"This is a bathroom," she said. "Will you be long?"

"Only a few minutes," I said. "I will be brief."

She nodded, and I stepped past her into the bathroom. It was quite elegant, with marble floors and a large, marble tub in the corner. There was a walk-in shower, a double sink, and an ornate mirror hanging over the sink.

I thought the layout of her home was quite unexpected, but I couldn't fault the decor.

I made use of the facilities then took a few minutes to clean up a little. My hair was in disarray, but I only made a minor effort to tame it. I would need a lot more time and attention than I wanted to devote to it right now. I stared at my reflection for another moment, took a large breath, then returned to the hallway. The vampire was still waiting for me.

"Thank you," I told her.

"You are welcome. Come. There are refreshments waiting for you back in my sitting room."

She turned on her heel, leading the way, and I followed along.

"And are your needs satisfied?" I asked.

"Earlier," she said. "Your blood is safe, Ms. Burns."

She led the way into her sitting room. She gestured to an arrangement of furniture. There was a pitcher of water and a tall glass sitting on a tray along with a tea pot and cup.

"It is herbal tea," she said. "I hope that is all right."

"Yes," I said. "Thank you."

She gestured, and I took one of the seats.

"Please serve yourself," she said.

"Nothing for you?"

"No, thank you," she replied.

I poured a cup of tea then leaned back in the chair, cradling the cup under my nose. It smelled good and was calming. After a moment, I took a sip and told her it was lovely.

"I have a task," she said. "I do not know exactly how long it would take you. It may only consume a day or two, or it could be somewhat longer than that."

"Why me?"

"I need you to meet with an individual. I need someone who is exceedingly capable but neither vampire nor wolf."

"Nor human?"

"I do not believe a human could complete this task."

"You are speaking carefully."

"I do not wish to tell you more than necessary if you intend to deny my request. The more I tell you, the more I must make you forget if you will not aid me."

"What is the level of danger?"

"Moderate."

"What does that mean?"

"There is risk. If you are as good as the rumors about you suggest, you will have little trouble."

"My life would be at risk?"

"If you were caught, yes. But no one would be expecting you."

"Are you asking me to do something that I will find morally questionable?"

"I am asking you to help save someone's life."

I leaned back.

"Will you tell me the species of the person I would be saving?"

She thought about it before answering. "If you agree to help, I will, of course, tell you anything you need to know. For now, I am going to remain cryptic. It is not a vampire or werewolf."

"Do you believe I will need to kill anyone?"

"No, but the possibility exists."

"There are groups I will not act against," I said. "I have never killed a human and do not want to be in a position where the need is likely. I will not act against my own pack, of course, or the Boulder pack. Nor will I act against any group currently under the protection of Lima Consulting."

"I will not ask you to do so," she replied. "I am familiar with Lima and do not believe they are involved, but I would give you the opportunity to verify that information if we come to an agreement otherwise."

"Why would I help you?"

"Future favors."

"I've never heard of you," I said. "Please do not be insulted, but I do not know that future favors have value to me."

She paused before responding. "I will be able to convince you of their value."

"Will you be asking me to trespass on another pack's territory?"

"Yes."

"With or without permission?"

"I would ask you to use misdirection when requesting permission of the pack in question."

"There's not a wolf alive that will believe my alpha would allow me to travel without my security detail."

She smiled. "I know."

"The likelihood my alpha will agree to allow me to risk my life for your needs is exceedingly low, regardless of any inducement you offer. She is exceedingly protective of me."

"Are you turning me down?"

"Not yet," I replied. I sipped my tea. "But I do not know how you are going to secure her agreement without a very large threat involved, and you agreed there would be no threats."

"I agreed I wouldn't make threats to secure your cooperation. I did not agree there would be no threats if required to secure your mate's."

I narrowed my eyes, not liking the turn the conversation took.

"Ms. Burns," she said, "If you choose to decline my request, you will be returned home, and no one from Wisconsin will suffer for it. But if you agree to help me, then I will secure the cooperation of your mate. I do not choose to tell you how at this time."

"You play word games with me."

"I will offer another assurance. I will not threaten your children. They are safe from me, as long as you do not betray me."

"Will you be able to tell the difference between failure and betrayal?"

"Yes."

I watched her. It was unnerving; she never blinked and could become utterly still, making absolutely no noise. I had never met anyone who could be as quiet as her.

"My skills are not sufficient for dealing with vampires," I observed.

"That should not pose a difficulty."

"I am not yet saying 'no'," I said, "nor am I saying yes."

"I am willing to tell you everything, but the more I tell you, the more of your memories I must erase if you decline my request."

"If you told me everything, how much would I lose later?"

"Probably a day or two."

I thought about it. "I think I need to know the rest, but I would like to talk to my head enforcer first."

She held out the phone. "Same rules. Do nothing to incite war."

I nodded and called Elisabeth's phone.

"It's Michaela."

"How are you doing?"

"Fine," I said. "Elisabeth, I have been asked to take a small risk. The lure is of future favors. The risk is small. I would like your advice."

"Can you tell me who you are dealing with?"

"Not at this time." I looked at the vampire and asked, "Will you allow me to tell them before we come to a final agreement?"

She nodded her head.

"Elisabeth, I am told you will have much more information before coming to a final agreement. Right now we are negotiating how much more I am to be told. Is there any likelihood future favors would hold value with the pack."

"You know Lara's answer, Michaela."

"The immediate risk is inconsequential. Future risk is perhaps real, but sounds manageable."

"Depending upon who the vampire is, having him or her beholden to us could be very valuable."

"You heard that?" I asked her, and she nodded.

"Elisabeth, I am going to ask for the remaining details. I am told the vampire can erase my memories if I do not choose to offer my assistance, but there is risk I will lose a few days of memories in the process. I am assured the loss would be minimal. Do we need to discuss the issue from earlier this evening before I hang up?"

"We will be discussing it, regardless of what you remember when you get home."

I looked at the vampire. "Will I know I have lost memories?"

She shook her head.

"Elisabeth, I won't know my memories have been removed. I suspect I will find myself waking up in Lara's arms with no idea I'd been away." The vampire nodded to me. "I suspect the only way I'm going to remember the vampire sitting in front of me is if I agree to this request."

And she nodded.

"I understand, Alpha," Elisabeth said, telling me at the same time she was trusting my judgment. "We'll take care of you. You know that."

I looked at the vampire. "Can I promise another phone call?" She nodded. "Elisabeth, I'm sorry to keep everyone awake. I'll call back."

"Be smart, Michaela. Come home."

"I'm trying, Elisabeth. Kiss the babies for me."

"Of course."

We hung up and I returned the phone to the vampire.

I took a breath and held it for a moment, thinking.

"The person whose life you want me to save. Would I like this person?"

"Yes." She paused. "She is the most gentle creature you will ever meet."

"Species?"

"If I answer any more questions, you are going to lose at least a day of memories if you turn me down."

"I understand. What species is she?"

"Fae."

I stared at the vampire. I had never met a fae.

 **Learning the Rest**

"You have been careful so far. Why, if you could make me forget afterwards anyway?"

"Because I am not a monster," she said.

"The humans would call us both monsters. Your answer seems incomplete."

"When you first arrived, I could have faded your memories of tonight's events without damaging you too heavily. But the more I tell you, the more thorough I must be. You will lose more unrelated memories, and you do not deserve to have that risk forced upon you."

"Will I lose old memories?"

"No, I erase a period of time, but it is not necessarily precise. At this point, I have told you enough you will lose everything for at least the last twelve hours, and possibly as much as two days. If I tell you the rest, you can expect that estimate to double. You won't lose your treasured memories unless they are from the last few days."

"And you will later be able to convince me favors from you are worth more than the memories I could be about to lose?"

"Oh yes."

"Tell me the rest."

"Before I do, I must tell you. Your next phone call home will be very tightly controlled. You will not be allowed to share anything I am about to tell you. I offer you a choice. I will blur your memories and return you home, only marginally worse for the wear, and I apologize for that. But if I tell you the rest, and you betray my confidence, you and your family will suffer for it."

"I understand. Tell me the rest."

"Let us perhaps start with my name. I am Carissa. I am the queen of New Orleans."

"Will you be able to prove that?"

"You are very cautious."

"I would not want to be taken in by an imposter."

"Lima Consulting will be able to verify my identity," she said. "Is that sufficient proof for you?"

"I thought you didn't want anyone else knowing your identity."

"Lima is discrete. You and I will come to an agreement before I share that information with your head enforcer."

"What do I call you now?"

"May I call you Michaela?" I nodded, and she said, "Then you shall call me Carissa."

"Very well, Carissa," I said. "I am listening."

"There is a member of my household. I will tell you everything about her if you agree to help me. She is fae, and as I said, an exceedingly gentle soul. She is young. Most fae are very, very old, but she is younger than you are, although still an adult by human laws."

I nodded understanding.

"She and I had a disagreement. She left, and she took with her something I had given her."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Wait before you judge," Carissa said. "It is only a necklace, but it once belonged to my daughter. It is of moderate value, and I would ask for its return, but I would much rather the wearer herself return with the necklace still around her neck."

"Your daughter?"

"Dust for centuries."

"I am sorry," I said.

"Thank you." She looked away for a moment, then turned back to me. "You are wondering where the saving of lives comes in."

"Yes."

"I have enemies."

"We all have enemies."

"My enemies are hunting my young friend. They have not yet found her. She has taken refuge. I wish you to go to her, beg her forgiveness, and ask her to return. If she accepts, I wish you to escort her back here."

"Why me? Why not go yourself?"

"She has taken refuge somewhere I cannot go."

"And I can?"

"I believe so."

"Why not one of the local werewolves?"

"Werewolves would be detected."

"And my security detail?"

"You will need to approach her without them."

"You know where she is?"

Carissa nodded. "The more I tell you, the more memories you are going to lose if you choose to not help me, Michaela."

"Tell me, Carissa."

She paused before answering. "She is in the home of a vampire living just outside Asheville, North Carolina."

"Why can't you pick up the phone and call her?"

"The vampire in question does not care for me and does not know who he shelters."

"Is he one of your enemies hunting for her?"

"No, but only because he doesn't know she exists. She passes for human."

I stared into my tea. Carissa let me think before speaking again.

"You will need to approach in fur. I can endow you with the ability to sense my friend's location."

"How?"

"That doesn't matter. It is harmless and is related to how I know where she is."

"All right."

"The accuracy improves as you draw closer. You will be able to walk straight to her. But from this far, I can only tell you she is near Asheville in an area that almost certainly means this other vampire's home."

"Will I be detected?"

"This vampire does not make pets of werewolves, and to a vampire while in fur, you appear like a standard fox."

"And your friend?"

"She may be able to tell you are more than a fox, but I do not believe she would give you away without more cause than that."

"So my risks?"

"Detection that I feel is unlikely; detection during the extraction; encountering my enemies during the escort home."

"My excuse for being in the area?"

"Hiking in the mountains. The local wolf pack accepts tourists for a significant fee. I will, of course, cover all your costs."

"If I agree to do this, how much of this will I be allowed to share with my alpha?"

"You may share whatever you deem necessary with the wolves who accompany you," she replied. "However, you will offer me a vow of secrecy, and you will extract a similar vow from your wolves. If you ever betray that vow, you will feel my wrath."

"There is no way Lara is going to approve of this."

"You let me worry about that."

"Do you vow you have not underplayed the risks?"

"I am giving you the best information I am able," she said. "I believe you will be successful."

"What else do I need to know?"

"If you agree to help me, then I will give you the pieces we have glossed over. I believe at this point you require assurances of my identity, and you need an understanding of what it would mean for me to be in your debt. If you are going to turn me down, we shouldn't bother."

"Will Lima be able to attest as to your reputation?"

"Yes."

I refilled my tea, using the time to think.

"Is Lara going to be angry with me if I accept your request?"

"Yes."

"Angry enough to go to war with you?"

"If you are killed, yes."

I stared into the tea cup. "I guess you need to prove your identity," I said finally.

"Not one word," she said, then she used the phone she'd been giving me to place a call. It rang twice, and then it answered, but there was no one on the other end. "Carissa," she said. Then she rattled off a lengthy list of numbers." When she was finished, there was a brief pause, then two beeps. I heard some clicking, and then I heard Greg Freund's voice, a voice I haven't heard since my trial two years ago.

"I apologize for waking you," Carissa told him. "It's a small manner, but exceedingly time sensitive."

"What is it, Carissa?"

"I am going to put you on speaker. I want you to state who I am."

"That's all?"

"Yes. Thank you." She pulled the phone from her ear and punched a button. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes," Greg said.

"Please will you state clearly what my name is and who I am?"

"You are Carissa, the vampire queen of New Orleans, which really means most of Louisiana and Mississippi."

"Of the North American vampires, where would you rank me in power and influence."

"Fourth or fifth."

"Of how many kings and queens."

"Twenty-two."

"Representing how many vampires total?" she asked.

"I don't have that information. Several thousand."

"And the number of vampires I command?"

"I do not have an exact number. Something over a hundred."

"I am powerful?"

"Exceedingly."

"Last question, Mr. Freund," she said. "Do you care to comment on my integrity?"

"Impeccable."

"Thank you, Mr. Freund. I presume you will keep this conversation private."

"Of course," he said.

"Mute it," I said very, very quietly.

"Mr. Freund, please hold for just one brief moment. I am going to mute you."

"Of course, Carissa."

She muted the call and looked at me. "Yes?"

"I want proof that is really Greg Freund. The next call is going to be to Elisabeth, and I believe you are going to tell her whom you are. Is that correct?"

"Yes."

"So if he knows I'm here, that's not letting out any information Elisabeth isn't going to have anyway."

"All right," she said. "Do not anger me, and not a word until I give permission."

I nodded, and she unmuted the call. "Mr. Freund, I have someone here who wants to confirm your identity. I need your assurance you will keep this phone call between us."

"Of course, Carissa."

She looked at me. "Go ahead."

"Hello, Greg," I said. "Do you recognize my voice?"

He was quiet for a moment. "Yes."

"Do you remember the last time we saw each other?"

"Yes."

"I whispered something to you before we parted. Do you remember what it was?"

Again he didn't answer immediately. "We're talking the very last time we saw each other?"

"Yes."

"You didn't say anything to me," he said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I can't imagine I wouldn't have said goodbye."

"Have you forgiven us yet?"

I looked at the vampire. "May I clarify some of his answers to you?"

"Yes. Mr. Freund, I will interrupt if I do not want you to answer."

"Greg, I am about to make a very important decision based on the answers you gave to Carissa. Carissa, will you give him permission to answer this one question as if he were working for Lara?"

"Answer honestly, Mr. Freund," Carissa said.

"Greg, did you overplay this person's position?"

"If anything, I underplayed it," he said. "There are more powerful vampires in North America, but none I an willing to work with."

I looked back at the vampire. "Will you indulge me for a moment?" She inclined her head once. I looked at the phone. "Greg, why did you do it?"

"It was the only way to get you home, Michaela. I was operating in your best interests the entire time."

"It felt like betrayal."

"I know it did. You figured out there were politics involved. I don't know how much more I can say."

"I'm sorry it took me so long to figure it out. I'm still a little bitter, but I think I forgave you a long time ago. I should have told you."

"Wendy too?"

"And Brooke and Daniel. Can you wait a few weeks before you tell them?"

"Of course."

"Thank you, Greg." I looked up. "I am convinced you are exactly who you said you are, Carissa."

"Thank you, Mr. Freund. I am sorry for waking you."

"Quite all right."

She terminated the call and looked at me.

"Did you need to think about it before we call your alpha?"

"We're calling Elisabeth. No, I do not need to think about it."

"You will call her, identify yourself, and then give me the phone. I will place the call on speaker. You will not answer any questions without my permission. You will not share any information I do not approve."

"I understand."

"But do you agree?"

"Yes, Carissa."

"You can tell me 'no'. You'll forget all this and wake up at home, safe and sound. I will not hold it against you."

I didn't say anything but simply held out my hand. She placed the phone in it, and I called Elisabeth.

"Michaela?"

"Yes. I am giving the phone to the vampire."

I handed the phone back. She put it on speaker and set it down. "I am speaking with Elisabeth Burns?" she asked.

"Yes." Elisabeth's voice was clipped.

"Are you alone?"

"No."

"Michaela is unhurt. She is sitting in my home, currently drinking from a cup of tea," the vampire explained. "I have apologized for how this meeting came to happen. An underling was overzealous. She and I have agreed to put that behind us. I do not wish a dispute with the Madison pack, and I will offer modest reparations if you feel they are necessary."

"If she is returned to us undamaged, then the only reparations required are any she negotiates with you. Are her memories currently intact?"

"Yes."

"Then we require her to inform us of any reparations before you cloud her mind."

She looked at me. "Are you asking for reparations, Michaela?"

"No," I said. "May I say more?"

"Do not anger me."

"I would prefer there be good will between us," I said. "Maybe you consider that a reparation. I do not."

"Nor do I," she said. The vampire paused. "May I call you Elisabeth?" she asked.

"Yes," said Elisabeth.

"Then perhaps you will call me Carissa."

Elisabeth was quiet for a moment. "I know that name."

"I have convinced Michaela of my identity, but I do not wish her to explain the nature of my proof. Michaela, are you satisfied?"

"Yes," I said.

"Elisabeth, do you know who I am?"

"The queen of New Orleans."

"Precisely."

"You do not have a reputation for kidnapping."

"A mistake for which I have apologized, as we've already discussed."

I lifted my hand. Carissa looked at me and nodded.

"Elisabeth, I am inclined to accept her apology. I do not believe there is benefit from dwelling on it."

"It is not like you to forgive so easily, Michaela."

I looked at the vampire, who nodded.

"There is a bigger picture, and she has been gracious."

"Are you absolutely sure she is who she claims to be?"

The vampire nodded.

"Yes, Elisabeth. I am."

"Elisabeth," Carissa said, "I am going to ask Michaela to remain silent now. I have a question for you. Is there value to your pack for me to feel exceedingly beholden to you?"

"May I discuss this with my alpha?"

"Of course. Do we need to call you back?"

"No, if you do not mind if we mute the call for a moment."

"We will mute our side as well." And she did just that before looking at me. "Are you going to help me?"

"Right now, they're trying to figure out what you're up to, and they're going to try to find a way to guide me. The only thing Lara is thinking about is getting me back. They'll say anything to make that happen."

I drank from my tea, watching the vampire carefully.

"Carissa?" came Elisabeth's voice from the phone. The vampire unmuted our end and said, "Yes, Elisabeth."

"We want our pack member back."

"I have asked her to perform a favor for me. She has not given her answer yet. If she performs this favor for me, I will be exceedingly grateful. I believe she is waiting to hear what her mate has to say about that."

"I have stepped out of the house," Elisabeth said. "How much risk is there to her?"

"Some. I believe she will be successful."

"Lara will never agree."

"It is not Lara who must agree," Carissa said. "It is Michaela."

"Can she hear me?"

"Yes."

"Michaela, come home."

The vampire looked at me. I remained quiet.

"Elisabeth, will you answer my question? Is there value in my gratitude?"

"Yes."

"Would you care to quantify your answer?" Carissa asked. "I will tell you this. If Michaela agrees to attempt to assist me, but later determines the risk is too high, I would still be grateful for her attempt. Of course, the depth of gratitude would be much greater if she is successful."

"And if she gets herself killed, what do I tell my sister?"

"I believe that likelihood is slight, much smaller than the risk she suffered in some of her other adventures."

"She's been through enough and deserves a quiet life, Carissa."

"Women like Michaela do not live quiet lives, Elisabeth."

"Will you allow her to speak?"

The vampire nodded to me.

"Elisabeth, please answer her question," I said.

"Carissa, are we suggesting the Madison weres would become subservient to the Queen of New Orleans?"

"Absolutely not," Carissa said. "I have no designs on your pack's independence. However, I can be a powerful ally and a very good friend."

"And a fearsome foe?"

"That would only happen if Michaela were to betray me. I do not believe it is in her nature to do so."

"No," Elisabeth said. "It is not. Michaela, you already know the answer to Carissa's question."

I lifted a hand, and the vampire nodded.

"There is risk, Elisabeth. I believe I can manage it, and there are reasons beyond gain to the pack involved."

"No more than that, Michaela," the vampire said.

"Lara will never approve, Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Come home."

"Elisabeth," Carissa said, "We will call you back again. I do not believe it will be very long."

She hung up before Elisabeth could respond, then she looked at me.

"How would I find her?"

"We will share blood. I can find anyone with whom I have shared blood, although the ability fades over time."

"How will that help me?"

"I can share the ability with you. It will last for several weeks, if I take a sufficient amount of your blood, and you consume enough of mine."

"Enough to be dangerous to me?"

"As I said, about a cup of your blood."

"Will I become, I don't know. Your thrall?"

"For a while, yes."

"That's how you're going to convince Lara, isn't it?"

"Yes. I will be able to call you to me, probably for several months, and it is quite compelling. If she prevents you returning to me, it will probably drive you insane."

"Why don't you call your friend?"

"She is Fae. She broke the blood bond. You will not be able to do so. It will fade over time."

"I have your word you will not use the bond in ways we have not discussed?"

"Yes."

"If I attempt this, and I deem I am unable to complete it, you will let me return home to my mate?"

"Yes."

"Will the thrall prevent me from making that choice?"

"You will be deeply motivated to help me, but not foolishly so. You will retain all your intellect and abilities, and some of them will be somewhat enhanced. You will find it exceedingly difficult to disobey me, but I will give you no orders beyond the secrecy you have already promised me."

"You are asking me to trust you a great deal."

"I am also offering to trust you a great deal."

"Is what you are offering me worth how angry Lara is going to be with me?"

"I am more powerful than Lima Consulting, and I protect my friends quite fiercely. I would have, for instance, freed you from your captors in Iowa City and not have considered this debt paid. And Michaela, I will live for a very, very long time. The debt is not to you. It is to your pack. Your babies."

"You know a great deal," I observed.

"In all fairness, everyone in North America knows what happened in Iowa City."

"I hope that excludes the humans."

She smiled. "Of course."

I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"You are weary," she observed. "Do you wish to sleep on your decision?"

"You may have my decision now," I said. "But I would like to clean up after I give it, and I will need sleep before I can do anything else."

"You are going to help me?"

"I am going to try."

She was quiet for a moment before saying in a very soft voice. "Thank you."

I opened my eyes. "Now what?"

"We must share blood."

"May I shower first?"

"Of course. Do you know the way, or do you wish me to lead you?"

"You would trust me?"

"Yes. Do you wish fresh clothes?"

"Will you send me home?"

"I will invite your security detail here."

"These clothes will do, then. Will you also want to enthrall them?"

"No, only you."

"You promise it wears off?"

"Over time."

"Is it going to push aside my feelings for anyone else?"

"No. My permanent thralls have perfectly normal relationships. You will feel no differently towards your mate. You will, however, love me as well. It is not necessarily romantic love. I find it odd you ask these questions after already giving me your answer."

"May I go?"

"Yes. Do you require food or anything else?"

"I need sleep more, and a light meal when I wake."

She nodded. "It is nearly four AM."

"I guess I should hurry." I climbed to my feet, weary and nervous. I pointed towards the door, and she nodded.

This was all very surreal, I decided. I found the bathroom, turned on the water, and stepped out of the borrowed clothes. I made sure I would have everything I would need and stepped into the shower.

I was efficient, but I spent the time wondering whether I was making the right choice. I would rather have Lara's willing cooperation. I wondered what the long term price was going to be.

But I believed Carissa, and Greg had sounded like he trusted her and respected her. It sounded like Elisabeth respected her as well.

I finished by washing my hair, finally turning off the water and drying off. I found a hair dryer and brush in the vanity and spent time brushing and drying my hair. I didn't get it fully dry, but it was dry enough. I dressed in the borrowed clothes and retraced my route.

Carissa was waiting for me when I stepped into the room.

"I have one fear," I said.

"Do you care to share it?"

"I worry about Lara's long term reaction and the effect it will have on my future independence."

"Do you want to talk to her before we share blood?"

"She's going to try to talk me out of helping you."

"She might surprise you."

"How much can I tell her?"

"If you let me talk to her first, you may tell her anything you want."

"I'd like to talk to her then."

She held out the phone. "Call her."

I closed the distance and took the phone from her. I dialed Elisabeth's number, and she answered before the second ring.

"It's Michaela," I said. "How is everyone there?"

"Worried."

"I need to talk to Lara."

"Are you going to break her heart, Michaela?"

"Of course not. Let me talk to her, Elisabeth."

There was a pause, and then Lara's voice. "Little Fox, are you coming home?"

"Lara, I need you to talk to Carissa, and then you and I are going to talk for a while."

I didn't wait for a response, but handed the phone to Carissa.

"Alpha," Carissa said.

"Queen Carissa," Lara replied.

"I don't use that title," she said. "Just Carissa is fine. Your mate is about to share some of my secrets with you. I need to know with whom you will share these secrets."

"My head enforcer and Michaela's head of security," Lara said.

"Then I will require the three of you to hold these secrets in the strictest confidence. If you violate my trust, I will be exceedingly angry."

"And if you hurt my mate, we will be exceedingly angry."

"I wish no dispute with you, Alpha," she said. "I only wish a promise you will not divulge my secrets. I am giving you an opportunity to reverse the decision your mate already made. If you do not wish to offer this promise, we will hang up, and I will hold your mate to the agreement she already made with me."

"We will protect your secrets, Carissa," Lara said, but I could hear the anger in her voice.

"Thank you, Alpha," Carissa replied. "Here is your mate." She immediately handed me the phone.

"Lara, please calm down," I said immediately. I moved away from the vampire, sitting down at a different chair.

"What have you done, Michaela?"

"Lara, she's asked us for our help. I believe we have to at least try. Do you trust me?"

She was quiet for a while. "It's hard, Michaela. All I can think about is protecting you."

"I know. There is risk, but there is a life at stake. I believe an important life. I want to help." I turned to the vampire. "Who will you allow to join me?"

"Whoever your alpha sends."

"She'll want to come herself."

"I presumed so."

"Did you hear all that, Lara?"

"Please don't do this, Michaela. Come home to me."

"I want to help, Lara. I need to know if you'll forgive me afterwards. I need to know if my life will be a cage afterwards."

"For a while, probably, but not permanently, and of course I'll forgive you."

"Kiss the babies for me. I'll talk to you soon."

"I love you, Michaela," she said. "I hope you're making the right choice."

"I love you, too." I hung up and walked back to the vampire, handing her the phone. I studied her. "Why did you let me do that?"

"Because you asked."

"Would you have enforced my agreement if she had changed my mind?"

"No."

"I didn't think she would agree."

"But she didn't, did she?" Carissa said. "She perhaps believes she can spirit you away once I set you loose. Michaela, I ask that you try. I do not ask that you trade your life for Deirdre's."

I nodded. "Is this going to hurt?"

"I can make it very pleasant, if you want."

"Where will you bite me?"

"I'm sorry. If I were simply feeding from you, I could take from your wrist, but for this, I must take from a source much closer to your heart."

I touched my neck, and she nodded.

"Here," I asked, gesturing to the sofa next to her, and she nodded.

I sat down slowly, stiffly.

"I need to hear you offer, Michaela," Carissa said. "I have made a request, but I am not compelling you."

"Carissa, I cannot promise to free your Fae, but I am willing to try. I accept the conditions we have discussed."

I was sitting stiffly on the sofa next to her, not looking at her. She reached over and gently tugged my chin to face her. "Look into my eyes, Michaela," she said gently. "Stare into them and try not to fight me."

I closed my eyes for a moment then opened them and stared brazenly into her eyes. It took a moment, but then I felt a lassitude spread over me, and I no longer had any thought of looking away or changing my mind. I felt myself smile softly.

"You could have made me agree," I said.

"Yes," she agreed. "Does knowing that help you trust me further?"

It did, and I nodded, but never taking my eyes from hers.

She moved closer, pulling me into her arms, and I felt myself going willingly, then rotating across her lap, always staring into her eyes. After a moment, I was lying in her arms, my back in her lap, as Carissa leaned over me, still staring into my eyes.

And then she lowered her mouth to my neck, but still I stared straight ahead, and I could still see her eyes, even though she was bent over my neck.

I felt her fangs as they entered me, and I relaxed even further as the vampire drank from me. It didn't hurt. It felt... nice. Right. Part of me was puzzled, but most of me simply accepted what she was doing.

She drank slowly, and the entire time I lay quietly in her arms. And the entire time I could see her eyes and feel her thoughts amongst mine.

And then I felt her fangs withdraw.

"If I heal it," she said into my mind, "it leaves a little scar. Do you want to shift to heal it?"

I felt myself smile, not answering her, but I concentrated briefly and felt the wound heal. She sucked at my neck a moment longer, then lifted her head, and we smiled at each other.

"You are full of surprises," she said gently. "Thank you, Michaela."

"I haven't done anything yet," I said.

"You have gifted me with a portion of your life force," she replied. "You will replenish it, but you help me to live."

"Then you are welcome." I smiled, staring into her eyes, still entranced.

"If you have not changed your mind," she said, "you must drink from me."

"Then I shall."

She held one hand in front of me, and I saw her fingernails extend into sharp claws. She turned them around and plunged them into her own neck. The blood didn't spurt out, but it began to bubble. She lifted me mouth to the wound, and in my head she ordered, "Drink."

It was odd, but I was helpless to obey. I attached my mouth to her neck and began to suck and lap at the wound.

"Yes," she said. "Drink, Michaela."

And I did.

I felt warmth spread throughout my body, and my senses came even more alive.

And I felt Carissa in my mind, more deeply than before. And then, slowly, I felt another. And somehow I knew that was Deirdre. I couldn't hear her thoughts the way I could Carissa's, but I could sense where she was, far to the east, far towards the rising sun.

And still Carissa ordered me to drink.

I clutched at her, becoming hungry for her blood. I moaned with the need.

"Yes," she said. "Drink, Michaela."

And I drank.

"Very good," she said, still in my mind. "Sleep, my pet."

And I slept.

 **Part Two**

 **Awakening**

"Wake up, Little Fox."

I stretched, smiled, and opened my eyes to see Lara sitting on the bed beside me.

"You came," I said.

"Foolish little fox," she said.

"Are you angry with me, Lara?"

"I wish you hadn't done it. Did you really drink from her?"

"Don't be jealous."

Lara gathered me into her arms, hugging me tightly. "Do you still love me?" she whispered.

"Oh honey, yes," I said.

"But now you love her, too?"

I thought about it. I could feel Carissa inside me, and the thought pleased me.

"Yes, but not the same," I said. "Do not be jealous."

"I am, a little," she said. "I know what it means for you to have drunk from her."

"Tell me," I said.

"You belong to her. You will obey her more than you have ever obeyed me. I am not happy about this."

"You're jealous of that!"

"Yes, and I wish you hadn't done this, little fox."

I pushed away. "We have to help."

"We do now," she replied.

"You didn't even try to talk me out of it, Lara."

"No, I didn't. Your instincts are usually good."

I pulled her to me, holding onto her fiercely. We held each other for a while, then suddenly I felt Carissa calling me.

"I'm sorry," I said, climbing from bed. "She is calling me."

"Stay with me," Lara said, clasping my hands

But Carissa was calling me.

"No," I said. "I have to go to her."

"Stay with me, Little Fox. Resist her."

"No!" I said, struggling. "Let me go, Lara. She's calling me!"

Instead, Lara tried to pull me more tightly to her, but Carissa was calling, and I fought my mate, struggling with her. "Lara, please, she is calling me. I have to go to her. Please let me go."

And then the call grew more insistent, and it started to hurt.

"Lara, please," I whimpered. "It hurts. I have to go to her."

I continued to struggle, and then Lara released me.

"I'm sorry," I said. I fled the room, and somehow I knew exactly where I needed to go. I ran through the corridors, Lara chasing after me. Twice, she caught me, and I struggled and fought with her, and she released me.

And then I was with her, with Carissa, and I crossed the room to her.

"Kneel, Michaela," she ordered, and I knelt in front of her, my head bowed, waiting for my next order.

Lara arrived a moment later. She came to a stop. I could hear her behind me. But still I waited for Carissa.

"This is wrong," Lara said to her.

"You needed to know," Carissa said. "She agreed to help me, and she agreed to this. She has agreed to try. If she returns to me and tells me she is unable to help, I will release her."

"You will order her to see to her safety, Carissa," Lara said.

"Yes," she said. Carissa reached out with a hand and lifted my face towards hers. "Michaela, you agreed to try."

"Yes, Carissa," I said.

She smiled, and I was filled with happiness.

"You will take no undue risks. If you cannot do this, you will return to me and tell me."

"I want to help," I said.

"I know you do," she replied. "But I would be a poor friend if I let you throw your life away. And so you must see to your safety. You'll do that for me, won't you?"

"Yes, Carissa."

"Good." She caressed my cheek, and it sent a wave of pleasure through me.

"Alpha," my mistress said, "I know the thrall angers you, but it was necessary."

"Why?" Lara asked her, and I could hear her anger. She shouldn't take that tone with Carissa.

"Several reasons. Will you listen to them?"

Lara crossed the room to stand next to me. "Michaela, get up."

I didn't move. I kept my head bowed, waiting for my mistress to order me.

Lara began growling. Carissa did nothing, but Lara's anger pierced through to me, a little.

"Lara," I whispered. "Please don't."

"Get up," she said.

It was difficult. My mistress had called me, and I still felt the call, but my mate needed me. I reached out a hand to Lara. She gave me her hand and would have pulled me to my feet, but I pulled her hand to my chest and held it tightly to me, still not rising.

"Lara," Carissa said gently, "the effect she is currently feeling will fade, partly with distance from me but even more as my call wears off. The fact that she can even acknowledge you right now speaks to her strength, but you are causing her stress."

"Why was this necessary," Lara asked.

"You must hear all the reasons before you respond, Alpha," Carissa replied. "Will you listen, for your mate's sake."

"I will listen," she said. She moved closer to me until we were touching. "But you will vow this is not permanent."

"It is not," Carissa said. "First, the reason you will dislike the most. We both know as soon as you got her away from me, you would return her to Wisconsin. Now, you must at least allow her to try to help me."

Lara didn't say anything, but I could hear her heart pounding, the blood moving through her veins.

I heard as she blinked.

"Next, a reason you may not care for. Your mate accepted the thrall willingly, with full knowledge. I honestly answered every question she asked. I did so in a display of my trust, and in accepting the thrall, she offered me a great deal of trust. Even if she is unable to help, I will be very grateful. Furthermore, this allows me to trust all of you in a situation where trust is difficult. I feel free to treat you with complete honesty and believe you are doing the same. I know that for the duration of the thrall, she will not betray me, and the fact that she accepted it with full knowledge tells me she is someone I can trust even without the thrall. I extend that trust to you and the enforcers you brought with you. Her acceptance made all this possible."

"You should not have asked her to do this for you."

"I am desperate. But I asked, not forced her. I am deeply sorry for how this meeting came about, but I offered no threats other than those necessary to protect my secrets. She offered to help because she wanted to, not because she felt pressured to do so."

"That is her nature," Lara said. "Foolhardy with her own safety."

"I do not agree with your assessment. You are blinded by her weaknesses."

They were silent for a moment. "Were there other reasons?"

"Yes, and these you will appreciate. This was the only way I could share the ability to sense Deirdre. For that reason alone, it is necessary. Would you agree?"

"There are other ways-"

"I do not believe there are," Carissa said. "Deirdre is unlikely to look like any photographs I have of her. She is fae and quite capable of disguising her appearance. She is also quite capable of hiding her supernatural aspect. Michaela will not be fooled. I believe on this issue, if none other, you must agree my information is far more accurate than yours."

"Fine," said Lara.

"The thrall gives her some protection from others of my kind," Carissa explained. "She will have some ability to detect us where before she could not. It is not great, but it may help. More importantly, while she is enthralled to me, she cannot be enthralled by any other vampire without killing me first. My maker could have taken her from me, but he was destroyed over two hundred years ago."

Carissa allowed Lara to consider that, and after a moment, Lara asked, "Anything else?"

"Yes. The thrall strengthens her. Her senses are all sharper. She is stronger, with greater endurance, and her already impressive reaction times are even enhanced."

"Her mind is her greatest weapon," Lara said. "And like this, it is like she is mindless."

"In that regard, she will be back to normal by the time you land in North Carolina. I have probably interfered with your relationship for a day or two, but even in that, she will be back to normal tomorrow or the day after."

"Until you call her again."

"If you support her in this task for me, I will not do so."

"And so you coerce my pack."

"You made very little effort to dissuade her from helping me, Alpha. Were you going to coerce her to forsake me?"

The room was quiet for several moments. I listened to Lara. I heard her blink. I heard her as she clenched and unclenched her hand, the one I wasn't holding.

I heard nothing from my mistress. She remained utterly silent, except when she moved, but when she had been talking, I heard her take air into her lungs, are she didn't need to breath, but needed for speech.

I could hear other heartbeats. I listened carefully, and I recognized Elisabeth, Serena, and Karen. The sounds were faint, muffled, coming from somewhere to my right.

And even fainter, I heard the sounds of the city, well above us.

"Alpha," said Carissa finally. "Take her to North Carolina. Scout the location. And then call me. If she cannot do this, you may take her home. But I have faith in her. Cannot you share that faith with me?"

Lara clenched her hand again, and I felt her nearly trembling beside me.

"She will follow your orders?" Lara asked.

"To the best of her abilities."

"Then I want you to order her to obey me, Elisabeth and Serena."

"She won't thank you for that."

"No, she won't."

"Step away from her for a moment. Michaela, release your mate."

I immediately released Lara's hand, and she stepped away. Carissa stepped closer and placed a hand on my cheek, and I was filled with love.

"Lara, I will not make this a permanent order. I would not do that to her."

"Until this is over."

"Until you return to Wisconsin."

"Yes."

"Michaela," Carissa said, lifting my face to gaze into hers. She was smiling, and I returned her smile. "From now until you return to Wisconsin, you will follow the orders of Lara, Elisabeth and Serena, excepting when those orders violate orders from me or seek to prevent you from answering my call. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Carissa."

She caressed my cheek. "Stand up, Michaela."

I rose immediately, fluidly, my eyes never leaving Carissa's.

"I am in your debt," she said to me. "I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Whether you are able to help me or not, I wish us to be friends."

My smile broadened. My mistress wanted us to be friends.

She continued to look into my eyes, but she spoke to Lara. "Alpha, I would counsel you to issue orders very carefully. Her ability to distinguish between orders and requests or suggestions may be somewhat limited. She is likely to take you very literally, and if you are careless, you risk stealing her will from her when she needs to be free to use her judgment."

"Please order her to see to her own safety ahead of any orders from us. Will that help?"

It may. Carissa rubbed a finger against my cheek, tightening my focus on her. "Michaela, did you hear what your alpha has requested?"

"Yes, Carissa."

"Do you understand what she wants?"

"She wants me safe more than she wants me to obey her."

"You will remember that."

"Yes, Mistress," I replied.

"I want you safe more than obeying her orders as well."

"I understand, Mistress."

She caressed me again, filling me with pleasure.

"Michaela, do you understand why you feel the way you do right now?"

"Yes, Mistress. It is the blood thrall. But I wanted to help you even before we shared blood. I want to meet your fae."

"Is that why you agreed to this, Michaela?" Lara asked.

Her words cut into me, distracting me from my mistress.

"Answer my question, Michaela," Lara said, making her question into an order.

"Partly," I said. "She promised to protect our babies, and she implied our babies' babies, and perhaps even the babies after them."

My mistress looked away, and I knew she was looking at my mate. "I have a very, very long memory, Alpha," she said. "Are you still angry with her?"

"No," Lara said.

Carissa's gaze returned to me, and I felt pleasure from her smile. "It is time for you to go with your mate," she said. "Go to her now."

Immediately I turned away, pleased to be able to obey. I turned to Lara and went straight to her. She wrapped her arms around me, pulling me tightly to her. I hesitated for a moment, then wrapped my arms around Lara.

"Her mind will be a fog for several more hours," Carissa said. "After that, she will be largely back to normal, but I would trust her judgment only cautiously for the next twelve hours."

"I was given to believe time is of the essence."

"It is, but caution is of greater essence. You may want to let her sleep. She did not tell me of events from last night, but I was given to understand she had already been under some stress. She is resilient, but mortal bodies can absorb only so much without rest."

I felt Lara nod.

"We may go?" Lara asked.

"Yes. Thank you, Alpha."

"Do not thank me," Lara said. "I'm not doing any of this for you." Lara released me then lifted my face to here. "Can you answer me, Michaela?"

"Yes, Lara," I said. But then I looked over my shoulder to Carissa.

"Go with your mate now," she ordered. "Thank you, Michaela."

I turned back to Lara and let her draw me away, pleased to follow her. She held me with an arm around my back, and we passed through two rooms and a short corridor before arriving at Carissa's sitting room. Elisabeth, Serena and Karen jumped to their feet as we arrived.

"Little Fox," said Elisabeth. "You have been naughty."

"Leave her alone," Lara said. "She's not herself right now."

Elisabeth crossed the room to stand in front of me. I looked at her blindly, then turned my head to watch Lara. I didn't say anything.

"Is she all right?"

"She will be," Lara said. "For now, be careful of any orders you give her. I'll explain once we get out of here. Elisabeth, you're in charge."

"Karen, you're on point," Elisabeth said immediately. "Serena, you have Michaela."

I didn't take my eyes from Lara, but I heard Serena as she stepped to my other side, taking my arm.

"Do what Serena says, Michaela," Lara said.

"My mistress told me to go with you," I said.

"We're all going together," Lara said. "Do you understand?"

"Yes, Lara."

"Stay with Serena," she said. "Let her protect you."

"Yes, Lara," I said again.

"What the hell?" asked Elisabeth.

"Later," Lara said. "Get us out of here."

"Let's go, Karen," Elisabeth said.

Karen headed to the door, and Serena tugged on my arm. I went complacently where she pulled me, my mind a fog. Carissa told me to go with Lara. Carissa told me to obey Lara, Elisabeth and Serena. I would go. I would obey.

It was the same plane I had taken last night. Karen searched the airplane while Serena and I waited in the car. I kept my gaze on Serena. Lara had told me to obey Serena and to stay with her, so I watched her carefully.

Then Elisabeth opened the door. She reached for me, but I shied away, clutching Serena.

"Go with Elisabeth," Serena said.

And so, of course, I did, moving into her arms. She drew me from the car, and then Serena was at my side. She grabbed my arm and tried to pull me from Elisabeth, but she had told me to go with Elisabeth, and Elisabeth wasn't moving. I clung to Elisabeth, resisting Serena's tug on my arm.

"Michaela," Serena said. "Come with me."

"Yes, Serena," I said, immediately releasing Elisabeth and returning my focus to Serena. She pulled me to the aircraft. We climbed the short stairs, and I got my first look at the interior.

It was very plush, although I noticed Serena had to duck her head. I remembered other aircraft where the wolves had to duck.

Serena drew me into the cabin.

There were six seats waiting for us, just like the last airplane of this size I had ridden in. I knew Serena would order me into the first seat, and so I reached with my hand and set my fingers over her lips.

She turned to me.

"Please don't make me sit alone."

"Are you able to pick where you want us to sit?" she asked kindly. She began walking backwards down the center of the aisle, drawing me after her, holding only my hands. We reached the cluster of four seats, two facing forward, two facing aft.

I tried to answer her question, but my thoughts were muddled. I was supposed to go with her. It was difficult to think.

"Michaela," Serena said gently. "We must sit now. Tell me which seat you want."

I pointed to the aft-facing seat on the left side of the airplane.

"Sit there, Michaela," she said. I turned to the seat and immediately sat down, then sat watching her.

"Buckle your seat belt," she ordered, and so I did, buckling it around me, but not tightening it.

"Michaela," Serena said, "Tighten the seat belt properly the way you know how."

That helped, and I snugged the seat belt, then looked back at her, waiting for my next order.

"Michaela," Serena said, "Tell me where you want me to sit."

I pointed to the seat directly in front of me.

"All right," she said. "Tell me where you want Lara to sit."

That was harder. I began to struggle, and I felt a tear slide from my eye.

"Michaela, stop," Serena said. She crouched down immediately in front of me. "Tell me what is wrong."

"Lara is alpha."

"Yes, she is."

"Elisabeth gets sick if she faces backwards."

"Michaela, tell me where you want Lara to sit. If she doesn't like your choice, she knows she can make changes."

I pointed to the seat next to me. Lara and I could hold hands.

"Why did you pick this seat?" Serena asked.

"I wanted to hold Lara's hand, but Elisabeth gets sick if she faces backwards."

"I am going to ask you a few more questions. If it is difficult for you to answer, you will tell me."

"Yes, Serena," I said. That was an easy order.

"Are there other things you want?"

"Yes."

"Are you able to tell me about them?"

"I want to help my mistress."

Her face clouded, and then she nodded.

"Anything else?"

"I want Lara to kiss me. I want all of you to touch me. If Lara orders me to sleep, I want to be surrounded by all of you. I want to know if Angel and Scarlett are okay. I want to know if my babies are okay. I want you to forgive me. I want Lara and Elisabeth to forgive me. I want to know why Lara made Carissa order me to obey her, you and Elisabeth, but not Karen. I want to be safe. I want my babies to be safe."

"That's enough," Serena said. "Is there anything you really want to tell me right now?"

"I'm so sorry, Serena."

"Oh honey," she said. And then she enveloped me her arms, kneeling on the floor of the aircraft. I leaned into her and wrapped my arms around her. She held me for a moment then said, "I want to talk to Lara for a moment, then I will come back and answer your questions, and we'll hold you. All right?"

"Yes, Serena," I said.

"Will you be okay for a few minutes?"

"Yes, Serena."

"I want you to do your best not to listen. Can you do that?"

"No. I can hear everything."

She leaned away from me. "What do you mean?"

"Everything. And I can smell you. You smell different. Will you tell me why you smell different?"

"You are smelling my worry," she said.

She caressed my cheek, and that felt nice.

"I am going to talk to Lara and then I will be right back. You will be safe."

"I know."

She stood up, but I clutched at her hands. She squeezed them gently, and then she stepped away. "Stay here," she ordered.

And so I stayed.

I heard her step out of the cabin. I heard her descend the steps. I heard as her shoes compressed slightly with each step. I heard Elisabeth, Lara and Karen talking quietly about me. I heard them breathing, and their hearts beating. I heard a family of birds in the rafters of the hangar. I heard other aircraft taking off and landing. I heard the wind, and the voices of the ground crew directing the airplanes. I heard metallic clangs and the sounds of fuel being poured into aircraft fuel tanks.

I heard Lara shift towards Serena as my enforcer joined the discussion.

I heard every word as Serena relayed our exchange.

"We need to be careful with her," Lara said. "We're just waiting for the food and drinks to arrive. There is some delay, but I'm assured it will only be another few minutes. She doesn't eat much at a time, but she eats often, and we need to get something inside her."

"And into us," Elisabeth said. "This stress is difficult for all of us."

"Alpha," Karen asked. "Haven't I earned your trust yet?"

"What?"

"There is a skill you have not taught me," Karen said. "And now she is to follow everyone's orders but mine. If you do not trust me, please tell me why not."

"Karen, I trust you. Will you let me explain to both you and Michaela at the same time?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"As for the skill you mentioned-"

"I have vowed I would do nothing to disrupt the pack hierarchy," Karen said. "How can you trust me to guard your children while you believe I would break my vow?"

"Karen," Lara said, "At first, that was it exactly. That has not been a factor from some time. What you do not know is how the skill is taught. You do not have the same sort of relationship with the person who would teach you that skill as do the others who have been taught, and it is difficult for me to think of anyone else being taught in that fashion. I do not wish to speak more plainly until we are back in territory we control."

"This is not an issue of trust?"

"No."

"Alpha," Elisabeth said, "I believe the pack would be stronger if Karen were to learn this skill."

"Now is not the time to resolve this," Lara said. "Karen, if we teach you, we must also teach Rory and Eric."

"They are loyal."

"I am not willing to teach Portia at this time," Lara said.

"Oh," said Karen. "Of course." She paused. "We can discuss this again when we are home?"

"Yes," Lara said.

"Thank you, Alpha. This has preyed on me. I apologize for my timing."

"The two issues were related." I heard Lara turn direction again. "Go to her. Answer the questions you can. We'll be in shortly."

"Yes, Alpha," Serena said.

I heard her shoes squeak on the floor as she turned. I heard her take a deep breath before stepping forward. A few moments later, and Serena stepped past me to kneel in front of me.

"Did you hear all of that?"

I nodded. I reached for her hands, and she gave them to me.

"Everyone is fine," Serena told me. "The compound is on lockdown. Emanuel and Kaylee have moved into your house along with Angel, Francesca and Gia. They are watching over your babies. Angel and Scarlett were unhurt. A couple of the kids heard Scarlett's howls, and Emanuel and I arrived as quickly as we could, but you were long gone, and we couldn't even track you. Everyone was very scared for you, but no one was in trouble."

I pulled her closer, and she knelt between my knees. I leaned forward and rested my head on her shoulder.

"I talked to Elisabeth and Lara about the events at the restaurant. While Lara clearly would rather you had gotten into the car the way I had ordered you, she and Elisabeth admit you acted like an alpha should. We will be discussing this again when you are yourself, but neither your nor I are in trouble."

After that, she was quiet, offering me the comfort of her presence. I lost track of the time, but then I heard a small vehicle approach the building we were in. Doors slammed, and I listened as someone struggled with a load a little too heavy for him. Two minutes later, Elisabeth entered the cabin, and from the sounds, I knew she carried a cooler of supplies. I heard her set it down, open it, then dig through it. A moment later she was at my side, and Serena leaned away from me.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said, "Look at me."

I turned my head to look into her eyes.

"Are you able to answer my questions?"

"I don't know."

"Tell me if you cannot," she said.

"Yes, Elisabeth," I agreed.

"Are you hungry?"

I considered. "I should eat."

"I have a sandwich and water for you, but there are also soft drinks and some fruit. Are you able to express a preference?"

I stared at her, not answering.

"Give them to me," Serena said quietly. "I'll take care of her."

Elisabeth handed Serena the food and bottle of water then turned around and began walking to the front of the aircraft to stow the cooler. I turned in my seat, trying to watch her. She had ordered me to watch her.

"Michaela," Serena said, "You may stop watching Elisabeth."

It wasn't an order, and so I continued to look at Elisabeth. Serena waited a moment and then said, "Michaela, sit properly in your seat facing me."

That was an order, and I immediately turned to her, sitting carefully in my seat with my hands folded in my lap.

"Michaela," she said gently, "All orders of where you must look have ended. You will disregard them now, as they have ended."

But she had ordered me to sit properly, and so still I sat facing her, sitting properly.

"Michaela," she said gently, "tell me what orders you continue to follow."

"Obey Lara, Elisabeth and Serena. Go with Lara. Go with Serena. Tell if I can't answer a question. Sit here. Sit properly."

"You may now sit however you wish. Tell me what orders you continue to follow."

"Obey Lara, Elisabeth and Serena. Go with Lara. Go with Serena. Tell if I can't answer a question. Sit here."

"Very good," she said, and I felt pleasure at the praise.

Part of me knew this was wrong, but it didn't feel wrong. I understood normally I would be very angry at being forced to obey like this. But right then, I didn't care. It felt right. I knew what I was to do, and it felt good to do it.

"I am going to add an order," she said. "If there is something you need, you will tell me."

"Yes, Serena." I thought about it. "I need to eat something. I need you to touch me. I need Elisabeth and Lara to touch me."

"Oh honey," she said. She moved closer again, setting the sandwich in my lap and the bottle of water in a little cup holder molded into the panel to my left. She took my hands with one of hers and caressed my cheek.

"I need to talk to all of you before we take off," I said.

"Of course, honey," she said.

Elisabeth finished with the cooler and stepped back. She moved towards her seat, but Serena said, "Elisabeth, she needs us for a while."

Elisabeth turned around and moved to my side.

"Touch her," Serena said. "She needs comfort."

Elisabeth knelt down at my side, one hand moving to rest on my knee, her other settling on the back of my neck. I looked at her.

A moment later, Karen and Lara climbed into the aircraft. Lara spoke to the pilots, already waiting in the cockpit. Karen took one of the forward seats, and Lara stepped to the back, coming to a stop beside her sister.

"Lara," Serena said. "She needs touch. I think she needs affection from her mate. And she wants to talk to us. I think you should let me handle her orders for now. I seem to have worked them out. She is exceedingly literal right now."

"Shift, Sister," Lara said. Elisabeth moved to her left, the hand at the back of my neck moving to my arm, and then Lara was there, one hand on my shoulder, the other on my head. She leaned over and kissed the top of my head.

"Lara," Serena asked quietly, "I think she needs proper affection. That hardly counts. But be very careful with any orders."

"Michaela," Lara said. Then she used two fingers to lift my face, and her lips brushed mine, lightly first, then far more deeply.

In the back of my mind, I could feel Carissa, and I knew she could feel Lara kissing me. And she whispered to me, "She is your mate, Michaela. It is proper to love her. It is proper to enjoy her affection." And then I felt Carissa withdraw further from me.

I closed my eyes and enjoyed the kiss.

"Better?" Lara whispered when finally she withdrew. I nodded just once.

"Michaela," Serena said, "What did you need to talk to us about?"

I tipped my head to look at Serena. Lara stood up, but she kept her hands on me. I stared at Serena, unable to answer.

"Michaela, you will answer this question," Serena said. "Do you remember why you told me you needed to talk to us?"

"Yes," I said.

"You will continue to answer my questions," she ordered, "but if you are unable to, you will tell me."

"Yes, Serena."

"Do you need help to tell us what you needed to tell us?"

"I-" I couldn't answer. I tried several times before Serena told me to stop trying to answer.

But then I smiled.

"I need to eat," I said.

"Yes," she agreed.

"I need to drink."

"Yes. Do you need me to order you to eat and drink?"

"Yes," I said. "And I need you to order me to tell you what orders to give me."

I smiled triumphantly.

"Oh, you are brilliant, Michaela," Serena said. "Tell me how much you need to eat."

"I need to eat half this sandwich," I replied. "I will need more later."

"Very good," Serena replied. "Tell me if this is enough water."

"It is," I said.

"Tell me, do you need to eat first or tell us what orders to give you first?"

I smiled again. "I need to tell you the orders, and then I need to eat."

"All right, Michaela," Serena said. "Tell us what orders we must give you."

"I need Lara to order me to believe she loves me," I said. "I need you to order me to eat and drink the amount my body needs. After we take off and it is safe, I need you to order me to go to the bathroom, and then I need you to order me to sleep for at least several hours. I need you to order me to wake up." And then I looked up at Lara. "But after I finish sleeping, I need you to order me to think for myself."

Lara smiled broadly. She caressed my cheek and leaned closer to me. "Michaela, listen to me very carefully."

"Yes, Lara."

"Believe me with every fiber of your being. I love you from the deepest depths of my heart. I will never, ever stop loving you. I began loving you that day we met, and my love grows richer and deeper every day. You are magnificent, and absolutely no one could make me as happy as I am loving you."

"Oh Lara," I said, and I felt the tears begin to well in my eyes.

"Michaela," said Elisabeth. "Look at me."

Immediately I turned to face her.

"Alpha, may I?"

"Yes," Lara said.

"Michaela, believe me," Elisabeth said. "I love you, second only to my sister. I admire and cherish you, and I want you a part of my life forever and ever."

I put my hand over hers, the one that was on my knee, and I squeezed.

"Alpha, may I?" Serena asked.

"Yes," Lara replied.

"Michaela, look at me," Serena said. I turned to face her, and she said, "Believe me. You saved my two boys. My entire family loves you. My daughter cherishes you. I love you only behind my mate and my children. I am deeply, deeply proud to be your head of security. But importantly, I am proud to be your friend."

"Michaela," Lara said. "Look at me."

I turned to face her, the tears crawling down my cheeks.

"Believe me," she said. "Angel and Scarlett deeply love you. Francesca and Gia love you. Rory loves you. Nearly everyone in the pack deeply admires you. Most of your students love you. Our daughters love you in the way that daughters love their mothers. Believe this, Michaela."

And then I was crying.

I was loved.

 **Asheville**

"Wake up, Little Fox."

My eyes snapped open. From inches away, Lara was looking at me. She smiled. "You will think for yourself, Michaela."

I smiled. "Where are we?"

"A hotel in Asheville," she said. "It is early Sunday morning. Are you back with us?"

I thought about it. "Oh yes," I said. "I can feel her. And I can feel the orders you've given me."

"All the orders?"

"Yes." I reached a hand out for her. "Thank you for that, and thank you for allowing Elisabeth and Serena to say what they said."

"Are the orders causing you trouble?"

"No. I don't know how literal I am going to be."

"Will it help if I strengthen the order to think for yourself?"

"Perhaps you could order me to use my judgment in interpreting future orders."

"I don't know," she said, grinning. "I sort of like knowing you'll do what you're told."

I didn't answer her. I knew she was teasing me.

"Are you upset Carissa ordered you to obey me?"

"No, honey," I said. "As long as it's not permanent and you don't get too used to it."

"Michaela, in all future orders you receive from us while under Carissa's thrall, you will apply your judgment in interpreting the orders."

I felt that settle in.

"It feels so strange. My will is mostly my own, but not entirely. Yesterday it felt like I was drugged, but I can feel the compulsion to obey you." I grinned. "I think you should order me to tickle you."

She laughed.

"There are too many humans around to make you scream my name, Little Fox."

I looked away, suddenly sad.

"Tell me what is wrong," she ordered.

"I can feel Carissa. She can also feel me, Lara. If we make love, she will know."

"Look at me, Michaela."

I couldn't help but obey. I turned back to her.

"I want Carissa to know," she said. "But I do not want you to be upset."

"She told you the thrall would be a wedge between us," I said. "I refuse to allow that. But I am also deeply driven to begin what we came here to do."

"Well, then we will need to be quick," she said, closing the distance and kissing me. I rolled onto my back, pulling her with me, moaning into the kiss.

"Lara," I said when I could speak again. "You may order me to enjoy this."

She chuckled. "Oh, I believe I will order far more than that."

And she did.

Some time later, as I lay draped across Lara's chest, Carissa spoke in my mind. "All the love they shared with you yesterday is true, and you will believe forever. Do you need me to prod you from bed?"

"May I enjoy this for two more minutes, Carissa?" I thought.

"Of course, Michaela. Thank you for helping me."

And she faded into the background, but I could still feel her.

I sighed. "Lara, thank you."

"You are welcome, Little Fox."

"Did we make a plan last night?"

"Scouting today. Can you feel Deirdre?"

I concentrated for just a moment. "Yes. She is not close, but she is much closer than Carissa."

"Can you sense a direction?"

"Yes," I said. "And a feeling of distance, but not in a way I can measure or describe. The direction is vague, sort 'over there somewhere'."

"Today we go on feet," she said. "We have all your outdoor clothes."

I pushed away from her and sat up. "Lara, who is in charge?"

She paused. "You are the scout. I believe the best plan is for you to tell us what you believe is best."

"Then I believe I should shower, dry my hair, and get dressed. If you shower while I am drying my hair, then we can all assemble here and decide our plan for this morning. Can you call everyone else while I am in the shower?"

"Did you want to eat here?"

"Let's grab a snack for in the car and then see if we can find a diner somewhere. I want all of you to stock up. Lara, she's not close, and I want to know what we're up against."

"All right," she said. She started to say something then closed her mouth.

"What?"

"I was about to tell you to go shower, but it would have come out as an order, and I am trying not to do that."

"Thank you, Lara," I said. "I'll go shower and get ready."

Thirty minutes later, the five of us assembled in my room with Lara.

"Before we start," Lara said, "Michaela, you asked Serena a question yesterday I haven't answered."

"About Karen?"

"Yes. Did you still want to know?"

"Yes."

"You and Karen are our best scouts and the two most capable of planning whatever we need to do. I wanted to be sure you could have a conversation with Karen without orders to obey her interfering. Elisabeth, Serena and I must approve the plans, and we will certainly have things to say about them, but you are the expert at skulking. I do not believe wolf directness is the proper approach."

Karen smiled. I looked at her for a moment, then turned to Lara. "I heard the conversation before we left New Orleans."

"I thought you might," she replied.

"It is possible our chances of success go up if we finish that conversation right now."

Lara didn't answer, so I added, "If that is too much for you, then we'll deal with it in the future."

"My jealousy will need to a take back seat to your safety, and I think you're right."

"Is that permission?" I asked.

"Yes."

"What will we tell the council?"

"Expediency." She turned to Karen. "Please tell me you do not intend to challenge anyone on the council."

"I hate politics," Karen said. "I don't want those headaches. If you ever ask me to join the council and tell me who you want me to remove, I will do so, but I hope you never ask."

"Karen, this is a pack secret," Lara said. "Even if you leave the pack, you can never tell anyone how we taught you."

"I promise."

"If you are ever in a position where you are forced to tell, the answer is that Lara taught you," Elisabeth said. "She figured it out after seeing Michaela do it, and it took two years before she figured out how to teach the rest of us. But the better answer is to never get asked and to refuse to answer if asked."

"I understand," Karen said. "Thank you for trusting me."

"All right," I said. "Karen, strip."

She didn't even wait. She slipped out of her clothes, laying them out on the bed. I stripped with her then told her to kneel on the floor. I placed myself over her, my front against her back, making as much skin contact as possible.

"All right," I said. "Relax and let whatever happens happen." I felt for Karen's wolf. It was elusive, very elusive, but I tried to pull her into a shift with me. Soon, I was a fox, lying across her back, but she was still human. I shifted back to human instantly. "Did you feel anything?"

"I felt you turn into a fox," she said. She paused. "It felt weird."

It took me four more tries, but then I had a firm hold of her wolf, and I drew her into her fur. It took another two tries before I brought her back to human.

"That is so weird!" she said. "Is that it?"

"A few more times," I said. "I'll go faster once I can draw you with me reliably."

I took her slowly back and forth a few times, then sped it up, with the last few shifts instant. We ended as human, and I pulled myself away from her.

"Could you feel it?" I asked.

She shimmered, and then she was a wolf. She looked up at me and offered a wolfy grin, then shifted back into human.

"Oh wow," she said. She began to grin.

"Do it a few more times," I suggested.

"I really need to eat," she said. "How do you do that so many times? Aren't you starving?"

I shrugged. "I don't seem to be able to teach that," I said. "Everyone says it takes just as much energy, but for me, shifting takes very little energy. But I admit, I'm hungry."

Lara hadn't said anything, but when I looked over at her, I could see the tension in her face. Still naked, I crossed the room and pulled her arms around me.

"I am yours, Lara," I said. "Entirely yours and no one else's."

"That's not entirely true right now," she said, "and it won't be entirely true for a few months."

"Please kiss me, my wife," I said. "I am yours."

And she did, but it was reserved, and I sighed afterwards. I whispered into her ear, "I love you, and we're going to be fine. Promise me you won't let this fester and hurt us."

"I promise, Little Fox."

"Good. Now, let's get moving."

We spent much of the morning in the car. We ate a snack then drove west into the mountains. In the car, Lara said, "Carissa gave us information, but I want to see if your little compass points to the same location."

"Then do not let us approach within five miles of where she said this other vampire lives," I said. "I am given to believe the vampire can detect wolves."

We drive into the mountains, and I could tell Deirdre was to the south. I continued to give rough directions and a sense of distance. The wolves exchanged looks, but were careful to give little away to me.

Which was exactly how we agreed it should be.

We found a roadside dinner. Everyone was hungry, and Lara asked if we could be served "family style" and ordered what we wanted. Ten minutes later, the waitress began setting down platters of eggs, pancakes, sausage, bacon, hash browns, toast, and, just for me, a bowl of fruit. I asked for a little bit of everything and ate more than the wolves had ever seen me eat.

"Lara," I said, "May I make a phone call?"

"To Carissa?"

"Angel."

"Oh honey," she said, "of course." She speed-dialed Angel then handed me her phone. The one thing they had forgotten to bring was my phone, although I had all my weapons, and Karen even told me she had a cache of guns in case we needed them.

"Alpha?" Angel said.

"It's me."

"Michaela!" she said. "I'm so sorry!"

"It wasn't your fault, honey. How are things there?"

"Good," she said. "Do you know when you'll be home?"

"No." I muted the phone. "Do they know what's going on?"

"Only that we're helping Carissa. No details."

"Angel," I said. "It might be a few days. It depends on how it goes. Don't worry about us. We have things well in hand."

"Scarlett wants to hear your voice," she said, "and there are two little children that would like to say hello."

I talked to Scarlett for a minute, then she handed me first to Celeste and then Rebecca. Then I handed the phone back to Lara, and she talked to our daughters for a minute before saying, "Give the phone back to Angel now, Darling." There was a pause, then she said, "Take care of things there, Angel. Do not neglect your studies."

"No, Alpha," she said.

"Hang on one moment," Lara said. She muted the call and turned to me. "Do you need me to order you to believe her?"

I smiled. "No, but thank you."

"Angel, we'll talk again in a day or two. I'm sure Serena will keep Emanuel up to date as well."

"Take care of her, Alpha," Angel said.

"Of course. Don't I always?"

"Don't be too angry at her. She always makes the best decisions she can."

"I'm not angry with her," Lara replied. "And I know she does." She hung up.

"I heard what she said."

"We all heard what she said," Serena countered. "Alpha, when this is over, I would like you to interview my daughter for early admission into your science program."

"Oh Serena, I don't need to interview her."

"It will be good practice for her, and I don't want anyone to believe she is getting a free ride with you. It should be a tough interview. Really grill her."

"All right," I said.

"She wants to be a science teacher, just like you," Serena said. "I want you to nudge her to think for herself."

"Well then," I said, "I will have to point out that first and foremost, if she wants to emulate me, she must think for herself and make the best choices that way."

We finished breakfast, and ten minutes later we were back on the road.

"Well," said Karen. "The Appalachian Trail. I've never hiked it."

We were parked in a small parking lot where the trail crossed the highway. We stared at the sign marking the trail.

"Who has a map?" I asked.

"I do," said Karen. She pulled it out and we turned back to the SUV, spreading the map out. "We're here." She pointed.

I rotated the map until I thought it was oriented properly towards north. I concentrated for a moment then gestured. "That direction. We've been closer."

No one commented. I looked at the map, then circled an area to the northeast. "Here."

I looked at the map. "I can't judge how close the trail goes to her. I think it goes too close."

"If we remain on the trail," Lara said, "Then we are doing exactly what we said we would be doing. We are hiking the trail."

"I believe from here if we hike north along the trail until it feels like she is due east, we'll be sure."

"Michaela, we're already sure," Lara said. "Carissa's information appears accurate."

"Where?" I asked. Lara pointed, and I studied the map.

"The trail passes within a mile."

"Yes, but a pretty rough mile."

"Natural foxes are most active at dusk," I said. I looked between them. "I think we should return to Asheville. I think this evening, we should return here. You will let me out in fur." Then I pointed to the map. "You will pick me up here two hours later."

"What are you going to do?"

"Skulk."

I could tell Lara didn't want to allow it.

"Alpha," said Karen quietly. "We need our own intel. I'd rather get it myself, but I believe the fox is more capable than I am. If we're not going to let her go, why did we come here at all?"

"Michaela," Lara said, "You'll be going with some pretty strict orders."

"Of course," I said. "But Lara, I intend to be seen."

"No!"

"Wait!" I said. "Listen. I want to establish myself. If they see me a few evenings, then I won't be such a surprise. I'm just a neighborhood fox, perhaps dislodged from another location."

Lara studied me for a while before she said, "Comments?"

"I'd rather we went home," Serena said. "But if we're going to do it, we should do it right. I trust Michaela's judgment."

"I agree," said Elisabeth. "But I believe we should order her to play the part of a very timid fox. Do you have a problem with that, Michaela?"

"No."

"Karen?" Lara asked.

"Don't second guess her. She knows what she can do. Order her to take care for her safety and let her decide for herself what that means." She paused. "Michaela, it will be fishy if we hang around where you indicated, and it may not be safe for you to dilly dally. I would like a solution."

"Bring a case of beer," I said. "Make it look like you're having a little party. If you get chased away, I'll find my way here." I pointed to another location.

"I would rather check out these sites in daylight," Karen said. "All we've got is a map. But I do not want to risk driving by them too many times."

"Can you bring a phone?" Elisabeth asked.

"No. We don't know how well I'll be seen. And Lara, I need to remove all my jewelry. I'm sorry."

She huffed. "I don't like it."

"We can put them back in when this is over."

"That's not what I meant," she said. "Can you stay safe?"

"Yes."

"Karen?"

"It's not perfect, but no plan ever is. Trust her."

She looked at Elisabeth and Serena, who said nothing.

"I guess we have a plan," said Lara.

"At least the start of one," I agreed.

 **Skulking**

We left the hotel at five. Karen had gone out for supplies, which were waiting in the back of our SUV. I asked if I could sit between Lara and Elisabeth during the drive, and I begged for attention from both of them. We had an early dinner in Asheville, and it was over dinner I had a thought. I waited until we were in the car before I said, "Lara, I am going to try to make your phone ring."

"Oh?"

I smiled.

Then I concentrated on Carissa in the back of my mind. Her presence had been fading. I could feel where she was, but I didn't seem to be able to 'talk' to her like I had even that morning.

Ten minutes into the drive, Lara's phone rang. She glanced over at me before answering it.

"Hello, Alpha," Carissa said to her.

"It worked," I whispered.

"It's for you," Lara said, suppressing a snarl. She handed me the phone.

"Hello, Mistress," I said, and suddenly she was all I could think about.

"I believe you asked me to call you," Carissa said, her voice like soft bells in my ear.

"Yes," I said. But I couldn't engage my brain.

"Oh dear," she said. "Listen to me, Michaela. I need you to think. Why did you want me to call you?"

"Um."

"Michaela, let me speak with your mate."

I handed the phone to her, but I listened intently.

"We just got her thinking this morning," Lara snarled. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," she said. "It's the thrall. I believe you know how to get her thinking again. Why did she want me to call?"

"I don't know. She said she was going to make my phone ring. Ten minutes, it rang."

Carissa laughed, and I smiled with pleasure.

"I was distracted," she said. "Michaela, can you hear me?"

"Yes," I said.

"She can," Lara said.

"I heard you the entire time, Michaela," Carissa said. "Why did you want me to call? Tell me."

"Signal flare," I managed to say.

Karen figured it out. "Alpha, she won't have a phone, but if she can signal Carissa when she is ready for extraction, Carissa can call us."

"Yes," I said. I held out my hand for the phone. Lara handed it to me. "Mistress?"

"Listen to me, Michaela. My voice triggers the thrall. You should be able to think clearly, but it might take a little time. You will abort tonight's mission if you are not thinking clearly."

"Yes, Mistress."

"You will do nothing foolish."

"No, Mistress."

"Do you have questions for me?"

"No, Mistress."

"Let me speak to Lara again."

I handed the phone back.

"Alpha," she said, "I ordered her to abort if she is not thinking clearly."

"I heard."

"Please call me when tonight is done. If I hear her calling for me, I will call you immediately, but I would like to know when I am free to stop listening so intently."

"Will do," Lara said. "Carissa, thank you for being concerned for her safety."

"How could I not?" she replied. "Stay safe, Alpha."

"Wait," Lara said.

"Yes?"

"Do you believe a sightseeing airplane trip would raise alarms?"

"Not if you practice discretion. Do you believe we both know what I mean?"

"Yes. Thank you, Carissa."

We rode quietly for a few minutes. I stared ahead dully, my thoughts filled with images of the vampire. But I was surrounded by the smell of wolves, each of them distinct.

"Lara," I said quietly, "What am I smelling?"

I leaned to Elisabeth. She smelled rich and healthy. I leaned forward and sniffed at Karen and Serena. Serena was worried again. Karen smelled like, well, Karen. But when I sniffed Lara, something was wrong.

"It's you," I said.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said quietly. "That's grief."

"No!" I said firmly. I unbuckled my belt and seatbelt and moved into Lara's lap, straddling her. "No. You stop it!"

Lara wrapped her arms around me and didn't say anything.

"Hold me tighter," I ordered. "Tighter."

And she did.

"I am here, Lara," I said. "I am yours. I will be yours forever. Stop it!" I pressed myself more tightly against her, clutching my arms around her neck.

We held each other that way for the rest of the ride, but then Karen said, "Five minutes."

I slowly released my clutch around Lara's neck and sat back onto her knees.

"Listen to me, Little Fox," Lara ordered. "You will see to your safety. You will abort this mission if it starts to feel wrong."

I felt the orders settle in and waited for the rest.

"Kiss me," she ordered, and I was happy to oblige. Finally she released me. "Karen, make sure her head is in the game."

"Michaela, what are you going to do?" Karen asked.

"Shift to fox here in the car. Bite Lara's neck so she will do what she always does when I bite her neck-"

That earned quite a few chuckles and a small growl from Lara.

"Then after she has finished reasserting her dominance and releases me, I am going to run north along the trail until it is time to cut east. I will find the compound, make sure I feel Deirdre is there, then let myself be seen chasing small prey for thirty minutes or until I get nervous, whichever comes first. I will then disappear towards the north, use foxy tricks to lose anyone following me, and then head to the initial rendezvous point. When I feel I am five minutes away, I will call Carissa."

"She's in the game, Alpha," Karen said.

"I want you guys to be noisy," I said. "You're a group of wolves whooping it up. I may not be on the trail, but if you're at all loud, I'll hear you for at least a mile."

"If we have to move," Elisabeth said, "We'll try to signal you. If it's me, we're at the second point. If it's Serena, we're at the third."

I stripped out of my clothes, not leaving Lara's lap.

"One minute," Karen said.

I shifted into fur and pressed my body into her. She cradled me carefully. I licked her face, slowly moving down to her neck, and she didn't stop me.

"We're here," Karen said, pulling to the side of the road and coming to a stop.

I wrapped my mouth around Lara's throat. She was slow to respond, and I was actually able to tighten before she threw the door open, carried me out of the car, and bore me to the ground at the side of the road. I lay on my back, and she shifted into her fur before wrapping her mouth over my throat. She settled on top of me, pinning me to the ground, and took a very long time making me submit.

Eventually I whimpered. She tightened further, and I whimpered more loudly. And then she released my neck but bathed my fox face before slowly climbing from me.

She looked silly still wearing all her clothes. She shifted back into her human form and sat down on the ground. When she opened her arms, I stepped into them, and she hugged me tightly.

"I love you," she whispered. "You are mine!"

I licked her.

"If you're ready," she said, "Go."

I licked her once more then flicked my tail in her face before bounding off the road, readily finding the trail.

I got my head into the game immediately, sensing Deirdre somewhere ahead of me and to the right. I followed the trail at first, my eyes and ears open and alert. I heard forest noises, and behind me, the SUV door close and then they began to drive away.

I heard my mate crying.

"Oh Lara," I thought. "I'll see you in two hours."

Then I heard Elisabeth say, "Be safe, Little Fox."

After that, I couldn't hear them, and the sound of the car disappeared behind me.

The forest was alive with sounds. It was too early, even here in North Carolina, for insects, but I heard the wind blowing through the trees. I heard birds and the expected small wildlife. Off to my left, perhaps sixty yards off the trail, I heard a family of small birds, type unknown. There were two strong heartbeats and four small, very rapid hearts beating.

I heard my own footsteps. I slowed down, attempting to be quiet. I knew I was silent, but still I heard my own footsteps.

I sped up again, running along in a comfortable, foxy lope.

In the distance, I heard cars on the roads. But I heard no closer sounds of humanity.

I had absolutely no idea what the limits were on my hearing, but I knew I was hearing things I had never heard before.

Slowly at first, then much more quickly, my sense of Deirdre shifted further to my right. I came to the top of a ridge running from west to east, and I decided it was time to turn east. I stepped carefully off the trail.

Dusk was approaching. The sun had disappeared behind the mountains at my back, but I knew if I climbed to the top of the mountains, I would see the sun. But I moved quickly while choosing my route carefully. I did not know these mountains, and I did not want to waste time on dead ends.

And then, when I knew I was close, I stopped. I caught my breath while nosing around through the bushes. I listened carefully, and I also sniffed.

I wasn't used to relying on my nose, and I didn't know how to interpret all the scents that came my way. But the wind was at my back, and I didn't believe I would smell anything useful for now.

I passed my destination to the south, my sense of Deirdre shifting again. I wanted to approach upwind, not for my own purposes, but predators typically preferred to hunt into the wind to avoid spooking the game, and I was trying to act like a fox.

I stepped into a shallow valley, following it for five minutes, and then my sense of Deirdre was very close to my left. I paused, sniffing around, then turned left. I moved slowly now, listening carefully.

Faintly, I heard the sounds of humanity: air blowing through ductwork.

I could hear a furnace.

I moved towards the sound, but somewhat to the left.

In the gloom, a large house appeared. I listened intently, but I heard no humans.

I skirted to the left, and moments later I stepped into a large clearing that surrounded the house. Just inside the clearing I stopped, standing as straight as a fox might stand, and I looked at the house.

It was large, expensive.

I stared at it for a while, my ears swiveling, my nose twitching.

I moved further into the field.

Deirdre was close.

I sniffed around for something to eat. I heard a family of mice, deep underground, and I set up a watch over their home.

I listened to the mice, and I listened to the house.

A door opened and closed. It was an interior door. I heard the sound of water running.

I stayed over the mouse hole for a while, but they didn't appear, so I moved on, moving slowly, a fox out for a patrol. I avoided looking at the house, but when I heard a door bang, I stood up straight and turned to look.

Just like a fox might.

When nothing else happened, I slowly relaxed and worked my way through the field.

A door opened, a sliding door, and then I heard very gentle footsteps against wood. I stood up again and turned to the house.

I knew it was her, standing on a deck with a glass of wine, looking out at me. I sensed her, and not just her. I sensed her surprise.

"What are you?" she was wondering.

"Come and see," I thought to her as hard as I could. "I am a friend."

I thought those thoughts over and over, and then her thoughts changed.

"I have no friends like you."

"You do now," I thought at her. "Come and see me. I am a friend."

She watched me for a while. I moved through the field, acting like a fox, but the entire time, I thought to her, "I am your friend."

"I am going crazy," she thought finally. She turned around and stepped back inside.

But I thought to her, "I will return tomorrow."

And then she thought back, "Tomorrow."

I prowled the field for another few minutes, working my way across the field. Nothing harassed me, and then I was in the woods on the north. I continued to meander for a while, listening carefully. But then I began moving more quickly, and I began to obscure my trail, first in standard fox ways, and then in much smarter fox ways.

After a mile, I turned west into pale sky, and I picked up my pace.

It took me forty minutes to return to the trail and another forty minutes following it until I approached the rendezvous point. I was still a mile away when I heard the wolves laughing. I recognized Karen's voice and then Elisabeth's. A few minutes later, I thought hard about Carissa, and I felt her touch my mind briefly. A minute later, I heard Lara in her human voice offer a brief howl, and then a second one.

I stepped off the trail as I grew closer, and when I knew I was close enough for even wolf ears to hear, I yipped twice.

And then I heard Lara's howl of joy, and I ran for my mate.

I broke into a clearing, and ahead, in the dusk, I saw the car. Karen and Serena were already packing away the signs of their visit. Both Lara and Elisabeth were watching the trees for me, and I saw them long before they saw me. I yipped once more, quietly, and then I ran straight for Lara.

She held her arms open, and I flew the last eight feet, right into her arms. She barely caught me, Elisabeth steadying her. Moments later, still in Lara's arms, we were in the car and driving away.

I licked her face over and over.

"Enough," she said finally. "Enough, Michaela."

So I leaned over and gave Elisabeth a good long lick.

"Knock it off!" she said, but she grinned at me.

I settled onto the seat between them, still in fur, and then I shifted into my human form.

"Cold!" I complained immediately.

Elisabeth grabbed a blanket from the back seat and wrapped it around me.

"I found her," I said. "I need to talk to Carissa."

"You're going to go to la-la land if you do," Lara said. "Report first, then dress before you call her."

"Right where we thought. A big house, very elegant. Beautiful. There's a large clearing around it. I detected no animals. There are other humans there but no signs of any other weres. I never saw any vampires."

"Is she there?"

"I saw her," I said. "I told her I would be back tomorrow."

"You spoke to her?"

"Thoughts," I said, "but it felt like she heard me. I need to know if that's part of the thrall with Carissa."

"Deirdre is fae," Lara said. "Their gifts are wild."

"That's all the good news," I said. "Now the bad. It's rough ground. Very rough. It wasn't bad in fur, but I don't know if I would have wanted to walk it in the dark on two feet."

"You don't have to."

"Deirdre might," I said.

They asked me countless questions after that, and I reported as best I could. In the end, Karen summarized.

"You found her and have established contact. You were safe tonight, but no guarantee that will last."

"And," I added, "she was curious about me, if it wasn't just my imagination."

After that, I slipped into the rearmost seat, pulling my clothes on quickly before crawling back up to sit between Elisabeth and Lara. I bumped my shoulder against Elisabeth's then pulled Lara down for a quick kiss before buckling in.

Lara grew quiet and handed me her phone.

I thought about Carissa, I thought hard, and thirty seconds later, the phone rang. I smiled before answering it.

"Hello, Michaela," she purred into my ear.

"Hello, Mistress," I said, and then I grew silent, all thoughts on my vampire.

"Michaela," she said, "You called me. Tell me why."

But I couldn't, and Lara took the phone from me. She relayed our report, and I could hear Carissa's pleasure. I shuddered with the pleasure of knowing I had performed well for her.

Then Lara explained about the communication I had felt.

"It's not the thrall," Carissa said. "Deirdre is very in tune with nature. I didn't realize how in tune. It must be a fae gift, if it wasn't Michaela's imagination."

"Is she always going to be like this when she talks to you?" Lara asked.

"It will fade as the thrall fades," Carissa said. "But yes, probably. Unfortunately, if you want me to continue to act like a pager for her, you're going to need to accept this. My ability to hear her this clearly is going to fade fairly quickly if we don't continue to reinforce it. I am sorry, Alpha. It is your decision."

"And in the future?" Lara asked. "Next year? Five years from now?"

"The effect will never fully disappear," Carissa said. "But if we never share blood again, and I never call her again, it will reduce to little more than fondness."

That thought made me sad, that I would lose my feelings for my mistress. And so I thought very, very hard about her, holding her close to my heart.

Suddenly, her voice changed.

"Alpha," she said firmly, "I need you to find a place to pull over, give Michaela the phone, and give her some privacy. I need you to do this right now."

"Vampire," Lara said, "I do not think so."

"Do it, or I will call her. Do it right now."

Lara began to growl but said, "Karen, find a clear place to pull over."

I continued to think about my mistress, smiling as I imagined her.

"Hurry, Alpha," my mistress said. And I knew in a moment I would be free to talk to her, to hear her orders."

"Anywhere, Karen," Lara said. "Do it."

Karen found a place, barely a widening in the road, and came to a stop.

"Give her the phone, Alpha, and tell her to get out of the car. Then drive another two hundred yards. I will send her to you in only a minute or two."

Lara growled again, but she handed me the phone. "Get out and talk to her," she said, opening the door. I unbuckled and crawled across her lap to stand in the road. A moment later, the car began rolling away from me. I lifted the phone.

"Mistress," I said.

"Listen to me very carefully, Michaela," she said. "I want you to think about your mate."

I wanted to think about my mistress, and so I thought about her.

"No!" she said. "Michaela, think about your mate."

It was an order, and I couldn't refuse. I thought about Lara.

"You love your mate, do you not?" she asked.

"Yes, Mistress."

"Tell me why."

"She is so strong, and she keeps me safe. She is beautiful and so sleek. She holds me when I cry, and she never makes me feel scared when I am vulnerable with her. And she is smart, so smart." I went on and on, extolling Lara's virtues.

And slowly, I came back to earth.

"Oh god, Carissa," I said.

"When this is over, I would like us to be friends, Michaela, but it will break my heart if I have damaged your relationship with Lara. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Carissa."

"We will be friends, Michaela, but Lara must always come first for you. Always, even now."

"I am hurting her," I said quietly. "She cried after she dropped me off."

Carissa didn't respond immediately, then asked, "Do you know why?"

"She is afraid she is losing me."

"Well then, you will simply need to convince her she is mistaken. Can you do that?"

I smiled. "Yes."

"Good. Are your thoughts clear?"

"Yes. How did that happen?"

"I'm not sure. I've had werewolf thralls before, but not very many. Usually I keep humans. I've never had a werefox thrall, and you are unique."

"If you need to continue to use me as a pager, you'll need to call me tomorrow. I'll expect you about the same time as tonight. You'll lose your thoughts again. But in the meantime, perhaps you should focus on your mate."

"I will, Carissa. Thank you."

"Good night, Michaela."

"Good night."

I jogged after the SUV. From the back, I said firmly, "Lara, my mate, the love of my love, mother of my children, keeper of my heart, my safety, my sanity, my security, I desperately need you."

I got about half of it out before she was out of the car, moving towards me. As soon as she drew near, I moved into my arms, pressing myself into her.

"What is it, Michaela?" she asked.

I lifted my mouth. "Please kiss me, kiss me like I have never been kissed."

She was tentative at first, but I attacked her mouth with hunger, and I felt her ardor rise immediately. We clutched at each other, panting, and I left no doubt how much I wanted her.

Finally I lowered myself from my tiptoes and leaned my forehead against her chest. "Have I made myself clear?"

She laughed and held me tightly.

"Yes, Little Fox," she said. "You have."

"Lara, when was the last time you ran in fur? And then I want you to take me back to the hotel and, well, take me."

She laughed again and pulled me to the door. I climbed in then threw my arms around Elisabeth and hugged her. "I love you, Sister." I leaned forward and gave Karen and Serena both a kiss on the cheek, surprising both of them. "I love being pack."

Then I plopped into my seat and curled against my mate.

"Karen, take us somewhere we can run safely, but well away from our target. Can you find somewhere?"

"We have three areas the local pack suggested," Elisabeth said. "Karen, can you find the closest?"

Serena had the map, and she handed it to Karen. She looked at it then turned off the overhead light. "Got it. Twenty minutes."

Lara was exceedingly dominant during the run, which didn't bother me at all. She didn't let any of the other wolves near me, and she took my throat six times before we were done, all of them very thorough and leisurely. I didn't mind in the slightest.

But we'd been keeping to a fox's pace, Lara at my side, the enforcers arrayed around us, and I wanted all of them to get proper exercise. I stopped and shifted to human. Lara immediately knocked me onto my back and covered me with her body before taking my throat yet again. I hugged her tightly before she let me up.

"Lara," I said, "I had a lot of exercise tonight, and this is crappy exercise for all of you. I insist on a solution."

She shifted to human herself and said with a smile, "Oh little fox, I do not believe you are able to insist anything right now."

"Please, Lara. We're all under a lot of stress, and a proper run will feel good for you."

"I am not leaving you," she replied.

"Then perhaps we should play a game of catch the fox, but you have to let the enforcers exercise, too. They need it fairly badly. I can smell it. Can't you?"

"You never could before," she said.

"I can now. Am I wrong?"

"No." She paused. "We do not know these woods, Michaela."

"Would you prefer a game of freeze tag?"

She laughed. "Catch the fox freeze tag? If you make it back to the car, you win, but only thirty-second freezes."

"Fifteen second head start?"

"All right."

"No cheating?"

"How would I cheat?"

"By ordering me to let you win."

She laughed. "No cheating."

"What do you want if you win?"

"Oh ho," she said, "You want a wager?"

"Yes. Everyone shift back to skin and tell me what you want if you win."

"The odds are against you, Michaela," Lara said.

"Maybe. I'm feeling really, really good. Pick something good, Lara. I know what I want, but I want to hear from each of you first."

"What is a wolf win?" Lara asked.

"A wolf who catches me wins. Any wolf who has not caught me by the time we get back to the car loses. A wolf may only catch me once. After that, she may help herd me, but she may not actually catch me again. And I get fifteen seconds after being caught by one wolf."

"We're eight miles from the car, Michaela. You won't get that far."

"That's okay. I don't care, but I 'm going to play to win. If this is too easy for you, we'll make a second game."

The remaining wolves all shifted to skin.

"Alpha, will you allow this game?" Karen said. "I don't usually get to play."

"Yes, Karen," Lara said. "This sounds like a fine game."

"All right," Karen said, "You already gave me what I wanted most. You taught me how to shift."

"Then pick something else."

"Can it cost money?"

"Yes, but please don't ask for a car."

She laughed. "My own kayak?"

"Next time we see Benny?" I asked.

"Yes."

"Serena?"

"Do you know, I never went to college?" she said.

"No, I didn't know," I said. "But paying for a four year degree is perhaps a little more than I was thinking."

She laughed. "I want to attend with you, but I'll pay my own way."

"I'll be taking education and business."

"Then I'll take the business classes, too," she said. "And anything else Lara and Elisabeth recommend that will help me be a better member of the pack council. Alpha, will you allow me to attend classes with your mate? We'll need at least one enforcer who is paying attention to more than the lectures we attend."

Lara laughed. "Yes, Serena. Of course."

"Elisabeth?"

"You and I have an outstanding wager you have not yet paid," Elisabeth said.

"Pretty in pink?" I asked.

"That's the one."

"I am only waiting for you," I told her.

"Then what I want is this. If I win, for the next year, whenever we go shopping, you will buy for yourself anything I pick for you, and for the next year, if I order you to wear a particular outfit, you will wear it."

I grew silent. "That could be a very expensive and very embarrassing wager for me."

"You have to decide whether you trust me."

"Agreed," I said immediately.

"My interpretation of this wager," said Elisabeth, "is also that if I ask you to go shopping, you will agree unless you have a legitimate scheduling conflict."

"All right. Lara?"

"If I win, you will not complain about any of us licking you for a year."

I laughed. "All right. I want to learn to scuba dive. I don't know how to turn that into four individual wagers, and I while I think I can beat some of you, I don't think I am going to evade all of you. I don't want to have to beat all of you for permission to go."

They grew silent.

"If you beat me," Elisabeth said, "Then I will cooperate to the best of my ability in arranging the first three dive vacations, subject to reasonable security."

"If you beat me, little fox, I will buy your gear and mine," Lara said.

"Lara, if I beat you, will you buy Angel's and Scarlett's, and pay for their classes?"

She laughed. "All right."

"Michaela," Karen said, "I am an experienced diver. If you beat me, I will become a certified dive instructor. I can't promise to be ready by the time you go for your initial training, but I will be able to conduct a variety of classes in the future."

"That leaves me," said Serena. "I don't know what to offer you, Michaela."

"I'll take the same wager from you that Elisabeth offered, Serena," I said. "For the record, when I say I want to learn to scuba dive, I hope that means the rest of you are going to learn, too."

"Of course it does, Little Fox," Lara said.

"Well then," I said. "We're agreed. I get a fifteen second head start, and anyone I tag with teeth or paw is frozen if I get more than five feet away from you."

"You must get more than five feet away within the next ten seconds," Lara said. "Frozen for fifteen seconds."

"We agreed on thirty!" I said. "You promised no cheating."

Lara laughed. "My mistake."

"And if anyone catches me, I get fifteen seconds of all of you frozen before anyone else can catch me."

"Agreed," Lara said.

"And you have to actively chase me," I said. "You can't all just go guard the car!"

Lara laughed. "Agreed, but anyone who catches you may, at her discretion, drag you up to fifty yards away from the car. I presume no one will bother unless you are very, very close to the car, and you would get there during the fifteen second freeze time after she releases you."

"I don't like being dragged," I said. "Give me the choice of going willingly. Drag me a foot or two and then I'll follow after that."

"All right," Lara agreed. "What does it mean someone can help herd you after catching you once?"

"Hmm. No holding me down for someone else. You can try pushing me in a particular direction, but then you have to let me go again."

Lara smiled. "You are so going to lose, Little Fox."

"My head start begins when I shift to fur. Oh look, a bear!" I pointed up the trail, and sure enough, they all looked. I shifted to fur, ran between Lara's legs, spanking her with a paw on the way past, and ran off the side of the trail.

"That does not count as a freeze, little fox!" she yelled after me.

It was worth a try.

Fifteen seconds later, they were all after me, chuffing happily. I had dashed under two pine trees, jumping on top of a boulder next to the second one, then jumped off the other side, flying a good ten feet before hitting the ground and rolling. I took off in the wrong direction - north - and then listened to them.

I felt good, and I was running faster than ever.

I leapt for a tree, the lowest branch six feet off the ground. I caught it with my paws, pulled myself up, and ran to the trunk, then around the other side, shifting to human in a leap to grab a branch, and then didn't touch ground until I was ten feet from the trunk, now traveling west.

I did that twice more, and by the time I encountered our back trail again, I had gained at least another fifteen seconds. I set off along our old trail, tracing the same path we'd already been on. I ran like the wind, and when I got to the location of our discussion, I turned east again, taking the same path I'd already been on, but this time when I came out from under the evergreen tree, I turned south, running for all I was worth.

I came to several trees that were very close together. I ran past them then backtracked, leaping into one, then I ran out along one branch, leaping into the next tree and then the next, jumping down to the west of my prior path. I ran fifty yards west before turning south towards the car.

I listened to the wolves. I could tell when they found my trail, and I could tell when they lost it. Right now, they were a minute behind me, but it only took then fifteen or twenty seconds to catch me with that sort of lead, if I didn't keep them confused.

I lost them at the trick with the trees, and it took them two minutes before Serena howled she had my trail again. I ran, ran, ran, but then I set a false trail east before jumping between two boulders towards the west, then turned south again.

But they were closing the distance rapidly.

I ran south along the edge of a shallow cliff then backed up twenty yards before dropping off the edge of the cliff, sliding down the rock while dragging my claws through the dirt. It stung, but I arrived at the bottom otherwise unhurt. I healed the minor damage to my paws then buried myself in the rocks, listening to them draw closer. All four of them ran past me, fifteen yards over my head, and I chuckled to myself with my cleverness. They got another forty yards before they realized they had lost my trail.

They spent ten minutes looking for me, but they never moved far enough away I was willing to slink out of my hiding place. Finally the four of them congregated on the ledge above me. They all shifted to human.

"She lost us," Serena said. "How the hell did she lose all of us?"

"She's hiding," Lara said. "I can still smell her. She's not very far away. She's probably in one of these trees, laughing at us."

"I've been checking the trees," Karen said. "I smell her, too, but she's not in any of the nearest trees. I'm sure of it."

They grew quiet, and then Elisabeth said, "She wouldn't. That's way too far to jump. Even I wouldn't want to do it."

"It's not straight down," Karen said. "I wouldn't jump. I'd slide."

Oh hell.

"You would tumble head over heels," Elisabeth said.

"Go backwards, dragging your claws," Karen said. "I'd do it."

"Are you sure, Karen?"

"I might get hurt. I won't get killed. I could leap and not get killed."

"Go," Lara said.

I heard her shift back to wolf, and then I heard her sliding down the hill. I listened carefully, and as she was about to slide right past me, I reached out and smacked her with a paw then ran south.

Karen huffed loudly then howled a pursuit howl, but when she came to a stop at the end of her slide, she froze. However, I heard the other wolves all repeating Karen's performance, sliding down the hill.

So the next chance I got, I ran back up the hill. Lara saw me and howled, but she couldn't stop her downward slide, and I bounded up the hill and out of sight before they could set off in pursuit.

I immediately turned right, following my back trail, then when I got to the same cliff, I pushed a rock over the edge, hoping Karen wasn't in the way. I ran north, hoping they would hear the rock going down the hill and think it was I.

I heard when Karen began chasing me; I hadn't hit her with the rock. But soon I had all four wolves on my tail, three of them only a few seconds behind me.

It was dark enough, they couldn't see me, so whenever I cut sharply enough, I tended to lose them for a few seconds as they overran my trail, and it took them a moment or two to find it again. I was able to maintain a scant lead, but I was tiring more quickly than they were.

The three most closely behind me fanned out, which was really a good strategy, as they could readily catch my trail whenever I changed direction, and they were very good at communicating. We'd played this game before, after all, and these were the elite of the pack. And so I dashed around a tree and came to a stop, hunkering down and waiting for someone to run past me.

It was Serena, and I pounced at her just as she would have run past me, batting her rear haunches. I bounced off of her, but she traveled another ten feet before she could stop, and thus was frozen. I climbed to my feet and ran.

But Lara and Elisabeth were right on my tail, not quite able to catch me, but they were able to cut me off from the south. Working together, they pushed me back towards Serena, and then both Serena and Karen arrived from the north. I tried to cut west, but Elisabeth cut me off. I batted at her, but I couldn't shake her enough to freeze her.

A few seconds later, one panting fox found herself surrounded by all four wolves. Lara chuffed, and Serena pounced at me.

I dashed under her, and she missed me, but Karen cut me off, and when I bounced away from her, I rolled right into Elisabeth.

She immediately settled her weight over me, rolled me onto my back, and plunged her mouth to my throat.

I whimpered, then lay there panting heavily. She stayed on top of me, pinning me in place, but letting me catch my breath.

The wolves were winded too, and they were all smiling at me. Lara chuffed happily, and I chuffed back at her.

Finally I struggled to my feet, and Elisabeth climbed off of me. I gave her a lick and ran.

I turned my fifteen second lead into twenty, and then I leapt from a boulder into the lower branches of a tree, a leap much further than I'd ever done before. I scrambled up into the tree and hid.

I lost the wolves completely.

I waited until they were past me, then I moved down, crawled out on one of the branches, then jumped down. I ran fifty yards up my back trail and turned west. I did a big circle around the wolves before turning south.

It took then five minutes to find my trail, and they only found it because Serena stumbled across it. She let out a howl.

But five fox minutes is only one and a half wolf minutes, even with the two false trails I had left. I left a clear trail to the east, following it a hundred yards before backtracking and heading west, bouncing high into the air between each step in hopes I would leave a fainter trail. I did that for fifty yards west before turning south and running full out again.

They narrowed my five-minute lead down to about a minute, but by my estimate, it was only another two miles to the car, and only Elisabeth had caught me so far.

I ran past another ledge, backtracked, and slid down it again. I ran full out to the east for thirty seconds before turning south. And then I came over a ridge, and I could see the road below me, no more than a mile away.

I ran for the car. I was halfway to the car when I realized I wasn't going to make it. They were on my trail, and they were closing the distance quickly.

I huffed and put on more speed.

I made it to the road a quarter mile from the car. I turned towards it and had it in sight when all four wolves ran past me and cut me off. They turned together and arrayed in front of me. We all came to a stop, perhaps ten yards apart. Lara could close that distance in two leaps.

It suddenly became the close game. One on one, I was better at this game than they were, but against four of them, it was going to be tough. But if I could freeze at least two of them, I might make it.

The four of them crouched down and, step by step, began stalking me, attempting to push me away from the car. I tried to dash right, but together they shifted along with me and continued to push me further from the car.

I feinted left, pulling Elisabeth and Karen out of position. I feinted right, and Serena leapt into my path. Then I surprised Lara and ran straight at her. I watched her muscles and when she leapt for me, I jumped straight at Serena and swatted her, then dashed back underneath Lara and ran for the car.

Lara leapt at me and I cut right, but she guessed correctly and came down right on top of me, her front paws landing on the ground on either side of me. She wrapped me in her paws and tumbled over.

But I shifted into human, got my arms under her, and heaved. She flew off me, huffing in surprise. I shifted to fox and dashed left, barely evading Elisabeth, but Karen cut me off.

Lara and Serena were both frozen, but it wouldn't last long. I feinted, I feinted, I tagged Elisabeth, and then Karen grabbed me and rolled until I was under her on my back. She didn't waste time but immediately wrapped her mouth over my throat and squeezed until I whimpered.

Then she held me pinned while Lara and Serena's timer wore down. Lara walked over, grabbed me by the scruff, and when Karen climbed off me, Lara dragged me five feet from the car. I huffed at her, then finally got my feet under me and let her push me fifty yards further from the car. I lay down and panted for a minute, then chuffed, stood up, and licked her. She licked me back.

I finished catching my breath. The four wolves watched me, Lara practically standing on top of me, the other three interposed between me and the car. They were all grinning, and they'd been panting as well.

I decided whatever happened, it had been a good game.

I didn't give any of them a warning. I feinted underneath Lara, and when she ducked her head, I jumped on top of her, landing with all thirty pounds right between her shoulder blades, bouncing off her immediately. Elisabeth was next behind her, and I feinted the same maneuver, but Elisabeth rose up expecting me to leap over her, and instead I dashed under her, tagging her with a paw on the way past. I dashed to the left, tagging Karen as well, then bounced twice, putting my five feet between both of them, and three wolves were frozen.

I was sure I could avoid Serena, and I dashed for the car.

She pounced; I cut left. She pounced and I bounced backwards, then cut right to dash around her. I missed my tag, but I had halved the distance to the car, and the other wolves were still frozen for at least another few seconds.

At twenty yards from the car, I heard Serena leap for me. I leapt as well, but then two wolf paws wrapped around me in the air. She wrapped her paws around me, twisting, and we landed on the road, bounced, and then Serena's back bounced off the car. We came to a stop four feet from the car, and I had never touched it. She wrapped her jaws around my throat.

I whimpered, then lay still. She held me until Lara grabbed me by the scruff and began dragging me away from the car. I huffed, and Lara let me meekly follow her to a point fifty-five yards from the car.

I looked past her at the distance.

I leaned up and licked my mate.

She licked me back, then I looked at the car. Lara turned to look over her shoulder at it, and the moment she did, I cut around the other side of her and ran for the car, but all three enforcers cut me off. I cut left, and then Lara bowled me over, wrapping around me and ending with me on the bottom.

She took her time settling her weight over me and taking my throat.

I took my time before I whimpered.

Lara held me pinned after that until everyone else had thoroughly licked me.

She had won, and so I didn't complain.

Finally she let me up, and chuffing, the four of them herded me the twenty remaining yards to the car.

"Alpha," Serena said five minutes later, and when she turned around, she was looking at me, "that was the most fun I've had in a while. Thank you."

"So close," I said, laughing. "I was your body width from the car."

She laughed with me. "I was so worried I was going to body slam you into it."

"I could have shifted human and you could have taken a hundred pounds instead of thirty."

Elisabeth chuckled at that.

"Little Fox," Lara said, "Everyone is very careful with you."

"I wouldn't really do it," I said. "It's not any fun if someone gets hurt."

We laughed and compared notes the entire way to the hotel, but when we arrived, I said, "Lara, I still want to learn to scuba dive."

She smiled and caressed my cheek.

But the wolves were all business as we stepped from the car.

I lost count of the number of ways Lara took me in our bed that night.

 **Fly By**

I barely woke when Lara's phone rang, sometime in the early hours. I heard Elisabeth tell her, "They're here."

Lara hung up the phone and rolled over to face me.

"Wake up, Little Fox," she said.

Immediately my eyes popped open, and I stared into hers. It had been an order.

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm sorry."

I put my hand on her cheek. "Who is here?"

She smiled. "Our breakfast companions."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Nope." Then she grinned. "Our new companions do not know what we are doing here and do not know about your obedience compulsion."

"Don't you dare, Lara!" I said.

She grinned. "What should I make you do, Little Fox?"

"Are these new companions more pack members?"

"What will you offer me to answer that?"

"I promise you'll like my response if the answer is 'yes'."

"Yes, they are pack members."

I thought about it then leaned forward and kissed her. "I don't have any specific ideas, Lara, but it better be something really embarrassing to me and really amusing to everyone else, with no way for anyone to figure out I am forced to obey you. If you come up with something lame to tease me, I'll be deeply disappointed."

And with that I flounced into the bathroom to take my shower.

She came in five minutes later and poked her nose past the shower curtain.

"Did you really tell me it was okay to tease you?"

"Yes, Lara."

"You won't get mad?"

"Are you going to make me embarrass myself in front of strangers?"

"Just our friends."

"Go for it, Lara," I said. "I can't wait to see what you think of."

"I could order you to think of something," she said.

I grinned. "What's the matter? Can't think of anything beyond making me praise your virility?"

"Damn it!" she said, and I knew I had nailed it. And then she began to grin. "I think I need to go talk to Elisabeth."

"Lara," I said, "This prank is between you and me. Surely you can come up with something good."

"I did," she said. She smiled. "Are you sure you won't get angry?"

"No, honey."

"It sort of takes the fun away if you don't get a little upset."

"Lara, make it embarrassing but funny. I'll be embarrassed, not angry, but make sure it's not embarrassing to you. I am your mate, after all. I should maintain a certain decorum, don't you think?"

"You are raising the bar awfully high for me," she said. "Are you sure you won't mind?"

"No, honey, as long as it's funny and everyone else enjoys it."

"What if I ordered you not to remember that I gave you the order?"

"That might work," I said. "Do you know where we're going to get an airplane?"

"Yes," she said. "Last chance."

"Go for it," I told her with a grin.

"Michaela," she said in a firm voice, "You will not remember the order I am about to give you." And I don't remember anything she said after that.

Twenty minutes later I was dried, buffed, dressed, and stepped out of the bathroom. Lara had showered while I was drying my hair and was dressed before I was.

I left the bathroom, whistling some nameless tune. I didn't whistle well. Lara, Elisabeth and Serena were waiting for me.

"So, what's the plan?" I asked.

"Breakfast," Lara said.

"And then, Fox," said Elisabeth, "We're going shopping."

The three of them grinned at me.

"Putting your winnings from last night to good use already, Elisabeth?"

"You better believe it," she replied. "I have a request, Michaela."

"Oh?"

"Only the five of us know about that wager. I want to keep it that way."

"What are you offering me in exchange?"

"Nothing at all."

"Then why should I honor your request?"

"Because I am asking you to," she replied.

I crossed the room to stand in front of her, looking up into my sister-in-law's eyes. "Vivian knows about the original wager," I said. "I'm still seeing her."

"I know. Thank you for telling me. She won't divulge anything you tell her during therapy."

"This may also come up with her," I said. "But all right. I won't tell anyone else."

She cocked her head. "Just like that?"

I shrugged. "You don't ask me for things like this very often, Elisabeth, and you are very good to me. If secrecy will please you, I am very good at keeping secrets."

I turned to Lara. "Oh my virile lover, may we go to breakfast now? I have a hankering for some shopping afterwards."

Lara grinned. "Everyone is waiting for us," she replied.

"They're outside," Elisabeth said. "Serena, you have the fox."

Three minutes later, we approached our car parked out in the edge of the parking lot. I could see there were extra wolves clustered around, but Elisabeth and Lara blocked my view, so it wasn't until we were right amongst them that I recognized Angel, Scarlett and June.

I stopped and stared. "They have school," I said quietly to Serena.

"They have a return flight tomorrow morning," she replied into my ear. "They'll miss one day of classes, but this was important. It was an all night flight, and it was too much to ask June to fly the plane here alone. Michaela, I am about to order you not to fuss about it. Please do not be angry. Michaela, do not bring up this issue again."

I nodded understanding, and then she tugged my arm. I strode forward and pulled Angel and Scarlett into a hug.

"I'm so happy to see both of you," I said to them. I kissed a cheek each and then stepped away.

"I'm so sorry, Michaela," Angel said. "It was my job to keep you safe."

"You couldn't have," I said. "I don't believe anyone could have. The vampire was very, very fast. It was all just a blur to me. Did you even see it?"

"I smelled it," she said. "I didn't know what it was. If I ever smell that again, I'll know."

"I'm glad you're here," I said. "We're going to breakfast, then we're going shopping." I smiled. "Will you let me buy you each something?"

Angel grinned. "You could twist my arm." She grinned. "I got some instrument time on the way down, and June let me do all the takeoffs and landings."

"Which plane?"

"The Seneca!"

I grinned. It was one of our newer aircraft and seated six.

"Who is hungry?" Lara asked. That was a stupid question. Even I was hungry.

"Before we go, Lara, may I speak with you for a moment?" I tugged her to the side and said, "Care for a wager?"

She grinned. "Sure."

"If I guess the order you gave me by the end of the day, I win," I said.

She laughed. "All right. You get three tries. One this morning to be delivered before lunch is over; one this afternoon, delivered by the end of dinner, and the third delivered within five minutes of returning to our hotel room after tonight's adventure."

"Agreed."

"If your first guess is wrong, I get to do this again tomorrow."

"A new order, I presume."

"Of course. If your second guess is wrong, I get to do it again the next day. And if all three guesses are wrong, then you will ask Carissa to extend your current obedience order for an additional two weeks, and I may do this every day."

I stared at her. "All right," I agreed. "If my first guess is correct, you will join me in Elisabeth's wager to me."

"A year?"

I nodded.

"But Elisabeth gets to pick, not you?"

I nodded.

"All right."

"And we tell her."

She laughed. "Of course."

"If it's my second guess, then you will let me be on top for lovemaking as often as I want."

"For a month."

"All right. And if it's my third guess, then you will give me a back rub whenever I want."

"For a month?"

I nodded again.

She grinned. "Agreed."

"I don't have to guess exactly. I just have to be close. I will trust you if you promise to be fair."

She smiled and nodded.

"My first guess: You ordered me to be agreeable."

"Please be more specific so I understand what you're saying."

"I agreed to Elisabeth's request. For instance."

"Nope. I get to do this again tomorrow."

I leaned up and kissed her. "Time for breakfast."

I stared at the two dresses Elisabeth was offering me. She was watching me expectantly, and I think she was waiting for me to raise a fuss. Lara stood nearby, putting on a casual expression, but I could tell she was amused.

"Are you asking me to try them both on, Elisabeth, or to pick one? Or perhaps you're asking for yourself, but I'm not sure either of those is in your size."

She grinned. "I want you to try them both on and let us all see."

"They don't go with my shoes."

"Those will be next," she said.

"All right," I said. I held out my hands and took the dresses from her. I turned to the dressing room. Once inside, I looked at the two dresses. Elisabeth was trying to push my buttons, but other than that, they weren't that bad. I thought they were both going to clash with my hair. The first was pink, but it was a convertible dress. I could wear it as a long skirt. Or I could wear it as a dress, strapless or halter style. I pulled it on, wearing it strapless, and I looked at myself in the mirror.

I have to admit, I don't have the best color sense. I thought the dress clashed with my hair, but I didn't actually think it was bad. It was comfortable, and when I turned around, I realized it showed off my shoulders nicely.

"Let us see, Michaela," Elisabeth said from outside the dressing room. I grinned and stepped out.

Lara's expression sealed the deal. I turned around slowly for her then turned to Elisabeth. She was staring, too.

"Well, Sister," I said. "Does it clash with my hair?"

"No," she said quietly.

I smiled, turned around once more, then headed back to the dressing room.

The second dress was a maxi dress, also convertible to a skirt. It, too, was strapless. The colors reminded me of a sunset, with lots of orange. I changed into it. I didn't like it as much as the first, but it let me show off my shoulders. I stepped out and let everyone see.

"I like the other one better," Lara said immediately.

I turned to Elisabeth. She was holding out two shoe boxes. "Switch back to the other dress and try it with these shoes," she ordered.

"Yes, Elisabeth," I said.

It only took a few minutes. I hung the second dress back on its hanger, pulled on the first dress, then looked at the shoes. One pair was a set of heals, the other were sensible flats. I grinned and pulled on the heels, then walked back out, carrying the second dress and the flats.

Lara loved when I put on a more feminine appearance, although she never had asked me to wear heels. But when I posed for her, her eyes dropped to my legs, and she smiled.

Elisabeth took the second dress and gestured me to her.

"You're ruining my fun," she said. "I tried to pick something horrible. It's pink, for crying out loud, but you look amazing."

I smiled sweetly. "Lara likes the shoes, but please don't make me walk around all day in them."

"Switch into the flats," she said, and then she helped me. I could tell immediately Lara preferred the heels, but her eyes came back up to rest on my shoulders, and she smiled.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said, "I want you to buy this dress and both pairs of shoes. You may wear the flats. Keep the dress on, and we'll pay for it on the way out."

"There's nowhere for my knives," I said. "And we're not at home."

"We have a lot of enforcers today, and I won't make you go without your weapons once they're gone. We'll keep your knives for you today."

"Send someone back to help me, then," I said.

"Scarlett," Elisabeth said. "Help Michaela."

I wore the heels instead. They pleased Lara, and I could change into the flats later. Elisabeth was surprised to see them, but Scarlett told me I looked good. "Oh, by the way, I have your phone for you. We need to get you a little purse." She found me one big enough for my phone, wallet, and two of my knives, and Elisabeth kept the other two.

I tried to get Angel to try on some dresses, but she wouldn't have it. Scarlett tried on a few, but wouldn't let me buy her anything.

I quietly whispered to Angel that Scarlett wouldn't let me buy her anything if Angel didn't. Then I whispered that Scarlett really wanted to see Angel in more feminine clothing from time to time.

Both suggestions got me dirty looks.

"But that dress looks great on you," she added.

Out in the mall, surrounded by enforcers and holding my hand, Lara said, "You look great in pink, Michaela."

I smiled at her. "You know, I almost never wear make up. Scarlett, will you help me at a cosmetics counter?"

"Sure, Michaela," she said.

One of the stores in the mall was Scarlett's favorite chain for cosmetics, and she pulled me into it, our entourage surrounding us. She led me to the cosmetics counter, circling around until she found the brand she preferred. She began talking makeup to me.

I turned to her. "Honey," I said, "Will you just handle it for me? You know I don't have an artistic bone in my body."

"Well, you have to decide what you want."

"Lipstick," I said. "Eye stuff."

"Eye stuff? You mean eye liner?"

"Yes, I guess. And mascara. And maybe eye shadow. Do you think Lara would like it if I wore eye shadow?"

She stared into my face for a moment. "Really?"

"What's wrong with that?"

"I'm just surprised," she said.

"And nail polish," I said.

A clerk approached, and I asked Scarlett to "just handle it." The two talked in what seemed like Greek for a while, then Scarlett turned to me. "What color polish."

"Pink to match the dress."

Scarlett stared again.

"You're sure?"

I nodded. "And matching lipstick."

After that, I sat there quietly. Scarlett handled everything, and when there was a bill to pay, Lara quietly stepped forward and presented a credit card. It seemed to take forever, but the clerk was kind and let us spend all the time we wanted. Eventually, Elisabeth and Lara stepped over and studied me, one over each of Scarlett's shoulders.

"Has she seen it yet?" Lara asked.

"No," I replied.

Scarlett dabbed at my face for another moment then turned me around on the stool. There was a mirror on the counter behind me.

I almost didn't recognize myself.

I cocked my head back and forth and smiled before turning around.

"Do you like it, Lara?"

"Yes," she said quietly.

"Me, too," I replied. "Thank you, Scarlett."

"It's missing something," said Elisabeth. She stepped to my side and whispered into my ear, "Close your eyes."

I immediately shut my eyes, and then Elisabeth did something with my hair.

"You will wear this until it is time to shift later," she said. "You may look."

I opened my eyes and turned back to look in the mirror. Elisabeth had tied my hair with a bright pink ribbon.

"Did you pay for it?" I asked.

"Of course."

"Then we're almost ready to go." I turned back around. "Scarlett, I have fifty bucks if you and Angel wear the same lipstick until the run tonight."

Scarlett's eyes grew wide. "You know there's no way I'm getting her to agree to lipstick of any color."

"A hundred if you each paint your nails this shade."

"Michaela..."

"Two hundred if you do your toes, too, and we buy you shoes that let us see."

"There's no way Angel will do it," Scarlett said.

"But you have to keep the pink nails until I get back to Wisconsin," I added.

"It won't happen," Scarlett said.

Behind her, Lara was watching me and grinning. I looked at her once, then back to Scarlett, wondering how to sweeten the pot further, then looked back at Lara. She looked far too amused. I stared at her.

She caught me watching and said, "I can't believe you're trying to get Scarlett to convince Angel to wear makeup," she said.

I studied her for another moment, then turned back to Scarlett.

"And I'll help you win the pot the next time there's a wager and I have inside knowledge, but you can't tell Elisabeth or Lara."

She grinned. "They are both standing right here."

"They won't remember."

Scarlett laughed. "They will remember, and Lara will paddle your bottom for it, and we all know it."

"Would that amuse you?" I asked.

"Elisabeth, would we win even if you suspected Michaela of helping us?"

"Not if she had inside knowledge," Elisabeth replied. "And I would be very disappointed with all three of you if you lied about it when I asked you."

"I bet I can talk Angel into it," I said.

"No way," the three of them said together.

"Wager, Lara," I said with a grin. "If I talk Angel into the lipstick and polished nails, then once Scarlett has her architect's license, you must let her submit a proposal on any new construction projects you have."

"The right to bid," Lara confirmed. "I am not obligated to accept her bid?"

"The right to bid," I said.

"All right," Lara said.

I turned to Scarlett, and she was staring at me. "I need you to make the wager with Lara. What will you offer her in exchange?"

"I don't have anything Lara wants," Scarlett said.

Lara stepped past me and stopped the clerk, hovering nearby. "May I bother you for paper and pen?"

"Of course," the clerk said. She produced a small pad from under the counter and one of the pens used to sign credit card slips. Lara wrote something on the paper then turned to Scarlett. She held the paper in front of Scarlett, but when I tried to look, she covered it.

"This is between Scarlett and me," she said. She turned to Scarlett. "Agreed?"

"I don't understand, Alpha," she said.

"Scarlett, do you agree to my proposal? We are betting on Michaela's success, and you heard what you'll get if she succeeds. This is what I want if she fails. Yes or no."

"Yes," said Scarlett.

I smiled. "Scarlett, if I convince Angel, then will you wear these colors as well?"

"Yes."

"Excellent. Everyone wait here."

I slipped past Elisabeth and moved up to Angel. "Angel," I said. "Your mate just made a wager with my mate."

"That seems foolish of her," Angel replied. "What is the wager?"

"If Scarlett wins, then once she is licensed, on all future building projects, Scarlett is allowed to submit a proposal for them. She might not win the work, but Lara agrees to accept a proposal from her."

"I'm on duty, Michaela," Angel said. "Can we talk about this later?"

"Both the alpha and the head enforcer know what the wager is and neither of them stopped me. That means you're allowed to talk to me about this."

"Does your head of security know?"

I turned around, and Elisabeth was talking to Serena.

"She does now."

Angel turned to me. "What if Scarlett loses?"

I explained about the note. "I can only guess it was something big, but I don't know. Lara wouldn't let me see."

"Is this a big wager?" she asked. "I don't understand."

"Being permitted to bid on a project can be very lucrative," I said. "Many jobs like this are by invitation only. There's no promise Lara would give Scarlett the business, but yes, I think this is a big deal."

"What are they wagering over?"

"Whether I can convince you to do something."

Angel's brow furrowed. "I don't believe Scarlett came up with this wager."

"No, I did."

"What do you have to convince me to do? Eat worms or something?"

"Let Scarlett paint your lips and your nails the same color as mine. You have to keep the lips until our run tonight and the nails until I return to Wisconsin."

Angel stared at me for a moment, then looked over at Scarlett. I could only guess her expression.

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Why this wager?"

"To be honest, Angel. I am not sure."

"You don't know why you came up with this?"

"No."

"The wager between them is real?"

"Yes."

"Will Lara be angry if Scarlett wins?"

"No."

She took in a breath, looked at Scarlett, and blew out the air. "Fine. I'll do it."

"I also have to buy you shoes that let us see your toes, and you have to wear them."

"No heels, or I won't do it."

"No heels," I agreed.

"All right," she said. "Fine."

I grinned, grabbed her arm and dragged her to her mate. "She said yes."

"Is there really a wager between you and Lara?" Angel asked.

"Yes," Scarlett replied. "But it was Michaela's idea. Honey, you don't have to do this if you don't want to."

"But you want to win?" Angel asked.

"Yes," Scarlett said.

"I think the store is getting tired of us here," I said. "Maybe just do your lips then we can go grab a soda at the food court after buying some shoes."

Fifteen minutes later during the walk to the food court, Lara spoke quietly to me. "You know I'd have let Scarlett submit proposals anyway."

"Please don't tell them that," I said, "or at least not until tomorrow. Pink is not Angel's color."

Lara smile. "No, but you look really nice."

"You like the ultra feminine look on me?"

"Yes, a great deal." She squeezed my hand.

"I've never put on makeup myself," I said. "The first time I wore any at all, Bree and Virginia Callahan did it. I thought it made me look stark. Scarlett made me look softer. But I'm not used to being this tall. It's like you all shrunk, and I don't know how human women wear shoes like these."

"You look beautiful, honey."

"Are you saying I don't normally look beautiful?"

"Honey..."

"Teasing, Lara. Please go buy me a soda and send your sister to keep me company for a minute."

We claimed a couple of tables at the food court. The enforcers set up guard positions while Scarlett and Lara took drink orders. Elisabeth sat down across the table from me, and I looked at her. She smiled.

"Elisabeth, I am going to ask you some questions, and I really hope you'll be honest."

"Oh, oh, a serious conversation?"

"Not that serious, but I want you to be honest."

"All right."

"Do I look ridiculous?"

"No. Michaela, you look amazing."

"Did that ruin your fun?"

"No. And the other dresses I've made you buy will look just as good on you. Well, maybe not as good, but not ridiculous. You should dress off the shoulder all the time."

"Pink?"

"Lara can't stop thinking about kissing those pink lips, Michaela."

"Absolutely no one is going to take me seriously if I dress like this all the time."

"Which is why I haven't actually made you wear the dresses back home yet. There haven't been the right occasions."

I smiled. "Do you like looking at me like this?"

"Yes, Michaela. More importantly, Lara does."

"Thank you, Elisabeth," I said. "What's the story for what we're doing here?"

"June, Scarlett and Angel are sworn to secrecy. Carissa doesn't want anyone beyond the original five of us knowing any details, so they only know you are scouting for her. They don't know precisely where or why."

"Who is going on the flight this afternoon?"

"The original five."

"Does Lara know how to fly in the mountains?"

"It's a clear day, and we'll be well above them, but I believe June is going to talk to her about it anyway."

"Talk to who about what?" Lara asked, setting down a tray full of drinks.

"Flight briefing," I said. "Head enforcer, there is a wager that must be completed, if you will allow Angel off duty while we drink our sodas."

"I'll take her place," Elisabeth said, "but after that, she's on duty, Michaela. You're worse with her on duty than her mate is."

I cocked my head, wondering if Elisabeth was teasing. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yes. I know she's your friend, but you don't distract Serena the way you distract Angel, and Serena is tough enough to stand up to you when you do it. Angel is submissive to you, so she lets you."

"I'm sorry, Elisabeth. If you let us complete this wager, then in the future, tell me when I'm doing it and I'll try to stop." I paused. "But you know, everyone is always on duty around me. God, I hate this. Even at home, everyone is always on duty."

"Can we agree that's a problem for another day?" Lara asked.

"Yes. I'm sorry."

Elisabeth got up and stepped to Angel, speaking briefly to her. A moment later, Angel sat down at the table across from me. Lara and I were holding hands, and she immediately grabbed Scarlett's.

"You know," I said, "We're not in Wisconsin. This might attract a little attention."

"I don't care," said Lara.

"I really have to let Scarlett paint my nails?" Angel asked.

"If you want her to win the wager," Lara replied. "Hands and feet."

She shook her head then asked Scarlett to get it over with. Scarlett grinned for a moment, dug through our bags, and found the polish. She eyed Angel's hands. "You know, if I were doing this properly, I'd do the full treatment."

"That's not part of the wager," Angel said. "And I don't think Elisabeth's patience will last for that."

Scarlett efficiently painted both of Angel's hands then told her, "Let those dry. Give me a foot." She did both feet, and Angel sat around while the polish dried before Scarlett would let her put the new shoes on.

"Pink," Angel said in disgust. "The things I do for you, Scarlett."

Scarlett smirked at her. "Thank you, honey. I'll make it up to you." She painted her own fingernails the same color then asked me to do her toes. I was as careful as I could be, but I'd never done it before. I thought she did a better job.

"Lara, if Scarlett gets someone else to strip those and do a better job, will she still win the wager?"

"Yes," Lara said, "as long as all ten fingers and toes still have bright, pink tips when we get home, and they both tell me they kept them that way."

Angel sighed. "So I don't get to strip them when we get home and repaint them when your plane lands?"

I laughed. "No."

We did a little more shopping, mostly for the sake of form, and then went to lunch. After that, we split into two groups. June, Scarlett and Angel returned to the hotel for some much needed sleep. They had been up all night. The rest of us headed for the airport. On the way, Lara and Elisabeth eyed the maps.

Our airplane was in transient parking, tied down outside. Lara turned to me and said, "I want to finish marking out the route we're going to take. Will you preflight for us?"

"Weight and balance, too?"

"No, this is one of our pre-configured arrangements, but you need to take the rear seat."

"I know," I said.

"Karen, guard the alpha," said Elisabeth. "Serena, you and I have the fox." She turned to me. "You will follow orders."

I smiled. "Right now, I don't have any choice, Elisabeth."

"Oh. Right. I could get used to that."

"Don't get too used to it. If you push too much now, I'm sure I'll act up horribly when we get home to make up for it."

"Please, Elisabeth, don't push her buttons," said Serena. "I don't want to spend too months wondering when I'm going to run into a patch of cayenne pepper while trying to chase her down."

"I haven't peppered you in over a year, Serena," I said, "and you deserved it that time."

"She did not," Lara said.

The enforcers climbed from the car, taking up protective positions. I turned to Lara. "I love you, Lara," I told her.

She smiled down at me and caressed my cheek. "I want to kiss you, but I'm pretty sure I'd go a little overboard, and I want to enjoy this look a little longer before I ruin it."

"Maybe I'll do it again sometime," I said. "But I better not go the entire day unkissed. That would be negative reinforcement." She kissed my hand, and a moment later, Serena rapped on the window before opening the door. She helped me out of the car and took my arm as we walked to the airplane, Elisabeth on my other side, both of them alert.

"You promised me my knives," I said.

"You have two in your purse," Elisabeth replied.

"They're hard to get to, and you stole my chopsticks from my hair."

"They clashed with the bow."

"You're trying to make me helpless."

"I told you it was okay if you wore the flat shoes," she countered. "Michaela, are you fussing to fuss, or are you serious?"

"Probably a bit of both. This is a predictable location, and it wouldn't be hard to set up an ambush."

"Too many witnesses," she replied. "If there were going to be trouble here, it would involve a sniper rifle. Please stop distracting me, Michaela."

Lara bought her Piper Seneca V brand new, and it was a beautiful aircraft. I thought it was frightfully expensive and had thought she would find something used, but she had told me, "I almost never splurge on myself. It's a beautiful airplane, and I want it."

The aircraft had two engines and seated six. There was a pilot and co-pilot seats, although the airplane was easily flown with a single pilot. Passenger seating was in "club" style, which meant the middle row of seats faced backwards and the rear seats faced forwards. I was pretty sure Elisabeth would ask to sit up front next to Lara. The seats were plush. I'd flown it a few times from the right seat with June or Lara in the left, but it was far too much airplane for me and would be for some time. Even Lara had to go through additional training before she could fly it, and she'd been flying most of her life.

But I knew how to do the preflight. Elisabeth and Serena stood guard while I spent fifteen minutes checking the airplane. I was exceedingly through. The plane had sat unguarded at a public airport since this morning, and I looked inside every nook and cranny to make sure nothing had been tampered with.

I'd once killed four wolves by tampering with their aircraft, and I wasn't going to let someone do the same with a plane I was about to ride in.

Finally, I finished, and I stepped up to Elisabeth's shoulder.

"I was as thorough as I know how," I said. "I even opened the inspection panels."

"I saw."

"We're ready to go whenever Lara is ready."

We stood quietly, then I heard Lara climb out of the car. I turned to face her as she strode confidently towards us. She saw me and smiled.

It was a bumpy flight, but I've been through much worse. I sat across from Serena but primarily stayed quiet. I couldn't see a thing out the front of the airplane, but the mountains were beautiful out the side window. We flew along, two thousand feet over the tops of the tallest nearby peaks. For this plane, that was low, but perfectly safe. Usually we flew much higher, but I was used to these altitudes when I flew.

"Six miles," Lara announced. "It'll be out the right side two miles away."

I heard Elisabeth begin taking photos through her window. Suddenly she passed the camera backwards, and Serena handed it to me. Our target had disappeared behind the engine for Elisabeth to see but appeared underneath the wing for me. I began clicking pictures madly, not worrying about quality. I continued to take more photos long after we were past, although I didn't think they would be useful.

After that, we did a standard sight-seeing trip. The mountains were beautiful.

"There wasn't much to see," Elisabeth complained. We were back in the SUV, heading for the hotel. She was paging through the photos on the camera. "We need to load these into the computer to see if there are more details."

"We're not here for an infiltration," I said. "I need to lure Deirdre outside to talk to me. We're not here to kidnap her. I am simply a messenger."

"If she decides to leave, there may be some resistance," Lara said.

"Little Fox," added Elisabeth, "if you had taken those helicopter flight lessons I asked you to take, we would have a ready solution."

"It's so expensive, Elisabeth," I replied. "Lara spends too much on me already."

No one replied to that. We sat quietly for another minute or two, then I said, "If there needs to be an extraction, all of you are better at planning it than I am. Just don't cut me out."

"If we have to move quickly, Michaela," Elisabeth said gently, "it would be easier without waiting for you. I'm sorry."

"I understand," I said. "There's little we can do until I convince Deirdre to talk to me."

 **Dialogue**

I poked my furry, whiskered nose through the bushes, sniffing, my ears listening carefully. Satisfied, I prowled out into the clearing, a cautious fox looking for a simple meal. I nosed about, moving deeper and deeper into the field.

All the while, I thought, "Deirdre, come see your new friend. I am your friend."

I spent an hour in the field before I heard the door open. I knew immediately it was Deirdre. I paused only a moment then turned to face her. She was leaning against the railing of the deck, looking at me from seventy yards away.

We didn't talk. She simply watched me, but I felt no sense of communication. I wondered if I imagined it last night. But over and over I thought, "Please come talk to me. I am a small fox, but I am your friend."

I turned sideways and posed for her, thinking perhaps she might find me beautiful and wish to see me closer. I turned this way and that, and I heard her laugh, carrying easily across the field.

Then she spoke. "You are a beautiful fox, she who isn't a fox at all."

I stomped the ground with one paw. I was most definitely a fox.

"You heard me?"

I sat down facing her.

"Come closer," she said, "so I may better see you."

That wasn't happening. She could come to me. I stood up and posed again but pointedly didn't move any closer.

She turned around, looking behind her, then a moment later she was gone.

I huffed disappointment and began slowly moving towards the edge of the field, convinced she had been called away and I wouldn't see her again tonight. But a moment later, a screen door opened and closed, and when I turned to look, she was walking slowly across the field towards me.

"Friends," I thought as hard as I could. And again, I posed for her.

She approached at an angle, not walking straight towards me. Many animals would shy away if approached directly, as that would be deemed a threat. Instead, she approached the edge of the trees, aiming for a point twenty yards from me. I waited for her, watching carefully. As she came close, I posed once more, then moved away from her, hoping to draw her further from the house.

She stopped and watched me, then crouched down. "Pretty fox," she said, "I will not harm you."

I turned and ran away ten steps, then turned to look at her, hoping she would follow. She hadn't moved. I pranced back to where I had been, then ran away again.

She laughed. "You want me to follow you, do you?"

I did it again, and this time, she followed. She followed me most of the way to the far corner of the field, but then she stopped.

"No," she said. "I will go no further. Now stop and let me see you."

I turned back and lay down instead, hoping to draw her at least a little closer. She stubbornly remained where she was, crouching down perhaps fifteen yards from me.

"No," she said. "I came all the way here. It is your turn to trust me."

I stood up. I looked pointedly at her, then even more pointedly at the house before slowly turning back to face her.

"I only have a few minutes, Fox," she said. "Please let me see you."

I got up and walked to her, stopping just close enough to sniff at her outstretched hand, then turning sideways.

"So beautiful," she said.

I preened, then took three leaps into the woods.

"No!" she said. "Please come back."

Instead, I stepped behind a tree, and once I was hidden from view of the house, I shifted into my human form. When I looked, Deirdre was searching the woods with her eyes. She didn't see me at first.

"Deirdre," I said. "I only came to talk to you."

She gasped and took several steps away from the forest.

"Please, Deirdre," I said. "I am a friend, but I can't risk being seen like this."

She stopped. "Who are you?"

"Please come closer. You don't need to enter the woods if you are afraid, but please don't make us yell."

She moved slowly closer, stopping several paces from the edge of the woods. I moved away from the tree but kept it between the house and me. She finally saw me.

"Don't come any closer," she said.

"Speak more quietly," I said. "I will hear you. I came to talk. That is all."

"What are you?" she asked, more quietly.

"My name is Michaela."

She straightened further. "The werefox from Wisconsin. Are you here to kill me?"

"No. I do not kill my friends, and I wish us to be friends, Deirdre."

"Do not call me that. I am known here as Aspen."

"Aspen, unless you were to threaten my pack, I would never, ever hurt you."

"I have never seen a werefox before," she said.

"I think-" My voice broke. "I think I am the last of my kind."

"Oh, Michaela," she said, and there was warmth in her voice. "No, there are others. Is that why you're here?"

I took a breath. "No. You are in danger here."

Even in the dim light, I saw her brow furrow, the smile disappear. "She sent you! Are the Madison weres now her thralls?"

"She begs your forgiveness, Aspen."

But she wasn't listening. She turned and was about to run.

"Please, Aspen!" I said. "She'll make me come back."

"Leave me alone!"

"Aspen," I said, "Please. It is very dangerous for me here. Please, talk to me."

She had taken several steps, but she stopped and finally turned. "Begs? She never begs."

"This time, she begs," I said. "Please, come closer. I am so afraid we'll be heard."

She approached slowly, halving the distance between us.

"What is she paying you? It must be a great deal to serve as her messenger. And I can smell the thrall. You let her enthrall you? What did she offer you?"

"Friendship."

She watched me for a minute then glanced at the house.

"You have two minutes, then I must go," she said.

"She begs your forgiveness. She begs you to return home."

"I am home now. This is my new home."

"Her enemies search for you. And if your new master here knew you were once hers, you would be in grave danger."

"He won't know."

"Her enemies search, Aspen. I know little about vampires, but I imagine when they search, they are dogged and very, very patient."

She said nothing. I waited for a moment, then went on.

"She begs forgiveness. She begs your return. If you accept, I am to assist you."

"If I wish to remain here?"

"She only begs; she does not order." I paused. "She mentioned the necklace. Do you know the significance?"

"This?" she put her hand to her neck. "She gave it to me."

"Yes. Did she explain the significance?"

"It is very old, but it is simple."

"It was once her daughter's."

"She... she wants it back."

"She wants you back," I replied. "But if you refuse her, then yes, she wishes the necklace back. She would rather have you."

"I was nothing to her. You may take the necklace."

"I do not believe you were nothing," I replied. "She risked war with my pack to send me here."

"She forced you?"

"Someone named Kristian interpreted orders to invite me to New Orleans in a someone more forceful fashion than she intended, or so she said." I paused. "Did she lie to me?"

"I have never heard her lie," Deirdre responded. "If she said Kristian misunderstood, then he misunderstood, but she may have issued the orders in a fashion he would misunderstand."

"She apologized profusely and graciously."

Deirdre nodded.

"My point is this: she did not go through that for a necklace, even one belonging to her daughter. She did it for you. I am risking my life for you, Aspen. If I die, my mate's rage will be boundless. It will destroy my pack and undoubtedly result in the deaths of many people very dear to me. I did not do this for a necklace."

She turned away as if she were listening. "He calls. I must go. Come back tomorrow and I will have an answer."

"It is not safe for you, Aspen. Her enemies search."

"I know. He said he would keep me safe."

"He is not sufficiently powerful, and you know it. Enemies of the Queen of New Orleans are far more powerful than this vampire."

But then she was running, and I shifted back to fox and watched her leave.

The wolves weren't at our first meeting point. I couldn't hear them, either. I thought very hard about Carissa, and two minutes later, far off, I heard Serena's howl. Serena's howl meant the third rendezvous point. It was a long run on fox feet.

Three times I had to hide from cars. Twice more I heard Serena howl for me, and when I knew I was close enough for them to hear, I yipped twice. My yips didn't carry anywhere near as far as a wolf howl, but it would have to do.

I came around a bend in the road, and there they were, watching for me. I yipped twice more. Lara was waiting for me, but I ran straight at the car. Serena got the door open just as I leapt, and I flew into the car. The wolves piled in after me, and I dived into the back seat, then lay there panting. Seconds later, we were moving.

Lara turned around. "Trouble?"

I yawned briefly then slowly caught my breath before shifting back to human.

"We talked," I said, pulling on my clothes. "She is considering things. She asked me to return tomorrow."

"Good," Lara said, smiling. "Maybe we can leave on Wednesday."

"The easiest for us is if she gives you the necklace tomorrow night and decides to stay," added Elisabeth.

"Maybe," I said, "But I do not believe she is safe here. And if she reports me to the vampire, it could be very dangerous for me tomorrow."

I finished dressing, no one saying anything. When I looked up, Lara was smiling. Given my last comment, I found that puzzling.

"Did you know that the lipstick lasts through a shift?" she asked.

I was out risking my life, and Lara was thinking about lipstick? Still, I didn't complain when she lifted me across the intervening seat and deposited me in her lap, my feet in Elisabeth's lap.

She kissed me until I moaned.

Ten minutes later, Lara handed me her phone.

"Carissa," I said.

"Well done, Michaela," she purred. "Thank you. Do you believe she will come home?"

"I wanted more time to talk to her," I said, pleased I hadn't turned into a simpering fool at the sound of her voice. I clutched Lara's hand and continued. "I was forced to brevity and do not believe I was as eloquent as either of us would have preferred."

"You told her I forgave her?"

"No, Mistress," I replied. "I told her you begged her forgiveness."

Her laughter shut my mind down for a moment, and I sat dully for a moment before I shook myself.

"Have I overstated your position?"

"Perhaps," she said, "But if it brings Deirdre home to me, then I will swallow my pride, and indeed, greet her from my knees."

I had a difficult time envisioning that. I admitted it.

"I would not send you as emissary and then deny you," she said. "Do not offer too much more in my name, however."

I relayed the rest of the conversation the best I could. "I do not believe she understood the significance of the necklace."

"It pleasured me to see it about her neck," Carissa said. "While you may not have had time for a lengthy entreaty, perhaps only three words were necessary."

"Beg, forgiveness, and daughter?"

"Quite so," she replied. "And you stressed she was not safe?"

"Yes."

"Well then, I thank you. You have served as a fine emissary, and I do not hold you responsible for Deirdre's decisions. You will return one more time?"

"And if she chooses to return to you, we will seek to assist her, but I fear the five of us are insufficient in a battle with vampires."

"This is based upon your experiences with Kristian?"

"Yes. I have never seen someone so fast."

"Do not base your expectations as lofty as that. Kristian is a thousand years old. Zane Morton is a mere two hundred. With my blood in you, you are faster than he is."

"If he is so weak, why did you not come on this errand yourself?"

"Because Mr. Morton's maker lives, and so does his maker. I would not wish war with the Master of Atlanta."

"And so the Madison weres risk war with him instead?"

"I would not recommend you invade Mr. Morton's home and kill him in his sleep, but otherwise, I will intercede if it becomes necessary. Gideon will not turn his eye on Wisconsin."

"If I kill him in self-defense, while taking something he believes belongs to him?"

"You are simply returning to me something that belongs to me," she replied. She paused a moment. "The answer might be different if you took her forcefully, but if she accompanies you willingly, you are safe from vampiric retribution."

"You indicated Mr. Morton was one of your enemies, but if he is so young, is he not beneath you?"

"He is an annoying wasp I would prefer to crush," she said, "but I need a better excuse than he has given me, or I risk Gideon's anger. Michaela, you and your alpha should not be the aggressors, but defend yourselves if necessary. If Deirdre chooses to go with you, she is not entirely defenseless, either. She will not kill, but she has power."

"Mistress, my preferred weapons are silver knives. Should I be carrying wooden stakes instead?"

She laughed, and again my mind shut down for a moment. She spoke, but it took me a moment.

"I'm sorry," I said eventually. I leaned against Lara. "Can you repeat that?"

"My laughter turns your brain to mush?"

"Yes."

"I believe you will find it very difficult to drive a stake through a vampire's chest, although the wolves may find that an effective technique. Werewolf claws are also effective, although vampires heal quickly, and it takes a great deal of damage delivered in a very short amount of time to kill one of us. Stick to your knives and fight as if you are fighting a werewolf. Silver is poison to a vampire, although all but the youngest vampire will be able to heal, but they will need to retreat to do so."

"If I pierce the heart?"

"Through the rib cage? A difficult task."

"No, under and up."

"You will need to do more than pierce the heart. You would need to drive the knife deep into the heart and leave it there until the vampire is dust."

"I have used silvered stakes with werewolves in the past."

"A wooden stake through the heart will kill nearly every supernatural creature I know, if the creature has a heart to begin with," she said. "Beheading works with most, as well, including vampires, and that was the most common way we died in times when swords were common. You do not need to silver your stakes."

"Anything else?"

"We heal from a broken neck, but it takes time. We regrow limbs, but it takes time."

"You are telling me how to kill you."

"Oh, my pet, I am telling you how to kill the vampires you might face. A master is not so easily killed."

At the, "my pet," Lara bristled.

"Please do not call me that, Carissa," I requested quietly. "It disturbs my mate."

"My apologies, Lara," she replied. "I forget myself, and I truly am sorry."

Lara calmed down marginally and nodded to me. "Anything else I need to know?" I asked.

"You are immune to all vampires other than me," she said, "but your wolves are not. Your alpha will have some resistance, but all of them could be captured if they gaze too long into a vampire's eyes, even a vampire as young as Mr. Morton."

"Let us hope we don't need to know any of this," I replied. "Thank you, Carissa."

"I only give you the information you may require to complete my errand, Michaela. Do your wolves have further questions?"

Lara shook her head. I turned to Elisabeth.

"I'm only hearing about half of what she's telling you," Elisabeth said. "If Lara is satisfied, we'll go over it all."

"If you need anything further, you are welcome to call me, Michaela, but you may wish to do so in the mundane fashion. It becomes more difficult to hear you the other way. I would need to reinforce the thrall to notice you when I am not specifically listening for you."

"How would you do that?"

"By calling you," she replied, "As I did on Saturday. Every time I do so strengthens the thrall, slightly at first, but then the effect grows exponentially. If you feel me call you again, you will know it is for only the most dire reasons. If I had intended to keep you, I would have called you repeatedly over the course of a few weeks."

"I guess we're done, Carissa," I said. "Until tomorrow."

"Until tomorrow, Michaela."

Before dinner, I had told Lara, "You ordered me to talk Angel into makeup."

"Nope." She grinned. "Did you have a backup guess?"

"Why would you give me a backup guess?"

"Because my sister had a minute alone with you, Michaela."

I began laughing. I had a backup guess, but I didn't want to share it with her.

And so, when we were alone in the hotel before bed, Lara pulled me into her arms. "You have one more guess."

"I am disappointed, Lara."

She frowned. "Why?"

"The agreement was you would order me to do something that I would find embarrassing and everyone else would find funny. At no point today did I feel embarrassed."

"Did you really want me to embarrass you?"

"Well, no." I paused. "Did you really give me an order?"

"I am not answering any questions like that unless you are conceding the wager."

"If you didn't do anything, then the wager is void."

"I will accept 'nothing' as your guess, Little Fox. I do not concede the wager is void."

"If you ordered me not to be embarrassed by whatever you ordered, the wager is void."

"No," she replied. "I do not concede that, either. Honey, the wager was your idea. Do not be angry with me."

"I'm not angry," I said. "If you win, I don't want to feel cheated, that is all."

"If you do, we'll negotiate."

"All right," I said. "You ordered me to wear the makeup. Or Elisabeth did."

"Elisabeth ordered you to do your best to talk Angel into doing something girlish. It was a prank on Angel more than you. She wasn't going to tell me, but I told her about our wager and insisted on knowing, in case you guessed what she told you to do. I didn't think it was fair to you, which is why I gave you a second guess before dinner."

I laughed. "How far away did you go before she'd tell you?"

"Out in the parking lot while you were still in the shower."

"Did Serena get in on the fun?"

"If so, I don't know about it, and she doesn't know Elisabeth and I were playing with you. Serena is not given to pranks."

"So, did I win?"

Lara pursed her lips. "I did give you an order, and at no point did I mention anything to do with your appearance."

"Did I follow your order?"

She smiled. "Very much so."

"Am I aware I did whatever you ordered?"

"Very much so."

"I notice you haven't told me you won."

"Honey, I ordered you to do something you felt was out of character simply because you thought it would please me. How you chose to do so was entirely your doing."

I pulled out of her arms and stepped away from her, turning to the side. She didn't pursue me. I looked down at how I was dressed. I was still in the dress and heels. Other than during my run, I hadn't taken them off. My toes were pink; my fingernails were pink. And while it was largely smudged off, I knew my lips were still a little pink.

"Did I guess right?" I asked in a small voice.

"Yes, honey."

I turned to face her. "Did you win?"

"Yes," she said. "But I'm not talking about the wager."

The corners of my mouth curled for a moment. "The wager. Did you win the wager?"

"You tell me."

"Out of character doesn't have to mean embarrassing," I said. "It was supposed to be embarrassing."

"Honey, you dressed in pink for me."

"Should I be embarrassed about that?"

"I don't think so, but everyone would have expected you to be."

"But you didn't order me to do something embarrassing," I said. "There was no way I was going to guess that."

"I didn't make the wager, honey. You did. And now you have to judge."

"I did the makeup in response to your order," I said. "I identified the event, but didn't guess the order itself at all properly."

"You wore the shoes, too, and you wore them all day when you didn't have to. You're still wearing them when anyone else would have had them off the moment we were inside the room."

"Do you hate how I normally dress?"

"No, honey. Have I ever pressured you about your appearance, other than your wedding dress? Which I will point out is the dress you wanted, anyway."

"No, you haven't," I said.

I was torn, deeply torn, but probably because I couldn't believe I had picked the makeup to fulfill her order.

She stepped closer. "Do you want me to judge?"

I looked up at her and nodded.

"Then I declare your first two guesses incorrect and your third to be sufficiently close as to have won."

"Are you sure?"

"I think I came out ahead, Michaela," she said. "Yes, I'm sure." She grinned. "Are you going to wager with me tomorrow, too?"

I smiled. "Maybe for smaller stakes. I stated backrubs, but I wonder if you would allow a more generic interpretation of our wager."

"Oh?"

"Rub my feet for five minutes, then you may do anything else to me that you want."

She laughed, and did.

In the morning, we saw Angel, Scarlett and June to the airport. They were flying home commercially. Angel's nails were still pink, and it amused me to see them. I was back in jeans and a simple blouse and a clean face. Lara hid her disappointment poorly.

That left me a great deal to think about. When we dropped them off, I pulled Scarlett to the side.

"Scarlett, I think Lara liked how I looked yesterday."

"I know she did, Michaela. I couldn't believe you let me do it."

"Did I look foolish?"

"No."

"If I tried to do that to myself, it would turn out poorly."

"I can teach you."

"Like I can teach you how to hear a mouse at a hundred yards?"

She cocked her head. "I don't understand."

"I think you can teach me artistry about as well as I can teach you to hear more sharply."

"Oh. Well. Then I'll do it for you whenever you want."

I hugged her and Angel and was sad to see them leave, but they both had classes, and I couldn't possibly have suggested they stay. Lara stepped up to me as we watched them disappear into the airport.

"They grow up so fast," she said.

I leaned against my mate, and she put her arm around me.

"What are we doing today?" I asked. "More shopping?"

She laughed. "No. We're going hiking."

"Two feet or four?"

"Two."

"Scouting?"

"Just a hike, but it's going to be strenuous. Elisabeth let Karen pick the section of trail, and she picked the hardest fifteen-mile section we could find."

"How are we getting back to the car?"

"That's why we kept the second SUV," she said. "We'll drop it off at the end then drive to the beginning."

"Ah. I thought we were about to return it."

Elisabeth stepped up to our other side. "They're through security and at their gate, and their plane is boarding. We can leave."

I turned back to the cars. Serena stood by the door of one of the SUVs and opened it as we approached. I climbed in, Lara next to me. Serena got behind the wheel and Elisabeth took the front seat. Karen moved to the other car, and then we were on our way.

"I couldn't have dressed the way you wanted today, anyway," I told Lara quietly.

"You look lovely," she said.

We made small talk for the next ten minutes, but then Elisabeth turned around to look at me. "Fox, is the only reason you haven't taken helicopter lessons is due to the cost?"

"Well, I've had a lot on my plate, but I would have made room if it wasn't so expensive."

"If I pay for it, will you learn to fly helicopters?"

"Head enforcer," Serena said.

"You have concerns?"

"Trainer helicopters are two-seaters," Serena said. "There is nowhere for me to sit."

"I would just be-" I started to say.

"No!" said Serena. "Head enforcer, I am the team lead for Michaela's security detail. I have objections, and I expect you to listen to them."

Lara pulled her phone from her pocket and made a phone call. I heard June answer.

"Alpha, they're closing the doors."

"Can someone learn to fly helicopters in a four-seat aircraft?"

"If it's the right aircraft and the right instructor," she said.

"Thank you," Lara said. "Have a good flight."

She relayed the conversation to Serena and Elisabeth.

"Elisabeth," said Serena, "I will ride in the back seat or you may replace me as the head of her security detail."

"No," I said. "I don't want anyone else. I won't do it if it means I lose Serena."

Elisabeth frowned and turned to look fully at Lara. The two of them studied each other. Finally Elisabeth said, "I'll pay for it."

"It's my responsibility," Lara replied.

"I'm the one who wants it. If you wanted it, you would have done it years ago."

"Elisabeth," I said, "Why don't you do it?"

"I make myself airsick, Michaela."

"June said you go fly aerobatics with her."

"Only in smooth air, and June is a very, very good pilot. She only does some maneuvers with me, the ones that don't make me sick. She once bet me she could have me airsick in twenty seconds."

"Who cleaned the plane up?"

"That was part of the wager. I did."

"You're fine on the water," I said. "There's more bobbing around there than in an airplane."

"I know," she replied.

"You would really fly in a helicopter I'm piloting?"

"I want Angel to learn, too," she said. "And I really wish my sister would." She turned back to Lara. "I'll pay for it, but I would like a helipad at the airport and another across the road from the compound, and that's where I want to keep the helicopter."

"Elisabeth, aren't they millions?"

"No," she said. "Well, they can be, but not the one I'll get. If the pack ever needs that serious of an aircraft, the pack can pay for it."

"They can't learn across the road, Elisabeth. It will need to stay at the airport until they've had a lot more experience."

Elisabeth looked at me. "I want you to have three hundred hours before you begin your college classes. Will you do that for me?"

"Why, Elisabeth? I don't want to wait for college any longer." I paused. "Angel says she'll attend business school but only if it's with me, and I have a four-year program but couldn't possibly attend full time."

"I didn't know that," Lara said.

"Michaela," said Elisabeth, "I'd ask June to do it, but she's in Bayfield most of the time now. I've asked and asked Lara, but she refuses and won't even tell me why."

"I took lessons, Elisabeth," Lara said quietly. "It scared the crap out of me."

We all turned to her. "What?" I asked.

"I'll let you do it, honey," she said, "but the sight of the ground between my feet, it just scared the crap out of me. I don't even know if I can ride as a front seat passenger. I tried to push though it, but it wasn't any better after ten hours, so I quit."

"You fly airplanes and climb mountains," I said. "I don't understand."

"It's not rational," she admitted. "Phobias rarely are."

I took her hand and squeezed it. She rarely admitted any weaknesses.

"No one says a word about this," I ordered. "That is a direct order from your alpha."

"Yes, Alpha," Serena and Elisabeth said immediately.

I turned to Elisabeth. "Are you sure about this?"

"Yes. Other than letting us protect you, I never ask you for anything. Please do this for me."

"And you're going to ask Angel to as well?"

"Yes. If I'm already paying for the helicopter, I want to get good value from it."

"All right. I'll fully apply myself, but I'm starting college in the fall, if it's not too late." I turned to Serena. "Does that fit your schedule?"

"Yes."

I looked at Lara. "May I?"

"Yes."

"Elisabeth, I don't know if I'll have three hundred hours by September. I am not going to build hours just for a number. It should be meaningful. Am I disappointing you?"

"I need you to learn to fly very, very smoothly by September, Michaela," she said, "And I want you able to land at a helipad across the road. No, you are not disappointing me. Thank you."

"Thank me? You're the one spending all the money. I'm the one who gets a new toy." I grinned. "Who cleans the aircraft if Serena gets sick?"

"June once gave me the same wager she gave Elisabeth," Serena said, glancing at me in the mirror. "It was for one minute. When I won, she asked for five. I got a month's worth of baby-sitting out of the deal."

I shook my head. "All these wagers."

"You're as bad as any of us," Elisabeth said.

"I learned from all of you."

"It comes from being competitive," Lara said. "At least the wagers are creative. You wouldn't believe what some of our members wager over?"

"Who can grunt the loudest?"

Serena snickered.

"What?" I asked.

"That one would be a tame version of the noises they make."

"Eww," I said after a moment. I sighed. "When am I going to find the time?"

I worked my way entirely around the field, using eyes, ears, and nose to search for anything awry. I was terribly afraid Deirdre reported me to her vampire, and without my weapons, I was easy prey. I may have faster reactions than the vampire, but I bet he ran at werewolf speeds, if not faster. I wondered whether he was as good at tracking as they were. I wished I had asked Carissa.

I found no signs of trouble and eventually stepped out into the field. Even with the extra time I spent, it was somewhat earlier than the previous two nights.

I was anxious to be done with this. A portion of me hoped she handed me the necklace and sent me on my way, and I know that was what Lara wanted, but a much larger portion of me wanted to please Carissa. The thought of disappointing her physically hurt.

The thrall remained intact, but at least I could think about her without losing my ability to think.

I waited thirty minutes, trying to act as fox like as I could, before Deirdre appeared on her balcony. She searched the field for me, and we looked at each other, and then she disappeared inside. I moved to the edge of the field where we had talked yesterday and then waited for her. A few moments later, she strode across the field towards me. I made sure she saw where I stood, then disappeared into the trees and shifted to human, waiting for her.

"Michaela," she whispered.

"I am here," I said, stepping where she could see me.

I could tell from her expression she had decided to stay.

"Please, Aspen," I said. "You are not safe here. This vampire will learn of the search for you. If he is too stupid to put two and two together, then he is too stupid to keep you safe."

"It is too dangerous to you if I leave with you," she said. "I must take my chances here. He asked me what I was doing outside."

"Does he sleep during the day?"

"Yes, but he locks me with him. I have only a few minutes after dusk. I must stay, for your safety."

"We can get you free," I said. "I am not alone."

She stiffened.

"They are not close," I said quickly. "You and I are alone now."

"Wolves or vampires?" she asked.

"My alpha and several enforcers," I said. "It would be enough. Carissa fears war with Atlanta if she comes herself."

She shook her head. "I'm sorry. Tell Carissa I am sorry we fought and I accept her apology." She smiled. "Did she really beg?"

"She told me last night she will meet you from her knees, Aspen."

"I should send the necklace back," she said. She reached behind her neck to undo the latch. "Do you have a way to carry it?"

"You will need to wrap it twice around my neck as fox," I said. "She would rather you brought it to her yourself."

Deirdre unlatched the necklace and knelt down, waiting for me, but right then, I felt Carissa calling me.

I snapped my head to the southwest, towards New Orleans. "Mistress?"

"What is it?"

"She is calling me," I said, my voice filled with distress. "Why is she calling me?"

I turned back to Deirdre. "Look for me! Something is wrong. Watch for me, Deirdre!"

And then I couldn't resist the call. I ran, flowing into fox, and ran.

I must have run two miles before I had enough sanity to think. She couldn't possibly mean for me to run from North Carolina to New Orleans, but she must know that's what the call would do to me.

And then it stopped. The call stopped, but not the effect.

She wanted to see me, and I was helpless to resist. But I changed direction, heading for the rendezvous point.

Halfway there, and the call began again. I stumbled and fell, curling into myself, the need was so great, and then I was on my feet, running as hard as I could.

My mistress called.

It ended again, but no sooner had it ended that she called again. And then again.

Why was she doing this?

And then it stopped. I struggled to think, but I couldn't. All I could think of was this: My mistress needed me, and I would go to her.

I could barely think, and still I ran. And then I could hear Lara, howling for me.

I ran to the howl. Lara would get me there. Lara could fly me to New Orleans. Lara would help me go to my mistress.

I yipped, but I was too far away; Lara would not hear me. But I could hear her, and I pinpointed her location, two miles ahead, slightly right of my current path, but I knew the route I was on was easiest, and I continued to run.

She howled again, and then when I thought I was close enough, I yipped, five quick yips at the top of my voice, still running. She howled once more for me.

And then I broke out onto the road. I turned right, and there was the car, Lara in fur, the rest on two feet, watching for me. I yipped, and they all turned to me.

They waited for me, but as I drew close, Elisabeth opened the door. I didn't even pause, but simply jumped into the car, yipping and yipping.

"Hurry," I wanted to say. "Hurry!"

They all climbed in, and Lara pulled me into her arms, human now.

"Shift," she ordered. "Right now!"

I shifted to human in her arms.

"She calls me, Lara!" I said. "She is calling me. I have to go to her. You must take me to her! You must!" I turned to Karen. "Drive, Karen. Please drive."

"Look at me!" Lara commanded firmly, and I was helpless but to obey. "Report, Michaela."

"Deirdre accepts the apology but chooses to remain. She was about to give me the necklace when Mistress began to call me. We must go to her!"

"You will answer my questions, Little Fox," she said, "And then I will let you talk to Carissa."

"I must go to her!"

"Answer my questions. Did Deirdre say why she wasn't coming?"

"She said it is too dangerous to us, and she will take her chances."

Lara pursed her lips, and it was Elisabeth who answered the next question. "Is she expecting you again?"

"I told her to watch for me, but the call was too strong."

"When, Michaela? When will she watch for you?"

"She said her new master locks her in with him. He sleeps during the day, but she has a small amount of time after dusk." I looked back to Lara. "Please take me to her, Lara. I have to go to her!"

"Get dressed," Lara ordered. "Elisabeth, take her."

"Come get dressed, Michaela," Elisabeth said, and I was helpless but to obey. I turned to her and let her help me into my clothes. Beside me, Lara struggled into her own clothes, her larger size making it more difficult in the car.

I turned to Lara, watching her put the last of her clothing on. "Please, Lara, take me to her. We can fly there tonight."

She looked at me sadly then pulled out her phone. A moment later, I heard Carissa answer.

"Mistress!" I screamed.

"Let me talk to her," she told Lara.

"We will have words, Carissa," Lara told her frostily, but then she handed the phone to me.

"Mistress," I said, "I am coming."

"Listen to me very carefully, Michaela," said my mistress. "You will remain there."

"But you called."

"Do not interrupt me," she said. "You will remain there. I-" she paused. "I panicked. I am very, very sorry. I should not have done that. I sought to bind you more closely to me so that you would do my bidding, but I am ashamed of myself for it."

"Mistress?"

"Michaela, you will obey your mate. Do you understand?"

"You want me to obey Lara."

"Yes."

"You do not want me to come to you."

"No, Michaela. You will obey your mate."

I was confused. She had called me, but now she didn't want me.

"You don't want me?" I asked in a small voice.

"Michaela," she said gently, "I want us to be friends, but we cannot be friends if I come between you and your mate. I made a mistake. Now, let me talk to Lara."

Immediately I handed the phone to Lara.

"What?" said Lara.

"I can't break the thrall, but I can transfer it to you."

Lara was quiet for a moment. "How long before it fades on its own?"

"If I never draw on it again? A year, perhaps two. But she will spend much of that time seeking to be with me. I am so sorry."

"This woman must mean a great deal to you, Carissa. You do not have this reputation."

"She does," my mistress said.

"We will try one more time, but then we leave here."

"Come to New Orleans. It is difficult, but I can transfer the thrall to you."

"I would rather you break it."

"I'm sorry. I cannot."

"You said Deirdre broke it."

"I don't know how she did it."

Lara paused.

"You owe us, Carissa," Lara said firmly.

"I do," she said. "How does she look?"

Lara looked at me. "Like she is about to crawl across Elisabeth's lap and run to you."

"She will obey you."

"She better. If you have killed her or taken her from me, I will never forgive you."

"I am sorry, Alpha. I will do my best to repair this."

Lara hung up and returned the phone to her pocket. Then she turned to me. "Michaela, listen to me and listen good. You are not to leave my side unless it is on orders from Elisabeth or Serena. If you become separated from us, you will find one of us. You will make no attempt to leave. You will make no attempt to go to New Orleans until we are ready to take you. Tell me you understand."

"I understand, Lara."

"Karen," she said. "Drive."

For the next twenty minutes, all I could think was, "Remain at Lara's side," and I took it very literally. I plastered myself next to her, clutching her arm. But, slowly, I was able to start thinking again.

"Lara?" I asked quietly.

"Little Fox."

"What happened?"

She took a breath before answering. "The Queen of New Orleans received word. Her enemies have located the fae woman. They are coming from too far and will not arrive tonight, but they will be here by midnight tomorrow."

"We have to warn her, don't we?"

"No," said Lara. "Elisabeth, Deirdre knows how to break the thrall. We're getting her out of there. Plan it."

 **Part Three**

 **Planning**

They spent the car ride throwing out ideas, most of them poor. We arrived at the hotel, and I remained next to Lara as we strode to our room. As soon as we arrived, Lara turned to me.

But I was taking her literally, so as she turned, I rotated with her, staying at her side. She kept turning to face me, and I stayed glued to her side.

Elisabeth chuckled watching it then took pity on me. "Michaela, come here," she ordered.

I immediately turned to her and nearly ran to her, coming to a stop in front of her.

"Serena," Elisabeth said, "Take care of Michaela."

"Michaela," Serena said gently, "Look at me."

I turned to face her. She stepped forward. "Hold out your hands to me." I reached for her, and she took my hands. "Come with me, Michaela."

I stepped forward, and she drew me away from Elisabeth, taking me to the bed. She crawled backwards across the bed, still holding my hands, and I followed. Then she said, "Make yourself comfortable, Michaela."

I made a little nest and curled up on my side, watching her. She lay down next to me, looking into my eyes.

"Tell me what orders you are currently following."

"Obey Lara, Elisabeth and Serena. Go with Lara. Go with Serena. Tell if I can't answer a question. Think for myself. Stay in North Carolina. Obey my mate. Do not let Carissa become a wedge between Lara and me. Stay at Lara's side unless it is on orders from Elisabeth or Serena. Find one of you if we become separated. Come with you. Make myself comfortable."

"Are you thinking, Michaela?"

I closed my eyes. "I don't know, Serena. It hurts."

"What hurts, honey?"

"My mistress is hurting Lara, but I have orders against letting her come between us. She is coming between us. Make it stop, Serena."

"Michaela, Carissa is not coming between you."

"She is. I can smell Lara's grief!"

"No, honey. Open your eyes and look at your mate."

My eyes popped open and I lifted my head to look at Lara. She was watching me.

"You are not used to your current sense of smell," she said, "and you do not know how to read subtleties. But you have long experience listening with your ears and watching with your eyes. What do they tell you?"

"Lara is angry."

"Yes, she is. What does Lara do when she is angry?"

"She kills the one who made her angry."

"No, honey, she does not. That is what you do. Lara does something different. Do you know what?"

"She-" I thought about it. "She wins."

"Yes, she wins. What you are smelling isn't grief, it is determination."

I thought about it. I wanted to look at Serena to see if she was lying, but she ordered me to look at Lara. That order was competing with the order to think for myself, and I began to tremble in frustration."

"What is wrong now, honey?"

Lara moved, still watching me, and my eyes tracked her.

"Oh, Michaela, you may now look wherever you like," Serena said.

I collapsed to the bed and slowly turned to look back at her.

"Determination? It smells like grief."

"Michaela," she said, "I can teach you the different smells, or you can choose to trust me. To me, it does not smell like grief. Your enhanced fox nose is still no match for a wolf nose. Will you believe me? I have never lied to you, honey."

I closed my eyes. "I trust you, Serena."

"Serena, do you have her?" Lara asked.

"She'll be fine," Serena said. "But I want you to cancel most of the orders you gave her."

"She'll run."

"Michaela," Serena said, "Will you run if Lara cancels all the orders she gave you?"

"No," I said after considering it. "But watch me carefully."

"Trust her, Alpha."

"Michaela," said Lara. "I cancel all the orders I have given you."

I felt some of the tension ease. I opened my eyes and looked at Serena. "Thank you."

"Tell me what orders you are following."

"Obey Lara, Elisabeth and Serena. Go with Lara. Tell if I can't answer a question. Stay in North Carolina. Obey my mate. Do not let Carissa become a wedge between Lara and me. Make myself comfortable."

"Alpha," Serena said, "Please call Carissa and let me talk to her."

I listened as Lara made the call. It rang twice before I heard my mistress's voice. I immediately sat up and stared at the phone.

"Michaela's head of security wishes to speak with you."

"Put her on."

Lara handed the phone to Serena, and I continued to stare at it.

"Carissa, my name is Serena."

"Yes, we have met."

"I am taking care of Michaela, and she is suffering from too many orders. I would like you to cancel all of them except the ones to obey Lara, Elisabeth and me. We'll take it from there."

I heard background noises, and then it grew quieter. A moment later, Carissa said, "Put her on."

Serena handed me the phone. "Mistress?"

"Michaela," she said, "You will obey Lara, Elisabeth and Serena. I cancel all other orders I have given you."

I began to tremble, the urge to run to my mistress nearly overwhelming.

"Michaela," Serena said immediately, "Remain on the bed."

I froze.

"Give me the phone," she ordered, and I handed it to her. "We've got it from here, Carissa. Thank you."

"I am sorry for this."

Serena hung up and returned the phone to Lara.

"The woman is a snake," she said. "I don't trust her. She has been manipulating us from the beginning."

"She is a very powerful vampire," Lara said. "Manipulation is what they do."

"No," I said. "She has an impeccable reputation."

"According to whom?" Lara asked.

I clamped my mouth shut.

"Michaela," Lara said.

"Do not make that an order, Alpha," Serena interjected.

"Why not?"

"She would tell us if she could. Either the vampire glamoured her, or there is only one person she would trust to tell her that."

"Greg," Lara said. Twenty seconds later, I heard Lara speaking into her phone, saying her first name and a lengthy list of numbers.

I closed my eyes again and relaxed. Serena had ordered me to make myself comfortable, and so I did.

Lara's phone rang, and I heard Greg Freund's voice.

"Greg," Lara said, "Have you spoken with Michaela in the last week?"

"Has she told you I have spoken to her?"

"No."

"Is she with you?"

"Yes. Have you spoken with her?"

"Is there some reason you aren't simply asking her?"

"Greg, you are being evasive. Would you care to explain in broad terms the sort of reasons that would cause you to be evasive with me?"

"I tend to be evasive when I am asked questions that may impugn the privacy of another client, Lara."

"If you had not talked to Michaela in relationship to another of your clients, you would have been able to say 'no'."

"I cannot think of any other reasons why I would need to be evasive," he replied. "Speaking, of course, only in broad terms."

"So if I asked you direct questions about another client?"

"I would not be able to answer you without permission. I would warn you that if you persisted, I would be forced to tell the other client you were asking questions about him or her."

I opened my eyes, looking at Serena. I opened and closed my mouth several times, not quite able to speak.

"Alpha, hang on," Serena said. "Michaela, tell me the orders you are currently following." Once I had she relaxed. "Michaela, think for yourself."

I smiled, letting the order settle in. "Lara," I said, "Remind Greg he has permission to talk to me."

She relayed what I'd said.

"Then perhaps I should talk to Michaela," he replied.

Lara tried to hand me the phone, but I didn't take it. "Speakerphone," I said.

"I heard that," said Greg. "No."

Lara gave me the phone, but I pushed it away. "Tell him what's going on, then ask him to tell me anything else I need to know. Then give me the phone and step outside."

Lara talked to Greg, explaining without offering details we weren't allowed to share, and Serena turned me to face her. "Are you going to be okay?"

"I feel like I'm being torn in two, Serena. But you ordered me to stay on the bed, and I can't leave. I won't go anywhere, unless she calls me again. I won't be able to fight it."

She caressed my cheek, then Lara handed the phone to me, and all of them stepped out of the room. "Call us when you're done," Lara said.

I lifted the phone to my ear. "Greg."

"Michaela, I'm sorry. I didn't mislead you. She has an impeccable reputation. She is ruthless, but you already knew that. She will keep any promises she made to you, but she may be very, very literal in her interpretation. You are all wondering if she manipulated the situation, and it is entirely possible. She may have intentionally given Kristian orders he could easily interpret however best suited her purposes, but she may not have. She could have manipulated you, but she may not have. She asks a lot from her allies, but she also gives a lot. You may not like her methods, but she will not cheat you."

I listened, not saying a word.

"I'm done," he said after a moment.

Lara had ordered me to call them when we were done. I immediately raised my voice and called for her. A moment later, the wolves reentered the room. I held the phone out, and Lara took it, speaking briefly with Greg before hanging up. Then she turned to me and said, "Michaela, tell me exactly what Greg told you."

I didn't want to tell her. She would become angry with my mistress. But she had ordered, and I could only obey. I repeated everything, word for word. When I was done, I buried my head in my arms, hiding from all of them. Serena crawled back onto the bed with me and said gently, "Please let me help you, Michaela."

I turned to face her, but there were tears in my eyes.

"Michaela," she said gently. "You are very smart. How do you think we should get Deirdre away from the house?"

"Easy," Lara said. "We're going to tell her what Carissa told us. Then we're going to tell her what Carissa did to Michaela. Finally we're going to keep her safe, and she's going to help us break the blood thrall."

I turned to Lara. "I can't help you against my mistress."

"She wants the fae woman back," Lara said. "We'll get her back."

"She doesn't want us using force. I can't help you force her."

"We won't force her," Lara said. "You get her outside, and we'll take it from there."

"Carissa said the vampire can detect werewolves, Lara."

"Then you'll have to lead her to us. Can you do that, Michaela?"

I nodded.

"Then that is what we'll do," Lara said. "Do you want to sleep now, honey?

I nodded again.

"Michaela," said Serena, "You may now get off the bed. Go get ready for bed and then come back. One of us will stay with you while you sleep."

Five minutes later, with Serena holding me, she ordered me, "Sleep now, Michaela."

I slept.

 **Enemies**

I stepped out onto the field, nosing around as a fox would while I waited for Deirdre. The wolves would be moving into position two miles due west.

I was wearing a harness this time and had a letter from Lara to Deirdre. They hadn't let me read it, specifically ordering me to make no effort to learn the contents. I was told to deliver the letter. It was tucked into a pouch on the harness with the words, "For Aspen, Please Open" written clearly on the pouch. I could slither out of the harness if I needed to, but no one was sure how much I'd be able to say.

I hadn't been very articulate all day long. I felt torn in pieces. I was driven to go to my mistress. I was driven to please her, however, and she wanted Deirdre back. I was ordered to obey Lara and the others. I knew Lara intended to break the thrall, and I didn't want her to. I knew Deirdre wanted to give me to Lara, but I didn't want her to.

I wanted to be with my mistress.

But, deep, deep inside, my blood boiled, maybe only in one little corner, but my blood boiled.

Carissa had manipulated us. Rescuing Deirdre was my only chance for a normal life after this. Otherwise I would either die or be either her thrall or Lara's for a very long time.

Yes, deep inside, my blood boiled. She had offered friendship, and friends do not do this to one another.

I nosed around the field, remaining somewhat further from the house than I had before in case the harness was visible. It was largely hidden by my fur, but it was impossible to hide it entirely.

Dusk arrived, and a few minutes later, Deirdre approached me at the side of the field. This time, I waited for her. She stopped a short distance away.

"Were we going to talk?" she asked quietly. "I can give you the necklace."

I moved to her, and then she saw the harness. I turned so she could see the pouch with her note. She knelt down.

"This is very risky, Michaela," she said. But she opened the pouch and withdrew the letter. I sat back and watched her read it.

"Oh Michaela," she said partway through. "I am so sorry." She read it again, her lips tight.

She looked over her shoulder at the house, then back at me.

"When he calls, I will have to break my thrall to him. He will know the instant I do it." She looked over her shoulder then back at me once more. "If he follows, I can hold him off, but only so long. You will need to lead us."

I chuffed and stepped away. She straightened, and moments later, we were fleeing west.

She was not a were and was slower than I was, but she was fae and had far more endurance than a human would have. I ran, and immediately behind me, she ran with me. She grew winded, but still she ran.

But then she stopped. "Michaela," she said. "He calls me, and he knows where I am." We were, at best, only halfway to the wolves. "I must break the thrall."

She began chanting, and then she began to glow.

Alone, in fur, I was going to be worthless in a fight. I lifted my nose to the air and began howling. I had the worst howl imaginable, and I didn't know if it would carry to the wolves. But then, a mile or more away, I heard Lara answer.

They were coming.

I turned back to Deirdre. She was trembling, but then there was a final flash of light, and she slumped, growing silent.

"It is done," she said. "But he comes. Run!"

We ran.

From ahead of us, I heard the wolves. I yipped twice, and Lara answered, a half mile away. But from behind us, I could hear something moving through the trees towards us, running as fast as a werewolf. I yipped in fear, and Lara howled. I heard the wolves increase their pace.

And then Lara was there, leaping directly over me, sailing past Deirdre, and skidding to a stop, growling menacingly along our back trail. I turned, and the vampire was thirty yards away, running straight for us. Lara met him, growling ferociously, and I screamed in fear. They tumbled away to the side, and then Karen was there. The vampire threw Lara from him, but Karen stepped in between, growling more loudly than I have ever heard her growl.

Lara flew through the air, smashing into a tree, but she bounce off it and threw herself back into the fight, side-by-side with Karen, facing off against Deirdre's vampire.

He hissed at them and tried to get past them, but they worked together, snapping at him, driving him back.

Then Elisabeth was there, and it was three dominant werewolves facing off against one vampire. They held him off.

Serena came to a stop next to me, shifting to human. In one fluid motion, she released my harness, and I flowed to human.

"My pack, Deirdre!" I said. "My mate. Our enforcers."

"Zane," she said. "I go willingly. More danger comes if I do not. Please let me go."

"You are mine!" He roared. He rushed the wolves, but they drove him back.

Serena had been carrying her own pack. She quickly pulled a tee shirt over my head and sweat pants up my legs, taking seconds. She added socks and tennis shoes then was strapping my knives in place. I skulked better as a fox, but if it came to fighting, I wanted my silver.

"Zane," Deirdre said, "I am not yours. I am my own."

"These wolves dare invade my territory! I will destroy all of you."

I stepped forward, but Serena grabbed me. "No!" she said. "Michaela, you will let us protect you. You may defend yourself only if necessary."

I turned to face her, the pain in my face evident.

"I'm sorry," she said. "They're more than a match for him. Come on." She tugged on my arm, and I let her pull me along backwards.

"Deirdre," I said, "Come on."

She backed towards us, and then I grabbed her hand.

"Keep moving for the car," Serena ordered. Then she shifted back to wolf.

We moved slowly, the vampire screaming at us and trying to get past the wolves to get to Deirdre, but they kept him away from us.

But then I heard noise from the west.

"Serena! There are more!"

She began growling, facing west. I drew two of my knives. We made it another thirty yards before I saw a vampire running down a hill towards us.

"Serena!" I screamed, pointing.

She launched herself at the new vampire, knocking him away from us, but yelping from the impact. Karen peeled away from the first vampire and jumped between Serena and the newest arrival, growling menacingly. Serena climbed to her feet awkwardly, then she shifted into human. "Keep moving!" she ordered. Then she flowed back and forth to wolf, then human, then finally wolf again, healing whatever had gotten hurt when she'd collided with the vampire.

"There are more coming," I said. I listened. "Three more, they're almost here. Let me fight!"

Serena jumped past me, between me and the oncoming menace, but she shifted to human. "Michaela, use your judgment in the fight." Then she was wolf again, growling loudly. Elisabeth drove Zane back, and Lara peeled off, taking the fourth corner of a box.

"Zane," Deirdre said, "These vampires invade your territory without your permission."

"The wolves brought them."

"The wolves fight them," she said. "They come to kill me. Protect your territory and drive them away."

Instead, he hissed at Elisabeth, but she flashed her claws at him, driving him back.

"They're here," I said, and three more vampires, two females and a male, came to a halt just outside range of Lara's and Serena's fangs.

Everyone froze for a moment, five vampires facing four werewolves, and inside the box formed by the wolves, Deirdre and me. The box compressed as Lara and Serena were forced backwards.

"Keep moving west," I said. I spun in a circle, watching the vampires, using my ears to track them.

Karen's vampire lunged at her, and she raked him with her claws, scoring a long set of scratches across his chest. They fell away from each other, and I rushed into the space, slashing with my knives and scoring cuts on his arm. Then Karen was there again, nudging me to the side, and I dropped back.

I heard movement behind me, and I spun, then dashed forward to help Serena and Lara as they were being harried badly by the three vampires. Lara scored with her claws, growling with her entire body. Serena yelped, a female clinging to her back, but I stepped forward and slashed with my knives, burying one in the vampire's neck. Serena threw her off, and I lost one of my knives. I slashed at the second one, and then Lara drove her fangs deep into his calf, and he pulled back.

I bent down to my ankle and drew a knife. I had one more spare.

The female I'd stabbed pulled the knife out and threw it straight at me. I caught it, spun around, and threw it at Karen's vampire, burying it in his throat. He fell back, and she launched herself at him, but he threw her to the side before pulling my knife from his throat and tossing it in the other direction. Karen launched herself at him, knocking him away, then took her guard position at the box again.

Slowly we moved towards the car.

"Mr. Morton," I said. He looked past Elisabeth to hiss at me. "If you care for Aspen, help us! Or let us take her away."

"She is mine!"

"You would rather see her dead?" I asked.

But then one of the females facing Lara and Serena spoke.

"Zane, did you know who you have been harboring?"

"She is Aspen, a minor fae. She is mine!"

"No," said the female. "She is Deirdre, and she belongs to the Queen of New Orleans. If you help us kill her, my master will reward you."

Damn it.

Serena launched herself at that female, snarling and snapping, but the damage was done. The vampire retreated, but if Serena pursued, it would have opened a hole in our defense, and she could do nothing but hold her ground.

"They'll kill you next, Mr. Morton," I said. "Your best choice is to help us. Your second-best choice is to leave while you can. These vampires are Gideon's enemies and yours. The wolves and I are not your friends, but we are not your enemies, either. We only seek to keep Aspen safe. These vampires came to invade your territory; they would have entered your home to kill Aspen and you."

He snarled, but I wasn't impressed. Both Elisabeth and Lara could snarl far better than that. Then he turned tail and ran.

The other vampires screamed and launched themselves all at once. I turned to help Lara and Serena, but then Elisabeth flew past me, knocking away one of the vampires before jumping backwards, reforming the protective box.

Slowly we worked our way to the car, one vampire facing off against each werewolf, with me pulling on Deirdre's arm, keeping her moving.

Karen howled in pain, and I dashed to her side, fighting the vampire off of her, taking a scratch across my face. I stabbed at the vampire's throat then laughed as I healed the damage. But Karen was hurt, and there wasn't time for her to stop and heal. She faced off against the vampire, but I stayed at her side.

The vampires were fast, but I was faster.

"That's impossible," said the vampire facing us. "What are you?"

"I am your worst nightmare, vampire," I said. "I am the hunter. Do the wounds I give you burn?"

He had healed the damage from Karen's claws, but the wounds I had given were more difficult for him. He hissed at me, and while he was distracted, Karen dashed forward and raked him with her claws again, driving him back. Then she pointedly put herself between the vampire and me, pushing me backwards towards Deirdre.

Slowly we moved west.

Lara took a scratch across the shoulders, but the vampire lost a chuck of muscle out of her arm in the process. Then Serena took a serious blow, and I heard her shoulder crack.

I stepped into the space as she cried out, lashing with my knives. Serena whimpered with the pain, but she was still moving.

We closed the distance towards the car, five or ten yards at a time.

"Serena, can you heal it?"

She huffed at me.

My vampire smiled at me. "You will all die."

"You first!" I screamed. I feinted at her, and she swung at me. I ducked under her swing and plunged my knife into her stomach, but she fell away, and it wasn't a mortal blow. I barely retained possession of the knife

We used the opening to make it fifty yards closer to the car. The vampire I stabbed fell behind, holding her stomach, but then she laughed and came after us again.

"Lara, stop her, I've got yours!" Lara turned right to the oncoming vampire, and I dashed forward to slash at her vampire. He went after Lara, but I ducked and buried a knife in his leg. He screamed and fell backwards, yanking my knife from me. I crouched down and grabbed my last knife from my ankle.

Lara kept the female off us, and we made another forty yards. But then all four vampires surrounded us again, and Serena didn't sound good.

"Serena?"

She huffed and whimpered. She was in pain.

"Can you shift?"

She huffed.

Karen howled in pain again, but I couldn't afford to look at her. Then Elisabeth grunted, and I saw red streaking across her shoulder.

"Give us the fae," my vampire said, "and we'll let the rest of you leave."

From behind me, I heard Deirdre begin to chant, and a moment later, the world grew brighter. The vampires began to smoke, and they screamed, all of them falling back, outside the circle of light from Deirdre.

But she had stopped moving, standing in one place, her hands outstretched, her legs spread, chanting. We formed a box around her, Serena and Karen moving slowly, Elisabeth and Lara both bleeding from multiple wounds.

I pulled on Deirdre, but she stood her ground, and I couldn't move her.

"Go," she said to me. "I can hold them only for a few minutes. It's me they want." The light flickered, but then strengthened when she began to chant again.

Lara flowed into human, stepping up next to her. "We're not leaving without you," Lara said. "Elisabeth, help me with the fae. Michaela, keep an eye on the vampires and help Serena and Karen."

Elisabeth shifted into human, and then she and Lara picked up Deirdre. The light immediately went out.

"My feet must touch the ground!"

The vampires rushed forward but fell back when Lara and Elisabeth put Deirdre back down and the light sprang forth. Then they began dragging her slowly backwards.

"Move," said Lara.

We set off for the car, Karen and Serena leading the way with me watching the vampires. Deirdre's light flickered as her feet bounced from the ground, but it was enough to keep the vampires at bay, at least for now.

We moved as quickly as Serena could run. Minutes later, we reached the top of the ridge immediately above the road, but Deirdre's light was waning.

"Elisabeth!" I yelled. "Carry Serena. Lara. Carry Deirdre. Run!"

They didn't wait. Elisabeth released Deirdre and scooped Serena into her arms, throwing the wolf partially over her shoulders. Serena grimaced and whimpered. Lara grabbed Deirdre. And suddenly we were running.

We made it to the car a scant second ahead of the vampires, now right on our heels. Karen spun to my side, snarling. Elisabeth threw a howling Serena into the car then flowed back to wolf and jumped to my other side. Lara threw Deirdre into the car, narrowly missing Serena, then stepped up next to me. "Karen, drive!"

Lara shifted back to wolf and Karen backed off, then dashed to the driver's door and climbed in, shifting to human as she settled into the car.

Lara, Elisabeth and I held off the four vampires.

"Elisabeth next," I said. "Shift to human and be ready to pull me in as soon as Karen hits the gas. Karen to floor it the instant Lara jumps in."

They both broke off from snarling to huff at me.

"I'm the only one with a voice," I said. "Don't argue. Elisabeth, my life is in your hands."

Two of the vampires threw themselves at me. I ducked underneath and Lara intercepted one. I buried a knife in the gut of another and wrenched upwards. I caught the heart, and the vampire fell back. I lost the knife. I was down to one more, and there were three vampires.

The car started. Karen honked twice. I feinted at Elisabeth's vampire and she dashed into the car. Lara and I backed up to the door. I felt Elisabeth wrap an arm around me. Lara turned and dashed and Elisabeth yelled, "Go!" The vampires surged forward, two of them reaching for me just as the SUV pulled forward. They grabbed my legs as Elisabeth fought to drag me into the van.

I thought I was going to be pulled into two. Karen floored the SUV and Elisabeth held me as I screamed. Then I shifted to fox, and the vampires lost hold of me. Elisabeth pulled me across her lap, and I fell against Lara, who was holding onto her sister. The door slammed closed, and we sped away.

I was having trouble breathing, and something was wrong with both my legs. We went over a bump, and Serena whimpered.

It had to be bad if Serena was complaining.

"They're coming," said Deirdre from the back seat. "Faster."

Karen was a good driver, but it was a gravel road, and the SUV was going to follow the laws of physics. She could only take the turns so fast.

"Do you have anything left, Deirdre?"

"No," she said. "And I couldn't do anything surrounded by all this steel. I can barely stand it."

Then she screamed as a vampire launched himself at the back of the SUV, smashing into the back and slamming a fist through the rear window.

Lara reached back and grabbed Dierdre, pulling her away and tossing her into the front passenger seat. "Buckle in." Then she climbed into the back seat, shifted to wolf, and slashed her claws across the vampire's hands over and over.

He fell back, but when I looked, there were three more running after us. I guess I hadn't killed the one I had stabbed.

"Michaela," said Elisabeth. "You need to heal!"

I knew that. I tried, but I was out of reserves. I needed food. I shifted to human. "Food," I said. "Help Serena. Help Lara. I'm out of weapons, anyway."

We careened around a corner. Behind us, the vampires leapt at the SUV. One missed, but the other two held on. Lara snarled and snapped at them, and one reached for her. The other clambered on top of the SUV.

Karen hit the breaks, and the one on top slid right off the front. Then she floored it again, and there was a sickening crunch as she drove over the vampire's legs. That had to hurt.

Elisabeth climbed over the seat then jumped into the far back. She shifted to wolf, ravaged the vampire's arm for a moment, and then Lara shifted to human and peeled the vampire's hands loose. She fell off the back. Elisabeth shifted back to human.

"I can't do that again," she said, slumping for a moment. But then I heard her open a cooler and she began handing food to Lara, who turned around and dumped it on the seat next to me. I didn't know why they were bothering. I needed at least a half hour to heal all the damage, and we were either going to be free or dead by then. But I grabbed the first thing I saw, fumbling with it.

"Help Michaela!" Karen yelled at Deirdre. "Get food into her."

I couldn't get anything open, so I scooped it all at Deirdre, making a mess of it, but she grabbed something and opened it with her teeth, shoving it back at me. It was junk food, but it was full of calories, and I began shoving it into my mouth.

I hated junk food.

Elisabeth dumped a duffle bag on the seat next to Lara then climbed all the way to sit next to me.

"Is Serena dying?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Her shoulder is dislocated and she has broken ribs. I have to set it before she shifts. She's holding on."

"They're coming again," Lara yelled then shifted back to wolf, howling in anger.

Elisabeth turned around, and I heard a zipper. A second later, she thrust two silver knives at me and then my favorite weapon: a Soaper Soaker CPS 2000. She pulled out a second Super Soaker 50, much smaller.

"How do these work?"

"You've never fired a Super Soaker?"

"How do these work?" she screamed at me. She pointed it out the back window and pulled the trigger, but it wasn't pressurized, so nothing came out.

"Pump it!" I said. I tried to demonstrate. "Pump that one then switch." In my current condition, I'd never get this one pumped. "Don't break it!"

She gave the smaller gun several pumps, then two vampires launched themselves at the car. She aimed and pulled the trigger, catching one of them right in the face. The vampire screamed, clawing at its face, and fell off the back.

"Trade, Elisabeth!"

She switched with me and began pumping the big gun. Another vampire jumped onto the car. Lara flashed her teeth at them, but they both climbed on top of the car. Karen began swerving back and forth, trying to shake them loose, but suddenly I saw fingers punch through the roof of the van. There was a harsh, metallic screech as the vampires peeled the top off the SUV. I was reminded of sardine cans.

I reached up through the hole, pointing straight at one of the vampires, and pulled the trigger. Some of the silver nitrate splashed back at my hand, but I ignored the burns. The rest of the silver emptied into the vampire's mouth. He screamed and fell off the back.

"Elisabeth!"

She climbed over, poked her head through the hole, and then gave the last vampire a silver nitrate bath. There was a horrible scream, and then she was gone.

We hit a straight stretch, and Karen put the pedal to the floor.

 **Return Flight**

We didn't stop until we reached Asheville.

Elisabeth and Lara, working together, pulled the roof of the car down out of the slipstream so it didn't flap around too badly, then Elisabeth held it in place the rest of the way. It made a horrible racket.

I managed to heal my ribs, but I was delirious with the pain from my legs, and we ran out of food long before I could finish healing. Lara attended to Serena, but she wasn't doing well.

"She needs food," Lara declared. "So does the fox. Karen, how are you doing?"

"I'll live," she said.

"Elisabeth," I said. "Remember my ransom night." And then I faded out entirely, lost to the pain in my legs. I wondered if they were too damaged for me to heal. I pieced the rest together later.

They found a fast food restaurant that was open. They bought fifty dollars of food, shoving it down my throat as fast as I would take it. Everyone ate, replenishing lost energy. Lara ordered me to heal my legs. There wasn't anything they could do for Serena until we got somewhere we could stop.

I was in and out of awareness all the way to the airport. Karen drove through the gate and parked next to our airplane. I woke up when we came to a stop.

"Where?" I asked weakly.

"Airport," Elisabeth said. "We're going to help Serena. Stay here."

I nodded weakly. Lara and Elisabeth climbed out of the car then carefully helped Serena, lowering her to the ground.

I heard her scream, and I started to cry.

"That's the shoulder," Elisabeth said. "Lara, you need to align her ribs."

"Wait," I said. I slumped onto the floor of the car and pulled my way to the door. I looked out. "Serena, look at me."

She turned her muzzle to me, panting heavily.

"You have to shift slowly," I said. "There is no way they'll align it perfectly. You have to shift slowly so the bones have time to move into position."

She chuffed once, then whimpered before laying back flat on her side. Lara knelt over her, and I heard her whisper into Serena's ear. "Be strong, Serena. Here we go." Lara put her hands on Serena's side. I could hear the bones grinding, and Serena screamed. There was more grinding of bones, and then Lara said, "Now, Serena. Slowly."

And she began to shift.

Once someone learns to shift instantly, a slow shift is difficult and painful, but she did it. We watched as she shifted. I saw tears in Lara's eyes and felt them sliding down my own cheeks.

It took two minutes, which was still a fast shift, but then Serena lay, naked on the cold concrete. She wasn't moving.

"Serena?" I said. "Serena?"

She wasn't moving.

"Lara?"

"She's breathing, honey. Use your ears."

I listened. I heard heartbeats. I isolated them, one by one. Deirdre's was weakest and fast. Everyone's was fast. But I knew their heartbeats. I heard Karen, now loading our few things into the aircraft. I heard Elisabeth and Lara, sisters, their heartbeats very similar. I heard my own, rapid and weaker than I would like.

And I heard Serena's, a little ragged, but strong.

I heard her breathing, and the rasping was gone.

"Elisabeth, immobilize her arm then get her into the airplane. Wrap her in blankets and buckle her in." She looked up. "Deirdre, help her. There's tape in our equipment bag."

"Where?" she asked.

"Rear seat," Lara said.

Lara turned to me.

"Go preflight," I told her. "Elisabeth and Karen have this."

"As soon as we're in, Elisabeth, call the local pack and tell them to take care of this car. Bill Carissa." She stood and ran for the plane.

Deirdre climbed out of the car then opened the back and pulled out the equipment bag. She brought the entire thing to Elisabeth.

I watched as Elisabeth lifted Serena into a seated, although slumped position. Deirdre wrapped tape around Serena's ribs then taped her arm to her side and across her stomach. When she was done, Elisabeth called out to Karen, and the two of them gingerly carried Serena to the aircraft and got her settled.

"Get in," Elisabeth told to Deirdre when she got back to the car. "Back seat."

Deirdre didn't argue but ran for the plane. Elisabeth turned to me and knelt in front of me.

"Elisabeth," I said weakly. "I'm afraid to look at my legs."

"They're a mess," she said. "We can't stay here to deal with it."

"Bring the rest of the food," I said. "You're going to have to cradle me on the floor, with my legs straight out, and keep feeding me. I'll keep healing. Put something down. I'm still leaking."

Karen scoffed. "Everything's fubared, and she's worried about making a mess."

"Lara would make me clean it," I said.

"How do you want to do this, Michaela?"

"I'm going to go away for a while. Wake me when we're in the air and it's steady."

And then, again, I faded away. I didn't feel it when they wrapped me in a blanket, and I didn't feel it when they carried me to the plane. I didn't feel the take off or the first thirty minutes of the flight as we climbed to our altitude.

"Come back to us, Michaela."

"Hurts..."

"You have to finish healing," said Elisabeth. "You can't wait."

I opened my eyes. I was crosswise on the floor of the airplane, Elisabeth's arms wrapped around me from behind. From head to toes, I was wrapped in a blanket, but I was shivering.

"Cold," I said.

"I know," said Elisabeth. "Deirdre, feed her."

"How is Serena?"

"Sleeping. Let's worry about you now, Little Fox."

"I can't feel my feet, Elisabeth, and I'm so cold."

"You've lost a lot of blood," she said.

Then Deirdre popped a piece of fast food chicken into my mouth. I chewed and swallowed. She kept feeding me until I said, "Enough."

"Michaela," Elisabeth said, "You stopped bleeding, but the muscles of both calves are shredded. I think you sealed the blood vessels. Can you fix it?"

I closed my eyes and leaned heavily against her.

"Michaela," she said. "You need to heal. Do I need to make it an order?"

I opened my eyes and leaned to look at her. "Another minute," I said. "Someone needs to be my eyes."

"I can," Deirdre said.

"Unwrap them," I said. Deirdre bent over and gingerly unwrapped the blanket from my legs. I couldn't really see them, but I saw the blood on the blanket. Her look told me more than I wanted to know.

I closed my eyes. "Are my feet still attached?"

"Yes," she said in a quiet voice. "The muscles of both calves are shredded. You're oozing blood, but it's not spurting."

"Are the bones whole?"

"They appear to be."

I opened my eyes. "Show me on your legs the last part that looks healthy."

She pointed to a spot a few inches below the backs of her knees. "Michaela, the muscles aren't just shredded. They're entirely gone. I know werewolves can heal quite a bit, but I've never seen one heal that much missing tissue."

I closed my eyes and leaned my head to speak quietly to Elisabeth. "Elisabeth, I don't want to live a crippled fox."

"Listen to me, Michaela. You already had phenomenal healing power, and Carissa told Lara it would be even better."

"If I can't heal this, let me die of blood loss, Elisabeth."

"No."

"Elisabeth, please."

"No. Listen to me, and listen good." And suddenly I couldn't talk. "You. Will. Heal. You will not feel any pain. You will focus on your legs and you will heal them. Now."

I couldn't help it. She had ordered. I opened myself to my legs. There was pain, but it didn't register. But I didn't know what to do. I tried, healing, but I didn't know what to do. I began to tremble.

"It's not working," Deirdre said.

"Michaela," Elisabeth said into my ear. "I ordered you to heal your legs. Tell me why you aren't healing."

"I need to see, Elisabeth."

"Deirdre, pick a leg and turn it so she can see what she has to do."

"It's going to hurt."

"Do it!"

Maybe it should have hurt, but I didn't feel it. She unbuckled her seatbelt then carefully picked one of my legs, grabbing a foot and underneath a knee. She lifted the leg then rotated it so I could see the calf.

It was a mess.

"Heal it, Michaela. Now!"

And, slowly, I did, but I passed out long before I was done.

 **Recovery**

"Wake up, Little Fox." Lara's breath tickled my ear and slowly, I opened my eyes. I stared at the ceiling for a while.

"Where?" I finally croaked.

"Carissa's home in New Orleans," Lara replied.

"How long?"

"We landed yesterday morning."

"My legs?" I felt tears leaking from my eyes.

"Oh, Little Fox," she said, "you're going to be fine. Don't cry. You may limp for few days, but you'll be running as good as ever very soon."

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"Serena?"

"She's fine. We're all fine."

I slowly turned my head to face her. The world spun, and I closed my eyes, waiting for it to stop.

"You are probably very weak," Lara said. "But you're going to be fine."

I lay there for a while, trying to think. Although she wasn't touching me, I could feel Lara. I knew exactly where she was. I opened my eyes again. She was so beautiful, the most amazing creature on the planet.

"You are so beautiful," I said, my voice filled with awe.

She smiled.

"I can feel you, Lara."

"I can feel you, too, Little Fox," she said.

"How?"

"Carissa passed the blood thrall to me."

It took several heartbeats for her words to make sense. "I-" I swallowed. "I belong to you now."

"You have belonged to me since the day we met, Little Fox. And I to you."

I thought about the implications. "That's all right, then. You'll take care of me." I smiled. "You must be in heaven."

"Oh honey," she said, "No. We'll talk about it more when you're stronger."

It was difficult keeping my eyes open, so I let them close. "I'm so tired."

"I know, honey, but I'm going to help you eat a little something before you sleep again."

"Did we do okay?"

"Yes, Little Fox. We did very well. You were amazing."

"Will there be repercussions for the pack?"

"We are not welcome in the territory controlled by the Master of Atlanta, which is Georgia and the Carolinas."

"What about the other vampires?"

"Lima Consulting is negotiating reparations for us." I could hear the humor in her voice.

"Reparations?"

"They attacked us," Lara explained. "You and Serena were severely injured. Privately, Greg knows all we really want is to avoid being dragged into vampire politics any worse than we already have been. But the best defense is a good offense, so we went on the offensive. Greg believes at the very least, he'll be able to extract us from any difficulties."

My eyes still closed, I reached out for her hands. "Are you mad at me?"

"Oh honey, no. I am proud of you. You were magnificent. Your weapons saved us."

"My stubbornness got us into the mess in the first place."

"No, honey. Your compassion did, and I am never going to blame you for being compassionate. I wouldn't have admitted it ahead of time, but we did the right thing, start to finish. The only mistake we made was not having a lot more of those squirt guns. Elisabeth may never give those back to you."

"She better give them back. I don't think she has what it takes to fill them, and I had to modify them carefully to keep them from leaking."

"Did you have more questions, Little Fox?"

"May I go back to sleep?"

"In a few minutes," she replied. "I have a couple more things for you, and then we're going to give you a little to eat. Open your eyes, Michaela."

My eyes snapped open, and I felt a surge of pleasure at obeying her order.

"All your previous orders are cancelled. Tell me what orders you are following."

"None, Lara."

"From now until we get home, you will do whatever is necessary to recuperate."

"Yes, Lara."

"From now until we get home, you will allow me, Elisabeth, Serena and Karen to protect you."

"Yes, Lara."

"From now until we arrive at home, you will follow any orders from me, Elisabeth, or Serena."

"Yes, Lara."

"You will interpret any apparent orders as suggestions unless we specifically tell you it is an order. To be clear, I have given you four orders."

I smiled dreamily at her. "I understand, Lara."

She returned my smile. "Everyone wants to see you. I am going to let them in. We'll feed you a little, help you to the bathroom, then if you want to sleep, you may."

"Will someone hold me while I sleep?"

She nodded. "Someone has been with you around the clock. I'll be right back, honey. Will you be all right?"

"Yes, Lara."

She climbed from the bed. I closed my eyes and curled up under the covers. I felt weak and tired, but strangely happy. I wondered if that was the thrall. I wondered what my life was going to become, but I knew Lara would take care of me. Somehow that thought gave me pleasure.

Lara was only gone a few moments. The bedroom door opened, and I heard all four wolves enter the room.

"Hello, Little Fox," Elisabeth said.

"I want my squirt guns back, Elisabeth," I said.

She laughed. "We'll see."

"Let's sit her up," said Lara. The two of them took opposite sides of my bed, and with their help, I sat up. They arranged me in the bed.

I looked around. Karen was carrying a tray and looked fine. Serena had her arm in a sling, but she was smiling. "Are you going to be all right?" I asked her.

"This?" she said. "Yes. I'm just taking the strain off the shoulder for another day or two."

"We have some soup and a little bread for you," Lara said. "Will you let me feed you?"

"I can do it," I said.

"Please, honey," she replied. "Just this once."

I nodded. "All right."

Lara carefully moved onto the bed next to me and then Karen set the tray down across both our laps.

"That's too much," I said quietly.

"Eat what you can," Lara replied. She dunked a bit of the bread in the soup and offered it to me. I ate slowly, Lara urging more food into me than I really wanted. Finally I told her I couldn't eat another bite, and Karen took the rest away, setting it aside.

"The bathroom is across the hall," Lara said.

I peeked under the bed covers. I was wearing an oversized tee shirt and a pair of undies. My legs were wrapped in bandages from my knees down. I stared at them for a minute before turning to Lara.

"You promised I'd be fine."

"You will," she said. "I promise."

I nodded then let Lara peel the covers away from me. She and Elisabeth carefully maneuvered me out of the bed, Elisabeth helping me turn while Lara took care of my legs. Karen stepped forward, and she and Lara helped me stand.

I stood there for a moment, putting weight on my legs. They hurt, but not horribly so. I shuffled forward a couple of steps, moving carefully. They helped me across the hall.

Five minutes later, they tucked me back into the bed. I lay on my side, and Lara slipped into the bed with me, wrapping me in her arms.

"Will you all stay until I'm asleep?" I asked.

"Of course," said Serena. "We couldn't possibly leave you, Michaela."

They were treating me very well. I wondered what they weren't telling me. I dozed off before I could form any theories.

I opened my eyes. Serena lay on the bed, turned away from me, and I could see the edge of a book she was reading. I leaned forward, curling into her back and slipping an arm over her hip.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey yourself."

"You've been asleep about four hours. Do you need to use the bathroom?"

"In a minute. Serena, if I ask you a question, will you answer honestly?"

"I can try." She leaned forward and set her book on the nightstand, then rolled onto her back and turned her head to face me. Her arm was still in the sling.

"Why is everyone coddling me?"

"Oh, Michaela, we were very worried about you, but you're going to be fine."

"My legs?"

"There's some scarring. I bet when you're stronger, you'll be able to heal it away like you do everything else."

"I want you to gently pinch my toes, Serena, one at a time."

"Can't you feel them?"

"I don't know."

"All right." She climbed from the bed then peeled the covers back from my feet. "Left foot," she said. And she tickled my big toe.

"Pinch," I said. "Not tickle."

"Does this answer your question, Michaela?"

"Do the rest."

So one at a time, she wriggled each toe. When she was done, I wriggled them myself.

"See?" she said. "Right as rain. For your bathroom trip, do you think you'll need more help than I can give you?"

"I guess we'll see," I said. I worked my way out of bed, and then Serena moved next to me so I was on her good side. I was wobbly when I stood, and I leaned on her, but I was steadier than earlier. Still, I was ready to be back in bed when she returned me. Serena tucked me in, sitting up so I could eat a little, and then I grabbed her hand.

"You didn't actually answer my question, you know. Please sit and tell me, Serena."

She sat and brushed my hair from my face. "You're going to be fine," she said.

I looked down at my hands, resting on top of the blankets. "If you don't want to answer, I wish you would simply say so."

"Honey, we were justified being worried about you."

"And still you don't answer."

"We aren't coddling you," she said. "We're taking care of you. I do not believe the treatment you are receiving is significantly different than the other times you've needed a little care."

"There's bad news, Serena, isn't there?"

She didn't answer right away, so I knew I was right.

"I'm just going to worry now that you confirmed it."

"Deirdre doesn't know if she can break the blood thrall for you."

"Is that all, Serena? Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

I relaxed more fully against the pillows. "One side effect of the thrall is that it feels good. I don't want it broken, Serena. Maybe I'm tired of fighting all the time. I've spent my entire life afraid. I've spent my entire life learning to fight wolves. I've spent my entire life making weapons and setting traps. I don't know how many times I've had legs broken or ribs cracked. Until this week, I couldn't imagine any other life. But I know what Lara is going to do. She's going to keep me safe. She's going to order me to let all of you protect me. She's going to have my omega status reinstalled and take away my weapons."

Serena looked at me sadly, but I went on.

"I may never be hurt again. I may never have to fight again. I may never again need to live on the edge of my wits and reaction times." I sighed. "Do I want to depend on all of you? No. I want to be self-sufficient, just like I always have been. But Lara isn't going to let me. Without the thrall, I couldn't possible abdicate my responsibility for my own safety. But Lara is going to order it, and the thrall will make obeying her feel good."

"Michaela," she started to say.

"Lara is going to get exactly what she wants, Serena. She's going to have an obedient little mate who does everything she can to please her. I'll never be a pain in the ass for anyone again. We won't fight anymore. No more anger. I'll dress how she wants, act how she wants, and I'll feel so good doing it, every time she smiles, I'll be filled with pleasure, knowing I pleased her."

"Do you really think that's what she wants, Michaela?"

"Yes."

"Well, you're wrong. If she wanted the kind of mate you've just described, she wouldn't have pursued you. Michaela, do you remember during your ransom night, we made a recording of Lara telling us the things she loved most about you. Do you remember what she said?"

"Yes," I said.

"She said you never back down. She pointed out how small you are, but you attacked her anyway. It wasn't in the recording, but I heard how you stared her in the eye. None of us do that, Michaela. When you stood up to her, staring her in the eye, that was when she decided she wanted you."

"A conquest-"

"No! For her mate. That's when she decided, Michaela, and everything you've done since then has proven to her and everyone else how right she was."

I looked back at my hands. "She hates when I stand up to her."

"No, she doesn't. She thrives on it, Michaela."

I sat quietly. "So you're saying she's now stuck with a mate she doesn't want because I let Carissa manipulate me?"

"No, I am not saying that at all. Look at me."

Her order took a moment to process. Lara had told me to obey Serena, but she also said I could consider commands as suggestions unless the person stressed it was a command. But I lifted my eyes and looked at her anyway.

"She loves you, Michaela. Unconditionally. And, I will point out, so do Elisabeth, Angel, Scarlett, and me. And nothing is going to change that."

"Serena," I said after a moment, "I wasn't trying to have a pity party. I was only trying to tell you it's okay."

"Well, it's not okay," she replied. "The reason we're coddling you isn't because of the thrall. It's because Lara has asked Deirdre to try to break it anyway, and it's dangerous. We're waiting until you're stronger. Everyone is still worried."

I wanted to try to comfort her, but I didn't know how.

Finally she said, "I'll get you something to eat."

When next I woke, I was in Lara's arms. I recognized her, asleep behind me. I snuggled into her, waking her.

"Hey," she said quietly. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been in bed too long." I kissed her hands then rolled onto my back, turning my head to face her, our noses only inches apart.

My heart did a pitter patter, and for a moment, I couldn't even think. I must have put on a glazed expression, because after a moment Lara asked, "The thrall?"

I smiled. "Or maybe just remembering how much I love you." I gazed at her for a while, incredibly happy to be held.

"Will you let me tell you something, Lara?" I asked.

"Of course, Little Fox."

"I don't want you to break it."

"Oh honey," she said. "Serena told me what you told her. I am going to ask you some questions. I will not demand answers, but if you answer, you must be completely honest."

"Of course, Lara."

"Before the thrall, did you ever think about just giving into my desires to protect you?"

"All the time, Lara," I said.

She leaned away a little bit, far enough she could see more of me.

"I ordered you to tell the truth."

"I did," I said, hurt that she didn't believe me. I closed my eyes, not wanting to see her expression of distrust.

"Oh, Michaela," she said, and then she caressed my cheek. "I believe you honey, but I am surprised. Can you please explain so I can understand? Please don't be sad."

I opened my eyes again. She was smiling, just the corners of her mouth, but her brow was furrowed, the crinkles at the corners of her eyes showing. I reached out to smooth her brow. "Please don't worry."

"I need to understand, Michaela."

"You asked if I thought about it, Lara," I said. "But you also know what I decided every time I thought about it."

She laughed. "Yes, I think I do."

"I had a lot of pride, Lara," I said.

"I believe you still do, Little Fox," she countered.

"Maybe," I agreed. "But it was pride that kept me independent. But the thought of you keeping me safe makes me feel good, Lara, and we both know that's what you would do."

"Michaela, I believe it's the thrall talking. I want you to do your best to envision something. I want you to envision Deirdre breaking the thrall. Your mind and decisions are completely your own again. Do you think you would still want the thrall?"

"My pride would get in the way, Lara," I said. "We both know that. But we'll be happy this way."

She smiled, but she still looked worried. "Right now, we're going to focus on making you strong."

"Yes, Lara."

"Ready to get up?"

I smiled and nodded.

I spent that day and the next two recuperating. I was weak the first day, but I got out of bed and stayed awake. I ate what was to me an incredible amount, and I felt my body using the energy I was giving it. The next morning I asked what the options were for getting some proper exercise.

"Carissa has a full gym," Elisabeth answered.

I smiled and turned to Karen. "Then you know what to do."

She did.

"We don't have to do this, Lara," I said.

"Yes," she said, "we do."

I looked down. It was difficult to oppose her, but I was able to ask in a small voice, "Doesn't my opinion matter?"

"You gave your opinion three days ago," she said. "You as much as admitted it was the thrall that made you want to be enthralled." She stepped closer and pulled me into her arms, lifting my face for a quick kiss. Then she turned us both to Deirdre. "What do we need to do?"

"I am going to use ritual magic," she said. "This may not all be necessary, but I want the best chances for success. I will form a pentagram to contain the energy with Michaela in the middle. Michaela, you will stand in the center and think about absorbing the magic."

I nodded to her, planning to do no such thing.

"What are the risks?" Lara asked.

"As I explained to you, Alpha," Deirdre said, "several things can go wrong. First, my magic may just not work, and nothing will happen at all. Or it will start to work. The magic will begin to seep into Michaela and wrap around the remnants of the thrall, but when I pull, it can snap loose. If that happens, I can't predict the results. Michaela and I will probably both get hurt, although I don't believe it will be too bad. But Alpha, you understand instead of breaking the thrall, I could drive it deeper, making it permanent. If you leave it alone, it will wear off eventually."

"Carissa is expecting it to take years," Lara said. "Do you think you can do this, Deirdre?"

"Yes, if Michaela cooperates."

"I'll do what I can," I said quickly before Lara had time to make it an order.

Lara and Deirdre talked a little longer, Lara trying to pin Deirdre down on the risks. Finally Deirdre said, "Alpha, I'll do my best, if that is what you want. There is risk to both of us, but I owe Michaela."

"What do you need to do to prepare?"

"I prepared a space," she said. "If Michaela is ready, we can begin."

I nodded. I was ready, ready to resist whatever she wanted to try to do.

"This way, then," Deirdre said. She led the way from my room in Carissa's home. I was surprised when we climbed two flights of stairs. I hadn't been above ground since we returned. Carissa had more home below ground than above. Deirdre led us through the house until finally we arrived at a double door. We stepped through and found ourselves in a large conservatory. I stopped and stared.

"It's beautiful," I said.

Deirdre turned around. "This is my space," she said, turning in a circle with her arms from her side, her head lifted. I looked up, and all around was glass.

It was night, and moonlight backlit the trees, their branches intertwined above us. I looked around.

"Why this place instead of an outdoor garden?" I asked.

From behind me, I heard Carissa's voice. "The glass is bulletproof," she explained. "It is a dangerous world."

From beside me, Lara bristled. I glanced over and I watched her paste a careful expression on her face before she turned. "I did not know you intended to observe, Carissa."

"I came to wish you luck," said the vampire. "I have not visited with Michaela since you returned, and I wished to thank her for everything she did. Do you mind, Alpha?"

"Of course not," Lara said, but I could feel she minded a great deal.

"Come, Michaela," Carissa said, holding out a hand. "I will give you a brief tour and we can talk briefly while Deirdre finishes her preparations."

I looked at Lara, who nodded, releasing my arm. I stepped forward and let Carissa take my hand. She tucked my hand in her arm, turning away. She drew me to the left, following a path through the plants. We arrived at what could best be described at a little grotto, and Carissa drew me to a bench, inviting me to sit next to her.

"Thank you for bringing Deirdre home to me," she said.

"Carissa," I said, "Over the last week or so, I have learned more about vampires. I learned they can take their promises very literally."

"This is true," she confirmed.

"Your promises to me were vague," I said, "with much implied, but little promised."

"Ah," she said. "But I promised friendship to you and your pack," she countered. "I did not use that word casually. I was careful what I promised because I am meticulous in keeping my promises, but I am often equally meticulous in giving no more than I promise. I will not cheat you."

"Did you manipulate me?"

"Of course I did," she confirmed. "I needed your help. I could not send vampires into Gideon's territory. I could not send wolves to Deirdre, because she would not have trusted them. I could not send a human, because a human would not be up to the task. But I could send you. And so I figured out what would entice you, and I offered it. But you knew that's what I was doing."

"All right," I said. "Thank you for explaining."

She smiled and studied me. "You are a remarkable woman."

"Oh?"

"So small and so fierce."

"I only do what I must to survive," I said.

"If that were true, Deirdre would not be here," she replied. "You would have turned me down and returned home. I believe instead you do what you must, but not always for your own survival."

"Perhaps," I said.

"Your pack is lucky to have you. I wish I had found you before Lara had."

"I'm not a city girl," I said. "I like my lake and forests."

"We are not in the city here," she said. "I have six hundred acres of land."

I smiled.

"I suppose that seems like very little to you," she added. "Werewolves and vampires are both very territorial, but how we express it is so different. Werewolves tend to acquire land, frequently a great amount of land. Vampires also acquire land, but we are more interested in possessions and security, and we gravitate towards population centers."

"Both species gravitate towards their food supplies," I observed, unimpressed. Lara had far, far more of what I valued than Carissa did.

"Yes," she said, "I guess we do."

"I would not have moved to New Orleans willingly," I said. "I might enjoy an opportunity to visit, but ultimately I would need to be free. I believe I would prefer my northern forests than southern bayou."

"I suppose so," she said. "Still, I wish us to be friends, although your mate distrusts me."

"Trust takes time to build," I replied, "and you did not start out well. The Madison pack has shown what it means to be friends with us."

"Of course. And I haven't done the same. Perhaps in time."

I had been listening to Deirdre's preparations. "They are ready," I said. "Did you have more to discuss?"

"I find myself experiencing something very rare for me," she said.

"Oh?"

"Yes. Guilt."

"Carissa," I said, "Have you met many foxes in your many years?"

"A few," she said. "They have never been common."

"And how old was the oldest you met?"

"I once met one that was kept by a rival of mine," she said. "She was sixty-seven when she died."

"And of those who were not pets?" I asked.

"I have only met a few that were not, as you say, pets. You are the oldest."

"If I live five more years, I will become the oldest fox I have ever known," I said. "My mother was my age when she was killed, my father one year older. Without the protection of the Madison wolves, my last thirteen years would not have been as safe as they have been, and I may not have lived to this age. For a fox, I have lived a long life." I shrugged. "If you feel guilt, do not waste it on me. Spend it on my pack and my children."

We stood together, and she laced my hand in hers for the return walk to the center of the conservatory, neither of us speaking further. As she handed me back to Lara, she said, "Alpha, she is a remarkable woman."

"That she is," Lara agreed, smiling at me. "You understand that I hope you never call on her services again."

"Perhaps only her company. You are all welcome in New Orleans any time you wish to visit."

"We shall see," Lara said noncommittally. I interpreted her answer as, "It won't happen," but it was said politely.

"I shall leave you in peace, then," she said. "I know my presence is stressful to you."

Lara didn't deny it, and Carissa stepped away, soon disappearing in the gloom.

Lara turned both of us, and I could see the preparations Deirdre had made. There was a moderate open area in the center of the greenhouse with a stone floor, and I realized there was a permanent pentagram etched into the stone. Deirdre had poured white powder into the grooves of the pentagram and placed three lit candles at the individual points. The candles and the moonlight provided the only light in the conservatory.

"Michaela," she said, turning to me. "I need you in the center of the pentagram. You need to pass through this gap." She indicated a place at the bottom of the pentagram, and I saw there was a gap in the white powder. "Once you are in the center, I will close the gap."

"What are you using?"

"Sea salt," she said.

"Go on," Lara said, giving me a nudge. I began to head for the pentagram, but Deirdre stopped me. "You must divest yourself of all cold iron and any unnatural fabrics."

They hadn't given me my weapons back, and I was dressed in jeans, a light cotton blouse, and tennis shoes.

"I have no iron," I said.

"The zipper of your jeans is steel," Deirdre explained. "And I don't know what your shoes are made from."

"You need me naked?"

"I believe your mate has something for you to wear." I turned to Lara, but it was Elisabeth who stepped forward holding a bathrobe.

She shrugged. "It says one hundred percent cotton."

I sighed and kicked off my shoes and slipped off the jeans. Elisabeth helped me into the robe, and I belted it around my waist.

"Sacrificial white," I said. "Fitting."

"Oh honey," Lara said. She smiled. "It's going to be all right. Trust me."

Of course I trusted her.

"Now?" I asked, turning to Deirdre.

"Yes. Once I close the pentagram, you must not disturb it. You may stand or sit as you prefer."

Deirdre gestured, and I stepped into the center of the pentagram, finding myself centered inside a five-pointed star with a circle drawn around its points. I turned to face the fae woman.

"Deirdre," I said, "whatever happens, I hope we are to be friends."

"I would like that a great deal." She smiled. "Your friends have been telling me a great deal about you. I believe I would like to hear the stories told from your perspective."

"And I would like to hear yours as well."

"I am a young fae," she said. "I have little to share. My grandmother, now, she is ancient. Perhaps you will meet her someday." She paused. "Are you ready?"

I nodded.

She turned to Lara. "You and your wolves may stay and watch, but do not disturb me, and whatever happens, do not break the circle."

"We'll hold guard and make sure you are undisturbed," Lara said. I already knew that was what they were doing. Both Karen and Serena had taken up guard positions facing away from the circle. Elisabeth took another, but Lara seemed determined to watch the proceedings.

"Very well," she said. "We shall begin." She knelt down at the edge of the circle then collected a small cloth sack. She dipped her hand into the sack, and then I watched her pour salt from her hand into the crevices of the pentagram, first the inner gap, then the outer circle. Soon, the entire pentagram was filled.

"Lara," I said.

"Little fox."

"I love you, Lara."

"I love you too, Michaela." And I felt a surge of pleasure at the words.

Deirdre, still kneeling, began to chant. I didn't feeling anything, but after a moment, the entire pentagram began to glow. She continued to chant, and the glow of the outer circle rose higher and higher, finally closing in a bubble over my head.

My heart began to pound.

"Lara?"

"Be strong, Little Fox," she said, but even in the dim light, I could see her face lined with worry. I listened, and I could hear her heart pounding. I listened to Elisabeth, Serena and Karen, and their heart rates were all elevated as well.

But Deirdre appeared calm, and when I looked at her, she smiled at me. I found her confidence reassuring. She completed her chant and then said to me, "The magic will be contained by the circle and focused by the pentagram. If you worry you will find it disturbing, perhaps you wish to sit and close your eyes."

"Will I feel anything?" I asked her.

"Yes, probably, if this works anyway."

"I will sit," I said. Careful to avoid brushing against the pentagram, I sat, drawing my knees to my chest and wrapping my arms around them. I noticed motion, and I saw Lara kneel so our eyes were at a similar level. She smiled to me and blew me a kiss.

I thought that was very sweet and very un-Lara-like. I appreciated the gesture, but I wasn't particularly nervous.

"All right, Michaela," she said, "I am going to begin. Once I begin, I won't be able to stop."

I nodded understanding. She paused once more, then she began to chant again.

I didn't feel a thing, not at first, and Deirdre chanted for several minutes, words I didn't recognize, and there was no apparent change.

But then I realized the glow from the pentagram was growing brighter. The outer bubble didn't change, but the glow from the inner star was brighter, and it tipped in towards me. I held out one hand, and the magic leaned towards my hand, but I pulled away, making myself smaller. I didn't want her magic to touch me, not if it was going to rip away how wonderful the thrall made me feel.

Lara would take care of me. She would keep me safe and try very hard to make me happy. I trusted her completely.

We would never fight again.

I would never need to fight again.

And I could feel Lara. I closed my eyes, but I could still feel her. I knew exactly where she was. It wasn't just my ears at work anymore.

Deirdre had told me to think about absorbing her magic, about cooperating with it. Instead, I thought about pushing it away. Instead, I focused on my link with Lara, cradling it like I might one of my children.

The magic grew brighter, even through my closed eyelids. I opened my eyes again, and I saw the stone on which I sat had started to glow as well, and there were tendrils of magic seeping into me.

I didn't like that, and I tried pushing them away, first with my thoughts, then with my hands. But instead, the magic attached to my hands.

It tingled.

I didn't like it.

Deirdre's chanting grew louder. I looked at her, and she was rocking slightly, still kneeling, and I saw small beads of sweat on her face and forehead.

I closed my eyes, cradled the link with Lara, and thought about pushing away the magic.

I felt the magic tugging at me, and then in my mind, it felt like it sent tendrils around my link to Lara, and then began trying to pull it from me.

"No," I whispered, pulling back.

"Little Fox," Lara asked, "what are you doing?"

I didn't answer her.

"She's fighting me," said Deirdre.

"Michaela!" Lara said firmly. "This is a direct order. You will assist Deirdre as she breaks the thrall!"

I snapped my eyes open, and tears sprang to my eyes.

"No, Lara," I said. "Please don't make me."

"You have a direct order, Michaela," Lara said, her gaze boring into my eyes.

"Tell her to release the thrall," Deirdre said. "She's holding it tightly to her."

"Do what Deirdre says, Michaela," Lara said. "That is an order."

"No, Lara," I said, but it was an order, and I could only obey.

Slowly, reluctantly, I released my hold on my link with Lara, on the thrall, and I felt Deirdre's magic begin to pull it away from me.

"No," I said, and I began rocking myself. "No!"

"Do not disturb the pentagram," Deirdre said.

And that carried the force of another order. I tightened my hold around my knees, making myself very small.

And I felt as Deirdre's magic seeped further into me, pulling away at the tendrils of the blood thrall. And then there was a great tearing tug.

Deirdre, Lara and I all cried out together. I felt a great loss, and then I knew no more.

 **Home**

I woke slowly. I felt for Lara, but she was... gone.

I immediately began sobbing.

"Michaela," said Elisabeth. "Michaela." Warm arms wrapped around me, and I was pulled to Elisabeth's chest. "Shhh. Shhh." She rocked me like my mother used to.

"She's gone, Elisabeth!"

"She'll be back," Elisabeth said. "Karen is with her. They're at the airport making sure we'll be able to fly home."

"You don't understand. I can't feel her anymore. She's gone!"

Elisabeth continued to rock me. "Deirdre said it worked," Elisabeth explained. "Everything is back to normal. If such a thing exists with us. Shhh. Everything is going to be okay."

I continued to cry, the sense of loss overwhelming. Finally, Elisabeth raised her voice to a bellow. "Serena!"

I heard a clatter through the walls, a door bursting open, and then running in the hall. The door to this room opened, and then I heard Serena's heartbeat.

"What's wrong?" Serena asked.

"Get Lara on the phone."

I hadn't even bothered opening my eyes. Elisabeth continued to hold me, and then Serena was on the bed with us, her arm around me.

"The fox woke up," Serena said into the phone. "She's upset."

"She's gone," I said. "She's gone!"

"Oh, Little Fox," said Lara over the phone.

I opened my eyes and snatched the phone from Serena, pressing it to my ear.

"Lara?"

"I'm right here, Little Fox," she said. "Shhh. Everything is fine."

"I couldn't feel you. You were gone."

"I wanted to check on the plane myself," she explained. "I'm sorry I wasn't there when you woke up."

"I meant... Inside. I couldn't feel you inside. I thought you had died."

"Oh honey, I'm fine. Everyone is fine."

Slowly I calmed down, Lara talking quietly to me.

"I'm sorry," I said eventually. "I was being silly. Of course I couldn't feel you anymore."

"Honey," she said, "I miss it, too."

"Why did you do it, Lara?" I asked. "Didn't you like feeling me inside?"

"I did," she said. "And I liked feeling your love for me. But there's something I needed a lot more."

"What?"

"To have all of you, not the shadow that the thrall left. All better?"

I sniffed. "I guess. When are we going home?"

"Well," she said. "It's ten-thirty Wednesday morning. We can leave this afternoon if you're up to it."

"I want to go home," I said in a small voice. "Please take me home, Lara."

"Of course, Little Fox," she said. I heard her smile, but it felt strained.

"Are you up to flying that far?" I asked.

"Yes," she said. "I'll be fine. I'll let Elisabeth help fly. Let me talk to her."

I handed the phone to Elisabeth but said, "She said she's going to make you sit in back and I get to fly. She said it shouldn't be too bumpy."

She groaned and took the phone, but I heard Lara laughing. "I said no such thing, Sister. I said you could help fly."

"It's far too much airplane for me, Alpha," Elisabeth replied. "Do we need to bring June down to help?"

"We'll be fine," Lara replied. "Can you and Serena handle things there and get a ride to the airport? Bring food for the flight. I'll call the St. Louis pack and get permission to refuel there."

"We'll see you in an hour or so," Elisabeth said.

She hung up and returned the phone to Serena. "Get her cleaned up and dressed. I'll arrange for something to eat and transportation."

"I'm not a child," I said. "I can take care of cleaning up myself."

"Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth said. "But you aren't going to ditch your security detail, are you?"

I sighed. "No."

"Elisabeth," said Serena, "We're spreading ourselves thin, and we're not at home."

"If Carissa wants to play games with us, there's little we can do to stop her," said Elisabeth. "The sooner we get home, the better we'll be."

Serena watched over me as I showered and got dressed. I eyed the dress I'd bought in Asheville. Serena saw me looking at it and stepped to my side.

"Save it for times Lara can enjoy it," she suggested.

"But-"

"But you're worried she won't love you?"

"That's silly, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"She wants me to dress like this."

"She would like it if you dress like this from time to time, but it should be special. Trust me on this, Michaela. I think right now it's important you return to the pack as the Michaela everyone knows and expects. And I think Lara needs to see that, too. And honey, we're not home. I would really prefer if you wore your knives."

I turned to look at her. "Really?"

"Yes. No one is expecting trouble, but I like knowing you aren't helpless. We all do."

"All right." And so I dressed in a long skirt and blouse. I used to prefer jeans, but if I needed to move quickly, I could shift right out of a skirt, but I tended to get tangled in jeans. And I could reach the knives on my ankles more easily in a skirt.

By the time I was dressed, Elisabeth had returned with breakfast for me. While I ate, she and Serena packed for us, and twenty minutes later found us bundled in an SUV with one of Carissa's human servants driving.

The flight was uneventful. I sat in back, Serena directly across from me, and I zoned out for a while. Serena and Karen played cards. Lara and Elisabeth talked about something, but she isolated the intercom system, splitting it so the rear seat passengers were on one channel, the she and Elisabeth on a separate channel. I couldn't quite hear what they were discussing.

I grew bored and considered sleeping, but I'd been sleeping enough lately.

I felt unsettled, and I thought everyone else was as well.

"What's wrong with everyone?" I finally asked.

Serena and Karen both looked at me, then Serena turned to Lara and tapped her on the shoulder. When Lara looked over her shoulder at Serena, Serena tapped her earphones.

"What's up?" Lara said a moment later.

"What's wrong with everyone?" I asked again. "You're all acting like we lost. What aren't you telling me?"

Lara looked at me. "Nothing is wrong, Little Fox," she said. "We didn't lose. We're a little worried that you're okay."

"I don't feel like we won."

"We didn't," Lara said. "Carissa won. But we're all alive and only marginally worse for wear."

"You don't think I should have helped her."

"I wouldn't have," Lara said, "but I am fairly certain Deirdre would be dead if you hadn't."

"I didn't get to spend time with her afterwards. I wanted to get to know her better. She's the first fae I've met."

"I liked her," Karen declared. "But when you get involved with vampires, the only ones who win are the vampires."

We all turned to her. "You knew her!"

"I knew of her," Karen said. "She uses the local pack when she wants werewolf assistance."

"You didn't work for her while at Lima?" Elisabeth asked.

"No. And no, I can't tell you what Lima did for her. Everything like that was on a need to know basis, and I didn't need to know. I could make guesses, but I would rather not."

"Did we lose?" I asked.

"I think in the short run, we did," said Lara. "Perhaps in the long run, we're ahead."

"What can we do to minimize our losses?"

Lara smiled at me. "Make sure we're all okay," she said. "Make sure none of our relationships are damaged."

"We're not all okay?"

Serena and Karen both turned to look at me.

"What?" I said after a moment. "I'm fine, aren't I?"

"Actually," said Elisabeth, "We think you're probably better than okay. How's your hearing?"

"Right now? Horrible. This airplane might be quieter than our others, but it's still loud."

"Okay," she said. "Fair enough. Sense of smell?"

That was when I realized why I felt something was wrong. I sniffed carefully. "What am I smelling?"

"Leather seats?" suggested Karen with a grin.

Lara had turned forward again, so I couldn't read her expression, and I could barely see Elisabeth, so I studied Serena. "What am I smelling, Serena?"

"You're smelling yourself, Michaela," she said. "We're all fine. Physically, so are you. But you are worried, and it's putting the rest of us on edge."

"What are you worried about, Little Fox?" Lara asked.

"That you all hate me," I said. "That everything is going to change. That you're mad at me, Lara." I looked out the window. "That you don't want me." I grew quiet.

Lara looked back, the motion catching my eye, and I could see her smiling. "And if I absolutely promise you none of those worries have merit, then what?"

"Everything is okay?" I asked.

"Yes, honey," Lara said. "As long as you're okay."

"I'm okay," I said after a moment. "So, about scuba diving."

I stepped through the front door, Lara immediately behind me. Rebecca and Celeste were seated on the sofa, enjoying a rare moment of television viewing time. They must have been deeply engrossed in whatever it was, because they didn't notice our entrance immediately. Lara stepped next to me, and we both looked at our daughters.

Then Rebecca's nose began to twitch, then she began sniffing in earnest. A moment later, her head snapped to face Lara and me.

"Mommy Fox!" she yelled. "Mommy Wolf!"

She launched herself from the sofa, pushing off from her sister to do so, and flew much of the distance from the sofa to Lara and me. Lara stepped forward and caught our daughter, then barely handed her to me before she had to catch Celeste as well. Rebecca threw her arms and legs around me and hung onto me tightly as I squeezed her to me. When I glanced over, I could see that Lara was holding Celeste the same way I held Rebecca.

"Hello, babies," I said to my daughter.

"We're not babies anymore, Mommy!" Rebecca complained.

"You're right," I said. "You're not. Hello, Darlings."

Rebecca took a deep sniff of me then said, "You smell different, Mommy."

"I do, Darling?"

"Uh huh," she said.

"Do I smell bad?" I asked.

She sniffed again. "No," she declared. "Just different."

I glanced at Lara, but she was pointedly not looking at me.

"I'll have to ask Mommy Wolf about that later," I finally said. "Have you been a good girl while I've been gone?"

"Yes, Mommy Fox," she said. "Down now!"

I set my daughter down, and she immediately turned to Lara. Lara gave me Celeste and hoisted Rebecca in her arms. Celeste wrapped herself around me and asked, "Where did you go, Mommy? Mommy Wolf cried and cried when you left."

I looked at Lara. "I'm sorry," I whispered.

"It wasn't your fault," she said.

"It's a long story, Celeste," I said. "And Mommy Wolf and I haven't decided how much we should tell you."

"Tell me all!" she said strongly.

"I'm sorry, Darling," I said. "You know sometimes your mommies do things that we can't tell you about. Have you had dinner?"

"Cheska fed us," Celeste said. They both still had problems pronouncing Francesca's full name.

I lowered my daughter to the floor.

"I'm glad you're home, Mommy Fox," she said. "Will you tell us a bedtime story tonight?"

"Your Mommy Wolf and I will tell you a story together," I said. "If Mommy Wolf has time."

"Mommy Wolf has time," Lara said with a smile. "Why don't you two go watch the rest of your show while Mommy Fox takes a shower."

"Okay," Rebecca said. She grabbed her sister's hand, and the two ran back to the sofa and plopped down. Lara shepherded me up the stairs and to our bedroom. I didn't put up a fuss until the door was closed.

"Does Mommy Fox need a shower?"

"Yes," Lara said. "So does Mommy Wolf."

I leaned in to sniff her, then curled my nose. "I'm not used to smelling everything so strongly," I said. "What is that?"

"Stress," Lara replied.

"From me?"

"Well, and a thousand-mile flight in a twin-engine aircraft. That's the furthest I've ever flown."

I was surprised. That was the closest I've ever heard to Lara admitting she had limits. "Honey?"

"I'm fine," she said. She stepped forward and began plucking at the buttons of my blouse. I grinned at her.

"We can't play if we're going to get back downstairs to read to the girls."

"Consider this foreplay," she declared.

 **Date Night**

"Do I look okay?" I asked Serena.

"You look wonderful," she replied. "Ready to go?"

"Will we be late?"

"Maybe a few minutes. I'm sure Lara will wait."

I grinned. It was Friday evening. We'd been home a little over a week. Things had been strained, but we had muddled through. But now I was about to meet Lara for a date. I had no idea what we were going to be doing, and the only thing Serena told me was, "Lara liked the heels you bought in Asheville."

We took the limo. Portia drove, Rory in the front passenger seat, and Serena rode in back with me. For the first half of the trip, we rode in companionable silence. But then suddenly I said, "Serena, thank you."

"For what?"

"Everything you do."

She smiled. "My pleasure," she said. "I talked to Alan this afternoon." Alan was Serena's eldest son. "He is looking forward to this summer."

I smiled. "How is college going?" Alan had been accepted at Stanford and was finishing his junior year, the same year as Scarlett and Angel. He was deeply missed.

Serena smiled with pride. "Good," she said. "He's holding a 3.8 GPA."

"He's a smart boy," I said.

"He arrived at college well-prepared," Serena replied. "Thanks to you."

I shrugged. "All the kids make teaching them easy."

Serena watched me expectantly.

"What?"

"Are you really going to make me be direct?"

I laughed. "I guess so."

"Michaela, we all do what we can. Emanuel watches over your children. I watch over you. But you watch over our children at the same time. It's part of what it means to be pack."

I smiled. "I guess it is, isn't it?"

"But as long as we're on the subject," she said, "I want to talk to you about security measures next weekend."

"Whatever you decide," I told her. "I'll behave. I promise." We were heading to Bayfield to being construction on the extra bunkhouses we had talked about.

Everything was, by and large, back to normal.

Serena kept me distracted the remainder of the ride to the restaurant. I was somewhat surprised when we arrived at the steak house where Michele and I had entertained the truckers a couple of weeks ago. I raised my eye to Serena. We pulled into the parking lot, and Portia lowered between the front and back.

"Elisabeth is coming," she said. She and Rory climbed out of the car and assumed sentry positions and a minute later I saw Elisabeth and Angel step out of the rear entrance to the restaurant. They approached the cat, and then Rory opened the door. Serena stepped out, and then I stepped into place between Serena and Elisabeth.

We began heading to the rear door, arriving at the door before Elisabeth stopped me. "You didn't ask to go in the front?"

"You know I prefer the front entrance," I told her. I shrugged. "If we're using the back, we're using the back."

Elisabeth smiled. I chose to believe I surprised her with my complacence.

"You look good," she said. She stepped closer and brushed my bare shoulders. "We can go shopping again next week, maybe Tuesday."

"All right," I said. "You'd look good in something form fitting, Elisabeth. You too, Serena."

Two minutes later, they presented me to Lara, waiting with Karen and Eric in the side room we'd used two weeks ago. Lara took one look at me, smiled, and said, "I am the luckiest wolf alive."


	8. Chapter 7

**Part One: Zoe**

 **Stalking**

I couldn't remove my eyes from the video. I played it over and over.

"She's stunning." I said that at the end of each showing. Then, "Who is she? I have to meet her! Oh my god, look at her move. She's stunning!"

Finally, I began planning.

Meeting her wasn't going to be easy. I didn't know who she was. I didn't have a name. I didn't know where she lived, not exactly, but I thought I could narrow that down. A few minutes with Google Earth helped with that process.

I didn't understand. Google Earth showed a loose cluster of buildings. Most were clearly houses, but three were something else. They were bigger. Office buildings perhaps?

It looked almost like a survivalist camp. I could see one of the buildings as some sort of headquarters and another as a barracks. But without on the ground surveillance, this could just be some sort of business park, one with very devoted employees who liked living a few minutes' walk from the office.

I looked from house to house. "Do you live here, Mysterious Stranger?" I wondered.

I contemplated the direct approach: drive right up with a frame from the video and ask the first person I saw, "Do you know this person? I'd like to meet her."

I didn't think that was likely to work.

But I had contacts. I had methods. In this day and age, fighting against our corporate overlords intent on raping and pillaging the earth, those of us on the front lines had to be willing to make hard choices.

I took a virtual trip to the county assessor's office. It took me two hours to work my way through their website. Why do government agencies always have the worst web sites? It might have been easier if I'd been able to find a street address to use, but Google Maps didn't have a useful street for nearly three miles.

But finally I found it. "Wolf Run Properties, Inc." The amount of land owned by Wolf Run was truly impressive. How could a company I've never heard of own so much land? The name was reminiscent of some sort of environmentalist organization, but I knew of all the organizations, big and small.

That was my life, after all.

No way was there an unknown environmental organization big enough to own this land. They had to be something else.

So I did a search. I didn't find a single hit against "Wolf Run Properties", at least not based in Wisconsin. Almost by accident, I did find Wolf Run High School. They didn't have a web site. Wolf Run Properties didn't appear to have a web site, either.

What is wrong with these people? Someone needed to pull them into the twenty-first century.

The school had an address in Madison, but Google Maps showed an office park.

Well, I hadn't yet begun to do my research.

I went out to the corporate registry maintained by the Secretary of State for Wisconsin. I plugged in "Wolf Run Properties" and a few seconds later was happily given the corporate filing information.

I was well rewarded. The CEO for Wolf Run Properties was one Lara Burns. I used Google Maps to find the listed headquarters and realized it was the same office park as the high school.

Was everything a school? Why would a high school need so much land?

I did another land search. The owner of the office park: Wolf Run Properties.

I did more searches. I tried to discover if there were other companies using that office park as an address; that didn't get me anywhere. I tried to find other properties also owned by Wolf Run Properties, but the land registries didn't provide search capabilities that way.

I tried searches on Lara Burns. For the CEO of such a large holding company such as Wolf Run Properties, she was amazingly shy, cybernetically speaking.

I contemplated doing a background check. Nowadays, you could get background checks done on someone for a relatively small amount of money. But getting one done without the target finding out might be trickier. And I wasn't sure it was the shy Ms. Lara Burns I was trying to find, anyway. I had no reason to believe the woman whose image was etched in my mind was necessarily the CEO of Wolf Run Properties.

I had contacts. I had people who were better than I was at this. But I wasn't ready to bring anyone else into this. I wanted to find this woman myself. And I was at the limits of my own searching ability, at least via the Internet. It was time to do a little fieldwork.

I parked my little grey Prius across the street from Lycaon Office Park. I had a cooler of supplies and my surveillance equipment, and I positioned the car so I could watch the entrance, maybe even getting photos of whoever came and went, without being obvious. I hoped.

While I waited, I did a lookup. It wasn't subtle. Lycaon was the Latinized form of an ancient Greek word for wolf. I thought perhaps I was in the right place.

It was a boring stakeout, but I was used to boring stakeouts. It wasn't my first, but in the past, I'd been watching for things like corporate drones engaged in environmental destruction or simply watching over an environmentally sensitive area, hoping to stop ill-informed but hopefully well meaning people from doing something stupid or destructive. Keeping an eye on the Lycaon entrance was child's play.

I was a little disappointed. Other than the office park itself, there were no company names visible. Looking through binoculars, I couldn't see company names on any of the four buildings. I would have done a drive through the small complex, but the entrance was gated, and the few cars I saw drive in used a touch pad to open the gate.

Lycaon took its security seriously. But if I could break into a nuclear power plant during a protest eight years ago, I was sure that Lycaon wouldn't be difficult. On the other hand, I wanted a friendly introduction, and getting caught breaking in wouldn't facilitate that. Getting caught watching their front door wouldn't do me much good, either, but it wasn't as bad as breaking in.

For such a healthy-looking office park, they received remarkably little traffic. I watched the traffic for four days, Monday through Thursday. I was there by seven AM each day and stayed until after six. I took photos of only twelve unique cars, five of them appearing every day and the other seven appearing sporadically. I also got photos of the drivers and, from time to time, front seat passengers. A few of the vehicles were SUVs, and it looked like there may have been rear seat passengers once or twice, but even uploading the photos into my computer each night, I wasn't entirely sure. I certainly didn't get sufficiently good photos to identify anyone other than the front seat occupants.

I was there for three days before I saw her. She was driving a green SUV, and there was at least one other person with her. I got good photos. The SUV arrived shortly before three on Wednesday afternoon and didn't leave until nine.

I thought about following them, but if they were at all alert, they would spot me.

But looking through the photos that night, I stared at the woman's image.

"Who are you?" I asked. I shook my head.

I felt like a stalker. Okay, I was a stalker. But I had to meet her. Somehow.

I again contemplated just walking in the front door. But what story could I give? Hey, I have this video, and I find you fascinating. I wanted to get to know you better.

Yeah, that would go over well.

In the end, I didn't find her. She found me.

 **Introductions**

The students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison hosted an environmental awareness rally on Friday and Saturday. As the local head of GreEN, the Green Environment Network, the organizers had contacted me, asking for GreEN's assistance with the event. I'd loaned them my staff of two as well as provided my own recommendations during the planning stage. We helped provide materials and promised to staff a booth for the rally.

And so, I found my stalker activities curtailed Friday and Saturday so I could attend the event.

The students, and more than a few professors and parents of students, were largely supportive. I attended the entire duration of the rally, speaking with anyone who would listen, and organized my staff for extra support.

To call them "staff" was a misnomer. GreEN survived on donations and what few products we could sell at events like this. We had very little money, a pittance of which went to fund our headquarters - my studio apartment in a cheap apartment building. My staff consisted of several unpaid volunteers, like-minded individuals who felt the corporate oligarchy was destroying the world. Every spring I went on a local recruiting drive for more volunteers, hosting a weekend-long training seminar at a resort in Door County. The resort owners donated use of the resort for the off-season weekend as a means of supporting our efforts.

My personal income came from a web site where I sold my wildlife photography and the occasional paid magazine article I wrote. GreEN couldn't afford a salary for me, but at least my apartment was paid for, and I could write off the mileage on my car as a tax deduction when I drove either for GreEN or to take photos.

"The students seem enthusiastic," Katy said to me in a lull between visitors.

"Those last two seemed very intense."

"Oh my god," she said. "You can say that again." Then she whispered conspiratorially. "I think they're lesbians."

That had been obvious.

"Does that bother you?" I asked her.

"No..." she said slowly. "I've just never met a lesbian before."

I didn't scoff, but it was difficult. Katy was perhaps thirty-five, a bored housewife with two children now in school.

"Did it freak you out?"

"No. There is room in Christ's house for all peoples."

Yeah, Katy was a little religious, but I didn't mind. She came to my recruiting weekend for the first time three years ago and said early in the weekend, "God gave us this planet and expects us to take care of it. I want to help people realize that." That was more than good enough for me. And she didn't let her religion get in the way of her belief in science, either. "God created these puzzles for us to solve," she'd once said. I didn't have a problem with that attitude, either.

"But did you see how big they were?" Katy asked. "They were both a couple of Amazons. At first, I thought they were sisters, but they weren't acting like sisters. But I don't get it."

"What don't you get?"

"Let's say you're attracted to women."

"All right."

"Wouldn't you want her to look like a woman?"

"I think human attraction is boundless," I replied noncommittally. "But even then, those two had all the right curves."

They had, too, and if I weren't twice their age, and if they weren't so obviously smitten with each other, I might have been interested in either of them.

"Well, I suppose the one did," she said. "Her name was Scarlett. Isn't that just the best name? She said she's an architecture student, but she's devoted to design that blends with nature." She paused. "They each bought one of our bags, and I gave them some of our materials. And they asked if we were going to be here tomorrow. I told them I wouldn't be, but GreEN would be. They said they might be back with more people." Then she began to bounce. "They gave us a donation!"

Donations were nice, and we would get a few from the students, but we weren't here for donations. We were here to spread the word. College students were usually very frugal with their money - beer was more important than good causes - but the students of today could be the donators of tomorrow, and campuses were a good place for recruits, even if they would later become too busy to stick to the causes that were once so important to them.

But Katy seemed especially excited. I raised an eyebrow.

"Fifty dollars!" she added. "That's on top of what they paid for the bags. I offered bumper stickers, too, but they declined."

I high-fived her. "Good job, Katy!" I said. "Whatever you said to them, keep it up!"

I didn't think Katy would be a permanent volunteer. She would get too involved in driving her children to soccer and little league and dance pageants and all the other things kids these days were doing. I kept hoping she'd bring her children to our events; it was never too early to educate. But the few times I hinted, she'd only said it would be too much to keep an eye on them while helping get the word out. I hadn't pushed.

Still, I was glad she was there that day.

More students stopped by, and I lost the immediate chance to nudge Katy to a slightly less naïve position on love between two women.

Saturday's weather started out threatening. I lugged our little pavilion to the rally. Katy was gone, and Kirby and Lilac were late. Kirby and Lilac were always late. But beggars couldn't be choosers, and I took the help I could get. I set up the pavilion myself then made two more trips to my car for folding tables and our three plastic bins of informational material, bumper stickers, environmentally friendly shopping bags, pins, and even a selection of tee-shirts. I was just finishing the setup when I heard Kirby and Lilac behind me.

"Zoe," said Kirby. "We're sorry we're late. Traffic."

That's me, Zoe Young, at your service. Consider this a bow. You can buy my photography at Zoe Young Photography dot com. I appreciate your support.

But traffic, my ass. The only traffic they might have encountered was at the Starbucks counter. But as Lilac was holding a spare cup, which I knew was for me, I didn't complain.

"Chai tea," Lilac said. "And we brought scones."

I hugged them both. As I said, they were always late, but they were friendly and generous. Kirby was an artist, and he helped with some of our locally produced information. Lilac made the money in the couple, for what it was worth, and she was generous with it. Kirby was sweet and laid back. Lilac was vivacious and assertive and, it appeared, the more dominant in the relationship. But they were good company and put on a good face for GreEN.

Things were somewhat quiet in the morning, with a smattering of people stopping by our booth sporadically, but the morning clouds faded. It turned into a beautiful day, and things picked up dramatically by lunch.

At one PM, I found myself facing a small group of earnest students who tried to argue that a little damage to the environment wasn't so bad when balanced against the economic good of the country. I managed to remain outwardly calm in the face of such a ludicrous statement. I knew from past experience that people who make a comment like this were trying to convince themselves, and it wasn't the first time I'd encountered a position like that.

It just didn't usually come from college students.

"On the surface," I said, "that statement seems true. After all, we can't help but be at least a small drain on the environment. The clothes I wear are typically made of cotton and other natural fibers not native to Wisconsin, for instance. The farms where cotton is grown were carved out of once pristine wilderness. Trees were cut down to build homes. The cotton is transported in vehicles made of steel, mined from the earth and produced using energy also mined from the earth, and then transported on roads poured over land that was also once pristine wilderness."

"That's my point," said one of the boys. "We can't run around naked."

"Not in Wisconsin in the winter, anyway," one of the girls said. "As much as you might wish we could."

The boy leered at her for a moment, but she turned away from him.

"The Earth can recover from some of this damage," I added, "but at some point, the Earth's ability to recover becomes overwhelmed. Our rivers and lakes become polluted. Even when they aren't polluted, lake water clarity can suffer simply from too many people cutting the grass down to the shoreline."

"Why does that ruin water clarity?"

"Runoff," I said. "Made worse if they use fertilizer to help the grass grow. The grasses and other vegetation used to filter the runoff, capturing sediment before it made it into the water. And that doesn't even address the loss of biodiversity."

She nodded. It was a simplistic answer, but it was the most she was likely to understand.

They weren't entirely closed-minded. The one boy wanted to argue, but all of them actually listened to what I had to say, and when finally they moved on, I thought perhaps I had at least made all of them think.

"Zoe," said Lilac from behind me as soon as the students had moved on. "These people would like to meet you."

I took a breath to calm myself after the mini-debate with the students, smiled, and then turned around to greet the new people.

I froze.

It was her.

We stared at each other, no one moving for a moment, then I stepped forward.

"This is Angel," Lilac said. "She and her girlfriend were here yesterday. They came back with... I'm sorry, I didn't catch everyone's name."

"I'm Angel," one of the women said, and I recognized her as one of the Amazonian students that had so flustered Katy yesterday. "This is Scarlett." I shook hands with both of them. Angel and Scarlett were clearly U-Madison students, I thought perhaps seniors or possibly recent graduates.

Then Angel gestured to one of the women, even taller than she was. "This is my cousin, Lara. Her wife, Michaela, and my other cousin, Elisabeth."

I shook hands with all three. Lara and Michaela couldn't have been more opposite. Lara had to be six feet tall and built like a... well, I wasn't sure what she was built like. Her wife, on the other hand, was one of the shortest women I'd ever met, and exceedingly delicate in appearance besides. She had striking red hair and sharp features. But when we shook hands, her grip was firm.

But it was the other cousin, Elisabeth, who had fascinated me. It was Elisabeth I'd been stalking. We shook hands, and I couldn't take my eyes from her. She seemed to find me equally intriguing.

But finally we released each other's hand.

I found my voice. "I'm so pleased you could come today," I said. I turned to Angel and her girlfriend, Scarlett. "Thank you so much for the incredibly generous donation yesterday. We'll put it to good use, I assure you."

"You're welcome," Scarlett said. "We're aware of the importance of educating the public about protecting the environment."

"You are, hmm?" I asked, hoping to elicit more.

"Yes," she said. She gestured to Michaela, the diminutive woman. "Michaela was our high school teacher. She taught us well."

"Oh?" I turned to Michaela. She smiled.

"I teach a science-heavy program," she said, "with an emphasis on conservation. My students learn everything I am able to cram into their heads about the natural sciences. Scarlett and Angel have been my favorite two students." She reached out and caressed one of them, then the other, and the affection between all of them was evident.

I asked a few questions and was amazed at the responses. Finally I said, "I can't believe you can teach so much science in high school. What about the other topics?"

"It's a pretty exclusive school," Lara said. "Admittance into Michaela's program is by invitation, and there's an extensive interviewing process. The students are exceedingly motivated."

"That's just because they all want to learn how to kayak," Michaela said.

"Kayak?"

Angel's grin broadened. "On Lake Superior. Michaela doesn't just teach science. She teaches everything. Canoeing, kayaking, camping both in the summer and winter."

We talked for a few more minutes about her science program. At the end, it was Lara who said, "We're very ecologically minded."

"Are you a teacher, too?" I asked.

"Oh no," she said. "I'm a business woman. But the school exists to teach the children of our employees, and so I'm on the school board."

"I see," I said. "It is uncommon to find business leaders who show much care for environmental causes."

"Lara is uncommon in a lot of ways," Michaela said with a smile up to her wife. I was again struck at the differences between them.

"Is this why you're here today?" I asked. "Did you want GreEN to provide guest lectures for your students?"

"Oh no," Lara said. "Scarlett and Angel had such interesting things to say about you when they got home last night. You can imagine Michaela's response. We just had to meet you. Tell us about your program."

I looked between them. Normally I was more than happy to talk about GreEN, but right now, I was far more curious about them. "Got home? Do they live with you?"

"Oh no," Lara said. "But we all live close together. We're a very tight family, and sharing dinners together is common. Tell us about GreEN."

"And we're very interested in hearing about your involvement," Elisabeth added. She hadn't taken her eyes off me the entire time we'd been talking, and her gaze was intent.

I launched into my standard spiel. It was clear they didn't need to be educated on the importance of conservation. I dare say Michaela especially could educate me in some areas. And so I talked about how GreEN sought to help educate the public.

"But your name is an acronym," Elisabeth said. "You're a network of some sort?"

"Yes," I said. "When some particular disaster strikes, we can mobilize our network of volunteers. We have a database of thousands of people we can call out."

"All here in Wisconsin?"

"Oh no, that's nationally. More locally we try to get people to engage in letter writing campaigns when important legislation is up for consideration."

"That seems very tame," Elisabeth pointed out. "Do you ever engage in more, oh, active fashions?"

"Are you asking whether we're eco terrorists?"

"Oh no," she replied quickly. "But perhaps you've chained yourself to trees or freed mink from a farm."

I'd done both of those and had the arrest records to prove it. "Our planet is important, and sometimes civil disobedience is the only way the silent majority can convince the politicians and corporate overlords to take notice."

Oops. I usually tried to sound sane. GreEN wasn't that type of organization, and I worried I'd just given the wrong impression.

"But that isn't what GreEN is about. We're not crackpots. We just care about our planet."

"Of course you're not crackpots," Michaela said. "We're all on the same side here."

"Exactly," I said.

"I find myself considering a donation," Lara said, "perhaps one somewhat larger than Scarlett's yesterday. I would love to know how you would spend my money, well, once it was your money. With so many organizations clamoring for donations, you can imagine I have to investigate them very carefully."

"I understand completely," I said. I spent another twenty minutes answering their questions. I'd never felt more expertly questioned, discounting that one visit with the FBI. But I hadn't done anything serious enough to warrant their continued attention, and eventually they had come to the same conclusion.

Finally it was Michaela who said, "We've been monopolizing Zoe far too long. There are students here who require educating. We should leave her to her duties."

"Of course," Lara said. "But you'll be hearing from us, Zoe."

"I will?"

"Of course. I haven't decided yet whether I will be giving GreEN any money, and if I do, how much."

"For now," Elisabeth said, "You should put us on your mailing list." She produced a business card and handed it to me. 'Elisabeth Burns', it said. 'Burns Protection Services'. I stared at the card.

"What do you protect, Elisabeth?"

"Mostly?" asked Michaela, answering for her. "Me." She said in a light-hearted fashion, but I thought I detected an unhappy undercurrent at the same time.

"We do personal protection, like providing bodyguards, as well as home and corporate security."

After that, we shook hands again, then the group turned to walk off. They had gotten perhaps twenty yards, and I should have turned to any of the other groups of people milling around our booth.

But instead, I ran after them. "Elisabeth?"

As a group they turned around, but then Michaela whispered something, and the rest moved away as a group, leaving Elisabeth to talk to me.

"Yes, Zoe?"

"Maybe I got this wrong," I said. "I couldn't help but notice you. And I thought perhaps you were noticing me as well."

"Noticing, is it?" she asked. She smiled.

I nodded. "I was wondering if you'd let me take you to dinner tonight. There's a little vegan cafe near my apartment."

She smiled. "I don't think so."

"Oh. Um. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," she said. "Perhaps you would let _me_ take _you_ to dinner. But I'm pretty much the opposite of a vegan. I don't know if there is room in your life for compromise."

"Oh," I said. I looked her up and down. "No, I suppose you're not vegan at all. I imagine you're an amazing bodyguard."

"I do my best," she said. "Is your desire in spending time tied to my willingness to eat tofu?"

"Oh," I said again. "Um. No. I can compromise, but I hope that doesn't mean you're going to eat a steak in front of me. Have you ever seen an animal butchered?"

She smiled again. "Yes. So you're a staunch vegan?"

"Yes," I replied.

"So you're opposed to, for instance, honey? Milk from a family farm? Eggs from chickens gently raised in a chicken coop?"

I looked away. "I do not choose to eat them," I finally replied. "I wouldn't lecture you if you do."

"How about fish caught from the lake? What is your proposal for dealing with the way deer would overpopulate and starve if humans didn't hunt them? If termites get into your house, would you let them destroy your home? When a mosquito bites you, do you slap it?"

She said everything gently, but her questions were uncomfortable.

"I may have killed a mosquito or two on my latest camping trip," I admitted.

"I am a carnivore, Zoe," she said. "I will not pretend to be otherwise." She paused. "The Green Room serves only organically grown foods, and they have a number of vegetarian dishes. I cannot say whether they can satisfy vegan requirements."

I was familiar with The Green Room. I was also familiar with their prices. It was a distinct step up from Carly's, the vegan restaurant I had intended. I couldn't afford The Green Room.

"My treat, Zoe," Elisabeth added, sensing my hesitation.

"I invited you," I said.

"And I declined but made a counter proposal." She smiled, and that made my decision for me.

"I would love to go to dinner with you, Elisabeth," I said. "Of course. Should I meet you there?"

"If you prefer," she replied, "but I would rather pick you up. Is 6:30 too early? The rally here is over at 4:00."

Again I hesitated.

"You can imagine that I am very protective," she explained. "I really would prefer seeing you safely to and from your home, but if that makes you uncomfortable, of course we could meet at the restaurant."

"6:30 is perfect," I said. I pulled out one of my business cards, flipped it over, and wrote down my cell number and address. "It's not much."

"I do not judge a person by the size of her home, but instead by the manner of her integrity and the size of her heart," Elisabeth replied.

She stared into my eyes for a moment. It was an intense gaze, and my heart jumped a beat or three looking up at her.

"6:30," she said. "I'll see you then, Zoe."

 **Dinner**

It was 6:29 when there was a knock at my apartment door. I was just making last minute adjustments to my appearance, and the loud knock caused me to nearly jump out of my skin.

"Already?" I asked. I checked my appearance one more time.

I didn't have much in the way of fancy clothing. I owned exactly one business suit, which I wore for the rare presentation in front of a corporate audience or the unfortunate but thankfully also rare court appearance. I owned my share of rugged clothing. But I was short on choices for dating.

So I was wearing one of my two skirts with a baby blue blouse. I was barefoot but would grab a pair of flats on the way out the door.

I glanced at the clock on the way to the door. "She's prompt."

Still, I checked the peephole before opening the door.

"Hey," I said. "Come in." I stepped back, and Elisabeth strode into my apartment. As she stepped past me, I checked her out carefully. She was wearing grey slacks with a white shirt and an eggshell jacket. She looked good.

By the time the door was closed, she had turned to me. I looked up at her then made a split second decision. I moved closer then leaned up and kissed her cheek. "It's good to see you. I'm almost ready to go. You look nice."

"Thank you. So do you."

"I just need my shoes."

"I thought we might go for a walk afterwards," she said.

"I don't even own a pair of heels," I said. "I'll wear flats. They're comfortable unless you wanted to walk for miles."

"I thought perhaps Picnic Point," she explained. "I'll keep you safe."

"That would be lovely," I admitted.

While I retrieved my shoes from the closet, Elisabeth looked around. There wasn't much to see. It was just a small, studio apartment. But I had one wall with some of my better photographs, and when I turned around, she was looking at the photos.

"Yours?" she asked.

I stepped up next to her. "Yes."

"I have to admit. I did a little snooping."

"Oh?"

"Your photos look better this size than on a computer screen." She gestured. "Michaela would like that one. When Lara met her, she was living in Bayfield." The photo in question was of one of the caves in the Apostle Islands.

"You recognized where this was?"

"We told you earlier we kayak on Lake Superior. That cave is a common destination for us; it's a good distance from Bayfield. Michaela has a fishing spot she prefer not too far from there."

I turned to her. "That's a twelve-mile paddle. Each way."

"So far? No wonder we're tired by the time we get back." She grinned. "We're a very active group."

I eyed her up and down again. "No doubt. Is everyone in your family so... athletic?"

"I hope my size isn't intimidating," she said in reply.

"Not at all. If I were dating a man, he could be bigger than you." I smiled. "I find you absolutely fascinating, Elisabeth."

She returned my smile. "Ready to go?"

I was surprised to see her car: a light green Prius. I raised an eyebrow. "This doesn't strike me as a bodyguard's car."

"I'm off duty," Elisabeth replied. She handed me into my seat, which I found very gallant, and then climbed in on her side.

"I don't believe this is your car," I accused as she started the car.

"I didn't steal it," she countered with a smirk.

"You ran out and bought it to try to impress me."

She laughed. "We both know I don't need to engage in subterfuge to impress you."

"Oh, you're cocky."

"I've got a lot to be cocky about."

I had to admit, at least privately, she was right.

"Whose car is this?" I asked.

"Insurance records are in the glove compartment." She pointed then worked her way out of the parking spot.

I couldn't help myself. I had to see. I popped open the glove box, dug through it for a moment, and withdrew her proof of insurance. It had her name, of course. And for an address - the same office park as everything else I'd researched about her.

"Huh. I guess it's yours."

"I am wounded you would believe I might stoop so low," she said. She didn't look at all wounded.

"Do you find me a joke?" I asked.

Her expression sobered. "Why would you think that?"

"I'm not a crackpot."

"Zoe, I didn't accuse you of being a crackpot. Where did this come from?"

"You're laughing at me."

"I thought we were teasing each other. I am accustomed to a great deal of banter. You should see Michaela and I going at each other."

"I bet she wins."

Elisabeth looked chagrined. "Yeah, unless I cheat."

I cocked my head. "How do you cheat in banter?"

"Good question. I don't usually realize I cheated until she calls me on it."

"Does she get even?"

"Sometimes. Sometimes she takes it out on my sister instead."

"It sounds like a lot of stress."

"No. Well, sometimes. But no. I love my sister-in-law from the bottom of my heart."

"All of you seemed really close," I observed.

"Yeah, we are."

I put the insurance card back and closed the glove box. "You're really a bodyguard?"

"Perhaps you noticed it's my name on the company letterhead," she pointed out with a smirk. "But yes, at time's I'm a bodyguard."

"For Michaela?"

"At times, yes."

"Why does a science teacher need a bodyguard?"

"Lara has enemies."

I stared at her. "Holy fuck. You're serious."

"It's not really good first date material," she replied. "But yes, I am."

I shook my head. "I've never met anyone who needed a bodyguard before." I paused. "Maybe that's not true; there have been a few times I wished I had one. But I suppose you wouldn't have been able to keep me from getting arrested."

She laughed. "Sure I could. I wouldn't have let you stick around for it. Besides, isn't getting arrested part of the goal? You don't make the press if you don't get arrested."

"True," I agreed. "Sometimes the police are very polite. Sometimes they quietly apologize. And sometimes they're assholes."

"Just how many times have you been arrested?"

I began counting. "Seventeen."

"Anything serious?"

"It's usually trespassing and sometimes extra bullshit the cops throw in just because they're mad at having to deal with us. I never, ever mouth off to the cops, although I have been known to point out they're operating as agents of their corporate overlords." Then I added sweetly, "Am I in the car with one of those overlords?"

"No." She grinned at me. "Not anymore."

"Oh?"

"I've simplified my investments."

"Investments, is it? Bodyguarding pays well."

"Inherited. Silver spoon and all that."

I cocked my head. "You say that casually."

"You can see my outrageous spending patterns by this fine automobile I drive."

I laughed. I drove a Prius, too.

"But surely you live in a mansion."

"I grew up in one. Now I live in a house that's bigger than I need, but it's just a house."

"With your sister and her diminutive wife?"

"A short walk away," she clarified. "I live alone, although I may as well live with Lara and Michaela. I'm there more than my own place. I haven't cooked a meal in..." she paused, thinking about it. "I guess I'm not sure the last time I cooked anything fancier than toast in the morning, and I don't even do that very often."

"Is that because your cook handles the meals?"

"My aunt handles a lot of the meals - Angel's mother."

"That's so different than how I grew up," I said. "I have an older brother, but we weren't very close to the extended family. I see everyone at Christmas, but that's about it." I paused. "You haven't mentioned your parents."

"They're gone."

"Oh. I'm sorry. What happened?"

"You know how it is," she replied, which wasn't really an answer. "So, now you know everything about me. Tell me about yourself. Tell me something shocking."

"Oh, something shocking?" I wondered what she'd tell me if I asked for the same. "Well, I recently met this woman who I haven't stopped thinking about."

"Oh? But you're here with me?"

I laughed, but she offered a puzzled expression. "Wait. That wasn't a joke? Elisabeth..."

"Oh." She colored. "Me? I suppose it shouldn't go to my head; we only met six hours ago."

"True," I said after a moment. I certainly wasn't going to tell her I'd been stalking her.

"But maybe you're warning me of something," she went on. "Do I have to worry about you stalking me now?"

It was my turn to blush.

"I think you'd find an efficient way of dealing with me if I did."

"You're probably right. We have ways of making you disappear." She said it ominously. The thing was, I thought it was probably true.

I thought about it for a minute. "You wouldn't have to worry about that."

"Not a stalker?"

"Oh, totally a stalker," I said with a grin. "But I'm harmless. Ask anyone."

Conversation turned lighter after that, and soon we were pulling into the restaurant parking lot. She met me at the back of the car and took my arm. I decided I was entirely okay with that and leaned against her a little as we walked to the restaurant door. Once inside, she led me to the hostess station, where she was addressed by name.

"Ms. Burns. We have your table waiting."

"Thank you, Patty."

The hostess handed two menus to a waiting teenage girl and whispered to her, and the girl told us, "If you will follow us." We followed her to secluded table. Elisabeth held my chair for me, and once we were seated, the girl said, "Becca will be your server tonight."

"Thank you, Kyra," Elisabeth replied.

As soon as the girl was out of hearing range, I turned to Elisabeth. "Ms. Burns, you seem to be known here."

"I believe I am," she replied.

"Is that all you're going to say on the matter?"

"I've been here before."

"Uh huh. Spill."

She smiled. "I might be a minority investor."

I stared. "Seriously? You own the restaurant?"

"About five percent is all. Michaela and Lara each have another five percent."

"Michaela is a school teacher, but she has money to invest in restaurants?"

"Michaela's living expenses are exceedingly low, so she takes investment recommendations from her wife and her sister-in-law."

"And you suggested a restaurant? Don't most restaurants fail?"

Elisabeth gestured around. "Does this restaurant look like it's failing?"

"It's Saturday during prime dinner time. Every restaurant in town is packed right now."

"Well, this restaurant is not failing. Lara and I don't invest in businesses that are going to fail."

I scoffed. Elisabeth raised an eyebrow. "You doubt me?"

"No one has a hundred percent track record."

"Your statement is flawed. I admit. Not all of my investments have done well, but none of them have become failed businesses."

"Then you haven't been investing long enough."

Elisabeth took a sip of her water while watching me. "Zoe, we don't know each other well. I don't want to appear dismissive, but I think on this issue, my information may be better than yours."

I thought about it. "All right. How is it that you are able to do so much better than most investors?"

"I am very careful in how I invest. I only invest when I know the principal individuals involved. I review their business plan. If I think they have a good product or good service but lack financial sense, I either require they obtain it or I don't invest."

"But a restaurant?"

"There are specific reasons why the failure of restaurants is so high," she explained. "According to some studies, sixty percent fail in the first year. Eighty percent fail inside five years. But the reasons they fail are predictable and highly manageable. It comes down to the experience of the people. The likelihood of success goes up when the owners have had significant prior experience. They need to be good people managers, and when they hire more managers, they need to do so carefully. I've already mentioned financial acumen. And then they must provide excellent customer service and quality food, and do so with incredible consistency."

She gestured around. "This is not a large restaurant. The larger a restaurant, the more challenging it is to maintain quality." Then she smiled. "It also helps that Lara has investments in other businesses, including a marketing company."

"Free services?"

"Quid pro quo. For instance, this table is reserved. As long as I call before five PM, this table will be available. Well, unless Lara or Michaela has already reserved it. If we miss the five PM cutoff, then they release the table and it becomes available for reservations or drop ins. There are a few other tables that are treated similarly, although with an earlier cutoff, for companies such as the marketing firm and the interior design firm."

I nodded. "What else?"

"As you can imagine, Lara and I have a significant network. Our friends patronize our businesses." She smiled. "Our investments are always local, and we keep an eye on them. They may not always perform as well as we might like, but they never fail."

The waitress took that moment to step up to our table. "Good evening, Ms. Burns," she said.

"Hello, Becca," Elisabeth said. "This is Zoe."

"Ah, yes," Becca replied. "We have a couple of specials that didn't make it to our menu." She described the available vegan specials then pointed to a few vegetarian choices from the main menu. Elisabeth ordered a bottle of wine for us, and Becca stepped away.

I turned back to Elisabeth. She was smiling at me.

"Do you like the restaurant?" she asked sweetly.

"You are full of surprises. You didn't just make a reservation."

"I may have mentioned my dinner companion preferred vegan choices."

I was, well, beyond impressed. And if I felt like I was in over my head previously, it struck home just how far in I was. And I didn't think this was even a big deal for her. She'd gotten them to add to their menu specifically for me.

"To be fair," she added, "it's easier for this restaurant to assemble those choices on short notice than it might be for somewhere else. They already use the ingredients in other dishes." She shrugged. "I wanted you to have a nice meal. I hope you don't mind if I have seafood."

"The fisheries..." I started to say.

"I know. Michaela mentions the tuna fisheries every time we go for sushi."

"You eat sushi?"

"Of course. But I hope you won't be offended if I don't ask to sample anything from your plate tonight."

A moment later, Becca returned with our wine and a breadbasket. She prepared dipping plates with olive oil and pepper then explained, "The wholemeal wheat bread is vegan. I'm sorry, but the white is not."

We placed our orders, and Becca disappeared.

"So, Zoe," Elisabeth said, lifting her glass. "To discovery."

"Discovery," I said. We sipped, and then I commented on the unusual toast.

"But we have so much to discover about each other." Her gaze was intense. "I suspect we are both very curious people. I suspect we are both very complicated people. I imagine there is a great deal for us to each discover." Her gaze bore into me, and I felt like I was under a microscope. But then she blinked and turned to the breadbasket. "But maybe I am wrong. Perhaps you aren't interested in more than an evening."

"Oh no," I said. "I find you fascinating. I want to know everything about you."

"Well, perhaps we should take turns. What would you like to know first?"

"Where did you go to school?"

"I was, after a fashion, home schooled, first by my mother and then later my aunt. For college, I attended Harvard and then stayed for a business degree."

"You have a business degree and used it to start a bodyguard business?"

"My turn," she said. "How did you become an environmental activist?"

"Oh, I see how this game works," I replied. "I actually got started in high school. My father was always taking my brother camping. For years, I whined that I wanted to go. Finally when I was fifteen, I think, they finally let me come. They thought I would hate it. It was high mosquito season, and they took me to the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. It was a five-night trip, although I learned years later they were ready to cut it short if I was too impossible. It rained almost every day. They made me carry my own share of gear at every portage. We ate what we caught with freeze dried as backup. I got my own tent, but I had to set it up myself. The first two nights, I set it up on rocks, and, no matter what I did, it was lumpy. And of course, the mosquitoes were terrible."

"Don't tell me. You loved it."

"Every minute. It was so beautiful. At night, the loons sang to us. In the morning, the lake was still, and we started early each day. The water was like glass, and we just glided across it. I got yelled at a few times because I was always stopping to take pictures." I closed my eyes, remembering. "It was all breathtaking. I did my share without a single complaint, and I caught my share of fish, too, although I made my brother clean them."

"After that?"

"After that, I learned everything I could. I learned how rare it was to find such pristine places. I learned about how so many places are ruined through over development, runoff, and acid rain. I learned what DDT had done to the birds in this country back in the seventies." I faded off. "You get the idea."

She nodded. "Those are the sorts of things Michaela teaches in her classes."

"I'd absolutely love to go the next time you guys go kayaking," I said. Then I realized I had just invited myself, and that was rude. "Um. I mean. If you want me along."

She smiled. "Let's get through tonight and we'll see. But we tend to go for long weekends, and we're all pure carnivores. I can tone it down for a meal, but as a group, you might find our dining habits shocking."

I studied her for a moment before I said, "As long as I'm not on the menu, I think I could make it work."

She laughed. "Naw. We never eat our friends." Then she laughed again. "There was this one deer..."

"Deer?"

"A friend of Michaela's."

"And you ate it?"

"No, no. I wouldn't do that. But we had to catch it."

"Michaela had a friend that was a deer?"

"She raised it, I guess. She used to work for Fish and Wildlife, and someone dropped it off as a fawn. She raised it and taught it how to find food, then let it go."

"Why did you have to catch it?"

"It was wearing a tracking collar. She needed it. But you haven't finished your answer. So you learned to love the outdoors in high school."

"Yes. After that, they didn't take me on all their trips, but they took me on a lot of them. I had a job in high school, and I started giving money to some of the organizations. I subscribed to National Geographic, and I gave money to the Sierra Club and Greenpeace. Once I got to college and was in that hotbed of liberalism-" Elisabeth laughed. "I became more directly active." I paused. "You should know, I got hooked up with a couple of pretty militant organizations for a while, but GreEN isn't like that. The worst we do is trespass. I've chained myself in front of bulldozers, but that's the most extreme in recent years."

She nodded understanding. "It's good that you stand up for your beliefs. But you're not afraid to trespass?"

"I believe it's my turn," I said with a grin. "Business degree. Bodyguard service. Explain."

"It just sort of happened."

"Just sort of happened? Were you in the military or something?"

"No, but you can imagine from looking at us that both my sister and I have always been very athletic. It runs in the family, actually. I didn't form the company. My father did. After he died, it was run by my predecessor, but then he resigned, and Lara needed someone to take over."

"Lara did?"

"It's complicated."

"So you work for your sister?"

"Yes."

"That has to be weird."

"Not really. So you're not afraid to trespass?"

"Oh no," I said. "You aren't done answering. Why is it complicated?"

"We both inherited a variety of businesses when our father died. By and large, he didn't specify who got what. We worked it out ourselves. The way it worked out, she needed the protection services and at the time, I didn't."

"That's all as clear as mud."

She laughed lightly. "That's inheritance for you. She's better at some things; I'm better at others. Over the last several years, I've divested myself of most of the businesses that required too much of my attention. I have enough to take care of."

"So there were changes in your life recently?"

"Handling security is a full time job, and then some."

"Our lives are so different," I observed.

"So, you're willing to trespass?"

I laughed. "Yes. For the right cause."

"What would be the right cause?"

"When I think a company is destroying the environment, then I'll do whatever is necessary to raise awareness."

After that, we went back and forth. We compared favorite colors and favorite movie stars. We cautiously delved into politics. Neither of us was surprised to discover I was far more active politically than she was, although she admitted she voted a combination of liberal and civil rights.

Elisabeth got me tipsy on the wine but was more cautious for herself. "I'm driving," was her only explanation. I didn't have a problem with that.

I may have been more open about myself than I might have been otherwise, but my life was an open book, more or less. I did confess to a few crimes for which I hadn't been caught.

"But I think the statute of limitations is up. I never hurt anyone."

"Spiking trees is dangerous for the loggers."

"Which is why I stopped doing it," she said. "We thought we could get them to stop logging. But you don't get in the way of economic progress that easily."

All in all, it was a lovely meal.

"Well," Elisabeth said eventually. "Ready to go?"

"You haven't paid the bill. Or are free meals an investor perk?"

"They have my information on file."

"Becca's tip?"

"Also handled the same way."

"What if service had been poor?"

She laughed and stood up.

She held my arm on the way to the car.

It was a short drive to the park. We were both quiet, having talked throughout dinner.

I'm usually a decisive, dominant person. I wasn't accustomed to spending an evening with someone as powerful as Elisabeth. And it was everything about her, starting with her physical attributes and what I knew about her. But she was a dominant personality, and it was evident in everything she did.

We arrived at the park and got out of the car, and immediately she took my hand. There was no indecision, no question. We would be holding hands. She tugged me in the direction she wanted to go, and we walked at the pace she set.

There wasn't anything wrong with that. I just wasn't accustomed to it. Normally, like I had for our date in the first place, I took the lead, but never with this air that what I wanted was what we would do.

I was sure if I objected, she would have taken everything I said into consideration. But I also realized that otherwise, we would simply be doing whatever she selected.

It was quite odd.

And so we walked where she led, and because she didn't instigate a conversation, we walked quietly. We made it all the way out to the end of the point, and she pulled me to one of the waiting benches. There were others out walking as well, and so we weren't in complete privacy, but no one was paying particular attention to anyone else, so in a way, we were alone.

She tugged me to the bench, and we sat down together. A moment later, her arm was around my shoulder.

I'd never been out with a woman this tall and powerful before, and it was an intoxicating experience. I looked up at her for a moment, then I leaned into her, laying my head against her shoulder.

"Is this what you had in mind when you asked me out?" she finally asked.

"My thoughts hadn't gotten this detailed," I replied. "This is really nice."

She shifted towards me slightly. My legs were crossed, and after a moment, her far hand settled on my knee, the fingers just underneath the hem of the skirt. She caressed my leg almost absentmindedly, but I didn't believe it was at all casual. Still, she didn't disturb the lie of the skirt, and so I didn't need to stop her hand from creeping further up than I found comfortable.

At least in public.

But I did say, "You're bold."

"I've been called that before," she said. She didn't stop what she was doing or ask if it was all right. I leaned against her just a little more, and she chuckled. "You seem to like bold."

"What can I say?" I asked. "I live for the thrill."

"Is that what I represent?" she asked. "A thrill?"

"I don't know," I said. "Maybe. You're not like other women I've dated."

"In what way?"

"Your physical attributes, to begin with. And I've never dated anyone who was rich. A lot of women earn more than I do, but you're in a different class."

"Is that why you asked me out? My money?"

"No. I couldn't take my eyes off you. Surely you noticed."

"I did, actually," she said. I looked up at her and she was smirking. "Why is that?"

"Fishing for compliments?"

"Curious. As you say, I'm not your usual type."

"I don't have a type," I said. "Well, I do. Intelligence is critical, and I won't date someone whose politics I find egregious."

Her hand left my knee, which I found disappointing, but a moment later she was caressing my cheek instead. Her hands were so big she could rest her palm against my cheek, caressing my cheekbones with her thumb while her fingertips were just touching my ear.

I stared into her eyes. My heart began pounding. I just knew she was preparing to kiss me. Everything was moving so quickly, and I felt entirely swept away.

I didn't know if I should stop her. I didn't know if I dared stop her. I realized I was a little afraid of her, but I was far, far more fascinated than afraid.

"Your heart is pounding," she said. "Do I frighten you?"

"You're a little intimidating," I admitted. "And a lot exciting."

She bent her neck, and I thought she was going to kiss me, but instead she shifted and brushed her cheek with mine. She inhaled deeply, her nose near my neck. "You smell good," she said throatily.

My heart pounded harder at her words. She straightened. "You're safe, Zoe. Am I going too fast?"

In answer, I reached up to the back of her head and pulled. She smiled, and then a moment later, our lips met.

She was gentle at first. Not tentative, but gentle and soft, almost as if she was judging how to treat me. But then her kiss grew firmer, more insistent.

Hungry.

I parted my lips, and she accepted my invitation, her tongue slipping into my mouth to explore for a moment.

I moaned and found myself clutching at her.

She reacted to that, and her hunger was nearly palpable.

She was hungry for me.

Finally she broke the kiss, and her eyes were just a little wild. Then she settled down. She smiled and brushed my lips with her thumb. I stared up at her, my thoughts scrambled beyond recognition.

"I've thought about kissing you from the moment I first saw you," I said. Oops. I hadn't intended to sound like a stalker. Even if I was one.

She sat back on the bench next to me, her arm still around me, but she took on a self-satisfied air. "I know."

"Arrogant brat!" I called her. I slapped her shoulder with the back of my hand. When she chuckled at me, I wound up to hit her again.

Instead, she caught my hand, hers moving faster than I could even see. "Don't do that," she said in a very low tone.

I blanched. "I'm sorry," I said quickly. "Did I hurt you?"

"No." Her grip loosened. "But I am likely to consider it permission to play rough. I don't think that's your preference."

"No, it's not," I said. "I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

She released my hand and caressed my cheek again. "No harm done. I wanted to be clear from the beginning. My family plays a little rough. You are perfectly safe with me, but if you get physical like that, then it's permission. If you ever want to say 'no' to me, use your words. If you need to chastise me, use your words. Do you understand?"

I nodded. I didn't, not entirely, but I understood as much as she was telling me.

We sat quietly for a few minutes before I said, "It was a really nice kiss."

"I thought so, too?"

"Will there be more?"

"Yes. But there won't be more than kisses tonight."

"What if I want more?"

"Then I suppose you'll need to ask me out again."

"And you'll decline, and invite me instead?"

"Now you understand how this will work," she said with a grin. But then it faded. "I frighten you. You need to decide how you feel about that."

"You don't frighten me," I objected.

"Yes, I do," she countered. "It may be that your interest outweighs your fear. But I just told you I like to play rough, and I'm big enough to enforce that. You also have gotten a taste of how dominant I am."

"You also told me you wouldn't hurt me. Did you lie?"

"I told you if you fight me physically, you might not care for the results."

"And if I don't fight you physically? If I fight your dominance only with words?"

"Then I will treat you as gently as a piece of china."

"And you don't go crazy for a few days a month?"

She chuckled. "PMS has never been a significant problem for me."

We were facing east, and I glanced at the moon, just above the eastern horizon and not quite full. "The full moon is three days from now."

"Are you asking me if I howl at the full moon?"

I chuckled. "Do you?"

"I've been known to out of pure joy. Perhaps you would care to join me."

"Oh? Are you asking me on a second date? I thought I was supposed to ask you first."

"I decided to bypass the middleman."

"And I'm the middleman?"

"Perhaps don't carry that analogy too far."

"I'd love to see you again," I declared.

"Tuesday at six."

With that, she leaned back against the bench, and I leaned against her, her arm still around me. We sat like that for a minute until I said, "I liked your hand on my knee."

"Did you?" she asked. A moment later, her fingers were under the hem of my skirt again.

It felt nice.

We sat quietly for a while, looking out over the lake. Behind us, the sun set. I was dressed lightly, but it was growing cool. Still, Elisabeth was warm, amazingly warm, the heat radiating from her. I pressed myself more tightly against her.

"We should go," she said. "I won't be able to keep you as warm when we walk."

"I'll be fine," I said. "But perhaps you're right."

And so we stood, but she pulled me against her, still sharing her heat, and slowly we headed back to her car.

She walked me to the door of my apartment, frowning at the lack of security. "I warned you it's not much."

"I would prefer you lived in a safer building."

"This is what I can afford. Would you like to come in?"

"I would, but I want to discuss this situation with you." Then she took my keys from my hand and opened my apartment door, holding the door wide then stepping in behind me. She closed the door, thumbed the locks, and handed the key back to me. "Lara was serious about considering a donation to your organization."

"Is this related to my apartment?"

"Yes. She gives generously but cautiously at the same time. You can be sure she's already asked Michaela for her opinion. She's going to ask mine as well."

"All right," I said slowly. I set my purse down and kicked my shoes off. "Are you staying long?"

"Not long," she said.

"Long enough for a pot of tea?"

She smiled. "Sure."

I moved into the kitchenette area and busied myself putting on water. "Tea is there," I said, pointing. "Do you know what kind you prefer?"

"Whatever you like," she said.

"Herbal?"

She smiled. "Sure."

While I prepared the tea, Elisabeth prowled around my little apartment. I felt very self-conscious, but I didn't get a sense of judgment from her, other than about the security. It took a few minutes for the water to be ready, then I poured it over the leaves into the teapot, grabbed a couple of cups, and carried everything to the futon. I had a coffee table, and I set everything down, then sat down on the futon, watching her.

A moment later, she was seated next to me.

"You were saying?"

"I want to know what happens to the money we might give you. Specifically, who gets it? You? Some national organization?"

"It can be either way," I replied. "GreEN of Wisconsin is registered as a charitable organization. Or you can donate to GreEN itself, the national organization."

"So if Lara gives to GreEN of Wisconsin, it goes to you?"

"It goes to the local organization of which I am the manager."

"So you determine what happens with the money."

"Yes, although National audits me, and I have to justify what I spend."

"And so, if Lara made a donation, but applied strings, would those strings be honored?"

"What strings?" I asked.

"To begin with, movement of your headquarters into a more secure building."

"We can't afford it."

"I believe if Lara were to make a donation, you could afford it."

"The money needs to go where it will do the most good," I said firmly. "Fancier digs aren't a priority. I am perfectly safe here."

"I won't question your sense of priorities when it comes to saving the environment," she replied firmly, "but I would hope you would recognize that one of us is perhaps just a tiny bit more qualified to address matters of security."

I looked away. "That's heavy handed."

"So you would rather stay here than accept Lara's generous donation?"

I turned back to her. "Are you trying to buy me?"

Her eyes flashed. "Is that what you think?" she asked. "Is that what you think of me?"

She stood up. "I had a lovely evening." She turned towards the door, and I was out of my seat a half second later, running ahead of her to place my back against the door.

"Wait! Elisabeth."

She stopped a few feet away from me. Her gaze wasn't quite a glare. "What did I tell you about fighting physically with me?"

"But... No, it's not what I think of you. But I'm out of my depth. You're trying to push me around."

"I asked questions. That's it. You're the one who turned insulting both to yourself and to me."

"You sneered at my home."

"I sneered at the lack of security. Consider it a professional hazard. I won't apologize for wanting you safe. Yes, it's heavy handed. Michaela gets mad at me over it, but it's whom I am. Take it or leave it."

She continued to glare at me. My emotions were in turmoil, but I knew if I let her leave like this, I wouldn't see her again.

"Please, Elisabeth, can we talk calmly? I'm sorry for my question earlier. I wasn't accusing. I'm in waters that are uncharted for me. This is the best apartment I can afford, and even this place is more expensive than I'd like. You grew up with money, it sounds like. I bet you can't even imagine skipping meals because you're broke."

Her gaze softened. "You're right. We might need Michaela to translate."

"Why Michaela?"

"Michaela has been dirt poor, but that's her story to tell," Elisabeth replied. "All right. We can talk calmly." She stepped backwards, retreating to the futon and sat back down. She picked up her tea and sipped at it. A moment later, once I was sure she wasn't going to flee, I followed her.

"Lara's investments include real estate," Elisabeth said. "Mine did, too, but I sold my interests. I wish she'd sell hers, too, as they're a pain in the ass, even with professional managers." She paused. "I digress. If Lara offers more than a relatively small donation to GreEN - which is not guaranteed - then it will almost certainly come with strings about your headquarters."

"You're so sure of this?"

"I would insist. I don't insist with my sister very often, but when I do, she listens."

"So you're telling me if we accept her money, I have to move, presumably spending quite a bit more money every month."

"Actually, I suspect any donation would include a five-year agreement on a modest apartment in one of Lara's buildings and a demand that yes, you move into it. We would provide moving services."

"I have a lease."

"And Lara has a lawyer. You won't have a lease for very long." She paused. "I wonder how many housing violations we could find around here if we put our minds to it."

"The landlord has been okay. I don't want him threatened."

"He'll get two months rent in exchange for cancelling the lease. He'll have someone else moving in a week later."

She sipped from her tea. "So."

"I won't be kept."

Her eyes narrowed.

"I'm not your mistress!"

"I didn't say you were. I don't recall tying any of this to our personal relationship. And I don't need my sister to provide a home for my harem of mistresses." Her gaze softened. "What is so wrong with wanting you safe?"

"There are a lot of women in this city whose situations are a lot more tenuous than mine. What are you doing about them?"

"I didn't kiss any of them tonight."

"And if that were to become our last kiss? Would you drop this?"

"I can't force you to move, Zoe. I can't force you to accept my protection. But I can ask Lara to put strings on any money she gives you. You don't have to accept her money, but if you do, you'll also accept her strings. Those strings don't have anything to do with whether we ever kiss again."

She got up again. "Your safety is more important to me than kissing you. If you're so hung up on this because you think I'm trying to buy you, then I guess I need to remove that from the equation. I don't know if Lara intends a donation, but if she does, and if it's sizeable, you know what strings will be attached. Decide what you're going to do about it." She turned for the door.

"Wait!" I said. Elisabeth stopped with her hand on the knob. Remembering what she said about only using my words, I didn't hurry after her this time.

"What choices do I have?" I asked.

She turned around and leaned against the door. "If you don't take the money, you have all the choices you currently have. If you take the money, then I imagine Lara would offer a choice of locations based on what is currently available. She owns twelve apartment buildings throughout Madison, and there are always a few openings or pending openings. There would be a five-year guarantee or until you no longer required the space."

"And you can offer this on her behalf."

"She won't have a problem with it. I can imagine you could do quite a lot with another five hundred a month by not having this place to pay for."

Five hundred would about double my budget.

"Are you angry at me?" I asked.

"No."

"You're awfully heavy handed for someone I just met today."

"About this, yes, I am. As I said, it's an occupational hazard coupled with an exceedingly protective personality on top. Michaela hates it. Lara's the same way, only worse, so Michaela gets it from both of us."

"Is everything going to be like this?"

"No. Just your safety."

"So, getting ahead of ourselves, if we were in a relationship, would you try to interfere with my ... um..."

"Trespassing?"

"Yes."

"No promises."

"Not good enough."

"If we were in a relationship where I felt the right to interfere with your likelihood of being hurt, then I suspect I am also in a position to help you a great deal to make up for my interference."

I thought about it. "I bet you're right," I agreed. "Elisabeth, this is the most I can afford, but if there is a donation to GreEN of Wisconsin that includes a safer apartment, I would happily accept it. Now, please don't leave."

She watched me for a minute. "Are you sure? I do not ever want to again be accused of trying to buy you."

"I'm sorry about that. I wasn't trying to accuse you. I was trying to understand and perhaps doing so poorly." I paused. "Elisabeth, I have pride. I spend a good share of my life begging for money, but it's for GreEN. I don't like asking for money when I know some of it covers my personal expenses, like this apartment. And I can't ask people who barely earn more than I do to support my efforts if I'm living in better conditions they are."

"Apology accepted," she said. "But in this case, you're not asking. I certainly understand pride." She smiled but didn't move. So I patted the futon next to me and leaned back, closing my eyes. I heard the floor creak and then her weight settled down next to me. I moved closer and leaned against her, and a moment later, her arm was around my shoulder. I curled into her, pulling my legs up so one knee was partially over her nearest leg.

"You are very fierce," I observed. She didn't respond, but a moment later, she was caressing my legs, and this time she let the skirt slide up a little.

But not too far.

"I'm not seducing you tonight," she told me.

"What if I decide to seduce you?"

"We both know that's not how it's going to work."

I opened my eyes and looked up at her through my lashes. She lifted her hand to my cheek and caressed me, and then she shifted her grip. Without warning, I felt myself pulled over her so I was straddling her lap.

I squeaked in surprise, but she pulled me to her, and our mouths met.

If the kiss in the park had been amazing, I don't know how to describe this kiss.

In some ways it was raw, feral. Her hunger was obvious, but so was mine. And I've never been held so firmly but so gently at the same time. I was right where she wanted me, and we both knew it.

I didn't mind at all.

Finally she broke the kiss, and I collapsed against her.

"Wow."

She chuckled.

"You don't have to be so satisfied about it."

"My heart is pounding as hard as yours is, Zoe."

I slipped a hand between us and placed it over her chest.

"Hey," she complained. "No escalating."

"Sorry," I said with my own chuckle. It had only been a little tiny boob graze, not an all out mauling. I could feel her heart though. It was strong and sure.

We stayed like that for several minutes. Then she shifted forward on the sofa. I found myself sitting on her knees, our bodies still pressed together and my legs wrapped around her. "Hang on," she said.

I squeaked as she stood up, clutching at her tightly with both my legs around her waist and my arms around her neck. She, in turn, had her hands around my waist awfully close to clutching my ass.

Then she turned around and deposited me gently on the sofa. "I had a nice time," she whispered into my ear. "I'll pick you up Tuesday at six. Dress to be outside. We'll have a picnic and wait for the moon to rise."

"We're going to howl?"

"Yes."

She released me and moved away.

"Elisabeth?"

She turned back to me.

"Promise me I'm safe."

"You're safe, Zoe. I promise."

I believed her. I wasn't sure why.

She headed for the door but then turned around again. "I am waiting outside this door until I hear the locks click."

I smiled and climbed to my feet, following after her. I moved straight into her arms, closed my eyes, and lifted my face towards her.

She accepted the offer, although the kiss was soft and gentle.

"Good night, Zoe."

I didn't hear her walk away until after I locked the door behind her.

Then I stood there, leaning against the door.

"Wow."

I shook my head, slowly pushing off the door. I grabbed my laptop on the way back to the futon. I plopped down, grabbed a gulp of the tea, then opened the laptop. A moment later, I was watching the video I had of her.

"I can't believe I just had a date with a werewolf."

 **Part Two: Elisabeth**

 **Full Moon**

I eyed her door with disgust. I wasn't impressed with the building. It stank of mildew, stale beer, and from one or two apartments, marijuana. But some of the wolves in the pack lived in worse conditions. Hell, some of the wolves in the pack were responsible for worse conditions.

But I didn't date those wolves.

It was the security that really bugged the hell out of me. While I wouldn't have been impressed with anything the landlord might do to upgrade security, the units could at least have been provided with secure doors and a proper deadbolt. Even Michaela could pop these doors open without a second thought.

And I could get through the cheap lock with barely a whisper.

Instead, I knocked and made sure I had a pleasant expression in place before the door opened.

It took her a minute before I heard the deadbolt release and the door opened. Zoe stood there in far more casual clothing than our first date, but this was to be a picnic. I thought she looked nice.

"Hi," she said softly. She moved aside with a gesture, and I stepped past her, then turned to her and, as soon as the door was closed, pulled her into my arms. I didn't wait, but I bent her back slightly and captured her mouth.

She was a good kisser.

It was just a hello kiss, and as tempting as I found her mouth, I didn't linger. I released her lips, but instead of stepping away from me, she moved into me more fully, wrapping her arms around my waist and turning her head sideways to lay her head against me. She didn't quite fit underneath my chin, so I found myself with her forehead pressed against my neck, her cheek against my shoulder.

"I like how you feel," she said.

I wrapped my arms around her and held her, laying my head against hers a little more. We stood like that for a minute or two before finally she pulled away with a sigh. She looked up at me. "Promise me I'm safe, Elisabeth."

"You're safe, Zoe," I replied. "If anything, you'll suffer from over protection. You've already seen how I can be."

"I suppose I have." She smiled, and I couldn't help but reach out and caress her cheek. Her smile broadened.

"Where are we going?"

"Just up to Token Creek," I replied. "I promised a picnic."

She looked disappointed.

"We could go to a restaurant instead."

"It's not that," she said. "I had the impression you lived on a fairly sizeable piece of land. I thought you were taking me there."

"Oh. I thought about it, but if we went there, everyone would be bugging the crap out of us. We wouldn't get any time alone. I'm not ready to subject you to the entire horde."

"A horde, is it?"

"Clan, group, family..."

"Scarlett is family?"

"Well, there's family and then there's family," I replied. "But if you would rather go somewhere else..."

"Oh no, the park is fine. I'm looking forward to it." She leaned closer and kissed my cheek. "Whatever you want is fine. Do we need to raid my refrigerator so I'll have something I dare eat?"

In answer, I only grinned at her.

She turned for her purse, but I frowned. "You won't need that."

"But... keys. ID."

"ID in your pocket, and you can leave your keys in my car."

She cocked her head at me. "All right," she said slowly. I waited for her to fish out her driver's license. It went into a front pocket of her jeans. She grabbed her keys, and a moment later, she was locking the door to her apartment.

I took the keys from her then took her hand, leading her to my car.

She reminded me a great deal of Michaela. She was fierce and independent, bright, and concerned with the environment. I wondered what the two of them would be like together. I had never settled on a type. Heck, up until a few years ago, I'd never even considered dating women. I still wasn't sure they were for me. Women could be so complicated. Men could be complicated, too, but usually not so much.

I wasn't very good with subtle. I wasn't really sure how Lara kept Michaela as tame as she did. The little fox was quite a handful. But the two of them certainly had their fights, and I'd been involved a time or three myself.

I saw a lot of the same in Zoe, without the whole werefox thing of course. I still hadn't figured her out.

But I would.

When we got to the car, I handed her in. She seemed surprised every time I did it, but I think she liked it, too. To be honest, I didn't really know how to treat her, so I borrowed a lot from how Lara treated her wife, or how Michaela had trained me to treat her.

Climbing in on my side, I dropped Zoe's keys into the console between the seats, and then we were on the way.

We held hands during the drive. We talked about how she spent her day - working on a new mailing she wanted to send out. Mine? Security, security, security, and I was sorry, but I couldn't talk about it.

"Watching over your sister-in-law?"

"No. I'm sorry, Zoe, I really can't talk about it."

"Did you do anything... illegal?"

"What? No. Of course not. I'm saving that for later."

She laughed. "Oh?"

I leered at her briefly, and she laughed again.

"I'm pretty sure there's nothing illegal with that," she observed. "We're not in Texas. As long as I can still walk in the morning, anyway."

"You might be walking a little funny," I said.

"Maybe it's you who will be walking funny," she replied.

We bantered back and forth during the twenty-minute drive to the park. As we parked, she again asked, "Are you sure you brought things I can eat? I won't be impressed with a roast beef sandwich."

"Even if it's from a free range cow?"

"Even then."

"What if it's from a deer that was killed by a car?"

"Elisabeth..."

"I don't get to tease you?"

She cocked her head. "Sometimes teasing a vegan isn't really teasing. Sometimes it's an effort to discover how serious we are or to see if we're really vegan."

"Maybe I am expressing perplexity."

"You don't understand why I find it immoral to consume animal products?"

"I understand why you have a problem with factory farms. I can't say I make the same choices you do about it, but I understand it. I don't know what's wrong with eggs from free-range chickens. You didn't answer me on Saturday regarding deer herd overpopulation, either."

"If we hadn't killed off the wolf packs and stripped so much of the forest for farmland, nature would be in balance."

"All right," I said. I paused. "Let's continue this conversation in a minute. For now, you'll have to trust me."

I didn't wait for an answer but I got out of the car and a moment later, she met me at the back. I popped the hatch and grabbed the waiting cooler.

"You have a choice. Lawn chairs, blanket, or we can eat at one of the picnic tables."

"Blanket," she said with a grin. She grabbed the waiting blanket. I set the cooler down, closed the hatch, locked everything, and then led the way into the park. Zoe scrambled to catch up.

I already had a place picked out. It was a several minute walk from the car.

"Where are we going?"

"There's a quiet little place," I told her. I glanced at her. She looked at me nervously. "Don't you trust me?"

"Sure I do," she said. There wasn't a lot of conviction behind it.

"We could go to a restaurant," I offered again.

"Oh, no, you went through all this work."

I sniffed cautiously. She was giving off fear scent. I stopped and turned to her.

"Zoe, what's wrong?"

"Nothing," she said, and I didn't need Michaela to tell me she was lying.

"We can go somewhere else. I was just trying to give us some privacy. I was hoping to impress you with my thoughtfulness. But if you're afraid to be out here with me, we can go somewhere else. It's another twenty minutes to the compound. We could go there. Or we can find a city park somewhere."

She eyed me carefully, and it was incredibly clear she was, indeed, afraid to be out here with me.

"No," she said. "Just promise me you're not a serial killer."

"You're safe," I assured her. "You would need a secret service detail to be safer."

She turned away and began leading the way deeper into the park. I took a few steps and caught up.

"You're not going to tell me what you brought?"

"Nope. Well, I brought a Frisbee. I thought we could throw it around a little."

"I'd like that," she said. She laughed.

"What?"

"You're rich, right?"

"By some standards," I said.

"And you took me on a picnic."

"Feeling cheated?"

"No. Courted."

"Good."

"I knew there was something different about you the moment I first saw you."

I smiled at her.

It took another couple of minutes until we reached our destination, a little space at the edge of a small field. Zoe spread the blanket, and I set the cooler down to catch the upwind edge. Then I crawled onto the blanket, pulling her after me. I wrapped my arms around her, and she laughed as I pulled her down on top of me. I immediately caught her lips, silencing her laugh.

It didn't take long for us to both get worked up. I wished I'd made her wear the skirt; I had to satisfy my hands by cupping her ass.

Finally we separated, both of us panting.

"You don't waste time," Zoe said, rolling onto her back, her head pillowed by my arm.

"Life is short," I replied. I rolled onto my side so I was facing her, then began caressing her. She was wearing a casual knit shirt, tucked into her jeans, but I tugged it out then sent my fingers in search of almost-bare skin to play with.

Zoe didn't stop me. Instead, she closed her eyes and appeared to be holding her breath.

"Is this all right?" I asked quietly. She nodded.

But then she rolled her head and opened her eyes. "I'm a little overwhelmed," she said, "but I don't want you to stop."

"I'm not planning on us getting naked out here," I replied. But I moved my fingers further up the inside of her shirt. "Just a little worked up."

She smiled.

She wasn't a classic beauty, and while she was in shape, it wasn't the same sort of shape I was accustomed to. But she was human; I couldn't expect her to have the same physique as a werewolf or even a little werefox. Her breasts were on the small side and her hips a little lean, but I was fine with that.

My hand found one of those breasts, supported by a sports bra. Zoe closed her eyes as I fondled her breast through the stretchy material. My fingers found a nipple, and I teased it a little. It wasn't very satisfying, not to either of us, but I was just having fun for now.

"I should have worn something lacy," she said.

"You dressed for comfort," I replied. "So did I." I moved closer and captured her mouth again.

She tasted really good. There was still a lingering scent of fear, but it was overwhelmed by her arousal - and quite a bit of my own. I leaned closer and sniffed at her neck.

She giggled. "What are you doing?"

"Deciding if you taste good." I gave her a quick lick, and she almost jumped out of her skin.

"No!" she screamed, pulling away from me. A moment later she was on her feet, facing me with her hands out defensively.

I blinked at her, startled by her reaction.

"Did I miss something?" I asked.

She was panting in her panic, and I was sure she was about to bolt. She looked around wildly for a minute, and the fear scent was nearly overwhelming.

"Zoe?"

I stayed where I was and tried to look non-threatening. It wasn't a look I practiced, and I didn't imagine I was very good at it. But I didn't chase after her or give her additional cause to panic.

"Oh god," she said. "I'm sorry."

"You're acting like you expected me to turn into a savage animal and eat you. I promise you, everything I intend to eat tonight is in the cooler. Well, everything I intend to eat that way."

She didn't laugh at my lame joke.

"Elisabeth. I'm sorry."

"Look, you're clearly not comfortable out here with me. Maybe we should go. I'm sorry. I thought it would be romantic. I'm not very good at empathy, and it didn't occur to me you would find this intimidating."

"No," she said. She held one hand out and another to her chest. "Just... give me a minute to calm down."

I edged away from her a little, slowly, moving to the cooler. She watched me carefully. She continued to exude fear scent, and I wasn't quite sure what to do about that - either to get her to stop, or to control my own reaction if I couldn't find a way to replace it with something less disturbing. Her clothes, her skin, her hair - they were all going to carry it.

I opened the cooler and pulled out two bottles of water. Zoe eyed me critically.

"They're refilled," I said. "We reuse them until they die." Michaela had long banned disposable water bottles for pack events, and now we always reused them. I didn't try to explain that.

Zoe nodded at my explanation. I held the bottle out for her, and she approached cautiously before taking it from me. But she sat down on the far corner of the blanket and opened her bottle.

There were limited explanations for her behavior, and I could only think of two. Either she'd been badly hurt in the past, or she knew what I was. I didn't know how she could have discovered that, but my research into her past hadn't uncovered any signs of abuse. Still, only so much was readily obtained, and she could easily have been assaulted without having reported it.

I considered asking her about it, but she was acting like a frightened animal, and I didn't want to corner her, not even verbally.

Instead, I pulled my phone out, unlocked it, and said, "Call someone."

"What?"

"Call someone. Tell them you're with me. Elisabeth Burns of Burns Protection Services." I fished out my driver's license and tossed it after the phone. "Tell them where we are. Tell them you'll be with me until at least midnight."

"Elisabeth, that's not necessary." But she picked up my driver's license and examined it. "This isn't the same address as your business card."

"The house in Madison. We're not there much anymore, but it's still in Lara's name."

She eyed my driver's license for another moment, then the phone lying on the blanket between us.

"You're safe, Zoe, but if you want me to take you somewhere you'll feel safer, I understand."

"No," she said. She looked flustered. "I'm sorry." She moved closer, collecting my phone then holding the phone and driver's license out to me. I took them and put them away, and when I held my arms open, she moved into me.

We held each other tightly.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"I won't push tonight, but someday, will you tell me what set that off?"

"Someday," she agreed. "Have I ruined our date?"

"Just made it a little more dramatic," I replied. "Maybe we should eat a little, then we can throw the Freebee around."

"I'm not very athletic. Not like you."

"That's okay." I released her and we settled onto the blanket. I pulled out the rest of the food, and she began laughing.

"You went to Carly's!"

"For yours. Sushi for me, but I brought enough to share."

I set everything out. There was more than enough food for both of us. I had silverware, but Zoe eschewed it, picking up one of the pairs of chopsticks. She was quite expert with them as she dived into her soy-something-or-other.

I would have preferred a big steak, but I could show some sensitivity. Not enough to eat whatever she was eating, but I didn't need to be an overt carnivore in front of her.

I wondered what life would be like for a werewolf and a vegan dating each other.

We ate quietly for a while before I asked, "So, we were deep into a conversation when we arrived. What's your answer about overpopulating deer?"

"Let the wolves repopulate. Problem solved."

"So, let me get this right. It's wrong for a hunter to kill a deer, but it's okay for a pack of wolves."

"The wolves are part of nature, the circle of life."

"We're all animals," I replied. "We, like wolves, are apex hunters. Aren't we also part of that circle."

"We're an unnatural interruption to the cycle. We are the only creatures on the planet that kills for sport."

"No, no," I said. "You don't get to switch arguments. You don't get to claim I shouldn't eat venison because the deer died for sport. That argument makes no sense, if I'm at the dinner table with a slice of medium rare venison in front of me."

"You're under a false assumption, Elisabeth," she said. "I never said you shouldn't eat venison. Not once have I tried to tell you what you may eat. I asked you not to eat some of the foods in front of me. But I haven't complained about your sushi, and I wonder if you have a California roll over there."

"I do, actually. I picked it for you." I opened one of the packages that was still sealed, exposing a couple of rolls. "But that one's spicy tuna."

She took a piece of California roll and popped it in her mouth. Then, just like Michaela frequently does, she closed her eyes and moaned in appreciation. I almost laughed at the similarity, but I didn't want to confuse the conversation.

She finished the piece then opened her eyes and smiled. "You're laughing at me."

"I'm not. You were saying?"

"I am not telling you what is acceptable to eat. I am making my own decisions. I do not want other creatures killed for my food, clothing, or furniture. Yes, I swat mosquitoes, as I do not choose to be their meal, either. I believe there are ample food choices available to me that do not involve killing other creatures, and the vast majority of the choices I make are also more environmentally sustainable than, for instance, eating beef."

She shook her head. "Beef is amongst the least environmentally sustainable choices."

"I believe that's an argument against overpopulation rather than dietary choices," I countered. "Wisconsin is a major food exporter."

"Wisconsin is a major food exporter now," she agreed, "but it does so at the cost of imported oil from other parts of the world. We use petroleum to power our tractors that grow our food-"

"Those same tractors are used to raise your soybeans."

"True, but soybeans require far less petroleum and far less water to sustain me than your hamburger requires to sustain you. My choices aren't perfect, but they are better than yours."

"Oh? And when I eat fish from the lake or venison hunted on the property?"

"Those choices are both better than eating a hunk of beef," she replied. "Although they are not sustainable for the global population."

"That's another overpopulation problem," I said.

We went back and forth for a while. Then I picked up a piece of the spicy tuna roll, holding it in front of me. "Does it bother you to watch me pop this into my mouth?"

"Would I prefer that you joined me in a vegan lifestyle?" she asked. "Yes, I would. But I wouldn't go so far as to say it bothers me. What bothers me is the level of ignorance people have about the food they eat. I seek to educate, not dictate."

I nodded and popped the tuna into my mouth.

The reality was that while perhaps humans could live on a vegan lifestyle, I could not. Even hunting was a necessity for a werewolf's mental well-being. A vegan wolf would go mad if he didn't die from malnutrition first. But I wasn't going to argue that position with her. I wasn't quite ready to come out to her, after all.

We finished our respective meals and packed everything up. Zoe smiled then lay down on her back, staring up at the sky. "That was very thoughtful, Elisabeth. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I plopped down next to her, then slowly reached out a hand to clasp hers. We hadn't touched for the last forty-five minutes, but I wanted to see if she was feeling calmer.

I could still smell the fear wafting off of her, and I wouldn't want to be amorous with her unless I could erase or cover the scent with something else. I have known of werewolves who find the fear scent intoxicating, but I have never been one of those. It makes me deeply protective but not at all amorous.

"I'm sorry about earlier," she said. "You don't need to worry that I'm going to freak out again."

"It's all right," I said. "It is the night of the full moon, and I did admit I've been known to howl under it. Perhaps you're worried I'm going to sprout fangs and become some sort of slavering beast."

"Are you?"

I laughed. "No."

"Then I'm safe, as you've repeatedly said."

"Ready for some exercise?"

"Are you a really bad throw with a Frisbee, and you're going to make me run all over for it?"

"I am a very good throw with a Frisbee, or of anything else I choose to throw, and if you find yourself running all over for it, I assure you it is entirely intentional. I will, of course, be watching you the entire time."

She laughed. "Well, I am a horrible throw, and if you find yourself running all over, it's your own fault for bringing a Frisbee instead of a deck of cards."

I climbed to my feet, pulling her up after me. I grabbed the Frisbee then walked a short distance away and tossed it to her.

She dropped it.

We threw the disk around for a half hour. It was, well, painful. Finally I said, "You know, you're not just bad. You're downright dreadful."

"Oh, way to boost my ego," she replied. "I did warn you."

"You must have the hand-eye coordination of a... um..."

"Of a what?"

"I can't think of anything with particularly poor coordination," I admitted with a laugh.

"Perhaps a one-eyed hippopotamus," she suggested.

"Yes, exactly. If hippos had hands and a means of demonstrating their lack of coordination."

"That's me," Zoe said. "The one-eyed hippo." She cocked her head. "It's not a very flattering image."

"You have other skills than Frisbee," I pointed out. I moved closer to her, tossing the Frisbee lightly. She managed to catch it, barely. I had to lunge for her return throw.

Dusk was settling, and the full moon was peeking over the treetops to the east. Zoe had stopped exuding fear scent some time ago, but it lingered about her, now mixed with other scents brought on by physical activity. They were deep, wholesome scents. I threw the Frisbee to the blanket then eyed Zoe.

"Oh, oh," she said. "What does that look mean?"

I didn't answer but began stalking her. She backed away from me slowly.

"Are you ticklish?" I asked her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" She edged sideways, putting the blanket between us.

"I believe I am about to find out," I replied. I dashed counter-clockwise around the blanket, and, shrieking, she ran around to the other side. We came to another stop, separated by six feet of blanket with the cooler still on one edge.

"I do not believe you should start a tickle fight," Zoe declared.

"Why not?"

"Because I would be at a distinct disadvantage. And therefore, only I am allowed to instigate tickle fights."

I began edging around the blanket to the other side. "I am not sure I agree to this rule."

Zoe held her ground for a moment, but then I lunged for her, slowly, and she skipped away.

"Tell me, Elisabeth," she said.

"Yes?"

"Do you believe that 'no' means 'no'?"

"Of course."

"Then if you don't want to hear these lips -" and she gestured to her mouth "-utter the word 'no' in a very forceful fashion, you'll agree to any stipulations I require."

I made another dash around the blanket. Zoe tried to run, but I easily caught her about the waist then pulled her onto the blanket and laid her down on her back, partially covering her with a leg.

She was shrieking and giggling while trying to squirm away, but I held her in place.

"If I am not allowed to instigate tickle fights," I asked, "just what am I allowed to instigate?"

She turned her face towards me. "I will allow you to instigate kissing."

I took my time. I climbed on top of her a little more fully, pinning her to the blanket. Her face was flushed, and she'd been sweating a little bit. I didn't mind that. I brushed a few errant hairs from her face.

She stilled her attempts to escape; they weren't doing her any good, anyway. We stared intently into each other's eyes, hers flicking back and forth between mine.

"Promise to be gentle," she whispered.

"I will be very..." and I leaned down and kissed the corner of her mouth. "Very..." I kissed the other corner. "Gentle."

Her eyes were closed by the time our mouths fully met. She parted her lips immediately, and I accepted her invitation.

She tasted good. Underneath me, she felt good, too.

I had human friends, although not many. Michele Lassiter and Nick Tate, Scarlett's father, came to mind. And I frequently dealt with humans. But I'd never kissed a human woman before, and I'd never found human males attractive. Frankly, if I wanted a male, even Rory, as immature as he could be at times, was closer to my type than any human male I'd ever met.

But Zoe tasted good. She felt good. Her lips were soft and her body welcoming. She wrapped her arms around my back, her hands splayed against my shoulder blades, holding me to her.

And so we kissed. We kissed deeply, our tongue teasing each other. I supported most of my weight on one leg, stretched along her body, and one elbow, while pressing her body to the ground with a portion of mine. Underneath me, she squirmed and moaned, and her hands curled into claws against my back before pressing against me again.

Finally I broke the kiss. Her eyes opened, and we stared into each other from inches apart.

Her lips were moist from our activity. I stared at her mouth for a moment then lifted my eyes back to hers.

"Wasn't that better than a tickle fight?" she asked.

I rolled off of her, bringing her with me so she was lying partially atop me. I bent one arm to provide myself a pillow, and Zoe laid her head against my chest.

"The moon is rising," I said.

"Does that have significance for you?" she asked. "The full moon?"

"Beyond making for a lovely evening?" I clarified. "We're a very outdoorsy family. At home, Lara and Michaela are probably out for a run right about now. The moonlit forest is beautiful, after all." I smiled.

Her hands began roaming across my body, finally slipping under my shirt. She laid her hand flat on my stomach.

"I can feel your muscles. Are you flexing for me?"

"Not particularly," I said with a smirk. "Did you want me to?"

She didn't answer. Instead, she withdrew her hand but she began exploring my body - not even the intimate places. She set her hand on my arm.

"Flex," she ordered.

I chuckled but did.

"Oh my god!" she said. "You're like a rock. Do you know what I want to do?"

"I have a few ideas."

"Do your ideas involve you posing for my camera?"

I laughed. "I'm no body builder, Zoe. I'm just blessed with genetics."

"Is it genetics?" she asked. "Is Lara built like this, too?"

"Yes."

Just then, there was a buzz, and a moment later, Zoe slapped herself. "See? I kill mosquitoes."

"We should go," I replied. "But you asked about howling at the moon."

"Is that why we're out here?"

"Partly. And I thought a picnic would be lovely. Go ahead. You first."

"Me? You're the one who admits she howls."

"Ah, but it was your idea."

She looked at me for a moment then sat up. She lifted her nose to the sky and offered a wolf howl. For a human voice, it wasn't that bad, and better than Michaela would have done.

Then she lowered her nose and turned to me. "Your turn."

I sat up next to her and lifted my own nose. It pained me, but I intentionally offered a human version of a howl, cringing inwardly as I did so. If the pack heard me, I'd never hear the end of it.

"Oh please," she said when I was done. "You can do better than that."

I nudged her with a shoulder. "We have land near Bayfield. When we're up there, sometimes we sing to the wolves. Sometimes they answer."

She shook her head.

"What?"

"Everything about you is the opposite from me. You're so close to your family, and it sounds like there are a lot of you."

"It's a clan, not just a family," I explained. "We're pretty tightly knit."

"Kissing cousins?" she asked. "Are Angel and Scarlett second cousins twice removed or something?"

I laughed. "No. They may share a little blood, but if so, it's pretty distant and would only be on Scarlett's mother's side. Scarlett's father, Nick, is new to our clan. Well, he was new when they married, anyway."

"Like Michaela?"

"Michaela is even more distant. You may have noticed the utter lack of similarity."

Zoe laughed. "Yeah, in a one of these doesn't belong sort of way."

"Michaela took our clan by storm," I said. "She's had her detractors, but she is nearly universally loved."

"She seemed very intense."

I nodded. "Okay, let's hear another howl, then it's time to escape the mosquitoes."

Together, we lifted our noses and added our feeble voices to the night sky. And I tried very hard not to cringe.

 **Shower**

We held hands during the car ride back to her apartment, sitting quietly most of the time. When we arrived, I grabbed her keys before she could pick them up.

"Inviting yourself in?"

I grinned. "Yep."

"Good."

Outside, I took her hand again. We arrived at the front door, and I avoided sneering, barely. The building was in violation of local and state ordinances regarding, well, almost everything. No, we wouldn't have any trouble getting Zoe out of her lease. We wouldn't have any trouble at all.

There was a lock on the front exterior door. It was broken and looked like it had been for some time. It was a cheap door, besides, and I was hopelessly unimpressed. We stepped right in, and a minute later, I was unlocking her apartment door.

Zoe was surprised when I didn't hold the door for her. Instead, I stepped into her apartment and quickly searched the place, including the bathroom and the closets. When I turned to her, she offered a puzzled expression.

"Professional habit," I said. "Anyone could have been here while we were gone."

She closed the apartment door and flipped the deadbolt. I moved to her, setting her keys down, and then took her hands in mine. She smiled at me, a little shyly.

"You're home, safe and sound, Zoe," I said.

"So I am," she replied. "Are you staying a while?"

I nodded slowly then, walking backwards, I began drawing her further into her apartment. I turned towards the bathroom and backed into it, stepping all the way to the shower with Zoe following me, her puzzled expression renewed.

"What are you doing?"

I released one hand but maintained possession of the other then reached in and turned on the water to the shower. I let it run but pulled her to me. I began caressing her face with my now wet hand.

"What are you doing?"

I tipped her head back and lowered mine, kissing her deeply. Her hands clutched at my arms, hanging on tightly, and it took a moment before she moaned lightly.

While still kissing her, I backed her against the wall, sliding a leg between hers to trap her there. Then I slipped my hands down her sides and under her shirt. I began lifting, then broke the kiss as I pulled her shirt from her.

"Oh, you think so, do you?" she asked. She squirmed lightly, but it didn't even register as an attempt to escape, and she lifted her arms above her head so I could remove the shirt.

Her bra quickly followed it.

I pressed my body against hers, still pinning her to the wall, and lifted a hand to her small breast. I cupped it and thumbed the nipple. Zoe gasped, and her eyes were lidded.

"Yes or no?" I whispered.

"Yes," she said.

I captured her mouth again, then my hands were at the button of her jeans. She squirmed as I lowered them from her hips, and she kicked her shoes off. I knelt down to drop the jeans down her legs, dragging her undies with them, and she cooperated as I slipped them off her ankles.

My mouth was at just the right height, and I took a breast into my mouth. She gasped and clutched her fingers in my hair. I used my tongue, lips and teeth to tease her nipple and was rewarded as it engorged and grew stiff. She moaned and squirmed against the wall, and her fingers clutched and released in my hair.

I used my fingers to tease the other nipple at the same time.

She tasted a complicated mix of flavors: leftover fear from earlier, sweat, arousal, and her own natural flavor. I didn't care for the remains of her fear, which is what the shower was for.

Then I released her breast and stood up. She opened her eyes. "Your turn."

I let her undress me. She caressed my skin as she did so, running her hands over my body and expressing appreciation. "I've never been with someone with a body like this."

"What's your normal type?"

"Gangly environmentalists," she replied. "I get a few volunteers who join GreEN just for a shot at me."

I smiled. "And do they get you?"

"If I like them, they do for a while, but they tend to grow bored and move on. Tell me, Elisabeth; are you here because you want a shot at the environmental activist? Are you going to grow bored and move on?"

"I'm here because you're a mystery, and I love a good mystery," I said. "I intend to read you, page by delightful page."

And a moment later, I spun her around and began backing her towards the shower.

"Oh, you think so, do you?" She tried to resist, lightly at first, then more forcefully.

"You might want to check the water," I said. "I wouldn't want to scald you."

"You couldn't scald me if it was on full hot," she replied. But she turned around and tested the water, then made adjustments. I let her finish, then when she turned back to me, I slipped my hands around her and picked her up, stepping into the shower.

She shrieked in surprise, but then we were both under the water. I pulled the curtain closed and captured her mouth again.

Her shrieks turned into moans, especially when my hand found her breast again.

When finally I released her mouth, she whispered, "You're very naughty."

"I know," I replied. I found the soap and began bathing her.

I was thorough, running my hands up and down her body, washing nearly everywhere. I saved the best for last.

"You are such a tease," she accused.

"Did you want me to stop?"

"No." She eyed me up and down. "My god, you're sensational."

I couldn't help but smile. She said it so earnestly, and those weren't words I heard very often. I'd heard Michaela treating Lara that way, and I'd been jealous.

Hey, I couldn't help it. I have my vanity and my own desires, even if I keep them in check most of the time. It felt really good to be on the receiving end of the sort of attention Michaela had been giving Lara.

I found the shampoo and slowly washed her hair, then let my soapy hands explore her body, especially teasing her breasts. Then, slowly, I moved down her body, finally sliding soapy hands between her legs.

My fingers found the prize.

Gasping, She spread her legs a little further. I cupped her, washing and teasing her at the same time.

Her head was still full of shampoo, and her eyes were clamped shut. She was panting through her mouth, so she couldn't see my self-satisfied smile as I parted her lower lips and allowed two fingers to slowly enter her.

"Oh my god," she said. She squirmed against my hand, and I slid in further, curling my fingers.

Then I began moving slowly, using the base of my hand to tease and torment her clitoris while pressing my fingers deep inside of her.

"Oh yes," she whispered. "Yes."

I took my time, getting her fully worked up, but then slowly I withdrew.

"No! What are you doing?"

I chuckled and moved her directly under the showerhead, then carefully, thoroughly rinsed all the soap from her head and body. She opened her eyes. "Tell me you're not done."

"Oh, I'm definitely not done," I said. I smiled then went down to one knee, kissing and licking my way down her body. I spent a little time teasing her nipples, and when I looked up, Zoe's eyes were closed again.

Then I bent lower and slipped an arm between her legs, using the leverage to pull one of her legs over my shoulder. I used my hands to support her, and she leaned heavily against the shower wall.

"What are you doing?"

"You ask that a lot," I observed. "You could just accept that you're going to like it and go along for the ride."

"Yeah, that's my style," she said, laughing lightly.

I shifted slightly, kissing her stomach and then, bending my neck, I licked her pelvis.

"You're doing to do that in here?" she asked.

"Uh huh," I said.

Then I surprised her. I shifted around a little more and slid my other arm behind her standing leg. I hooked her leg and pulled it over my other shoulder. She shrieked, but I had her where I wanted her, both her legs thrown over my shoulders.

"Don't squirm now," I said. "You'll fall."

"Elisabeth!"

Slowly I stood up, making sure my footing was secure as I did so.

"Elisabeth!"

"Don't bump your head."

It turned out what I had done wasn't quite sufficient for what I wanted. I couldn't quite reach the prize. So I turned, and I knew she thought she was going to fall, but she found herself leaning backwards, clutching desperately at the slick wall of the shower, but the end effect was she raised her pelvis, and I found myself staring right at the glistening prize.

I slipped my jaw forward and began to lick.

"Elisabeth!" she screamed. "You're going to drop me!"

I moaned into her but made sure my hands were in the small of her back, just above her center of balance. With my footing secure, I shifted her a little further away from the wall of the shower, and she slumped backwards, shrieking, but I held her easily as she arched over further, giving me even better access to her salty, musky center.

I lipped at her clitoris, and she thrashed around. I pulled my mouth away. "I won't drop you, but if you squirm around, you could fall. Hook your heels under my arms and keep your back arched."

Then I moved my mouth back into position.

She gave a shriek as I entered with my tongue.

She tasted fabulous, and I felt myself growing increasingly aroused as I buried my tongue deep into her.

She grew ever more vocal as I brought her closer and closer to the cusp, and then she screamed wordlessly as I pushed her over. She filled my mouth with fresh wetness, and I lapped at her a moment longer as she offered another small series of shudders, then grew limp.

I shifted my hands higher on her back, then lifted her until she slumped against me, her legs still over my shoulders but her arms wrapping around my head. She held to me, panting heavily.

"Slide your legs down," I told her. "I've got you."

So, slowly, she slipped towards the shower floor until she was standing weakly on her feet, still slumped against me, her arms around my neck now. I had to support her as she clung to me.

"I can't believe you did that to me," she panted. "I have never in my life felt so vulnerable as that."

I preened. I'd just gotten a taste of what Lara had been getting with Michaela for years. I felt strong and virile.

I realized it was a feeling I could grow to enjoy.

"I should return the favor," she said, "but I'm too weak to move."

I laughed lightly and continued to hold her for a while, moving us around under the water. With Zoe still pressed against me, I bathed myself then rinsed us again carefully before shutting off the water.

There was a towel waiting for us, but only one. I realized I hadn't planned ahead properly, and I would do better next time. I grabbed the available towel and wrapped it around Zoe, then moved her until she was seated on the toilet, the lid closed. She looked small and vulnerable.

Inside, Wolf asked, "Mine?"

I didn't have an answer for that.

"Mine!" Wolf insisted.

"We'll see," I said to myself.

"Do her again," Wolf said. "After that, she won't care that we are Wolf."

I ignored Wolf.

"Towels?" I asked. Zoe pointed, and I followed the gesture, finding just one more bath towel. I used the cloth to dry myself as best I could, and then I helped her to her feet and fluffed her dry. I set her back onto the toilet and found her hair dryer and a brush. She sat there dully, her eyes closed as I brushed and dried her hair.

Mine only took a few moments, and I also used the hair dryer to make up for the lack of sufficient linens.

"What do you sleep in?" I asked her.

She looked up at me, blinking.

"Are you staying?"

"Not this time. I'm tucking you into bed."

"Undies. Long tee shirt on a hook in my closet."

I stepped into the main room. The undies were in the third drawer I checked. I pawed through them for a moment, finally choosing a pair that felt like they might be comfortable. I collected the aforementioned tee shirt and turned towards the bathroom.

Zoe was standing in the doorway, watching me. So I moved to her and knelt down. She stepped into the undies, and I pulled them into place, then I slipped the tee shirt over her head and tugged it down.

"Thanks, Mom," she said with half a grin. She moved into my arms, and we kissed. Then she leaned away. "You taste funny."

"I taste like you," I said. "It's a perfectly natural taste." I looked around. "Where's the bedroom?"

"This is it," she said. "Studio apartment. Main room." She pointed. "Bathroom." She pointed. "That's it."

"Um. Where's the bed."

She pointed. "Futon."

"You sleep on the couch?"

"No. I sleep on the futon. Haven't you ever seen a futon before?"

"I'm sure I have," I replied.

She moved away from me and crossed to her couch - futon. Then she bent down, grabbed the frame, and pulled. The entire structure unfolded and fell flat, and her couch turned into a bed. She turned to me. "Bed."

"Should I feel stupid?" I asked.

"You should feel privileged," she replied. She turned away and moved to an end table alongside the futon. She bent down and a moment later withdrew bedding. I watched as she finished turning the futon into a bed. Then she turned to me and smiled. "See?"

I nodded.

She cocked her head. "God, you're gorgeous."

I preened again. "Thank you."

"Stand up straight," she ordered. Then she moved towards me. She walked around me, running her fingers along my more defined muscles. She stopped behind me, both hands flat against my lower back. "You're astonishing. Have you always been this amazing?"

I laughed lightly. "I'm not sure I would put it that way, but I've been very athletic my entire life."

"You're stunning, you're rich, you're intelligent, and you're kind. And you're single. That last fact leaves me very, very puzzled when compared against the others."

"I know lesbians move quickly, but I hope you weren't asking me to marry you."

She laughed lightly. "Expressing curiosity. But after what you just did to me, there's no way I'm letting you go without a fight."

I turned around to face her, pulling her against me. She laid her head against me, and we wrapped our arms around each other.

"And you're very casual with nudity," she added. "I could grow to enjoy that."

"Does my lack of clothing bother you?"

"No. Your lack of clothing excites me. Why are you single?"

"That's a good question. It's probably a combination of a variety of things. Business pressures, finding the right person who is available. I'm married to my job, and that gets in the way of a social life."

"You should find time for a life away from business."

"That's what Lara says, but it's a conversation for another day."

"Am I going to see you again?"

"I think you can count on it, Zoe."

"You know, you could stay." Her hands began to stray. "I could return a certain favor."

I chuckled and captured her hands. "I am well pleased with the evening, Zoe." I slipped out of her arms and then found my own clothes, pulling them on. She leaned against the wall and watched me get dressed.

She looked disappointed.

"Are you afraid of my futon?"

"I'm an early riser," I replied. I finished dressing and turned to her. "Do you have any rallies or events this weekend?"

"I have nothing in particular scheduled," she replied. "I have mailings I am always working on, and I need to schedule another photo outing sometime soon. I need fresh material for my web site."

I nodded to her. "I'll call you." Then I pulled her into my arms and kissed her one more time before heading for the door. She followed me, and then I waited outside her door until I heard the deadbolt.

 **Kayaking**

I called Karen from my car. "I'll be home in thirty minutes."

"We'll meet you at the alphas'," she replied.

"I'm going to want a run."

"You're going to want to talk before you run," she replied.

"Damn it."

"Yeah."

We hung up.

I drove quickly but not so rapidly as to draw police attention, heading straight for Lara's instead of pulling up in front of my own house. I took the steps in one leap, coming to a stop with my hand on the doorknob.

"Elisabeth," I announced as I opened the door. That was a rule that Michaela had implemented the day of her wedding to Lara. People were constantly coming and going in their home, and so everyone who stepped into the house announced herself. It kept the little fox from freaking out about who was in her home.

Six pair of eyes turned to me: Lara, Michaela, Karen, Portia, Gia and Eric were waiting for me. Eric began grinning.

"Damn, Elisabeth!" he said. "Should we have put video in the shower the way I wanted?"

"Shut up, enforcer," I told him.

"She was almost as loud as the fox gets," Eric went on. He wasn't as bad as Rory, but he could be immature, too. Especially when he wasn't getting any of his own lately.

"I need a beer," I said, and I was surprised when Michaela bounced from her chair to fetch one for me. I had intended to get my own and wasn't expecting to be waited on.

By the time I crossed the room and sat down at an available chair, Michaela was back, holding out a bottle to me. She set several more bottles down on the table and resumed her seat next to Lara. I lifted the bottle to my lips, and when I next looked, Michaela was smiling sweetly at me.

"Whatever you did, tell Lara about it sometime. Judging by the sounds, you were pretty good."

"Shut up, Michaela," Lara said as everyone else chuckled. She turned to her mate, who grinned at her.

"Did everyone listen?" I asked.

"Not _everyone_ ," Michaela said, drawing out the word. "Just the six of us."

I turned to Karen. "I smelled you at my car. We missed catching you by minutes."

"That was my fault," Gia said. "I'm sorry. I couldn't get past the security on her computer. But her phone was child's play. We're going to need help from Lima if we want to see what's on her computer."

"What did you find?"

"Pictures," Karen said. "She has a collection of SD cards for her camera, and we found the ones she took outside the office park. She took photos of every car that pulled in, and notes to go with."

"You grabbed copies?"

Karen nodded. "From the photos, it looks like we noticed her immediately."

Zoe hadn't been subtle. She could have just walked into our offices and asked us who we were. She might have taken less notice than photographing us coming and going from the office.

No one thought we were stupid, did they? Or that meeting her was an accident?

I nodded understanding. "All right."

"Here's the thing. She printed some of the photos. They were in a drawer in that little desk of hers. The only ones she printed are of you."

"No one else?"

"Just you," Karen said.

"She's stalking you, Sister," Lara said. "Why is that? I can't believe it was in anticipation of that orgasm you gave her. What was with that, anyway? Undercover doesn't mean under the covers."

"I like her," I replied. "And it's been a while. She went through a lot of work to arrange a date. The least I could do was give her one."

"You gave her one, all right," Eric said, grinning again.

"Enough, Eric," I said. I shook my head. "Why me?"

"We don't know," Karen said.

"Her phone was easy," Gia said. "She doesn't even have a password on it. We enhanced it, so now I can tell whatever she does. If she makes a call, we'll know, and we'll record the audio as well."

"Good."

"But there wasn't anything we found on it that was helpful. I'm sorry. We really need to see her computer."

I shook my head. "She acted weird. She sort of freaked out at the park, but she calmed down and turned down my offer to take her somewhere with more people. Then later, she really, really freaked out. She looked at me like she was afraid I was going to eat her."

"You did eat her," Eric pointed out.

"Enough!" I screamed, and he immediately cringed.

"I'm sorry," he said.

I took a breath. "I'm sorry, Eric. Long day."

He nodded. All was forgiven. Neither of us was the sort to hold a grudge.

"Could she know?" Michaela asked.

"She went to a secluded park on the night of the full moon," Lara said. "If she knew, then she also knows a lot more about werewolves than hardly anyone. Why would she possibly believe it was safe? Every human on the planet believes werewolves turn into insane beasts under the full moon."

Lara turned back to me. "What caused her to freak out the second time?"

"Um. It's private."

"No, Enforcer, it is not."

I sighed. "I licked her neck and told her I was seeing if she tasted good." I blushed as I said it, which annoyed me to no end.

Eric didn't say a word.

Michaela shook her head. "I'm telling you, she knows."

"She's not acting like she knows," I said. "She was fascinated by me."

"Yeah," Karen said. "We saw that part. Alpha, I'm sorry, but I've dealt with humans who discover us. They don't ask us on dates. They don't go off into the woods with us. What they do is try to gather proof. They run to the cops or the press. They post pictures on websites. They don't _date_ us."

"Karen is right," Portia added. "I've had to clean up a few of those. Something else is going on."

"You guys aren't thinking about this correctly," Michaela said. "Who have you had to deal with before? A camper? Pah-lease. She's a professional environmentalist. If she saw you as wolf, Elisabeth, I can almost promise you the first thing she said was 'Holy shit'. And the second thing was, 'What am amazing wolf'. And that's exactly how she's acting, like a scientist, and you're a new species she just discovered. She's studying you."

"It's something else," Karen said. "There's no evidence."

"You want evidence? Bite her."

"What?" I asked. "Michaela, you can't be serious."

"Bite her," she said. "I promise she will completely freak out. She'll be convinced you just infected her with lycanthropy."

"It doesn't work that way," I said.

"So? That's what absolutely everyone believes. Everyone thinks lycanthropy is a disease you catch when you get bitten by a werewolf. She'll assume at the next full moon, she's going to turn into a mindless beast."

Lara listened to all this then turned to Gia. "How much time do you need to break into her computer?"

"I don't think I can. I hope Greg's people can. But they might need more than an evening." She turned to me. She smiled sweetly. "Cousin, you might have to keep her overnight. I know it's rough duty."

I expected comments like that from Eric, but like her sister, Gia had been picking up bad habits from Michaela. She remained respectful, but she was more likely to be a little bold than she used to be. "Not you, too, Gia." I offered a quick glare at Michaela.

They both shrugged before Gia said, "I was able to bug her computer network. We'll get transcripts of everything she does, but if it's a secure connection from her computer to a remote computer, I don't have the skills to crack it."

Lara sighed and pulled out her phone. A moment later she said her name and a series of numbers, then hung up.

"What's the weather look like this weekend?"

Michaela answered immediately. "It's supposed to be nice. If it weren't for all this, I was going to ask to go to Bayfield."

Lara's phone rang. "Hello, Greg." She didn't bother with niceties but brought him up to date. She talked for a few minutes then hung up.

"He'll have a couple of experts here by Thursday. Gia, expect email. Work with them." She turned to me. "Do you think she would like to go kayaking?"

"She already hinted."

Michaela began smiling.

"We're not bringing the kids," Lara said. "Warn Nora."

"We should keep this small," I said.

"Angel and Scarlett are already in it," Michaela said. "And we need security anyway."

"They're discrete," Karen said.

"And they pout if we go to Bayfield without them," Lara said with a chuckle. "As does my mate."

"What can I say?" the fox said. "It's Angel's patented fist pump. I just can't make it through a weekend without one."

Lara turned to me. "Invite her. If she declines, then we might need to be more insistent. If that happens, there's no going back."

"Karen and I can handle that," Portia said. "If it comes to it."

I sighed. "I don't want her hurt if we don't have to."

"At the very least," Karen said, "She's stalking you, Elisabeth. She may seem sweet and well-meaning, but she's not squeaky clean."

I nodded.

"The flowers are lovely!" Zoe said by way of greeting. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," I replied. "Did you sleep well?"

"The sleep of the well-satiated." She laughed. "I haven't been able to stop thinking about what you did to me. I have to say, I've never had an orgasm while hanging halfway upside down, six feet off the floor."

"So, you remember when you said you had nothing planned this weekend?"

"I seem to remember saying something about that," Zoe replied.

"And remember when you said you needed more photographs for your web site?"

"I remember that, too."

"And do you remember when you expressed an appreciation for kayaking?"

"You know, I even remember that."

"And do you even remember expressing appreciation for my body, and the things I am able to do to you?"

She laughed. "I remember all of that."

"How would you like to satisfy all those needs, all at once?"

"I think I might like that a great deal."

"We're heading to Bayfield this weekend. Would you care to join us?"

"I would love to. What are the arrangements?"

"How do you feel about flying in a small aircraft?"

"Who is piloting this small aircraft?"

"Quite possibly my sister-in-law."

"Only quite possibly?"

"Or my sister. Or my cousin. It all depends upon where Michaela makes us all ride."

"Oh my. So flying acumen runs in the family."

"Yes."

"And it is Michaela that determines the arrangements?"

"My sister allows Michaela to win the small fights while Lara wins the big ones."

"Why do I suspect Michaela wins the big ones, too?"

I laughed. "Maybe because she wins at least half of them."

"Are we camping?"

"We own land," I explained. "You'll have a roof over your head and a bed underneath you."

"I don't own a kayak." She paused. "And Elisabeth, I-"

"Zoe," I said, interrupting. "I don't ever want to limit our choices together based on your finances. If I invite you to something, I presume I am covering everything. You need only bring your driver's license and apartment key."

"And perhaps a swim suit."

"And in this case, a swim suit and a change of clothes or two. Chances are we'll go out for dinner one night, so you should bring a dress or skirt, too."

I could hear her smile. "It sounds like fun."

"We fish."

"I don't."

"We're carnivores."

She paused. "I'm not," she said.

"I know. I was just warning you."

"Should I bring groceries?"

I paused. I didn't normally handle the cooking.

"Elisabeth, I can't afford to rent a kayak, but I can afford groceries. And if none of you knows how to cook vegan, I'd rather handle my own food."

"All right," I said. "How soon could you leave tomorrow?"

"Any time," she replied.

"All right. I'll pick you up about three." We handled a few more of the arrangements then chatted about other things for a few more minutes.

"Good," said Lara after I hung up. "I'm sorry, Elisabeth. I think you like her."

"I do." I shook my head. "I'm dating a human vegan. I'm never going to hear the end of it."

Lara chuckled.

I had pulled Karen from Lara's detail to manage the investigation. She and Gia reported to me twice on Wednesday and again Thursday morning and then moments before I left to pick up Zoe. They had little to report.

"She has made calls, but they are all related to her duties for GreEN," Gia said. "I can't trace her email, as that's encrypted, but she's not doing any suspicious web searching."

"No Google searches about werewolves?"

"None. We have a complete report of everything she's done, but there's nothing remarkable."

A half hour later I was at her apartment. I knocked, and she called out, "It's open."

I tried the door to discover it wasn't locked. I was still shaking my head when I stepped in.

"What?" Zoe asked.

"Your door wasn't locked."

"I know. I unlocked it three minutes ago. Relax."

"I could have been some pervert," I told her.

"After what you did to me Tuesday, I'm wondering about that myself," she said. But she closed the distance to me, and we kissed deeply.

I was acutely aware there were pinhole cameras covering this portion of her apartment from three different angles. I kissed her anyway.

"Ready to go?"

"Yep," she replied. She pointed to a modest suitcase and a cooler. "I just have to pack my computer and grab my cameras."

"You won't need your computer."

"Sure I do."

"Do you really think I'm going to give you a moment alone to check your email?"

"Maybe not, but you promised me photo shoots, and I need to upload the pictures and make sure they look okay."

I frowned. We needed to keep her computer right where it was.

"We have a weight restriction, Zoe. These are small airplanes. There's a computer where we're staying. You can use that."

It was her turn to frown. "I use a Mac."

"Good. You'll know how to use this one then. Trust me. It has absolutely everything on it. Seriously, weight is an issue. I ate an extra hamburger on the way to the airport last time, and Michaela chewed me a new one."

Just then, my phone rang. I had expected it. I pulled it from my pocket, glanced at it, then said, "What's up?"

"Hey, boss," said Gia. "You were going to mail me that web site."

"Oh shit. I forgot. Hang on." I pulled the phone away. "Speaking of computers. I need to use yours for a like a minute. It's one of my employees."

"You're not going to download porn are you?"

"Naw. And I won't even visit any of those top secret CIA web sites that land you on the do not fly list."

"I'm already on the do not fly list," she said. She smiled. "Does Air Burns check that list?"

"Nope."

"All right." She set her computer case down and pulled out her machine. I sat down at her desk and soon found myself staring at a password screen.

"Password?"

"Bang meat," she said.

"Excuse me?"

"Exclamation mark, em-ee-ah-tee."

I typed it in and found myself staring at her computer desktop. I fired up the web browser, did a lame search for nothing important, then clicked one of the web sites. I read off the URL to Gia.

"Got it," Gia replied. "I can't say I would have guessed that."

I closed the computer and stood up. "Bang-meat?"

"I've done a little programming. The exclamation mark usually means 'not'. So that's basically me saying 'not meat'."

"Oh. Got it. I should learn to program someday."

"You'd be a good nerd," she said. "All the boy nerds would want to date you."

"All the boy nerds would happily date a pair of peaches and a papaya."

She laughed. "You might be right." She paused and gestured. "Am I going to get in trouble for all my photo equipment?"

I eyed the two camera bags. "No. Michaela is expecting that. If she gives us any heat, I'll remind her I skipped lunch."

Zoe laughed again. She had a nice laugh. For a stalker.

I collected the cooler and the duffle. "You have a skirt in here?"

"I pack light," she replied.

We didn't talk again until we were in the car. "Tell me who is coming."

"You and I, Lara and Michaela, Angel and Scarlett, plus a security detail for Michaela."

I could feel her staring at me. "Like secret service?"

"Like my employees," I clarified. "It's unlikely, but if any of them tell you to do something, you will do it."

"Like, wash these dishes?"

"Like, stick to Michaela's side while we're whisking you to safety."

It took her a few seconds before she said quietly, "I think I'd rather stick to your side."

"It is exceedingly unlikely you will need to worry about it," I repeated.

"You're entirely serious," she replied.

"I am, actually. This is when you tell me you'll do what you're told in the case of an emergency. We are professionals, and we know what we're doing."

"Of course," she said. "But... Why does Michaela need all this protection? It's as if she's the wife of a mob boss. I've seen corporate bigwigs before. They aren't this paranoid." I glanced over, and her eyes were narrowed. "Is Lara a crime boss?"

I laughed. "No."

"Elisabeth, I'm serious. If you guys are messing around with something illegal, I don't want any part of it."

I pulled over to the side of the road, put the car in park, and turned to her. "Michaela has been kidnapped. Twice."

"What?" she screeched.

"All of Lara's businesses are entirely legal. We have zero tolerance for drugs. We wager amongst ourselves, usually for favors, but there's a monthly poker game. It's a private game within the clan, which means it is also legal. We have zero tolerance for gambling outside of the clan. To the best of my knowledge, none of us have ever set foot in a casino anywhere in the world. I suppose it's possible some of the clan members buy lottery tickets or play fantasy football at work, but if they do so, it's not done to my knowledge or my sister's. What other criminal activities are you worried about?"

"None," she said in a small voice.

"No. Get it out on the table, then you're making a few promises."

"I'm sorry, Elisabeth. I didn't mean to call your sister a criminal."

"We're having this out. What else are you worried about?"

"I-" She paused, looking out the window. "Was she hurt?"

"The first time, yes. She recovered, but in the meantime, it nearly destroyed her relationship with Lara."

"Why?"

"Honestly, I'm sorry, but it's none of your business. I hope you'll respect my sister-in-law's privacy."

"Yes, yes, of course," she said. She turned back to me. "I'm sorry, Elisabeth."

"We have our secrets, and we're fiercely protective of them. We can be quite paranoid about security. I think now perhaps you understand why a little better."

"Was she under protection when she was kidnapped."

"Michaela resents her security detail and has a habit of ditching us. That's how she was kidnapped the first time. The second one was my fault. I didn't see a threat for what it was, and I didn't exercise sufficient caution."

"I'm sorry," she repeated.

"Now, it may be that at some point in the future, I will be willing to talk more about this. For now, you are going to keep your mouth shut about it. You aren't going to indicate to anyone at all you know what I just told you. And you aren't going to prompt me for any more information. Promise me."

"Of course. I'm sorry. I promise, Mum's the word."

"Thank you. Second promise. If any single one of us, approximately my size or larger, issues you an order, you will do it."

She cocked her head. "Any order?"

"You'll know when it's one of these orders, Zoe."

"All right. Of course."

"I will tell you this. Angel works for me. If she tells you to do something, you will do it."

"Scarlett, too?"

"Scarlett knows what's going on. You don't. Chances are very high in the case of an emergency, I will either order you to stick to Michaela or let Scarlett protect you. So yes, Scarlett too, although she's an architect, not a bodyguard. You will probably never, ever see excitement like this, but I need to know you won't fight me when I can't afford to let you fight me."

"Of course, Elisabeth. I'll cower behind whomever you tell me to cower behind."

I smiled. "Thank you. I'm sorry if this seems dramatic, but you can understand how I don't want a third kidnapping."

She nodded. "Am I at risk. If... um... I'm your girlfriend?"

"No more risk than breaking into nuclear power plants."

She smiled. "I did that once."

"I know."

"I don't do that anymore, Elisabeth."

"I know. Are we good?"

"We're good," she replied. "But I want to know why Michaela. Why don't other CEOs have this issue?"

"I'm not sure that's entirely true," I replied. "Bodyguards and security services are everywhere."

"All right. Maybe you'll tell me the rest someday."

"Maybe I will."

I put the car into drive and pulled back onto the road.

"Tell me about where we're going."

"Bayfield. You've been there before." I glanced over at her.

"Yes, "I've been to Bayfield. Are we staying on Madeline Island?"

"No. You and I are staying at a small house right in Bayfield."

"And everyone else?"

"We have land, but I thought you and I might like a little more privacy." I smiled at her. "In case we want a repeat of Tuesday night."

"Oh you think so, do you? You understand I can't quite return that exact favor."

"I imagine you'll teach me a thing or two."

We teased each other the rest of the way, Zoe seemingly oblivious to our route. It wasn't until we pulled off the highway that she looked outside and noticed we were in the country. "Where are we? I thought we were going to the airport. Wow, I haven't been paying any attention at all."

"I'm just that riveting," I said. "We have our own airfield."

"Of course you do," she said. "Are we flying by private jet?"

"Not quite."

By now, Zoe was watching out the window. "Where are we?"

"About five minutes from my house," I replied. I gestured. "But we're turning left up here into the airport."

It was just another minute before I parked the car alongside the hangar.

"This is quite the private airfield," Zoe observed.

"We own several aircraft."

We climbed from the car and collected our bags. I was quite laden down. Zoe would have carried more, but I didn't give her a chance. She did, however, unlimber one of her cameras and take a couple of quick snapshots of me. I stopped.

"I need to ask one more favor."

"Oh?"

"Lara is paranoid about photos. You can photograph all the nature you want, but perhaps none of the people on this trip."

"Seriously?"

"Michaela. Kidnapped. Twice."

"She's worried I'm some sort of kidnapper?"

"No. But trust takes time to build, and you make a living selling your photographs."

"I sell nature photographs."

I just stared at her. Finally she averted her gaze. "Fine."

"Zoe..."

"It's fine, Elisabeth. It just seems a little paranoid."

"Maybe it is," I replied. "And maybe she wouldn't care. But if you don't take photos of any of us, then no one is going to ask what you intend to do with them. It's your first outing with us. It's kind of a big deal when we invite an outsider on our trips. But there will be trips, won't there?"

"You're right," she said. She offered a hint of a smile. "I'll be on my best behavior while you introduce me to your family."

I stilled. I hadn't thought about it that way. She'd already met Lara and Michaela once, but not quite in the same context. It hadn't occurred to me she'd see it as going to meet the family.

Zoe stepped closer then leaned up and kissed my cheek. "Got everything?"

"Of course."

"I could carry something."

"I've got it," I said with a smile.

She put her camera away, and then we stepped around the corner of the hangar.

Over the years, we'd had to build a second hangar. We used to keep two modest airplanes and rent the rare time we needed three. But as Lara's family had grown, our needs had grown more complicated. So, spurred on in part by me, we now we had five airplanes and a helicopter, although we kept the latter in a small hangar across the road from the main compound.

Both hangar doors were open, and I could tell Lara and Michaela hadn't finished negotiating which aircraft we were taking. I could already have answered that, but I knew neither Lara nor Michaela were going to be happy.

Everyone was standing around, waiting for us. They would have heard us approach, so the casual posture everyone carried was feigned. Michaela also would have heard our entire conversation and may have relayed it to everyone else. But they all waited for us to approach before turning to us. Six pairs of eyes focused on Zoe and only one on me.

Zoe slowed under the attention, and I automatically adjusted my pace to match hers. Her hand reached out, looking for a hand to hold, but mine were busy.

"They're so big," she said.

"It's not quite a requirement to join the clan," I said, trying to make it light. "But yes. We tend to run big."

"All women?"

"On this trip," I said. "We made the men folk stay home."

The one pair of eyes on me was Michaela's, and she wasn't happy.

"Come on," I said. I stepped forward, then veered to the side and set everything down in a pile on the floor of the hangar. Then I took Zoe's camera bags from her and added them to the pile.

"We're going to have to weigh all that," Michaela said.

"Maybe we should let Elisabeth introduce Zoe to everyone first," Lara said.

I took Zoe's hand, but she held back. "Am I in trouble?"

"No." I pulled her forward. "Michaela, Zoe think's your angry at her because she brought more than a pared down toothbrush."

Michaela eyed the pile consisting of a cooler of food, two modest duffle bags, and two camera bags. It wasn't that bad. Really it wasn't. But there were nine of us, and that meant she wasn't going to get to ride with Lara.

"No," she said. "Zoe, I'm sorry. I was trying to cram us into fewer aircraft than we're going to end up taking." Then she smiled. "At least I get to fly the Bonanza!" Then she stepped forward and gave Zoe a quick hug. "I'm glad you could come."

She took over from that point. I wasn't surprised. "You remember my wife, Lara." Zoe and Lara shook hands. "And Angel and Scarlett." That was a couple of little waves. "Has Elisabeth talked to you about my security detail."

"She mentioned something."

"This is Serena. She's the head of my security."

Serena stepped forward and shook Zoe's hand. "I'm pleased to meet you, Zoe," Serena said.

"Serena is also a dear, dear friend," Michaela explained. "I love her to pieces. These two are Karen and Portia."

With greetings out of the way, Michaela went on. "Do you want to understand my frown earlier, or are you so intimidated you want to plaster yourself to Elisabeth's side and sit where you're told?"

Zoe smiled. "I'd like to understand."

"I rather thought you might." She put an arm around Zoe's shoulders and then turned her to the two aircraft in this hangar. "There are nine of us. Technically, we could fly in two aircraft. Lara is the only one of us who can pilot the Seneca. That's this one with the two engines. Theoretically, it can seat six of us."

"Theoretically."

"Weight and where the weight is situated are also determining factors. The FAA defines an average adult as weighing 180 pounds. Clearly, I weigh significantly less than that, as do you." The she gestured to the wolves. "As you can guess, everyone else weighs about that or more."

Zoe turned to me with a raised eyebrow. I shrugged and smiled.

"They're all around six feet," Michaela went on. "I don't know if you've fully appreciated Elisabeth's physique yet."

Zoe blushed but admitted she had.

"Well, all those muscles are heavy. And fuel is heavy, too. So we aren't going to get six of us in the Seneca. If I'm one of them, we can fly five and light luggage."

"I think I see where you're going," Zoe said. "That airplane is smaller."

"It's only a tiny bit smaller," Michaela said. "That's a Bonanza. Theoretically, it holds six as well."

Zoe counted. "Nine. Five and four. And room for luggage."

"Yes. If I carefully measure everything and everyone, I can probably get all of us into both aircraft, but we'll be near maximum weight limits. This is a short flight, so if we could take off without full fuel. However, both aircraft are already fueled, and we're not equipped to drain gas back out of the tanks. But even if we could do it that way, Lara is the only one who can fly the Seneca. And of the two remaining pilots, I'm the only one who can fly the Bonanza."

With that she turned to Angel and offered a small glare.

"Don't blame Angel," Scarlett said defensively. "She's had more important things to learn."

"Why are you blaming Angel?" Zoe asked.

"Because Angel is our third pilot, and if she could fly the Bonanza, then theoretically, I could ride in the Seneca with my wife."

"Which still wouldn't satisfy you," Scarlett said, continuing to defend Angel. "Because you'd still have to ride in back. And besides, you would rather pilot the Bonanza than ride in the back of the Seneca."

Scarlett was right, and the other wolves chuckled.

Michaela turned back to Zoe. "So instead, Lara will pilot the Seneca with four of us. I will pilot the Bonanza with three more. And Angel and Scarlett will ride in one of the Mooneys in the other hangar."

"If you're only taking three, you could fly the other Mooney," Lara said, earning a glare from Michaela. She really, really liked the Bonanza. "Or not," Lara added.

That was when Portia spoke up. "It's a nice day."

Everyone turned to her.

"I could use the time," she added. Portia had learned to fly, but she was by far the least experienced of us. She was asking whether she could fly one of the planes.

Michaela turned to Serena who only said, "I'm with you. As long as you take off first and land last, I don't care."

Then she looked at me. "I suppose you want the front passenger seat of the Seneca."

It suddenly occurred to me I hadn't thought everything through. "Oh shit," I said.

Zoe moved to my side. "What?"

"Elisabeth gets airsick," Michaela said. "We never make her face backwards, and we try to give her a front seat. Unfortunately, there are no combinations where she can face forward and be seated next to you."

Zoe looked at me with a moment of panic. "Are we going to be in the same airplane?"

"That we can arrange," Michaela said. She turned to Lara. "I presume I'm flying the Bonanza."

"Yes," Lara said.

"I'd forgotten we had Portia now," Michaela said. "Elisabeth, do you care?" She was asking whether I wanted to make specific arrangements.

"Lara, Zoe and I in the Seneca," I said. "You and Serena in the Bonanza. Portia or Angel in the Mooney. After that, I don't care."

"Angel," Michaela said. "I could use some hood time. Serena, do you mind the back seat?"

"That's fine," Serena said.

If Angel was disappointed she wouldn't be piloting, she didn't show it. I think riding with Michaela made it easier. "What about Scarlett?"

"With us, and Karen with Portia. Three-four-two. And the luggage can go in the back of the Seneca."

Zoe leaned up to me and whispered, "Is it always this complicated?"

"No. It's usually more cut and dried. Michaela wanted Lara with her in the Bonanza, but we can't make that work, although Michaela isn't considering one last choice."

She heard me, of course, and her ears twitched. She cocked her head, then she turned slowly to look at Portia with a glance at Angel. She was considering letting Portia and Angel fly the two Mooneys, and she'd fly the Bonanza.

"Michaela," I said. "I really would prefer to ride with you or Lara as pilot. Please."

She turned back to me. "Right. Of course. We have a plan."

But she still made us weigh everything.

Scarlett and Karen loaded the luggage while the four pilots held a discussion off to the side. Zoe and I stood together, watching everything.

"I've never flown in a small plane before," Zoe admitted. "I'm a little nervous."

"Lara has been flying since she was seven," I said. "And it's a beautiful day. We're flying from our home field to a very nice airport we know very well. I would rather Angel were piloting the third aircraft, but Lara and Michaela are both more qualified to assign pilots than I am. This will be Portia's first group trip as a pilot."

"She hasn't flown much?"

"I think about sixty hours. By comparison, Lara has a couple of thousand hours, Michaela has about seven hundred, and I think Angel is about two-fifty."

"I didn't think this would be so complicated. I imagined getting here and we'd all pile into some sort of business jet or something."

"Lara would love an excuse to buy a business jet, but we actually don't leave Wisconsin very often, and it would be complete overkill for flying to Bayfield. That's the longest trip we do more than every few years."

"With all her businesses, she doesn't travel?"

"Her businesses are all local."

"Vacations?"

"Those are the trips outside Wisconsin, and we tend to charter a jet."

"That sounds far more expensive than traveling commercial."

"It is, but it lets us maintain more control."

She shook her head. "We're from such different worlds."

Finally, about twenty minutes after Zoe and I had arrived, it was time to climb into the aircraft. I helped Zoe into the back seat of the Seneca and got her buckled in. Then while I climbed into the front seat, Lara poked her nose in and gave Zoe a thorough passenger briefing.

Ten minutes later, we watched Michaela take off, then Lara taxied us onto the runway.

"Zoe, all set?"

"I'm good," she replied over the headset.

"Elisabeth, did you want to fly?"

"What?" Zoe screeched from the back seat.

"Elisabeth is a fine pilot," Lara said. "Licensed or otherwise."

"I'd rather not, Lara," I replied.

Without another word, Lara pushed on the throttles, and we began thundering down the runway. As lightly loaded as we were, it took no time at all before we departed the earth and were climbing into the sky.

From the back seat, Zoe gave a shout of joy. "Oops, sorry," she added.

"Quite all right, Zoe," Lara said. "That's often my reaction as well."

She was actually seated behind Lara. I reached an arm back between the front seats, and Zoe clasped it. Lara noticed but didn't comment.

Over the radio we heard Portia announce, "Wolf Run area traffic, Mooney five-five-nine-wolf-run, taxi for takeoff, north departure."

"Portia, climb out in the pattern," Lara directed over the radio.

"Roger," was the reply.

We made our first turns. My eyes flicked to the east, and I saw the Bonanza flying wide circles around the compound, another five hundred feet above us. Michaela wasn't typically predictable, but on this one thing, she was highly predictable. She would fly circles over the house until Lara told her to turn north.

I imagined Nora was outside with Rebecca and Celeste telling them, "There's Mommy Fox, taking one last look at us. Wave at her."

And then I saw the Bonanza's wings rock, and Michaela was waving back at them.

"Give 'em an extra wing rock for me, Michaela," Lara said, and I could hear the love in her voice.

I felt bad we couldn't bring them. I loved my little nieces. But I didn't want them around Zoe until we determined what was going on.

We flew the pattern three times. Portia reported every one of her turns, which wasn't really necessary, but no one told her otherwise. Then she reported, "I'm behind you, Lara."

"All right, Michaela," Lara said. "Lead the way."

We flew a very loose formation. Michaela was simulating flying in the clouds, so we didn't want to crowd her. And Portia didn't have training in formation flying. Lara told her to follow Michaela with a half-mile spacing, and then we followed Portia with similar spacing. Once we were on track, Lara said, "So, Zoe. How are you doing back there?"

"I'm great," Zoe said. "Thank you for bringing me. I love your airplane!"

"Thanks," Lara said. "So do I. It's one of my few luxuries."

"But..." Zoe said. "You're rich, right? Elisabeth mentioned a mansion."

"Ah, that's in town. We don't stay there much. I'd sell it, but it's been in the family for a hundred years, and it still gets some use. We actually live just five minutes from the airport. The house is big, but it's not a mansion. We're actually pretty down to earth. It's good to be close to nature."

"It sounds lovely," Zoe replied.

"We have some time," Lara said. "We can get to know each other a little bit. I would like to know what you see in my sister."

I didn't complain. She could ask whereas I couldn't.

Zoe didn't seem fazed. "Are you kidding? She's amazing. I want to know all about her."

Lara glanced at me meaningfully.

"You seemed quite taken with her on Saturday."

"You mean I couldn't take my eyes off her?" Zoe laughed nervously. "That's certainly true. The question to ask is what does she see in me?"

"Maybe she's as curious about you as you are about her," Lara said. She glanced over at my arm; Zoe still had possession of my hand, although I wouldn't want to fly the entire way like this. "She seems quite smitten herself."

I tried to decide how I felt. I wouldn't have used that word. Zoe was dangerous. We needed to know what was going on. But I was perhaps playing more than a part. I didn't need to sleep with her, after all. No, I'd done that out of joy.

I realized my head wasn't completely in the game. Was I making poor choices? I offered Lara my own meaningful look. She answered with a shrug. But I knew she'd be watching, and I also knew the fox never missed anything; she'd be watching, too.

"We both seem to be attracted to environmentalists," I said in explanation.

Lara chuckled. "I wouldn't have expected a trait like that to run in the family. But Zoe, you and Michaela do have some similarities."

"Like we're half your size?"

Lara chuckled again.

The two of them talked amiably until we began to approach Ashland. "I'm sorry, Zoe. I need to pay attention to my flying again. But we have all weekend to get to know each other a little better. I'll be on the radio now for a while."

A moment later she keyed the microphone. "Is someone going to announce us?"

"I was about to," Michaela said. "So impatient." A moment later, her voice sounding different as it came over the standard aircraft radio, not the scrambled radio we used between aircraft. "Ashland area traffic, flight of three, ten miles southeast, transitioning northbound for Bayfield. Ashland." There was a pause, and then I heard Michaela again. "Bayfield area traffic, flight of three, fifteen miles southeast, inbound. Bayfield."

Then ahead of us, I saw Michaela turn left.

"What's she doing?" I asked Lara. Madeline Island had been directly in front of us. I could see the south shoreline of Lake Superior and then, several miles past it, the island.

"An instrument approach," Lara said. "Straight in to runway oh-four."

"No way," I said. I keyed the mic. "Michaela, you are third to land."

"So go land," Michaela said. "And you're on CTAF. Niner-Foxtrot."

Oh hell. I thought I was talking over our private channel, but I'd just chastised her on a public frequency.

"Oops," I said just over the plane's intercom.

Lara shrugged. "No big deal."

Ahead of us, Portia had turned to follow Michaela, but then she turned back towards Bayfield. We followed her. I didn't like it. We were separating. Anything could happen. I tensed, but Lara reached over and patted my arm. "She flies all the time. She's fine."

"Is there a problem?" Zoe asked.

"My sister is protective of my wife," Lara said, "and prefers she would fly directly to the airport and fly big circles until the other two aircraft have landed. Instead, she's going to approach from a different direction."

I sighed. I hadn't realized I was this strung out. I wished I knew what Zoe knew.

Zoe hugged Lara. "That was great!"

"I'm glad you enjoyed it," Lara said. "You're with me for a few minutes. Elisabeth has duties and won't respond well to distractions."

I decided Lara had that under control, so I paid attention to everything else.

Portia and Karen already had our hangar secured before Lara landed our aircraft, although we'd flown two circles in the pattern before Portia cleared us to land. As soon as I had climbed out of the airplane, Karen took off to check the nearby buildings. Portia set up a guard position, so I moved over to stand next to her. Together, we watched the airport.

All was quiet, which is what we expected.

"I'm sorry, Head Enforcer," Portia said quietly. "I complicated things."

"It's fine," I replied. "But watch the titles."

She glanced at Zoe, talking animatedly with Lara. "We don't have enough on the ground to properly secure the airport."

"You and Karen are more than enough," I told her. "We're very pleased to have you with us, Portia."

"Thank you." She paused. "Thank you for accepting me into the pack."

"You're welcome."

"Now, where the hell is the fox?"

"I wish I knew, but Lara doesn't seem concerned." I shrugged, pretending to be more cavalier than I felt. "Serena is with her."

"And Angel and Scarlett," Portia added. "Head Enforcer, permission to speak bluntly?"

I sighed. "Go ahead."

She glanced over at Zoe again. "You seem awfully attached to the nosy human. Is that going to be a problem later?"

"Lara will be making the final decisions," I said. I paused. "Otherwise, yeah. It would be a problem."

"And what happens to our relationship if Lara orders Karen and me to take care of it?"

"I'll probably be a right bitch for a few weeks, and eventually Michaela will let me have it. I'll apologize to everyone before finding a meaningful way to atone."

"Still speaking bluntly, but if she is a threat to the pack, because your judgment may be clouded, I expect you to include Karen and me in the conversations. And I will not remain quiet."

I glanced at her. She wasn't looking at me but was instead, doing her job, watching for danger.

I bristled a little. She was challenging my authority, and I had to push down the urge to put her in her place. She was probably expecting it, too. But she was right. So I told her that.

"I have one more thing to say." She paused, and then she glanced at me. "I am not challenging your authority."

"Portia, I will always want you to voice your opinion. You wouldn't be on this team if we didn't have faith in you. I'm sure you have noticed who gets pulled into these conversations."

Portia hadn't been with us long, but she was exceedingly good, and she had perspective most of the rest of us did not. Increasingly so, pack decisions were being made by Lara, Michaela, Serena, Karen, Portia and me far more than any other combination. It was such a change from just a few years ago, where the female voices were in the minority, even after Lara had become pack alpha.

"I want to be clear," she said. "I do not want your position. I don't want Serena's, either. The fox won't respond to me the way she does to Serena, and we'd fight until she kicked me off her detail."

"She doesn't have that authority."

"Oh please," Portia said. "You know she'll get her way. How many times will she have to ditch us before you decide to give her what she wants if she'll just agree to behave?"

I sighed. "Twice."

"Once, because she won't just ditch us. She'll disappear for the better part of a week, and no one will know where she is."

I sighed. She was right again. Portia and I continued to watch for trouble.

A minute later, Karen came back into view, offering the "all clear" signal. Portia lifted a handheld radio to her mouth. "Michaela, you're cleared to land. Winds are from the northwest, almost directly abeam the runway. We used two-two, but oh-four is fine."

"Roger," Michaela said after a brief pause. "We'll be straight in. Please advise if there's any other traffic."

"It's clear now and no activity."

"Roger," Michaela said. "You'll be able to see us in about five minutes. Tell Elisabeth to relax."

Portia chuckled.

We jammed into the two SUVs we kept at the Madeline Island airport and made the short drive to the ferry landing. We would have to wait ten minutes for the ferry to arrive, and Zoe leaned to speak into my ear. "May I take photos?"

"Just watch where you point the camera," I told her.

So she and I climbed from the car. I took her camera bags for her, and she pulled one of the cameras out. She eyed everything, then began taking photos of... almost everything.

The ferry docked at a concrete pier. It was, I supposed, very picturesque. Zoe took numerous photos of the pier, contorting herself a few times to shoot from unexpected directions. She seemed to like taking photos from very low, holding the camera just an inch or two from the ground and shooting at a slight upward angle.

"Everyone shoots from five feet off the ground," she explained. "So I try to find other angles." Then she stepped up to me. "Do you know how to use this?" She gestured to her camera.

"Point it in the right direction and push the button."

She sighed. "Go stand over there."

"Zoe..."

"I'm not going to take your picture. I'm going to set the camera up, and then we're going to switch. You'll take mine."

"Oh. All right."

It took her a minute, but finally she seemed satisfied. "Okay, switch."

"You don't really expect me to crawl around on the ground for this."

She laughed. "You can use the screen. Come here and you'll see."

I walked over. She was kneeling down, holding the camera just above the concrete. I stepped behind her, and I could see that the screen on the back of the camera actually could be rotated, and she was watching the screen to frame the photo. I knelt down and took the camera from her. She moved into place with Lake Superior behind her, then smiled.

I'd done my share of photography, so I took her photo, then I played with the framing and took several more shots before I began moving around. All in all, I took twenty photos while Zoe stood there, smiling. Finally she thanked me.

"It looked like you knew what you were doing."

"I haven't used a camera this fancy before, but I know how to zoom in and out. I don't know about color balance and all that other stuff, though." I paused. "That's the ferry."

"I've never been on it," she said. She began taking photos of the ferry. "I love digital. Shoot, shoot, shoot. It's so liberating. What's our plan?"

"We're going to leave the cars at the house in Bayfield and grab kayaks and a snack. We'll go kayaking until dusk then do something about dinner after that."

"Fishing?"

"Probably."

"And everyone is going to have a steak for dinner?"

"It depends upon what we catch. Quite possibly."

She nodded. "So dinner will be grilled?"

"Yes, but we have a full kitchen if you need it."

"I brought things to grill, and I won't feel poisoned if some of my food inadvertently touches your disgusting hamburgers." But she smiled when she said it. "I'll need a few minutes for preparation."

"One thing. Around Michaela, don't talk about the house in Bayfield. Don't even mention it. Not a peep."

"Another story?"

"Yeah, for another time."

Michaela had never forgiven me for taking her house during the first ransom night. I didn't blame her, either. We had moved past it, more or less, but I knew it still ate at her, even several years later. I had talked to Lara about it, but we agreed there was no way I could give it back to her. I never should have taken it, but what was done was done.

The thoroughly photographed ferry arrived, disgorging a small number of automobiles and passengers. Ten minutes later, we were fully loaded, with Zoe and I taking a space at the railing. Michaela and Lara stepped up next to us with the rest of the wolves taking up protective positions around us.

We had a lovely conversation as we crossed the bay to the mainland.

Benny was the only human we'd kayaked with. No one was sure what to expect from Zoe, but we all knew it would be a slower trip than we were accustomed.

Zoe had kayaked before, but Michaela insisted on a holding a safety seminar, anyway. We left her cameras on shore for that, although Michaela frowned at them.

"I have watertight liners," Zoe said. "But I don't want to test them unnecessarily. Um. No one's going to screw around with me, are you? I can't afford to replace these cameras, so if I can expect hazing or something, I'd rather we left them up at the house. I can handle the hazing as long as there isn't an economic impact to me."

"Your cameras are safe," Lara declared.

Over the years, the number of kayaks owned by the pack had grown significantly. The garage at the house was full, although Lara and Michaela kept theirs at Benny's boathouse. Still, everyone was in her own kayak with Zoe in one borrowed from Monique Simpson.

Zoe handled the safety clinic just fine, although I was struck by the physical differences between her and the rest of us. I really, really wasn't accustomed to humans, but it wasn't normally driven home so well.

After that, we collected Zoe's gear and paddled the waterfront for twenty minutes. All the wolves were on duty, even Scarlett, and I realized Michaela considered herself on duty, too, in her own, foxy way.

She spent the time talking to Zoe, pulling a lot more information from her than I had. At one point, I glanced at Lara, who smiled at me.

I was a better interrogator than Michaela when I could be direct, but she was far, far better when we needed a sneak.

And so we learned a great deal about Zoe, not a single bit of it useful in answering the question: why was she stalking me?

Paddling itself was, well, relaxed. We had to keep to Zoe's pace. Not only was she the least experience amongst us, but also she was only a human. And while she was fit for a human, she wasn't athletic. But looking around, I realized no one minded. It was a nice day to be on the water, and slowly, I relaxed. A little.

Finally Michaela said, "I wanted to go south today, but it's a little breezy, so I think north is better. We'll remain more sheltered." She pointed in the right direction, and as a group we left the harbor and moved into choppier water of the bay.

Zoe took everything in stride, and I realized she sat her boat just fine.

We paddled gently for about a mile before Michaela pulled out a fishing rod. She paddled four strong strokes, then glided to mess with her rod. Four more strokes, then glide. And then she rigged her rod with the line dragging behind her.

"How will you know if you get a bite?" Zoe asked.

"The reel will start screaming as the fish draws on the line," Michaela replied. And just then, the reel gave a tiny shriek, just for a moment."

"You have a fish already?"

"No, that was just a little blip from a wave. If I get a bite, it will do that but not stop."

Lara didn't mind fishing, but she wasn't a fanatic like Michaela could be. She had a rod with her, but unless we stopped somewhere, she probably wouldn't use it. But Angel caught my eye when Zoe wasn't looking, then looked pointedly at Michaela, tapped her own rod, and shrugged.

I nodded permission. A moment later, she and Scarlett were rigging their own rods. They weren't as polished as Michaela was, and they dropped behind, but it would take them only seconds to catch up.

I waited for it.

"As an environmentalist, doesn't this bother you?" Zoe gestured to the rod with her paddle.

"To be honest, the airplanes bother me a lot more," Michaela said. "Or they used to until Lara gave me a very lovely anniversary present last year."

"Oh?"

"You'll see it later," Michaela said. "She bought me a wind turbine."

"Like a two-kilowatt generator?"

Michaela grinned. "Half megawatt. We are now a net energy exporter. Up here, we don't get anywhere near a half megawatt out of it, not sustained. But she formed a company, funded it, and had the turbine installed and operating before I knew it. We even fought about it, because I started bitching that we hadn't been up here in months. Boy, did I feel like a complete shrew when she showed me. Then, once it was operational, she handed the entire company to me. We have no debt, and it generates income. It will take years, but as soon as we have enough cash, I get to buy another one."

"That's..." Zoe paused. "That's a hell of an anniversary gift."

Michaela looked over at Lara. They weren't close enough to touch, but their look, even after these years, was clear.

"My wife treats me exceedingly well," Michaela said. "We're also watching efforts to build environmentally sustainable aircraft, and Lara promises to invest if any emerging technology looks promising, but so far the choices either seem half-cocked or are already well funded by some very deep pockets."

"The petroleum industry has everyone convinced carbon is the only feasible fuel," Zoe replied.

"We could readily produce hydrogen from wind-generated electricity," Michaela said. "But the energy density isn't there. The physics doesn't work for batteries, either. Yeah, you can fly with either of those, but you won't get the performance we need. You saw the issues today."

"There are ways to produce kerosene from electricity," Zoe pointed out.

"Yeah. We're watching those. I'm a biologist more than a chemist, so I'm excited about some of the bacteria-based research, but if those solutions pan out, they'll make more sense in the deserts of the American southwest than up here in Wisconsin."

The two of them talked back and forth, quickly leaving the rest of us behind, but then Zoe turned the conversation. "But that doesn't actually address my original question." She gestured to the fishing rod.

"If you discount the cost of the trip up here, which we would do regardless of the fishing, that rod represents a more environmentally sustainable supply of protein than your soybeans."

The two launched into a debate, although they remained remarkably calm for it.

"Look, Zoe," said Michaela. "There are two facts. One. I am every bit the predator as a wolf or fox running free in the forest."

"But-"

"And two, I do not represent overpopulation. I am the only surviving member of my family. My extended family, by the way. I have no living relatives. Lara and I have two children. So from four grandparents, we have two children. And if we go backwards further in my family, I could argue that if I wished to exactly replace the lost population, we should have eight or ten or twelve children, but of course, we won't."

"But-"

"Your entire argument is based on a need to tighten our belts due to overpopulation. But you are fighting the wrong fight."

"I am not!"

"You certainly are. You are trying to tell people how to eat in preparation for an expected global population peak of around nine billion. What you should be doing is telling the world to stop having so many children."

"But-"

"But... You can reach people here. You can tell us to tighten our belts, to switch to more sustainable food production choices. You probably argue that we're going to need to do so eventually, but I believe you are mistaken."

"Oh?"

"Your assumption is based on the predicate that we're running out of the oil that has driven the world's economy for the last hundred years."

"And you don't agree?"

"Oh, no. We're definitely running out of oil, and all the fracking in the world isn't going to change that. But I believe in human ingenuity. Oil is going to be replaced by solar and wind. It is inevitable. If we can hold the line on population growth, then Wisconsin will be a net exporter of food indefinitely, assuming climate change doesn't mess with that."

Around us, all the wolves were listening intently, and I think everyone was cheering for Michaela. I knew I was.

Just then, Michaela's reel began to scream. "Excuse me," she said calmly. "I hear dinner calling." She calmly cradled her paddle across her lap and picked up the rod. From the sound, I thought perhaps it was a large trout. Angel and Scarlett brought in their lines, and the rest of us moved away from her, giving her the room she would need to land the fish.

She worked it for a while, and I knew it was a good fish. Zoe moved over to me, her lips tight, but she didn't say anything.

"Problem?" I asked her.

"She doesn't understand."

I laughed, and Zoe's eyes flashed at me.

"Do not laugh at me."

"She's a biologist, Zoe. She knows this lake like the back of her hand. She probably knows the ecology of this portion of the lake as well as anyone alive. She understands. She just believes the problem isn't people doing sustenance fishing. The problem is overpopulation. I bet you can agree, if you didn't have your back up."

That shut her up for only a moment. "Of course, you're on her side."

"Elisabeth," Michaela called out. "I don't need you to fight my fight for me."

"She heard us?"

"She hears everything," I replied.

Michaela finally landed her fish - it was indeed a good-sized trout. "Who is hauling my fish?" she asked, holding it up.

"Angel," Lara said immediately. Angel was already paddling up. Michaela attached the fish to a stringer and when Angel drew close, attached the stringer to the back of Angel's boat.

Michaela washed her hands in the lake and turned to Zoe. "How angry are you?"

"I'm not angry," Zoe said. She glanced at the back of Angel's boat. "That fish feels pain."

"Does that statement mean you're conceding the discussion earlier? You agree the real problem is overpopulation?"

"You stated you believe your fishing rod is more sustainable than a vegan lifestyle."

"Yes."

"You also suggested you believe your wind turbine represents the long term viability of sustained farming."

"Coupled with more research, yes."

"Then perhaps you agree that my soybeans are perfectly sustainable," Zoe suggested, sounding triumphant.

"Of course they are, if we can put a stop to overpopulation. So?"

"Then you don't need to fish."

"Ah. But your soybeans aren't necessarily better than my fish. Indeed, my fish required far less effort than a similar number of calories from your soybeans." She dipped her paddle in the water, getting all of us moving, and a moment later, her line was back in the water.

The two of them spent the next hour arguing. I thought Michaela was winning, but it was fun to see someone giving her a run for her money. Angel caught another trout and Michaela and Scarlett both lost a fish each.

Lara sidled up to me with her kayak. "We should have brought popcorn." She said it for my ears, although she knew Michaela would hear her.

Michaela flashed Lara a look. "Oh shit," Lara said. "We're both in trouble."

Then she turned to Zoe and raised a hand. "Truce?"

"Maybe. What are your terms?"

"I propose we both think about what the other has said and resume this discussion at some point when it's most likely to annoy Lara and Elisabeth."

Zoe laughed. "All right. That means no digs or attempts to point out some little fact."

"Agreed," Michaela said. "And now I propose a wager."

"Oh? I heard that gambling was frowned upon outside your clan. I'm not a member of your clan."

"We're willing to gamble with guests," Michaela said. "I propose a kayaking race."

Zoe eyed her carefully. "You have more experience than I do."

"You're bigger than I am," Michaela said. "But I wasn't proposing a race between us. I was proposing a race between Lara and Elisabeth. They are reasonably evenly matched, although I believe Lara will win."

That produced chuckles from the assembled wolves.

"I would be wagering on Elisabeth, I presume," said Zoe. "And what do you want if you win."

"If _your champion_ wins," Michaela said, "Lara and I will join you in your dinner of soybeans tonight, forsaking my tasty fish. If you didn't bring enough to share, well, we need to hit the grocery store, anyway. We can stock up. I can't promise they'll have the same foods you brought, but they will have plenty of fruits and vegetables."

Zoe laughed. "That's fine, but I'm not eating fish if Lara wins."

"If Lara wins," Michaela said. "Then Elisabeth will be eating soybeans tonight, and..." she smiled. "There will be a bonfire tonight. We frequently tell stories. You will tell a story of my choosing."

"You're going to tell me what story to tell? Like, Little Red Riding Hood?"

"Oh no. This will be a story from your own life," Michaela said. "You will tell the story honestly and in significant detail."

Lara leaned close to me. "What did you do to piss off Michaela now? You know you're not getting fish tonight."

"I have no idea," I replied. Michaela flashed us a grin. "Damn it. And I can't back out."

"Nope," said Lara. "Wonder what story she's going to demand."

"I could win."

"Oh please," Lara said. "You know, even if you could win, you'd have to throw it. She's up to something foxy."

"And my dinner is collateral damage."

"She might make something you can stand," Lara said. "But I doubt it."

Zoe was watching us, but she wouldn't be able to hear what we were saying. Unlike the damned fox.

"Do they get a choice?" Zoe asked.

"Nope."

Zoe turned back to Michaela. "I'm not accustomed to these sorts of wagers."

"If you intend a relationship with my sister-in-law, you need to grow accustomed." Michaela shrugged. "But maybe you just intend to shag a few times and be done with her. You're free to say 'no'."

"No, no," Zoe said. "I would love to watch a race. I only wish they could take off their wet suits so we could see those muscles in action."

"I know!" said Michaela. "Aren't they both so juicy?"

"Totally," said Zoe. "How long of a race?"

"How about we let them decide?" Michaela said. "Do we have a deal?"

"We do," Zoe agreed.

"Scarlett and Angel, go form a midpoint. The race is between the two of them, then around the outside and back this way between Zoe and me."

"How far, Michaela?"

"Until Lara hollers you to stop."

Scarlett and Angel immediately dug their paddles into the water, and we watched them paddle expertly away.

"How far, sister?" Lara asked.

I glanced at her. I wasn't sure if we were going to demonstrate our real abilities. "Two hundred yards each way."

Zoe dipped her own paddle in the water, floating over to me and then coming to a stop next to me. She smiled sweetly at me. "It sounds like I win either way," she said.

"I should have had a bigger snack," I muttered.

Lara hollered. Normally she would have howled; it would have carried better. But the girls heard her and came to a stop. They separated about twenty yards then turned to face each other, bobbing in the water.

"I don't know," I said. "You haven't heard what story she wants."

"How bad can it be? She probably wants to know about one of my arrests."

I was pretty sure Michaela couldn't care much less about Zoe's arrests.

"All right, Zoe," Michaela said. "We need to form a finish line." The two of them set up with all the other wolves giving them a little distance, and then Lara and I took our places.

Lara looked over to me. "Sorry, sister. It wasn't my idea. I swear."

"I know," I said. "It's your mate's. Side wager."

"Oh?"

"If you win, you have to find out what I did. What do you want if I win?"

Lara laughed. "Baby sitting services one night next week."

"Agreed. And my interpretation of this wager is that you'll tell me."

"Of course."

"Are you two finally ready?" Michaela asked. She was grinning.

"Ready," we each called.

"Zoe, call the start."

"Ready," said Zoe. "Get set. Go!"

When we first began kayaking, I could beat Lara my share of the time. But that was years ago. Physically, we were very competitive, and we were both exceedingly dominant.

But Lara didn't lose. Ever. And I also knew I wasn't supposed to win. Michaela was up to something, and it was far more important than my meal tonight.

So, I didn't throw the race, and we each put our real abilities into it. Near the end, with Lara about a half boat length in the lead, I really put all I had into winning, straining with the effort, but I made sure I grunted when I did it, warning Lara, and she put in her own effort.

She won by a bit more than half a boat length.

Afterwards, both of us were panting heavily. Zoe paddled over to me as I leaned over, trying to catch my breath.

"Holy shit, Elisabeth," she said. "You were magnificent." She drew closer and spoke softly. "Trust me. I can cook things you'll like."

I looked up at her but used my panting to cover my natural response of, "I doubt it."

But she looked at me and moved even closer. "Trust me."

I hoped Michaela got a really good story out of her.

We ran more races, Michaela's efforts to give everyone some exercise. Michaela lost a race to Lara; I didn't hear if they made a wager of it. I beat Serena in a race, and then Michaela said, "So, Zoe. You haven't raced."

"You're the only one who won't completely humiliate me."

Actually, Michaela could easily humiliate her, but I didn't say anything.

"Another wager?" Michaela offered.

"You're going to win. I just won't lose as badly as I will against anyone else."

"Fifty yard head start," Michaela offered. "It's just a race. There's no money involved."

"All right. What to you propose?"

"Actually, this is for our partners," Michaela said. "If I win, Lara gives me something and you give Elisabeth something. If you win, then I give to Lara, Elisabeth to you."

Michaela had just apologized for my dinner tonight. I offered her a smile and partial bow.

"All right," Zoe agreed. She turned to me. "If I win, you have to pose for my camera and sign a release. I can do whatever I want with the photos."

Everyone grew quiet. She was asking for a lot. I looked past her to see Michaela smirking, and I wondered if she intended to throw the race.

"What will I be wearing?" I asked.

"Not. A. Thing."

I took another look at Michaela. She was watching intently. It was time to find out if she was really mad at me. "All right. That's a big wager. If Michaela wins, what are you offering me?"

"What do you want?"

What I wanted was to know exactly what was going on. "A promise," I blurted.

"A promise of what?" she asked. She was smiling, and I thought she expected me to ask for her body.

"Complete and utter silence of any of my secrets you have now or ever learn of in the future."

Her smile faded for a moment. "You think you need a wager for that?"

"You're disappointed?"

"No," she said. "Surprised. You don't need a wager for that, Elisabeth. Yes, if Michaela wins, then I vow that I will never, ever share any of your secrets with anyone else."

The conversation had been quiet, just between the two of us, but I knew Michaela would have heard. I looked past her, and she nodded.

"Kiss for agreement," Zoe said. She moved closer, and we carefully leaned together, kissing briefly. "We'll have to do better than that later." She paused. "Do you guys wager like this constantly?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"I want that photo shoot, Elisabeth."

"Paddle hard then."

"If I lose, will you give me more opportunities to win it?"

"I might," I said with a grin.

"All right," Michaela said. "You two form the finish line." She meant Lara and me.

Even with the stakes as high as they were, Michaela played it to the end. She gave Zoe her fifty-yard head start, a quarter of the way to Karen and Portia who had replaced Scarlett and Angel a while ago. She erased most of Zoe's lead before they each passed between Karen and Portia and circled around, but then she relaxed, letting Zoe hold a one- or two-boat lead much of the way back to us.

"What is she doing, Lara? This is too important for screwing around."

"If Zoe can be trusted, you don't need this wager," Lara said. "And if she can't, then this wager won't matter. You should just have asked for really good sex. You could use it. You're way too high strung lately."

"Pshaw," I said. "I've got that little human wrapped around my little finger."

"Looks like it's the other way around to me, Sister."

"She finds me riveting," I countered.

"She's after your money."

I glanced over at Lara. She was grinning. "Tell me you're teasing."

"Of course I'm teasing. But we know she's not being honest with us, Sister. Keep that in mind."

"Of course, Lara. Always."

With a quarter of the race to go, Michaela put on more speed, and in the end, she won by just enough it wasn't in question. However, I thought Zoe had paddled a good race.

Michaela feigned being out of breath. Zoe was deeply out of breath, and I was worried we'd have to tow her back. She drifted to a stop and then panted and wheezed. I dug a paddle in and drifted over to her.

"Are you okay?"

"Thought." Pant, pant. "I had." Pant, pant. "Her." She looked up. "Wanted." Pant, pant. "That photo shoot."

It took her several minutes to catch her breath. Michaela and Angel spent the time fishing, and Portia and Karen ran a race back to the main group. Finally Zoe turned to me. "Elisabeth. I vow, I will never, ever, ever share any of your secrets, big or small, with anyone else excepting under your express, clear permission."

"Thank you, Zoe." She beckoned me closer, and we kissed again. She whispered, "but I want more wagers until I win that photo shoot."

"We'll see," I said. "You understand that also means clan secrets can't be shared outside of the clan."

"Of course," she said.

I looked around. Michaela was watching intently.

 **Vegan**

We actually weren't that far from Bayfield, and Zoe made it without needing to be towed. We cleaned the kayaks, put Lara and Michaela's away, and then carried the rest, as well as the two fish, up to the house.

Michaela impressed me. She acted as if it was no big deal, being at her old house. I knew it pained her, and it took something like this to get her near the house. She left putting away the kayaks and cleaning the fish to the rest of us and disappeared into the building.

She was outside three minutes later, screaming my name.

"Elisabeth! What did you do to my house?"

"Michaela," said Lara, trying to head her off.

"Do not 'Michaela' me," the fox said, ducking around her mate and making a beeline for me. She moved right up to me and stared up into my face. "What did you do?"

"I have no idea what you're so upset about." I didn't, either.

Lara came up behind her and tried to pull her away, but Michaela shrugged her off. "My deck. What did you do to my deck?"

"It's not our fault. The city has a new inspector, and she's a total hard ass.

Zoe moved closer.

"What's wrong with the deck?"

We had actually added a new deck off the back door that led into the kitchen, and that was the one Zoe could see. But the city had made us remove the one from the roof.

"Good riddance," said Angel. "That thing wasn't safe. It wobbled."

"Then you didn't have to sit on it," Michaela said. "And this doesn't concern you. This is between me and Elisabeth."

"Actually," said Angel. "It's my fault."

Michaela turned to her. "Excuse me?"

"It wasn't safe!" Angel said. "I insisted we fix it. So we tried to get a permit."

"They weren't going to give you a permit for that deck," Michaela said. "I could have told you that."

"Well, we didn't know that," Angel said. "I just wanted it safe."

"You ruined my house," Michaela spat. "That deck was the best part of the entire house."

"No, Michaela," Angel said. "It was not, not to me. You were the best part of this house. I wanted to feel safe to go up there and remember the conversations we had when I lived here with you. I couldn't do that. I'm sorry they wouldn't let us replace it with something safer, but I'm not sorry we tried to fix it."

"It wasn't broken," she said, but the wind was out of her sails.

"It got hit by a branch from that tree," Angel said. She pointed. "It didn't break it, but it was already kind of scary, and after that, it was really scary. If you want to yell at anyone, you can yell at me."

Michaela deflated then turned away.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It's not even my house anymore. I have no right to tell you what to do with it." She stormed away, her protection detail suddenly on high alert, following her at a loose distance.

An upset Michaela frequently evolved into a ditched security team, even after all the troubles over the years.

"Angel, stay here," Lara said when she tried to help guard. "Karen, replace her."

We watched after them, but apparently, Michaela only moved around to the front of the house to sit on the steps.

"What just happened?" Zoe asked. "The deck is fine."

"This used to be her house," I said quietly. "She lost it, well, not quite in a wager, but a clan tradition. Now it belongs to me, sort of."

"Sort of?"

"It's an employee perk. She used to have a deck on the roof. You can see the lake up there."

Lara chimed in, "Michaela hasn't really let go. I keep hoping she will."

"This is why you told me not to mention the house."

"Yeah."

"Someone needs to go talk to her," Zoe said.

"Yeah," Lara said. "You."

"Me?"

"Yeah. Normally she'd come to one of us." Lara gestured between herself, Angel, Scarlett and me. "But right now, she can't. She can't talk to Serena, either, because Serena in effect owns a partial share of the house and thus is as guilty as anyone else of taking it from her. That leaves you. The outsider. Or perhaps newcomer. I guess we're still seeing. Either way, you."

"All right." She turned around and headed for the house, disappearing around the front.

"Well," I said after a moment. "That went well."

"You should have told her."

"Oh?" I countered. "Really? Cause she really loves talking about this place with me."

We both turned to Angel.

"Hey! I just took the blame. I'm not taking more. I didn't hear a single person disagree when I said we had to fix it. The rest of you didn't want to do that. You just wanted to tear it off. At least I tried to keep it."

"Damned politics," I muttered. "I'd buy out the house from the enforcers and give it back to her if I could."

"She knows that, Elisabeth," Lara said. "None of this is about the house. It hasn't been about the house for a long time."

"Then what is it about?"

"Her independence, and there's not a damned thing we can do about it. The house is just a symbol."

We were quiet for a minute before Angel said, "Alpha?"

"Yes, Angel?"

"Are we going to have to kill Zoe?"

"I really hope not, honey. I really hope not."

"If we do..." her voice broke. "Am I going to have to help?"

"No, honey," Lara said. "Portia and Karen will handle it."

Angel looked down. "Does it make me a poor enforcer to admit I don't want to do it?"

"No, honey," Lara said. "It would make you a poor enforcer if you couldn't do what you needed to do. It would make you a poor person if you looked forward to doing it."

Angel looked up. "Thank you, Alpha."

Lara opened her arms, and Angel stepped in for the hug. The two of them held each other for a moment.

The four of us finished with the kayaks and had everything closed up by the time Michaela and Zoe returned from around front. I expected Michaela's eyes to be red, but they were clear.

And I suddenly wondered if all the drama had been another of her foxy plots to get Zoe alone with her for a few minutes. I wondered what they talked about.

A few minutes later we climbed into the cars. We needed more groceries, but we didn't want to bring everyone, so Zoe, Angel, Scarlett and I headed to the store while the rest headed to the lodge. We grabbed two shopping carts, giving Angel and Scarlett their list. Zoe was going to try to find vegetarian foods I might like, and so we headed to the produce section.

"All right," she said. "What do you like?"

"Venison."

"Yeah, well, you don't get to eat that tonight, and you can blame Michaela. It wasn't my idea. Help me out or I'll just make what I want and you can suffer."

I sighed and eyed the foods. "Some fruits, I guess."

"All right. Not a lot of protein. Which fruits?"

"Apples?"

"Is that a question?"

"It's one meal, Zoe," I said. "Make whatever you want. I'll be fine."

"No. I want to prove something to you. I want to prove I can cook vegan and you'll like it."

"You won't convert me."

"I'm not trying to convert you. Well, maybe a little conversion. You can still have a hamburger tomorrow."

I sighed. "Potatoes."

"Okay, that's good," she said. "Still no protein, but you burned a lot of calories today, and starch is good, too. I can do a lot with potatoes. Do you like curry?"

I smiled. "Yeah. Curried lamb especially."

"Uh huh. Ever had curried potatoes?"

"No."

"All right. How about rice?"

"It usually goes under the curried lamb," I pointed out.

"All right. Would everyone else like if I made a curried dish over rice, even if there's no meat?"

"It depends what else is in it. I don't think tofu is going to be popular."

"So that's a yes. Fine. I won't cook the tofu tonight or Michaela might decide you have to eat it."

She moved through the produce section, picking a few vegetables. Then I realized she was checking prices, and I stepped up next to her. "I'm paying the bill. And we have to be a little time efficient."

"Right. Sorry. We'll need rice and spices. And soy yogurt."

"Soy yogurt? Seriously?"

"Regular yogurt is a dairy product," she said. "It's not vegan. And even if I were willing to allow your family farm to provide milk from lovingly-tended cows, I bet that's not what we'll get here."

"You might get soy milk here, but soy yogurt?"

"We'll have to look. All right. What kind of beans do you like?"

"The kind I don't have to eat."

She sighed. "Fruits?"

"Not high on the list."

"Seriously? Everyone loves fruit. Even picky little kids that don't like anything love bananas and apples."

"Apples are edible," I said.

She sighed.

"And local," I pointed out. I paused. "If it helps, it's almost impossible for me to get fat."

"Well, it's very easy for me to get fat."

"Even eating like a rabbit?"

"It's healthier than eating the rabbit."

At that point, Angel and Scarlett came up. "Did someone say something about rabbit?" Angel asked. "They're kind of small, but if we got several, they could supplement the fish." She eyed the basket. "You're going to make Elisabeth eat cauliflower? Good luck."

"She of little faith," Zoe said. "You're going to eat them, too."

"Oh no," Angel said. "I didn't make any foolish wagers, and I am going to enjoy my fish tonight."

It took us about a half hour to find everything Zoe wanted. They didn't have soy yogurt, but they did have soymilk, and she picked up some coconut milk, too. She turned to me. "How good is this kitchen?"

"Gourmet," I replied.

She smiled. "I'm going to be so spoiled."

We stopped by the liquor store, too, picking up wine and beer. And then we were on our way.

Zoe turned to me. "Northern Wolf Run?"

I nodded. "I told you. We sing to the wolves."

"I suppose you do," she said. She looked around. "This is beautiful, Elisabeth."

"It's all Lara. Well, and Scarlett."

"Scarlett?"

"She designed all the buildings you're about to see."

"I had a lot of help," Scarlett said.

"Don't let her kid you," Angel said, gazing at her mate fondly. "She did everything. Her boss helped, but they are her designs. She's brilliant."

I was always touched at how supportive Angel and Scarlett were of each other.

We drove into our cluster of buildings. We had the main lodge as well as the dormitories that Michaela kept making for her students. All the buildings were built to be one with the surroundings, and we'd cut down very few trees to make everything.

"Wow!" Zoe said. "Scarlett, it's beautiful."

We had just come into sight of the lodge. It really was quite stunning.

"I had help," Scarlett said, but she seemed pleased. "And clearly, I didn't build it. Michaela did."

"Michaela did?" Zoe asked.

"Well, with a whole lot of help," Scarlett added. "She and I designed the dormitory buildings you see, too. They're designed to blend into the trees and look like they belong with the lodge, but they're built using techniques she knows well. She comes up with a crew and can build one in a weekend."

Zoe shook her head. "You people are very impressive." She turned to me. "We're not staying here?"

"Oh no," said Angel. "You get the house in Bayfield. In case you want to, well, you know."

What she really meant was that everyone else was going to want to be in fur later, and we didn't want to explain that to Zoe. I'd whisk her away, and five minutes later, the place would be overrun by furry wolves and one tiny fox.

We parked and carried a load into the lodge. Angel and Scarlett offered to carry in the rest while I gave Zoe the tour.

I kept it short, not showing her any of the bedrooms. We had a large central room, an equally large dining hall, and the kitchen. When Zoe saw the kitchen, she practically had an orgasm. "Oh my god. This is fantastic. When you said gourmet, you weren't kidding." She turned around then said, "Oh look. Everyone else is out on the deck."

"We can exit here," I said, gesturing to a door.

We stepped outside. Michaela would have announced us, so I didn't worry we were interrupting a conversation. They all turned.

"This place is incredible," Zoe said. "Lara, if you ever want to offer non-cash donations to GreEN, I could host seminars up here."

Lara laughed. "I was wondering when I'd get a pitch."

"I'm sorry," Zoe said. "I shouldn't do that."

"It's fine, Zoe," Lara said. "And that's an excellent idea. I still want to understand what GreEN does in more detail, and if there are ways we can help, I am happy to hear about them."

"Deal!" Zoe said immediately. "How soon are we eating?"

"We can start the grill whenever we want," Michaela said.

"I have vegetables to roast," Zoe said. "If there's room on the grill. Otherwise I can sauté them."

Michaela smiled. "There's room. And we have a grilling basket."

"All right," Zoe said. "Want another wager?"

"Ooh," said Michaela. "You're trying to fit in. Sure. But small stakes."

"I'm going to make an appetizer. The wager is this. At least half of you will like it."

"It's vegan?" Michaela asked. Zoe nodded. "Agreed. Terms?"

"If I win, all of you have to sample a little bit of everything else I make."

Michaela laughed. "And does that mean you're offering to sample the fish?"

"No. I'm not asking you to adjust your morals. What do you want?"

"Five exclusive prints," Michaela said. "We'll cover reproduction costs. Your best five shots from this weekend with the normal work you put into retouching. Each will be signed and numbered, one of one."

"Agreed," Zoe said immediately, "if you put them up where people will see them, and make sure they know where to get others."

Michaela laughed. "I interpret this to mean I get to see every photo you take, and we'll pick my five together."

"Sure," Zoe said. She turned to me. "My appetizer goes well with either beer or red wine. I'll have whichever you are having, then I need your help in the kitchen." She looked back at Michaela. "I'll need ten or fifteen minutes for my appetizer, and then I'll need some preparation time for the main meal."

"Perfect."

Zoe grabbed my arm and pulled me back into the kitchen. She was reminding me, more and more, of Michaela.

I really, really hoped she didn't know what I was. I needed to know why she was stalking me, what she knew, and whom else she had told.

Scarlett and Angel were just bringing the last of the groceries in. Zoe hadn't been paying attention, but as we unpacked the bags, she asked, "Did you buy anything other than meat?"

"There's beer," Angel pointed out. "It's already in the other fridge."

"Other fridge?"

"Out on the deck," Angel said. "It's where we keep the outdoor beverages."

"Slow down. You guys intend to eat fish and drink beer, and that's it?"

"There's bread," Scarlett added.

"There's not a single vegetable here, except the ones I got! Aren't you worried about malnutrition?"

"We nutrient just fine," Angel said. "I think I'm going to go have a beer and see if Michaela is talking to me yet."

"I'll go with you," Scarlett said. "Who is grilling tonight?"

The two disappeared, and Zoe turned to me.

"Hey," I said. "Do I look malnourished?"

"No. Damn it. Fine. Are we drinking?"

"Red wine," I said. "I'll open a bottle."

While I worked on that, Zoe bustled around the kitchen, finding everything she wanted. She found a pot, filled it with water, and put it on the stove to heat. She did the same with another pan of water. Then she washed all the vegetables, setting them aside. I eyed everything dubiously then set her glass where she could reach it.

"Thank you, Elisabeth." She looked up at me. "I want to tell you something."

"Oh?"

"I am falling for you. If this is a fling, I would like to know."

I stared at her, then, as casually as I could, I sniffed. If she was lying, she was doing so without a scent trace.

"It's not a fling," I said. "But I'm not ready for you to move in yet, either."

"Fair enough," she said. She picked up her glass. "To this beautiful home."

I could certainly drink to that.

"I like your friends and family, Elisabeth. I like you, too."

"You seem to be fitting in well, in spite of your unusual dining habits."

We stared at each other for a while. She left me very puzzled, as did my reaction to her. Finally she set her glass aside. "All right. I want to win that wager. Will you help me?"

"Maybe."

"All I want is your honest reaction." She had bought a bunch of spices. She began opening the jars. "Sniff each of these and split them into groups: love, hate, and somewhere in between. Be careful. Some of them are very strong. If any are subtle, we can crush a sample and you can sniff that way. I brought my mortar and pestle."

"There's one here somewhere," I said. "We have pretty much everything somewhere."

"Don't look at the labels," she added. "Just sniff and decide."

I sampled each of the spices. There were a few that didn't do anything for me, but then I got to one and said, "Oh my god! What is this?"

She barely glanced at it. "Oh, that's a good sign. That's cardamom. It's very strong, but I love it."

She finished washing the vegetables and then quickly cut a bunch of them up. I finished dividing the spices.

"All right." She dried her hands and looked at what I had done. "Oh, this is better than I feared. How about garlic?"

"Lousy on a date."

"Yeah, but I want to win that wager, and I know how to erase the garlic on your mouth later."

"Garlic is popular with us."

"Salt?"

"Salt is good."

"Perfect. Find me the mortar and pestle."

I kept an eye on her while I searched, taking just a minute or so. Zoe found a large frying pan and began heating some olive oil. She added salt, quite a lot of salt, to the pan of boiling water before dumping in a batch of odd pea pods into it.

"You're not going to win with peas," I said. "I promise you."

"Another wager?" she asked with a glint in her eye. "Photo shoot."

"Michaela created a monster. No. I think there are enough wagers today."

"Damn. Well, they aren't peas. They're soybeans. I'm making edamame. You did say everyone likes sushi."

"Yeah. Raw fish. Not cooked soybeans."

"She of little faith."

A minute later, she had crushed some of the spices into the pan and was frying them in the oil. The kitchen quickly filled with the scent. Zoe lowered her nose over the pan and sniffed, then smiled.

"Come sniff this," she said. "If you don't like it, I need to know."

I could smell it from where I was, but I made a show of it anyway. "That's good," I said. "But it's not going to make up for beans."

"We'll see. Take my wager. I'll be your sex slave all weekend."

I laughed. "You'll be my sex slave, anyway."

She stuck out her tongue.

"Yep, that tongue will get a workout later."

"Awfully cocky."

"I tell you what," I said. "If you find a way to prove I can absolutely trust you with everything important to me, I'll give you the photo shoot."

She stilled and looked at me for a moment, then went back to stirring the pan. "You can trust me, but I don't know how to prove it."

"Find a way."

"Right now?"

"No, but the deal can expire."

"So you'll let me think about it?"

"Yes."

"All right."

She had set a timer, and it went off. A moment later, she was draining the soybeans. She shook them out then said, "Find me a big bowl and a few small bowls."

That was easy. She dumped the soybeans into the big bowl then whisked the oil and spice mixture over the top. She added more salt and tossed everything well, coating the beans.

"Come on," she said. "Let's see if I won."

I scrambled to keep up as she grabbed her wine and carried the bowl outside. I brought my wine and the other bowls.

Everyone else was milling around, drinking beer, except Michaela had a glass of cider. Zoe moved to one of the high top tables and set the soybeans on it.

"Gather around," she called out. "Michaela has a wager, and anyone who doesn't help judge automatically is a vote for my side."

Everyone moved closer.

"This is edamame done Zoe Young style," she said.

"Oh hell," said Michaela. Zoe grinned.

"They're hot, so be careful. You do not eat the entire pod. Instead, you kind of peel the beans out with your teeth." She picked one up and demonstrated, sticking the pod into her mouth and then using her teeth to peel the beans out while slurping the spices off the outside of the pod. "Elisabeth has bowls for the spoils. Part of the experience is the spice on the outside, so make sure you give them a chance."

"How many do we have to eat?" Scarlett asked with a dubious expression.

"Sniff," said Zoe. "If you can't stand the scent, you won't like them. If you like the scent, then try one. After that, it's your choice of what is needed to judge."

"All right." She moved forward and sniffed the bowl. Then she took one of the pods, holding it carefully, and slipped it into her mouth. She peeled the beans out a little differently than Zoe had, but a moment later, she dumped the empty pod in a waiting bowl, then chewed and swallowed the beans.

All of us watched her carefully. She didn't make a face.

"Not bad," she said. "I think I need another one." She immediately grabbed a second.

"Come on, Elisabeth," Zoe said. "Try one."

I eyed the soybeans, but I already knew they smelled good. I picked one up. It was actually a little too salty, but the spices were good, and the beans themselves weren't bad.

When I grabbed a second one, Zoe began beaming widely.

We polished off the bowl, and Zoe was practically vibrating with excitement. "Well?" she asked. "Tell me honestly."

"As soon as you said what they were, I knew I was going to like them," Michaela said. "I've had edamame before, but not like this."

"How about the spices?"

"A little too salty," I said. "But otherwise really good."

"But not too-too salty," Scarlett said. "Cut the salt next time and they'll be perfect."

Zoe immediately hugged her, which I think surprised Scarlett. "Thank you, Scarlett! How about the rest of you? Two more and I win."

"They're okay," said Angel. "Am I allowed to abstain?"

"If I make them again, will you eat them?" Zoe asked.

"The salt was fine, but I'm not sure about the spices." She swished her mouth with beer. "It was a little strong."

Zoe nodded.

Portia and Karen were with Angel. It was now three to three, and we hadn't heard from Serena or Lara. But they had both eaten their share of the beans.

"I wouldn't make them myself," Serena said. "But I'd eat them if you make them again. But less salt."

Everyone turned to Lara. "Well?" Michaela asked.

"I wouldn't have minded a few more," Lara said. "Damn it. Now we have to try everything else she makes."

Zoe whooped with joy, which was infectious. All of us could understand.

"Wait!" said Scarlett. "What do you mean, we have to try everything else? Can I change my vote?"

"Too late," Zoe said. "I have to make rice. It takes twenty minutes. I'll make everything else I need while the rice is cooking, if someone can roast my vegetables without ruining them."

"They're vegetables," Lara said. "They come pre-ruined."

That earned her some snickers and a glare from Zoe.

"We won't ruin your dinner," she added.

"A few black edges is fine," Zoe said. "I like to shake them in olive oil, salt and pepper. The oil will leak, however. If that's a problem, then I'll do them on the stove."

"No, that's good," Lara said. "We'll take care of your vegetables. Everyone's hungry, so if you start now, we'll time everything to be done in twenty-five minutes."

"Perfect."

It was Karen that ended up manning the grill. Michaela came inside and hung out in the kitchen with Zoe and me, so Zoe put her to the spice test. She moved a couple of the spices I liked aside, and Zoe was satisfied.

Right on time, cooking was done. We carried everything outside and found the big table was in place on the deck and places set. The platters of fish and steaks were on the table.

"Let's put Zoe and Elisabeth down here, away from the good stuff."

Zoe served my plate and hers: rice, some sort of bean dish in a dark sauce, and then a dish with potatoes and cauliflower. I eyed everything dubiously and looked down at the fish mournfully.

"Just try it," Zoe said. "This is called aloo gobi." She pointed to the potatoes and cauliflower. "It's basically curried potatoes. These are curried chickpeas. I made them with coconut milk curry sauce to spread over the rice. This will be your best source of protein."

After that, she helped everyone else. She made everyone sniff both dishes then said, "If you can't stand the scent of either of them, then you're going to hate them. If you like either, then take a little rice and then a little of each of the dishes that smelled good. The aloo gobi can be eaten without rice, but I like it together. The chickpeas you'll definitely want over rice."

Everyone tried the potatoes, but the chickpeas were looked at with a variety of looks from indifference to derision. Zoe saw the looks but didn't seem flustered.

Then we dived in.

I tried one of the potatoes first. Potatoes were one of the few vegetables the pack ate, and so it was safest. Zoe watched me carefully.

"That's pretty good," I admitted. "But we eat potatoes."

"Yeah, but these aren't French fries, and they aren't smothered in butter and gravy. Try a cauliflower."

In the end, the potato dish was pretty good. The chickpeas were edible, but I still eyed the rapidly disappearing fish mournfully.

Zoe leaned over to me and whispered into my ear, "I wouldn't ever have asked you to do this. I'm happy you tried everything, and I'm sorry you don't like it."

Michaela heard every word, of course, but she didn't say anything.

"You could make the potato thing again," I said back. "And the edamame was good." I eyed the chickpeas. "These aren't bad, but my body doesn't really recognize this as food."

"They taste okay?"

"Yeah, but I'm still hungry."

"There's more."

From past her, Michaela leaned over. She had an extra plate with a helping of fish and steak. "Zoe, will you be offended if I let her off the hook? Her body really does need a lot of concentrated protein. She worked hard today."

"No," Zoe said. "I'm pleased she tried it. I'm tickled pink she liked some of it." She paused. "You know your body, Elisabeth."

And so I found myself with the food my body wanted. I eyed both women, but Michaela nodded permission, and Zoe didn't seem at all upset.

I dived in.

Zoe didn't watch me eat, but when I was done, she leaned against me. "Feeling better."

"Yeah."

"Did you get enough?"

"I'd like more of the potatoes and some rice," I said.

I think I made her day.

"I didn't care for cauliflower though."

"It's better for you," she said.

Michaela leaned over. "She needs calories."

"Of course," Zoe said. "I made plenty."

She helped me serve up, and then Lara asked, "Are there more of those potatoes? What did you call them, Zoe?"

"Aloo gobi," she said. "It's an Indian dish."

"You know," said Scarlett, "I'd try another small helping of those with some rice."

Zoe passed everything down then leaned against me, smiling. A few minutes later, she leaned further and whispered into my ear, "Do they like me?"

Michaela's ears twitched, I'm sure they did.

"You'll be able to tell later," I replied. "If they tease you."

A half hour later, we collected around a modest fire. Rather than chairs, we had large logs set up, and we used them for back rests, sitting on the grass itself. Zoe was pressed against me with my arm around her. We got a fire going, and then Lara stepped forward.

"Does everyone have something to drink?" She looked around. "Good. We had a good day today. It was a nice flight up, a lovely time out on the water, some good fun, and then a surprising dinner."

Lara looked around. "I want to thank all of you for making everything possible. Michaela and Angel, thank you for the gift of your fish. Zoe, you introduced us to some new foods. I don't believe they'll become regulars in anyone's diet, but it was fun to try something new. Will you have more surprises for us?"

"I'll keep trying," she replied. "I can do a lot with different spices, but if your bodies crave meat, I'm not sure I'll ever be able to satisfy you."

"Karen, thank you for grilling. The food was excellent, as always."

That was when Michaela stood up. She waited for a gesture from Lara before she said, "I want to offer my own thanks." She moved to stand in front of Angel. "Thank you for your help on the flight up." Angel nodded. Michaela moved to stand in front of Serena. "Most of you here work to keep me safe. I know I'm a pain in the ass about it. But it is appreciated. Thank you."

"You're welcome, Michaela," Serena said for all of us. The two clasped hands for a moment before Michaela stepped away.

"All of you are friends," she said. "Okay, the jury is still out on Zoe, but we have hopes."

Zoe smiled up at her.

"And for friendship over these years, thank you." Then she stepped over to Angel and pulled her to her feet, hugging her tightly. I didn't hear what they told each other.

Zoe leaned to me. "Is there more of a story?"

"Angel was her maid of honor. They have a lot of history."

"Oh. Wow. Okay."

Michaela released Angel, who sat down. "And I want to thank everyone for coming. We're going to have a lovely weekend." She stopped in front of Zoe. "There's going to be a lot of kayaking. It might be too much for you. The rest of us are accustomed to it."

"You keep up with them?"

Michaela smiled. "I taught them. I can paddle all day. But you're not used to that. We have two-person kayaks, so talk to Elisabeth and decide if that's a better choice for you."

"So she has to carry me?"

"Well, I can paddle all day, but I'm not built like everyone else here," Michaela said with a smile. "Elisabeth can handle it."

She looked around. "That's all I have, but I'm sure I'll tell a story or two yet." She took her seat.

Zoe whispered into my ear, "Would it be okay if I said something?" I nodded, so she started to stand up. Lara was immediately there, pulling her to her feet. I think Zoe was surprised.

"May I?" she asked.

"Of course," said Lara.

"I want to thank all of you for inviting me this weekend," she said. "I know I'm an outsider, and I'm starting to understand how tightly knit you all are. Thank you for making room for me this weekend."

"You're welcome," Lara said for all of us.

"Michaela," Zoe asked, "Did I annoy you earlier?"

"Not at all."

"Well, I want to thank everyone for being patient with me. I know I'm a little dogmatic."

"A little?" said Karen. But when we looked over, she was smiling. Karen didn't usually engage in the teasing, so I thought perhaps Michaela had put her up to it.

"Yeah, I know," Zoe said. "I guess I'm a little passionate."

"Zoe," said Lara, "so are we. There are going to be some differences, but we are pretty protective of the environment as well. Michaela can tell you more about that. But for instance, we have an eagle's nest on the northwest corner of our property near Madison. You wouldn't believe what we do to protect those eagles. People are constantly trying to interfere with them. They ignore our 'No Trespassing' signs in order to get closer." She shook her head. "Sorry, I'm going to get myself worked up about this. You and Michaela can talk about that some more, too. Maybe you have ideas for helping us to keep people from harassing the nest. We actually have had three different people try to climb the tree, for what, we're not sure."

"What did you do?"

"We have the area under electronic surveillance," Lara said. "And we dispatch a team to deal with it."

"I threatened to shoot the last one down," Karen said. "I put a bullet into the tree six inches above his hand before he began climbing back down."

"Oh shit!" said Zoe. "Damn, I'd be afraid of doing that." She began to smile. "Buckshot up the ass wouldn't bother me though."

She earned some chuckles for that.

"We haul them out, and then turn them over to DNR," Lara said. "They get a slap on the wrist."

"But if we get a repeat offender," I added, "he gets a late night visit from some very scary people."

"Oh shit," Zoe said again. "Do you hurt them?"

"No, but we scare the shit out of them. We haven't had anyone come back for a third visit, but it's a matter of time."

"My point," said Lara, "is that we won't agree on everything, but we live very close to nature. You should consider us kindred spirits at least on the bigger picture."

"That was the other thing I wanted to say," Zoe explained. "I know you, Lara, and you, Elisabeth, are very wealthy. I don't know about the rest of you, but I wouldn't be surprised even if the fresh college graduates earn more than I do. But you live like this." She gestured. "I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say, but I want to thank you for including me."

"You're welcome," Lara said.

Zoe sat down and crawled under my arm to lean against me.

She felt nice there.

"Anyone else?" Lara asked.

Everyone was quiet, so Lara went on. "Zoe, we have a variety of traditions, and as the leader of our little clan, I get to pick which ones we're going to follow. Usually that really means Michaela picks, and she's already called for stories tonight. Sometimes the stories are true; sometimes they're complete fabrications. From time to time, we even act them out. Sometimes we tell stories everyone has heard before, but most of the time we aim either for new stories or new twists on old stories. The goal is to amuse, entertain, and bring us closer." She smiled. "I know Michaela is going to extort a story out of you, and we have all waited with baited breath to see what she forces you to tell us. There aren't that many of us tonight, so you might get a chance to tell two stories."

Zoe nodded.

"So, while Michaela decided it was story night, she also turned it into extorted story night. So, the way this works is simple. Anyone gets to demand a story from anyone else. If you make a demand, you should pick someone who hasn't gone yet. You will raise your hand if you want to make a demand. The only other rule is this: you cannot ask someone to share a secret that isn't hers to share. We cannot, for instance, ask for a story from Portia that would involve telling secrets that belong to her previous employer. However, lovemaking stories are considered shared secrets, so one of you could demand that Scarlett tell a lovemaking story that involves Angel."

There were chuckles about that.

"I am choosing first. Michaela, some time ago, you spent time away from us, and you served as bodyguard to a fairly well known person."

Michaela began to groan.

"You've told me bits and pieces, but you've never told anyone else."

"Wait," Zoe said. "Michaela was a bodyguard?"

"She's small, but she's fierce," Lara said. "Michaela."

Lara sat down and Michaela stood up. "Thank you, Lara. I will later be asking Elisabeth to tell us stories about your childhood." She got some chuckles. "Or maybe Serena has good stories."

Then she went into public speaking mode. I loved watching her talk. To be honest, I loved watching her, period.

"All right. Most of you know about this, but I don't know if Portia does, and I'm sure Zoe doesn't. Some time ago, Lara and I had a disagreement how something should be done. I proceeded to do it my way instead of hers, and I found myself estranged for having done so." She turned to Portia. "Do you know about this?"

"No."

"I'm not going to talk about that, then. You should ask your boss about it."

Portia nodded.

"But the result was, I was in need of a job, and I was offered a position with a company that I guess is in competition with Elisabeth."

"I wouldn't put it that way. We're in different corners of a similar market."

"In other words, I spent some time as a hired bodyguard." She smiled. "Raise your hand if you know who I was bodyguarding."

Lara raised her hand. Greg hadn't told us; just that he put her on assignment for him to keep her busy until we could get everything in place.

"Is anyone familiar with an actress named Suzette?"

"No way!" said Angel. "You guarded Suzette?"

"For two weeks," she said. Michaela answered a bunch of questions about the actress, along the way admitting she hadn't a clue who the woman was, except she was some sort of action star.

"And so that's the story," she said at the end.

"Oh no, it's not!" Lara said. "Tell the whole story."

Michaela sighed. "It turns out that Suzette is a bit of a tease. She spent most of the time trying to seduce me."

We all grew still, and then we glanced at Lara, who was sitting calmly.

"I think it was our third night together that we went to a club, you know, the kind where you have to wait to get in, unless you can convince the doorman to let you jump the line. And Suzette wagered on whether I could get us into the club."

"What did you do, Michaela?" Angel asked.

"I tried to flirt with him, but it turns out I'm a really, really bad flirt. But Suzette really wanted to get into the club, so she got us in."

"She told him who she was?" Angel asked.

"No. She kissed me. Hard."

"You kissed Suzette?" Angel said. Then she glanced over at Lara, who remained calm. "Um. I mean."

Lara laughed. "Suzette kissed her. It's not the same thing."

"So we got in, and I asked her to not give me anything else I had to explain to Lara, if she ever took me back." She turned to Lara. "Am I done?"

"Sure," Lara said. "After you tell the rest."

It took Michaela another minute or two before Lara was satisfied.

Lara stood back up. "All right. Who wants to request the next story?"

Portia's hand shot up, surprising me.

"Portia?"

She stood up. "As everyone knows, both Karen and I have worked for other companies, and the sort of work we did was very hush hush. We don't talk about them. However, there's a story that Karen may tell. The details are already pretty well known in the paramilitary world, and she should be able to tell the story without invoking too many names."

"Damn it," said Karen, earning some laughs.

"Karen, tell the story of how we first met."

Karen stood up. "I know a thing or two about you, Portia."

"Yeah, but none we can tell," Portia said with a grin.

"All right. This was twelve years ago, or so," Karen explained. "I was working for the same outfit that Michaela spent a stint with. Portia, who I didn't know at the time, worked for someone else. I received an assignment to protect the daughter of an important European business owner. There were credible kidnap threats against her. The thing is, she didn't want to be protected, so you can imagine how much fun this assignment was."

She turned to Portia. "Do I tell the whole story, or do you tell your part?"

Portia stood back up. "I was hired by the girl's mother to rescue her daughter from the overbearing European business owner."

"Oh no," said Zoe.

"Yes," said Karen. "I had really been hired to keep the girl from running away, and I was given a story about an abusive mother who had lost parental rights in court."

"And I was hired to kidnap her. The mother wasn't abusive, but she didn't have the financial resources to fight the father in court, and he had walked all over her."

"The girl was fourteen," Karen said.

Portia then prompted the story from Karen, and we learned the extent to which the girl had tried to escape from Karen, including leaving Karen in several humiliating circumstances.

"What happened in the end?" Zoe asked.

"Portia smuggled pot to the girl, who proceeded to sneak them into my pocket while we were going through security at London-Heathrow. I got busted for drug possession, by the drug-sniffing dogs, leaving the girl unprotected. I got hauled away, and she got on a flight with Portia."

"Oh hell," said Michaela. "And you recommended her for the job here?"

"Yeah, well," said Karen. She turned to Portia. "You should tell this part."

So Portia stood up. "I didn't know Karen, but I knew of her by reputation. She was known for being good, and very ethical. I wouldn't let her go away for drug possession. So I made a video of the girl slipping the drugs into Karen's pocket, and then once the girl was safe, she made a video confessing to it and explaining why. We delivered it to Karen's employer, and a few days later, we heard she'd been released."

"We never worked for that client again," Karen said, "but my boss wasn't very pleased with him anyway, so he wasn't that upset. Portia took a risk to free the girl, and she made it harder on herself to make sure I didn't face a drug charge. That's why I recommended her."

After that, it went around. Serena did, indeed, tell a story, but it wasn't about Lara, it was about me, and it had Zoe in stitches beside me. Then Serena asked Lara to tell another Elisabeth story, which cracked Zoe up just as much. When she was done, Lara said, "This is fun. After all these years of you telling stories about me to Michaela, it's about time for turnabout."

Then Michaela raised her hand.

"Oh Zoe, I think it's about to be your turn." Lara nodded to Michaela.

"Zoe," Michaela said. "Due to the terms of our wager earlier, you understand you must be absolutely truthful and complete when telling this story."

"Of course."

"So I am going to give you two choices. You may tell us, in great detail, about the first time you and Elisabeth made love-"

"Oh god," she said. "I couldn't."

"Your other choice is to tell us the story of the first time you saw Elisabeth and knew you wanted to get to know her better."

I stared at Michaela. The little fox was brilliant.

Then I glanced at Zoe, and she was squirming. She looked at me and said, "They just asked me to tell your secrets, but I promised not to."

"I'm not sure the second story is my secret," I said, "but Lara declared stories between lovers were fair game. So I guess it's your choice which one you're going to tell." I sighed. "I'm going to get you, Michaela. When you least expect it."

"Yeah, yeah," she said. She sat down, chuckling. "Any time, Zoe."

Zoe, with a small boost from me, stood up. She paced back and forth for a minute. She came to a stop in front of Michaela, who was smirking up at her.

"You shouldn't make wagers if you aren't willing to lose," Michaela said. "You may ask Elisabeth about that."

Zoe moved away from Michaela and paced some more. All of us waited to see what she would do; no one hurried her, but I would have loved to have known what she was thinking.

Finally she came to a stop. "Elisabeth and I have only made love once, and it was in the shower of my apartment." She began blushing immediately and continued to blush as she told the entire story.

My heart climbed into my throat. She had elected to tell that story instead of telling us about the first time she'd seen me.

There were catcalls for what I had done, and when Zoe finished and then hid her face against my chest, Lara stood up and said, "Well, Sister. I am impressed. Clearly I have things to learn."

I looked over at Michaela. She shrugged. It had been a valiant effort.

 **Stories**

"Are you mad at me?" Zoe asked me an hour later. Scarlett had driven us into Bayfield; they would need both cars tomorrow morning. It had been a quiet drive, and I hadn't really said much to Zoe or offered much in the way of affection.

"No," I told her.

She moved closer, looking up into my face. "Because it feels like you're mad at me. Are you mad because I embarrassed you."

"No."

"Are you mad because I didn't tell the other story?"

I turned away, but she moved in front of me. She didn't get physical about it, but she wouldn't let me hide from her.

"You are, aren't you?"

I didn't say anything.

"I didn't want to tell that story," she said. "The one I told is just about sex. It was great. It was stupendous sex. It was some of the best sex I've ever had. But it was just sex."

"So?"

"How could I tell them about the way my heart began pounding the instant I saw you? How could I tell them about how I just had to get to know you? How could I tell them..." It was her turn to look away, but while I didn't want her getting physical, I wasn't afraid to grab her and turn her back to face me.

"Why not?"

"Because I don't understand it yet," she replied. "And... I'm not ready to tell anyone but you how I feel about you. I haven't _decided_ how I feel about you. Look, if you're upset I told that story, I'm sorry, but I'm not ready to tell them about my real emotions for you."

I stared down into her eyes. And I couldn't detect a hint of a lie.

I pulled her into my arms and kissed her deeply, passionately.

She melted against me, wrapping her arms around me as the kiss went on... and on.

"There are two bedrooms," I told her.

"That better not be the start of a suggestion," she replied.

I grinned. "I didn't want to assume."

"Assume," she said. "All right?"

I nodded.

"Take me to bed, Elisabeth."

We spent hours making love. I'd never done that before. It was very, very late when finally we fell asleep together, wrapped in each other's arms.

What happened the next morning is testament to how well I slept.

I was woken suddenly when the covers were stripped from my body and five pairs of hands lifted me straight up from the bed. I was ready to explode into action, but Lara said firmly into my ear, "Don't fight."

That didn't stop me from roaring, but I allowed them to carry me into the bathroom. Behind me, Michaela and Scarlett had Zoe, and a moment later, both of us were thrust into the shower - with the water on dead cold.

We both screeched loudly, and Zoe scrambled to adjust the water as four or five of them set up a wall preventing us from escaping the shower. Zoe continued to screech until finally we began getting hot water.

Then, all of them laughing, they fled the bathroom with Lara calmly poking her nose back in to say, "It appears you overslept. We'll wait for you downstairs."

Zoe was clinging to me, and I couldn't tell if she was angry or not. I looked down into her eyes.

"Um. Welcome to the clan, I guess."

I couldn't believe I'd slept so soundly that seven people were able to enter the house, climb upstairs, surround the bed, and then grab us like that. And I'm sure one of them had to have sneaked upstairs to see we were so soundly asleep to begin with.

"I've never been so startled," Zoe said. "Oh my god. My heart is still pounding."

"I'm sure this was Michaela's idea," I said. The worst part was simple: I didn't have a clue how to get even.

Zoe stole my basic idea. "How do we get them back?"

I bent down to her ear. "We can't talk about it here. For all we know, they have a glass pressed against the door, listening to us plan." I wasn't worried about anyone with a glass, of course; I was far more worried about the fox hearing us from anywhere in the house. I didn't know the limits on her hearing, so I was usually conservative.

She whispered back, "But we are going to retaliate, right?"

"We absolutely will not outfox Michaela," I replied.

"We don't have to win," Zoe replied. "We just have to let them know we won't be passive victims, either."

"We're outnumbered."

"So? I spend my life outnumbered. Do you think I'm going to let that stop me? I say we slip a laxative into the food tonight."

"And then don't eat?"

"You could eat vegan with me again."

"As good as that sounds," I said, "we can't retaliate with something that ruins the weekend because we had a shock. That's too much escalation." But I began to grin. "However, I can get Michaela easily enough."

"Oh?"

"You'll see."

"What about the rest of them."

"She'll get them for us. Just watch."

After that, we showered, showing some sense of urgency, finally making our way downstairs about twenty minutes after our rude awakening.

"So," Lara said the moment we appeared, "Slept well, I take it."

Michaela was smirking. I had to admit, it was good to see she was standing in this house and not in a poor mood.

"We're going to raid the bakery for breakfast," she said. "If you two are finally ready."

"Will the shops be open?" I asked. "Is there time to do a little shopping?"

"Sure," she said. "Did you need to buy an alarm clock?"

"Like it would have done her any good," Serena said. "She would have slept through it, I'm sure."

"Good sex will do that," Lara added.

Zoe blushed, but I felt pretty good about that part.

We walked downtown, with three couples holding hands. We found the bakery first. Zoe managed to find something she decided fit her dietary needs, and a few minutes later we all sat down at the little tables, eating our breakfast and drinking coffee.

"Sister," Lara said, "I need to speak to you for a couple of minutes." She stood up and gestured with her head, so the two of us stepped outside. We walked down two shops before she turned to me. "So... at least she didn't lie."

I relayed to Lara what Zoe had said last night. "I couldn't detect a lie, Lara. If she's lying to me, she's really, really good." I paused. "Have you heard from Gia?"

"They're going over everything. A lot of her files are encrypted, and they're working on them. We've got the contents of her computer, and they installed software to track anything else she does with it."

I nodded. "Lara, I'm not going to have a clear head about her."

"I know. We talked last night. We'll listen to you, but in the end, this is my decision. Will you stand beside me?"

"You know I will, Lara."

"You saw what a wreck I was when we wondered whether Michaela was betraying us that first summer. It's not going to be easy, Elisabeth."

"I know. I know you'll make the best decision you can." I paused. "That was a truly shitty trick this morning. Michaela's idea?"

"I'll never tell." She grinned. "We're just making sure she feels welcome."

"Yeah, I'm sure," I replied. "We should get back."

Ten minutes later found us in one of the clothing stores downtown. Michaela began poking wandering amongst the display racks, but I knew she wouldn't buy anything. I was going to have something to say about that.

I waited until I thought Michaela was distracted then whispered into Zoe's ear as quietly as I could, "Help me find something frilly, suitable for a twelve-year-old girl, but in Michaela's size."

Michaela immediately snapped her head in my direction, and I knew she'd been listening. I smiled sweetly at her.

"You wouldn't," she mouthed to me, and I grinned.

"Sure," said Zoe. "Why?"

"Trust me."

It took us about five minutes to pick an absolutely adorable dress, well geared for a young teenage girl. Michaela tried to flee the store, but I waved a finger at her. She glared at me, but she stayed.

"What color tights?"

"White," Zoe said. "She'll never wear it."

"Yes, she will. Find some bows, too."

While Zoe found the rest of the outfit, I looked over at Michaela, hovering near the front door of the store. Lara was outside with Karen and Portia, leaving Serena as Michaela's main guard. Michaela pulled her phone out, and a moment later, Lara entered the store. Michaela whispered to her, and Lara headed straight for me.

By then, we had everything we needed, but I wanted to drag this out.

"What are you doing?"

"Zoe, show Lara what we picked out for her wife."

Zoe held everything up.

"Don't do this, Elisabeth."

"I still think I'm missing something," said Zoe.

"I believe Michaela told you to ask me about losing wagers you aren't willing to lose. She lost a wager to me," I explained. I turned back to Lara. "Whose idea was it, Lara?"

"It was a few minutes of shock," Lara said. "Find something else."

"I don't think so," I said. I raised my voice just enough she couldn't really ignore me. "Michaela, please try this on."

She'd been pointedly ignoring me, but her head turned back to me. She glared, then slowly moved closer, making it look like she was joining us casually.

"So, buying for a niece, Zoe?" she asked when she joined us.

"Michaela, I want you to try this on," I said. "Please."

"You suck, Elisabeth. You cheated on that wager."

I reached over to Zoe and shook her hand, causing the dress to shake.

"You suck," she said again, but she stepped forward and collected everything, then headed for the changing room.

By then, Scarlett and Angel had seen what was going on. They both moved closer, but by their body language, I could tell they were torn between amusement at Michaela's prediction and fear of her response, especially if they laughed.

"You two go wait outside," Lara said.

"Lara," I said, "You will let me have my fun, or I'll make her wear it for the rest of the weekend. You two stay."

They looked at Lara, who nodded.

Then I fished an SD card from my pocket and turned to Zoe. "Will this fit in one of your cameras?"

"Sure," she said.

"Swap it in, get a bunch of photos, then give me the card back," I said.

We waited about ten minutes, and I knew Michaela was in back, sulking. "Angel, go tell her if she isn't out in two minutes, I'll make it worse."

Michaela barely made my deadline.

I had to admit, she looked adorable, and if looks could kill, I knew I was dead. I smiled sweetly at her.

"You look lovely," I said.

"I'm going to kill you," she said. "I swear it."

"No you aren't. Tell me tossing us into the shower wasn't your idea, and I'll let you go change."

She clamped her mouth shut.

"Zoe's camera has my SD card. Model for her, whatever she asks, and I won't make you buy it."

"You suck, Elisabeth," Michaela said but she immediately turned to Zoe. "Where do you want me?"

The two moved away, and Zoe began taking photos of Michaela. I couldn't hear what they said, but then Michaela started hamming it up, and I knew she had decided to accept what was going on.

I had no idea what she'd do to retaliate, so I spoke loudly enough for Lara - and Michaela.

"If she wants to pay me back, can we make it after this current crap is over. I'm dealing with enough right now."

Michaela turned her head to me, made sure I was looking at her, nodded once, then went back to hamming it up for Zoe.

A half hour later, we were pulling kayaks out to haul down to the lake. Michaela grabbed my arm and said, "Walk with me, Elisabeth."

So while everyone else pulled the kayaks out, she and I stepped to the front of the house.

"What are you going to do with the photos?"

I took the SD card from my pocket and prepared to hand it to her. "Two conditions."

"You're giving it to me?"

"Two conditions."

"All right."

"First, we're even. No retaliation for my retaliation. Second, you don't tell anyone we declared a truce. You let them worry you're going to escalate."

She laughed. "Agreed."

I handed her the SD card.

"I think you should keep those photos, though. You really looked cute."

 **Answers**

The rest of the weekend was very pleasant. There was more kayaking and more fishing, and the wagers continued to flow back and forth, but they were relatively tame and designed to be fun.

Sunday dawned cloudy with storms expected in the afternoon, so we left earlier, arriving home shortly before noon. After landing, Lara pulled me aside and told me, "Take her home, then you're needed back here."

"All right."

I didn't ask if I was going to be upset - I wasn't sure I could hide it from Zoe.

"Don't burn bridges," Lara added.

"Right."

In the car, Zoe leaned back against the headrest.

"Well."

"Well."

"Did they like me?"

"They threw you in the shower, didn't they?"

She laughed. "Only two of them. You got the other five."

"I'm bigger."

We drove quietly, both of us perhaps a little emotionally exhausted from the weekend. As I parked, she said, "Elisabeth, I had an amazing time."

"I'm not dropping you at the curb, Zoe. I'll help you in."

"I guess I knew that, but I'm going to say this here. And unless you're about to tell me you don't want to see me again, you'll hear what I have to say."

I smiled and nodded.

"I had an amazing weekend. I haven't entirely figured out how I feel about you, but I hope you want to keep seeing me." She paused for a moment. "But I'm not inviting you to stay this afternoon. I'm going to take a shower and then collapse. I am completely wiped out."

I nodded.

"Now, I am going to ask you flat out. Do you want to continue to see me?"

"Yes," I said.

"All right. Good. When?"

"Let's talk tonight," I replied. "Before bed."

She smiled, then frowned. "Elisabeth, I won't be impressed if you're unable to dump me in person."

"That is not my plan," I replied. "My turn?"

"Sure."

"I had a wonderful time this weekend, too. I haven't figured out all of my emotions, either. To be honest, you aren't what I would have described as my dream date. And yet, I haven't had a time with anyone else like I've had with you. I wonder if my ideas of a dream date have been flawed."

She smiled. "I can handle that."

"There is something that is very important to me: trust. I need to know I can trust you. I can't let you too close, because you'll start to see things that could be used against people who matter to me. Do you understand?"

She lowered her eyes and nodded.

"So this all might take time."

She nodded again. "Thank you for being up front. So we'll talk tonight, and right now, we both want to let this continue."

"Right," I said.

"Now you can walk me in and search my apartment."

I did just that.

The lengthy goodbye kiss buoyed my spirits for a while, but I wasn't even halfway home before I began to fret. It sounded like Lara knew something, and I wasn't going to like it.

I really couldn't decide how I felt about Zoe. She was human. She'd never be my physical equal; the difference between her and me was far, far greater than the distance between Lara and Michaela. And I knew they had difficulties due to the physical differences, as capable as the fox was.

I still remember several times where Lara's insane responses to Michaela had resulted in the fox getting hurt. If I lost my mind as badly as Lara did, I could end up hurting Zoe, and she wouldn't heal the way Michaela could.

We were just so... opposite.

I didn't know what her status would be, either, assuming she came clean about what she knew, and Lara decided to let us trust her. I wasn't sure that I was ready to hitch my wagon to someone who might be considered a second-class member of the pack. She wouldn't be the first non-wolf in the pack, but I only had three relationships to compare against: Lara's with Michaela, Michele Lassiter, and June with Benny. Michaela was unique, as was her position in the pack. Michele Lassiter was a force unto herself and deeply respected.

I didn't know what position Zoe could hold, what respect she might command. I didn't know how I felt about that. And I didn't know whether I would want a mate who couldn't run with me.

Not to mention a vegan. Seriously? I was dating a vegan?

But she was damned sexy, and the sounds she made when we made love drove me insane for her.

God, I needed her to come clean. But if she ever found out we had invaded her privacy as badly as we had, would she forgive us?

I didn't know.

Could I expect her to tell me everything, but not tell her what we had done? And if I told her, would she grow so angry, any trust was shattered, and she'd break any promises she had made to me?

I didn't know.

I went around and around and around, and I knew I didn't have all the facts.

As I approached home, I pulled out my phone. "Where are we meeting?"

"Conference room," Lara said. "How soon?"

"Ten minutes. How bad is it?"

"Manageable, so far," she said. "Wait until you get here for details."

"Right," I said, and we clicked off.

But by the time I made it to the conference room, I was half of a wreck. It wasn't relieved when Michaela looked at me gently and handed me a beer. I stared at it.

"It's not that bad," she said. "But it's not good."

"Damn it." I opened the beer and took a slug. Then I moved to the table.

We had, well, almost everyone. Greg had sent two technicians to us, Gabe and Kurt. We'd worked with Kurt before, and Karen and Gia knew both of them. Lara, Michaela, and Gia were there along with the enforcers from the weekend. And it appeared Scarlett was promoted to temporary enforcer, as she was also in attendance.

I was happy to have her there. She had a good head on her shoulders. I gave a passing thought to elevating her to a permanent, part-time enforcer. She was already acting like one. Making it official would give her status if she needed it, and it would be easier to bring her in when we needed her. But that was a question for another day.

"Sit there," Lara said, indicating a seat. I sat, and then she sat on one side of me, Gia on the other. "The good news first."

"There is absolutely no indication this information has been shared," said Kurt. "We have been through her mail and her browser history. She uses both Safari and Firefox, but if she knows how to clean her history or cache, she hasn't done so in months. It is possible but unlikely that she has uploaded this information somewhere else, and she has a great deal of removable media in her apartment. We went through everything she had that's big enough to hold what we found, and we didn't find copies, but it's possible she has some buried somewhere."

I nodded.

"That's the good news," Lara said. "There's no sign of spread. That doesn't mean there hasn't been any, but if there has been, we haven't found it. Now the bad news."

Without a word, Gia opened her computer, bypassed the security, then turned it towards me. She hit one button, and a video began.

The scene was in the woods, and the view was fixed, as if this were security footage. I didn't immediately recognize the scene.

A wolf appeared. Gia froze the screen, and I stared.

Zoe had video of me as a wolf.

"Fuck."

Lara put her hand on my arm, not saying anything. Gia then continued the video.

The wolf on the screen moved into view and then right back out. Then there was a flicker, and there was a new scene. This was from a different angle. The wolf moved into view then stopped, turned around twice, then flowed to human.

"Fuck!" I screamed. "Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!"

 **Part Three: Zoe**

 **Fretting**

I lay awake. Elisabeth had sounded strained on the phone. When I'd asked about it, all she could say was, "Work stress."

I almost told her I was falling in love. I didn't think she was ready to hear it. I wasn't sure I was ready to say it.

I'd had an amazing weekend. I had really, really liked Elisabeth's family and friends. They were all wonderful, and they had treated me well.

Were they all werewolves?

Elisabeth had as much as told me they were, except Michaela. No, Michaela married into the family, and it sounded like there was some stress from it.

I didn't know what to do. I didn't know if I was safe with her. What if she bit me while we were making love? What if she turned into some wild beast as a wolf? She'd stood under the full moon with me, and I'd seen no sign of her turning beastly.

Clearly some of the mythology was wrong.

It was clear that she was struggling with her nature. When she said she was afraid of letting me get too close until she knew she could trust me, it was clear to me she was talking about the lycanthropy.

I wondered if that was why we stayed in Bayfield while everyone else stayed at the lodge. Had they all turned into wolves after we left? Or was that really just to give us a little privacy. I wasn't sure I believed the privacy story, not after the Friday morning wakeup. I wasn't sure they had the concept of privacy amongst themselves.

They'd been exceedingly casual with our nudity. We hadn't gotten a hard time about anything except sleeping in late. And Elisabeth had been casual with her own nudity with me.

No, I didn't think that sort of privacy was anyone's top concern.

What was with all the showers? Did I smell that bad. I imagined her sense of smell was better than mine, at least as a wolf. What about as human? Was she human? If not, what should I call her?

I had a lot of questions and very few answers.

It took a long time to get to sleep Sunday night.

I slept poorly Sunday night and woke with disquietude. I spent the morning going through the photos from the weekend, trying to shake the mood. But the photos only reminded me of Elisabeth. About eleven, I sent her a text.

"Missing you."

I received a reply a few minutes later. "In meetings." That didn't help, but twenty minutes later, "Me, too" arrived, and that helped, a little anyway.

I hoped she would call me, but when I didn't hear from her by late afternoon, I sent, "Any chance I could hear your voice?"

"On duty until late," was the reply. "I'll call if I get a chance, but I need to focus. Sorry."

Well, she had a job, and it was important.

I thought about that for a while. I knew I didn't have the entire story about, well, anything. But I thought about Michaela being kidnapped. I was pretty sure it wasn't by a business competitor or someone angry with Lara's business practices. Was the petite woman some sort of prize caught in the middle of a werewolf tug of war? Elisabeth had said Michaela resented her protection detail. Was it protection, or was she some sort of prisoner?

I thought about Portia and Karen's story, about Karen being hired to prevent a businessman's daughter from running away. I wondered if Michaela's protection detail served the same purpose.

She hadn't acted like a prisoner. She had acted like she owned the place. And her affection for Lara and the others was clear.

Why was everyone else so big, but Michaela was so small?

Lara doted on her, and I could tell Elisabeth loved her, too. The affection from several of the others was clear, especially Angel and Scarlett. All of them had taken orders from her, even Lara, although it had felt like Lara held the real power. Were they just humoring her?

But it was clear that Bayfield had been her home, and it seemed like they were bending their lives to her wishes.

I didn't understand.

Was it exactly as it seemed? Michaela was Lara's willing, exuberant wife? That was the simplest answer, but it still seemed like I was missing something important.

Everyone had repeatedly used the word "clan". But they had hesitated over the word before using it, nearly every time. Were they dancing around a different word they normally used?

Like "pack"?

I was sure of that.

Michaela had been estranged from Lara for a while and had gone somewhere else. She'd acted as a bodyguard. She was tiny. How could she possibly have been a bodyguard, especially for someone famous like Suzette? Was it just a story? Everyone had acted like they believed her, but maybe it was just a story. Lara had said the stories they told were occasionally fabrications.

Well, that might be something I could check. I fired up the web browser and began doing searches on Suzette. There were thousands of hits, thousands and thousands. But Michaela had said something... They'd gone to Washington DC. Something about a baby picture.

So I searched for Suzette, Washington, and baby. And I found references to a Facebook post. It took a while, but finally I was staring at a picture. "Suzette holding Daphne at the Vietnam War Memorial. We weren't sure it was her, as there weren't any obvious bodyguards with her, just another woman."

I was sure that other women had been Michaela, although there weren't any photos of her.

My phone rang. It was Elisabeth!

"Hi!" I said.

"I just have a minute or two," she said. "What are you doing?"

"Honestly?"

"Always."

"It's a little embarrassing."

"Just tell me."

"I'm looking up Suzette on the web."

"Why is that embarrassing?"

"Michaela's story," I said. "I found a photo of Suzette with a baby. I was curious. Is that dumb?"

"No." Elisabeth paused. "Zoe, she was offering you a great deal of trust telling that story in front of you. You can't ever tell anyone."

"I think on some level I knew that," I replied. "Although I hadn't actually thought about it. Elisabeth, how could Michaela be a bodyguard?"

"She wasn't the only one. In a way, she was sort of a beard."

"What do you mean?"

"No bodyguard in sight, just this tiny woman. That can't possibly be a major star like Suzette. You see?"

"Sure."

"That being said, Michaela could kick the ass of most black belts."

"Shit. Seriously?"

"Oh yeah. She's small, but she's very, very fast. And all that kayaking has given her tiny body some pretty impressive muscles. She's very strong for her size. She and I spar."

"What?"

"She's fragile, and I have to be careful, but she's faster than I am. Hand-to-hand, she can't really hurt me, but if she has a weapon, she does a whole lot better."

"Guns, the great field leveler?"

"She prefers knives."

"I-" I thought about it. "How much is 'a whole lot better', Elisabeth?"

"She beats me, Zoe. Not every time, but more than her fair share. It's actually rather embarrassing."

"Oh shit," I said. I was using that word a lot lately. I needed to find a better expression.

"We don't talk about this outside the clan, Zoe."

"Of course," I replied. "Thank you for trusting me, Elisabeth. It means a lot to me. I know we just spent the weekend together, but I really would like to see you."

"I'm sorry," she said. "Not today. You understand, I can't share details about my job."

"You can trust me, but I understand."

"We're spread thinly this week. I would like my company to have another six or eight employees, but they're hard to find."

"Why?"

"It's not that hard to find employees, but it's very, very difficult to find people who I know can't be bought."

"Oh," I said. I thought about that. "I think I understand."

"So, we're spread thinly. Both Michaela and Lara have business meetings this week. I have people watching my nieces. I have people with Michaela. I'm with Lara. And at the same time, we're investigating a corporate espionage incident, so I have employees monitoring that. And all that is more than I should be telling you, especially over the public cell phone system."

I was touched she trusted me.

"So I shouldn't take it personally that you can't see me."

"Right."

We talked for a few more minutes before she said, "I'm sorry. I have to go. Remember - no posting follow ups to that Facebook post you found."

"How did you know it was a Facebook post?"

"I am very good at my job, Zoe. I know exactly what picture you found."

"Oh, of course. Will you get another break?"

"If I do, I'll call, but don't wait up."

"I miss you, Elisabeth."

While Monday's phone call helped, I still woke up crabby Tuesday morning.

My relationship with Elisabeth, if relationship was even the right word, was based on secrets. She was keeping secrets from me, important secrets. But I was keeping some from her, too. And the longer it went on, the worse it was going to get.

I thought about destroying the evidence. I'd set up the cameras to keep track of what was going on with that eagle's nest that Lara had talked about. I'd planned on collecting information of anyone harassing the eagles - it was illegal, after all. But instead, I'd gotten footage of Elisabeth. I'd left the cameras in place, but their batteries were long expired. I should go collect them, see what was on them, then decide what to do.

But Lara said they had surveillance. The cameras were across the road; I hadn't trespassed on their property. But what if they had cameras that caught me? Before, maybe no one would notice, and they wouldn't have had any particular reason to pay attention to me. But what if Elisabeth were watching her cameras as I drove up to take my cameras down?

No. I'd leave the cameras where they were for now, or maybe send someone else to get them.

But could I do that? What if that person got caught instead? That could be even worse.

But if I could destroy all the videos and all the pictures I had taken, if I erased every single copy, then it was like it never happened, right? I never would need to tell Elisabeth I had spied on her, and maybe someday she would trust me enough to tell me about herself.

Except it had happened. I knew her secret. And after the way I'd reacted on our date in the park, I knew I would eventually screw up, letting her know I knew. And then she would want to know how.

I didn't know what to do, and I was in a foul mood because of it.

It was rare I didn't know what to do. It was even more rare I found myself facing a moral quandary.

I showered and was still in a foul mood. I remembered what she'd done to me in that shower.

I really, really wanted her to do it again.

I sent Elisabeth a text. "Thinking of you." A smiley face came back twenty minutes later.

I decided I needed to direct my frustration in a fruitful fashion. I drafted a sample letter to the editor along the lines of, "The Koch Brothers are evil and must be stopped." Oh, it was somewhat more elegant than that, but clear and simple. I checked the GreEN budget and decided I could afford a mailing.

I produced five hundred copies and then spent hours signing each one in a purple pen, leaving a personal note for those people I knew well enough. Then, while I was at it, I drafted a "Thank you" note to Lara and Michaela. I mailed everything, sending the thank you to the address from Elisabeth's business card. I figured it would get routed properly somehow.

We didn't talk Tuesday.

Or Wednesday.

Thursday afternoon, I tried working with my photos. I was a good photographer, but good photographers weren't that uncommon, and I didn't have the brilliance of someone like Rodney Lough, nor did I have the equipment he had or the travel budget. Keeping myself fed required attention to my photographs.

But I repeatedly found myself staring at some of my images of Elisabeth.

"What am I going to do?" I finally asked aloud. "Can I walk away from you? Can I walk away from what I know?"

I got up and prowled around my little apartment.

What would she do when I told her? What if she was angry? What if she... She'd told me she was protective of their secrets. What would they do to me, if they knew I knew?

I stared out the window leaning my head against. "Would you kill me, Elisabeth?" I asked. "Should I take precautions?"

But I thought about it. And thought about it. And thought about it.

"Trust starts somewhere," I said. "And I don't want to wait."

Picked up my phone. "Please call me. We have to talk."

 **Secrets**

The wait was agonizing, as short as it was. My phone rang.

"Elisabeth."

"Hello, Zoe. Are you all right?"

"No."

"Tell me what's wrong."

"Not over the phone," I said. "I need to see you. It can't wait. I know you're busy. I'm sorry."

"Have you done anything that can't be undone?"

I thought about it. "I might not like the solution, but no. I haven't done anything that can't be undone."

"Then we'll work it out," she said. "Calm down."

I was pacing back and forth. "I can't," I said. "I'm so afraid you're going to be angry."

"Did you post pictures of my friends on the internet?"

"What? No. Of course not. I wouldn't do something like that, at least not without permission. Well, unless I caught you dumping toxic waste into Lake Superior. You're not dumping toxic waste, are you, Elisabeth?"

She laughed, but it felt forced. "No. Do you need me to come there?"

"No," I said. "I don't think we should do this here. We're going to want more privacy. May I come there?"

"I can send someone to get you."

"Please, Elisabeth, can I just talk to you before I face anyone else?"

"All right. I'm with Lara right now, but we're at home. You can come here."

"Will it be all right? Do you have to ask her?"

"It will be fine," she said. "It's complicated getting here. I'll give you partial directions, but someone is going to need to meet you." She told me where to drive. "Do you have a hands free headset for your phone?"

"Yes."

"When you get there, call me."

"Elisabeth?"

"Yes, Zoe?"

"I-" I paused. I didn't know what to tell her. "They won't hurt me, will they?"

"Who won't hurt you?"

"Whoever you're sending."

"No, of course not. The roads here aren't marked, that's all. They'll bring you to my house."

"All right. I'm leaving now. Well, in a few minutes."

"I'll see you in forty minutes or so, then," she replied.

We hung up. I looked around my apartment for a minute, then I packed my computer in my bag. I found the photos of Elisabeth and the prints I had made, and I packed them, too.

I had another copy of the video, but I didn't want to take the time to get it.

Five minutes later, I was in my car.

I called her.

"Hello, Zoe."

"I pulled off the highway and I'm on that dirt road you mentioned."

"Stay on that road," she said. "You're using a headset, right?"

"Yes."

"Stay calm. Two hands on the wheel. There's no need to speed."

"I'm a careful driver," I replied.

"There are a lot of deer in the area," she said. "Drive more slowly than you might normally."

I slowed down. Then ahead I saw a car approaching.

"There's someone coming the other way."

"I need you to come to a stop right where you are, Zoe."

"I'm scared, Elisabeth."

"Don't be. Just come to a stop right in the road. That's Karen and Portia. They're going to turn around behind you, then Karen is going to get in the car with you."

"Please, Elisabeth..."

"She's bringing you here, Zoe. That's all."

I came to a stop, and then the other vehicle slowed down. It was an SUV, and I saw two people in it. As it drew closer, I recognized Portia behind the wheel and Karen in the passenger seat. They came to a stop next to me, and Portia lowered her window. I looked at her, and she made a cranking gesture, so I lowered my window.

"Hello, Zoe," she said.

"Hi." I was scared out of my mind. I knew I was looking at a werewolf. I just knew it.

"Everything is going to be fine," Portia said. "But maybe you should let Karen drive. You look awfully upset."

In my ear, I heard Elisabeth say, "It's going to be fine, Zoe. Let Karen drive."

"All right," I said.

Karen got out of the car and came to the side of mine. "Put it in park," she said.

I hit the Park button, and then Karen opened my door. Before I could move, she reached in and unbuckled my seat then backed out but held out her hand. I climbed slowly from the car.

She was so big, so big.

She took my arm and gently pulled me around to the other side, then opened the passenger door and held it for me as I climbed in. Once I was seated, she leaned in and buckled me in, treating me like a small child.

Then she walked back to her side, slid the seat back, and climbed in.

"I'm going to hang up now," Elisabeth said to me. "I'll see you in another ten minutes or so."

"All right, Elisabeth." I paused. "You need to hear what I have to tell you."

"Of course. We'll have a nice, long talk. I've already got the teakettle going. I'm sorry, but I don't have any food here you're likely to want to eat."

"That's fine." I felt a tear crawl down my cheek. "I'll see you soon."

She hung up, and when I looked at Karen, I saw that Portia was gone. I turned around, and she was behind us.

"Are you breaking up with her?" Karen asked.

"I hope not."

"Is she going to be angry?"

"I don't know. Probably."

"If you haven't betrayed her, she'll forgive you."

"Really?"

"Yes. Have you betrayed her?"

"No."

"Then everything will be fine." She paused. "We're a tight clan. But they let me in. And Portia."

"But you're both from another clan, aren't you?"

She paused before answering. "Yes. But Scarlett's father isn't."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Thank you for telling me. Do you know how to drive this car?"

She smiled. "Yes." She put it in gear.

We pulled up in front of a house. It was a nice house, but it was just a house. I didn't know what I had expected. There were other houses, and I saw several other, bigger buildings.

"What is this place?"

"This is Elisabeth's house," Karen said. Then she pointed. "That's our gym. There's a swimming pool, a couple of racquetball courts, and a whole lot of weight machines."

"Is the school where Michaela teaches here, too?"

"It's that way," she said. "But you can't see it from here."

Then Portia was at my car door, and she opened it. Like Karen had earlier, she leaned in and unbuckled my belt for me, then she waited.

I looked at the belt and over at Portia, then over to Karen. "Why do you do that?"

"Do what?"

"Unbuckle my seat belt."

"Your hands are shaking, and if you fumbled with it, you would probably get more worked up."

I looked at my hands. They were a little blurry.

"Come on out," Portia said. "Do you need help?"

"No." I climbed out, and she immediately took my arm. Karen climbed out the other side.

"My computer bag," I said. "I need it."

"I've got it," Karen said. She collected it from the back seat, slinging it over one shoulder. Portia held me in place, and then Karen was on my other side, taking my other arm. Together, the two of them led me towards the front door of Elisabeth's house.

The door opened as we approached, and Elisabeth was there. She wasn't smiling. I couldn't read her at all.

Karen and Portia handed me off to her. Elisabeth took my arm with one hand, then Karen held out my computer, and Elisabeth took it with her other hand. She exchanged a look with them, which I thought meant something, and then she pulled me inside. I went docilely. The door closed.

I turned to Elisabeth and folded myself against her. She let me, and then she wrapped her arm around me.

She didn't say anything, but I held her for a while, a long time, it seemed, but it was probably only a minute or two.

She held me, too, but we didn't kiss.

"Come on," she said finally. "You can tell me why you're so upset."

We moved deeper into the house. She led me to a living room, setting my computer down in a chair, then released me. I moved away from her and looked around the room.

It was a nice room, a normal room. There were sofas and chairs and coffee tables. There was art on the walls. I looked around, but I didn't see a fireplace.

"I have tea," she said from behind me. "I didn't know what kind you might want."

"Anything."

"Michaela likes Earl Grey, but I have herbal."

"Anything," I said again.

"Herbal is soothing," she said. "It will need to steep a few minutes."

I listened as she busied herself with the tea. In the meantime, I continued to roam the room.

It seemed so normal, but there wasn't anything normal about this situation.

I looked at the art - photographs. They were amateur, but good. Most were outdoor scenes, but I came to one of a woman and beside it, a man. "Who are these?"

"My parents."

"You must miss them."

"Every day."

"How did they die?"

"You didn't come here to talk about that, Zoe."

She was right. I moved on. On a table near the front window was a ceramic sculpture of a wolf. I picked it up. It was beautiful, truly beautiful.

"This is stunning," I said.

"It was a gift from Michaela. She had it commissioned."

I turned around, still holding it. "Is it you?"

She stared for a moment. "My mother." Her voice cracked a little.

I stared at the sculpture for a minute then turned around and, with more care than I've ever used on anything before, I set it down on the table. With my back to her, I asked, "Did Michaela know her?"

"No. She found photographs. The artist thought it was just a wolf. It's a very good likeness."

"You aren't surprised I know."

"No."

"I haven't told anyone."

"Who knows you're here?"

"Whoever you told," I said. "I have video of you."

"How much?"

"About a minute, total. I knew about your eagle's nest. My network isn't huge, but it's not small. People tell me about things. I heard about your eagle's nest, and I heard that people wanted to find souvenirs. I set up cameras across the road to try to catch evidence. At least, I thought I could get license plates."

I turned around. "I didn't trespass."

"If you had, we'd have caught you."

"I didn't know that," I said. "How did you catch me?"

"You're a very obvious stalker. Did you know we'd caught you?"

"No. I haven't told anyone. Not a soul. I-" I turned away. "Is the tea ready?"

"Yes." I heard as she poured two cups, and then she moved closer, holding one out. I trembled as she grew closer, but I took the tea, and she moved away.

"I'm like a frightened animal."

"Yes. You thought I was going to bite you, that night in the park."

"Yes."

"It doesn't work that way," she explained. "Are there copies?"

"I brought almost everything." I turned to her. "Are you going to kill me?"

She paused. "I don't know. It's not my decision. But you need to tell me everything, and if you lie to me, I won't be able to save you."

"I didn't come to lie. I haven't lied. I didn't tell you everything, but I'm telling you now." I paused. "Was it all an act?"

"No."

I felt a glimmer of hope.

"Do you hate me?" I asked.

"No."

"I put a copy of the video in a safe deposit box. I thought about getting it on the way here, but I didn't want to take the time."

"It's a good thing you didn't," she said. "We would have assumed you were leaving something, not taking something. It would have looked very, very bad."

"I was being followed?" She nodded. "I never noticed."

"We're very good at what we do."

"You'd have to be, I suppose." I laughed nervously. "I made you eat chickpeas."

"They weren't that bad. I liked the potatoes."

"But you need meat."

"Yes. And I need to hunt."

"People?"

"Deer, usually."

"People?"

"No, of course not. Deer is our preferred prey, but Lara and Michaela are teaching their girls to start with rabbits."

"Oh. I see." I paused. "Are you a werewolf, or is there another word?"

"Werewolf," she agreed.

There. It was out there. It was entirely out there.

"The video wasn't very good," I said. She raised an eyebrow. "But... You're beautiful. You're stunning in this form, but you were magnificent as a wolf, even in the bad video."

I turned away, sipping the tea.

"Thank you," she said.

"I'll answer all your questions. I'll help you get the video from the bank. I have three requests."

"Tell me," she said.

"If you're going to kill me, then could I see you as a wolf first?"

"We'll see."

"I don't want to see it coming, but I'll want to say goodbye to you. And if you can make it so it doesn't hurt."

I started crying and turned back to her. "Please, I'm so afraid."

"I know," she said. "What was your last request?"

"Will you answer my questions before you kill me?"

"I don't know if we're going to kill you. Honestly, I don't want to. It's not my decision, and I won't be able to do it myself."

"Why not?"

"You know why not, Zoe."

I looked down. "You like me."

"We all like you."

"Who then?"

"I won't answer that," she replied. "We might have to keep you for a while."

"I understand."

"You'll do whatever I tell you."

"Yes."

"Sign whatever I tell you to sign."

"Yes."

"Answer any questions any of us have."

"Yes."

"Is there any chance anyone else knows?"

"I don't know how to answer that," I said. "I haven't told anyone. I didn't upload anything anywhere. So no, I don't think so. But... hackers? You talked about corporate espionage. I'm a known environmental activist. I don't know if there are any corporations hacking into my computer. I'm not good enough with a computer to be sure."

"Who has access to the video at the bank?"

"Locally, only me. But it's owned by GreEN, and if something happens to me, then someone from the parent organization could probably get to it. We have to get that video before..."

"All right," she said. "What else do I need to know?"

I turned back to her. "I had to meet you. I had to. You were... Amazing. I don't have the words. I couldn't believe it. I don't know how many times I watched that video."

"When searching for me, did you leave any signs of what you were looking for?"

"Not that I was looking for a werewolf." I told her what research I had done. "It's all public record searches. I know hackers, but I didn't want to involve anyone. I didn't have your name or anything. I suppose I would have found a hacker eventually, just to find you, but I wouldn't have told him anything."

Neither of us said anything for a while. I finished my tea then poured another cup, cradling it against my chest. Elisabeth was watching me.

"Do you hate me?" I asked.

"No, Zoe." It was said gently. "And do you hate me? Do you hate us?"

"No."

"All right," she said. "Finish your tea. We need to go talk to Lara."

I looked over at her. "Is this my last cup?"

"It's your last cup from this pot. It's not your last cup, Zoe. We're not going to rip you to shreds when we step out the front door."

I finished the cup and set it down. Elisabeth stepped up to me then clasped my chin. "Now, I am going to speak very bluntly. If you have lied to me about anything, you damned well better tell me. Right now. We will find out, I promise you."

"I haven't lied. Not one word. I haven't told anyone. If you kill me now, no one will ever know."

"That seems like a foolish thing to tell me."

"Trust starts somewhere."

She dropped my chin, and I think I had surprised her.

"You told me to prove you could trust me," I said. "I'm doing my best."

"So I did," she said. She reached up a hand for me and I could tell she wanted to caress my cheek. She began to drop her hand, but I grabbed it and pressed it against my face.

She pulled me to her and held me.

"What is Michaela?" I asked.

"You'll need to ask her," Elisabeth said. "She may tell you."

"She's not a werewolf."

"No, she's not. We normally just say 'wolf'."

"She's not a wolf."

"No."

"You and Lara are wolves."

"Yes."

"Portia. Karen."

"Yes."

"Everyone."

"Scarlett's father is human."

"You can ... um... with humans?"

"Yes. The wolf genes are dominant, although Scarlett has her father's eyes."

"So you can't make me a werewolf?"

"Is that why you're here?"

"No. I'm here because..." I pushed away. "Michaela would understand."

"She very well might," Elisabeth said.

She stepped away and picked up my computer. "Let's go."

I moved for the front door. Elisabeth got there first and opened it for me. When we stepped out, there were two wolves - furry wolves - lying in the grass not far away. They both stood up and faced me. I came to a stop, staring at them.

Elisabeth stopped beside me and took my arm.

"They're... I don't know what to say." I looked up at her, smiling. "They're beautiful."

"They are," she said.

I looked back at them. "They're so big. They're bigger than a standard wolf."

"Yes."

"Are they... um... dangerous?"

"They're werewolves, Zoe. Of course they're dangerous. But not the way you mean. They're people, just in different clothes. They aren't animals. They aren't going to attack you the moment you walk down the steps."

"So... you're still, I don't know. You?"

"Yes. Thoughts can be a little different. But yes."

"Who... um. Who are they?"

"Karen and Portia."

Tears were running down my cheeks, but they weren't sad tears. I was just so astonished.

"May I touch them? Would they like that?"

"You may ask them," she said. "I'll release your arm in a moment. A word of caution. They are the same people you know, but they are both exceedingly dominant wolves. You need to be very, very submissive."

"I don't know what that means."

"Don't look them in the eye without permission. Don't try to force them, not even the slightest amount. Don't hug until you know them a whole lot better than you do."

"Would they hurt me?"

"They would chastise you, put you in your place. Firmly. You would find it very frightening, even if she didn't really hurt you." She paused. "Our top speed is as much as forty-five miles an hour, and we can leap ten yards easily. If you run, you become prey."

"I didn't come here to run."

She released my arm. I paused, then began walking down the steps.

"Look at the ground between you," she said. "Not into their eyes."

I lowered my gaze and stepped forward. I kept my hands to myself. I felt both wolves watching me carefully.

"Karen is on the right. Portia on the left. If you want to touch, ask."

I turned to Portia. "May I pet you, Portia?"

She stretched, and she was fabulous. Along the way, I got a good look at her claws.

"Holy shit!" I said.

"Remain calm, Zoe."

"But her claws..."

"She's not going to use them on you."

Portia moved closer then turned sideways.

"May I touch you?" I asked.

She made a strange noise in her throat.

"That wasn't a growl," Elisabeth said. "She gave you permission." She moved down the steps and walked up behind me then stepped over to Karen. "She likes this." Then she buried her hands in Karen's scruff. Karen made the same noise Portia had made.

I turned back to Portia, stepped a half step closer, then reached out and ran a hand through her fur. It was thick and, I imagined, very, very warm.

"You can't hurt her," Elisabeth said. "But don't be intentionally rough. She might take it poorly."

I dug my fingers into her fur and began massaging Portia the way Elisabeth had with Karen. Portia leaned into it a little and made that noise again.

I did that for a minute or two before I asked, "Is there more she likes?"

"Lara and Michaela are waiting for us, Zoe."

I turned around. "Please," I said. "I..."

"Ask her to show you her paw."

I turned back to Portia and knelt down. "May I see your paw, Portia?"

She held her closest paw up, then she did something, and the claws extended. They weren't like a dog's claws. She had more control over them, much like a cat might, and they were curved, although not as much as a cat's.

"You may touch, but be careful," Elisabeth said. "The edges of the claws are exceedingly sharp."

I clasped Portia's paw in my hand. Her paw was huge, absolutely huge. Then I carefully touched a claw with my other hand before releasing everything.

"You're amazing, Portia. I'm sorry. I don't know what words to use. But you're amazing."

She made the noise again.

"That noise is agreement," Elisabeth explained. "It can mean yes, or permission, or even a laugh."

I stood up slowly. "Thank you, Portia," I said. "You are very beautiful."

I turned back to Elisabeth. "Will you show me your wolf before... if..."

She nodded, just once. "I hope it won't come to that, but I'll let you see me before this is over."

"Thank you."

I moved to her, and she took my arm.

The next several minutes were surreal. We walked along a path, heading past two of the big buildings. Elisabeth gave me a small tour, explaining what the buildings were and describing the property in general. They owned a great deal of land, which I already knew.

The two wolves flanked us, walking in the grass about ten yards to either side of us. I had no doubt what would happen if I tried to run. But I couldn't have escaped Elisabeth, either. And I didn't come to run away.

I told Elisabeth that last part.

"They're here to keep everyone else away just as much as to watch you," she explained. "This is our home, and it is assumed anyone here is a friend."

"I'm a friend," I said. "Or I want to be." I looked up at her. "More than a friend."

She didn't respond to that. I guess I couldn't blame her.

We didn't go to another house. Instead, we went in the front door of one of the big buildings. "This is a barracks, but it also has a conference room."

With both wolves still flanking us, we moved deeper into the building then climbed stairs to the second floor. Angel and a man I didn't know were standing at a set of double doors in front of us. The man watched me, but Angel looked the other way. I came to a stop.

"Is she mad at me?"

"She's afraid for you."

I took a step forward, and when I veered off from heading directly to the door but instead walked towards Angel, Elisabeth let me. I came to a stop about two feet from Angel.

"I hope I get to see you as a wolf," I said.

She turned to me. Emotion crossed her face, but I wasn't sure what. "So do I," she said eventually. "You have to tell them the truth."

"I will. I have been."

"If you tell the truth, they can fix it," Angel said.

"There isn't that much to fix," I said.

"No more," Elisabeth said. "This is above Angel's pay grade, you might say."

I nodded then turned to the man. He was watching me, and his gaze held a great deal of distrust. And, I thought perhaps, fear. I stepped towards him, and Elisabeth didn't stop me, but she didn't release my arm, either.

"I'm am Zoe."

He didn't respond immediately, but then from the corner of my eye, I saw Elisabeth nod.

"Eric," he said. "Pleased to meet you, ma'am."

He didn't sound that pleased.

"I'm not a threat, Eric."

"Zoe..."

"He deserves to know, doesn't he?" I asked. I turned to her. "If I sent everything to Sixty-Minutes, he would deserve to know."

"Yes," she said after a moment. "He would deserve to know."

I turned back to Eric. "I haven't told a soul. There are no packages on their way to some news agency. I have no intention of telling anyone. I know that's hard to believe."

"It's not for me to say, ma'am," he said. I thought perhaps some of the distrust was missing from his voice, but that could have been wishful thinking. But then he added, "Good luck, ma'am."

Elisabeth tugged on my arm, just enough to get me moving, and we stepped to the door.

"Elisabeth," said Angel. "I want a vote."

We stopped.

"You know it's not a democracy, Angel."

"Fine. I want a voice. Please."

Elisabeth stood looking at her cousin. I looked between them. "This isn't an emotional decision," Elisabeth said finally. "We'll decide what to do based on a clear analysis of the facts."

"Begging your pardon, Head Enforcer," Angel said, although her eyes were aimed at about Elisabeth's waist, "But that's bullshit. She can't prove we can trust her, and in the end, it's going to be a gut decision. Well, I have a gut, too. And so does Scarlett. She should be here."

Elisabeth studied Angel. She didn't take her eyes from her cousin, but she said, "Eric, what do you say?"

"I say I'm happy to guard this door. Angel is going places I don't want to go. I think you should invite her inside. I can handle this door. And if Scarlett arrives, I'll show her in."

Elisabeth still didn't answer.

"Head Enforcer," Eric said after a moment. "They have the alpha's ear. She has a better chance with Angel and Scarlett in there."

"Yeah," Elisabeth said. "I know. But I'm not thinking clearly."

"Then you need me in there," Angel said. "And Scarlett, too."

Finally Elisabeth nodded. "Come in. Call your mate. Eric, send her, Portia and Karen in. I presume Serena is already inside."

"Yes," he said. "And the alphas."

"Show us in, Angel," Elisabeth said.

Angel didn't smile, but she stepped ahead of us, then held doors for us.

 **The Alphas**

We stepped into what was for all appearances a conference room, although there were no windows. There was a long table that looked able to seat fifteen or twenty people. Waiting at the end to the right were Lara, Michaela, Serena, and a female wolf I didn't know. They all turned to us as we stepped in.

"Thank you, Angel," Lara said. "Send Portia and Karen in when they arrive."

"I invited her to stay," Elisabeth said, "And she's calling Scarlett."

Lara paused for just a moment, then she nodded. I wasn't sure if she agreed, or if she just wasn't going to override her sister. Angel pulled out her phone and spoke quietly, moving away from me as she did so.

Elisabeth pulled me forward, and we came to a stop about five feet from the others.

"I haven't said a thing to anyone," I said.

"No more until everyone is here," Lara said. "You know my name. My title is Alpha. I am the pack leader. My word is law."

"Yes, Alpha," I said. "I understand."

"Michaela is my co-alpha. Her status is not quite as clear for reasons that do not matter today. What happens today will be my decision, but you can bet I will listen to my mate."

"Of course."

"You may address us by our names or our title, although it can be confusing to say 'Alpha' if it's not clear which of us you are addressing."

"I understand."

At that point, Elisabeth unlimbered my computer bag from her shoulder and set it on the table, sliding it across until it rested in front of the wolf I didn't know.

"This is Gia," Lara said. "She is Angel's older sister."

"She works for me," Elisabeth said. "Do not ask what she does."

I nodded.

Gia sat down at the table then looked at the computer bag. "This is yours?" she asked.

"Yes."

"Do I have permission to go through it?"

"Yes. The password is bang-meat."

She nodded and then unzipped the bag. She opened every compartment and pulled absolutely everything out. She went through the bag carefully, then she looked up at me. "Is there anything in the bag I haven't found?"

"I do not believe so."

"Are there any recording devices hidden in this bag?"

"No, nothing like that anywhere."

"GPS receivers? Anything?"

"No. My phone has a GPS receiver, and I have one in my car. I have a few at home; I use them for work. But I didn't bring one."

"Give me your phone."

I pulled it out of my pocket and slid it across the table to her.

"Empty your pockets," Lara ordered.

I didn't have much more: my keys, wallet, and a little change. I dumped it all out. Everything moved to sit in front of Gia, who was going through my papers slowly. She hadn't opened the computer yet.

"I am going to ask you several very direct questions," Lara said. "If you lie to me, I will know, but if you manage to fool me, we'll find out eventually. You know what happens if you lie."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Are you carrying any sort of listening device at all? A recording device? IPod? Tracking device? Anything electronic at all?"

"The computer and phone," I said. "And my car key is electronic, but I don't know how it works. It lets me drive the car without actually touching the key."

"Please state clearly that is all."

"That is all, Alpha." I paused. "Alpha?"

"Yes?"

"You know what I do. You know the lengths that corporations go to about people like me. If there are listening devices, they aren't mine. I'd be shocked if my apartment wasn't bugged. I would be shocked if the FBI doesn't listen to my phone calls. I'm on the do not fly list. I have an arrest record for trespassing at a Nuclear Power Plant."

"I'm sorry, Zoe," Michaela said. "I want her stripped. I want all her shit out of here before we say another word." She raised her voice. "Angel, call Scarlett back and tell her to bring some clothes. They'll be too big, but they'll have to do."

"Yes, Alpha," Angel replied.

Gia was still going through everything, but she began putting it all back into the computer bag. She was gentle about it.

"Leave the papers," Michaela said. "Let me see them."

Gia collected the stack and slid them across the table. Michaela stepped forward and began looking through them.

"I should strip?" I asked.

"You may take her somewhere for privacy," Michaela said without looking up. "But I want her searched, Head Enforcer. Thoroughly. If she's got anything hidden anywhere, don't bother bringing her back."

"If she's using some of your tricks," Lara added, "We don't need to be rash."

Michaela looked up.

"What tricks?" I asked.

"Elisabeth sews tracking devices into my clothing," Michaela said.

"Oh. If I have any, I don't know it. I wouldn't know what to look for. I have not deliberately hidden anything."

It all remained surreal. We were talking calmly about whether I was bugged, and what would happen to me if I were. But the thing is, it didn't scare me. I hadn't done anything wrong, and I think they understood.

Years ago, it had bothered me, knowing I was under surveillance. It hadn't always been subtle. I'd had vans parked outside my apartment with people in them. I'd been followed. I'd been accosted. I'd found bugs in my house, placed where any idiot would stumble across them. I'd had clear break ins. I'd had computers destroyed and papers shredded. I'd had my home ransacked and my things trashed.

For a long, long time, that had all bothered me.

But then I realized: if they were trying to intimidate me, then it meant I was doing something right.

"Angel," Elisabeth said. "You're on duty with me. Come." She took my arm again, and when she tugged me towards the door, I let her take me. We passed Eric, and he stiffened.

"Relax, Enforcer," Elisabeth said. "We're just taking her down the hall to change. Send Scarlett when she gets here."

"Yes, Head Enforcer," he replied.

She tugged me to the right, and a moment later we were in a bathroom, the sort you might find in a school or public building, I suppose.

Elisabeth released my arm, pushing me, gently, a little deeper into the room. "I'm not thinking clearly. I should have handled this before I let you say a thing at my house."

"I used to get bugged all the time, but I think everyone has gotten bored with me, or else they are a lot more subtle than they used to be. I've never found anything in my clothes, but you should assume my apartment and car are bugged. I'm sorry. I should have said something sooner."

"I need you to strip," she said. "Angel, watch from there." She pointed to her left. "If she tries to destroy anything, stop her."

"Yes, Elisabeth." Angel moved into position.

"You," Elisabeth said, pointing to me. "Do you know of any listening devices?"

"No. I already told you that."

"I have been ordered to perform a very thorough inspection. Do you understand what that means?"

I closed my eyes and nodded. I'd been strip searched before.

"I will give you the choice of having me to it or asking either Portia or Karen to do it," Elisabeth said.

"What does it matter?"

"If we find anything, it won't matter in the slightest," Elisabeth replied. "If today goes as well as possible, then you may not want memories of your girlfriend doing this to you, although I don't know if you're going to ever want me to touch you again."

Hope flared. "And are you going to want to touch me again?"

She studied me. "Yes. If you haven't been lying. Yes."

I thought about it. "The last time. Um. It hurt. And her hands were smaller than yours."

"I did not realize they were that invasive in jail," Elisabeth replied.

"All part of the intimidation, I suppose," I replied. "Whatever you think is best, Elisabeth." I began undressing, folding my clothes as I took them off and setting them in a neat pile on the edge of the sink. It just took a few minutes before I stood in front of them, entirely naked. I turned a little sideways and covered myself, very self-conscious.

"If you were anyone else," Elisabeth said, "I would use this as a training opportunity for Angel. Angel, take everything and step outside. Knock when Scarlett arrives with the clothes, and then I want the two of you guarding the door. Get the clothes to your sister."

"Yes, Elisabeth." She stepped forward and collected my clothes and shoes, and a moment later, I was alone with Elisabeth.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I need you to face away and put your hands against the wall. Spread your legs."

I nodded and assumed what is known as "the position". It wasn't the first time. Elisabeth stepped up behind me and began touching me. She started with my hair, examining carefully. She worked her way down my body, examining every inch. Then she pulled me away from the wall and put my hands on top of my head before turning me around and repeating the inspection down my front.

I blushed, but I stood there stoically.

She stood back up. "Open your mouth. Stick out your tongue and curl it upwards."

I did that the best I could. She looked carefully.

"Stay there."

She stepped to the sink, opened the cabinet underneath, then pulled out a pair of latex gloves. "Are you allergic?"

"No. Thank you for asking."

She stepped back up to me, pulling on the gloves. "Open your mouth again." I did, and she stuck two fingers inside, probing briefly. I stared straight ahead, not saying anything.

Then she paused. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine, Elisabeth," I said. "I understand, and I don't blame you. Please, don't worry about it. Do what you have to do. I want you to go back in there and tell the alphas that I wasn't trying to hide anything. If you have an x-ray machine, wheel it out."

"Oh hell," she said. "You know, we do."

"Seriously?"

"I'm really sorry. Oh my god, I am not thinking clearly. I bet that's what Gia does with your clothes."

"You still need to look," I said. "Where do you want me?"

"Across the sink," she said.

So I moved there and then bent over, spreading my legs wide.

"I'm sorry," she said again.

"Just do it, Elisabeth. It's fine."

She slipped a hand between my legs, and then two fingers invaded me.

"I've been thinking about you doing that all week," I said.

She laughed once. "Shut up."

"Right there," I said. I wiggled.

She laughed again. "Stop it, Zoe. This is serious."

A moment later, she withdrew her fingers. "You missed a spot," I said, "and that wasn't remotely long enough."

"You know what's next," she said.

"If you apologize again, I'm going to..."

"What?"

"I have no idea. I'll think of something."

She spread my cheeks.

"I'll just think of it as foreplay," I said. "Are you kinky, Elisabeth? Do you think about playing there?"

"Please, Zoe..."

"Uh, uh," I said. I felt a finger enter me. "Oooh," I added. I faked a moan.

"Stop it!"

Of course, there wasn't anything to find except, well, the usual. Finally she withdrew.

"Stand over there," she said, gesturing to the end of the room. I straightened and moved away from her, turning sideways.

I felt violated. Of course I did. But making a joke about it had helped. The fact she clearly cared helped a lot, too.

I watched as she watched her hands before peeling off the gloves and throwing them in the trash. She leaned on the sink for a minute before turning to me.

"Find anything?" I asked.

"Of course not. I knew I wasn't going to."

"You had to check," I said. "Now listen to me."

She straightened.

"Get your head on straight," I said. "I need you in there."

"I'm not necessarily on your side, Zoe."

"If the alphas don't think you've got your shit straight, then they won't listen to you. And they might worry that all your employees stick up for me just for you. You need to be as hard on me as anyone else. I have nothing to hide from you. I didn't intend to get video of a werewolf. I was trying to stop poachers. I believe you can appreciate that goal. At no point did I intentionally invade your privacy. The worst I did was take photos while parked on a public road, and I've told you everything."

"Not everything," she said.

"But I will, and we both know it."

She smiled and nodded.

There was a knock on the door. "Stay there." Elisabeth moved to the door and opened it slightly. Someone handed a shopping bag in, and I suppressed a laugh.

It was a GreEN shopping bag.

"Someone has a sense of humor," I said.

"Scarlett."

"I hope she's not trying to give it back. She paid good money for it."

Elisabeth stepped forward and set the shopping bag on the floor in front of me. "Go ahead. I'm sorry. I have to watch."

I dressed slowly. I found my own undies but everything else was new. There was a wraparound skirt. It would be short on Scarlett, but it came below my knees. The blouse was far too large, but it was short sleeve, so I didn't completely drown. No socks, but there were a pair of flip-flops.

No bra.

"Do you like your girls braless?" I asked. "Mine are kind of small."

"Yours are fine. Finish dressing."

I finished then turned to the mirror. I washed quickly then turned to her. "Ready."

"I'm sorry about all this, Zoe."

"Don't worry about that. You need to do what's necessary now."

She nodded. I picked up the empty shopping bag, and she took my arm.

Once we were back in the conference room, she released my arm. Gia was gone, but the room seemed awfully full. Karen and Portia were back in human form; I had expected them as wolves, but I supposed they couldn't offer much opinion that way. I turned to Portia.

"Thank you for earlier."

She nodded.

"Head Enforcer," said Michaela. "Report."

"You already know the answer, Alpha. Clean. I don't know about her clothing. She suggested we x-ray her."

"Later," Michaela said after a moment. "Zoe, we have various refreshments in the refrigerator there." She pointed. "I do not recommend you drink alcohol at this time. Help yourself."

"I am fine right now, but perhaps later," I said. "Thank you."

Have I mentioned the surreal nature of this conversation?

"All right. I want you here at the end of the table. For now, you will stand. We may later offer a chair."

Elisabeth took my arm and moved me where they wanted me, and then all of them took seats, watching me carefully.

"Elisabeth," said Lara. "Report."

"We all know most of this story," Elisabeth said. "Beginning early on Monday morning, two and a half weeks ago, Zoe Young began clumsy surveillance of Lycaon. She was noticed immediately, and I was informed approximately thirty minutes after her arrival. I had her vehicle identified then we began a dossier. We verified the driver of Ms. Young's car was Ms. Young herself. We retrieved her driver's license information then began a background check. We discovered a rather colorful arrest record for a variety of charges, none of which anyone in this room will fault."

I saw a few nods. I thought this was review for them, and perhaps was all meant to let me know how thorough they had been.

"She continued to post herself outside Lycaon for most of that week, photographing every car, coming and going. We have extensive photos of her, but I don't believe we need them. They don't show us anything we don't all know."

"That's fine," said Lara.

"Lara and I allowed ourselves to be photographed on Wednesday, and then we lingered until late after hours. Ms. Young stayed much later that night than she did the other nights, and she left her post only shortly after we finally left. At this point, we felt sure she was after Lara. We were mistaken. She was looking for me."

I stared at her. "I'm sorry. I didn't think about the trouble I was causing you."

"Don't interrupt," Lara said.

I nodded.

"It was only chance that provided an easy introduction. We knew of Ms. Young's association with GreEN, and from their web site, we knew where she would be on Friday and Saturday. And so we sent Angel and Scarlett to check on her. We'll hear from them later, if it becomes necessary. They reported to us Friday afternoon, and we made the decision to see what Ms. Young would do if she came face to face with our alpha." Elisabeth paused. "You can imagine my surprise when she couldn't take her eyes off me, and my even greater surprise when she attempted to ask me on, of all things, a date."

"You were stunning," I said quietly.

No one chastised me.

"Ms. Young displayed herself as a passionate environmentalist, exactly in keeping with what we expected. What wasn't clear was what she wanted. But as her interest in me became, well, beyond obvious, we decided to make use of that."

I hung my head. It had been an act.

"What I hadn't counted on was my own fascination. Alphas, I will not be objective. I am sorry."

I looked up. Elisabeth was looking at me, and we nodded to each other.

"We understand, Sister," Lara said. "Go on."

"I used the date on Saturday to scope out the situation as best I could without being obvious. I was expecting her to pump me for information, but she acted like someone on a first date. She wanted to know about me, and she seemed more fascinated with me than others I've gone out with, but if I hadn't known of her surveillance outside Lycaon, I wouldn't have been remotely suspicious of her."

I didn't interrupt this time.

"However, she did mention the full moon, which I found was interesting. And then she agreed to a date for the night of the full moon. At that point, absolutely no one would have thought she knew my true nature."

"I did know, more or less," I said quietly. "I decided to trust you when you said I was safe."

"Foolish," Michaela said. "If what everyone thinks they know about werewolves was true, you'd be dead."

I shrugged. "I'm not dead. Yet."

"On Tuesday, I took her to an isolated location. My goal was not to test or intimidate her, but simply to get her far from her apartment so she wouldn't catch my team."

"What?" I said. "You broke in?"

"We used your keys, which you left in my car," Elisabeth said.

"Oh. Will you tell me who it was?"

"A team run by me," Karen said. "You don't need to know the rest. We found photos of Elisabeth, confirming Ms. Young's interest was in her and not Lara as originally suspected. In the time we had, we were unable to bypass her computer security, but we placed monitoring devices on the network and bugged the crap out of the apartment."

"I told you my apartment was bugged."

That generated some feeble laughter.

I turned to Karen. "Did you find bugs by anyone else?"

"No, and we did a sweep."

"I guess I haven't been pissing them off enough lately."

"And you're going to stop pissing them off," Lara said. "Do I make myself clear?"

"You can't-"

"Yes," she said. "I can. If you walk away from this, you may continue to do what you are doing, but no more arrests. Nothing that's likely to draw attention to you and, in turn, us."

I thought about it and wasn't ready to concede the point.

"You can do more working with us, anyway," Michaela said. "And this is non-negotiable, Zoe."

"I'm sorry. Of course."

I thought it was a good sign they were talking about my living through the day.

"We still weren't sure of her interest," explained Elisabeth, "so we invited her away for the weekend, and then I made sure she kept her computer behind."

"And got me to tell you my password."

"That was a bonus," Elisabeth said. "Thank you for that. It made the rest so much easier. We found absolutely no evidence that she has attempted to tell anyone else, but we found a video I wish she didn't have. We've all seen it."

"All right. And what about today?"

"A few things," said Elisabeth. "She has vowed to maintain my secrets and by extension, pack secrets. She's been growing increasingly distraught all week until finally today she called me. We have video of her actions prior to that call."

"What?"

"What part of 'bugged the crap out of' wasn't clear?" Elisabeth asked.

Portia had a computer. While Elisabeth had been talking, she'd been using it. Finally she did something. Behind me, I heard my own voice. I turned around, and there was video of my apartment.

"Move aside," Michaela ordered, and I moved towards Elisabeth.

We watched for about ten minutes, which ended with me leaving the apartment to meet Elisabeth.

"We have a great deal more, but it's more of the same," said Portia after ending the video. "We have no evidence she has made any attempt to forward anything she knows to anyone else. She doesn't even mention her dates to anyone."

"During her drive here," Karen added, "she made no phone calls except to Elisabeth. She made no stops and drove straight here." Karen then gave a review of my state when she drove me to Elisabeth's.

Elisabeth relayed our conversation.

"That is what we know. I will have more to say before we reach a final decision."

"Of course, Elisabeth," said Lara. "Thank you." She turned to me. "Tell us everything about the videos. We've seen the content. Tell us what we don't know. Take your time and be thorough."

I moved back to the end of the table and explained everything I'd already said to Elisabeth. It took perhaps five minutes to relay everything.

Portia stood up and began setting cameras on the table. "These cameras?" Lara asked.

I stared at them. "The same model," I said. "That's the kind I use. But there are only five. I had seven." And Portia put one more on the table.

"Do you have another one in that bag?"

"No?"

"They look like mine," I said. "If you have a map, I'll show you where mine were."

"Portia, can you bring up a map?" Lara asked.

A moment later, there was a Google Maps view on the screen on the wall behind me. I turned to it. "Someone help me. Where is the eagle's nest?"

The map shifted, and then there was a mouse pointer. "This tree, I think," Portia said.

"Got it. You're in too far. Zoom out. Again. Okay." I looked closely. "These are the two nearest roads, right? One along the west, the other along the north."

"Correct."

I looked carefully then shook my head. "This doesn't look right. Are there two eagle nests?"

"What's wrong with it?" Elisabeth asked.

"There's a curve in the road along the north." I gestured. "It should be here. Maybe I am misremembering, but it was only a few weeks ago. I don't think this is where my cameras were. If this is where you got those cameras, they aren't mine."

I turned around. They were all studying me carefully. Then Michaela said, "Portia, shift the view to the middle of Madison and then let Zoe drive."

I didn't turn around, but a moment later, she slid her laptop down to me, and a moment after that, Angel was offering me a chair. I sat down and then spent a minute or so finding the right spot.

"I think this is it," I said. "Right here. You can't see the nest in the pictures."

"Keep going," said Elisabeth. "Where are your cameras?"

"Four along here," I said, gesturing with the mouse. "Can you see that?"

"Yes. Can you be more exact?"

"Um. Maybe. Here, facing north and a second one facing south. They're supposed to catch cars coming and going, and they are aimed at the road. Then there's one here facing towards the nest, and another one up here. Finally I have one here, watching south again. Then up on the other road, there are two more, in case people approach from that side. I think about here and here. They're not that hard to spot."

I looked up. "Is there a nest there, or am I lost?"

"You're not lost," Elisabeth said. "There's a nest there."

"Two nests?"

"No."

I turned to Portia. "You were testing me?"

She shrugged.

"Which cameras did you use to capture me?" Elisabeth asked.

"You were briefly on this one, just a flash," I said, indicating one of the first. "But it was these two that caught more of you."

"When we're done," said Lara to Portia, "Go find that last camera. If you can't find it, bring her to help."

"If you tell me which ones you found, I can give a better description."

"I got the ones along the west road. Explain the two along the north road."

"They're mounted in trees just like the others. Most of them are only about eight feet off the ground, as high as I like to go with a ladder. But this one..." I gestured with the mouse, "is higher. That tree is easily climbed, and the camera is in a vee between two branches. It's hard to see, but it's nearly directly across from one of your No Trespassing signs and." I closed my eyes, thinking about it. "There's a dead tree just past it, still standing, but the trunk is bare of bark."

"That's the one I'm missing," she said. "I'll find it from that description."

I closed the computer and sent it back down to her.

After that, they grilled me for two hours, but it wasn't until the end when Michaela said, "Almost anyone, having that footage, would do two things. First, he would try to acquire more, some sort of definitive proof. Then he would tell people, perhaps selling the footage. Perhaps call law enforcement. Someone. Why didn't you do either of those?"

"You're kidding, right?" I asked. "You already know the answer, Michaela."

"Tell me."

"Because if anyone found out, they would try to destroy you."

"So? We're monsters."

I looked away. "I was worried you might be monsters. That's why I left a copy at the bank. You're not monsters. But that's how people would treat you."

I looked back. "No one has flat out said it, but I knew my life was on the line the moment I decided to call Elisabeth. I didn't know it's been on the line for two weeks. But even if you have to kill me, you're not monsters. You're just people trying to live your lives."

I turned to Lara. "Will you tell me when it's time to plead for my life?"

"A few more questions," she said. "How do you propose we retrieve the video from the bank?"

"I don't know. I'll agree to whatever you want. I don't know how you can send someone, unless the bank will let you do that with a letter or something. If not, then I assumed you would send someone with me. I presumed she would have a gun or something."

"Portia and I can handle this part," Karen said. She looked at me. "You could betray us, but you won't live long enough to enjoy it."

"I have no intention of betraying you."

"Unless Greg has a better plan," Lara said, "I'll leave that with you, Karen."

She nodded.

"Does anyone have any questions?"

No one said anything until Michaela leaned forward. "I have one more. When you saw that video, what was your response?"

"Oh god," I said. "I don't know exactly. I think I said, 'Oh my god!' followed by, 'Who is that?' and 'She's amazing'. Something like that."

Michaela smiled for a moment. "I should have wagered."

I didn't understand that, but I let it go.

Lara turned to me. "Now is when you plead."

I nodded. "Before I do, I asked Elisabeth for three favors, if you decide you have to kill me."

"What are they?"

"I want a chance to say goodbye to her, but after that, I don't want to see it coming, and if you can do it so it doesn't hurt, I'd appreciate it."

"Is that it?"

"That's one. I suppose it sounded like three. Two, I asked to see Elisabeth's wolf. And third, I asked if you'd answer my questions."

Lara nodded. "If we have to kill you, we'll grant your requests. I don't want it to come to that." She took a breath. "Did you have immediate questions?"

"So many." But I looked at Michaela. "What are you?"

Michaela looked at me for a while, then she asked, "Lara?"

"Your choice, honey."

Michaela nodded then she stood up. She loosened her clothing then began to jump onto the table. By the time she landed, she wasn't a woman.

She was a fox.

She slithered out of her clothes, then stretched, her mouth dangling open and her tongue lolling out. She turned sideways, giving me a good look.

"Oh my god," I said, and I felt the tears begin to crawl down my cheeks. "She's beautiful."

"She certainly is," Lara said. "And now that you've told her that, she'll be on your side. She's very vain."

Michaela turned around and snapped her teeth at Lara, but then leaned forward and licked her face.

"She's a werefox?"

"Yes," said Lara. "She is exceedingly rare."

I stared. "Could I... Michaela, would you let me touch you?"

Michaela turned towards me and, walking carefully, she approached, but then she stopped and looked over her head at Lara.

"She's very delicate," Lara said. "It is easy to hurt her. You need to be very, very gentle."

"I will."

Michaela turned back to me then walked the rest of the way, finally turning sideways and sitting down at the end of the conference table.

Slowly I reached up and ran my hand down her fur.

"It's rough," I said.

"The guard hairs," Lara said.

Elisabeth stood up and moved to my side. "Here." She dug her fingers in, and she massaged Michaela's back a little. "Gently."

I did the same, much like I had Portia earlier.

"Up and down her spine like that," Elisabeth said. "Not the tail though. She doesn't like anyone messing with her tail."

And so, slowly, I dug my fingers into Michaela's fur, very gently pinching my way all the way up to the base of her skull.

She closed her eyes and accepted the attention.

"Put your hand on the table," Elisabeth said. So I did, and then Michaela put her paw next to my hand. Her paw was much smaller than my hand.

The tears were still crawling down my face. "Thank you," I whispered. "You are so beautiful. I never knew there were people like you. I never knew."

Michaela turned her head to look at me, and then she stood, arched her back for a moment in another stretch, and shook her fur out. Then she walked down the table again before jumping down next to Lara. She shifted back into human. She began dressing, her back to me.

"In the movies," I said, "it's slow and hurts."

"That's a long story," said Lara. "Perhaps another day."

I nodded. I liked the idea there would be other days.

Angel got up, went to the fridge, and when she came back, she had a box of tissues and a bottle of water. She set them both in front of me, and I took a minute to clean up, then opened the water and drank heavily. "Thank you, Angel."

She nodded to me.

I turned back to Lara. "If you decide to kill me, maybe at least we can talk for a few hours." She inclined her head. "And I'd love to hear a howl." At that, she smiled.

I stood up straight. "I'm not going to plead. I won't tell. No one would believe me, anyway. I'm a crackpot environmentalist. What little respect I have with anyone would be gone if I ever told. But I wouldn't. How could I? It would be going against everything I believe in. They would try to lock you up, or worse. The hunters..." I looked away. "I don't want to think about that. I won't tell. Ever."

"This story could be worth a great deal of money," Lara said.

"Yes, I've demonstrated by my current lifestyle that money is my main motivation in life." That was said sarcastically. "I'm sorry for my tone."

"No, don't be," she said. "It was an honest reaction. You could use that money to further your goals as an environmentalist."

"Destroy what you have here so I can save a tree somewhere else? No. I won't tell. Ever."

She studied me. "What do you feel is the absolute best possible outcome from this?"

"Best?" She nodded. I turned to Elisabeth. "That your sister still wants me."

Elisabeth didn't say anything, and I couldn't read her body language. I turned back to Lara. "That we can be friends. If there's a way to apply to join the clan, that you would welcome me."

"We can't make you a werewolf."

"Elisabeth said Scarlett's father is human."

"He is, and a few others. This is what you wish?"

I nodded. "Yes. You asked for best. That's best, or at least the start of best."

"You didn't ask for money."

"If you want to support GreEN, you know I'll accept. I don't need you to support me."

I paused.

"I'm still vegan though."

There were chuckles about that.

"I won't expect anyone else to be, but I would always offer the things I make."

Lara shook her head. "I do not know that we can allow a vegan into the pack, but we will take your words to heart. Do you have anything else to say?"

"I'm sorry for the trouble I caused. I wasn't trying to cause trouble."

I turned to Elisabeth. "Please don't hate me."

"I don't," she said.

"Then that's all I have to say."

"We have a cell," said Lara. "It holds an adult werewolf. It will hold you. Is anyone expecting you for anything in the next few days?"

"No. I need to use the bathroom, and if you're locking me up, may I have something to read?"

"Elisabeth, take care of it. We'll resume in fifteen minutes."

 **Cell**

The cell was small, cold, and boring, but they gave me a chair and some mats on the floor. Elisabeth apologized but said, "When we throw someone in here, it's usually a disciplinary matter, and curling up on cold concrete is part of it. They are usually very angry, and anything we put in here tends to get destroyed."

"It's fine."

"What do you want to read?"

"Lesbian romance."

She laughed. "No promises."

"Anything. Michaela's textbooks, if nothing else."

She nodded. "I'll send someone with something. If you need anything else, knock on the door firmly. Someone will be on duty."

I nodded. She turned to go.

"Elisabeth?"

She turned back.

"Will you hold me?"

I didn't have to ask twice. She opened her arms, and I ran to her. She wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly. I squeezed, molding my body against hers.

We stood like that for a minute or two.

"Thank you," I finally whispered. "If it goes badly, I understand."

"I think you can have hope," she said. She kissed the top of my head. "If there's anything else I should know, you need to tell me."

"Nothing else," I said.

Slowly, she pulled away. "I'm sorry. Also, we don't know how to cook for you, so the best we can do is bread and fruit. The bread isn't vegan. It's just normal bread from the store."

"Potatoes are good, too, if they can be produced vegan. Thank you." I looked up at her. "Could you... stand to kiss me?"

She put two fingers on my chin. I closed my eyes, and a moment later, our lips met.

It was a chaste kiss compared to most of ours, but it was a kiss nevertheless.

I kept my eyes closed and stood there as she stepped away, and a moment later, the door closed behind her.

Then I slumped, and the tears began.

I was partially cried out by the time there was a knock at the door, and a moment later it opened. Eric stepped in with a bag. By then, I was sitting on the floor, leaning against the wall with my knees drawn up. I didn't really look at him, and I didn't get up.

He set the bag down. "Books," he said. "And there's a water bottle and some food."

"Thank you."

"I'll bring tissues and a towel."

"Thank you."

He was gone a minute before he returned, setting them on the floor next to the bag.

"Our alpha is fair," he said. "She'll protect the pack, but she's fair."

I looked up at him.

"Your chances with another pack would be... well, not good. I don't know what they discussed, but she's fair."

I nodded. "Thank you. And thank Elisabeth for the books."

"Actually, I'll thank Nora. They're hers." He bent over and picked one up. "They're kind of smutty. She leaves them around the alphas' house for the rest of us to read. I liked this one." He turned the book towards me, and I recognized one of my favorite lesbian authors.

"You read lesfic?" I asked.

"Hey, they're good stories," he said. "Sometimes the sex is hot." He shrugged. "If someone is a homophobe, he doesn't belong in this pack. Nora's not a lesbian though. She says she's pansexual." He smiled. "We went out a few times, just casual, but she's a little young."

I tried to judge his age. "How old are you?"

"Thirty-four," he replied.

"You look younger."

"We age, but not as fast as humans," he replied. "Well, that's not true. We mature faster, but then it all slows down in our twenties, if that makes sense."

I nodded. "Should you be telling me?"

"No one said I couldn't talk to you," he replied. "Elisabeth said to get anything you need. I thought perhaps you could use a little conversation."

"Would you get in trouble if you sat with me?"

"No." He lowered himself down the opposite wall, facing me. "But you should know. The door out of the basement is locked, and I'm a lot faster than you are, anyway."

"I wouldn't have come if I had intended to run," I said. "But thank you for telling me." I paused. "What's it like?"

"Being a wolf?"

"Yeah."

"It's what I've always known," he replied. "There are a few things that would really stand out, but I don't know if I could explain them to a human." He paused. "The smells. I know your smell is almost dead, compared to mine, and that's in this form. As a wolf, I can smell everything. Even like this, I can smell far, far better than you can. I can tell you're scared. I can smell that you and Elisabeth hugged. I can tell you're wearing Scarlett's clothes."

"Her scent lingers through a wash?"

"A little, but I'd have to sniff a lot closer. No. Her dad does the laundry in that house, and he keeps buying detergent with scent. No wolf would ever do that."

"You can smell the detergent?"

"You can, too, when it comes out of the wash. But for you, it fades. Not to us."

"Is it overpowering?"

"No. It's not like a good whiff of pepper. It's just there, along with all the other smells." He paused. "If you and Elisabeth keep seeing each other, you should change everything you do to scentless. She'll prefer your natural scent in everything. It can be hard to find scentless soap, but we can help you."

"Thank you. What else can you smell?"

"The books. The food. The exercise matt you're sitting on. I can smell that Elisabeth was in here. There is still the lingering scent from the last time this room was painted, but it's really subtle."

"When was it painted?"

"Last year, I think. If the room got more air, I couldn't smell it."

"Wow."

"I can smell your worry, and I could smell Elisabeth's." He paused. "Grief smells different. She smelled worried, but she wasn't grieving. Angel was, but it turned to hope when Elisabeth let her go in with her."

"Really?"

He nodded.

"Outside, oh my god, the smells outside. All the trees and bushes and hundreds of kinds of flowers. And all of us have our own scent, too, each of us going here and there. We play games in the woods, like hide and seek, and it can get pretty crazy by the third or fourth game, with tracks on top of tracks, trying to figure out which one is strongest."

"It sounds amazing." I shook my head. "I keep using that word."

"It's appropriate. Next, the power. Look up." I looked up at the ceiling far above me. "Twelve feet," he said. "I can touch it."

"Holy shit."

"It's hard around humans. We have to hide it. I went out with a few, but I couldn't do it. I was so afraid I would hurt her. I don't know how Lara does it with Michaela, or some of the others with their human mates."

"Elisabeth has been very gentle. She's amazing."

"Yeah." He looked away.

"A crush?"

"Yeah. But it wouldn't work. I'm too dominant."

"What does that mean?"

"I like to be the strong one in the relationship."

"That's sort of old fashioned, Eric."

"Well, Elisabeth is really, really, really dominant."

"She'd wear the pants?"

"It's not gender-based, but yeah. Don't put it that way, though." He paused. "Most of the people living here are very dominant, but somehow they make it work."

"So, Nora?"

"She's pretty cute," he said. "Do you know who she is?" I shook my head. He paused. "Do you know who lives with the alphas?"

"I presume their daughters. After that, no."

"Okay. I didn't know if you knew they had a couple of girls. Nora is their nanny."

"She's a wolf?"

"Yeah, and she's a lot of fun. I think I was just a lark. That woman could wrap anyone around her finger. I don't know whom she's seeing lately. She'll settle down with someone someday, and whoever it is won't see it coming."

I laughed.

"Boys?"

"Me? No. All girls. Women. You know what I mean."

"So, the power?"

"Yeah. I'm six-two and weigh two-thirty."

"That's a big man," I said.

"I can bench press twelve hundred."

"That sounds like a lot."

"Half a small car."

"I suppose a female isn't as strong?"

"Don't let Lara hear you say that. She'll kick my ass to prove you wrong."

"Yeah, well, Elisabeth said Michaela kicks her ass."

Eric smiled. "With her knives yes. We're pretty proud of Michaela. So, run fast, jump far, lift cars... And I can be gentle, you know, but during the heat of things, well... A guy gets worked up. It's hard to concentrate on: Don't hurt her. Don't hurt her. Don't hurt her. You know, while you're also concentrating on everything else."

"Right," I said.

"It's maybe easier for a woman. According to Nora's books, you women take turns."

I laughed. "Yeah, not always, but yeah."

"If I were submissive, it might be easier. She could be on top."

"I think perhaps this conversation is getting a little too..."

"Right," he said with a laugh. "And then just being in fur. I can't describe that. The shift is painful. It takes three or four minutes for me."

"I saw Michaela shift in an instant."

"That's Michaela," he said.

"And I have a video. Do you know about that?"

"Yeah. You shouldn't have that. Elisabeth isn't going to live that down."

"Did I get her into trouble?"

"We're not supposed to get caught. For the head enforcer to get caught, well, that's downright embarrassing."

"Oh god. I'm so sorry."

He grinned. "She can handle it. She gives as good as she gets."

"In my video, it was instant, like Michaela."

"I can't talk about that," he said. I nodded. "So, for me the shift is painful, and it is for most wolves. Although not as bad as in the movies, where they scream for a half hour. And it's so worth it. You finish shifting, and the pain fades. You get up, and you sort of shake your fur out, fluff it up. You know?"

"Maybe."

"And stretch. On god, I love to stretch. And if I could smell everything before, I can smell everything-everything as a wolf. And those big ears." He held his hands up and rotated them around like radar dishes. "Really, really cold water isn't any fun, but I love to go for a run in the winter, when the air is crisp, and you can run and run and run and not get too hot."

He faded away for a moment then said, "That's the best part. Running. Leaping. And we play. Humans get so uptight as adults. They forget to play. Well, we play. We play all the time. Even the alphas play, and Elisabeth. You should see them. It can be hard for the humans who join us. They think they should be so serious, that they have to work so hard. But you know? If they just play. It doesn't matter that they aren't as fast. You're never going to beat Elisabeth in anything, except possibly an argument. But she'll love if you just play."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Did you race her kayaking?"

"No. I raced Michaela. She gave me a fifty yard head start and I almost won."

"How long a race?"

"I was dead tired at the end. Maybe four hundred yards."

Eric laughed. "If you almost won, then it's because she was trying to hide what she could do."

"Oh," I said in a small voice.

"No, don't see it like that. I bet it meant a lot that you raced her. And if you ask her in the future, it will really mean a lot, now that you know about her."

"But she's not a wolf."

"She's as strong as all but the strongest men. You raced someone with the strength of a human man my size but a body her size."

"Oh my god, we went so slowly. That first day, they were all waiting for me, weren't they?"

"They didn't mind," he said. "I heard it was a nice day on the water. The fox and Angel each got a fish. Everyone got some exercise. If they want exercise, they'll get some. Or you can always ask Elisabeth to tow you."

I laughed. "I'd be embarrassed."

"Naw, don't be. Sometimes Michaela asks for a tow. Not often. She's amazingly stubborn."

"Is that why Michaela suggested I paddle tandem with Elisabeth after that?"

"Probably," Eric replied.

I thought about it all for a few minutes. "Elisabeth is your boss?"

"Yeah. It's not like a human boss, though. And Lara and Michaela are the alphas. I also answer to whoever is in charge of whatever detail I'm on. But that still puts me ahead of almost everyone else in the pack."

"So everyone does what you say?"

"Well, they would, but we don't do that, except for security, or if they're screwing up and we have to bash heads."

"Does that happen?"

"Wolves can be really stupid. Yeah. It's the crappy part of the job, showing up at someone's house and asking him: WTF? You're selling pot? What is the matter with you? If it's a first offense, we have to beat the crap out of him. I hate that. We get that shit about once a year."

"I thought there were only twenty or thirty people in the pack."

"Oh no. That's how many live here, but we cover all of Wisconsin. Werewolves are everywhere, ma'am. Everywhere. You've met some before, I almost promise."

"Are they all as big as you?"

"I'm big, even for a werewolf. You met Gia. She's average for a female."

"She's not small."

"No, but she's only about five-eight and one-fifty. An average male is five-eleven and built, but not huge you know? You wouldn't look at him and think, 'linebacker'. Bouncer maybe."

I nodded. "You're smaller than a linebacker."

"Yeah, but I can kick that linebacker's ass."

I laughed.

"Bouncer is a good job for a lot of wolves. We make bad cops though."

"Why?"

"Don't freak out." Then in his throat, he began to growl, and it might have been the scariest thing I'd ever heard. He did it for about five seconds, and by the end, I was pushing myself back into the wall, trying to get further away from him.

"Sorry," he said. "But put us in a stressful situation, and we tend to do that."

It took me a minute to calm down.

"There's water in the bag," He said. He was said calmly, as if he hadn't just scared the shit out of me a few seconds ago. "Sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you that badly."

"You did that casually," I said. I rolled my way over to the bag and found a bottle of water. "I can't imagine if you were really angry with me."

"You asked earlier about being dominant. Imagine your reaction if you and Elisabeth were having a fight, and she started making that noise, and you know she's angry at you, and you're angry."

"I'd piss my pants. I know I would."

"It would end the fight," he said. "She'd immediately turn protective, but she would also assume she had just won." He paused. "You need to think about something. A few somethings. First, watch how both of them are with Michaela. If you have a future with Elisabeth, then that's your future. Protected."

"A security detail?"

"I don't know. You wouldn't be the alpha's mate. But you also can't protect yourself. Yeah, probably. I don't know. It's not my decision."

I nodded.

"But protected. She won't let you do anything she thinks is dangerous. She won't let you live in that apartment, for instance. No way."

I sighed. "She already told me that."

"I don't mean to be rude, but that place sucks. You can do better."

"I can't afford better."

"Yeah, well," he said. "Do you think there is any chance in the world she's going to let that matter?"

I laughed. "No."

"Okay, the other thing is this. She'll let you argue with her. You can argue until you're blue in the face. You might even win a lot of the arguments. But if she ever, EVER growls at you, you will lower your eyes and do whatever the hell you're told. And if you can't do that, then you have no business with a dominant wolf like Elisabeth."

I looked at the floor between us for a while. Eric didn't say anything while I thought about it. Finally I raised my eyes. "She's worth it."

He smiled. "You need to ask yourself something else. For that relationship to work, it can't be just that she's worth it. You have to like her dominance. It has to feel good. It has to feel good that she protects you. It has to feel good that she takes care of you. And it has to feel good to obey her. If not, find someone else, or eventually you'll grow to resent it."

"I don't know, Eric," I said. "I haven't even seen her wolf yet. I know she can reduce me to a quivering puddle. She already has."

"I know. We heard."

I cocked my head. "What do you mean, you heard."

"There's no video in your bathroom, but we have audio of whatever she did to you in the shower."

"Oh my god!" I said. "Oh my god!" I began blushing furiously. "Please no video. Please no video."

Eric laughed. "We're pretty casual about things like that."

I buried my face for a while. Eric chuckled a moment longer.

"Ma'am. Ms. Young. May I call you Zoe?"

"After hearing my screaming orgasm, I wish you would."

He chuckled again. "I think that's a pretty small issue, in the face of everything else."

"I suppose it is," I agreed. "But it's so embarrassing."

"Well, you'll have to get over that. You'll hear Michaela and Lara. Lara makes her scream."

"What?" I looked up.

"Oh yeah. Lara makes Michaela scream all sorts of things. Usually just Lara's name, but sometimes she makes her promise stuff. She'll obey. She's hers. Stuff like that. Top of her lungs, over and over."

"I'd be mortified."

He just grinned.

"Elisabeth will turn me into an screaming exhibitionist?"

"Yep."

"We'll be talking."

"She'll growl and you'll scream whatever she wants you to scream."

I sighed.

"You started to say you haven't seen her wolf."

"Yeah, right. Um. She's magnificent, Eric. I saw Portia and Karen. Portia let me pet her."

"Portia's amazing," Eric said.

"But dominant?"

"Big time. If I could enjoy being submissive, I'd roll over for her. You're wondering about Elisabeth's wolf?"

"Yeah."

"Better than Portia."

I closed my eyes, trying to imagine.

When I opened, Eric was watching me.

"This all sounds complicated. How do you form relationships if everyone is so dominant?"

"We're enforcers, by definition some of the most dominant wolves in the pack. It's not as bad when one of them isn't so dominant. Scarlett isn't at all submissive, but she isn't super-dominant, either, so she and Angel do really well."

I smiled. "A lot of lesbian werewolves."

"There weren't any until Lara brought Michaela home. Then suddenly the gay juices started flowing everywhere."

I laughed.

"You won't find such open relationships in that many packs," he said. "But when your alphas are a pair of females, and one a fox besides, it sort of sets a tone."

"So, are their daughters a mix of fox and wolf?"

"No. They're technically Lara's. Wait until you see them. They're absolutely adorable."

"I can't wait."

Out in the hallway, I heard the sound of a door. Eric didn't even scramble to his feet. A moment later, Elisabeth stood in the doorway. She took in the situation.

"We were talking," I said.

"That's fine," she replied.

I climbed to my feet as she moved into the cell, as did Eric. "I'll step outside," he said, and he closed the door behind himself.

I turned to face Elisabeth.

"Is there a judgment?"

"We want the contents of the bank box, and we also are taking everything from your apartment. We're going through it all with a fine tooth comb."

"You won't find anything I haven't already told you about."

"I don't expect we will," she said. "We have to be sure."

I nodded. "I'll do whatever you say."

"Good."

"Did Portia find my last camera?"

"We just broke up. She's going off to find it now."

"If she can't find it, I know right where it is."

"If we need that help, we'll ask."

I nodded understanding. "What about me, Elisabeth. Please. Just tell me. If you're going to kill me, I want to know. I'll help you get the stuff from the bank."

"If we were going to kill you, I wouldn't tell you until we had everything we need from you, Zoe."

I looked away. "Would you lie to me?"

"If I felt I had to. I'll do whatever it takes to protect the pack."

"And yet, you didn't just lie to me."

"We want every scrap of electronic media you have. I need to know where to look."

"Everything is in my apartment or the bank box. My email is Gmail, so I guess stuff might be cached there, too, but I don't have anywhere else. Well, there's my web site." I sighed. "I'm not doing a good job answering." I turned back. "Please, Elisabeth. Am I going to die?"

"Not tonight. If you don't do anything stupid tomorrow at the bank, then you won't die tomorrow, either."

"You're not helping. I think I deserve to know. I've been up front. I deserve to know."

She put her hand on her hip. "I do not respond well to that tone."

"And I don't respond well wondering whether my lover wants to kill me."

"Oh god, Zoe, I don't want to kill you. I want to protect you! And you are going to have to trust me."

"I came here. I didn't know you already knew. I came here and I told you. How much more trust can you ask for?"

"You also thought about destroying the evidence."

"Of course I did! And I thought about leaving copies with people so I could threaten you if you threatened me. But I didn't do either of those. I came to you. I delivered myself straight into your hands."

"Yes, but right now, you are very, very safe."

"Oh? It doesn't feel safe."

"We can't exactly kill you here. You brought your cell phone. You called me on it. There are location records."

"Do not blame me for that," I said. "You told me to. If you had told me to leave it behind, I would have."

"I'm not blaming you. I should have told you to leave it home, and if I'd been thinking clearly, I would have insisted on letting a team pick you up. But I didn't, because all I can think about is protecting you."

I stared at her. "Really?"

"Really."

"Like Lara protects Michaela."

"Yes, just like that."

"All right," I said. "But I expect to know. I don't want to just suddenly croak without knowing."

She nodded. She looked around. "I know this is Spartan. It's only a few days at the most, maybe not even that. Can you stand it?"

I nodded. "The biggest danger is going to be boredom and fear, not the accommodations. I wouldn't suppose I could have my computer, if it's going to be days."

"I'm afraid not."

"I'll make do, then, I guess," I said. "I have Nora's books."

"Her smut books?" Elisabeth said.

"They aren't smut," I said. "It's good lesfic. You should read some."

"I have," she said. "She leaves them everywhere then giggles when she catches any of us reading one. She's started leaving pansexual books around and waiting for the guys to pick them up."

I smiled.

"They aren't homophobes, but they aren't quite so enlightened as to be comfortable being caught reading books that have guys having sex, either." She changed her voice, lowering it a register. "There's dudes having sex with dudes in this book. What the fuck, Nora?" Then she changed her voice again. "Eric, I've asked you not to use language like that around the girls. Now I have to make you do a book report on that book."

She smiled for a moment. "Look. There's a lot of thinking that has to happen."

"I suppose."

"I'm sorry, Zoe."

"It's all right, Elisabeth." I looked down. "Was anyone on my side?" I asked quietly.

"Yes, Zoe. More than one."

I nodded. "I'll be fine tonight."

She nodded, and a moment later she was knocking on the door. Eric let her out.

Other than brief moments, I didn't get any more company that night. Angel brought me dinner, but she didn't say very much. I didn't think it would be fair to press her for information. A while later, Eric gave me pillows and blankets, more than enough. I assured him I'd slept in worse conditions. I got bathroom breaks when I asked and all the water I could drink.

I slept miserably, and I woke a few times crying. I really, really wanted Elisabeth to come comfort me, but she didn't.

In the morning, Karen and Portia came together. They brought me breakfast, and it was a proper vegan meal, although they didn't know how to give me protein. I was able to shower, and they had some of my clothes.

"Were there any tracking devices?"

"No," Karen said.

So I dressed, and ten minutes later, they were escorting me outside. We walked only a short distance to an SUV, and I got into the back seat between Karen and Eric.

"Are you going to behave?" Karen asked.

"Yes."

"You'll do exactly what I say."

"Yes."

"Then this is an unnecessary precaution, and it won't startle you." I held still as she dropped a loop of slender silver wire over my head and tightened it against my neck, not enough to hurt, but enough to be snug. She adjusted my blouse to hide it in front, then draped a pashmina over my shoulders, tucking everything in to finish hiding the wire. Then her hand was at the small of my back.

"What is it?"

"A sort of garrote," she said. "Do you know what that is?"

"No."

"This one tightens but doesn't loosen again. When it's time to remove, I have to cut it off, and it's not easy to cut. If I pull hard on the handle, it tightens further. Do you know what happens then?"

"I die, if someone doesn't get it off me."

"That's right. If I pull hard enough, I am strong enough to decapitate you. I don't say that to startle you but to make sure you understand."

I closed my eyes and nodded.

"The windows of this vehicle are tinted, and no one is going to see you. But we aren't taking chances."

"I'm not going to do anything except what you tell me, Karen. You don't have to threaten."

With all her precautions, I was pretty sure they didn't intend to let me live.

"May I have some tissues?"

They handed me a box. A moment later, Portia started the car, and soon we were on the way.

No one talked. I dried tears a few times, but I didn't look at any of them. If they were going to kill me, then I didn't want to talk to any of them.

Finally we arrived at the bank, pulling into the lot. Portia killed the engine.

Eric unbuckled me, and Karen checked me over. "Clean yourself up a little more and pull yourself together."

"I don't know if I can. You wouldn't be doing it this way if you were going to let me live. You would need that wire. If you were going to trust me, you'd start now." I turned to her. "I don't deserve to die. I don't deserve this thing around my neck. I don't deserve your threats or the way you're treating me."

I looked back out the window. "We'll go in there. I'll get you what you want. We'll leave. And then you're going to take me somewhere and kill me. But I won't give you away. I wouldn't do that."

"Why not? Don't you want to live?"

"Yes, I want to live, but if I'm not willing to take honey from bees, do you think I'm willing to destroy an entire group of people?"

"Our orders are to retrieve the contents of the safety deposit box and return you to the compound," Karen said. "We have no orders to kill you."

"I don't believe you. Whatever. Let's go."

"Inside, my name is Jennifer Baskins. Will you remember that?"

"Jennifer Baskins. Yes, Jennifer. I'll remember."

"If anyone asks why you're so upset, it's because your aunt died. You were her favorite niece, and you have to get the will from the box."

"The box is in GreEN's name."

"And you used it to store the will. GreEN won't care, it's a small will."

"Who are you?"

"Best friend. I've been by your side, and you don't think you can get through it without me."

"Fine, Jen," I said. "Let's go."

She sighed once, and then Portia was opening car doors. We stepped out, and Portia handed me a shopping bag - a GreEN shopping bag. I didn't think it was funny. She and Eric stayed with the SUV. Karen walked with me, one hand on my back, the other clasping my arm. That left me to open the doors for us. I thought about letting her bang into them, but I decided it wouldn't help my situation.

Inside, we presented ourselves to visit the vault.

"I don't have my key."

"I have it," she said.

"I don't have my ID."

"I have it."

A moment later, a woman led us into a private area, collected my ID, and checked the computer. She asked if Karen would be entering with me. "Yes."

There were procedures for that, including a photo of Karen. Finally we were escorted to the vault. The woman used her key. I used the key Karen handed me. Then the woman carried the box to a viewing room and left us alone.

I opened the box and found the thumb drive labeled with a W.

"Cute," she said. "We're taking everything."

"Most of it's not mine. It's GreEN's."

"Are you going to argue with your best friend, Zoe?"

"No."

I opened the shopping bag and moved everything into it then let Karen see the box was entirely empty. I picked up the shopping bag, and she tugged me to the door.

Five minutes later, we were in the parking lot. The SUV was gone.

"Do not move a muscle," she said. She released my arm and reached into her pocket, pulling out her phone. "Pick us up." I held rock still the entire time. The phone went back into her pocket, and then she clutched my arm again. Two minutes later, we were on our way out of the city.

I wore the wire all the way until we came to a stop back at their property. Then Karen had to use a wire cutter to cut the damned noose from around my neck. They escorted me back towards my cell. I was almost in the door before I pulled away and ran to the bathroom. A moment later, I was retching into the toilet.

Karen was right behind me, and she knelt down and tried to hold my hair.

"Go to hell," I managed to say. "Leave me alone."

She got up and closed the door behind herself.

I prayed to the toilet for a few minutes, then spent more time cleaning up, stalling really. I flushed a few times and cleaned up the room a little, too, but it stank. I imagined it really stank for the wolves.

Good. Let it. I hoped they gagged.

All three of them were waiting when I stepped out. Karen stepped forward to take my arm, but I hissed at her. "I know where I'm going. Keep your hands to yourself."

She backed away, and I marched my way to the cell.

Elisabeth brought my lunch. Based upon what was on it, someone had gone grocery shopping, which surprised me.

"Is this my last meal?"

Elisabeth sat down opposite me.

"We're going through everything. You have an amazing amount of electronic media. It's taking time."

"You're not going to find anything I haven't already told you about. You no longer need me for anything. You can now tell me my fate knowing I can't do anything to interfere."

"Can we?" she asked. "What if you left a poison pill somewhere?"

"I don't know what that means."

"A lawyer or a friend who expects to hear from you, and when she doesn't, she publishes who knows what."

"Eric said he can smell emotions. Can you smell if I lie?"

"It's not completely accurate. It's hard to fool us, but not impossible."

"Do I seem like someone able to fool anyone? Have you smelled me lie?"

"No, Zoe."

"Do you think I lied?"

"No."

"Does anyone?"

"No."

I lifted my eyes. "Then why are you treating me like this?"

"Because we're scared, Zoe. What if we're wrong about you? What if we trust you, and you have betrayed us, or you betray us later? Lara and Michaela have two lovely little girls. We could be plunged into a war, and those little girls would be some of the casualties, either because they lose their parents or they die themselves. Serena has children. Michaela teaches a school full of lovely boys and girls. Scarlett is one of the sweetest girls I know, and you should meet her little brother, Thomas. Angel is my cousin, and I love her to pieces."

"This is all your fault!" I said. "I didn't set out to record you. I was trying to catch poachers. You turned from wolf to human in sight of a public road. This is your fault."

"Do you think I don't know that?" she asked. "Do you think I haven't been kicking myself, oh, pretty much a hundred percent of the time since I saw that video? Do you think I'm not wracked with guilt? Even if we can let you go, we've put you through this, and it's my fault. Every little bit is my fault."

I didn't say anything.

"Karen told me how she would ensure your cooperation. I had to approve that, knowing you would probably hate me for it. Do you think I cackled with glee thinking about how scared it was going to make you?"

"You can't hide forever," I said. "Everyone has a cell phone these days. And the world is getting smaller and smaller. There's a pack of wolves thirty miles from Madison? Please. No one is going to believe that. If anyone ever sees any of you, they're all going to descend on you, and you'll never get any privacy."

"I know," she said. "It is the position of this pack that we need to come out in a controlled manner, but we're not the only pack in North America, and right now, the law of the land is secrecy. It won't last much longer, but right now, we don't break it."

I sighed. "I won't tell."

"I believe you. Hell, everyone believes you."

"Then why am I in here? Why did Karen use that damned wire?" I nearly screamed that last part.

"Because we're afraid, Zoe. Take your fear today, but apply it to everyone you have ever loved, then add in an insane protective instinct that's far, far more intense than your desire to protect the environment."

I stared at my hands. "I'm not the one you should be afraid of." I said. "I'm a zealot, but I protect nature. You're the sentient personification of nature." I looked up. "I couldn't hurt you."

I tried not to cry. "May I have more than books? Maybe an Xbox or something?"

"Deck of cards," she replied. "We can play if you want."

"Don't you have duties? Don't you have to go through all my stuff?"

"No. We have other people doing that. People who don't know you. People you'll never know."

"Because you'll kill me before I could meet them?"

"They're from the company that Karen used to work for. They aren't local. They're supposed to identify anything that pertains to this but protect the rest of your secrets."

"Why?"

"So that when we let you out, we can look you in the eye and say, yes we invaded your privacy, but we protected it as much as we could, too."

I huffed. "Come back later. I need to calm down for a while."

"All right."

Elisabeth gave me a couple of hours before returning. I'd had lunch and a restless nap and read part of a book. She knocked and entered.

"Discover anything incriminating?"

"Of course not," she said. "You told me we wouldn't."

"That's not true. I told you I hadn't told anyone about this. But that doesn't mean I haven't, oh, I don't know. Sent threatening letters to the CEOs of every mining company in the country."

She laughed. "That sort of incriminating. You won't be doing that anymore."

"I wouldn't suppose I could convince you to kidnap the wife of the CEO of Mertosh Lumber for me? They like to engage in illegal clear cutting, and they are singlehandedly responsible for destroying at least two salmon rivers due to runoff."

"I'm sorry," she said. "We don't do kidnappings except to protect our secrets."

"You could branch out."

"If you can put together a few million, I can introduce you to Karen's former employer. He might be able to help you, although he says he doesn't do kidnappings. But that was when someone tried to hire him to kidnap Michaela. Maybe a lumber baron's wife is fair game."

"Suzette had the hots for Michaela. Do you think she would do a public service announcement?"

"I've seen her wearing fur."

"Then maybe we could show her a mink farm. She can watch why they kill the mink for a new coat for her. Hell, maybe they'll let her strangle a few with her own hands."

Elisabeth smiled but didn't answer.

"I suppose my concerns seem meaningless to you."

"No," she said. "They don't. We're predators, but we don't waste what we kill, and we don't raise them in cages first. We wear leather - we're actually rather fond of it. You'll also see buckskin from the deer we take. Zoe, I think you would be miserable here. We can't change who we are for you."

"Is that why I'm still in this cell?"

"You're in this cell because we don't know what to do yet. But I'm here trying to make it easier."

She handed me the cards. "What did you want to play?"

"Strip poker."

She smiled.

"Do I smell bad?"

"Don't worry about that."

"Do I?"

"A little."

"A little, or quite a lot and you don't want to hurt my feelings."

She didn't answer.

"I don't want to smell bad," I said.

"Did you want a shower?"

I nodded. "Will you talk to me while I shower?"

Portia brought my Saturday breakfast: pancakes and hash browns. The pancakes would have egg in them, but I ate them anyway. They were filling. Afterwards, she kept me company while I showered and dressed.

I didn't ask her what she had voted, although I thought about it. I was pretty sure I wouldn't like the answer.

She kept me entertained for a couple of hours. Then I was alone until Angel brought my lunch. She stayed for a while. Eric brought dinner and stayed until Elisabeth showed up. She kept me company until I told her I was going to sleep.

Sunday started the same, but then Elisabeth stopped in. "Would you like some exercise?"

"Yes."

She had new workout clothes for me. She left them for me then told me to come out when I was dressed.

Five minutes later, I got my first look at the open sky since the trip to the bank. I looked around.

"What kind of exercise?"

"Your choice. We can go for a run, or we can go to the gym."

"Gym, I guess."

"If you like to swim, I can make that an option tomorrow."

"I do," I admitted. "How long will you keep me in prison?"

"I don't know."

But she helped me get a good workout, doing everything with me, although at a far higher level of intensity. She talked easily the entire time.

And that set a new pattern.

 **Confrontation**

I waited a week.

On Thursday morning when Karen brought my breakfast, I told her, "I demand to see the alpha."

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. Either kill me, release me, or allow me to see the alpha, and she can explain by what right you continue to keep me like this. These conditions are unacceptable. I've given you a week to get your shit together."

She stared at me for a moment. "I will relay your request."

"Get it right, Karen," I spat. "It wasn't a request. It was a demand. Get the fuck out and take that with you. I am not eating or drinking anything until I have my answers."

She sighed, collected the food, and disappeared.

Elisabeth appeared twenty minutes later.

"You're not the alpha. Get out."

"Calm down."

"Go to hell," I said. "Kill me, release me, or get the alpha here to explain why I continue to be treated this way. I came here in good faith, and I have not been treated fairly."

"Zoe..."

"What?" I spat.

"This isn't the way to handle this."

"I tried being nice," I said. "I came here. I told you everything. I answered every question in great detail. I submitted to your insulting search, and I made a joke of it to try to make _you_ feel better. I didn't have to tell you about the contents of the safety deposit box. I could have arranged for that poison pill, but I didn't. I didn't do a single thing to justify this treatment. Now, either you are going to tell me you are responsible for the decision to keep me in here, and I will tell you to fuck off, or you will get the person in here who is. And when she gives me her crappy explanation for why I'm being treated like this, I'll tell her to fuck off."

"Those are not words you want to direct to the alpha."

"Was there a plan to release me today?"

"No."

"Kill me?"

"No."

"Tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow is tomorrow."

"Can you give me a date and time when I will know what you intend to do with me?"

She paused. "No."

"Then get the fucking alpha in here!" I screamed. "And you can fuck off!"

Her lips tightened.

I hadn't even bothered standing up, but I did then, then marched up to her and puffed out my chest, glaring at her. "Going to hit me? Going to slap me down for asserting my rights? Go ahead. I've been beaten by jailers before. You won't be any different."

"Zoe..." she said quietly.

"Do you want an excuse?" I asked. I shoved her. It was like shoving a mountain, and while she rocked slightly, that was her only reaction. I pushed harder, trying to shove her in the wall."

"Stop it."

"Or what?" I asked. "What are you going to do to me that you aren't _going to do anyway_?"

"Lara is on the fence. Screaming at her is going to push her off the wrong side."

"If I was going to tell anyone about you, I wouldn't have come here in the first place! I would have done it. Go get her. Or don't. Whatever. Get the fuck out."

She tried calming me down, but I turned my back on her and then just told her to "fuck off" every time she said something.

"This is a mistake, Zoe."

"Wanting to meet you was a mistake, Elisabeth. Even after my other jailers beat me, I got to talk to a lawyer. What are you offering?"

She was still for a minute. "Is that what you feel now? It was a mistake?"

"You've had a week. You've had enough time to go through everything I have. There is no more reason to wait. Either she intends to let me rot in here, or she intends to kill me. I think she's hoping I'll go crazy enough to justify killing me. This is like Guantanamo. People go in and aren't enemies, but they all come out enemies."

"It's not like that."

"Bull. Shit."

"So we're enemies now?"

I turned to face her. "Unless you torture me, I won't betray your secrets. But beyond that, I don't know anymore. You haven't treated me like someone whose friendship you value. None of you have."

"That's not fair."

"Bull. Shit."

"We've been trying to keep you company."

"You feed me food you know I find morally objectionable. You keep me locked in this airless cell. You make me sleep on the floor like an animal. I have to ask permission to use the bathroom. You won't let me do my job. I have bills to pay, and I haven't checked to see if I have orders to fill. People expect them mailed out within three days. I can't afford to lose the business, and I really can't afford a poor reputation due to non-delivery, especially as people will already have paid and expect their photos to be shipped."

I turned away again.

"I'm going crazy. Every time the door open, I wonders if it's going to be the execution squad. I wonder if Karen is bringing in another wire. Or maybe you'll be humane, and there's something in the food. I look at everything carefully, wondering if there's a drug in the salad dressing or baked into the bread."

I turned around. "When you take me outside, I wonder if it's going to be filled with wolves, and you're going to tell me, 'run', and then all of you are going to tear me to shreds."

"Is that what you think of us?"

"I don't know what to think. Everyone comes in pretending to be a friend. You took me on that trip, pretending to be friends, while the entire trip was so you could invade my privacy. Every ounce of friendship any of you showed me was so you could find out why I wanted to meet you. Did you do what you did in the shower so I wouldn't notice little things in the apartment, maybe the computer a little crooked or the clothes in my hamper in a different order than I took them off?"

"Zoe..."

"You all come in here, pretending to be friends, but then one of you is going to turn around and kill me when Lara gets tired of feeding me? Friends don't do that!"

"Maybe no one coming in here thinks that's how it's going to end."

"I don't believe you! You haven't once told me it's all going to be okay. You haven't even done it to try to make me feel better. Not once. If you believed it, you'd have said it."

We glared at each other for a while. Well, I glared. I'm not sure what Elisabeth was doing should be called glaring, but I was so mad, I can't be sure.

Finally she said, "Lara isn't going to be impressed if you scream at her."

"Lara has already made up her mind! She just isn't willing to tell you yet. She's waiting for an excuse. Well, I'm tired of being terrified, and I want it over. Go get her. I'll scream at her, and she'll have ample excuse."

"Zoe, please..."

"Go! Go on! Get the fuck out!"

"Please calm down."

"How?" I screamed.

"Zoe, what do you want from me?"

"The truth!" I screamed.

She stared. "Fine. The truth is, Lara doesn't know what to do."

"Other humans have found out before. Why am I so hard to trust?"

"You're the second Lara's had to deal with that didn't make it easy."

"Make it easy?"

"Trying to photograph us with the clear intention of making millions."

"And the other one?"

"Someone Michaela had known for years and that the pack knew for almost a year."

"Fine. Go get her. Tell her to come here. And I'll tell her to make a decision."

"That is a mistake. You need to give her time. The longer this goes with nothing happening, then easier it is to believe nothing will."

"You're talking months. Years."

She didn't answer.

"No!" I screamed. "I'm done eating. I'm done drinking." I plopped down on the floor. "Consider this a hunger strike. It ends when the Alpha comes in here and tells me she's letting me go or she's killing me."

"We'll force feed you."

"So you'll add to my degradation? Isn't that an answer in itself?" I replied. "Fuck off, Elisabeth. Go tell her I demand to see her."

"This is a mistake, Zoe."

"I'm not rotting in here for months, wondering when you're going to kill me. Go get the alpha. We can end this today and save everyone a great deal of heartache."

"Please, Zoe. Give me another week. Calm down. Be a model prisoner. Continue to make friends with everyone."

"Go to hell. No one coming in here thinks I'm her friend. They're in here with the condemned, and everyone knows it. It's in the body language of everyone who steps through that door."

She didn't deny that, either.

She stood there for another minute before she said, "I'll inform the alpha that you would like to see her."

"Tell her to come prepared to make a decision."

"This is a mistake." But a moment later, the door closed behind her.

Lara didn't come that morning. They left me alone until Portia stepped in carrying something she called lunch.

"Take it away. I'm not eating it."

"You should keep your strength up. You never know when an escape opportunity will open for you."

"I wouldn't get three steps," I said. "And if I see the doors wide open and a getaway car running, I'll know there's a bomb under the front seat, and you're all too chicken shit to kill me straight up."

Instead of leaving, she sat down across from me, the food on the floor between us. "I've been held prisoner before."

I looked up and cocked my head, trying to offer a droll, "I couldn't care less" look, but the reality was, she had my attention.

"Eat something and I'll tell you about it."

I glanced at it. It was a sandwich. "It's made from animal products. I don't eat animal products."

"We don't know how to cook for you. We're trying. It's a vegetable sandwich."

"Is the bread vegan? It would say so on the wrapper. And that's mayonnaise, isn't it?"

"It's bread and mayonnaise. Nothing died."

"Most bread in the grocery store includes eggs. Mayonnaise is made from eggs. The vast majority of eggs in this country come from chickens standing in cages so small they can't move around. It's inhumane." I paused. "Sort of like keeping me in here, but even smaller and for my entire life."

"How about the fruit," she asked, pointing. "Can you eat it?"

I nodded.

"Eat some of the fruit, and I'll tell you about the first time I was held prisoner. It's not a happy story, but I think you should hear. If you eat all the fruit and tell me what I can buy that you'll eat, I'll go to the store as soon as we're done and buy whatever you need."

"I'm on a hunger strike."

"That won't get you anywhere. If Lara wants to kill you, it's just as easy to let you starve to death as anything else. And if she doesn't want to kill you, there's no reason to make this time worse than it has to be."

"Did Elisabeth tell you to try to get me to eat?"

"Yes, but she wouldn't have had to."

"Why not?"

"Because no one wants to kill you, Zoe. Not me, not Karen, certainly not Elisabeth. Not even Lara. No one. Everyone likes you. But Lara is afraid of making a mistake. She's biting everyone's head off, because she's tormented trying to make the right decision."

"No. She's doing that because she has already decided but doesn't want to tell Elisabeth."

"So you admit that Elisabeth cares."

I stared at her.

"And yet here I sit on death row for her mistake." I looked away. "Tell me your story if you think I should hear it, but I'm on a hunger strike until the alpha comes down here and talks to me."

"She won't come."

"Then that's more evidence I'm right, isn't it? But now she's too much a coward to look me in the face and tell me she's having me killed."

Portia drew in a breath. "Calling the alpha a coward isn't a good way to extend your lifespan."

"Well she is, isn't she? She hasn't come to visit me once. She hasn't offered an apology for my treatment, even by proxy. Neither of them have. She's already decided, but now she's afraid to come see me because she might actually have to realize she's killing a person who doesn't deserve it."

"If you eat the fruit, and if you promise to do your best to be polite, I will do my best to get her to come visit."

"That's a pretty weak promise."

"I think I can get Michaela here. I don't know about Lara."

I looked back at her.

"They're both cowards."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Tell me in what way I'm wrong. Tell me in what way I deserve this treatment."

"You have no idea what Michaela's been through. You have no idea what Lara went through trying to rescue her wife."

"And now they're both letting their past bad experiences lead to my rot followed eventually by my death. Maybe they were both brave back then, but they've become cowards."

What I really wanted to tell her was that when they killed me, they were going to prove I was wrong to believe in protecting them. But I didn't think telling her I should have mailed the video to everyone on the GreEN mailing list was going to ensure my survival.

"Please eat the fruit."

"Why?"

"So that I can say you cooperated."

"I cooperated for a week. I'm done."

We stared at each other for a while.

She finally asked, "If I promise a visit from one of the alphas, will you eat?"

I thought about it then nodded. "But no animal products."

"The fruit. And I'll try to get whatever else you need."

I nodded.

"All right. I promise to get one of the alphas here before bed tonight. You have my word."

"Just like that?"

"I'll get my ass reamed for making the promise, but one or the other will come."

"You would do that just to get me to eat a few pieces of fruit?"

"No, I would do that to prove you were wrong when you called my alpha a coward."

I ate the fruit and drank the water she gave me.

 **Sentencing**

Elisabeth brought dinner. She sat down with it. I'd been napping, but I sat up. I glanced at the food. It looked like things I could eat.

"I am going to ask you to release Portia from her promise."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because both alphas are pissed, and the meeting isn't going to go well. If you force a visit now, it will either hasten an execution no one wants or dramatically lengthen how long it takes me to secure your freedom."

"What else do you want?"

"I want you to eat. Portia went to your restaurant, that vegan place. She found someone there and explained she had a sick friend who was vegan, and she didn't know how to cook for you. That person called three friends, and then the four of them brought her to one of their homes. She spent the entire afternoon getting an education. These are the results."

"She did that for me?"

"She did that for you. She also risked banishment from the pack by making that promise at lunch."

"I don't deserve being kept in here."

"I know you don't."

"I don't deserve the distrust."

"I know."

"I won't tell."

"I know. Please release Portia from her promise. Eat your dinner. Then we can play cards or go to the gym."

I stared at the food. "Did Portia make it?"

"She bought everything. My aunt made it."

"Angel's mom?"

"Yes."

"I release Portia from her promise. I kindly request one of the alphas to come down here and give me a final answer in the next twenty-four hours."

Then, slowly, I began eating the meal.

"Thank you," Elisabeth said quietly.

I finished the meal and drank the water. I didn't look at Elisabeth even once. Then I turned away from her, pulled the blanket up, and lay down on my side, facing the wall with the blanket up over my head to shield me from the light.

Elisabeth said nothing for a while, then she stood up, collecting everything. "If you would like company, knock at the door. Someone will be outside."

I slept, and then there was noise at the door. Several people stepped into the room and sat down facing me. I ignored them.

"You requested us," Lara said. "It would be rude not to sit up."

I hadn't actually thought she would come. I slowly sat up and brushed my hair from my face. I'm sure I was a mess. I thought if I looked like a mad woman, it would make it easier for her to order me killed. I didn't care.

I turned around and leaned against the wall.

Facing me were Lara, Michaela, and Elisabeth. They were all seated with their backs to the opposite wall.

"Do you need a bathroom break before we talk?" Lara asked.

"No."

"If I release you, I would like to know your intentions."

"We both know you have no intentions of releasing me."

"If I release you, I would like to know your intentions," she repeated.

"I don't know what my options would be."

"Desired intentions, then, if I were to place no restrictions."

"Go home. Lick my wounds. Find out if my business reputation is destroyed. Will I have my computer back?"

"If I release you? Yes. You would have everything returned to you except the videos and photos you took of us."

"The cameras?"

"Everything. We've erased the video on them."

"Should I presume my apartment would be bugged?"

"Let's not talk about restrictions yet. That would be a form of restriction. I want to know your intentions."

"I don't know. I won't tell anyone. I guess get on with my life."

"Would I see you again?"

I cocked my head. "Are you asking me whether I would snoop around, or are you asking me how I feel about your sister?"

She smiled. "Both."

"No, I would not snoop. And I don't know. I don't think I want to see her while I still believe you're going to have me killed."

She cocked her head. "That doesn't make sense."

"Yes it does," Elisabeth says. "She's afraid of a bullet from a distance."

Lara's eyes narrowed, but Michaela put a hand on her arm. "Lara is very direct," Michaela said. "She wouldn't work that way."

"I wouldn't know," I said. "I haven't been treated with much honesty since I met all of you."

"And what have you done?" Lara asked in a cold tone.

"Tell me, Alpha, if you were in my shoes, would you have burst out with, 'Hey, I know you're a werewolf'?"

She studied me. "No," she said finally. "And if you were in my shoes, would you have been afraid of exposure?"

"Yes," I said.

"What would you have had me do differently?"

"Decide sooner."

"Is that it? That's all you're mad about? That it took me a week?"

I looked down. "It was an awfully long and terribly frightening week for one of us. Maybe that doesn't mean anything to you, but I'm not built like you are."

No one spoke for a moment, then finally Lara said, "Fair enough. I would like you to look at me."

"I thought I wasn't supposed to look a dominant wolf in the eye." But I looked up.

"Perhaps that is a discussion for another time," she said. "I am sorry for the stress this time has caused you. When it became obvious it was going to take me some time to decide what to do, I tried to arrange things to be somewhat less unpleasant. I am sorry I could not alleviate your fears. I presume that is the main source of your distress."

I nodded once.

"You should know that everyone I trust told me I should accept this risk."

I stared at her. Then I looked at Michaela.

"She was the first," Lara said. "You were barely out of the room before she was telling me she believed you. My sister has repeatedly pleaded for your life. My other enforcers have, in one way or another, told me they were ready to trust you. Some wish restrictions."

I brushed away a tear. I was tired of crying.

"Will you leave Wisconsin?"

"Was that a request?"

"No. I am asking if I have frightened you so badly you wish to put several states between us."

"I don't have the money to go anywhere."

"If you did?"

"At this point, I just want to go home and curl up in a ball and cry. I don't know what I'll decide tomorrow."

"As you said, you need distance?"

"Yes."

She watched me for a minute. Neither of us said anything.

Then she looked over at Michaela, who clasped her hand and nodded. Lara turned back to me. "I am releasing you. There are a small number of restrictions. You will accept them. They are reasonable. First, you are moving. You have your choice from four places that I own. They are all very nice, two-bedroom apartments in exceedingly secure facilities."

"I can't afford it."

"The rent is one dollar a year with a five year lease."

I stared at her.

"And they are furnished," she added. "Rent includes all utilities including very high speed Internet."

"Why?"

"We will discuss that shortly. Two. You will do absolutely nothing to make me ever regret this. The list of things you could do is lengthy."

"Give me an example."

"Take unauthorized photos. Be found on or near pack lands without an invitation."

I nodded. "Is all of Bayfield off limits?"

"No, but if you are going, you will inform us, and there may be additional restrictions."

I nodded.

"Three. Because you know our secrets, you will accept membership in the pack, with all the rights and responsibilities therein."

I found myself staring again. "You're inviting me into the pack?"

"I an invitation you will not refuse," Lara clarified.

"What rights and responsibilities?"

"Elisabeth will explain, but it includes treating the alphas with respect, even when you disagree with them. There is also a tithe."

"You want money?"

"Tithe can come in the form of money, which is usually ten percent of income, or service. From you, I want service."

"What service?"

"I haven't decided, but I am sure it will be related in some way to your environmental activism. You should expect to spend approximately two days a month in pack service. I believe if you combine restrictions one and three, you will find you're coming out ahead."

"She's glossing over a responsibility," Elisabeth said. "You will obey any of the three of us if we issue an order. We do not treat the members of the pack as servants, but if you receive an order from one of us, you will obey it. Period. You may also receive orders from the enforcers - Karen, Eric, et cetera. If so, they are speaking with my authority, and you will do what you are told."

They let me absorb that, and finally I nodded.

"And we've already talked about the last restriction," Lara said. "You will alter your activism to avoid drawing too much negative attention. Attention on you is potential attention on the pack. At least for the foreseeable future, you will submit your plans to Elisabeth and accept her authority.

I nodded. "Anything else?"

"Yes. Tonight, you will accept whatever hospitality Elisabeth offers. She is going to give you your choice of a few places to sleep here or put you up in a hotel. Tomorrow she will show you your choice of apartments. Once you have made your selection, I will have your things delivered. And you may, as you say, curl up in a ball and cry for a few days. And then, next Saturday, you will present yourself here for dinner at three PM. Consider it a command performance from your alpha. What you do between now and then is your concern."

"I need to hear you tell me you aren't going to have me killed, assuming of course I do not break my restrictions."

"I am not having you killed. There will be no bullets in the night or poison in the air vents."

"I would like to know if the apartment will be bugged."

"No, it will not. I'd have to assign a team to you around the clock to prevent you from sneaking off, and I don't intend to do that."

I stared at her. It slowly started to sink it. I wasn't sure I believed her. But Elisabeth was smiling cautiously, and so was Michaela.

"You're really letting me go?"

"I'm really letting you go."

"And..." I looked between them. "I'm an honorary pack member?"

"No. You're a pack member. No honorary about it."

"I-" I looked at my hands. "Thank you," I said in a small voice. They let me absorb it, and then I looked up. "Alpha, may I ask a question?"

"I dislike that question. Do not waste time with it again. If you want to ask, ask."

I nodded. "What helped you decide?"

"You mean, beyond absolutely everyone telling me to trust you?"

"You said they've been doing that for a week, but now, tonight, you decided. And I'm pretty sure the answer yesterday was different. Wasn't it?"

"Yes. If I'd been forced to decide yesterday, the answer would have been different. Do you understand why?"

"Fear."

"Yes."

"What happened?"

"Portia. She made that promise, which made me so incredibly angry. Then she disappeared before I could really get my anger going, and she spent the afternoon learning how to cook vegan. Later, I heard her in my kitchen with my aunt. I listened, and I heard what it really meant. And then I realized what Portia had gone through to learn all that, and now she was in there helping to cook. Portia doesn't help cook the food she eats, but she was in cooking yours." She smiled. "And then you let her out of her promise, and you ate the meal, and then you asked politely. And I realized I had to answer you, and I wasn't going to come down here and tell you I was going to have you executed. So I had to do the right thing."

"Thank you for explaining," I said. I closed my eyes, trying to hold the emotions under control. While I was doing so, they stood up, and then Elisabeth reached down and pulled me to my feet. We stood there for another moment, all of them looking at me.

"You asked about the apartment," Lara said. "I am treating it like a donation to GreEN. But that's not why I'm doing it."

"Then why?"

"Several reasons. First, my sister asked me to, and if I'd said 'no', she'd do it herself. But this is cleaner. Just as importantly, because you know our secrets, and because I believe those secrets from time to time may be discussed in your home, I want to know that none of your corporate enemies can bug you. They won't bug you in this apartment."

I nodded understanding.

"And finally, you didn't deserve the way all this happened. Consider this my apology."

I thought about that for a moment, then I offered a small bow. "Thank you."

Michaela opened her arms. I stared for a moment, then stepped into them.

It was a tentative hug.

From my werewolf pack alpha. Who wasn't a werewolf, but a werefox.

It was all suddenly very overwhelming.

Lara didn't invite a hug. Instead, she headed for the door.

"Alpha. I won't disappoint you."

"I know you won't," she said. "I'll see you next Saturday, if not before."

Then she and Michaela were gone. I turned to Elisabeth. "You begged for me?"

"Repeatedly."

I looked down. "I'm still scared."

"You're safe, Zoe."

"Yeah, but... it's a different world now. I... I'm so confused."

"I understand. This has been a lot. Will you accept some advice?"

"I'll listen."

"First, I think perhaps you should ask for a hug."

And I flew into her arms.

 **Pack**

The apartment was amazing.

I had accepted Elisabeth's offer to stay in a hotel. She had fresh clothes already packed in a bag for me, and she drove me in her car. She checked me in and saw me to the room. Then we stared at each other.

"I need some time."

"I'm not sure either of us knows what she wants."

But when she lifted my chin, we kissed. It lacked passion, but it was not cold, either.

The next morning, she picked me up at the hotel and showed me all four places. Two were inconvenient for the grocery stores I visited, and I asked Elisabeth to pick between the other two.

She picked the one closest to the pack lands, although it was only about seven minutes difference. But it was symbolic, if nothing else.

There was underground parking with a special sensor that went on my car and a camera with a real, on site guard that had to approve my entrance. You couldn't get into the building without the guard's approval.

The apartment door was thick steel with good locks, and there were cameras in the hallways with motion detectors. "No one is going to sneak in here, Zoe."

"What if I have friends over?"

"Then you need to make arrangements with the guard."

"Does he report to you?"

"Yes, but we're not keeping an eye on you. Have over whomever you want. However, if you and I continue to see each other, don't even try to have a fling. You'll get caught."

I laughed.

She took me to lunch, and by the time we were back, all my things were there, except the old furniture.

"If there's anything you want, speak up," she said. "We can swap it in."

"The dresser was my mother's, and the rocking chair was grandma's. I don't need the rest."

We agreed I needed time. So did she.

But we talked every night, and she sent me flowers and other little gifts.

On Wednesday evening, I got a call. "Ma'am, it's Vincent at the front desk. There are four people here to see you."

"I wasn't expecting anyone, Vincent," I said. "Who are they?"

"Ma'am, three of them are enforcers. I have to let them up."

"Well then, I'll put on a pot of tea."

I propped the door open and was brewing the tea when I heard Angel's voice. "Zoe?"

"Angel? Kitchen."

A moment later, she stepped in along with Scarlett, Portia and Karen. I stared at them.

"Are you here to revoke my freedom?"

Angel shook her head. "Housewarming party."

"We were going to call," said Scarlett, "but we were afraid you would say 'no'."

"Especially about me," Karen added.

"Do werewolves like to hug?"

"They do," said Scarlett, and then they all demonstrated.

They brought a party game and proceeded to get the human a little drunk. They stayed late, and it was Scarlett who tucked me into bed before they left. I got a kiss on the forehead, which I thought was sweet.

I did find an opportunity to quietly thank Portia for what she had done.

"I'm glad it worked out."

Friday night on the phone, I asked Elisabeth what I should wear on Saturday.

"Very casual," she said. "It's a picnic. But shoes you could go for a run in the woods."

I stilled. "Elisabeth?"

"What?"

"Why would I need to go for a run in the woods?"

"Um."

"Am I showing up to be the entertainment? Feed me then tell me 'run'?"

"Oh god. No. God, we're not animals, Zoe." She paused. "You need more time, but Lara will be upset if you don't come."

"I'll be there. I just want to know what to expect."

"Expect to have a good time. Expect to be very worn out before you make it to bed. No one is going to hurt you. Some of our antics are a little rough for a human, but we won't engage in them tomorrow."

"Should I bring food for myself?"

"Nope."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously."

I left early. I brought flowers. I was going to bring a bottle of wine, but I was sure no one would be impressed by anything I could afford.

And in spite of being told not to, I brought enough soybeans and other ingredients to make a big batch of edamame. If they didn't want to let me make it, that was fine, but I was going to offer.

Someone had put signs up for me. "Zoe," and an arrow for each of the turns. I was surprised and touched by that.

The signs led me to the area in front of the building where they had kept me. I parked then sat in the car. I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go.

That was answered by a rap on the window, almost scaring me out of my skin. Angel was there, smiling. And then she opened the car door.

"Hey," she said. "You made it."

"Angel," I said.

"Oh honey, what's wrong?"

"Um." I turned away.

"Hey. Come on." She reached in and unbuckled me. Then she didn't give me much choice. She basically pulled me from the car and hurried me along a path leading, well, somewhere. She pulled out her phone and spoke just two words. "My mom's."

She pulled me to a house. "This is where you live?"

"It was. Now Scarlett and I have an apartment together in the barracks. But I still have a room here. Come on."

She pulled me to the kitchen and set me down on a stool. Then she poured me a glass of cider. "Drink."

While I sipped at it, she put her arm around me, leaning against me. Then the front door opened, and I startled.

"It's Scarlett," she said. A few seconds later, Scarlett entered the kitchen. She took one look and hurried to my opposite side, also wrapping me in a half hug.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't know," Angel said. "She's scared."

Scarlett shifted then lifted my face towards hers. "What's wrong? Tell me."

"I don't know why I'm here."

"Did Lara tell you she was letting you go?"

I nodded.

"Did she tell you that you're a member of the pack?"

I nodded.

"Are you afraid you're here so we can hunt you."

I lowered my head and stared at my lap. And nodded.

"Oh hell," said Angel. "Really?"

But Scarlett had her phone out. "Dad? I need you and Ms. Lassiter at Angel's. Can you get here right now? I mean right now." There was a pause. "No. Just you and her, and don't tell anyone else. Wait. Is Benny here? If so, bring him, too." Another pause. "Thanks, Dad."

Scarlett pulled my chin back up. "Do you think Angel and I would do that to you?"

"I don't know," I said in a small voice. "Everything is so much. All of you were so nice to me, but the entire time, you knew I'd been stalking Elisabeth. And I bet you knew Lara would at least consider killing me, but you acted like friends anyway. You seem really nice, but I don't know what to believe."

I looked back down. "I'm sorry."

There was a pause, then Scarlett said, "All right. I'm a tiny bit offended, but I understand. You're right. We all knew what was going on, and we knew we were getting you away so they could have all the time they wanted with your computer. But do you blame us?"

"No, but I don't know what to believe."

"All right," said Scarlett. "I'm going to tell you something about werewolves. You saw that we can be indirect, and sometimes some wolves are very sneaky. But if we have a choice of sneaky or direct, we take direct every time. If Lara was going to kill you, she'd have killed you. If she intended to hunt you, she'd have kept you here until it was time to hunt you. We don't play with our food and we don't play with our prey."

"Am I prey?"

"No. We don't hunt humans. You would have to be truly deserving of poor treatment for us to do anything remotely like that. I have never seen the pack hurt a human. Never."

"It must happen."

"It does," Angel said. "If they intend to expose us. But you don't. Lara and Michaela told us they trust you. They made you pack. We wouldn't do something like that to a pack member. Even if you betrayed us, we'd kill you cleanly. We wouldn't hunt you. That's horrible."

That was when the front door opened.

"No one knocks around here?"

"Knocks, maybe. Wait for us to go answer the door? Not when they're expected," explained Scarlett.

And then three normal-sized people stepped into the kitchen, two men and a woman. The woman was my size, more or less, and one of the men was small for a man. I thought of Michaela and wondered if he was another fox.

"Dad, Ms. Lassiter, Benny, this is Zoe," said Scarlett. "She's a little scared."

One of the men stepped forward and offered his hand. "I'm Nick Tate, Scarlett's father. Call me Nick."

"Hi, Nick." I paused. "You're human."

"The three of us are," he gestured. "Well, counting you, four. Right now, we outnumber the werewolves in the house."

The woman was next. "I'm Michele Lassiter. My husband is Donald. You'll meet him later."

"He's a wolf?"

She nodded. "My daughters went to school with Angel and Scarlett."

I nodded.

The other man was last. "I'm Benny. You look familiar."

I cocked my head. "You run the boathouse in Bayfield!"

"That's me," he said. "You're Zoe Young. Photographer."

'That's me," I agreed.

It was Michele who took over. "What's your worst fear?"

"That I'm tonight's prey."

The three of them stared.

"Well," said Michele after a very pregnant pause, "You can lay that to rest. There is no way this pack would ever do something like that. There are other packs that would." She paused. "And please, please, please do not mention that fear to Michaela."

"Why not?"

"Because some werewolves like to hunt werefoxes."

"What?" said Benny. "That's..."

Michele turned to her. "You didn't know? That's a long story. Don't ask Michaela about it."

"No. I think not."

She turned back to me. "Put that fear to rest. It isn't going to happen. What else?"

"I don't know. I guess... just that. Or maybe that Lara will change her mind. It's the same fear, I guess. I'm afraid I won't see tomorrow. And I don't want to be hunted."

"What if it were in fun?" Scarlett asked.

"Hunted in fun?"

"Yeah. I believe humans call it hide and go seek."

"That's different."

"Why is it different?"

"Cause you don't get eaten when you get caught."

"So it's not being hunted that frightens you," she said with a smirk. "It's being eaten."

"I'm not too thrilled at being torn to shreds by werewolf claws, either."

Michele asked, "Angel, does your mom have anything stronger than cider in the house?"

Angel stepped away from me and turned to the fridge. "There's beer."

"Give Zoe a beer. Nick and Benny, do either of you believe your spouses could ever do what Zoe fears?"

"No way," they both said.

"Neither could my Donald," Michele said. "I'm more capable of that than he is. Angel and Scarlett are two of the sweetest girls alive. Look at their concern. It's not fake."

I looked between everyone then hung my head. "I'm sorry."

"You've been through a lot. Angel, give her that beer."

I took it dully, and then Michele said, "Tip it up, girl. We don't have all day."

It was hard to say 'no' to her, and I chugged down several deep swallows.

"Good girl," she said. "Girls, does she need a shower?"

"Yes, Ms. Lassiter," said Scarlett.

"All right, Scarlett. You're both adults. My name is Michele."

I glanced at Scarlett, and she smiled. "Thank you, Michele. Yes, she needs a shower."

"All right. You two get her up there, then I need any clothes that need laundering before she puts them back on."

"The jeans are probably fine," Angel said. "But the blouse definitely, and probably the panties."

I colored at the idea of them sniffing my panties.

Michele noticed. "Get used to it," she said. "Get her into the shower then bring me the clothes. I'll have them washed and dried in a jiffy, but I'll need a wolf nose to check them."

"I'm expected," I said. "The alpha said three. I'm late now."

"Nick and Benny," Michele said, "Go find either the head enforcer or either alpha and tell her that Zoe is with me. If they have a problem, they can call me. And I don't need to tell you not a word about her fears."

"Of course not, Michele," said Nick. "Zoe, I know it's a lot, but these are good people. It might take time, but if you give them a chance, they'll treat you well."

"That's the problem, Dad," Scarlet said. "She gave us a chance, and we treated her very poorly."

"Circumstances," I said quietly.

"Still," said Scarlett. "So now I want to ask a favor."

I turned to her. "What?"

"Give us a second chance."

I thought about it and then nodded.

It was four before Michele, Angel and Scarlett escorted me out of Angel's house and, I was told, to the alphas' house. I walked with a wolf on either side, an arm around me from each of them.

They were young, but they were very sweet, and I felt better.

At the house, we all stopped. Angel turned me to her. "Read that sign." She pointed to a wooden sign next to the door.

"Announce your name as you cross the threshold."

"I don't understand."

"Everyone is coming and going from this house all the time," Michele said. "It used to freak Michaela out. So you open the door, step in, and as you do so, say your name. Go ahead, Angel."

Angel stepped to the door, opened it, and said in a normal voice, "Angel" as she entered. Scarlett went next. Then Michele gestured to me.

Such a simple thing, but it must have been important. "Zoe Young," I said. Michele entered behind me.

There were a bunch of people there, and I knew most of them were wolves. I looked around for a moment, and then I saw Michaela moving through the crowd. She saw me and smiled. "You made it," she said as she drew closer. She caressed Angel and Scarlett as she stepped past them, and then she took me by the hands. "Come in. We're all about to go back outside, but let me introduce you to a few people."

She pulled me through the house and into the kitchen. There were a handful of teenage girls there, all much larger than me, and one older woman. "These are some of my students," Michaela said. "They'll find an opportunity to introduce themselves in smaller numbers later. Right girls?"

"Yes, Michaela," they all said.

"But this woman..." She pulled me forward. "This woman is the heart of the Madison Wolves. This is Francesca, Angel and Gia's mother, Elisabeth and Lara's aunt, and the closest thing I have to a mother."

I found myself clasping hands for a moment. I was overwhelmed, and I wasn't gracious, but she said, "Pleased to meet you, Zoe. I need to spend some time with you prior to the next pack night, but we won't let you starve."

"You're the one who helped Portia make that meal for me."

She smiled. "I'm sorry about the earlier meals. I didn't understand. I didn't understand the difference between vegetarian and vegan."

"It was kind of you to try," I said. "And I appreciated your efforts."

"You're going to be appalled at what you see in another hour and a half, but we do have food for you. There's a line, and you might find a few things you can eat, but I'll have one of these girls bring something just for you."

"Thank you, Francesca."

"I don't usually mark the food. We wolves can tell at a sniff what everything is. But if a particular dish has absolutely no animal products, I will make sure it has a little sign explaining what is in it."

"That's very kind of you."

"Also, you'll see a modest amount of fruit at our events. Wolves don't eat much fruit. Michaela and the humans like it. So you're only sharing amongst four or five. I will warn you, however. Michaela is our alpha, and we never take the last serving of fruit until we're sure she's eaten her fill. She's a bit of a pig, and we don't want her to go hungry."

Everyone laughed, and I wondered what the joke was.

Michaela leaned over to me. "I eat like a bird. The joke is that someday, they'll see me eat an entire half a chicken breast."

"All right," said Francesca. "Unless you're staying to cook, out of my kitchen."

"I could help," I said.

"You're going to help roast chicken?" she asked.

"Oh. No."

"Go on," Francesca said with a smile.

"Um. I brought things."

"Edamame?" Ask Michaela.

"Yeah. A lot. I didn't know how many people would be here. But if I'd be in the way..."

"What do you need?" Francesca asked.

"A large pot of boiling water, very salty, and a large fry pan. It takes about eight minutes, once the water is boiling. Oh, and people to help me pick the spices to use."

"Everything is in your car?" Michaela asked?

"There's a cooler and shopping bag in the back."

"Kaylee," Michaela said. "Get Ms. Young's car key. It's a little Prius. Bring in the things from the back."

I fished out my key, and one of the girls took it from me.

"How big a pot?" Francesca asked.

"I've never made this much. I do a pound in a five-quart saucepan, but I have four pounds. They have to cook then get pulled out."

"Pasta pot," she said. "Jess, get the pasta pot going."

"Yes, Francesca."

Kaylee returned, easily handling the cooler and grocery bag. "This is a cool bag!" she said. "Where did you get it?"

"You may have that one, if you like."

"Really? Thanks!"

I emptied the shopping back and gave it to Kaylee. Then I held the flowers out to Michaela. "Thank you for inviting me."

"That's very sweet." She looked around. "Kaylee, would you find Scarlett and ask her if she would arrange some flowers for me."

"Yes, Michaela." The girl scampered back out.

"All right. I want to introduce Zoe to two more people," Michaela said. "The water will need a few minutes."

"What prep can we do?" Francesca asked.

"Just wash the soybeans," I said.

"Soybeans?"

I grinned, and Michaela dragged me from the room. We came to a stop nearly immediately. Seated at the dining room table were Lara and Elisabeth, and between them, two little girls of perhaps five years old.

"They're darling," I said.

"This is why it was so hard for Lara. Please forgive her."

I watched. Lara's love was clear. So was Elisabeth's. Then I noticed Elisabeth's nose twitched, and a moment later, she lifted her head to look at me.

"She smelled me?"

"Yep."

Elisabeth smiled. "Zoe."

Michaela pulled me forward. "Girls, I want you to meet someone."

"Hello, Mommy Fox!" said one of them. "Look what Auntie Lisbet and I drew!" the girl held up a drawing.

"Why, look at that!" I said. "Is that your Mommy?"

The girl nodded. "And that's me," she said, pointing. "And that's Becca."

"Very lovely," I said. I moved closer. "May I see?"

The girl handed me the drawing. I studied it appreciatively before handing it back. "Very good." I knelt down so our eyes were on a similar level. "My name is Zoe."

"I'm Celeste," she replied. "This is my sister."

I held out my hand, and the girl shook solemnly with me.

"I'm Rebecca," said the other girl. I exchanged a handshake with her, too. "Mommy and I drew this!"

"Oh, very nice," I said. "I'm just a human though, and I don't know how to tell which wolf is which."

"It's Auntie Lisbet," the girl said. "But you're holding it upside down." She made me turn it over, and I realized the wolf was on her back. I glanced over at Elisabeth, who was actually blushing. It was really cute.

"Oh, I see," I said. "I'm really new to the pack and don't know much about wolves yet. Why is Auntie Lisbet on her back?"

"It's not done. I have to draw Mommy Fox next. Auntie Lisbet was naughty, so Mommy Fox has to cuff her."

Lara and Michaela were both laughing.

"I don't know anything about cuffing," I said. "Does it hurt?"

"If you don't whine it does," the girl said. She turned to Lara. "Why doesn't she know about cuffing?"

"She's a very new member of the pack, and we haven't taught her everything she needs to know," Lara said. "We have to teach her just like we taught you and Celeste."

The girl turned back to me. "When they growl, you have to roll onto your back," she said. "And never, ever growl back."

"I'll remember that, Rebecca. Thank you for telling me."

"You're welcome," she said. And then, just like that, she turned back to the table and began carefully drawing a red fox on top of the wolf.

I smiled but managed not to laugh.

"Girls, I need to steal Mommy Wolf and Auntie Lisbet. Finish your pictures, because we're going outside in a few minutes."

"Yes, Mommy Fox," they said without looking up.

Michaela pulled me away, and a moment later, Elisabeth and Lara were with us.

"Auntie Lisbet was naughty," I said. "What did Auntie Lisbet do?"

"Auntie Lisbet didn't let Rebecca play with Auntie Lisbet's cell phone," Elisabeth said. She shook her head. "It's good to see you."

I nodded.

"Thank you for coming," Lara said.

"It's good to be here," I said, "but a little intimidating."

"A little?" Michaela said. "You should have seen me the first night. I was scared out of my skin."

"Really?"

"Yep. I'll tell you the story sometime. You're doing okay."

I paused before answering. "That's due to an intervention."

"Oh?"

"Angel, Scarlett, Nick, Michele and Benny."

"Ah ha!" Elisabeth said. "That's why you smell like Angel's shampoo."

Michaela chuckled. "I used to get my sniff tests from Rory. It sounds like you're getting yours from Angel and Scarlett."

"It's embarrassing."

"Don't worry about it," Michaela replied. "They sniff each other's butts all the time. Sniffing your clothes is no big deal."

"We do not sniff butts!" Lara said. "Michaela!"

Michaela chuckled. "Don't believe her. She's the biggest butt-sniffer of all of them."

Elisabeth grinned. "It's not your butt she likes to sniff, Michaela, but it's not that far away."

Michaela simply grinned. "Zoe brought edamame. I expect both of you to lead by example."

"You didn't need to bring anything," Lara said. "But thank you."

The edamame was treated as an appetizer. Francesca helped with spices, and we experimented a little before we were both pleased. Michaela and Elisabeth both sampled them and said, "Oh, nice." It was Michaela who taught everyone else in the kitchen how to eat them. Not everyone was thrilled, but I didn't see anyone spit them out.

We divided the rest into two large bowls, and then when we stepped back into the living room, we discovered the picnic had moved outside. And so I let Michaela tug me outside, assuring me there were ample beverages to choose from, and she wanted to introduce me to a few people.

Once we were outside, the girls disappeared with the edamame while Michaela tugged me to a stop. "Are you all right?" she asked me quietly.

"I don't know. It's all so much."

"You're a member of the pack now, and we protect our own. You understand that, right?"

I didn't know how to answer that.

She paused. "You thought the worst, didn't you?"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. The first time I was here, I flat out asked Lara if she intended a fox hunt. Do you know what that is?"

"I think I have a pretty good idea."

"I've been hunted before," she said. "I don't talk about it around Lara. It freaks her out. But they're all dead, and I'm not."

"I don't think I would fare as well."

"Well, you don't have to worry about it. Lara has claimed you. You're under her protection. And Elisabeth's, of course. And mine. And that means under all the enforcers' protection. No one will touch you. Except, of course, Elisabeth, if you let her."

"Is everyone fixated on sex around here?"

"Yes."

I laughed.

"I know it's a lot, but you're safe. Come on. Let's go get some of your soybeans before they're all gone."

"Oh please. No one is going to eat them."

She pulled me back to a stop. "Wager."

"Oh, you think so?"

"If I win... Hmm. Photo shoot of my daughters."

"Agreed. If I win, photo shoot of you."

She stilled. "What will you do with them?"

"I don't know what's allowed, so I presume almost nothing. I'll print one for my wall. Can I have it printed at a professional shop, or do I have to print it with my printer at home."

"We have a shop we use."

"Pack owned?"

"Pack member owned. Give one to Lara for her office at work. She doesn't use it very much, but she'll appreciate it. I'll cover your printing costs."

"The wager is this," she said. "The edamame will be at least half gone by the time we arrive, and it is possible the only way we get any is because our mates have saved some for us."

"Elisabeth isn't my mate."

"You know what I mean."

"It doesn't count if everyone took one because Lara ordered them to."

She laughed. "Agreed."

She tugged on my arm, and we turned right. A moment later, everyone came in view. Lara and Elisabeth were standing together, and they had one of the edamame bowls.

"It so does not count if those two ate them all!"

Michaela chuckled. She led me to a line of tables. I saw the other bowl, and there were two lonely soybeans left.

"I win," Michaela announced

"Not if the other bowl is full. There were two bowls, and that bowl still has two left."

Michaela laughed. "You're a stickler." She tugged, and we turned to Lara and Elisabeth, who were watching us.

As we approached, Lara said, "We rescued the bowl or there wouldn't be any left, but if you've already had enough in the kitchen, we'll let these go."

I peered into the bowl.

Michaela said sweetly, "I'll make arrangements to have you here next week."

"Yes, Alpha," I said meekly.

The two wolves looked at us with puzzlement.

The food was meat, meat, and more meat. Michaela handed me off to Elisabeth, who immediately latched onto my arm, and then she led me off to the side and handed me into a lawn chair, pulling up another one next to me. Lara and Michaela joined us, then several other wolves.

"Should we get in line?"

"Nope," said Elisabeth. "Wait."

A minute later, some of the teenagers stopped by with plates of food. But it was Kaylee who arrived with a plate for me. I recognized some of the dishes from Carly's. I smiled and thanked her.

"I can bring some of the other things, too," she said. "If you know what you want."

"I don't know what there is," I said. "I'll take a look myself if I'm still hungry after this."

"Okay," she said.

"This was thoughtful," I said, indicating the food.

No one commented, and I ate quietly. There was more than enough, and I was past full when I finished. I saw Michaela and Lara stealing from each other's plates, but when I offered some to Elisabeth, she politely declined.

Someone came around and took plates. Another someone came around and passed out more drinks. I accepted a bottle of water, leaning back in the chair and relaxing.

Michaela leaned over. "Everything is easier with a full tummy."

"Yeah," I said. "Especially when I know everyone else has a fully tummy."

Lara guffawed at that. "You're safe. You probably taste like tofu."

"Hey, I'm grass fed, just like your venison tonight."

She guffawed again.

I met a great many people. I didn't remember very many names. I felt bad about that; I was normally very good about it, but I just didn't have it in me to remember.

"All right," Michaela said, standing up. "It's time to get the games going."

"Games?"

"Yep. Come on. We're going to teach you the tennis ball game tonight."

 **Afterword: Elisabeth**

Zoe and I didn't spend much time together for the next few weeks. She was still feeling very fragile after everything that had happened. I was going to give her space, but Michaela ordered her to attend Wednesday dinners every week, and so we kept getting tossed together.

The little fox wasn't even subtle.

Slowly Zoe has been loosening up.

She has declared me to be "utterly, completely magnificent" in fur, and she's been begging to be allowed a photo shoot. So far, I've held her off, but my resistance is crumbling.

But so is hers.


	9. Chapter 8

**Assimilation**

It had been a tumultuous several months. In a most shocking fashion, I had discovered that werewolves were real, living right here in Madison, Wisconsin. In a rapid sequence of events, I also discovered they were just people with their own problems and that they were just as afraid of me as I was of them. I met the pack co-alphas, a powerful werewolf named Lara and an intriguing werefox called Michaela.

It was all quite a lot to absorb.

The shocks didn't stop when they "invited" me into the pack, one of a small number of humans who knew their secrets.

In the three months since, summer had hit its peak and begun to wane. I'd been "invited" to pack play night once a month and dinners with the alphas much, much more often. Elisabeth had let me know that invitations from the alphas weren't something I should decline, and so, with a great deal of trepidation, I had accepted every invitation. Along the way, it was clear Michaela was encouraging a romantic relationship between Elisabeth, her sister-in-law, and me.

But there were several realities I couldn't shake. First and foremost, I hadn't fully forgiven either Lara or Elisabeth for the way I had been treated. I'd spent a week sure they were going to kill me, and I believe it had come down to the flip of a coin that had spared my life.

I wasn't sure I had really forgiven any of them for their roles in the events, although I was less bitter towards the others. They had acted like friends to me while the entire time they were spying on me. It was particularly difficult for me to be around Karen, who had terrified me sufficiently that I had been violently ill from fear. And even when forced to attend pack events, I actively avoided Lara, hoping she wouldn't notice me.

I probably wasn't being entirely fair. From the moment Lara declared I was a full member of the pack, everyone had treated me with gentleness and respect. I was welcomed to events with hugs. I received invitations to other events, although I was more able to decline, as they didn't carry the command of one of Michaela's invitations.

They even had gone well out of their way to cook food I could eat, and they continued to do so any time I was expected. They didn't change their own dining habits, and I would never have expected nor asked them too. But there was always plenty of food for a vegan.

A vegan member of a werewolf pack: I knew it was a joke. That was the least of my concerns.

It was another reality that Lara continued to terrify me. She could order me killed for any reason at all. I'd been assured I had nothing to worry about, provided I never gave up their secrets, but I didn't believe them. I didn't believe any of them. After all, they had pretended to be my friend while deciding my fate. How could I possibly trust them?

My attitude wasn't improved by the surety they continued to spy on me. Lara told me the apartment wasn't bugged, but I didn't believe that. I was sure they left tracers on my computer and phone as well. But I wasn't sufficiently tech-savvy to find proof. I simply couldn't believe they weren't closely monitoring.

In spite of all this, I was fascinated. I was deeply fascinated. They were stunning. In fur, all of them were stunning. Well, Michaela wasn't, but she was gorgeous, truly gorgeous, and every time I saw her in fur, I itched to hold her.

But it wasn't like she was a pet fox.

And Elisabeth was magnificent in both her forms. I could be pleased looking at her for hours and hours.

But I knew I didn't fit in.

 **Unexpected Visitor**

I must admit: there were advantages to being a member of the Madison werewolf pack. The first was monetary. Lara had insisted I move from my very insecure apartment to a far nicer, two-bedroom apartment in an extremely secure building, and she paid for it as well. I had a fabulous apartment with full utilities for a dollar a year. My apartment was the headquarters for GreEN of Wisconsin, and Lara treated the apartment as a donation to GreEN.

I'd also been getting calls from various pack members to practice my professional skills. I made my living taking and selling nature photographs, and the members of the pack wanted photos of their loved ones, in fur, in natural settings. I was sure there were other photographers in the pack, and so I came to the conclusion they were asking me as a means of helping to support me.

I didn't understand why, but I took the work and then gave them my very best.

My web site sales increased as well, with most of the increase from local addresses, although some were national.

And so GreEN profited through a cost savings, no longer paying for my apartment slash GreEN state headquarters. I profited by living in a much nicer, safer apartment and having more paying work and money I didn't know how to spend. Not that I was getting rich, but for the first time in years, I wasn't quite living hand to mouth. It was a heady experience.

Membership in the pack comes with responsibilities, including the requirement to tithe. Lara insisted I tithe through pack service, suggesting I spend two days a month. And so it had only been a couple of weeks later that Michaela called me and told me how I would begin my service: she had a weekend nature outing with her school children, and I would be going along to assist.

And from it, I found myself facing another advantage of pack membership. Michaela began assigning me "interns" for my own events, the things I did for GreEN. And so I found myself with exceedingly able sets of hands at every event, and those hands were owned by intelligent, respectful teenagers, any one of which could have snapped me like a twig, but all of whom were far more interested and knowledgeable about nature than any teenagers I'd ever met.

It wasn't all bad being a member of the pack.

But that didn't mean it wasn't damned intimidating.

That point was brought home one Thursday afternoon in late August. My front doorbell buzzed.

At the time, I was working on yet another mailing, not asking for money, but simply asking people to help spread the word about GreEN. I wanted a larger mailing list so I could have greater penetration throughout Wisconsin.

The environment was in danger from every corner, and the only way we were going to save it was through public awareness.

My doorbell shouldn't have buzzed. I wasn't expecting anyone. And theoretically, no one should be able to get into the building without the guard's approval, and he always called me to warn me someone was coming.

I glanced at my phone. It was working, and there were no signs anyone had called.

There weren't very many people who could get into the building without the guard announcing them. Even when several pack enforcers had arrived as a housewarming, the guard had announced them before sending them up.

An unexpected buzz was not a good sign, and I briefly wondered if there was any way I could outrun whatever trouble was waiting for me.

And so, my heart hammering in my chest, I made my way to the door and used the peephole.

I was surprised to find Michaela standing there, and she looked annoyed, her lips pressed together, and she was stepping from foot to foot. What was odd was the complete, utter lack of her security detail.

What was the pack alpha doing on my doorstep?

I sighed and opened the door.

"Hello, Alpha," I said. "I wasn't expecting you."

"Of course you weren't. Let me in." She didn't wait for a proper invitation but half pushed me away from the door as she stepped into my apartment. Then she closed the door and secured each of the locks. She cocked her head for just a moment then turned to me. "I wanted to talk to you."

"Of course," I said. "Come in. Would you like something to drink?"

"Just water," the tiny woman said. She moved past me, except when she moved, it was more like she flowed past me. She was astoundingly graceful, and for a moment I stared, pleased to just watch her move. She made it to the center of the living room before she realized I hadn't taken a step. She turned to watch me.

"I'm sorry," I said. "You're just so…"

"Yes?"

"It's hard to take my eyes off you, Michaela. The way you move. I'm sorry. I shouldn't stare."

She smiled. "Are you appealing to my vanity?"

"You are the most graceful woman I have ever met," I countered. "All of you are amazing, but the wolves are so big. Watching them is different."

Her smiled broadened. "Well," she said. "Thank you. Now, about that water…"

"Of course, Alpha. Just one moment. I'm sorry, all I have is tap."

"Tap is fine."

"Ice?"

"No thank you."

I retrieved water for both of us, unsure why she was there. By the time I returned to the living room, she was seated on the sofa, looking quite relaxed. I took one of the easy chairs after handing over one of the glasses. She took a deep drink then set it down on a waiting coaster.

"We don't have long," she said. "I am sure my security detail will be here in fifteen or twenty minutes, if not sooner."

I wasn't sure if I should ask, but curiosity won over caution. "Where are they?"

"Well, until five minutes ago, I imagine they were running all over East Town Mall, wondering what had happened to me, although they could still be back at the compound."

"I think I'm confused."

"There are times Lara and I have mild disagreements."

"That would be a natural part of any relationship."

"There are times the disagreements aren't exactly mild."

"All right," I said cautiously.

"And my preferred method of cooling down is to spend time alone."

"You ditched your security detail."

She nodded. "I ditched my security detail." She put on an angelic smile. "Somehow — I'm sure I couldn't tell you how — I managed to drive out of the compound without an escort. I did a microsecond of shopping at East Town Mall then took a cab here." Then she frowned. "I imagine Vincent down at the front desk has tattled on me, and who knows how many enforcers are on the way to return me into their collective embrace."

And she had come to me? Was I going to be in trouble? I imagined my trepidation showed across my face. Michaela leaned forward and patted my knee.

"Don't worry. You won't be in any trouble. But I imagine your girlfriend, my wife, and my head of security will have words for me."

I didn't correct the alpha; Elisabeth was not my girlfriend, even if I'd let her take me out a few times since everything had happened. She hadn't spent the night, however.

"A cab?"

"Well, I couldn't make it too easy to track me. Elisabeth puts tracking devices on my car."

"Oh." I thought about it. "Why did you come here, if you knew Vincent would report you?"

"Ah, excellent question. First, I wanted to talk to you. And second, I want them to find me. They make it increasingly difficult to lose them, but every time I put in a real effort, I still manage it. If they would just learn to accept the inevitable when I tell them I want to be alone, we wouldn't have to play these games. But when they find me here, they'll know it's because I let them. And third, they won't yell at me in front of you, or at least not too loudly." She grinned at that.

It was all very confusing, and I wasn't sure what to say.

Michaela cocked her head, and her smile faded. "Why were you not at dinner last night?"

"I wasn't invited, Alpha."

She frowned.

"Or if I was, I didn't recognize it as an invitation," I added quickly.

I'd actually been relieved I hadn't been commanded to attend dinner. I tried to put on a happy face whenever I was around any of the pack members, but I spent most of the time frightened and jumpy.

"I'm not here as the pack alpha, Zoe."

I looked down submissively. I wasn't going to argue with her. As far as I was concerned, she was always the alpha. When I didn't say anything, she went on.

"Zoe, I understand what you're feeling. You're afraid. I was afraid, too." She paused. "I go to therapy. I'm down to once a week, but for a few years it was daily."

I looked up. "Why?"

"My history before meeting Lara was violent. Werewolves are not always nice people. We don't have time to talk about it today. But I want you to know that I understand. My biggest fear is that Lara will stop loving me and withdraw her protection, and then the entire pack will turn on me."

I stared at her, my mouth opening and closing a few times.

"Intellectually, I know that's never going to happen," Michaela continued. "Sometimes fear is rational; sometime it's not. I will probably carry that fear into old age. The thing is, Lara has as much honor as anyone I've ever met. She would never, ever turn on someone like that. Even if we had such a falling out that we couldn't recover our marriage, she would still keep me safe."

She paused. "You have the same fear, or one very close to it. Don't you?"

I nodded slowly.

"Your fear is somewhat more rational than mine. You don't have as many reasons for your fear, but you have neither the same reasons to set it aside as I do nor have you had the time for trust to grow."

I looked away, saying nothing.

"Zoe, you are safe, at least from us."

I didn't respond to that.

"I know it's going to take time to believe that. Do you know why I keep inviting you for Wednesday dinners?"

"No."

She paused a moment then said, "Look at me, Zoe."

I turned my head back to face her, slowly raising my eyes.

"I am very, very good at telling when someone is lying to me."

"Alpha-"

She sighed. "Do you know why I keep inviting you to Wednesday dinners?"

I nodded. "You're playing matchmaker between Elisabeth and me."

"That's part of it. Let's come back to that. I also know that settling in with the pack takes time and familiarity. You aren't going to get that if you're only around us once a month. And you really aren't going to settle in if you don't come on pack play nights."

"I come every time you invite me, Alpha."

"And you turn down every offer that doesn't carry the command of the alpha."

I looked down. "Are you angry with me?"

"No, Zoe, although I wish you would understand I am trying to be your friend. So is everyone else who invites you to something."

I didn't say anything, and she let out a noise I'd learned was a wolf way of expressing displeasure. My apprehension increased. I wondered if she could smell it. If so, she didn't say anything.

"Zoe, do you think you could try to be engaged in this conversation?"

"I don't know what you mean."

"Yes, you do," she replied. "You're closing up, probably because you're afraid of saying something to displease me."

She had me with that.

"Zoe, damn it, look at me."

I snapped my eyes up to hers.

"Nothing bad is going to happen to you if you speak honestly with me."

"Frankly, Alpha, I don't believe you." Damn it. I hadn't meant to say anything like that.

Michaela leaned back in her seat, studying me. "Let me put it this way. We are having a frank discussion."

"I haven't done anything wrong, Alpha. I don't know why you're angry with me."

"I'm not angry, Zoe, but if you keep closing up, I'm going to become frustrated. I am the pack alpha. You are a pack member. You are having difficulties fitting in. That makes it my problem to solve. I can't solve it if you _don't talk to me_."

I looked down again, my apprehension on the edge of fear.

"So," she said after a moment. "We are going to have a frank conversation. Or else."

My heart began pounding. "Or else what?"

"Or else I'll order you to accept every single invitation that comes your way."

"What?"

I looked up at her, and the corners of her mouth were curled upwards slightly.

"You thought the worst, didn't you? You thought I'd kill you just for not talking to me."

"You're the one who threatened, Alpha."

"Yes, and I believe my threat is sufficiently amusing but intimidating enough you're going to engage in this conversation, aren't you?"

"Yes, Alpha."

"Good. Now, why don't you accept any of the other invitations?"

"You know why."

"Tell me anyway."

"Because I'm afraid. Because I don't know what to believe. Because I don't believe a single one of you really wants to be my friend. I don't know why any of you want me around, but I presume it's to keep an eye on me. Or something along those lines."

"All right," she said. "I believe that all stems from distrust in our motives, and that's probably our fault for initially misleading you."

I nodded. "I'm sorry," I said.

"I don't blame you," she said. "Zoe, are you willing to admit the situation was strained for all of us?"

"Of course."

"Has anyone said or done a thing since to suggest there is any continued subterfuge?"

"No." But I looked around. "But I wish Lara would have admitted the truth about this apartment."

"What truth?"

"Oh please. We both know it's bugged to the rafters."

"Have you found bugs?"

"No, but they could be embedded in the walls or the lamps or something. I presume my phone and computer are both still bugged as well."

"Has Gia stopped by and run a scan?"

"She did once. I held a GreEN meeting here. She was by the next day."

"Did she find anything?"

"She said she didn't, but I wouldn't expect her to tell me about her own bugs."

"Well, you're wrong. The pack has not bugged you. There is a location trace on your phone and laptop, but nothing to tell how you're using them. And for the record, there are the same traces on my computer and phone to go along with whatever the hell it is Elisabeth keeps sewing into my clothing."

I wasn't sure I believed her. In fact, I was sure I didn't.

"Zoe, I know all this is intimidating. But you're _safe_." She really stressed the last word. "Now, speaking as your alpha, I expect you at every pack play night and every Wednesday dinner unless you're specifically told not to come."

I looked down yet again. "Yes, Alpha."

"I want you to think about what I said. And I want you to try to give us an honest second chance, Zoe."

I nodded slowly.

"Now, speaking as your friend, I want you to please accept the other offers you receive. That is not a command."

I looked up but didn't respond.

"Speaking both as your friend and your alpha, I want you to fit in. You aren't going to fit in if you don't start trying."

I nodded again.

"This is important, Zoe."

"I understand, Michaela." It was, by and large, a lie. I didn't understand why she professed to care, but I presumed it was all part of keeping an eye on me.

"Good. Now, as for matchmaking… Do you find Elisabeth attractive or not?"

"She's stunning!"

"That she is," Michaela agreed. "All the wolves are, but she and Lara are the best. I could watch them for hours. Sometimes, when we're running…" she trailed off. "I'm not going to tell you whom to date. Should I tell Elisabeth to stop asking?"

Yet again I looked away, considering my words carefully. "I don't know what to do," I admitted finally. "I was falling for her, Michaela. But it was all a lie."

"You were lying to her?"

"She was lying to me."

"Actually, she wasn't."

I looked back. "Of course she was."

"Not about how she felt about you."

"Michaela, the only reason she asked me out was so you could spy on me."

"The first date, that's true, and it continued to be true to a lesser extent. But she didn't lie to you when she expressed her feelings."

"I'm just a human. What could she see in me?"

"Passion. Intelligence. Wit. Strength."

I scoffed.

"Zoe, you went on a date to a secluded location on the night of a full moon with a woman you knew was a werewolf."

"And I was scared out of my mind." I looked straight into her eyes when I said it.

"For part of it," she agreed. "But you did it. You did it because you trusted her when she said you were safe. How could you do that, but not trust her when she said she likes you? How could you do that but not trust me when I tell you that she likes you?"

I stared at her. She was right. She began to smile. "Got you on that, did I?" and I nodded, returning the smile. "Good. If you don't expect to loosen up and start accepting her invitations, tell her to stop asking. Otherwise start accepting. Anything else isn't fair to either of you."

I nodded. "I have to think about it."

Michaela returned the nod. "I wasn't expecting this part of the conversation to last this long. I'm also surprised no one has tried to break down the door. We're going to be interrupted, but let's keep going. This part of the conversation will be more fun."

Then Michaela drank more of her water, smiled again, and asked cheerfully, "So, do you know how to scuba dive?"

"No. I'm afraid not."

"Can you swim?"

"Very well."

"Do you have an interest in learning to scuba dive?"

I frowned.

"Does that mean 'no'?"

"It means it's an expensive hobby I can ill afford, one that is best enjoyed in more tropical climates than Wisconsin. I know people dive the lakes here, but that only holds the most mild of interests to me."

"So there are impediments. So let's say you could afford it, and furthermore let's say you won an all-expenses-paid tropical vacation, and the others on the trip were going diving. Would you want to dive with them?"

"Of course," I said. "That would be fabulous."

She smiled. "Are you able to check your photograph sales immediately, or is there a delay?"

"I can check immediately," I said. "I get email."

"Perhaps you should check."

"Right now?"

She nodded.

I climbed to my feet and retrieved my laptop. I'd been ignoring my email earlier while working on the letters for GreEN, so I fired up the mail program. A moment later, I saw I had email from my sales web site. I opened it and stared.

"I believe that takes care of whether you can afford it," she said.

"Alpha?"

Michaela smiled.

"Why did you do this?"

"More matchmaking," she said, and the smile extended into her eyes. "And because I truly do like you and enjoy your company. Now, I am inviting you as a friend, not your alpha. According to your schedule, you're free this weekend."

I nodded.

"Are you telling me 'no'?"

I shook my head.

"Can you tolerate Karen's company?"

I thought about it and didn't answer her.

"She's our dive instructor. You can learn from one of the human dive schools if you just can't be around Karen, but I'd rather you learned from her. She'll keep you very safe, Zoe."

So I nodded.

"Good. Your diving lessons begin Friday afternoon at the compound and extend through the weekend. There's a lot of bookwork, which is what you'll do Friday. You'll start doing pool activities on Saturday and Sunday, so bring a suit and towel those days. And you'll need a checkbook Friday to pay for the materials. You can afford it."

"I'll be there."

"Excellent. There are things you need to buy that are fitted for you. Karen will call you. You'll need to go this evening or tomorrow. You can afford them, too."

"I thought scuba gear was very expensive."

"It is. You don't need all the gear. Just a few things. The rest can be rented or borrowed. If you like it, and if it looks like you'll be going with us on a regular basis, we'll find a way for you to get your own, but it might take a few wagers with _your girlfriend_." She smiled when she said that.

I laughed nervously. The wolves liked their wagers.

"I'm not going to start dating her just so she'll buy me things," I said.

"I wasn't implying you would, Zoe," Michaela replied. "Did she really hold you on her shoulders while she ate you?"

I colored immediately. "Michaela!"

"Did she?"

I nodded and then buried my face in my arms. "That is such a crude way to put it."

She chuckled. "I suspect there are a variety of reasons to start dating her, Zoe." She chuckled again.

At that point, there was a firm knock at the front door accompanied by the buzzer ringing.

"Cheese it!" Michaela said. "It's the fuzz!"

I couldn't help it. I laughed then stood up.

"No, no," Michaela said. "I'll handle this." She stood up gracefully — she did everything gracefully — and headed to my door. I heard the door open, and then a moment later, my apartment was filled with very large, irate-looking wolves. I finished climbing to my feet.

It seemed like half the enforcers in the pack were there. Elisabeth moved straight towards me and pointed. "You sit."

Reflexively, without even a glimmer of a thought, I sat down. But from behind her, Michaela said, "Leave her alone, _Head Enforcer_." She reappeared with Serena and Angel flanking her.

In the meantime, Portia, Eric and Rory began to search my apartment.

"There's no one here, Head Enforcer," Michaela said.

Elisabeth turned on her. "Then we won't find anything when we make sure." She said it coldly. "Alpha."

Michaela put her hand on her hip. "Are you questioning me, Head Enforcer?"

"We are doing our jobs," Elisabeth spat. "I do not know why you must go so far out of your way to make it more difficult for us."

I heard the enforcers moving through the two bedrooms and the bathroom, and it sounded like they were being thorough. I stayed on the sofa, trying to look small, but the heightened emotions in the room were intimidating.

Michaela impressed me. She moved right up to Elisabeth, well into her personal space. "I didn't tell anyone to chase me around," she said, looking up into her face. Way up. The dissimilarity between the two women couldn't have been more conspicuous. Elisabeth stood something over six feet and was broad and powerful. She, along with the other enforcers, was dressed in a grey pantsuit and white blouse. They reminded me of the agents from _Men in Black_ , although Linda Fiorentino hadn't looked as good as Elisabeth did. She wore her black hair cut short and neat. In contrast, Michaela was five feet and was perhaps the most delicate woman I had ever met. Her vibrant, red hair was long and flowing, framing her sharp face a little wildly.

This tiny, tiny woman was standing up to the huge werewolf and not batting an eye. Looking at them, I found myself left wondering: which of them was most fierce?

Elisabeth glanced over at me then turned back to Michaela. "We'll discuss this later."

"No, _Head Enforcer_ ," Michaela said, stressing Elisabeth's title again. "We will not. I went for a drive. I didn't do a single thing anyone else in this room is forbidden to do."

The other enforcers, apparently having finished searching my apartment, reappeared in the living room, taking up what were clearly protective positions around Michaela. Eric stood near the hallway leading to the bedrooms. Rory moved to the window, checking it for security then watching through the blinds. Portia moved near the kitchen. Clearly she was worried my vegan food would grow legs and launch itself at the little fox.

"Serena and Angel didn't deserve the tongue lashing they received," Elisabeth said.

"You're right," Michaela said. "They didn't. Apologize to them."

"Excuse me?" asked Elisabeth.

"Well, I'm not the one who yelled at them. I presume it was you, but perhaps it was my mate." She turned around and looked at Serena and then Angel. "On behalf of my mate, I apologize. I don't know what she said, but it was out of line."

She didn't wait for a response but turned around to face Elisabeth again, her hand moving back to a thrust-out hip, and then she moved another quarter step further into Elisabeth's personal space, staring up into her face.

"Of course," Michaela added, "If they had listened to me when I said I wanted to run alone for twenty minutes, this wouldn't have gotten out of hand."

"You know those aren't their orders," Elisabeth replied.

"Then just maybe they should be given different orders."

Elisabeth glanced over at me again. While her head was turned, Michaela flashed me the ghost of a smile, but her features were back in a scowl by the time Elisabeth's gaze returned to her.

I realized Michaela was enjoying this.

"You could try working with us," Elisabeth said softly.

At that, Michaela's eyes flashed and narrowed. "I was _angry_."

"At us?" Serena asked from behind her.

Michaela turned around and glared at her. "You stay out of this."

"No," said Serena. "I will not. Now, we should go home and discuss this with greater privacy." Her eyes flicked to me briefly then returned to her alpha.

"There's nothing to discuss," Michaela said. She turned her back on Serena, facing off against Elisabeth again. "No one wanted me to go for a run alone, so I took a drive instead." She smiled sweetly. "You should be happy. When Serena told me, 'No' to a run alone, I accepted her at her word."

"We're not playing this game here, Michaela," said Elisabeth. "Serena, get her out of here."

"Touch me-" hissed Michaela, "-and you're all tasting silver." She had crossed her arms in front of her, and her hands were on her wrists, her fingers underneath the sleeves of her blouse. I wasn't sure what she meant, but everyone froze.

And Elisabeth took a full step backwards, away from Michaela.

"Do not get heavy-handed with me, Head Enforcer," Michaela said in a cold voice.

You could have heard a pin drop. I shrank further back into the sofa.

And then Elisabeth's posture changed, and she nodded. "My apologies, Alpha. You're right. Are you ready to go?"

"Not quite. I wasn't finished here. Everyone out. You can guard me from the hallway. You, Sister, will stay."

No one moved until Elisabeth nodded. The enforcers filed out, Serena and Angel last. When the door closed, Michaela relaxed, lowering her hands.

"You shouldn't make a threat you aren't prepared to carry out," Elisabeth told her. "You weren't going to knife Angel."

"If she'd laid hands on her alpha, damned right I would have," Michaela said.

"What?" I screeched.

They both turned to me.

"I wouldn't have hurt her," Michaela said, "well, not too badly. They'd have disarmed me eventually, but there would have been blood."

I looked between the two of them, my eyes wide. "You would have stabbed her? She's your friend!"

"She would have healed," Elisabeth said. "It wasn't going to come to that. I was out of line, and Michaela was only reminding me of it. Alpha, I'm sorry."

Michaela moved to her and offered a quick hug. "Forgiven. Now, I was just in the process of finalizing Zoe's plans for her scuba lessons. They begin tomorrow afternoon. I was going to have Karen take her out to get the things she needs, but with you here, you can do it."

And she grinned at me.

Damned matchmaker.

"She needs mask, fins, and a snorkel. Also make sure she has a sexy swim suit."

"Michaela!" But she grinned at me again.

"In fact, make her model it for you."

"Michaela!" I screeched.

In response, Michaela took three steps towards me then reached out and grabbed my hands. She pulled me to my feet and wrapped me in a hug. Reflexively, I wrapped my own arms around her.

The hug felt really good.

She held me for a minute before relaxing her grip, but then she slid her hands down my arms until we were clasping fingers. "I want us to be proper friends, Zoe. This is important to me. I know things have been difficult, but I am being utterly heartfelt. I hope you can learn to trust me."

She didn't wait for a response but stepped away. "I'll see you later, Elisabeth. Or perhaps not until tomorrow." Then, chuckling, she headed for the front door, and a moment later I heard it open and close.

Both Elisabeth and I stared after her.

"Wow," I said.

"Yeah," agreed Elisabeth. "She has half the pack wrapped around her little finger."

"Where do you all fit?"

 **Gear**

Elisabeth turned to face me. We stared at each other awkwardly. "I'm sorry," she said finally.

"For what?"

"We scared you."

I lowered my eyes. "Do I smell?"

"You're fine."

I looked back up. "Do you want me to lie to you, too?"

Before she could respond, there was a buzz. She pulled her phone out, glanced at it, and sighed.

"Have to go?"

"No. Orders from my alpha." Then her phone buzzed again. She glanced at it and chuckled. "And more orders for you."

She turned the phone around and held it out for me to read the screen. She'd received two messages from Angel's phone, but they were each signed, "Your Alpha". The first said, "Invite her on a date tonight." And the second was, "Zoe, tell her yes."

We both sighed.

"What are you doing tonight, Zoe?" Elisabeth asked.

I stared at the phone, the looked up at her. "It appears I have a date."

She looked away. "You." She paused and looked everywhere but at me. "You don't have to consider that an order."

"Neither do you," I replied. "Put your phone away."

She glanced at me and then accepted my suggestion. Then she turned to me. I waited to see what she would do.

"Zoe, would you have dinner with me?"

"Carly's?" I asked.

She laughed. "I have a partial interest in this lovely steak house."

"Elisabeth…"

"Green Room?" she offered.

"I'd love to go to dinner with you," I said. "I'm not in date clothes. What do you recommend?"

She moved closer, and I thought she was going to kiss me. Instead, she lifted a hand and ran it through my hair, then leaned over and sniffed.

"You just sniffed my hair?" I asked. With a screech.

She chuckled. "Your hair smells good," she said. "Shower and change. We'll go hit the scuba shop and then have dinner."

I hurried.

Twenty minutes later, we stepped out of my apartment building and together, turned to the small parking lot. Elisabeth came to a stop, and I was two steps past her before I halted and turned towards her. "What's wrong?"

She was shaking her head. "That." She pointed into the parking lot. I turned and saw a small SUV.

"Yes?"

"That's Michaela's." She laughed. "They left me Michaela's car, and you know whose idea that was."

I smiled. "Got a key?"

"Yes."

"So no problem. At least they left you a car. I don't have to drive you home."

"No, no problem." She chuckled again. Then she stepped forward, grabbed my arm, and escorted me to the passenger door of Michaela's car.

I arranged myself as Elisabeth walked to the other side, then sat calmly while she climbed in. She couldn't help but notice my legs, which amused me greatly. She stared at them for a moment then shook herself and started the car.

"I could have sworn that skirt was longer."

"It seems to have shrunk," I replied.

We turned to each other. "You've been turning me down," she observed. She gestured at my legs. "What is this?"

I glanced down at my legs. "Did you want me to pull the skirt back down?"

"No. I want to know what's going on. We were doing so well-"

"Before."

"Yeah. Before." She looked away. "It wasn't an act, Zoe."

"I'm going to ask a question, Elisabeth, and I want an honest answer."

"I can't promise that, Zoe."

"If you lie to me, and I ever find out you lied, I won't betray pack secrets, but I will do everything in my power to hurt you."

She snapped her head back, scowling. "Do not threaten me."

"I'm serious," I said. "I deserve an honest answer."

"What?" she snapped.

"Is my apartment bugged?"

"Not by the pack," she replied. "And Gia says it's clean; no one else is bugging it."

We stared at each other for a good thirty seconds. Then I asked, "You promise?"

"I promise."

She continued to scowl at me. I studied her face. I couldn't tell if she was lying, but I decided I was done distrusting anyone. I smiled then looked away and down at my legs. Then, very deliberately, I pulled the skirt up another half inch.

She didn't move, and I didn't look at her. Instead, I sat sweetly with my hands in my lap. I'd made my move, and now I would wait.

"My turn," she said.

I turned back to her, still smiling softly. "Yes?"

"What would you have done if I'd said 'Yes, it is'?"

My smile faded while I thought about it. Elisabeth watched me carefully. Then the smile returned. "I would have adjusted my skirt and thanked you for telling me the truth, but I would keep it in mind if I ever decided I wanted an overnight guest."

"You haven't answered my question. What's going on?"

"You asked me on a date. I said 'yes'. Or is this just dinner between friends? I can pull my skirt back down."

"I like your skirt just the way it is," she said, glancing at my legs.

And so I set my hands back in my lap, relaxed, and looked out the window.

Neither of us said anything for a minute. Once we were on the road, I said, "I want to ask you something."

"Of course you do."

"Did Michaela engineer all of that just to get us together?"

Elisabeth barked a short laugh. "Not literally all of it. She wouldn't need to be that convoluted just to get us in the same room. But from the moment she got in her car? Yes, probably. But with her, there's oftentimes more than one thing going on at once."

By this time, I was watching her. I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed watching her. She glanced at me.

"It doesn't do you any good to try to outguess the fox."

"Clever as a fox?"

"Yeah." She smiled.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing. She just keeps all of us guessing. She has since the very beginning. Did you see her stand up to me today?"

"Yes, I did." I paused. "You like her."

"I admire her a great deal," Elisabeth said. "I've never seen anyone bounce back the way she does. The things she's been through." She looked over at me. "It drives all of us crazy when she does what she did today. You didn't notice, but I aired your apartment out while you were showering."

"Was my fear scent that overpowering?"

"It was masked by the fear scent wafting off the rest of us."

"Seriously?"

She nodded. "I suppose not all of us. Portia always remains cool, and Eric was awfully cavalier. But Serena was terrified, and I was pretty worked up. Angel was biting her nails, something she hasn't done since she was thirteen. And Rory kept screaming at us to drive faster."

"So the tension I felt wasn't imagined."

"No." She looked over. "Thank you for not fighting me when I told you to sit."

I scoffed. "Fighting you? Are you serious?" I paused. "Does Michaela know all of you were that upset?"

"Of course she does."

"How do you know that she knows?"

Elisabeth didn't answer.

"Maybe you should tell her," I suggested quietly. "And maybe when she says she needs to go for a walk by herself, you should treat her like an adult."

At that, Elisabeth snapped her head to me. "Don't tell me how to do my job."

I held my hands up defensively. She returned her gaze to the road.

"I'm sorry," she said after a minute. "Clearly I'm still a little stressed from this."

"Did you need a shower, too?"

"Probably. Or a beer."

"Forgiven. Are you going to think about what I said?"

"Count on it. Thank you."

We drove quietly for a few minutes. Then Elisabeth chuckled. "So she roped you into scuba diving, and she roped me into paying for it."

"She didn't have to work very hard to entice me, and you're not paying for a thing. She already did."

"Oh?"

"She bought a few of my pictures. I have no idea how much I'm spending today, but she said it was enough to get started." But I looked out the window, embarrassed, and didn't say anything further. Michaela was a schoolteacher, and she had bought my pictures so I would have money.

"What's wrong?" Elisabeth asked me after a quiet minute had gone by.

"Nothing."

"Zoe…"

"I'm embarrassed. Don't worry about it. When she told me to check my sales today, I was thinking about her as the pack alpha, and I have a vision of her being very rich. But it just occurred to me she's a schoolteacher. She can't afford to be paying for this."

"I'm not going to talk to you about Michaela's finances," Elisabeth said. "Did she ask for anything special with the photos?"

"My largest size printed on canvas, numbered, framed, and signed. They come specially boxed so they present well as gifts. She bought six. I only offer printing on canvas of my very best photos, and I charge accordingly. I sell about two a year. They're my 'you've got more money than sense' product. Where is she going to put them?"

"She's probably going to give them away to some of the more important members of the pack. Christmas is coming, and she does a lot of shopping." Elisabeth paused. "I don't believe you should be embarrassed. Your photos are coveted. Gifts from Michaela are also coveted. The people who receive those will value them. It wasn't charity, Zoe."

I looked back at her. She wasn't watching me; she had her hands on the wheel and her eyes on the road.

"Thank you."

After that, we made small talk for the rest of the drive. We pulled into a strip mall parking lot, coming to a stop at the end in front of a shop called "Blue Water Divers." I recognized the red and white dive flags on either side of their name. I was about to get out, but Elisabeth said, "Zoe…"

I turned to her.

"Are you afraid of me?"

I looked down. I found myself doing that a lot with her. "A little," I said in a small voice. "I'm sorry."

"I would never hurt you."

I didn't say anything. She reached out and clasped my chin, raising my eyes towards hers.

"You believe that, don't you? I would never hurt you."

"I have nightmares, Elisabeth," I said. "We shouldn't talk about this."

"If you're so afraid of me, what are you doing here with me?"

"I didn't say I was 'so afraid'. I said I was a little afraid. And for the record, it's not because of what you are."

"Then why?"

I closed my eyes. I wanted to pull away from her clasp, but I didn't.

"I wouldn't hurt you," she said again.

"I'm here with you," I said. "I dressed for you. I pulled my skirt up for you. For now, isn't that enough?"

"I need to know why you're afraid."

"Do I smell bad?"

"Not right now, no. Just tell me. I can't fix it if you don't tell me."

"I have nightmares," I said in a small voice. "Please, Elisabeth, I don't want to think about this."

"Nothing from your nightmares is going to come true."

I opened my eyes and looked into hers. "Well, that's the problem, isn't it? They already have. I wonder what I might be dreaming about. Figure it out for yourself."

And then I pulled away and opened the car door. Elisabeth reached for me, but I slipped out of the car before she could grab me. However, she climbed out her side and met me at the front of the car before I could make it more than a few steps. She grabbed me by the shoulders and forced me to face her.

"What dreams?" she asked. "Tell me."

"If I talk about it, I'm going to start to smell again. Can we talk about this some other time?"

"What dreams?"

I huffed at her. "Everything from that week, especially Karen and her damned wire around my neck. But all of it. Do you really need details? I can give you details. They're lovely. I can tell you how sure I was that I was going to die. Every time the door to that cell opened, I was sure it was going to be someone coming in to tell me I was going to be executed. Murdered. While I was there, I wondered how you would do it. Would it be Karen and her wire? Would you do it yourself? Maybe Lara would handle it. The most frequent thought was that you'd take me from the cell, and every wolf in the pack would be waiting. You'd tell me to 'run'. Runner up was Karen and her wire. Do you know I haven't worn a necklace since? I can't stand anything around my neck. I was feeling a little butch one day and tried to put on a tie, and I had a panic attack."

I pulled away from her hands. Just thinking about it all had my heart pounding in my chest.

"Of course, there were other ways you could kill me. You could snap my neck. Or beat me to death. Sometimes it was a bullet in the back of my head while I knelt in front of you, sobbing. I spent a week sure you were going to kill me, so I had plenty of time to come up with no end of ways you might do it."

I shook my head, trying to clear the dark thoughts, but others intruded.

"In some of the dreams, you bring me a big steak, bloody rare, and force me to eat it. So I guess not everything from the dreams themselves happened. In other dreams, you never let me out. In the dreams, the cell gets smaller and smaller, and you brick it off. I wake up with my hands curled into claws, because I was dreaming I was scratching at the concrete walls, trying to dig my way out."

I shook myself. "So if I tell you I'm only a 'little afraid', I think that's a pretty big step up, don't you?"

I'd stopped watching her, so I didn't see her expression while I ranted at her, but I looked up and she had a look of such sorrow.

"I'm so sorry, Zoe. You don't know how sorry I am."

"Every time Michaela makes me attend an event, I wonder if I'll be going home afterwards. Every time I come home from one of my own tasks, I wonder if I'll find a squad of enforcers waiting in my apartment for me. At night, if there are any loud noises, I wonder if someone is breaking in to assassinate me in the night. When Michaela showed up at my door today, I was sure it was going to be you, come to take me into custody."

"Oh Zoe," she said. "None of that is going to happen. I swear. Absolutely nothing bad is going to happen to you."

"Maybe," I said, "just maybe I am starting to actually believe that." I turned away, staring off into space and trying to calm my heart down. Elisabeth moved closer, and then her hands were on my shoulders. I didn't pull away.

"Do you hate me?"

"No."

"Will you let me hold you?"

I thought about it and nodded. Carefully, gently, she wrapped her arms around me from behind, and I leaned backwards against her, clutching her arm to my chest.

In spite of everything, it felt good. I didn't understand that.

"This shouldn't feel good."

"Why not?"

"Because… of what you are. Of what all of you did. This shouldn't feel good. I should be gibbering in fear."

"Maybe deep down you recognize something."

"What?"

"I'm a protector."

I let that sink in. "Hold me tighter."

And she did.

Neither of us said anything, and slowly I calmed down. Then I began to chuckle.

"What?"

"I always wanted a guard dog."

She immediately began laughing.

"Do you think you'd like to sleep on my bed, curled up, with your ears alert for any dangers?"

She chuckled a little longer.

"Did I offend you?"

"No. I'm not sure you want to repeat that around anyone else though." She paused. "That's a pretty good similarity though, Zoe."

I leaned more heavily against her.

"All right," I said. "Let's go spend Michaela's money."

Elisabeth chuckled and slowly released me.

The store was intimidating. I wandered around for a minute, looking at the gear and wincing at the prices. While I'd never been diving, I had a pretty good idea what the main gear was, and I knew it was expensive, but I had no idea it was all this expensive. Eventually I looked over at Elisabeth, who was standing to the side, watching me. Something in my expression must have conveyed my worry, as she immediately stepped up to me.

"I can't afford all this," I said. It came out like a whine. "And I don't want you to buy it, either. Let's just go."

She shook her head. "You don't need all this. You need a mask, fins and snorkel."

"That's all? But what about air tanks and…"

"Michaela said mask, fins and snorkel. You'll borrow the rest. If you decide you really like it and want your own gear, we'll find a way for you to pay for it. Do you have a swim suit?"

I nodded.

"All right then. Let's see if one of these nice people can help us out." She straightened up and looked around, and just a moment later, an athletic-looking woman stepped over to us. "Did you need some help with BCDs?"

"Actually," Elisabeth said, "we have a brand new student who needs just the basics today."

"Ah," said the woman. "I thought I recognized that look of panic. Don't worry. I'm Darla. I'll take good care of you." She held out her hand.

"Zoe," I replied, shaking her hand. "This is Elisabeth."

"Hello, Zoe and Elisabeth." She looked at Elisabeth. "Mask, fins and snorkel? And for you as well?"

"I'm covered. Yes. She's price conscious."

"Of course. Everything we have is good quality, so prices are going to be higher than if you pick up something at Target, but we don't dive with cheap equipment. Right this way."

We started with masks. Darla explained that all their masks were high quality, and so any would serve me quite well as a beginning diver. The most important aspect was the proper fit.

Then she had me try on a bunch of the masks. It didn't take long to narrow it down to four that fit well. In the end, I let price and color make my choice. "I want the purple one."

Darla had me try it again before she'd let my choice be final, but she declared it, "Perfect."

She handed my new mask, in its box, to Elisabeth to hold.

"Snorkels next," she said. "They are here." We moved down the wall about ten feet.

"If I have an air tank, why do I need a snorkel?"

"Two reasons. First, scuba divers also tend to go snorkeling in shallow water. But more importantly, if you have to spend time on the surface, you don't want to waste your air." Darla proceeded to show me the range of snorkels. The price range was narrow, from $20 to only $40. I asked if there was any reason to spend the extra money.

"I use this one," Darla said, waving one of the inexpensive snorkels. And they even had one in purple to match my mask. Elisabeth grinned when Darla handed it to her to hold.

"Now, I'm afraid the prices on fins may be a little daunting." We moved to the other side of the shop, and Darla spent a good ten minutes describing the different basic types of fins. In the end, "fins" didn't just mean fins. I had to buy a pair of neoprene booties, too. I wanted to buy the cheapest choice, but the two of them tag teamed to talk me up quite a bit.

"This choice matters," Darla said.

In the end, I bought what Darla and Elisabeth together agreed was the best choice.

And they came in purple, too, which mollified me a little bit.

We carried my choices to the counter. Darla went over care of everything with me, asked whether I needed anything else, and finally rang up my purchases. "Are you signed up for classes?"

"This weekend."

"Excellent. I'm teaching the class this weekend."

"Oh. Um." I looked to Elisabeth. "Is it here?"

"No." She turned to Darla. "We hold classes at the high school."

"Oh wow," she said. "That's great. Do the students sign up, or is this an adult education class?"

"Both," Elisabeth said. "One of the teachers has been sharing her passion."

Darla asked a few more questions and then finally said, "When you're ready for more equipment, we'll be here."

Elisabeth picked up the rather large bag with my things, and together we headed back to Michaela's car.

I was pretty shell-shocked. I had just spent six months' clothing allowance on something I didn't need. Even though Michaela had effectively paid for everything, it was hard for me to even consider. We climbed into the car, and I sat quietly as Elisabeth began navigating our way across town towards the Green Room.

"You turned quiet," she observed several minutes later. "Is something wrong?"

"I'm pretty sure you wouldn't understand."

"Did I do something wrong?"

"No one did anything wrong," I said. "I bet you wouldn't think twice about the money we just spent." I glanced over at her. "The clothes you're wearing probably cost four times than that."

She returned my glance. "More," she admitted quietly.

"I buy most of my clothes at the thrift store. That was six months — or more — of my clothing budget."

"You know, Michaela had this same issue for the first couple of years she was with us."

"And then she married Lara?"

"Well, even once they were married, she didn't like accepting money from Lara. Her living expenses were low, but by marrying the alpha and becoming co-alpha, she took on responsibilities that had expenses. She was struggling with it."

"How did she solve it?"

"She accepted a budget from Lara. But that's not my point." She paused. "I'm not sure if I have a point, exactly. But I do understand, Zoe. I guess that's what I'm trying to say. Are you upset we spent the money?"

"Not upset. Just… I don't know. Unsettled, maybe." I smiled. "Don't worry about it. I'm fine. There's just a lot to absorb. It has been a startling day. Here I was, minding my own business, when suddenly a werefox showed up on my doorstep. During the ensuing conversation, she offered to take me away to Key West for a little vacation. A half hour later, my apartment was filled with werewolves. One of them asked me on a date, and I said yes. I think anything else dwarfs in comparison."

Elisabeth laughed. "I hadn't thought about any of it quite that way, but I can see how that might be a lot to absorb."

After that, she asked me what I'd been working on. I told her about the letter I was trying to write, asking my network to help me expand the network. She had some good ideas we discussed. "Have you added the pack to your list?"

"Excuse me?"

"Counting you, there are currently three hundred and forty-seven members in the pack. Our population due to births has been fairly stable since the seventies, although we do get the occasional new member of the pack."

"Such as me."

"Karen, Portia, Michaela, Benny… Yes, such as you. Of those three hundred and forty-seven, approximately seventy-five are children, fifteen or younger."

"I do mailings for children as well. About a third of my mailing list joined the list as children." I began to grow excited. "Did you just grow my list by over three hundred people? It's not just my list, Elisabeth. It's National's list, too." I ran GreEN of Wisconsin, but I was associated with GreEN, the national organization. I normally just referred to everything I did as GreEN.

"In that case, you couldn't add everyone all at once," she replied. "And you still have to do the other things you do. And if you do a targeted mailing to just the pack, you need to work with Gia. Let me run this by Lara before you go too far with it. But yes, I think I've increased your list by three-hundred and forty-six."

"Not quite," I told her. I grinned. "Angel and Scarlett signed up that first day they stopped by. And I added you, Michaela and Lara second day. You've already gotten one mailing."

She smiled. "True, although you sent them to my business address. I'll help you fix that later."

"That was okay, wasn't it?"

"Yes, Zoe. That was okay."

I sat back, thinking about the implications.

"Have you been adding the people who buy your photographs?"

"Of course not!"

She glanced over. "So vehement. Why not?"

"My web site privacy statement specifically says I don't sell contact information. I have links on my web site to the GreEN web site, and people can click through if they want. But Zoe Young and GreEN are not the same people. I would consider it selling their information." But then I smiled. "I include a GreEN introductory pamphlet when I ship something, though. And sometimes, not often, but sometimes people sign up at GreEN a day or two after they would have received one of my prints."

I sat quietly, absorbing everything until we pulled up in front of the restaurant. We came to a stop, and Elisabeth said, "You grew quiet again."

"I'm just trying to catch up with the conversation," I said.

"There are advantages to being a pack member, Zoe," Elisabeth said. She reached over and clasped my hand.

But once we climbed from the car and were walking to the restaurant entrance, I clasped her arm and leaned against her during the walk.

She seemed to enjoy it as much as I did.

 **Running**

"That was lovely, Elisabeth," I said in the car later. "Thank you."

"You're welcome. I had a nice time."

"Are you in a hurry to get home and chastise Michaela?"

"Inviting me in?"

"Actually…" I paused.

"Yes? I'm intrigued already."

"That first day in your cell, when Eric and I talked, he said wolves like to play."

"We do," she said.

"And you know how I feel about your wolf."

She grinned at me. "You seem to appreciate my wolf."

"I know I'm just a human, and maybe this is a bad idea. But could we go somewhere and, I don't know. Something?"

She glanced over at me, then, without a word, pulled off to the side of the road and parked. She turned to me. She looked me up and down carefully and didn't say anything. I thought perhaps I'd made a really poor suggestion, and I found myself staring at my hands in my lap, trying to look small.

My reactions to her were puzzling. There was something about her that turned me submissive. I'd never been submissive like this before.

"Maybe that's a bad idea," I said in a small voice. "Forget I said anything."

"It's not a bad idea, Zoe," she said very gently. "You're not dressed for more active play. We could go for a walk."

"Would you be wolf?"

"I could be," she said.

"Would you like that?"

"I would."

"If I changed clothes first, would we do something else?"

"We could," she said. "Do you know what you would like to do?"

I shook my head. "I'm out of my depth, Elisabeth. I can't imagine you want to play fetch."

She laughed. "Actually, there's always the tennis ball game. In a way, that's a game of fetch."

I joined her laughter. "I guess it is. I didn't do very well in that game, but it looked like fun."

"You won't do very well in any of the games we're accustomed to playing. Does that bother you?"

I thought about it. "I'm not competitive that way, but I was a little embarrassed that it was one of the kids who found my ball."

"Michaela often leaves hers in trees. The kids can't climb them."

I looked up. Elisabeth was smiling. "I thought about that, but I thought it would be cheating."

"Did anyone say 'no trees'?"

"No…" I said slowly.

"Then it's not cheating. You have to stay out of and off the buildings, and you can't hide it somewhere too small for an adult wolf to reach it. We added that rule so Michaela wouldn't leave them in the middle of one of the small culverts."

"Are you asking me what I want to do?" she asked. I nodded. She paused before her next question, and there was caution in her voice. "If we went to the compound, would you be staying overnight?"

I looked her up and down carefully. I remembered our times together in the past. And then, slowly, I nodded. "If I'm invited."

Her smile broadened, but then her smile faded and she cocked her head.

"Please, Elisabeth. Just tell me what you would like to do."

Instead, she looked away.

"Tell me."

"I want to take you to your place and have you pack an overnight bag," she said.

"And change clothes?"

She nodded.

"And then what?"

"Go to the compound."

"Keep going, Elisabeth."

"I want to play," she said, "but I'm afraid."

"Of what?"

She looked back. "I don't know what how to play with a human."

"There are other humans in the pack."

"I don't play with them. They only play the very gentle games on pack play night, but I leave them alone, anyway. And I've never asked anyone what they do with their mates."

"Are you afraid of hurting me?"

"I wouldn't intentionally hurt you. But wolves tussle. Lara and Michaela tussle. If I played with you like that, you'd get bruises."

"Would I look like a domestic abuse victim?"

"No, but I'd feel guilty. We heal when we shift. You don't."

I thought about what she had said. "I don't mind a few bruises if they are entirely accidental. I don't want to be knocked off my feet. I want to play, whatever you want if it's not too rough. If you want a relationship with me, then I consider this a problem for you to solve." I paused. "I mean, Eric said wolves like to play. So if you want to play, then I want to play."

"Anything I want, if it's not too rough?"

"Or humiliating. I don't want to be humiliated."

"Would losing consistently be humiliating?"

"Teasing me about it would be. But I meant I don't want to be the brunt of jokes. I want to play with the idea of both of us having fun. And I'm not going to wager, so don't even ask. We both know you're going to win whatever we play."

She began to smile. "Anything I want, subject to those restrictions?" And I nodded. "Would you let me hunt you?"

"You want to hunt me?" I squeaked.

She nodded. "You'd call hit 'hide and go seek'. You get a certain amount of head start. When the pack plays, you have to actually hide. But when we play, you could hide if you want, or you can keep running. I then get a certain amount of time to catch you."

I thought about it. "Do you want to play even if I'm easy to catch?"

"Yes."

She smiled then reached out and clasped my hand. Somehow I knew I had pleased her. The thought made me happy.

She took me home and helped me pack an overnight bag. I changed into woodsy clothing. She wanted to watch, but I chased her out of the bedroom. She grumped good-naturedly at me.

We held hands for the entire drive to the compound. I expected her to drive to her house, but instead, we pulled up in front of Lara and Michaela's, and I remembered whose car we had.

"We'll need to check in," she said. "Just for a minute."

She grabbed my bag from in back then took my hand. We headed straight for the front door. Elisabeth didn't even hesitate but opened the door and held it for me. I stepped inside, announcing my name, and then Elisabeth was immediately behind me.

"Auntie Lisbet! Auntie Lisbet!" Suddenly from the left there were two streaks, and I barely got out of the way as Rebecca and Celeste threw themselves as their aunt. They both shifted to pups mid-air, and it was the funniest thing as they got tangled in their clothes.

Elisabeth caught them both but grunted under the effort, then knelt down and set them both on the floor.

"You two are getting a little big for that," she told them. She helped them slither out of their clothes, then hugged each of them, earning several licks for her efforts. "Say hello to Zoe. Remember that she's a human."

I knelt down, and the two pups bounced over to me, but they came to a stop in front of me, then walked the last little distance. I wrapped an arm around each of them and accepted the tongue bath of my face, laughing.

"What is with the licks?" I asked.

"I hate it," said Michaela. "Werefoxes don't lick in greeting, but the wolves do. Don't fight it, Zoe. Just accept it."

I looked up, and Michaela was watching us, smiling. Lara moved up to stand behind her, and Michaela leaned backwards against her. Lara wrapped her arms around her mate.

It was obvious how in love they were, and I was glad to see their fight from earlier had ended.

"When we're wolves, we're the same people as humans," Lara said, "but some of our instincts and thoughts are different. Our social interactions become far closer to that of our natural cousins. We carry some of our humanity with us, and as humans, we carry our wolves with us. Some of it is subtle. Some of it is very overt."

I nodded. I didn't fully understand, but I understood as much as she said. And so I didn't lick the pups, but I gave them a kiss on each of their foreheads and released them. One of them — I wasn't sure which — bounced over to her mothers. The other turned back to Elisabeth. Elisabeth tussled lightly with hers, and Michaela held her hands out. The pup leapt into her arms, and I was sure the little fox would be knocked over if Lara hadn't steadied her. But she held her daughter easily after that.

"Which one is which?" I asked. "I can't tell."

"This is Celeste," Michaela said. "Elisabeth is playing with Rebecca."

"Should I be able to tell? They look alike."

"Celeste is bigger. She smells just a tiny bit different, but you wouldn't be able to tell."

I looked between the two pups. "I feel bad, but I can't tell the difference."

"Don't worry about it," Lara said. "You'll start to become more attuned to our furry differences over time. It's good to see you. We missed you last night."

I looked at the floor. Submissively. It was becoming automatic, and I still didn't understand it. "I'm sorry. I didn't understand. Michaela talked to me about it."

"That wasn't chastisement, Zoe," Lara said. "That was expressing joy you are here now. And I understand you're going to be here for much of the weekend."

"And she's coming to Key West with us," Michaela added. "Well, assuming she likes the diving."

I kept my eyes down. "You know I can't afford to pay my way."

"Don't worry about that," Lara said. "We're happy for your company."

At that I looked up, not quite into her eyes, but enough to see her expression. She was smiling lightly, her arms still around her mate.

"Thank you," I said. I moved closer and looked at Celeste. She was so damned cute! "Does she like being pet?"

"She loves being scratched," Michaela said. "Except with the closest of friends, it's best to always ask."

"Celeste, would you let me scratch?"

The pup turned her head to look at me then made that noise I had learned was agreement. She laid her head back on Michaela's shoulder.

"That was yes," Michaela said. "Celeste, what would you have said if you didn't want Zoe to scratch your fur?"

The pup made a different sound. The yes sound was a little like a grunt. The no sound was more of a snort. I nodded understanding, then stepped up the rest of the way and buried my fingers in the pup's fur.

After a moment she began making another noise, not that different from the 'yes' sound.

"That's enjoyment," Michaela translated. "You can be a firmer with her than you can with me. Celeste doesn't like it if you touch her ears, but Rebecca does."

"What if I forget?"

"She'll huff at you — the other sound — and probably flick her ears. Baby, we're going to show Zoe." And then Michaela reached up with one hand and began to scrub one of Celeste's ears like you might for a dog.

Celeste immediately made the 'no' snort and shook her head a little. Michaela immediately stopped what she was doing and buried her fingers in the pup's fur at the back of her neck instead. The pup began making the pleasure sounds again.

"I'm going to warn you, however," Lara said. "They're still pups, and sometimes they get crabby. And I can't promise they'll remember you're human. You should be careful. And don't be too familiar with the younger teenagers, either. They don't have all the control they will by the time they are fifteen or sixteen."

"They'd bite?"

"They might," Lara said. "And if an adult catches them biting a human, they'll get heck for it. But you'll still have been bitten."

None of this had stopped being surreal to me. I looked down at the furry werewolf in her mother's arms, the werewolf I was petting.

God, she was cute!

From behind me, I felt Elisabeth step up, and then her hands were on my shoulders. Rebecca began to run around the room, and then Celeste began squirming. I took my hands away, and then Michaela let her daughter onto the floor. The two pups began chasing each other all over the room.

"You two be careful," Michaela said firmly. "Anyone who so much as bumps Zoe is getting a time-out. There better not be any accidents, either."

"Zoe and are I are going for a run," Elisabeth said. "If that's okay, Alpha."

"Of course it is," Lara said. "If you don't mind sharing the woods."

"We're going to play," Elisabeth said. "I wouldn't suppose you know who is in fur?"

"Serena and her family were going out earlier," Michaela said. "I don't know if they are still out there. And I heard a group of teenagers heading north a half hour ago."

"We'll stay south," Elisabeth replied. "We don't need as much room."

The pups had heard the conversation. Suddenly there were two naked girls standing beside us. "We want to play!" said one of them. I couldn't tell which was which, and I averted my eyes besides.

"You'll have to get used to that," said Michaela. "We're pretty informal about nudity here, as you can imagine."

I nodded, but I didn't look at the girls.

"Not tonight," Michaela said to the girls. "It's almost time for your baths and story time, and Elisabeth and Zoe want to spend time alone."

"But-" said the other girl.

Michaela put a hand on her hip, and the girl immediately drew silent. But the other one said in a quiet voice, "We want to play with Zoe and Aunt Lisbet."

"And when Zoe is more comfortable playing with wolves," Michaela said, "then maybe she'll invite you to play with her. But you can't play with her like you play with everyone else."

"We play with Ms. Lass-ter."

"Ms. Lassiter is far more accustomed to playing with wolves," Michaela said. "We can talk about it during your baths."

"Yes, Mommy Fox," they both said.

I kept my mouth shut. I wouldn't have minded playing with them, but tonight was my time with Elisabeth. I'd talk to her about it later.

"All right," said Michaela. "Say goodnight to Zoe and Aunt Elisabeth, and then you two go get ready for your baths. We'll be up in a minute."

"Good night, Zoe," one girl said. "Good night, Auntie Lisbet," said the other. A moment later, they were running up the stairs, and then there was a blur, and I saw a furry tail just as it disappeared out of sight.

I stared after them. "They're so cute."

Lara chuckled. "They're hellions."

"They are not!" Michaela said. "They're darlings." Then she looked pointedly at the bag over Elisabeth's shoulder. "Staying the weekend?"

"Um. That hasn't been discussed. Maybe the night."

"Well, I'll have Karen drop off your diving materials at Elisabeth's," Michaela replied. "In case you want a head start. Classes start at four, so be here by three-thirty or so."

I nodded. "Yes, Alpha."

"All right. You two go enjoy yourselves. Zoe, I can't promise you there won't be other wolves out there. But no one here will hurt you."

I nodded. "I'll be fine, but if anyone interferes with our game, I consider it a win for me."

Elisabeth chuckled, and then she led me from the house. Once outside, she took my hand and tugged me towards her place.

It was all so weird, so amazingly weird. I'd been coming here since early summer, but my mind still hadn't caught up with everything.

They were werewolves. Werewolves! Real, honest-to-goodness werewolves. And everyone was so careful around me.

And this was the first time I'd come here that I wasn't afraid, although I felt myself beginning to grow excited and nervous about my pending game with Elisabeth.

"Are you all right?"

"Excited," I said. "Nervous." I paused. "Excited," I repeated.

"Scared?"

"No."

"Good." We walked quietly after that, still holding hands, until we arrived at her house. We dropped off my bag then stepped out onto her front steps. She pulled me down to sit on the steps.

"Do you want several quick games or do you want them longer?"

"I don't care."

"Then how about quicker games?" she suggested. "Five minute head start, ten minutes to find you."

"Is it going to take you that long?"

"Probably not, but if I have to manage my own competitiveness. Honey, I play to win. You understand."

"Of course."

"If we make this too difficult for me, then I'll play too hard. I'd rather we kept it relaxed."

"Oh. I see." I didn't, not entirely, but I trusted her to know what was best. "Where am I allowed to go?"

"Let's agree tonight: no crossing roads. Once you know the pack land better, we can play in a bigger area. And you can't go anywhere that involves a doorway or window."

"No hiding in the car."

"Right. But you could hide on top of it or underneath it if you wanted. Not that I wouldn't find you, but you could."

"And I can climb trees."

"Right."

"That doesn't seem fair."

"Why not?"

"Because. Um. Wolves don't climb trees."

"Furry wolves don't. Unfurry wolves do. But let us agree that if I can see you in a tree, you have to come down voluntarily."

"If you can't see me, but can smell me?"

"Then I have to climb until I can see you."

I nodded. I didn't think I had a chance of winning, but I was here to play. To prove to her I was willing to play. Eric told me playing was important, and honestly, it sounded like fun.

I decided to tell her that. "I just want to have fun, Elisabeth. I don't mind if I win or lose, although I don't want to disappoint you."

"There's something we haven't done."

"There's a great deal we haven't done."

"You've seen Lara make Michaela submit to her."

I had. She'd catch Michaela, roll her onto her back, and then wrap her mouth over her throat. The first time I'd seen it, it had shocked the hell out of me, but Michele Lassiter had stepped up next to me and explained what was happening.

"When I catch you, I'm going to do the same thing. Are you going to freak out?"

I looked away, and I knew my heart began pounding harder. "I don't know."

"You should whimper. Zoe, I am a dominant wolf." She paused. "We can just go for a walk."

"I want to play," I said. "I'll be fine, Elisabeth."

"Zoe, you need to understand. I play to win. I can't help it. If you fight me, I'll still play to win. You have to decide how you feel about that and respond accordingly."

I nodded. "I want you to hold me for a few minutes first."

She pulled me against her, wrapping her arms around me. I leaned into her. She kissed the top of my head, and we sat quietly on the steps.

It felt good. It felt safe.

How weird was that?

"If you get to have your way with me when you win, what do I get when I win?"

"So you want a wager after all?"

"Nooo…" I said slowly.

"You get bragging rights," she replied. "Unless you want to make it a wager."

"No, no." I said. "I've been very careful when you're a wolf. Am I allowed to hug you?"

"Yes, but don't try pulling me around, and don't try to force me to do anything, not even make me turn my head to face you. It may be very hard to hold back my automatic response."

"Biting?"

"Putting you in your place."

"Oh. Where is that?"

"Underneath me, pinned to the ground, with my teeth over your throat, and unlike when we're playing, it will be a little rougher."

I nodded understanding.

"Ready?" she asked. I nodded again. "You get a five minute head start. I'll howl when I start. If you set a timer on your phone for ten minutes, then we'll know when my time is up. I'll use my watch for the first game, but after that, I'll have to estimate the time. We get a lot of practice with that. You won't get exactly five minutes, but it will be close." She lifted her wrist and looked at her watch. "Time starts when your feet reach the grass."

"And I should head that way?" I pointed.

"You may head any direction you want, but that's south. If you go any other direction you're more likely to encounter other wolves. They won't hurt you, but they'll want to play, too."

I nodded then leaned over and kissed her quickly.

Then I ran.

I'd never been in the woods to the south of Elisabeth's home before, and I didn't know what to expect. There were well-traveled trails throughout the north. I found a trail in the south as well, but it clearly saw less traffic, and as I ran along it, I didn't see any side paths.

My heart was pounding even before I started running, so it was hammering in my chest by the time I made it to the dense woods.

I knew in about four minutes, I was going to find myself chased by a werewolf. Hunted.

And I wasn't scared. I was excited, and I was nervous I'd be a poor chase, that Elisabeth would be bored with me. But I considered that a problem for her to solve, not me.

And I was nervous I'd respond poorly when the time came, but I let myself think about what I'd do when she caught me. I thought I'd be just fine.

I wasn't an athletic person. I was in reasonable shape, but I wasn't much of a distance runner, and I soon found myself panting. I slowed down. I knew if I stayed on the trail, I'd be exceedingly easy to find. I also knew she ran a lot, lot faster than I did. I wondered if I should try to hide, but I didn't know these woods, and I wasn't sure how to find a good place to hide, anyway.

I kept moving, staying on the trail.

And then, from somewhere behind me I heard a wolf howl. I came to a stop. She howled a good, long howl.

And it was amazingly beautiful. Oh, it was a beautiful sound. I stood there listening until the last sound tapered off. Then I still stood there for a good ten or fifteen seconds, just standing in wonder.

Then I turned right and dashed into the undergrowth, running again, but slowed down while watching my step. It was early enough in the evening that the sun was up. I wondered what we would do as it grew darker.

I wondered how well she saw in the dark. I bet it was a lot better than I did.

It was only a couple minutes before she found me. I wasn't surprised. She moved silently, or at least silently to my ears, but then suddenly a streak leapt past me on my right, and then there was a wolf skidding to a stop perhaps five paces in front of me. She spun around to face me, her mouth open and her tongue hanging out.

I came to a stop, panting, and then leaned down with my hands on my knees, trying to catch my breath.

I couldn't recognize most of the wolves. They didn't look identical. They weren't even all the same color. Some were all black; some were almost entirely silver. There had been two that were pure white. The rest were some sort of patchwork colors. Both Elisabeth and Lara were largely silver with black streaks, although the patterns were quite different, and I could readily identify either of them. And Michaela, of course, was the only fox. Portia was almost the opposite color from Lara and Elisabeth. She was mostly black with wide streaks of silver.

They were all gorgeous, absolutely gorgeous.

This wolf was Elisabeth of course, and I found myself staring at her. She was just so stunning; I loved looking at her.

"God, you're beautiful," I told her.

She grunted agreement, but then she lowered herself a little bit in what was clearly a stalking posture and took a slow step towards me.

"Do you have to touch me to catch me?" and she grunted. "You haven't touched me." She snorted that time. "Then, technically, you haven't caught me." And she grunted again before taking another slow, measured step.

"Wait," I said, and she froze. I pulled my phone out and made a point of stopping the timer. I held it out towards her. "Can you see? I stopped the timer." A grunt. "If I run, you'll still catch me." She grunted several times. "And knock me over?" She grunted again. "Or I can just surrender." She grunted.

I cocked my head, and then, in something I always found amazing, she flowed from wolf to human, standing slowly. She stood in front of me, entirely naked, and it was as if it didn't matter.

"It's your choice, Zoe," she said. "If you run, it's going to be a little rougher. I won't hurt you, but the chances of bruises or sprained ankles is higher."

"What do you want?"

"I want you to do what is natural to you. If you surrender, then you're accepting one form of submission. If you run, well, it will still turn into submission, but it's of another style. Michaela would run, and she makes it very, very hard to catch her. But we still catch her, at least sometimes, and we don't hurt her when we do it. But I would be very, very surprised if you don't scream."

I eyed her, and then she went on. "You're not making a permanent decision. I'll always do what I did now — run past you and give you the choice. But if you run now, then I'll tackle you when I catch you. If you don't run this time but submit, you can still run next time."

I nodded, then turned left and ran.

I don't know if I surprised her, but I imagined that I did. But it was only a moment later before I heard scrambling behind me, and a second or two later, I heard her as she leapt. I tried to duck to the right, hoping to evade her, but large paws wrapped around me from behind as a heavy, furry werewolf body slammed into my back.

She bore me to the ground, but somehow she rolled us so when we landed, I was on top. I had a moment of glee and tried to take the advantage, but she was fast. Fast! And I found myself on my back with a very, very large wolf pressing me to the ground.

My heart was pounding madly. It wasn't fear, but I could feel the adrenalin slamming through my body. I tried scrambling away from underneath her, but she settled her weight more completely, panting down at me with her forelimbs pressing my shoulders and arms into the ground.

I was reminded of the way I used to sit on my little brother before he was big enough to win in our occasional altercations.

It was clear I wasn't going to crawl out from underneath her.

I expected her to bite my throat. That's what she said she was going to do. Instead, she lay on top of me, pinning me to the ground while I wore myself out trying to escape.

I was laughing the entire time.

Finally I lay back, exhausted. "You win."

And that was when she lowered my mouth to me. She moved slowly, very slowly, and it was clear what she was going to do long before she opened her mouth.

And wrapped her teeth over my throat.

I stopped laughing. Her breath was hot against my skin, and I could feel her teeth just beginning to press against me.

I didn't struggle. I froze entirely. It wasn't scary. It should have been scary. It was, however, deeply, deeply intimidating.

Slowly, she began to tighten her jaws.

I thought she would tighten just a little, symbolically perhaps. But she held me pinned, and her jaws tightened, and then a little tighter, and a little tighter.

It began to hurt, and I felt myself begin to panic, just a little. I didn't think she'd hurt me.

"Elisabeth?" I think it came out a little like a whimper. "Please… I…"

She froze, but then she began to growl, deep in her throat. It wasn't loud, but it was a growl.

"Elisabeth?" I said, more panic in my voice. She tightened fractionally more.

I couldn't think anymore. I fought my control my reaction. I fought to not fight. I knew I couldn't win, after all. I could only… surrender.

But hadn't I already done that?

"Please, Elisabeth…"

And she froze, then, slowly, although not as slowly as she had tightened, she relaxed her jaws, and finally my throat was free.

Then she licked my face a few times before settling down even more heavily atop me.

We lay like that for a minute or two before I asked, "May I hug you?"

She grunted approval, adjusting her paws so I could reach up and wrap my arms around her. I held her tightly to me for a while.

"I did something wrong, didn't I?"

She grunted.

"I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

There was a pause, and then, only for a moment, she whimpered above me. For a second, I thought I was holding her too tightly. Then I realized…

"God, I'm an idiot."

And the bitch grunted agreement at me.

"Not funny," I said.

She lifted her head and gave me another lick, this time right across the mouth.

"Eww!" I said. I wiped the slime off into her fur. "Don't do that."

So she adjusted her weight and did it again. I wasn't expecting it, and her tongue actually slipped partway between my lips that time.

"You did that on purpose!" I said.

She grunted several times while I wiped my mouth off against her fur some more. Then I wrapped my arms around her again and buried my face in her fur, inhaling deeply. She smelled wonderful. I couldn't have described it. But she smelled wonderful.

But she was getting heavy.

"I'm having a hard time breathing," I whispered into her ear.

She shifted her weight, then slowly climbed off me before lying down next to me. I rolled onto my side so I could look at her. She panted happily at me. I lifted an arm and let my fingers dig through her fur. Her eyes closed, and a moment later she was making the same noise Celeste had made earlier.

It was a little absentmindedly, but I let my fingers roam. I spent most of the time with them buried deep in the scruff of her neck, but I also found myself stroking her fur and digging my fingers in here and there, trying to find her muscles.

She looked like a really, really big dog. It was hard to find her muscles under the fur, but what I found felt exceedingly powerful.

"You're amazing, Elisabeth," I said. She leaned over and licked me. I sputtered. "Stop that!" She just lolled her tongue at me, and I wondered if that was a wolf laugh.

We lay together for a few more minutes my head cradled in one hand, my other still exploring her deep fur and powerful body.

Finally I said, "Were you bored, or did you want to play again?"

She turned to face me, not otherwise responding. I laughed. "I suppose I should ask one question or the other. Were you bored?" She snorted. "Did you enjoy chasing me?" She grunted and grunted and grunted. "Again?" More grunts. "Okay, but you have to help a little bit. I don't know my way. Am I about to run into a road?"

At that, she climbed to her feet. I sat up and watched her. She stepped around me then turned and faced in a direction. I realized I was all turned around. I tried to find the sun, but the trees were too heavy. I had no idea which direction was which.

"Um. I'm completely lost."

And damn if she didn't grunt and loll her tongue at me.

"I should run that way?" I pointed the direction she was facing, and she grunted again. Without another word, I ran.

By accident, or at least by accident as far as I was concerned, I found the trail I'd been on. At least I thought it was the same trail. As soon as I hit it, I turned left, figuring that was the way back to Elisabeth's house. She said I couldn't hide inside the buildings or cars, but that didn't mean I couldn't try to find other ways to hide my trail. Or scent. Or however she was following me.

Wolves hunt by scent. So did that mean werewolves did, too?

I don't know how far I got before she howled. I kept running this time, straight down the trail, but it was only a minute or so before I heard her behind me. Then she passed me, a streak through the undergrowth, before she popped out directly in front of me. I almost ran her over, coming to a skidding stop.

She grinned at me, a wolfy grin.

"Having fun?"

She grunted and then began stalking me. I backed away from her slowly.

She was beautiful. I could see all that coiled power, waiting to spring. I should have been frightened; I know I should have. But I was in awe.

I feinted right and dashed left, trying to get past her. She wasn't fooled, and she met me mid-air, chest to chest. She wrapped around me and bore me to the ground. She didn't twist this time, but she landed on her paws instead of slamming into me. I thumped against the ground, but it wasn't bad. I tried to scramble away from her, but then she leapt again, slamming me more firmly against the ground and settling over me.

This time, I tried pushing her off, trying to roll us both over, but she settled more firmly and plunged her mouth to my throat. I tucked my chin and tried to protect my throat, but she got her nose under my chin and opened her mouth. Before I could move, her teeth were wrapped around me.

I froze. She tightened slowly, and I started to whimper. She tightened just a tiny bit more, then froze herself like that. I continued to whimper, and she released me.

Then, slowly and thoroughly, she bathed my entire face. I complained the entire time, but I didn't try to fight her.

This time, she climbed partway off me before settling in, and I could breathe more easily. I lay back, an arm thrown up as a pillow, and lay quietly.

"I'm not much challenge for you," I whispered. In response, she licked my ear. I giggled. "Do you mind?" I got a snort for that. "More?" Grunt, grunt, grunt.

But she didn't climb off me, and we lay like that on the forest floor for several minutes.

My thoughts were in turmoil. Absolutely everything was crazy, insane, surreal. I couldn't keep up with everything that was going on.

But there was something very simple going on, too.

I was with this woman, a woman I found to be absolutely magnificent. And it was intense and amazing and intimidating and a tiny bit frightening. But it was magic, and I couldn't think of a single thing I would rather be doing right now.

I wrapped an arm around her and hugged her neck. She grunted at me.

I released her, and slowly she slipped off me. I sat up, then leaned over and hugged her once more before climbing to my feet.

I ran.

I ran about a hundred yards before turning left, back into the deep woods again. I ran another hundred yards and turned left once more, running only a short distance before I found a tree I thought I could climb. It took me a couple of tries leaping for the lowest branch, but I managed to get my hands on it and pulled myself upwards.

I didn't climb that high, perhaps ten or twelve feet, and I found a notch I could rest in easily. Dusk hadn't quite arrived, but under the trees, it was growing dark. Looking down, I couldn't really see the forest floor. I wondered if Elisabeth would be able to hear me.

She howled, and it wasn't from very far away. But it was a couple of minutes before I heard her run right underneath my tree. She wasn't very loud, but I heard her when she disturbed some leaves, and I saw a streak of silver pass directly underneath me. She ran on.

I should have started the timer!

But it was only another thirty seconds before I heard intense snuffling, growing closer, and I knew she was sniffing me out. I listened and watched, and she passed underneath me, but then she circled the tree once before coming to a stop at the base. She looked up, and we stared at each other. She sat down, her head lifted, watching me.

"You found me," I said down to her. And she grunted happily. "I should make you come get me."

She stood up and began to growl.

"Kidding," I said. "You can see me, so I have to come down." She stilled immediately.

I climbed down slowly and carefully. I got my feet onto the branch I'd first used. There was something in Elisabeth's posture that disturbed me. She had the air of a dog on guard, and I thought her fur was ruffled out more than it was normally. But she was watching me, not looking for danger.

"Elisabeth?" I said. "Are you mad?"

She didn't respond at all.

"Elisabeth?" I paused. "I'm sorry I'm slow. I'm not like you." I inched my way down until I was sitting on the branch, but I kept my feet up. "I have to hang and drop," I explained. "Then I'll surrender. Please don't hurt me."

She snorted then moved back, still watching me. Slowly, afraid of falling, I slipped off the branch, hung from it for a second, then dropped to the ground. I landed poorly and rolled onto my ass, then sat there. Elisabeth moved around until she was facing me. She sniffed at me.

"I'm fine," I said. "Just clumsy." She moved closer until she was pressing against my shoulder with her chest, and I found myself forced onto my back. She settled in, and I didn't struggle in the slightest as she wrapped my neck with her jaws.

I whimpered immediately, and she barely squeezed before relaxing.

She shifted her weight off me almost immediately, and I rolled over until I was pressed against the length of her body, one arm thrown over her.

We played three more games. I didn't do any better for any of them, but I knew there wasn't much I could do about that.

I had a blast.

But it was during the last game when I realized I couldn't see anything. I almost ran right into a tree, and so I came to a stop, breathing heavily, then carefully sat down with my back to the trunk. Elisabeth didn't howl for another two minutes, and it took her only about thirty seconds to find me. She came to a stop five feet away, then approached slowly, whining a little.

"I'm fine," I said. "I almost ran into this tree. I can hardly see a thing."

She whined again then walked up to me, sniffed at me for a minute, then gave me a quick lick.

She didn't bite my throat that time.

Then she sat down, half in my lap, and we cuddled for a few minutes. I petted her slowly.

I had to remind myself she wasn't a dog, but she seemed to enjoy the touch, and I found it deeply soothing myself.

"We should have played this game sooner," I said, "but maybe I wasn't ready." She didn't respond. "I really can't see anything, Elisabeth. You're going to have to be a seeing eye dog."

She growled lightly. I guessed she didn't find that funny.

"You know what I mean. I suppose you can see everything."

She grunted.

"Well, I can't. Consider me blind, at least until we get out of these trees."

She climbed to her feet, and then so did I. Then she moved to my side, and I could easily set my hand on her neck. She was taller than my waist, after all. She began moving slowly, and she managed to lead me all the way home without once running me through a bush or into a tree.

 **Lust**

We got to her house. I was expecting to find a pile of clothing on the front steps, but they were bare. "Did someone steal your clothes?"

She snorted and led the way to the front door. But she waited for me to open it, stepping into her house ahead of me. Once inside, she flowed into her human form and turned on some lights. I closed the door and leaned against it, watching her.

She was stunning as a human.

Finally she turned to me, and she was smiling. I looked her up and down slowly.

"Does this bother you?" she asked.

"Not at all," I said.

"We're casual here."

"Are you inviting me to stay?"

"Yes."

"In your bed?"

"Yes."

"Then we're both going to be naked soon."

She nodded. "But if we didn't have that sort of relationship, we're still this casual."

"I've already sort of noticed that."

"You get embarrassed, especially around the guys."

"Yeah," I admitted. "Don't worry about it. As long as they don't wave their bits in my face, I don't care."

"They wouldn't. They aren't tacky that way." She paused. "Some wolves are assholes. Lara has no tolerance for them, and none of them spend time here at the compound. But that mailing list will include some assholes. If you ever receive invitations from anyone on the list, you will talk to one of us before accepting."

I nodded. "Yes, Elisabeth. Did you have fun?"

She moved closer. "Oh yes. Did you?"

"Uh huh. I feel bad that I'm not a challenge."

"Don't. That will just ruin it. I'm happy you're willing to play. You weren't afraid."

"No. Do I need a shower?"

"Not for the reason you're asking," she said. "Want a new game?"

"Sure."

"Every time I catch you, I get to do anything I want to you."

"Oh, I'm not sure I like this game."

"Oh, don't worry," she said. "You will."

"You're going to tickle me!"

"I just might." She lunged for me, but, giggling, I dashed to the side. I'm sure she let me get away.

She stalked me around the house, the game moving from the foyer into the living room, where I barely evaded her several times until she caught me around the waist. She pulled me as I squirmed, then gently lowered me to the floor before pinning me on my back.

"This feels familiar," I said, looking up at her and still giggling.

In response, she lowered herself until our mouths met.

God! I wanted her. I parted immediately, and her tongue accepted my invitation. I moaned into the kiss.

Oh, I loved kissing her. And clearly the feeling was mutual. We were both out of breath before she was done ravaging my mouth. She held me pinned for a moment then slowly released me.

"Run," she said.

I jumped to my feet and ran. I had no idea where I was going. I just tried to keep away from her.

This time, she was the one giggling as she chased me around her house. She caught me again, this time tossing me onto the sofa before following after me. She pressed me against the cushions, kneeling across my lap with my hands pinned on either side of me. I struggled under her, and she grinned down at me.

She moved my hands so they were over my head, then adjusted so she was holding both of them in one hand. I renewed my struggles, but they didn't do me any good.

"No!" I said, sure she was about to tickle me. "This is so not fair!"

She didn't tickle. Instead, she began unbuttoning my shirt. Slowly. By the time she was at the third button, I stilled under her, watching her as she worked the buttons. She untucked the shirt from my jeans before settling her weight down on top of me. She inhaled deeply from near my ear, then rubbed her cheek against mine.

"You smell like both of us," she said. "This is a scent I intend to make permanent. Do you understand?"

"No."

"Lots and lots of very intimate touching," she said. "Anyone getting near you will smell me and know you're mine."

Was I hers? That seemed like an escalation in our relationship. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

On the other hand, what she had said was a little heady — and a little sexy, or at least I thought so. I leaned my cheek against hers for a minute, rubbing a little myself.

"That's a two way street, Elisabeth," I said. "If I smell like you, then I bet you smell like me."

She chuckled but didn't respond. Instead, she climbed off me then pulled me to my feet. "Run. If you don't do better, I get to spank you."

"No!" I screeched. I ran.

She played with me. She could have had me five or six times before she caught me. I never made it out of the living room.

This time, she caught me about the middle from behind and lifted me in the air, my legs kicking.

"Oh, oh," she said.

"No!" I screeched. "Brat! Bully!"

She ignored my protests — which were in fun, anyway — and carried me backwards until she was sitting on the coffee table. I tried to scramble away from her, but a minute later I found myself bent over her knee.

"No!" I said. "I can't believe this is so easy for you."

She swatted my bottom. I yelped, but I got four more swats before she let me up, then pulled me so I was sitting across her lap.

"Too rough?" she asked.

"No," I said softly. "But absolutely no rougher." And I leaned against her, pulling my legs up and laying my head on her shoulder.

She held me tenderly for a minute.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "I think I got carried away. I'm sorry. A wolf wouldn't have yelped, even a deeply submissive wolf. I'm sorry, Zoe."

"I told you we should play what you like to play." I leaned away so I could look at her. "Elisabeth, I meant it when I offered it. I didn't know the particulars, but I had a pretty good idea of the generalities." I laid my head back on her shoulder. "I want you to be you. I'm not going to actually admit whether I liked the spanking, and I'm never going to give you permission, but I will tell you if you're being too rough. Is that fair?"

"I've never had a relationship with a human, Zoe," she said.

"I like knowing you're so strong," I said. "If I didn't, I'm with the wrong woman, aren't I?"

"So if I spank you again…"

"No comment," I said. But I kissed the side of her neck. "I like your games, Elisabeth."

"Good. Run."

I jumped from her lap and ran.

This time, she chased me into the kitchen. She had a center island, and she chased me around it a few times before she came right over the top for me. I squeaked as she caught me, and I found myself bent over the island. This time she didn't spank me, but instead, she rubbed and groped my bottom.

I squirmed.

"Were you thinking of spanking it again?"

"Perhaps later," she replied. "I'm doing exactly what I want." And she continued to rub.

I definitely liked her game.

"Run."

She caught me, over and over. The next time she caught me, she pulled my shirt off me completely. I tried struggling, but it did me no good. The time after that, she pinned me to the floor on my stomach and then lightly caressed the bare skin she could find. After that, she stole my bra, then my shoes. Then the time after that, somehow she tangled my limbs in hers, and then she began nibbling my feet. I could squirm, but I couldn't get away.

It tickled insanely, and I was begging her to stop long before she released me.

I lost my pants somewhere on the stairs to the second floor and my panties at the top. I got a second spanking — this one gentler than the first — while spread across her lap as she sat on the bed.

And then I didn't even try to escape after that. She tickled me thoroughly, and then we lay together on top of her bed, both of us laughing.

"All right," I said. "Maybe I like your game."

She grinned.

"And now it's time for another game," she said.

"You seem to like games. What is this one called?"

"We're going to play a few games," Elisabeth explained. "The first one is called, 'Zoe lies still or gets punished'."

"Oh, I'm not sure I like that game at all. That's a horrible name for a game."

"And yet, we're playing anyway," Elisabeth told me.

"I don't get a vote?"

"No. Do you think you understands the rules of this game?"

"I don't get to move at all?"

"I'll allow breathing."

"Elisabeth…"

"Mild squirming…" She began caressing me. "Panting… And saying whatever I order you to say."

"What?" I squeaked.

"Oh, oh. I didn't order that," she said.

"The game hasn't started yet!" I protested.

"Hmm… All right. The game starts… Now!"

I was sure she'd find ways to punish me if I disobeyed her rules. Part of me wondered what the nature of the punishments would be. I couldn't decide if I wanted to find out. And so I lay as still as I could as she caressed me. She moved until she was kneeling beside me, looming over me. Then she clasped my wrists and moved my hands above my head so I lay more stretched out. Then she went back to caressing me, smiling as she looked at me.

I watched her. God, she was beautiful.

She caressed my sides and my face. For that, I closed my eyes. It felt so nice. Fingers brushed across my lips, and then lips brushed across mine, briefly. They moved away, and I was deeply tempted to follow, but at the last instant I wondered if that had been a trap.

I continued to lie still.

She bent over and whispered in my ear. "In this game, you may answer direct questions. You almost moved there, didn't you?"

"Yes."

She kissed my ear.

After that, she continued to stroke my body while I lay quietly. The more she touched me, the harder it became to lie still. At the very least, I wanted to squirm and to encourage her. I wanted to touch her in return. I wanted to run my fingers across her skin. I wanted to feel those taut muscles. I wanted to feel them ripple under my hands.

She moved down my body to my feet, and I closed my eyes and she massaged one foot then the other. The bed shifted, and then she was spreading my legs apart. Then I felt her begin to move back up my body, touching the insides of my legs as she moved.

She bent down and kissed a knee, then licked her way across the top of the leg all the way to my pelvis. She kissed my belly button, and then her lips were over a breast. She pulled a nipple into her mouth, and I gasped.

I was afraid that would be against the rules, but she hummed at me. Her fingers continued to stroke me while her lips and tongue teased my nipple. I felt it engorge under the attention.

I couldn't help it. I moaned and squirmed. Apparently those were legal in her game, too.

"You taste delicious," she said. Then she moved to the other nipple.

The attention was divine; the anticipation was excruciating.

"Say my name," she ordered. And I obeyed.

"Elisabeth…" It came out as a cross between a whisper and a pant.

"Keep saying my name," she said. And so I did.

"Elisabeth… Elisabeth… Elisabeth…"

She kissed me, and I moaned into the kiss. I opened for her, and her tongue slipped inside, searching, exploring, teasing. Then she withdrew. "Don't stop saying my name."

"Elisabeth…"

Her touches became more intimate, and I knew soon I would feel her hands where I wanted them.

I squirmed again. I couldn't help it. But I kept my limbs where she had put them.

My eyes were closed now, and I didn't open them for a long, long time.

"Elisabeth…"

Her fingers teased me, touching gently. Her hands still moving, her lips moved to my ear. "I am a dominant wolf, Zoe," she said. "I take what I want, but never without permission. Say 'yes'."

"Yes!" I said loudly, assuredly.

She didn't wait. Her hand slipped down my stomach, caressing with an open palm, and then the fingers curled. She cupped me, and I gasped at the touch.

"You may now say three words. My name. Yes. Or the word 'yours'."

"Yes!" I said again. "Elisabeth…"

I wasn't ready to admit I was hers.

She stroked me with two fingers, and I gasped.

"Yes!"

She continued to stroke, and with each stroke, I said one of the allowed words.

And I squirmed.

"I won't enter you until you admit you are mine," she whispered.

"Yours!" I agreed. "Yours, yours, yours."

She parted me with her fingers, and then she inserted a finger, and then a second. "Yours!" I said firmly.

She knew what she was doing, and she soon had me gasping, repeating the three words over and over. She slowed, and her hand stilled.

"No!" I said.

"Oh Zoe," she said.

"Elisabeth," I whimpered.

She stilled entirely, and suddenly I was afraid of what she might do. "You've been very good, so I'll give you a choice." Her mouth was still at my ear. "Firm spanking, harder than the last one, or permission to do what I wanted to do. You may answer."

"Permission."

"Good." It was a purr. She flexed her fingers just once, causing me to gasp. "Michaela struggled with this; Lara was not direct and forced her to figure this out on her own with only hints. I am far more direct than my sister." She paused. "Dominant wolves are exhibitionists. It is important to us that the other wolves realize how virile we are. You may speak openly until the next time I move my hand. Do you know how I intend to prove my virility?"

"You want me to scream loudly enough for everyone else to hear."

"Yes," she said. "Now, there are always people in and about Lara's home, so everyone hears Michaela. We are more isolated, so perhaps no one will hear. But I expect you to try."

"Oh god," I said.

And then her fingers moved, and I remembered her rule. I clamped my lips shut.

She chuckled. "You're good at my games, Zoe. Now, I will continue to do what I am doing. You will continue to say your three words, but you will grow louder and louder, or I stop."

"Elisabeth," I whispered.

Her fingers moved, and I gasped, but I said the words, and when she prompted me to be louder, I was louder. And louder. And louder.

"Convince me you enjoy this," she whispered. "Convince me you want more."

And I couldn't help but obey. As I grew closer and closer to the cusp, I squirmed and panted, but I also said the words, "Elisabeth! Yes. Yours!" And then, as the orgasm arrived, and I shuddered around her fingers, my body clutching at her, I screamed the words, over and over.

We lay still together. I was on my side, curled into her with my head on her shoulder. I was sweaty and filled with a deep glow. She had long ended the game, and we'd been murmuring quietly at each other.

I was insanely happy, and I told her that.

She didn't answer with words, but her enveloping arms tightened for a moment.

But then I said, "I can't imagine I'm your dream girl."

She'd been stroking my shoulder slowly. Her hand stilled. "Why do you say that?"

"If you wanted a human, you would have been dating them."

"I haven't done much dating."

"Are you intending to avoid my question?"

"You didn't ask a question. You made an observation." But she paused. "I would not have considered a human," she admitted. "I wouldn't have gone to a human bar and looked for a woman to pick up."

"You'd be very popular at all the lesbian bars."

She chuckled. "Are there any lesbian bars in Madison?"

"You know what I mean."

"Yeah." She leaned up and kissed my forehead. "I don't see it as being with a human. I see it as being with you."

I thought that was nice, but I wasn't ready to let it go.

"Leaving me out of it, what is your dream woman?"

"I-" she paused. I could tell she didn't want to answer.

"I'll answer any of your questions if you'll honestly answer this one, Elisabeth."

"I don't have a dream type, not like that," she said. "There are people who I find attractive. But there is no such thing as perfect, because people are people."

"You're dodging it, Elisabeth."

"How about this? I'll tell you the things I like about you and the one or two I wish were a little different."

"All right."

"I like your intelligence and passion. You have fire, and I couldn't be with someone who didn't."

That felt really good, and I snuggled closer.

"I like your size."

"That surprises me. Shouldn't you be biologically attracted to werewolves, all of whom are much bigger than I am?"

"I like your femininity," she said.

"You're very feminine," I countered. "Your curves are perfect."

"I look ridiculous in a dress. Scarlett can pull off skirts and dresses, and a few other wolves can, but you won't find them very often. Maybe I'm a victim of modern advertising, but I'm drawn to a feminine woman."

"So you liked me better at dinner than when we went running."

"Well, when we went running, you dressed appropriately for what we were doing." She paused. "I think it's a response to myself looking terrible in clothes like that. You'll find, if you let me, I'll want to dress you."

"Like a doll?"

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said. I thought about it. "I'd let you."

She hugged me tightly.

"I like how strong you make me feel," she said. "I like when you're submissive."

"You do, hmm?"

"Uh huh. It's… relaxing. I don't have to compete with you."

"I'm not competition."

"You are intellectually. We're smart in different fields. We'll never compete that way. We can each have our space."

"That makes sense," I said.

"It would be hard for me to be with a wolf as submissive as you," she said. "In my mind, wolves aren't submissive. So I would have a hard time respecting her. But you're a delicate human, and so I can respect you for what you are and not get hung up on what a wolf is supposed to be like. So that is another way it's better you are human than wolf."

I thought perhaps I understood that. I hadn't ever thought of myself as submissive, but I realized around the wolves, I had been, and it was growing more pronounced.

She paused, and I thought she wasn't going to continue, so I prompted her. "How do I fall short?"

"Are you going to be hurt?"

"Probably," I said. I looked up and kissed the side of your jaw. "But if you don't tell me I'm going to go ask someone to call me a cab."

"No, you are not," she said. "If you ever decide to leave, I will arrange a ride."

"Yes, Elisabeth," I said meekly.

"You have self-confidence issues. They aren't extreme. It's fixable."

"Will you help me?"

She was quiet, then she said, almost too quiet to here, "Yes."

So I caressed her face. "What else?"

"I worry that money will get in the way," she said. "I am going to be sorely tempted to buy you things you cannot afford to buy yourself, and I think you'll get mad if I do. This is a problem that will require a solution if we continue to see each other."

I thought about it. "What else?"

"I wish we could run together," she said. "I had a great deal of fun tonight. But I wish we could just run together. That's not something we can fix."

"I suppose I don't get to ride you like a pony."

She barked a short laugh. "No."

"There might be a compromise. I used to bike, before I got the Prius. My bicycle was stolen. I know it's not the same, and maybe you don't want to run along a road or the sort of trail I can bike. And you couldn't tackle me or roughhouse."

She thought about it. "You're right. It wouldn't be the same. But it might be fun. Let's see how we feel about it in a few weeks." She paused. "If we decide to do it, I will buy the bike. You'll have to leave it here, anyway."

I nodded. I was going to try very hard not to let money interfere with this.

I enjoyed her company far too much to let something like money destroy a burgeoning relationship.

"I think I understand what you mean when you talk about being dominant. Or I'm learning. But I don't know what you want from me. Do you want me to fight? Or do you want me meek?"

"I want you to be you," she replied. "As long as you're okay that I win."

I chuckled. "I don't know. I feel like so far, I won." I began to stroke her, my fingers finding one of her nipples, but she captured my hand and brought it to her lips for a kiss, then held it.

I didn't think I understood what she wanted, but perhaps I would learn.

After a while, we slept.

 **Lessons**

We made love again in the morning, this time a little more mutually. We were basking afterwards when her phone buzzed. She rolled out from underneath me and checked it, then sighed.

"I'm sorry. I have to go. Duty calls."

"How do I get home?"

"I thought you were staying."

"No. I stayed the night. You have to work, and I don't want to sit around here all day."

"So you'll sit alone at home for a few hours, then come back?"

"Elisabeth, I have to stop by the printers and pick up a few prints to mail, then I have to get them on their way. I also have to fill Michaela's orders plus one or two others that arrived this week." I paused. "And I bet you don't have a single thing in this house I can eat. Next time, I'll drive my own car."

"No, I'm sorry," she said. "You can use my Prius. It's in the garage. I'll leave the key for you. I'm sorry, I don't have time to be gallant. I have to hop in the shower. I'm sorry."

"It's fine," I said to her retreating back.

While she was showering, I dressed. She was quick and she caught me as I was pulling on my shoes.

"You could have relaxed," she said.

"Lots to do."

Wearing nothing but a towel, she crossed the room to me, and I let her pull me into her arms. I lifted my head and got a kiss for my efforts.

"I'll see you this afternoon."

"I'm not staying over tonight. If I bring your car back, how will I get home?"

"I'll drive you," she said. "But I think you should bring an overnight bag anyway. In case I manage to change your mind. Give me a minute and I'll see you out."

She headed to her closest and threw some clothes on, taking only a couple of minutes. When she reappeared, she took my hand and led me downstairs.

"That's for you," she said, pointing to a zippered blue pouch sitting on the kitchen counter. "It's your materials for class. You'll need to bring it tonight. If you get a chance, you might want to start reading it. I suspect the other students have a jump on you."

I nodded. "Am I the only human?"

"Yes, but don't worry about that."

I nodded. "All right."

She kept her car key on a hook near the back door leading into her garage. She handed it to me then pulled me into another kiss. We hugged afterwards, and she whispered to me, "I had a very nice time, Zoe."

"I did, too."

I drove home, lost in thought. Really, I was on cloud nine. I had more than a nice time.

Elisabeth was amazing.

I was terribly afraid I wouldn't measure up, but she knew what I was, and she still seemed to want me around. I decided to believe her when she said she had fun last night. I surprised myself: I had, too.

But I didn't want a de facto relationship. I didn't want to go from refusing to see her to, in effect, moving in. I worried that if I spent more than one night in a row at her place, that's what we would have.

I wanted to make her work for it. I wondered if she would. It was convenient to ask me out last night, and it was convenient to ask me to stay again tonight. But if I were out of sight, would I be out of mind? I didn't know.

At home, I had breakfast then showered, got dressed for the day, and then checked my email. The printer I used for my prints was local, but I placed my orders via the Internet. I checked all my orders, entering them into my system, then ordered the appropriate prints. They would be available on Tuesday. I then drove to the printer and picked up the ones they had waiting for me.

I do my own matting and framing except for the most expensive pieces. I could do it myself and save a lot of money, which left room for better prices while also making a little more money for the extra effort. But I wasn't good enough for the fancy frames; Michaela's order would be framed by a framing shop. I didn't have to worry about that today, as I didn't have her prints yet.

So I took everything back home and began the process of matting and framing the pieces. Then I had another trip to send them out. FedEx was my friend.

Business was definitely up since joining the pack, and my personal finances were just beginning to look a little less tattered. I didn't know if I could count on that trend continuing, but I wasn't going to complain about it.

Over lunch, I opened the packet. I found a note from Karen.

 _Zoe, I'm so glad you're joining us this weekend. You're the only human amongst a small class of five, but don't worry about that. You'll be fine. If you can, please read the first three chapters of the book. If you have time, read more. Friday, you only need to bring this packet. There's even a pen in here. But the rest of the weekend, you'll also need to bring your gear, as we'll spend time in the pool._

 _See you Friday._

 _Karen._

 _PS. I'm sure I don't have to tell you, but it's best I say something anyway. Letters that include the phrase "The Only Human" should be properly stored or destroyed._

I laughed at the last part. I was a little intimidated by being the only human. But they knew I was human when they invited me. Heck, they knew I was human when they invited me into the pack. I was going to do the best I could to avoid letting that bother me. Even though I was worried I could even lift the gear. It had all looked very heavy.

I cracked open the book and began reading.

I arrived back at the compound right at 3:30, but I wasn't actually sure where I was supposed to go. Michaela had only said, "Be here."

I had Elisabeth's car, so I drove to her house, put her car in the garage, and then poked my nose into her house to see if she was home. She wasn't, so I headed for the alphas' home.

The walk from Elisabeth's to Lara and Michaela's home went between the barracks and the field we used during picnics. As I walked past, there was a group of teenage wolves playing some sort of game, but I didn't immediately recognize the rules. I recognized the wolves as some of Michaela's students, so I presumed school was out. I watched the game for just a minute or so before continuing on.

I arrived at the front door of Lara and Michaela's house not encountering anyone else. I had been hoping an enforcer would be hanging out, someone who could tell me where I was supposed to go. I stared at the door for a minute. Every time I had come here, I had either been with someone else, or it had been so busy that people were going in and out of the house, so it hadn't seemed so odd to do so myself.

It felt weird, but after staring at the door for a while, willing someone to spontaneously notice me and step outside, I took the last two steps, opened the door, and said, "Hello. It's Zoe."

"Come in Zoe," Michaela said. "Don't wait on ceremony."

I stepped in and closed the door before looking around. Michaela was sitting on the sofa with both girls, one on either side. Serena and Portia were hanging around, looking casual, but I'm sure they weren't all that casual at all. I didn't see anyone else.

"I was wondering how long you were going to stand there," Michaela said.

"You knew I was there?"

"Uh huh," she replied. "I was letting you work it out, although if you had waited too long, I would have sent these two around the outside to tackle you."

"You wouldn't!"

She smiled. "You never know. The protocol in this house is to enter and say your name. You don't have to wait."

I nodded. She was confirming what I'd been told.

"I wasn't sure where I was supposed to go. You said 'here'. I wasn't sure if that meant here-here, or the compound-here."

Michaela chuckled. "I meant here-here. Class is in the school, and Karen will pop in to collect you." She looked over her shoulder. "Could one of you let Karen know that Zoe is here?"

"Yes, Alpha," Portia replied. She pulled out her phone.

"I was just catching up with the girls," Michaela said. "We're going to let them watch a few minutes of television, and when Mommy Wolf gets home, we're going for a run."

"Yes, Mommy Fox," the girls said in unison.

Michaela flowed to her feet and crossed the room to me, pulling me into a hug. Then she took my hand and led me towards the kitchen. Portia, still on the phone, tried to precede us, but Michaela said, "Stay with the children. I'm safe with Zoe."

"Alpha…" Serena said. "I would rather you all stayed in one room."

Michaela eyed her, then snorted, just like Elisabeth did when she wanted to say 'no'. "Fine. We'll sit here." She gestured to the table, leading me to a seat. She took one kitty corner. "Tell me about your _date_."

I colored immediately, and Michaela grinned.

"Not that part," she added. "I didn't get a chance to grill Elisabeth today. You two played. I need to know how that went."

I knew I was still blushing, but I smiled. "That was really fun. Did she tell you anything?"

"We barely exchanged 'hello' this morning, but Lara actually had to text her to ask, 'Where are you' this morning, so I am thinking you spent the night."

I nodded.

"I'm not going to tease you about that, Zoe. The wolves might, but I remember how hard it was for me at first. But I do need to know what you played."

"As alpha?" I asked.

"Yes."

I looked down. "Or as matchmaker?"

She laughed. "That, too. Tell me everything."

"I let her hunt me."

Michaela grinned. "Lara and I play that game a lot."

"I imagine you're a whole lot harder to find than I am. She gave me a five-minute head start, and every time she found me within a minute, two at the most."

"Did you have fun?"

"A blast. I made her, um… catch me."

"She was in fur?" I nodded. "Were you scared?"

"No. Um. I sort of teased her a little. I told her I'd think of her as a big guard dog. That helped a lot, and she didn't seem to mind the comparison."

"It's a good comparison," Michaela replied.

We talked for several minutes, Michaela asking a variety of questions. In the end, I thanked her for talking to me yesterday. She smiled at that. "I'm glad you had a nice time."

"I don't know if this is going to be a long term relationship," I admitted, "and I'm watching my heart. But I like her, and I like being with her."

"Give it a chance," Michaela said. Then she grinned. "Are you spending the night?"

"No. I'm being careful about dangerous precedents and lesbian clichés."

"Ah, I understand," she said. "I had one of those, about two years after I arrived in Bayfield. I met a woman. She came back to my house on our second date and didn't leave for weeks."

"That's a long sex fest," I said.

"Oh, you did not just go there," she said. "You did not start teasing me about sex when I told you I wouldn't tease you."

I lowered my eyes. "I'm sorry. I wasn't trying to tease you. It just sort of popped out."

"I'll forgive you. This time." When I looked up, she was smiling.

From behind me, I heard the front door open, and someone said, "Karen." I glanced over, and the enforcer was just entering the door.

My heart began pounding.

"Easy, Zoe," Michaela said. "Karen, wait there for a minute." Then she spoke quietly to me, her hand on my arm. "You're safe. No one is going to hurt you."

I glanced nervously over my shoulder then turned back to Michaela. I took several deep breaths, trying to calm down before I needed a shower.

"You can do this," Michaela said. "Once Lara claimed you for the pack, you became a sort of mascot. All the enforcers feel deeply protective of you now, not just Elisabeth. It's their way."

I took several more breaths then smiled weakly. "I'm fine. Do I smell?"

She sniffed. "Not that I can tell." Then she gestured, and Serena moved closer, leaning over Michaela's shoulder. "Zoe had a little moment of panic. Does she need to clean up?"

"She's fine," Serena said. "A minute or two outside wouldn't hurt, but as long as there isn't any additional panic, she's fine."

"Please, Serena. I don't want to smell like fear all night."

"You won't," she replied. "What set it off?"

"Karen," Michaela said.

"Why?" Serena sounded perplexed.

"Bank trip," I said. "Flashbacks."

"Oh." She paused. "Karen wouldn't hurt you."

I took a couple of deep breaths then nodded. "Were we done, Alpha?"

"We were done. I'll see you in the morning. If you arrive early, you can come here, otherwise go straight to the school."

I clasped hands with her then stood up. She and Serena stayed where they were. I turned to Karen. She was leaning against the wall near the door. I walked slowly to her. She watched me the entire time.

"Hello, Karen," I said.

"Good afternoon, Zoe."

I walked straight up to her. My heart wasn't entirely settled down, but I was doing okay. She pushed away from the wall as I drew closer, but she had a relaxed appearance. I stopped a couple of feet in front of her, looking up at her. I took a few more deep breaths.

"I want us to be friends, Zoe," she said.

"It's going to take me a little more time," I admitted. "But this class is a good start. Do you have time to take me for a little walk?"

"Of course. Grab your packet and we can go."

Outside, she asked, "Where did you want to go?"

"Nowhere in particular. Just a little walk before class. Do you mind?"

"Not at all. Why don't I show you the pool? Have you seen it?"

"No."

"Michaela is already planning another pool," she said, "one that is better for learning advanced diving. Come on." We took a left turn and traced my route backwards towards Elisabeth's. The game had broken up, and the teenagers were gone. I commented on that.

"I didn't see, but either they're getting ready for the scuba class, or they went for a run."

We didn't talk much. I was feeling very subdued, and Karen didn't seem to be one to babble. But we arrived at the gym, and she held the door for me.

As soon as we were inside, I heard some sort of activity. As we moved further into the facility, I could tell someone was lifting weights. The clank of the steel was distinctive.

"Someone is here."

"The gym gets used heavily," Karen replied. She led me to the main exercise area. I stopped and stared.

Eric and Rory were there. Neither was wearing a shirt. Eric was on the bench press, and Rory was spotting him.

I couldn't believe how much weight was on the bar.

"Holy shit!" I said. "Oh my god, if I weren't as gay as I am, I think I'd be swooning right now."

Karen laughed. "They're pretty magnificent, aren't they?"

Eric's chest was bulging as he pressed the weight up. It didn't look like he needed a spotter, but Rory was watching intently, and I was sure if Eric struggled, Rory would be right there to handle it.

"How much weight is that?"

"Not much," Karen said. I glanced over, and she was smirking. "Looks like six-hundred-something."

"Not much?" I squeaked. "Holy shit!"

She laughed again.

"How much can you do?"

"I don't train for maximum weight. I train for endurance." She nodded towards Eric. "That's close to my max, but only about half of his."

He kept lifting, up, down, up, down, and I stared. I couldn't take my eyes off of him.

"You better hope Elisabeth doesn't catch you staring."

"I am just appreciating an unbelievable athlete," I countered.

Eric kept lifting, but he got slower, and I saw Rory start to actively help. Eric did another half dozen repetitions before Rory helped him replace the bar on the stand.

"Wow," I said.

Eric sat up, grabbing a towel to mop himself. That was when they both saw us watching. He grinned. "Hey, Zoe. Hello, Karen. Did you come to work out? We could spot you."

"Just a tour," Karen said. "Zoe was appreciating your form, Eric."

"My form, is it?" he asked. He rotated sideways, and then he intentionally flexed his arm, and my eyes bugged out. The three wolves laughed at my response.

"Are you sure you're gay?" Rory asked with a lilt in his voice. "Eric likes human girls."

Rory was teasing me. Eric had told me human girls intimidated him.

"I'm sure," I said. "But just… Holy shit!"

The three of them laughed again.

"Eric's got the upper body," Karen said. "Rory's got a great ass though."

"Oh, you like my ass, Karen?" Rory asked. He turned around. He was dressed in shorts, a weight belt, and tennis shoes, but he waved his ass at us.

"Come on, flex those legs and buns," Karen said. "For me."

So he did, and I could see every muscle in the back of his legs. I stared.

"Shit."

Eric laughed. "I got a 'holy shit', but you only got a 'shit'. I win."

"Only because she can't see my tight ass inside these shorts." Rory turned around. "I could take 'em off if you want a better look, Zoe."

"No thanks," I replied. "I'm not sure my tiny little human heart could handle it."

The three roared with laughter, which made me feel good.

"You see, Eric? She was able to look at your muscles without having a heart attack, but she thinks my ass will push her over the edge."

"You guys are such goofs."

"If you ever want to use the gym, and Elisabeth is too busy, you can always join us," Eric said.

"I'll keep that in mind," I replied, "but I don't think I could lift the bar."

"We'd spot you," Rory said. He grinned.

"All right," Karen said. "I'm going to show her the rest, then we have class." She tugged my arm, turning me away.

After that, she showed me the locker room. As cavalier as they were about nudity, I was a little surprised they had male and female locker rooms. I commented on that.

"I never thought about that," she said. "This was here long before I was a member of the pack, but I can hazard a guess, or a few guesses. I'm sure there are some members of the pack who aren't quite so casual and prefer private locker rooms. I know Michaela prefers it that way, but this facility predates her as well. And also, the building would have been inspected by a human building inspector. It would have been hard to explain why there was only one locker room."

"That makes sense."

Then she led the way to the pool. It was a nice pool, and I was very impressed.

"Tomorrow morning we'll hold classes in the morning and for an hour after lunch, then we'll come here. You can change into your suit in the locker room, take a quick shower, and then we meet here. If you bought a wetsuit, we'll help you get it on."

"I didn't. Do I need one?"

"You shouldn't. The pool is warm, but if you get cold, we can take a break."

"I suppose none of your other students are going to get cold."

She chuckled. "Probably not, but you will be smart instead of prideful. If you get cold, you will tell me."

"Of course, Karen."

"You'll probably want to wear a tee-shirt then," she said. "The gear can chafe."

"Thanks for the tip."

After that, she showed me the way back out of the building, and we began walking towards the school.

"Do I smell all right, Karen?"

"Sure. Why wouldn't you?"

"I had a little panic attack."

It took her a moment before she said, "When you saw me."

"I'm sorry."

We walked quietly for a minute, and it wasn't until we were outside the school that she pulled me to a stop. "First, you smell fine. You smell like yourself. And now you smell a little like chlorine from the pool. You also smell of Michaela from hugging her. And…" She leaned closer. "Ah. Elisabeth. That should have worn off by now."

"I drove her car."

"That's it," she said.

"You can smell all that?"

She smiled. "And the shampoo and soap you used this morning. I can smell the plastic from the class materials packet. And you had something disgusting for lunch besides."

"Oh god…"

She grinned. "Some of those are subtle. Zoe, this is just part of being a wolf. We smell these things. They aren't necessarily good smells or bad smells. They're just smells. Your shampoo is a little strong, but it's not offensive. However, it disguises your own, natural scent a little. Don't be too surprised if Elisabeth asks you to change brands."

"Is it bad?"

"No. It's lovely. But your natural scent is lovelier."

"Oh. Thank you for telling me."

"You smell fine. Now, about the other thing. I'm really sorry about that. I can't begin to tell you. But you understand, my first duty is to the pack."

"I understood at the time, Karen. It's okay. I need a little more time."

"Your hind brain needs to learn I'm not going to hurt you."

"My forebrain does too," I said. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault, Zoe. You didn't deserve what we did. But you understand why we did it."

"Yeah. The situation."

"The situation. But that situation is gone. You are a pack member. And you're going to be a good pack member, so you have nothing to fear."

I nodded. I hoped she was right.

Our class, appropriately enough, was in one of the school classrooms. Karen had already set up. There were diving posters on the wall, and there were two tables with gear spread out on them. When we arrived, there were four teenagers looking at the gear; by their sizes, it was clear they were all wolves. There were two boys and two girls.

I recognized them as some of Michaela's students, and I had met each of them, but the only name I could remember was Kaylee's.

"Good afternoon," Karen said as we entered the room.

The four of them turned. One of the boys was holding something from the table, and he hastily put it back. "Um."

"Relax, Connor," Karen said. "I wouldn't have put the gear out if you weren't allowed to look at it. But we're all here, so we can get started a few minutes early. Let's take our seats."

Seating was arranged by tables with two students per table. I thought Karen had rearranged the room, as most of the tables and chairs were stacked up in the back, but there were three tables arranged facing a fourth. The kids appeared to have already selected their places, and I found myself with the choice of sitting next to Kaylee or one of the boys. I was a little surprised by the arrangements, but I took a seat next to Kaylee and said, "Hello," quietly to her.

"All right," said Karen. "Everyone is here to learn how to scuba dive. Raise your hand if you think you were here for a lesson in vegan cooking instead."

The kids laughed nervously, all of them glancing at me. I guessed I had a reputation already.

Karen smiled. "We're going to start with introductions. I want each of you in turn to stand up, tell us your full name, who you are, and why you want to learn to dive." She looked around the room. "Connor, you're first."

The boy stood up. Boy. He was bigger than most full-grown men. He looked around the room before beginning to speak, and once he did, he seemed calm and assured but not arrogant. "I'm Connor Simpson. I'm one of Ms. Burns' students." He looked around. "We all are. Even Monique, but she's in the enforcer program, and the rest of us are in the science program."

He looked at Karen, who said, "Tell us why you want to learn to dive."

"Because it's so cool!" He replied, and while he looked and sounded like a man, at that moment he showed us he was still a teenager.

"Is there more?" Karen asked.

"Well… Ms. Burns says if we learn to dive, then she'll take us for weekends diving around Bayfield. The water is really cold, but she said there are a few shipwrecks, and she'll teach us about the geology and underwater ecology."

"All right. Good, Connor. Monique, as your cousin has mentioned you, why don't you go next."

Connor sat down, and Monique stood up. "I'm Monique Simpson. I'm in the enforcer program. I'm not smart enough for the science program."

"That's not a fair way to put it," Karen said. "But let's move on."

"Connor is my cousin," she went on. "And my big sister was one of Ms. Burns' students, but she graduated. I'm here because diving is cool. But also, I'm going to be an enforcer, and I want to be on Michaela's detail. She does all sorts of cool things, like kayaking and now diving. So if I can dive, then I can help protect her better."

I thought that was really sweet.

"All right. Good," said Karen. "Monique, don't sit down. Most of us in the room understand everything Monique said, but the people in this room are the people who will help to lead the pack one day. And because of that, when we have a new pack member, it is part of our responsibility to help the new member understand what it means to be in the pack. I think there are a few things that Zoe might not understand. Monique, can you take a little more time?"

Monique turned to me. She smiled for a moment.

"Do you know what an enforcer is?"

"Like a bodyguard for Michaela."

"Not just that," Monique said. "We guard Rebecca and Celeste, too, and even the alpha."

"Lara needs protection?"

"A lone wolf can be attacked by a group of wolves," Monique said. "You see?" And I nodded. "But we do more than that. We patrol pack lands. For instance, every morning and afternoon we run a patrol along the perimeter of our land. Karen taught us what to watch for. And during tense times, we have patrols out full time. We also are like policemen for the pack. If one of the members does something wrong, we go straighten them out."

"All that," I said. "And you're in school for that?"

She nodded. "I've wanted to be an enforcer my entire life. I was the first student in the enforcer program here. Now there are four of us, and I think there are two more starting in the fall."

"Three more," Karen said.

"Good," said Monique. "Cecelia was on the fence. She's really cool. We take all the normal classes like math and English, but we also take classes in other things." She looked at Karen. "Like karate. And stuff."

All that made sense. Monique explained just a little more then looked at Karen. "How's that?"

"Very well done, Monique," Karen said with a smile. "You may sit down." She paused. "You know, you might not be on Michaela's detail."

"I know," she said as she sat. Her voice sounded sad.

"You might be on Zoe's."

"Mine?" I squeaked. "Am I being watched?"

"No, but there will be times you'll be guarded," Karen said. "For instance, we're bringing two extra wolves to Key West with us. They are assigned to you."

"To me? Why?"

"Because we will be in another pack's territory, and while they have assured us we will be unmolested, we don't take chances."

Monique had been studying Karen carefully, then she turned to me. She gave me an appreciative look, then grinned. "I think Karen just told me I'm going to Key West with you!"

"I believe," Karen said, "That Karen suggested your name _might_ be on the short list, but it can't move to the short-short list until you are a rated diver."

Monique began to squeal. "I'm going to Key West!" she said. She bounced in her chair a few times then ran to me and hugged me. I couldn't have been more surprised. "Don't worry, Zoe. I'll take care of you!"

I looked over at Karen, who lifted her finger to her lips in the universal, "Shh" gesture, and I nodded once.

"All right. Now that we've gotten Monique worked up," Karen said. She waited for Monique to return to her seat. "Layton, how about you."

The other boy stood up, and I learned he was Layton Dales, another of Michaela's students. He said a lot of the same things that Connor had.

Finally it was Kaylee's turn. She stood up. "I'm Kaylee Moss. We've met, Zoe, but you may not know much about me. Do you know Serena? She's the head of Michaela's security detail."

I nodded. "Yes. I know Serena."

"She's my mom."

"That I didn't know."

Kaylee explained that she was also a science student. She talked about that for a minute, and from the way her eyes lit up every time she mentioned Michaela's name, I thought perhaps someone had a crush on teacher. Finally she sat down, and it was my turn.

"I am Zoe Young, and I have a secret to share with all of you." I gestured for everyone to lean in closer, then I lowered my voice and said conspiratorially, "I'm a human."

They laughed at that, then Kaylee said in a similar tone, "We know, but we won't tell anyone." That earned more laughter.

I went on to explain what I did for my job — both jobs. I admitted that I was struggling to fit into the pack, and I appreciated their help.

"Why are you here?" Karen prompted when I prepared to sit down.

"Um. Long version or short version?"

"Short version."

"Michaela invited me and made it possible for me to afford it. It's something that's always fascinated me, but I could never have paid for it."

"One more thing," Karen said. "Are you dating anyone?"

I stared at her. "I might be."

"Will you tell us whom?"

"Um. Elisabeth Burns."

"And did you and Elisabeth have a date last night?"

"We did."

"And did you come back here afterwards?"

"Yes."

"Did you spend the night?"

"I'm not sure I care to answer that."

And that's when Monique said, "I told you, Kaylee! Pay up!"

"No way," Kaylee said. "I want an eyewitness account."

"An eyewitness account of what," I asked.

"Who was screaming, 'Elisabeth! Yes! Elisabeth!' last night."

I immediately colored and buried my head. "Oh god, just kill me now."

The room grew still, then Monique said, "That sounded like a confession to me, Kaylee."

"Yeah," the other girl said. A moment later I heard the sound of money changing hands.

There was a little pause, and then, with a lilt in her voice, Karen said, "Welcome to the pack, Zoe." There were more chuckles. I was mortified, and I'd be having words with Elisabeth. "Now, if you'll unbury your head, I'll go next." She waited until I was looking up, fanning myself. "I am Karen Pierce. As you all know, I am an enforcer, the head of Lara's security detail." She talked a little bit about herself, then she explained, "When I was eighteen, I signed up for the army, and while there, I became an Army Ranger. As a Ranger, I learned a great many skills, including diving. I actually haven't done a lot of recreational diving until recently, but I am now a certified dive master and instructor."

She looked around. "Now, let's talk about diving.

We got a break ninety minutes later, and waiting for us in the hall were a couple of carts with dinner for us. I realized I hadn't planned properly as I hadn't brought anything to eat. But the kids wheeled the carts in and began handing things out. There was a bunch of food, including two plates with my name on them. I opened them and found myself facing a lovely pasta salad and a plate of fruit. Then Kaylee asked me, "Water or cider?"

"Oh, cider, please," I replied.

With the food passed out, Karen moved to our table, sitting across from Kaylee and me. "Zoe, I need a check for your materials. The class itself is free, but the packet and registration with PADI has a fee. If you didn't bring a check, you can bring one tomorrow."

"Nope, I have it right here. Michaela warned me." I wrote a check to her in between bites of my meal.

Kaylee had gotten used to my dining habits, but the other wolves hadn't really seen what I eat before. "What is that?" Connor asked, gesturing to my plate.

"Pasta salad and fruit," I said. "There's more than I'm going to eat. Want some?"

"What's in it?" He leaned towards me and sniffed. "You're actually eating that?"

I poked through it. "It's good!" I said. "Let's see. Pasta, of course. Onion, green and red bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumber. Hmm." I sniffed. "Olive oil, a tiny bit of red pepper, just a touch, and a little garlic. I'm not sure if there's anything else."

Kaylee leaned closer and sniffed. "Lime juice." And then she gestured with her fork. "I don't know what that green stuff is."

"Parsley. You don't recognize parsley?"

She leaned away, not commenting.

"It's good. Who wants to try some?"

"There's no meat!" Connor said. "How can you eat that?"

I chuckled. "Didn't I mention? I'm vegan."

"Like, from Venus?" asked Layton with a grin.

"No. It's like a vegetarian only more so. I don't eat anything with animal products."

"What?" asked Connor. "You mean animal byproducts."

"No. I mean animal products. No milk, butter, eggs, meat. You get the idea. I don't use leather for my clothing, and I certainly don't wear fur. Unlike all of you every day."

There were a couple of chuckles at that.

"Why not?" he asked.

I glanced at Karen. She was smiling but didn't say anything.

"Because animals are people, too," Monique said. "Right, Zoe?"

"Sort of, Monique," I agreed. "Um." I looked between them. They were all watching me while eating their own dinners, all of which prominently featured animal protein. "I don't expect wolves to share this attitude with me, and I make no judgment on your food choices, as long as you aren't cruel when you kill you food."

"My mom once caught me playing with a rabbit," Layton said. "She let me have it. She told me she wasn't raising me to be cruel to animals, and I should show the rabbit respect for the gift of life. That's the way she put it. After that, I always made sure to kill them as quickly as I could."

Inwardly, I shuddered. Karen may have noticed, but I did what I could to suppress me reaction. The idea that someone so young could so calmly talk about killing another creature was disturbing to me.

"Well, for me," I said, "I consider it unethical to ask another creature to give its life so that I can eat or wear clothes. I don't expect wolves to understand. In fact, you probably think that's pretty weird." I gestured to my meal. "This has everything I need. Well, there isn't any protein here, or not much, but there are lots of foods that give me the protein my body needs. And nothing had to die so I could eat."

"That's not true," said Kaylee. "The pasta is made from wheat. So the wheat died. The tomatoes…" she paused, gesturing. "Is that a cucumber?"

"No. That's the red bell pepper. This is a cucumber." I speared one and held it up.

She leaned over and sniffed it. "Smells weird. Well, the wheat died, and the tomatoes, and cucumbers."

"Okay, you're right. But nothing with a brain had to die. Did anyone want to try it?"

They all curled their lips at the idea, and conversation quickly moved to other topics. Inwardly, I laughed.

My dinner was very good. I would have to remember to thank Francesca later.

"All right," Karen said. "Let's keep going. We'll have another break in an hour so you can all go for a run."

The class was fascinating, and the hour passed quickly. We all did some of the exercises from the workbook, and then Karen said, "All right. You have time for a twenty-minute run. I hope none of you are slow shifters."

They didn't wait. There was a mad scramble for the door, and a moment later, Karen and I were alone.

"Wow."

She laughed. "Did you want some air?"

But that was when Michaela, Lara, and Elisabeth stepped into the room. I ended accepting another hug from Michaela, a hand clasp from Lara, and a hug and tentative kiss from Elisabeth. I whispered to Elisabeth, "We're going to be talking later."

"I look forward to it," she said.

Then I turned to Lara. "Alpha, I would like to register a complaint."

"Oh?" she lifted an eyebrow. "Against Karen and her teaching?"

"No, of course not. Against two of the younger wolves."

Karen began to snicker. Michaela looked back and forth between Karen and me. "Is there something I need to handle?"

"I don't know. Maybe. They… They _wagered_ on me!"

The four of them were silent for about two seconds, then they began laughing. Michaela in particular laughed so hard she wiped tears from her eyes.

"Of course they did!" she finally said. "They wager about _everything_."

"But… but…" I sputtered. "Not about _me_!"

The wolves continued to laugh, but Michaela sobered and studied me carefully. "Well, we seem to have a complaint." She turned to Lara. "In the pack rules, are there any rules governing wagers?"

"There are," Lara said. "No wagering over anything illegal, dangerous, or against pack law. No wagers you cannot afford to pay. And we don't allow gambling outside of pack, although we turn a blind eye to things like Fantasy Football pools."

"Are there any rules that specifically say someone cannot place wagers concerning the behavior or performance of Zoe Young?"

"No, there aren't."

Michaela turned back to me. By then, I was scowling. She shrugged. "It's not against pack rules. Sorry, Zoe." She was still grinning.

"It's not funny."

"It certainly is," Michaela replied. "It's damned funny they're wagering over you instead of me."

"Oh, they're still wagering over you, Little Fox," Elisabeth said. "Don't worry about that."

"Hush, you," Michaela told her. She turned back to me. "What was the nature of this wager?"

"It was about the identity of Elisabeth's overnight houseguest."

"Who was foolish enough to wager on that?" Lara asked.

"I believe I witnessed Kaylee Moss hand five dollars to Monique Simpson," Karen replied.

"You're going to allow this, Alpha?" I asked, leaving it up to either alpha to answer.

"Damned right I am," said Michaela. "If they wager on you, maybe they'll pay a little less attention to me."

"Damn it!"

But Elisabeth was shaking her head. "Michaela, that's the worst plan you've ever had, and you've had some doozies."

"Or stated another way," she said, smiling sweetly at me. "Misery loves company."

Lara chuckled.

I turned to Elisabeth. "This is your fault."

"Hey, don't blame me. We told you: they wager on everything. Michaela is popular, followed by Lara and then me. I can only guess where you'll come in the list."

"If you keep turning me into an exhibitionist, I suspect pretty damned high."

She just smirked, entirely unrepentant.

"Well," said Michaela, "We're going for a little run. Karen, how long did you give the kids?"

"Twenty minute run plus whatever time it takes to shift."

"Perfect. Come on." She stepped forward and grabbed my hand.

"I can't keep up."

"You can keep up with me," she said. "I'm not so fast." I thought it was likely she was still a lot faster than I was, but I let them pull me outside. As we got there, I saw the last of the wolves just getting up from their shifts and shaking their fur out. The pups were there, already in fur. "You set the pace," she said. "Just head that way." She pointed. "If anyone wants to run faster than you run, they can run ahead." She dropped my hand, loosened her clothing, and then shifted to fox. Twenty seconds later, I was the only person still on two feet.

I knelt down, and Elisabeth moved to me, bumping me with her chest. I hugged her, and then I ran fingers through Michaela's fur. Michaela then gave three yips, and I knew she was impatient to run.

I took off at a fast jog, heading north.

They gave me a few seconds head start, and then suddenly I was surrounded by leaping wolves, many of them dashing ahead of me and disappearing. But Michaela, Lara, Elisabeth, the pups, and several enforcers surrounded me, some closely, some further way, but clearly traveling at my speed.

I didn't know what to think. I was running with a werewolf pack.

I was sure even Michaela could travel faster than I was jogging, but it was a pace I could keep up at least for a while.

The pups played as we ran, chasing each other or one of the adults.

We ran for about five minutes before I panted out, "Are we just running, or were we playing a game?"

At that, Lara bounded ahead and came to a stop across the trail, and so I came to a stop, bending over and panting a little. But it was Michaela who flowed back into her human form. I averted my eyes.

"Zoe, it's best if you just get over it. You're going to see us naked. Get used to it."

So I turned my eyes back and chalked it up to more of the surreal nature of being a new member of a werewolf pack. I nodded.

"All right, who do we have who can play?" She looked around. "Head enforcer, will you allow our security to play?"

Lara and Elisabeth looked at each other, and then Lara turned away, perhaps leaving the decision to Elisabeth. Elisabeth grunted "yes".

"Excellent!" said Michaela. "Lara, would you run back and grab my clothes? Don't forget my shoes. I'll play on two feet, and we should have an even game."

Lara didn't wait, and she was out of sight in seconds. Michaela watched her disappear then turned to me. "We'll play with two teams. You, Elisabeth and one of the pups against me, Lara and the other pup. And we'll divide the enforcers." She grinned. "You can only pick one if you can point at her and name her accurately. Pick first."

I looked around. "Portia." I pointed.

"Good," she said. "Rory."

"Karen."

"Two for two. I wonder if you know anyone else. Serena."

There were two wolves left, and I didn't have a clue whom they were. "Do I get a hint?"

Before Michaela could answer, Lara was back. I couldn't believe how much faster she was. And I was amazed she'd been able to carry Michaela's clothes.

"Thank you, you magnificent wolf," Michaela said, hugging her mate. She began pulling on her clothes. "A hint. Hmm. Do you have any idea who they are?"

"No. I'm sorry."

"It's okay. Tell you what. I'll tell you who they each are, and then you'll close your eyes. They'll run around, then you open your eyes and pick one. If you get her wrong, I get both of them."

"All right."

"Angel and Scarlett, come here," she said. The last two wolves bounded over and sat down on either side of Michaela. She finished pulling her clothes on then knelt down and hugged each wolf. "This one is Angel. Turn around for her so she gets a good look."

Angel stepped away and turned in a circle, her tongue lolling in a wolfy smile.

"And of course, this is Scarlett." Scarlett let me get a good look.

They were both big — all the wolves were big. But Angel was clearly bigger, almost as large as Lara and Elisabeth. And now that I knew it was her, I saw a family resemblance besides. She was silver, just like her cousins, with black markings. Scarlett was nearly all white with touches of charcoal here and there.

"Close your eyes," Michaela ordered. I dutifully closed them, putting my hand over them besides. Then I heard wolves bounding around for a few seconds before Michaela said, "Open."

When I did, all the wolves were lying down, spread all around me, except the pups, who were busy stalking each other.

"So, Angel or Scarlett?" Michaela said with a grin. "You didn't think I was going to let you just pick between the two of them. That would be too easy."

I turned around. "That's Portia. There's Karen. Lara and Elisabeth. I can't tell the two pups from each other."

"Celeste is stalking Rebecca," Michaela said. "Who else can you tell?"

I wasn't absolutely positive I had Angel picked out, but there was only one nearly all-white wolf. So I stepped over to her and pointed. "Scarlett."

"Good. Can you do the rest?"

I moved between them. "If they stand side-by-side, I bet I can."

"Try this way."

All three of them were silver, but one of them was more black than silver. "This isn't Angel, so it's Rory or Serena."

"True."

I looked back and forth between the other two. "I'm not sure. I think this is Angel." I pointed.

"That's Serena," Michaela said.

"So the black one is Rory, and that's Angel. I'm sorry."

"Naw," said Michaela. "You're learning. All right. We're got our teams. We're going to play a game of freeze tag coupled with a sort of hunt."

"A hunt?"

"Yes. The pups are the ones who can freeze us. Anyone unfrozen gets to herd you — or me — in a direction. You and I may run or walk in any direction we want, but we aren't allowed to touch one of the competing wolves. But they aren't allowed to make you move any faster than a normal walk. My wolves will try to herd you onto the steps of the house. Your wolves will try to do the same with me. But any wolf touched by one of the pups is frozen for thirty seconds."

I laughed. "Sounds good. They won't bite me, will they?"

"If you don't back away from them, they're allowed to bite gently. But if you touch them, they're allowed to drag you twenty yards closer to the house."

"I'm not as agile as you are. They have to give me a chance."

"They will," she said. "If you're running and they get in front of you, they'll give you a chance to stop, but if you try to dash around them, they might tackle you. Is that a problem for you? They'll be gentle."

"It's not a problem," I said.

"Your wolves can try to protect you from my wolves," Michaela said. "But if they do, they leave me free to run the other direction. Zoe, the wolves play rough. Don't let that freak you out."

I nodded.

"All right. Pick a pup."

"Celeste."

Celeste heard her name and turned to look over at me. "Darlings," Michaela said. "Were you paying attention to the rules?"

They both grunted, and then Celeste came over to sit down beside me. Rebecca bounced over to Michaela and lay down on her feet.

"No climbing trees or hiding somewhere small," Michaela said.

"Or climbing into a car."

She laughed. "Right. Okay, to make this interesting, we're going to separate and run for one minute in any direction you want, then Lara will howl and the game is on. Ready?"

I looked at my wolves. They were all watching me. I settled my eyes on Elisabeth. "Lead the way at a pace I can handle." She grunted. "We're ready."

"Go!" And suddenly Michaela was running deeper into the woods. Elisabeth paused only a second before turning the opposite direction, well away from the compound. She took two leaps before settling into a trotting motion. I ran after her, barely keeping up, Celeste, Scarlett, Portia and Karen flanking me.

We only ran for thirty seconds before Elisabeth came to a stop and flowed into human form. "Karen, you and I protect Zoe. Scarlett and Portia go after Michaela. Celeste, you stay with Zoe and tag the other wolves." She didn't wait for a response but shifted back to wolf and was trotting along again.

Then Lara howled. Elisabeth came to another stop, shifting back into human. "Scarlett, Portia, go." Like a flash, they were gone. "Let's keep moving. They'll be here in seconds."

She shifted again, and then I was following her. Celeste stayed at my side, Karen following along behind. I ran as fast as I could, following Elisabeth.

Then behind us I heard growling, and in a flash, Elisabeth spun around and dashed past me to take a defensive position next to Karen. She shifted to human long enough to say, "Keep heading north. Celeste stay with her."

"Celeste, do you know where to go?"

She grunted.

"We have to slow down though, I can't keep running." And so I followed the pup now, looking over my shoulder periodically to see Karen and Elisabeth following along.

And then I saw four wolves running quickly towards us. Elisabeth and Karen both began growling menacingly, and I would have wet my pants if I didn't know we were all friends.

"Celeste, they're here," I said. And with that, she dashed around behind me, then ran back and forth between the four approaching wolves and me, doing her own growling.

I was impressed.

The oncoming wolves were in a V-formation with Lara at the apex, and I saw Rebecca bounding along behind her.

They had left Michaela entirely unguarded. I thought that was a poor choice.

What happened at that point was largely a blur. I continued to back away, heading north. Lara and Angel flew at Elisabeth, and Serena and Rory flew at Karen.

Two on one wasn't fair!

Or four on two. Whichever it was.

There was a lot of snarling, which I found scary, but Michaela had warned me. Still, I backed away.

I couldn't really keep track of what was going on, but I saw both Rebecca and Celeste dash forward. Rebecca tagged both of my wolves, and they went still after a moment. Celeste managed to tag Angel but when she went after Rory, he leapt away from her.

Celeste chased after him, and he drew her away. In the meantime, Lara and Serena both turned to me. In two bounds, they were past me. They skidded to a stop and began stalking me, edging me away at an angle toward the compound, picking a path that bypassed my frozen guards.

I stepped backwards, but apparently they didn't think I was moving fast enough. Together they began growling and lunged at me, snapping the air just inches in front of me.

I panicked and ran.

It was, of course, the wrong choice.

At least I didn't run in the direction they had been pushing, but instead perhaps somewhat left of that. They let me run, and the sound of Celeste chasing Rory faded behind me.

They let me run perhaps a hundred yards before Lara dashed past me and came to a stop, blocking my path. I tried to slip around her, but she shifted into human and caught me about the waist.

"Calm down," she said. "Zoe, we won't hurt you. Calm down."

Then she held me, and a moment later, Serena was human as well. They both held me while I struggled to free myself, but slowly, while Lara spoke soothingly, I calmed.

"There you go," Lara said. "Are you okay if I let you go?"

"Yes," I croaked. Slowly, she released me, and they both stepped away.

"We won't hurt you," Lara repeated. "This is just a game."

"I'm sorry. I panicked."

"Are you going to panic again?"

I shook my head. "No."

"You can run if you want, but we were just trying to hurry you a little. And we'll do it again if you dawdle." She pointed. "The compound is that way. Is this too intense for you?"

"No." I smiled. "Intimidating, but no."

"All right. We'll give you a fifteen second head start. If you run into one of us like that again, we get to drag you after we catch you."

I nodded then turned and ran in the opposite direction from the one she had pointed.

My fifteen seconds ended, and five seconds later, they both flowed past me, coming to a stop in front of me. I came to a skidding halt myself.

After that, I tried repeatedly to dash past them, but they began pushing me towards the compound. But then I heard growling, and Elisabeth, Karen, and Angel all came running in. Elisabeth and Karen plowed right through Lara and Serena, leaving me a chance to dash past all of them. I made about three steps before Angel was in front of me.

Growling.

After that, for a few seconds, it was all a blur again, with the wolves scrambling around. I slowly got pushed back towards the compound while Elisabeth and Karen did the best they could to keep the other three wolves from touching me.

Then Rebecca arrived, changing the dynamics significantly. Elisabeth and Karen managed to avoid getting tagged by the pup, but their ability to interfere with the other three wolves was reduced, and I found myself backing away from at least one and frequently all three of my opponents.

Then Celeste arrived, and she interposed herself between me and the other wolves, snapping her teeth and lunging at anyone who came close. Ten seconds later, Rory was there as well.

To some extent, we had a standoff. Celeste moved back and forth in front of me, keeping the wolves back and even forcing them to retreat slightly. Elisabeth and Karen were able to help, in between avoiding Rebecca, and we made little progress in either direction.

But then suddenly Lara leapt on Elisabeth, Angel helping her. There was a lot of snarling, but then Rebecca tagged Elisabeth. Serena went after Karen, and then Angel dashed right past Celeste, who started chasing her.

Ah, kids. Easily distracted.

Karen got tagged, and I was back to no protection.

Three snarling wolves began pushing me towards the compound, and I found myself dashing away from snapping teeth.

Not once did they touch me, but I knew if I didn't move fast enough, they would.

It took another seven or eight minutes, with Elisabeth and Karen periodically doing their best to interfere. But I didn't see Celeste again. I presumed Angel was keeping an eye on her. With three wolves to two, and Rebecca there, my attempts to run for freedom were entirely curtailed, and I found myself backing into the clearing that formed the main compound.

They pushed me nearly to the steps before I saw Michaela exit the trees, backing away from Scarlett and Portia.

I tried holding my ground at the steps, hoping that Scarlett and Portia could move Michaela faster, but Elisabeth and Karen were both frozen again. The three wolves growled and snapped at me, and I dashed up onto the steps.

They promptly drew silent. Then a moment later, Lara lifted her nose to the sky and began howling.

I sat down on the steps. Elisabeth jumped to her feet and bounded over, then began sniffing at me thoroughly.

"Knock it off," I said, trying to push her away. "It's not my fault if I smell."

She ignored my efforts, and a moment later, Michaela called out, "She's making sure you're not hurt, but if you don't relax, she's going to turn dominant."

So I let myself get sniffed. Thoroughly.

Michaela walked over. She knelt down and hugged Lara then looked around. "We're missing Celeste and Angel." She stood up and cocked her head. "Oh, they're coming." Then she looked at me. "I win."

I laughed.

"Did you have fun?"

"Yes," I said, "although it was intimidating to watch the wolves fighting. How about everyone else?"

The wolves grunted happily.

"I want to talk about this," Michaela said, "but you have a class. We'll have a bonfire after the scuba class and discuss the game."

The teenagers were all waiting for us in the classroom when we got back. We shuffled around and took our seats, but before Karen could resume class, Kaylee leaned over. "Did you go for a run?"

"Yes. And we played a game Michaela invented."

"Oh, she invents the best games. Was it fun?"

"Yeah. There's a bonfire later."

"Excellent. You can tell me about it."

We only had one more short break, and class went until ten. I was wiped out long before then, and I was deeply impressed by the attentiveness of the teenagers. At no point did any of them screw around or seem to lag, and I didn't think their stamina was entirely due to being werewolves.

During the break, I asked Karen about it.

"These are some of the best teenagers in the pack," she replied. "We only accept the cream into this school. Plus they're all scared of me."

"They aren't!"

"They certainly are, or I'm not doing my job."

"Seriously?"

"Yep. As a human, you're not part of the dominance structure of the pack, but all of these kids are. They know I'll put up with a certain amount of levity, but when it's time to pay attention, they pay attention. Or else."

"Wow."

"It doesn't take much with these kids though. We're very proud of them."

Everyone collected for the bonfire later. My head hurt from everything Karen had been teaching us, and I really wanted to go home and go to bed, but I didn't think Michaela would be impressed if I disappeared.

Plus I needed a ride.

Elisabeth had a seat for me then asked what I wanted to drink.

"Is someone driving me home, or am I borrowing your car again?"

"I'll drive you."

"Then a little alcohol, but I can't stay long. I have to be back here by eight tomorrow, and I am entirely fried."

"You could stay."

I considered it. I really did. "Elisabeth, please don't take this the wrong way, but I want us to go slow."

"Um. Too late."

"Well, I don't want to basically move in. Two nights in a row this early is too much."

"All right. We'll leave whenever you want, but you should stay for a little while."

"I will."

She got me a beer. Then the kids began making s'mores. A few minutes later, Kaylee stopped by to offer one to me.

"No thank you."

"But. It's a s'more!"

I smiled. "I see that. I don't eat them."

She cocked her head.

"Kaylee, they aren't vegan."

She eyed it carefully. "It's cracker, marshmallows, and chocolate."

"The chocolate has milk, and the marshmallows normally are made with gelatin, which is another animal product."

She stared at me. "Wow. You can't eat anything!" She turned to Elisabeth. "Would you like this one?"

"Sure. Thanks, Kaylee." Elisabeth then made a big deal of enjoying her treat. "Sure you don't want to try a bite."

"If you expect this relationship to have any life to it, you won't do that."

"Enjoy this sticky treat?"

"Tease me about choices I make for moral reasons. You may eat what you want and I won't pass judgment, but I don't appreciate you suggesting my morals are silly or foolish."

She stilled. "Is that what I was doing, Zoe?"

"It felt like it."

"I'm sorry," she said after a moment. "You're right. I won't do it again."

"Thank you." I wasn't sure if I believed her, but now I could yell at her when it happened again.

Or invite her to dinner and feed her tofu. That thought made me smile.

"All right," Michaela said eventually. "We tried a new game tonight."

"What game?" one of the kids asked. So Michaela described the rules and the final result. Then she turned to me.

"Did you have fun?"

"I did. I'd play again."

She smiled. "Good. Lara and Elisabeth, what did you think?"

Lara spoke first. "I think that if Celeste had stayed with Zoe, we would have lost. I understand Elisabeth picked the strategy for their team, and it was better than ours." She turned to Celeste. "Do you understand what you could have done better?"

"I should have protected Zoe. I followed Rory and Angel." She looked at me. "I'm sorry, Zoe."

"It's all right, Celeste," I said. "You'll be better next time."

The girl nodded.

"Celeste, the games we play are often designed to teach you things."

"Like when we stalk Mommy Fox, we're learning to stalk rabbits and deer."

"That's right, " Lara said. "For you, this game is a teaching game. When you're an enforcer, you need to remember that your top duty is to protect your target."

"I'm sorry, Mommy Wolf."

"You learned something, didn't you?"

"Yes, Mommy Wolf."

"Good." She looked up. "If Celeste protects Zoe, it's at best a standoff." She looked at Michaela. "Unless you're allowed to shift, leaving you unprotected was a mistake."

"My fault," Michaela said. "I was going to hide, but after I sent you away, I realized I had to stay on two feet, and I'm easy to find that way."

"If our strategy was better, why did we lose?" I asked. "Was it because I panicked?"

"No," said Lara. "Once you ran, we could easily have driven you all the way to the house, but you would have had a horrible time. So I caught you and then spent time calming you down. That more than made up for a hundred yards."

Then they all talked about different strategies. It was fascinating to listen to. They went in circles. Finally Michaela said, "It feels like we're on the edge of a good game the humans can play, but we're not quite there."

"I don't understand," I said. "You're big werewolves. You could just pick me up and carry me back here."

"But that wasn't in the rules," Lara said. "And that would make it too easy." She paused. "You did well once you calmed down. Are you going to panic again?"

"Not with wolves I trust," I said. And I suddenly realized my entire perspective had changed. I saw Michaela smiling, and a moment later, several others. I joined them.

"Could we be a little bit rougher?" Lara asked.

"Not like you are with each other."

"No," she said. "We have to be careful with Michaela. She is very delicate, even more delicate than you are, but of course, she heals faster. Do you think we could treat you like we treat Michaela?"

"Michele Lassiter would let you," Michaela said.

"I don't know how you treat Michaela," I said. I glanced at Elisabeth. "I let Elisabeth catch me last night. She let me surrender or run, and I ran each time."

"I think she should see what we mean," Michaela said. "Lara pick your team."

"Four?" Lara asked, and she nodded. "Serena, Angel, and…" she looked around. "Scarlett, do you want to play?"

And so four wolves stripped out of their clothes and shifted. Michaela moved away from the fire and nodded, and then suddenly she was backing away from the four wolves, arrayed in front of her.

Then Serena leapt at her. Michaela wasn't even looking, but she ducked and rolled under Serena the other way, but Angel leapt. Michaela barely avoided her, jumped to her feet, dodged Lara's rush, but then got taken down by Scarlett.

Scarlett wrapped around her entirely and then — the same as Elisabeth did with me Thursday night — they twisted in the air so that Scarlett landed first, not entirely cushioning Michaela, but partially cushioning her.

Michaela pushed her away, jumped to her feet, and continued to scramble.

She was laughing the entire time.

They played for two minutes or so before I stood up and slowly walked towards them. Michaela got knocked down again and was on the ground, looking over at me. "Everyone freeze," she called out, and the wolves stilled. She crawled out from underneath Angel.

"Accidents happen," she said to me. "You understand. If you play rough with them, you'll get bruises for sure."

"You don't have to do this," said Elisabeth from behind me. "We can make other games."

No one else said anything. "I won't do as well as you did," I said to Michaela. "You're so fast." I looked over at Elisabeth. She was watching me. I glanced at Eric, and he nodded, just once. I'm not sure anyone saw it. But I think he knew what I was asking.

"If I get hurt…"

"The pack will take care of you," Michaela said. "We can make other games."

"Let's try it. Can they go slowly at first?"

Michaela stepped away. "Give her a chance," she said. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be."

"Begin," said Michaela.

Angel growled for just an instant and launched herself at me. She went from a crouch to flying at me, but I had so much warning I was already ducking before she jumped, and she passed over me as I fell to the ground. I jumped back up as quickly as I could, surprised I had avoided her. They gave me a few seconds, then all of them began stalking me, pushing me around the field a little. Then Serena growled, coiled her muscles, and leapt.

She knocked me down, but she wasn't able to grab me, and I squirmed away, climbing back to my feet. But then Scarlett waited until I was ready and growled, and for the wolves, the third time was the charm. She took me down to the ground.

She twisted, just like she had with Michaela, but I landed heavily anyway. I made a big "oof" as the wind was knocked out of me, and then I curled up, trying to breathe.

"Halt!" Michaela yelled, and a moment later she was there, kneeling next to me. "Are you all right?"

I shook my head and continued to try to get my lungs working again. A moment later, Elisabeth was there, and Lara was sniffing at me as well. Slowly, I began breathing properly.

"Just got the wind knocked out?" Elisabeth asked, and I nodded.

Finally I accepted a hand up. I turned to Scarlett. "Good one." I smiled. "What would the rules be for for that? I think if I get hurt, then I get to walk twenty yards in my preferred direction before we continue."

Lara grunted.

"I'm game for more," I said.

"No," said Elisabeth.

I turned to her. "This is too rough," she added.

"That could have happened last night. So I take it we're not playing at all in the future?"

She snorted, studied me, snorted again, and then backed away. Michaela went with her. The wolves moved away as well, then began circling me slowly.

We played for perhaps five or ten minutes. I got knocked down a lot, and I was sure I earned bruises, but I didn't get hurt. However, I did get worn out, and after Lara took me down one more time, I lay there, not getting up.

I was pooped.

Lara sniffed at me, but I just said, "I'm done. But that was fun."

Elisabeth came over and helped me to my feet. I sagged in her arms, breathing heavily, and said into her ear, "I really need to go home, but I don't want anyone to think I'm leaving because I'm upset. I'm worn out, and I have to get up early."

"Zoe," Michaela said. "What did you think?"

Elisabeth and I turned to her.

"Work on the rules," I said. "I'd play like that, but I'd want my opponents picked carefully." I gestured. "They were being as gentle as I think is possible, weren't they?"

Lara flowed into human and stood up. Someone threw a blanket at her, then she turned to me. "Good job. I'm proud of you, Zoe. And you did better than I expected."

"I had incentive." I paused. "Angel and Scarlett, may I hug you both before I go?"

They both grunted, and so I knelt down but let them come to me. I hugged each one of them in turn, exchanging a kiss on their furry foreheads for a quick lick on my face. "Thank you," I whispered into their ears.

We were quiet in the car. I leaned back and closed my eyes.

"Are you hurt?" Elisabeth asked after several minutes.

"Wiped out. I probably have bruises. I might be stiff tomorrow."

"Take some ibuprofen and more when you wake up. If you get here a little early, I can help you loosen up."

"Is that a euphemism?"

"No."

"Damn." And she laughed.

We didn't talk much after that. Once we arrived at my apartment, she parked and then walked me in. Once inside, she said, "Were you going to shower? You'll sleep better."

"You can't join me, Elisabeth."

"I wasn't going to. I'm going to get your things ready for the morning so you can't forget them. I'm going to pile them in front of the door. Show me the suit you want. Then I'll tuck you into bed."

So I took my ibuprofen, showed her the suit, and headed for the shower. By the time I was done, she had all my things packed, most of the lights turned out, and my sheets pulled back. I moved to her, and we kissed. There was passion, but not too much passion. Then she walked me to the bed.

I then spent the next twenty minutes moaning in pleasure as she gave me a deep, wonderful massage.

She kissed the back of my neck and let herself out.

 **Pool Time**

I actually felt okay in the morning, a little stiff, but not too bad. I had a few bruises, but they weren't bad, and I'd had fun.

More importantly, I thought I was starting to fit in.

And other than one moment of panic, I wasn't afraid.

I wasn't afraid.

I woke with that thought, and it was a wonderful thought.

I believed Michaela. And Lara and Elisabeth and Karen.

I was safe, probably safer than I'd been since, well, forever.

I managed to get out of the house by seven, and I texted Elisabeth as I was getting into my car. "Leaving now. You said you could loosen me up?"

My phone rang five minutes later. I used the hands free to answer it. "Good morning."

"Good morning, Zoe," said Elisabeth. "Park in my driveway. There are gym clothes in your bag. You can change into them, we'll do a short workout, and I promise you'll feel great."

We chatted most of the way during my drive, and she was waiting in her driveway when I pulled up, her phone in her hand. We smiled at each other. Then she met me at the side of my car, handed me out, and then pulled me into a deep, lingering kiss.

God, she could kiss.

She left me breathless and had to steady me for a moment afterwards. She chuckled.

"Shut up," I said. "Damned wolves."

That just caused her to chuckle harder.

Her little workout did wonders. She had me do just a dozen of very easy reps with empty bars, and she helped to support the bars at the same time. It was just enough to move me through my range of motion and warm me up, and I felt really good afterwards.

"I told you," she said.

A while later, back in my casual clothes for class, she dropped me off with Karen. "I'll see you later."

Class was fun. Karen was a good teacher, and it was a joy to be in class with such smart kids. They took the material seriously while taking life casually and I found the combination refreshing.

We got a break at ten and lunch at noon. The kids teased me a little about my food, but then Monique said, "Zoe, will you tell us more about what you do?"

"Only a few minutes," I said. "We're here for diving today. But we'll have more time if you guys have questions." So I explained about GreEN, and all five of them, including Karen, listened intently.

It was Karen who asked, "Do you have a web site? A mailing list?" I wondered if Michaela or Elisabeth had primed her with that question. I wrote both my web sites and my email address down on the white board. I would find later than all four kids signed up for the GreEN mailing list.

I was deeply touched.

Karen taught for one more hour then said, "All right. Next, pool time!"

"Yes!" said Connor. He bumped fists with Layton.

"All of you should have mask, fins and snorkels. Raise your hands." All five hands went up. "We're going to head to the pool. You can leave your class materials here, but you'll need your gear. Leave your gear in the pool area then use the locker rooms to change and shower. If there's a qualified lifeguard on duty, you may swim for a few minutes while we're fitting a few of you for some of your equipment. I think most of you are all ready, but I know we have to fit Zoe and Layton. Ready… Go."

The kids ran. Karen and I walked at a more measured pace, talking quietly.

"You were good last night. Everyone was impressed. But I think that was still too rough for you."

I shrugged. "I'm trying to fit in." I paused and looked down. "Elisabeth is giving up a lot to date a human."

"I thought that might be part of it." She paused. "She knows you're human, Zoe."

"I know. I feel inadequate."

"Do you want to know what I think? And actually, Portia and I talked about it last night."

"You were talking about me?"

"Yes. I imagine you were quite the topic after you left last night. Portia and I think you're trying too hard. Just relax. Don't worry about any of this."

"I wouldn't want to play that rough all the time," I said, "but I don't want to come here and sit on the sidelines, either."

"All right," she said. "But you know you don't have to play the rough games. Even Michaela sits out some of our activities, and Nick, Michele, and Benny play only the lightest of our games."

I looked at the ground and said quietly, "I'm trying to fit in, Karen. And Eric told me it's important to play. Wolves like to play."

"Yeah, but we can break a bone and be healed an hour later. And you wouldn't believe some of the things that have happened to Michaela, but she keeps coming back."

"But-"

"If Michaela, Lara or Elisabeth tell you not to play, just don't argue. Okay?"

"Of course."

"Hey!" I said. "What are you doing here?"

"Assistant instructor," Elisabeth said. She gestured. Michaela, Lara, Angel and Scarlett were there, too, all in suits. Portia and Eric were also hanging around in clothes, and I presumed they were on duty.

I looked Elisabeth up and down. She looked damned good in her suit. All the wolves did. I felt inadequate. I asked myself what Elisabeth saw in me, but she eyed me appreciatively, and I decided she must see something.

I didn't know what.

Then Karen called me over to collect the rest of my gear. She fitted me for a BCD — buoyancy compensation device — which is a fancy name for a life jacket used in diving. To that she added an air tank, regulator, and a weight belt with a few pounds of weights.

I could barely pick it all up.

"All right," she said. "This is where you let wolves be wolves." She looked around. "Who wants to be Zoe's dive partner?"

Monique and Kaylee both ran over, which I thought was really sweet. They eyed each other. "I got here first," said Monique.

"But she's my table partner, so she should be my dive partner."

"She's your table partner, so you shouldn't hog her. It's my turn."

"You're going to get to go to Key West with her. So I think you should let me partner with her now."

I laughed. I was sure they were just teasing. But it felt good they were fighting over me, even if it was in fun.

They both turned to Karen. "May we work it out?" Monique asked. Karen nodded, so she turned to Kaylee. "You get her today, and I get her tomorrow."

"Deal," said Kaylee.

And I had a partner.

"All right, Kaylee," Karen said. "Zoe can carry her gear, but I'm a little afraid it's on the edge of what is safe."

"I've got it," she said. "I'll set it next to mine." And then she picked everything up, one hand on the tank and BCD, the other on the weight belt, and like it was nothing, she carried it all to the edge of the pool, setting it down next to a similar set. I stared.

"So easy."

"Yep, and you'll find that these kids will go out of their way to help, if you let them. So let them."

After that, Karen collected everyone together at the benches to one side of the pool. "Everyone here can swim, right?" We all nodded. "Well, you all get a chance to prove it. You each need to swim two hundred yards. The pool is twenty-five yards, so that's four times, down and back. No stopping, no standing, no hanging onto the edge, and no kicking off the walls on the turns. The minimum standards allow for no time limit, but I want to see at least a side stroke, if you can't go that far in a faster style." She paused. "Zoe, is that a problem?"

"Nope. I won't win any races, and I bet I'm last today, but I can swim."

"All right. Everyone pick a lane. Swim at your own pace, but stay in your lane. Start swimming whenever you're ready."

We all spread out, and a moment later, I began swimming.

I wasn't a fast swimmer, but I was steady. I did something I called an energy-conserving crawl. Basically it's just like the normal crawl, but I don't flutter my feet so hard.

To either side of me, the wolves were much faster, and they lapped me at least once, probably twice, but I ignored them and just swam.

It felt good, and I could have gone a lot further by the time I was done. I finished my fourth lap and came to a gentle stop at the edge of the pool. I stood up and looked around.

The kids were together, talking, and the adults were standing on the edge, watching me. And I bet they were talking about me, too.

"Did anyone have any wagers on me?" I asked. "I bet you all thought I'd do some lame backstroke."

There was nervous laughter at that. "No wagers that I know about," Elisabeth said.

"Well done," said Karen. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine. Do we get to do it again?"

She laughed.

"All right." She clapped her hands, getting the attention of the teenagers. "Now we need you to float or tread water by any style you want. Everyone make your way to the deep end and we'll begin."

After that, she got us all out of the water. She had us collect our mask, fins and snorkel. She reviewed how to keep the mask from fogging then had Angel jump into the pool and demonstrate the skills we were going to practice with just the basic snorkeling gear. Karen told us to "take your time and have fun. But I want you to swim around with your partners. Everyone grab your partner's hand."

Kaylee moved to my side and grabbed my hand, raising our hands above our heads. I saw Monique was partnered with Connor, and Layton was without a partner.

"I need a partner for Layton."

"I will," said Scarlett. "If you don't mind, Layton."

"Um," he said. "Sure." He grinned stupidly at her. Ah, teenage boys. Human or wolves, they're all the same. Scarlett returned his grin with a friendly smile and moved to his side, taking his hand.

By his reaction, I wondered if he realized she was a lesbian. It was really cute.

Kaylee leaned over to me. "Scarlett's really popular," she said. "All the guys are half in love with her."

"She's very sweet, and I'm not surprised," I replied. "You're sweet, too. I bet the boys like you."

"Boys are dumb," she said. "Cute, but dumb."

I laughed and had to agree.

"All right. You don't have to hold hands in the water, but I want you close enough that you could. Keep track of your partner at all times. Carry your things to the shallow end and put them on in the water. Help each other if you need to, but you'll need to get good at doing it yourselves. Swim around, get comfortable, and then move to the deeper end. Spend some time on the surface. Get used to breathing through the snorkel. Then practice diving down and clearing the snorkel the way you've been taught. The rest of us will be in the water helping all of you out, and I'll be testing you on the basic skills."

Then she turned to Kaylee. "Kaylee, your partner is human. You understand."

"Yes, Karen. We're here to have fun, anyway. It's not a race."

"That's a good attitude."

I leaned to her. "And your partner is kind of old besides."

She smiled at me.

It was awkward pulling everything on. We all had booties, and we put those on while still sitting on the bench. Once in the water, Kaylee held my mask and snorkel and said, "Can you get your fins on?"

"I think so." And then I demonstrated that no, I couldn't. It was Michaela that moved over to me.

"Hop up on the edge. We'll get them adjusted, then you can try."

So I sat on the edge of the pool while she pulled my fins on me, doing something with the straps. She had me try it there, then she told Kaylee to take them away from me and have me try in the pool. It was easier now that I knew what I was doing.

Kaylee had less trouble. Then we donned our mask and snorkels.

"Try breathing just standing here," Michaela said. "It looks dorky, but you have to get used to it."

So we stood there, looking at each other through the masks. We looked like a couple of space aliens, but it was easy breathing.

"All right," she said. "Put your faces in the water and try it that way."

"All right," she finally said. "Go have fun"

Swimming with the fins was a LOT easier. I felt so powerful. I barely had to move my feet, and I was thrusting through the water. That was great!

From around our snorkels, Kaylee and I grinned at each other. I took mine out of my mouth and said, "I'll follow you around, just don't go too fast."

So we swam around the pool for a while, first on the surface, then underwater. I got a mouth full of water the first time I surfaced, and I spent some time coughing, but after that, I remembered to blow out lightly when I came to the surface each time.

I had a blast. Finally Kaylee and I went to the ladder in the corner of the deep end. I treaded water and took my snorkel out. "Let's take a big breath then sit on the bottom. We can use the ladder to stay down."

She nodded, so that's what she did.

She could hold her breath longer than I could, but I counted to forty before I pointed upwards, and we surfaced.

A few minutes later, I felt a tap on my head. I sat upright in the water, and Karen was there. I grabbed Kaylee, and we both turned to Karen. She gestured for us to follow her, and she backed up into the middle of the deep end. "Okay, one by one, I want to see a clean surface dive. Do you both remember what Angel did?"

We nodded.

"Kaylee first then."

We both did our surface dives, clearing our snorkels when we came to the surface. And Karen pronounced us both, "Good."

So far, this was easy!

But after that was when it got serious. We collected by the scuba gear, and Karen demonstrated how to put the gear together and test everything. She had us each do it a few times with the others helping us.

"The standards are just for you to do this once per dive, but that's insufficient," Karen said. "It looks like you've all got it, so I want each of you to come up here and take your gear fully apart and put it back together again. Show me you can inflate and deflate your BCD, and read off the air pressure. Kaylee, you will help Michaela with the heavy lifting."

When it was my turn, I only forgot one thing. I forgot to blow off the water from the plug that fit into place on the tank after I took the regulator off.

"You'll all demonstrate this for each dive. I want you to be able to do it in your sleep before we're done."

I wasn't the only one who forgot something. Connor forgot to connect one of the hoses for inflating the BCD, and Layton put his tank on the BCD backwards. But they were relatively minor things, easily fixed, and Karen declared us, "Good. Wolves, I want you to carry everything to the edge of the pool at the shallow end."

I got to watch Kaylee carry my gear, then her own. But I took both weight belts, so I wasn't completely worthless. She grinned at me.

"Okay it's possible to get the gear on by yourself, and as wolves, I would expect it to be easy, but I don't want to accidentally drop something on the concrete, so we're going to pull our gear on in the water. You should help each other. Inflate your BCDs about half full, put your weight belts on, and then pull your BCDs and tanks into the water with you. Don't let the regulator or gauges bang against anything."

Soon we had five sets of air tanks floating around with their own little life jackets on them. It was kind of cute. Angel and Scarlett demonstrated helping each other put their gear on. As the gear floated, I was assured even a puny human could do this part.

There were chuckles at my expense. I didn't mind. I was having a blast and couldn't stop smiling.

Kaylee turned to me. "Let's do mine first so you don't have to move around helping me with your own gear on your back."

I was impressed at how thoughtful she was. I wondered if she'd been prompted. And so I helped her into her gear, and then I checked everything. Then she helped me.

The gear was heavy and awkward, and standing up in it was hard!

"I bet it's worse on land," Kaylee said. She leaned closer. "Don't worry about it, Zoe. Scarlett's dad is human, and her mom does all the heavy lifting. It's cool. I'm the baby in the family, so it's fun to be able to help someone else instead of always having someone helping me."

God, she was sweet.

After that, we did a bunch of exercises, first in shallow water, sitting on the bottom in a circle. Then Karen had us swim along the bottom of the pool into the deep end, and we did a few more simple exercises.

I had a blast.

"I'm exhausted," I admitted to Elisabeth after the evening pool dive. "This is an intense class!"

"Humans do it over two weekends. We're cramming it into one weekend, and this week we'll do the open water dives. We had this planned before Michaela invited you. Is it too much? We can have Karen teach you solo."

"I'm fine. Just really, really worn out." I paused. "Elisabeth, I'm having a really, really good time."

"Good. It's supposed to be fun, even if it's grueling. Honey, I don't want you driving."

I thought about it. "What do you recommend?"

"Well, I have a big bed, but if you don't want to share it, I also have a guest room. Which has never been slept in, I'll point out. Or there's even an empty room or two in the barracks."

"I didn't bring anything for tomorrow."

She grinned. "Yes you did, unless you repacked the bag. Didn't you notice anything below the swim suit and sweats?"

I laughed. "Sneaky wolf." I leaned against her. "Please put me to bed."

I shared her bed. She gave me another massage, but I was asleep after just a few minutes.

I did wake a few times. There is something deeply comforting about sharing a bed with someone. Humans are social animals, after all. And I would learn, werewolves were more so. Elisabeth liked to cuddle when she slept, so in the nights I'd spent with her, I'd find myself spooned, snuggled against, or draped across her. I liked all of them.

She had her own scent. I'd never paid attention to how someone smelled unless she had a particular scent in her shampoo or wore perfume — or just never showered, which isn't so pleasant. But Elisabeth had a very subtle scent, or subtle to my nose, anyway. I could barely detect her scent, and I suspect it was at least partially my own imagination, but to me she smelled wild and powerful, deep and earthy. When I woke and found myself pressed against her back with my faced buried in the back of her neck, I could readily imagine her as wolf, a wild beast just below the surface.

But I didn't wake often. Sharing her bed was soothing, and I slept hard.

I was falling for her.

I was falling for life in the pack, too. It was intense, and my body hurt, but they were all so close, and discounting that week of fear, everyone treated me amazingly well. The kids were all really nice, even the guys.

And a part of me found Elisabeth seductive in another way. I knew I could simply submit to her, surrender, and she'd take care of me, she'd take care of me in all the ways that implies.

But if I let her do that, what would it do for my own pride? I was proud that I managed to support myself, even if it had been hand to mouth. I was proud that I didn't work for the polluting corporate overlords but still supported myself. And so I'd let Elisabeth support me instead?

But I was already getting a taste of what that could mean.

I could move in. My photography could become little more than a hobby. I could help Michaela with her classes and outings. And I thought I could even be part of this inner circle of friends, of very powerful friends.

I'd never worried about that before.

It was all very seductive.

But it wasn't me to depend on people. I'd never let a girlfriend support me that way before, and I'd had a few rich girlfriends over the years, women who had wanted to own the environmental activist for a while. They'd thought to buy my loyalty, but I hadn't let them.

But I was now wondering whether I was going to let Elisabeth have me so completely?

Maybe I was.

Sunday was a lot like Saturday, although the schedule was slightly different. Elisabeth surprised me again; she had vegan food in her kitchen. It wasn't much, but there was enough for breakfast. We then did another light workout, and I popped some ibuprofen. A short while later, she dropped me off at the school, giving me a deep kiss in the hallway that left me breathless and panting.

She grinned at me and was ready to turn away, but I stopped her. "Elisabeth?"

"Zoe."

"Is all this real?"

"Of course."

"Am I just a fling? You're sort of offering me a life here. But is this just fun for a few weeks?"

She looked into my eyes. "I don't know what it is, Zoe. I'm not ready to make promises. But I'm not calling it a fling, either." She paused before continuing. "You know, whether or not we have a relationship, you're part of this pack. Michaela wants you around whether we're dating or not. And what Michaela wants, Michaela gets."

I smiled. "She's got Lara that wrapped around her finger?"

"She has all of us that wrapped around her finger, but it's in a good way. What she's done for this pack…" She trailed off. "Long story for another time. But my point is, this life you see — you don't need a relationship with me for this life."

"I can't afford-"

"Michaela won't let that get in the way."

I lowered my eyes. "Maybe I don't need you for some of this, like the diving, but do you have any idea how comforting it is to sleep pressed against you?"

When I looked back up, she was grinning.

"Not afraid anymore?"

I shook my head. "Not even of Karen. I'm still a little cautious around Lara, but that's fading. I might even start teasing her."

Elisabeth barked a short laugh. "You should. Zoe, I'm married to my job. I honestly don't know what sort of long-term girlfriend I'd be. You're a human, and as hard as you're trying, you have limitations. I haven't decided how I feel about that. And-" she made a face. "You're a _vegan_."

"Yeah, I've thought about those, too."

"So-" and she gestured back and forth between us. "I don't know if this combination works. I like you. I enjoy our time together, and I'm feeling very possessive of you, which usually means something to a wolf. And I enjoy your body. I enjoy having you pressed against me at night. But it's going to take time to find out if all that can overcome the difficulties."

"Yeah," I agreed.

She kissed me again, more briefly, and then we hugged for a minute before she turned me around and, with a gentle slap on my bottom, she sent me into the classroom.

Monique had saved me a place. "Zoe, you're my partner today." And she patted the seat next to her."

Class began a few minutes later with Karen asking us what we thought of everything so far.

We had class until ten, then pool time. Lunch and more class, then more time in the pool. Then more class, dinner, a little more class, and then pool until ten.

By the time we were done, I couldn't lift a thing. I did the exercises Karen called for, but my body was entirely worn through. Monique had to take care of my gear, as I couldn't lift it, and she even had to help me from the pool. She helped me to the bench and sat me down, and then I sat, staring at the floor a few feet in front of me, my thoughts gone with the strength in my body.

A few minutes later, the entire class as well as our assistant instructors gathered around us.

"Congratulations. As expected, you have all passed the classroom and pool portions of your Open Water class. I'm proud of all of you." She chuckled. "Even the exhausted human."

I looked up and smiled weakly.

"I did it."

"Yes, Zoe, you did. We're going to give all of you a day to recover, then our open water dives are Tuesday and Wednesday. We'll dive twice each day with lunch in between. Zoe, that's a normal, human schedule, having four dives over two days. You'll be tired, but not worn through."

I nodded.

"Assuming you all do as well in the open water as you did here, you'll all be certified divers by Wednesday afternoon."

My heart swelled, and for some reason, I turned a tiny bit emotional. It had all been a whirlwind, but I was deeply pleased.

"Zoe, are you with us? I want to talk about what happens after that."

I nodded. "I'm here."

"For those going to Key West, I'll be putting you through your Advanced Open Water course. There's a self-study book, and five dives."

"We're also negotiating with Karen to teach us some of the specialty courses," Michaela said. "We'll discuss that at dinner on Wednesday. Zoe, you should look through the available courses and see if there are any that intrigue you."

I looked over at her. "I'd do whichever ones you want."

"You should look, anyway. If there are classes you specifically want and others you don't, we'll adjust our schedules so we do the ones you don't want while you're working on your Advanced Open Water class."

"Oh. Sure."

Then Michaela smiled. "Monique, you need to come to dinner on Wednesday as well."

Monique stared at her, then she began to squeal. "I'm going to Key West! I'm going to Key West!" She leaned over and hugged me. "I'll take care of you, Zoe." Then she ran to Michaela and hugged her, too.

"Enforcer!" said Elisabeth firmly, and Monique snapped to attention facing her. "You understand you will be on duty."

"Yes, Head Enforcer."

"You will report to your duty leader."

"Who is that, Head Enforcer?"

"We'll announce that on Wednesday."

"Yes, Head Enforcer."

"All right. Carry on."

She looked at Elisabeth then she squealed again. "I'm going to Key West!"

"I'm in no shape to drive," I admitted as we were dressing following our showers.

"Did you want a ride home?"

"I don't want to be trouble."

"Did you want an invitation to stay?"

I thought about it. "It's been an intense weekend."

She pulled her phone out of her pocket. A moment later she said, "Are you on duty? Okay, are you willing to do a favor for me? I need to drive Zoe home and need someone to pick me up. Thanks. Just take your time and call me when you get close. Thanks, Angel."

"I'm so much trouble."

"It's fine. I don't actually spend much one-on-one time with my cousin, so the drive back will be nice."

 **Planning**

Elisabeth and I continued to see each other. I didn't see her Monday or Tuesday — she didn't attend the open water dives with us. Instead, Angel and Scarlett were the only assistants. I thought it was odd that we had so many for the pool sessions but only two for the open water portion, but Karen told us it was typical to only have one assistant with a class this size, and that we'd had so many in the pool primarily because the alphas and Elisabeth had wanted to swim with us.

I partnered with Kaylee on Tuesday and Monique on Wednesday. Both of the girls doted on me. I was the weak human, after all.

I could have carried my gear. Honest, I could have.

We all passed the class — and had a great time doing it. We finished the dive, then Karen led us on a leisurely trip through a small section of the lake, just giving us more time swimming underwater. Then she gestured, and we all surfaced, letting our BCDs support us as we bobbed in the water.

"We're heading back to the beach next. How is everyone for air?" We were all good. "All right. Zoe, we're going to do something a little different. We're going to assist you."

I eyed the distance to the beach. "I can swim that fine, Karen. Or am I holding everyone back?"

"I know you can, and no, you're not. This is training for Monique and Angel. We're going to descend back to the bottom, then they're going to each take an arm and help you. You can relax and enjoy the trip." She paused. "This is a required exercise if you're going diving with our alpha. If there is ever trouble, Michaela wouldn't be willing to leave you behind, so everyone needs to know what to do."

I felt bad they needed to plan around me, but they invited me, and it wasn't my fault I wasn't like them. Yet again, I had to remind myself. I nodded understanding.

"We're going to simulate a real emergency. We're going to swim in a direction I set, then I am going to give an emergency signal. Monique is going to grab your arm, and you should let her. She's going to start helping you to swim faster. Angel may not be at your side when this starts, but she's going to swim over and grab your other arm. I want you to relax. Don't try to help; you'll burn through your air if you do. Just accept the ride for what it is."

I nodded.

"All right," Karen said. "Regulators in, clear the water, and then let's descend."

The regulator was the piece that went in your mouth. I'd been holding mine as we talked, so I stuck mine in my mouth, purged the water from it so I wouldn't get a big breath of lake water, then began letting the air out of my BCD. Together, we all sank to the bottom.

Karen made sure everyone was ready then set a course. I had no idea whether it was towards the beach or not. Monique and I swam together, a foot or so above the weedy lake bottom. She found a fish hanging out in the weeds and pointed to it, so we stopped and looked at it for a moment.

Then suddenly she grabbed my hand and pulled so my arm was outstretched. She began swimming, one hand holding my wrist and her other in my armpit, helping me along. I looked ahead and saw we were following Karen.

A few strokes later, someone else grabbed my other arm, and I looked over to see Angel swimming on her side facing me. I let her have my arm, and she tucked in immediately next to me. Soon I found myself pulled along, both arms straight out from my sides, a werewolf pulling me along. As Karen had suggested, I relaxed and enjoyed the ride.

It was actually pretty fun, and I couldn't believe how fast we were moving. Even without the gear, I couldn't remotely swim this fast.

The water grew shallower and we surfaced. Angel moved underneath me, still pulling me along, but she released my hand for a moment. She was right underneath me, and she reached up and pulled my regulator from my mouth, making sure I realized she was doing it. Then she slipped my snorkel into place. I blew hard to clear the water, and then I was breathing through that. She moved back to my side, switched to her own snorkel, and we finished the trip to the beach that way.

They didn't stop handling me once we reached shallow water. We came to a stop, and Karen was there.

"Zoe, let them do what they want," said Karen, standing up in front of me.

They rolled me over so I was sitting on the lake bottom. Monique moved down and yanked my fins off. She held them out, and someone took them. In the meantime, Angel took my mask from me, handing that off as well. In the process they both had ditched their own mask and fins, and then they stood up, still wearing their gear, then bent down and pulled me into a standing position.

Then they half dragged and half carried me up the beach until we reached the picnic tables. I ran along with them, but it seemed like my feet barely touched the sand.

It might have hurt, but Angel had one hand on me and one on the bottom of the tank, keeping everything from bouncing too badly. Finally we came to a stop.

"Good," said Karen, walking up behind us. "In a real emergency, you might have to ditch the gear. Let's go back and see how quickly you can get all three of you out of your tanks." She looked around. "Scarlett, Connor, as they ditch gear, manage them so the equipment doesn't get abused. Leave your gear here."

And so I found myself escorted back down to the water. "We'll do this in about four feet of water. I think that will be easier than shallower." Karen handed my mask back to me, and then Monique was helping me into my fins.

I felt like a rag doll, pulled this way and that. They basically dragged me out to six feet of water, then we turned around. I let them tow me closer, then the two of them were pulling off their own equipment and mine. The other wolves gathered up the equipment as they yanked it all off. Then we were running up the beach again, a wolf holding each arm.

I felt embarrassed by all of it, but Karen said, "Good. And Zoe, we did the same exercises with Michaela."

"She bitched," said Angel, laughing. "Elisabeth told her to shut up, and she shut up."

I thanked Monique and Angel for taking care of me. They were both grinning. Monique was practically bouncing with glee. When she stepped away to help with the gear, Angel moved closer.

"I remember when they started letting me take on enforcer duties. It was a really big deal."

I looked after her. "Now it's Monique's turn."

"Yeah. I don't know if Elisabeth talked to you about this or not. She and Lara are both really good about not telling their mates things they should."

"We're not mates."

"Perhaps not, but you know what I mean," and I nodded. "A lot of this is training for Monique. You need to know if an enforcer lays hands on you, just let us do what we want and don't fight us. Just cooperate. Can you do that?" I nodded. "But she needs to be used to this. We need to know she'll do the right thing. So on this trip, there's going to be more of this, and we probably won't be warning either of you. If suddenly she starts handling you like that, you let her. We're giving her training."

"All right. How will I know if it's a real emergency?"

"It doesn't matter. You're going to just do whatever we tell you. Aren't you?"

I looked at her for a moment. "Yes, Enforcer."

She smiled. "Good. Your job is to remain as calm as you can, especially underwater. If suddenly we're acting like there's an emergency, don't suck down all your air."

"Got it. Are you going to be my other enforcer?"

"I don't know. We're not anticipating any trouble at all, so they may decide to give me training alongside Monique." She paused. "If I were going to guess, I think you'll get one of the others, maybe one of the guys, maybe Portia."

"Portia is on Michaela."

"Enforcers sometimes have to escort you to the bathroom. I don't think you want Rory or Eric watching you."

"Um. No."

She smiled. "So you might get Portia."

I nodded.

A minute later, Karen gathered us together at the picnic table. "Congratulations. Of course, you all passed with flying colors. Very well done. Monique and Angel, we'll debrief a little later. I want to discuss how we can make that go faster. Zoe, stop trying to help. Just let them handle you. I know it's unfamiliar to you, but they know what needs to happen, and you probably don't." I nodded.

Karen talked to us a few more minutes. Then we packed up the SUVs and drove back to the compound.

"Congratulations," Elisabeth said, pulling me into her arms.

"Thanks," I said. "Do I have input on who will be invading my privacy on this trip?"

She laughed. "We're wolves. There is no privacy."

"Head Enforcer, I would like to know who you intend to have manhandling me."

"Other than me?"

"Yes, other than you."

"Tell me your concerns and I'll take them into consideration."

"If it's just a guard when we're in public, then I don't care. But if they're going to follow me to the bathroom, or if they're going to be grabbing me during training sessions, I'd rather they were women."

"If it's a real emergency-"

"Then it's an emergency, and if Eric needs to grab my ass to push me over a wall, he can grab my ass."

Her eyes narrowed. "Did someone grab your ass today?"

I laughed. "No. I'm just saying, there's a difference in limits. In a real, honest emergency, well, you do what has to be done. But there was an awful lot of pulling and tugging on Zoe today, and I understand there's going to be more."

She nodded. "We've already thought about that."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"Yep." She grinned. "Later. I need to confirm."

"Did you hear what I had to say?"

"Yes, Zoe. I heard."

"Thank you."

She cocked her head. "That's it?"

"Head Enforcer, I know you will take my needs into consideration. You have multiple priorities to balance, and I know you'll do the best possible."

She smiled. "Thank you, Zoe. That's an amazing attitude."

I bowed slightly. I didn't think it was an amazing attitude. I thought it was pragmatic. But if she wanted to see it in the best light possible, I was fine with that. But I wasn't done with my concerns. "All that being said, I wonder why it is I found out from Karen that I would need a security detail in Key West."

"Um-"

"And I also wonder why it was I was bobbing in the middle of a lake before I found out I'd be involved in 'save the feeble human during an emergency' training."

"Um-"

"I am unaccustomed to being a liability, and if I knew I represented one, I'm not sure I would have accepted Michaela's invitation."

"Zoe…"

I put a hand on my hip and looked up into her eyes. "Well?"

We were having our conversation right outside the alphas' house. Everyone else invited for dinner had filed in when we arrived, but Elisabeth had intercepted me outside, and so we were alone, or had been.

Behind me, I heard the house front door open. "Are you two coming in?" Michaela asked. "Oh, oh. I know that posture." I looked over my shoulder and watched as she descended the steps and walked up to us. "A certain Head Enforcer isn't any better than her little sister when it comes to sharing important pieces of information?"

"I can't comment on that," I replied, "as I don't know how your mate is about telling you the things she should." I turned back to Elisabeth. "But my girlfriend was just going to explain a few things to me."

"Um-" Elisabeth said. She looked between Michaela and me, then set her eyes on Michaela. "Help."

Michaela barked a short laugh.

"You're not helping, Michaela," Elisabeth whined.

Michaela turned to me. "Are the answers to your concerns going to have an effect on my Key West guest list?"

I thought about it. "Maybe."

She frowned. "Then let me guess. You're perturbed over how you found out you'd have a security detail, and perhaps about the training involved."

"A little, but those won't affect my decisions, just whether I'll be asking you where I'll be sleeping."

Michaela barked another quick laugh.

"However, I am a little concerned I am a liability, and if I am complicating things, I don't know if I want to go."

"Oh," said Michaela. "No, you are not complicating things. You are providing some opportunities. I've been nudging the Head Enforcer to offer more training opportunities for some of the members of the enforcer program at the high school. With you going to Key West, it gives us an excuse to bring Monique." She paused. "I won't quite make this an order, but Monique would be exceedingly upset if we tell her she's not going after all."

I lowered my eyes. "Oh. No, we won't have to tell her that. But what bed will I be sleeping in?"

"I had assumed Elisabeth's bed."

I cocked my head. "Was that your assumption last week when you invited me?"

She grinned.

My hand moved back to my hip.

"Oh, please," Michaela said. "The two of you just needed a little kick start. But if it hadn't worked, there's still a place for you. If you really don't want to share Elisabeth's bed, I hope you'll say so soon. Like in the next ten minutes."

I turned back to Elisabeth. "Well?"

"Um. I. Um."

"Yes?" I asked.

"I'm sorry. I should have talked to you."

"Is this a case where you thought it was easier to ask forgiveness than permission?"

"Um."

"I'll consider that another way to say 'yes'."

"Um."

I turned back to Michaela. "Seriously? She has a Harvard education, and that's the best she can do? She's a werewolf, for crying out loud, and she's afraid of me?"

"She knows she screwed up," Michaela said. "Furthermore, she knows she's going to do it again. And the only example she has of a Burns sister screwing up like this is her own sister with me, and she knows how I respond when it happens."

"How is that?"

"Badly. There is usually cayenne pepper involved."

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"On my back trail to handle any enforcers who won't listen when I say I want a walk alone."

"Oh. So she's not afraid of me, she's afraid of pepper."

"Yes, exactly," Michaela said with a smirk.

"Well," I said, "I am not planning any pepper. But I would like to know why she didn't just talk to me. It would be her responsibility, right? Is there some reason she left it to Karen?"

"It is my opinion," said Michaela, "that it would indeed normally have been her responsibility. And I find it unlikely she delegated her responsibilities to Karen. I believe she abdicated them. It is quite unlike my sister-in-law to abdicate any responsibilities at all, but it is quite like a Burns sister to fail to tell her mate something important."

"I'm not her mate."

"Semantics," Michaela said. "Zoe you can press her for an answer, but I bet she lies to you if you do."

"What?" I screeched. I looked at Elisabeth, "She better not get in the habit of lying to me or this relationship is _over_!" I fumed for about a second and a half, glaring at Elisabeth, then turned back to Michaela. "I am looking forward to the trip, but I believe I need a room alone."

Michaela frowned. "Do you think you could hold your temper for an explanation?"

"I don't know. My temper is suddenly awfully short."

"Zoe…" said Elisabeth.

I turned back to her. I couldn't thrust my hip out any further without it turning comical, and an arched eyebrow wasn't enough escalation, and so I was left frustrated with no obvious way to express my emotions. "What?" I said curtly.

Elisabeth spent several seconds imitating a fish, no sounds coming out as she opened and closed her mouth.

Michaela put her hand on my arm. "Zoe, the reason she doesn't want to tell you is because she's afraid she'll make you feel bad. And that's also why she didn't talk to you in the first place. And the thing is, she's probably right. You shouldn't feel bad, but you probably will." She paused. "She was trying to protect you by not talking to you about it. Of course, she failed, but it was an attempt."

"Protect me from what?"

"If she talked to you about it, she would have had to remind you that you are a human, which you would hear as quote only a human," Michaela explained. "You are already over-compensating and feeling self-conscious about it, which while understandable, is entirely unnecessary. She didn't want to add to it, so she did what the Burns sisters are famous for: she avoided dealing with it. And you could try to make her promise not to do it in the future, but I can pretty much promise you, she will."

"Well-" I looked at Michaela then turned to Elisabeth. "That's just _stupid_." I wanted to punch her in the arm to punctuate my statement, but I remembered what she had said about using my words. So I stuck my tongue out.

Okay, it didn't have the, well, punch my fist would have, but it made a statement nevertheless.

"True," agreed Michaela. "But Zoe, being self-conscious about your species is stupid, too. We wouldn't invite you if it were a problem."

"I keep telling myself that," I said. "So far, it hasn't sunk in." I stuck my tongue out at Elisabeth once more, then turned and hooked arms with Michaela. "Shall we go inside?" I asked sweetly.

"I need to know the rooming arrangements," Michaela said.

"Do you think I'll get a really good apology sometime before the evening is over?"

"I don't know. It depends upon whether you let her take you to bed," Michaela replied with a snicker. "If so, then yes, I imagine you will."

"Then if I'm invited, I'll share Elisabeth's bed in Key West," I said. "If it's a really, really good apology."

Ah, I do love a good euphemism.

Dinner was lovely. I intentionally sat between Monique and Nora instead of next to Elisabeth, and then I ignored her besides. Monique seemed pleased to talk to me.

I had already decided I really liked her, and I imagined she would be an excellent enforcer. And her excitement was tangible. I remembered what Angel had said about being treated like an adult. I couldn't quite judge Monique's age, but I wasn't sure she was old enough to drive. But she still towered over me, and she'd proven herself to be very strong. I imagined she was capable besides.

We didn't talk about the trip until dessert. I helped to clear the table and bring treats out from the kitchen, and when I had a chance, I whispered to Elisabeth, "Will you hold my hand later?"

She looked over at me and nodded.

A few minutes later, with everyone having finished her dessert, Lara stood up. "Well, we have a great deal to discuss." She looked at Elisabeth. "My sister has an announcement."

All the eyes turned to Elisabeth, then a few glanced at me. Elisabeth ignored them, but she stood and began talking.

"My mother was a great deal older than her sister," Elisabeth said. "And she had children when she was young, besides. Francesca, on the other hand, had her daughters when she was older. The end result of all this leaves more than a twenty year age difference between me and my youngest cousin, Angel."

Angel smiled up at her.

"For Angel, that has meant she's answered to both Lara and me since long before either of us held real authority in the pack. But it also means she's had Lara and me watching over her. And Lara and I have been old enough to find our cousin absolutely magnificent."

Angel beamed at that, and there were sounds of agreement around the table.

"Several years ago, Angel began dating Scarlett, and as you all know, they are now married. When they first started dating, I didn't know Scarlett well. Michaela wasn't teaching yet and hadn't even moved to the compound but instead was living in Bayfield with my cousin as her work assistant, living with her half time. I didn't know what to make of the situation. I had high hopes for my cousin, and I didn't know if Scarlett would be a good influence or not."

You could have heard a pin drop.

"As it turns out," Elisabeth went on, "Scarlett has been more than a good influence. She was exactly what Angel needed, and I think perhaps Angel was what Scarlett needed, too. But while this is sounding like a speech I should have given at their wedding, instead, I really am going somewhere."

There were chuckles at that.

"When Angel told me she wanted to become an enforcer, I couldn't have been more pleased. I knew she would make an amazing enforcer, and everything that has happened since then has only confirmed what I already knew."

"Hear, hear!" said Rory, echoed by a few others.

"Being mated to an enforcer can be difficult. Scarlett not only has taken it all in stride, she has stepped up to the plate herself. Informally, she has helped when we have needed her in more ways than I can count. She has a good head on her shoulders, and time and time again she has demonstrated maturity and judgment well beyond her years. For almost as long as Angel has been serving as an enforcer, I have felt free to, informally, call on Scarlett when needed. But Scarlett's main passion is architecture, and we all know that's exactly what she should be doing."

The room was again quiet. I wondered what was up. But Angel was beaming broadly, and Scarlett was smiling as well, so I knew nothing bad was happening.

"Everything has been informal, but as of this minute, that is changing," Elisabeth said. "With the Alpha's blessing, I have invited Scarlett to be a permanent, although very part-time enforcer. She, with her mate's blessing, has accepted. Scarlett's main duties will remain architectural, but when we need her, she will serve the pack in this way. And so, from this moment forth, Scarlett carries the title, along with all the rights, responsibilities, and authority, of an enforcer of the Madison weres. I personally could not be more pleased, and I am so proud of both of you."

And then, all the other wolves in the room lifted their noses to the ceiling and began to howl.

It was beautiful, if loud.

I looked over, and Michaela was leaning against Lara, and Lara had her arms wrapped around her mate's head. I thought that was odd.

But then I cocked my head. Natural wolves have a sense of smell that is far, far better than a human's. I wondered if werewolf smell was equally as powerful.

Foxes, on the other hand, have intense hearing.

I decided I had just learned something. I wondered if it was a secret. I decided to treat it like one.

After all, if they could trust me not to tell the world they were werewolves, they could trust me not to tell everyone Michaela's hearing was hypersensitive.

Elisabeth didn't howl. Instead, she moved to the other side of the table and pulled Scarlett into a deep hug. Then she added Angel to the mix.

Lara unwrapped one arm from Michaela and held a hand up. Slowly, the wolves stilled. Then she released her mate, and the two of them took their turns hugging Scarlett and Angel.

"I will echo Elisabeth's words. I am so proud of you, Scarlett. I have been for a very long time."

Finally, everyone except Elisabeth sat back down. We all turned to look at her.

"Scarlett, Angel, before we make assignments for our upcoming trip, I need to ask. If the two of you are on the same detail, can I count on you to pay attention to your jobs and not each other?"

"Of course, Head Enforcer," Angel said. "Just like we already do." She sounded a little hurt.

"I know you do, Angel," Elisabeth said. "I was making a point. That is all." She paused. "This announcement wasn't a complete surprise to everyone in the room. As the head of the three main security teams, Serena, Karen and Emanuel have been consulted. We are going on this trip enforcer rich. We will have the entire alpha family, after all, and so we are descending on Key West in force. We could consider a smaller force, but the two youngest on the trip are not yet scuba divers, and so our attention will be divided on what is already a complicated trip."

She paused. "Eric, you are remaining here. You will be in charge of the compound while we're gone. You may use the members of the enforcer program for assistance."

"Ah, the power," he said, rubbing his hands together.

"Gia will also be here, so make sure you coordinate with her," Elisabeth added. "But use the kids for patrols and let her work her electronic magic." Eric nodded. "You know what you're doing. I'll shut up."

And that caused some laughter.

"Next. We have a human along. Portia, you will be Zoe's head of security for this trip. You will have Monique to help."

Portia nodded. I thought it likely she already knew her assignment.

I was deeply grateful. I liked Portia. I liked her a great deal. Without her involvement, I may not have survived my introduction to the pack, and I would be eternally grateful for that. But she had also offered true friendship, and done so in a very meaningful way, and I would be pleased to have her company.

I caught Elisabeth's eye, nodded, then mouthed the word, "forgiven". She returned the smile and nodded as well.

"Angel and Scarlett, you're on the fox, although Emanuel may borrow you for the pups part of the time."

They both nodded.

"Enforcers, we'll discuss details privately. Unless there are questions, that's all I have."

I had questions, but I would ask them privately myself. Mostly I was just curious.

She sat down. Then Michaela stood up. "As usual, I am running the important portions of this trip." There were snickers. I wasn't quite sure why. "We need to discuss the diving so we can make arrangements. Karen, Lara and I, along with the head enforcer and the heads of the security details, have talked about the diving. We have agreed that, with as many enforcers we have, while diving, we have the luxury of allowing the enforcers to enjoy the dives, assuming the kids are guarded properly and we have two active enforcers on the boat."

She looked around. "We don't have a schedule. But what we have is a lot of opportunity to pursue specialties. In a way, we have two groups: the advanced divers, and our two new beginners." She looked at me. "I presume you and Monique will work on your Advanced Open Water the first few days. I would like to know what specialties you would like after that."

I paused, then I looked at Portia and Monique. "May I ask a question?"

"Of course," Michaela said.

"And I told you never to ask that question," Lara said. "Just ask."

"Will my enforcers be able to work on specialties with me, or are they like secret service agents, scanning for trouble?"

Elisabeth answered my question. "They can work on the specialty classes, if they want."

"There are a couple of specialties I would enjoy, but I think I'd be happy with whatever you're doing, Michaela, or whatever Portia and Monique want to do."

"Which ones interested you?"

I lowered my eyes and didn't answer.

"Oh," Michaela said. "Let me guess. Underwater Photography and… Hmm. Videography."

I nodded. "But a housing for either of my cameras is so expensive, and I'd be terrified of ruining the camera, anyway. I have a video camera as well, but a housing for it is just as expensive."

"Zoe," said Michaela gently.

I looked up. "No, you aren't buying more prints so I can afford a housing."

She smiled. "That's not what I was going to offer. I did photography last year. My mate gave me a very nice early Christmas present. You may borrow my equipment."

"I couldn't."

She arched an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"Um. Alpha," I added with as much contrition as I could put into my voice.

"You are under no obligation, but really, you should borrow the equipment. I'm bringing it, but I'm going to have my hands full with my newest toy. I'm working on the videographer specialty this trip."

I smiled. "Thank you, Michaela. But what will Zoe and Monique do?"

"Mine isn't the only underwater camera we have," Michaela said. "Or they could use the same time to work on something else."

I nodded.

"And we can switch if you want to do video," Michaela added.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Absolutely. Anything else?"

"Isn't that enough?" I asked with a smile.

"Who else has any preferences?" Michaela asked. From around the room, people threw out night dives, wreck diving, and fish identification."

"Good," said Michaela. "Karen, what do you think?"

"I would like the advanced divers to work on Search and Rescue while the beginning divers are doing their Advanced Open Water. After that, we have four more days of diving." She looked around. "If you have any other requests, get them to me before you sleep tonight. I'll come up with a schedule and obtain all the course materials tomorrow."

We all grinned at each other.

I spent the night. She made me scream.

Two days later, we were winging our way to Key West.

 **Part Two**

 **Key West**

I moved into Elisabeth's arms and laid my head against her shoulder. She gently held me.

"How are you doing?" she asked. "It's been a long day of travel."

"I'm fine," I said.

"I want to talk to you a little bit." She pulled away and drew me to the bed.

"Oh, I like where we're going already," I said with a grin.

"Yes, we're going to sit. We don't have time for more." She pulled me to the bed, and we sat down on the edge, side-by-side, partly facing each other.

"Trips like this are stressful for me. We're in unfamiliar settings here, and danger could be anywhere."

"That seems dramatic and paranoid."

"To a human, yes, I can understand how you would see that. The paranormal races have cause to be paranoid. We really are after each other."

I laughed, but then realized she was serious. "Sorry."

"I just want to warn you that I won't be able to give you the attention we both would prefer. This is vacation for the alpha family, but the enforcers are going to be busy."

I thought about it and nodded. "I think Karen intends to keep me insanely busy. I tell you, I am starting to appreciate wolf muscles when they're used to carry my things. All that stuff she gave me to study!"

Elisabeth chuckled.

"There are things I want from you."

"Oh good," I said. "These?" I waved my breasts at her. She smiled.

"Those are nice. Please, Zoe, we only have another minute or two."

"I'm sorry."

"First, I want you to enjoy yourself. Michaela knows how I get on these trips, so she's probably going to engineer ways to keep you entertained. Let her. Don't worry about what I'm doing. Enjoy the trip."

I nodded.

"I do not want a hard time if you don't get enough attention."

"I won't, on one condition."

"Excuse me?"

"When we do have time together, you must tell me how I can help you. If you want a massage, you tell me. Don't make me guess. I'm not good at guessing."

She leaned over and kissed me quickly. "Deal. And when we're done diving for the day and come back here, I want you to dress up a little."

"Oh, I hear the feminist in you."

"I like looking at you."

It was hard arguing with that. "Of course."

"When we go shopping, I'll be buying a few things for you. The appropriate reaction is, 'Thank you, Elisabeth. I love it.' All right?"

I thought about it and nodded.

"All right. Thank you, Zoe. The plan is cocktails, a little conversation, and then we're heading to dinner somewhere. Maybe you want to freshen up."

"Do I need a shower?"

"Oh. No. I'm not that subtle about that." I had traveled in comfortable clothes. She fingered my shirt. "But have you already forgotten my request that you dress up?"

I laughed. "Got it."

I got another quick kiss, then we hugged once more before I headed into the bathroom.

I decided to shower anyway. I pulled my hair up first and took a quick, cool shower so I wouldn't heat up. I stood around in my undies while I worked on my appearance. I didn't want to take a lot of time, as I didn't want anyone to have to wait for me. But I had time to spruce up a little.

I hadn't brought that many clothes, and most of what I brought was casual daywear: shorts, golf shirts, and the like. But I brought two casual summer dresses, a pair of light grey slacks, one skirt, and a couple of simple, white blouses, plus two pairs of sling back sandals. I had tried to bring fewer choices and double up more, but then something possessed me, and I brought a few extra choices.

I usually packed even lighter than this.

I went with one of the dresses. It was a simple, V-neck, belted, baby blue dress, light and comfortable and, I thought, perfect for the Key West weather. I grabbed the cream sandals and was all set.

I wasn't much of a clothes horse. Okay, I wasn't a clothes horse at all. I rarely put much thought into what I was wearing, and what little shopping I did was always based first and foremost on finding bargains. My look tonight was simple and casual, but I thought Elisabeth would be pleased.

If not, she could just get stuffed.

I stepped out of our bedroom.

We were all staying in two, four-bedroom bungalows. The two buildings shared a private courtyard with a pool. It was all lovely.

Elisabeth and I had one of the rooms in the same house as Lara and Michaela. The girls had a room, and Nora and Monique shared a room. The second house held the rest of the enforcers.

From the sounds of it, everyone was already in the living room, a suspicion confirmed as fact when I presented myself in the doorway. I stopped and watched the dynamics.

As was typical, Michaela was at the center of the activity. The girls, along with Nora, were watching television in the corner. Rory was standing near the window, looking out, and Emanuel held an alert position near the doorway leading to the kitchen. Everyone else was clustered around the two sofas, with some squished into the available seating and a few either standing in back or sitting on the floor.

Michaela was in what I called "teacher mode". She was relating a story from Key West's history. I listened for a minute and realized she was talking about Hemingway's arrival in Key West.

It was Michaela who first noticed me standing there.

"There she is," she said, interrupting her story. "We're having cosmos." She held up her drink. It was a bright, frothy red.

"I'd love a cosmo," I replied. "I've never made one."

"Then it's a good thing Rory is expert at them," Michaela said.

And I watched as Angel climbed from her place at Michaela's feet and moved to stand next to Rory. It wasn't until he'd been replaced that Rory turned and said, "Did you guys finish those already?" Then he saw me standing there. "Ah ha!"

He moved to the side of the room, and I realized they had set up a bar. The wolves normally drank beer as their preferred form of alcohol, and so I was a little surprised to see a bar set up with more than cans of brew.

"We saved a spot for you," Michaela said. "Right next to Elisabeth." She pointed.

It wasn't much of a spot. Three wolves readily consume the available space on a sofa. But Elisabeth and Portia moved apart slightly, so I moved further into the room then carefully stepped around those seated on the floor, taking the offered space. It was tight, and I found myself dwarfed by a wolf on either side of me.

It was cozy, but Elisabeth took my hand, and I relaxed in place.

"You look nice," she whispered into my ear. I squeezed her hand.

"Well," Michaela said. "We were just talking about some of the more colorful history of Key West." She then continued her story.

A moment later, Rory leaned over from behind me and presented me with my own cosmo. I accepted the martini glass with a nod of thanks then watched as he collected empty glasses. Over the next several minutes, several people received fresh drinks.

I sipped at mine and realized I wouldn't be drinking more than one. Rory's cosmos packed quite a punch!

Then I noticed Rory hand one to Monique. I leaned over to Elisabeth. "Isn't she a little young?"

"I'm sure it's a virgin," Elisabeth said.

Michaela finished her story and then looked at me. "So, Zoe."

"Yes, Michaela?"

"I've heard bits and pieces of a certain arrest, but never the entire details."

"Oh?" I asked. "Which one. There have been so, so many."

I earned chuckles.

"I think perhaps the most prominent one."

"Ah, so you want to know about the sit in at the capital building? We had the press there in droves, and I don't know how many cops were summoned — in full riot gear — to break up a protest staged by such lethal, vegan, tree-huggers. It was quite dramatic." I paused. "I got tased."

"What?"

"Well, the governor's wife was vexed with me. Maybe she shouldn't have worn fur to a rally of environmental activists, or, as she called it, expletive tree-huggers. Speaking of which, GreEN is endorsing the Green Party candidate for Governor."

Lara chuckled. "Was that a hint?"

"No. It was a blatant request for support."

"Well, as intriguing a story as that sounds," Michaela said, "especially if you were a victim of police brutality, that's not the arrest I had in mind. I wanted to know about your events at a nuclear power plant."

"Oh, that," I said. I knew it's what she had really meant. Protests at state capitals happen every day, but if you tell people you broke into a secure nuclear power plant facility, that gets their attention. "That wasn't remotely as prominent. The corporate overlords and their oligarchic political slaves didn't want to bring attention to what we had done." Yes I had really called the district attorney a slave. To his face.

"Well, perhaps you can tell us anyway," Michaela said.

"All right." I paused. "This was about ten years ago. There's a nuclear power plant they built in the 70s in a dicey location on the Illinois River. The plant was running out of space for storing their waste, which is a problem the environmental movement has warned about since the dawn of nuclear energy. We had been trying, quite unsuccessfully, to bring attention to the issue."

"Was this GreEN?" Lara asked.

"This was before I was associated with GreEN. We decided to do something dramatic. We waited until there was going to be a press briefing. And then we dropped in. Literally."

"Literally?"

"I was part of a group that included a few X-games kinds of guys."

"Oh no," said Karen. "You went in via parachute."

"We sure did!" I said with a grin. "Four people, two parachutes. And we dragged a couple of banners along behind us. The press got real good photos. One banner said, 'We're Just Treehuggers' and the other said, 'But what if we were terrorists?' We dropped down right next to the existing storage facility."

"Oh, I bet that drew some attention," said Portia.

"Oh yes. It took them about fifteen seconds to surround and arrest us. They tried to label us terrorists and hit us with the Patriot Act, but we hadn't damaged anything, we surrendered peacefully, and the district attorney was adverse to looking like a fool. We got a rap on the wrist, a lecture from the judge, and a quiet conversation with the facilities manager for the plant."

"Oh?" asked Lara.

"He related activist break-ins with the boy who cried wolf and asked us whether we wanted security to view all such break-ins as peaceful. He also pointed out that if he were a terrorist, he might stage a break-in to look like environmental activists in order to lull the security forces. I don't know about my compatriots, but I realized he had a point. I haven't broken into any more nuclear power plants since then." I shrugged. "Maybe I just got tired of being arrested."

There were a few chuckles.

"So, sort of a boring story," I said. "The governor's wife was far more exciting, what with being tased and all that."

"What happened at the plant?" Michaela asked. "Did you stop their request?"

"Oh hell no," I replied. "They're just piling up more and more waste. It's not going to stop until big business stops buying politicians." I didn't say more. I'd made my point. Instead, I sipped my drink and leaned against Elisabeth.

Leaving for dinner was a production. It was a four-block walk to the restaurant. While they couldn't all run there in fur, I didn't think such a short walk would require such military precision.

It started with Karen giving a nod to Elisabeth. Elisabeth got to her feet, squeezed my hand, and then whispered to me, "Stay here."

A few minutes later, Rory, Angel and Karen slipped from the house. Elisabeth nodded to Lara, who stood up then pulled Michaela and me to our feet. A moment later, I found myself flanked by Portia on one side, Monique on the other. Portia turned me to face her.

"Have you had a bodyguard or security detail before?"

"No."

"You don't have to do anything special, but I'm going to ask you to avoid sudden movements. If I try to steer you, go where I nudge."

I nodded.

"And don't try to distract us."

"All right."

"If there's an emergency, don't fight us."

"Like it would do me any good."

"It wouldn't, but it might slow us down. If we're facing real violence, stick to Monique and do whatever she tells you."

I leaned closer. "She's a child."

"She knows her job. You do not."

I nodded.

"All right. Are you going to be offended if I touch you?"

"Of course not."

And so, I found a hand on my shoulder. She turned me towards the door. I saw everyone else waiting for us; they hadn't needed a last-second briefing.

Nora held hands with Rebecca and Celeste. Lara and Michaela stood behind them, a hand from each on a young shoulder. Serena hovered immediately off Michaela's flank, a position she maintained. She had a hand on Michaela's shoulder the same as Portia's was on mine.

The other enforcers were arrayed around us. Elisabeth stepped outside for a moment, then leaned in. She frowned and shook her head.

"Kids in the middle," she said. "Michaela, are you armed?"

"Of course I am," the fox replied.

"All right. I want Zoe up here, in front of the kids." Elisabeth rearranged us, and then she said, "All right, step outside. We're following Rory and Angel."

Portia applied just a tiny bit of pressure, and I began moving. Elisabeth held the door, but she barely glanced at me as I stepped past her.

It was still hot out, and I had gotten used to the temperature in the house. I immediately turned to Portia. "I didn't bring a hat, and I'm going to need one tomorrow. I'm sorry."

"I have one you can borrow tomorrow, Zoe," Monique said from my other side.

"Thank you, Monique."

"I'll arrange something after that," Portia said.

Rory, Angel, and Karen were facing outward, watching the street. Once everyone was outside, Elisabeth said, "All right. Let's go."

Rory and Angel, looking quite casual, stepped forward, and then Portia nudged me into motion. I watched the two enforcers in front of me, and they looked like a couple of friends on a stroll. But I realized they were watching everywhere.

Portia kept me a few steps behind them, and the three of us walked side-by-side down the sidewalk. When I glanced behind me, I saw Nora and the two kids with Emanuel and Scarlett flanking them. Lara and Michaela were after that with Serena following closely. Karen trailed at a distance, and Elisabeth spent the entire four blocks moving up and down our main group, sometimes moving well ahead to scout the path. She even held up a hand once, and our group came to a stop.

"Stay here," Portia said. "Take her, Monique." Monique grabbed my arm, and then Portia released me and moved quickly to Elisabeth, but somehow made it look casual.

When I glanced over, I saw Monique looking around. I thought she'd look at me, but I realized she was watching for danger. She didn't watch me, she watched for threats to our group.

"What's going on?"

"Elisabeth sees something she doesn't like," Monique said. "I'm sorry, I don't know what. Be ready to move."

"Of course."

A moment later, Rory separated from Angel. Angel moved backwards until she was just barely in front of me, close enough to touch. We all watched as Rory and Portia disappeared around the corner in front of us.

They were gone for about two minutes. Elisabeth spent the entire time looking in almost every direction, and when I looked around, the wolves were all tense. Michaela had stepped up to the kids and was talking quietly to them. Serena had a hand on Michaela's shoulder but was facing outward, scanning the streets.

It felt like we were moving through a war zone, the way they were acting, not one of America's most iconic cities.

"Okay, we're moving," Angel said. "Let's go." She stepped forward, and Monique tugged me along. We got to the corner, and Elisabeth gestured for us to take the left. As soon as we did, I saw what had bothered Elisabeth.

A car was parked in a driveway, blocking the sidewalk. There wasn't a sidewalk on the other side of the street. Rory and Portia were standing near the car, looking exceedingly alert. Elisabeth moved forward with us, walking along the edge of the street.

"I don't trust the car," Elisabeth said. "Angel, lead us across the street. Monique, tighten your hold. Angel, go."

Angel turned left, looked both ways, and then quickly began crossing the street. Monique, with no ceremony, tightened her grip on my arm and nudged me to follow Angel, then hurried me until we were practically running to the far side. There wasn't a sidewalk, so we stepped onto the grass. Angel glanced to see where we were then continued along our scheduled path.

We skirted the car widely then repeated the maneuver to cross back to use the sidewalk again. A minute later, the wolves relaxed, and Portia was at my side again.

"I've got her, Monique," she said, and I found Portia's hand on my shoulder and Monique released my arm.

"That was dramatic," I said.

"99 percent of the time, something like that means nothing. But the car could have held a bomb. Or it could have been a minor distraction and impediment to movement while the real threat came from another direction. It could have been an attempt to convince us to take another route."

"But it was nothing."

"Not necessarily. It was probably nothing. Or it could be the same car will be there on our way back, and they hope we'll be more complacent. We have the entire alpha family with us, and we have enemies. We will not be complacent."

I shook my head. I had never worried about things like this before.

Of course, we arrived at the restaurant without incident. Most of us milled around outside while Karen and Rory slipped in and checked on our reservations. A minute later, Elisabeth took a phone call, spoke briefly, then informed us we would just be a few minutes.

Finally we were seated on a patio with four tables for the fifteen of us. We weren't the only occupants of the patio, but we had a little separation from the other diners. I found myself at a table with Elisabeth, Portia and Monique. We sat down, and I checked out the view.

"This is beautiful," I said with a gesture. We had a lovely view of the Gulf of Mexico.

Elisabeth made a monosyllabic response, little more than a grunt. I glanced over at her, and she wasn't looking at the ocean. She was gazing around the restaurant. So were Portia and Monique. When I looked at the other tables, Michaela and Lara were talking to their kids, and Nora had her nose in the menu, but all the enforcers were looking at anyone but their tablemates.

It took me a minute, but I also realized that they were all facing subtly different directions.

Well, this promised to be an entertaining dinner.

I picked up my menu.

It was, in a way, fascinating. At our table, Monique was the first wolf to pick up a menu. It took her about a minute to make her selection. When she was done, she set her menu back down and said, "Got it."

Portia didn't pick hers up until she glanced at Monique and found the girl back on duty, watching for danger. A minute later, she set her menu down, and Elisabeth picked up hers.

The same little menu dance was happening at the other tables.

The server stopped by, a young man named Ricky. I was only mildly surprised when the wolves all ordered various forms of steaks. There were vegetarian choices on the menu, but very little in vegan fare, and so I stuck with a salad after making sure it was safe.

Once the server had taken orders from all four of our tables and disappeared, Elisabeth said, "Monique, identify the threats, beginning with the nearest."

"One of our subjects could choose to act up," Monique said. "Michaela could have a fight with Lara and storm off. The kids have had a long day and could become problematic. I'm not sure what Zoe might do."

"Good," said Elisabeth. "What is your responsibility for that?"

"Stick to Zoe unless ordered otherwise."

"What will you do if Michaela orders you to manage one of her kids during a retreat?"

She glanced at Elisabeth for a moment, but then returned to looking out over the restaurant. "My orders come from you."

"Michaela is Alpha," Elisabeth pointed out.

"Um." She glanced at Elisabeth again.

"Eyes on the threats, Monique," Portia said quietly.

"Yes, Portia," Monique replied. "Um. Would Michaela do that?"

"She certainly would," Elisabeth said. "If she does, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know."

"The chain of command for security is Lara, me, then the head of whatever detail you're on. In this case, that is Portia. Michaela is after that, and the heads of the other security details after Michaela. The remaining enforcers after that, then you. Then, last, whoever you are protecting."

"I stay with Zoe unless you, Lara or Portia tells me otherwise. What if Serena tells me something different?"

"Sometimes you have to use your judgment," Elisabeth said. "Serena knows your orders, so if she countermands them, she has a good reason, and you should probably do what she says, but if you have a choice, you should tell her what your existing orders are."

Monique nodded.

"All right. Next closest threats."

"The wait staff. And, I suppose, the food and drinks they bring. We expect the staff to weave between the tables, and one of them could have foul intent. But they're all clearly humans, and no one smells funny."

"Good."

"After that, the other diners. They are also human, and I haven't seen anyone pay particular attention except for the occasional half curious glance."

"What's the biggest danger from the diners?"

"Distraction," she replied. "Physically unless they use heavy weapons, they are unlikely to be a significant threat."

"Unlikely doesn't mean impossible."

"No," she admitted.

"After that?"

"New arrivals, and people appearing to depart can also be a bigger threat than while dining."

"Keep going," Elisabeth said.

"We aren't in a position to protect against it, but someone could drive a car bomb into the building. We didn't place anyone outside watching for that. Also, we could be at risk of an RPG from a boat out in the bay or something dropped from an airplane. I suppose we could be swarmed via helicopters."

"Good," Elisabeth said. "And of course, there are other unlikely events like a neurotoxin released in the air."

"Neurotoxin?" I asked. "Seriously?"

Elisabeth glanced at me for just an instant. "As I said, an unlikely event." She resumed watching the crowd. "How would you identify an immediate threat, Monique?"

"Someone moving in an unexpected fashion. Someone smelling funny. Someone causing a distraction. Too many people coming too close to us. The wrong sort of people coming too close."

I thought by that she meant other werewolves.

"What will you do if anything like that happens?"

"Make sure you see it and follow your lead."

"And if a threat turns real?"

"Protect Zoe. That probably means keep her with the alpha. It may mean retreating to the house where we're staying, the airport, or somehow get her back home."

"If you got hopelessly separated, and for some reason, you couldn't reunite with us, how would you get her home?"

"Rent a car and drive."

"Look at what she's wearing," Elisabeth said. "Do you believe she brought a driver's license and credit card? Take a good look."

I actually had my license, some cash and a credit card, and my phone.

Monique looked over at me. I was tempted to help her, but I kept my mouth shut. She studied me for a while. "I'm sorry, Elisabeth. I don't know."

"And you're fifteen. You won't be able to rent a car. So unless Zoe can rent it for you, you won't be renting any cars. First, let's assume she has her driver's license and a credit card. What are the dangers of renting?"

"We'll show up in the records. If it's some sort of government agency after us, the rental agency could stall us until law enforcement arrived. Also, because we're in the records, we won't know who has access to that information."

"What else?"

Monique cocked her head. "I don't know."

"There are several dangers," Elisabeth said. "Do you need help?"

"Accidents."

"Yes. I hadn't been thinking of that. Dangers closer to emergency status."

I watched her think about it. I didn't know what Elisabeth was looking for.

"A hint," Elisabeth said. "I am thinking of two, both of which have to do with distance."

"It's a long drive home," Monique said. "We would be very tired, raising the risk of an accident."

"Who would drive the car?"

"I would," Monique said.

Elisabeth pursed her lips, and Portia shifted in her seat.

"Or not?"

"Do you have a driver's license?" Elisabeth asked.

"I have a permit. If Zoe sits in the front seat, as a licensed driver, I'm legal to drive."

"Your permit is from Wisconsin. Do you know the rules for unlicensed drivers in other states?"

"No."

"Neither do I." Elisabeth paused. "That's a risk that you should probably accept, but what's the danger if you're driving?"

"I can't watch traffic as well. In case we're being chased." She paused. "Zoe should drive, at least until we clear the immediate area."

"You're a young driver, and Zoe is human. It's been a long day of travel, and Zoe is showing a little stress besides. Neither of you are going to be able to make it straight through, even if you share the driving. What do you do?"

"Once we're out of Florida, find a place to sleep for a few hours."

"Like what?"

"Rest stop?"

"Bad idea. Rest stops get checked. Why not a motel?"

"For the same reason renting a car is dangerous, but at least in the car, we're moving. A motel is a fixed location."

Elisabeth nodded. "You need to find somewhere a parked car won't be unusual. And you need to stay on watch. Let Zoe sleep. Two hours, no more, then wake her up and have her drive for four hours while you sleep. Then you take over."

"Yes, Elisabeth."

"All right, there's another nearby danger in driving out of here. It also has to do with distance. Do you know what it is?"

She thought about it. "No, I'm sorry."

"Where are we?"

"Key West."

"All right. Do you know the route out of here?"

"Um. Take the highway to Miami."

"What do you know about that highway?"

"Um." She didn't say anything.

"All right. The keys are islands. There is a highway all the way from Miami to Key West. But there are bridges between each of the islands. It's the only route, and so if anyone is looking for you, they can pick anywhere and watch."

"Ohhh," said Monique. "Should I have known that?"

"We talked about it during the briefing, but I didn't stress it. I should have. What are you going to do about it?"

"Try to disguise ourselves. And tailgate a big truck so it's harder to see us. With Zoe driving, I can slip down in my seat so I look smaller."

"Are there other options?"

"I don't know."

"May I?" I asked.

"Sure," said Elisabeth.

"Boat. It's good weather. I wouldn't rent a car. I'd steal a boat."

"You won't steal one with enough gas to make it to Miami. What would you do about that?"

"Keep an eye on it and then land at one of the other keys, then send Zoe to buy more gas."

"I'm supposed to stay with her!"

"So you take her with you," Elisabeth said. "You won't make it to Miami before dark. Are you going to steal a boat you can run at night?"

"No. But we can find somewhere safe to anchor. I bet we can tie up below the causeway or in the lee of one of the keys."

Elisabeth glanced at me. "Portia?"

"I'd go by boat," she said. "If you steal something, it has to be something below notice, but I might be tempted to talk my way onto something bigger." She paused. "Two women could sweet talk their way to Miami. I don't think that's a good choice for Monique, at least until she's a little older. Another choice would be to sweet talk a trucker. I might have to promise favors, but if it gets us out of the area, that's not so bad."

I knew what kind of favors she meant; I wasn't sure if Monique did.

"All right," said Elisabeth. "Let's say you get to Miami. Then what?"

"Find a phone and call home."

"Good. Let's say for some reason you can't."

"Then we drive."

"What route?"

"Um. I'd have to look at a map. I suppose the shortest route."

"The shortest route is through Georgia. The Madison pack is unwelcome in Georgia."

"Oh. I didn't know that."

"Also, you are again taking the obvious route. So what I'd want you to do is drive out via Pensacola. Drive to Mobile then head northwest until you cross the Mississippi. Cross back at St. Louis. Then take the best route to Eau Claire. Stay out of Georgia and Iowa."

"Elisabeth?" I said. I didn't know if she'd be upset if I asked questions.

"Go ahead," she said.

"How likely is this?"

"Close to zero. But close to zero is not zero. And even if absolutely nothing happens, someday Monique is going to need her training. We don't know when, and we don't know how. You may be there; you may not be. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said. "May I keep going?"

"Sure," she said.

"What if I don't have my driver's license and the weather is too rough for a boat?"

"Good question. Monique?"

"Steal a car," Monique replied. "Something not too flashy. But there's a lot of risk." She paused. "I know what Portia meant about sweet talking a trucker. That's probably safer."

"Elisabeth…" I whined.

She actually turned to look at me. "In a situation like the type we're discussing, I would expect you to discuss alternative ideas with your security detail, but in the end, you will do what you're told. Am I clear?"

"But-"

"Am I clear?" she asked more forcefully.

I lowered my eyes. "I don't like it."

"Do you think we do?" Portia asked. "And I'm not just talking about Monique."

"But-" I paused. "She doesn't have a license but she has a permit. I presume that means she's fifteen. I would be the adult." I looked up and stuck my jaw out.

Elisabeth studied me. "Replace Monique with Angel," she said. "Then what?"

"I have no reason to believe Angel is any more capable of getting me home than I can get myself home. I'm not entirely helpless." I smiled. "Why is your-" I broke off. I almost said 'enforcer', which may not have been a good word to use in public. "-employee not using the resources at her disposal?"

"What resources?"

"Access to GreEN's network," I replied. "Key West is a mecca for environmentalists. If there are fewer than fifteen GreEN members here, I'd be surprised. Get me in front of a computer and I can get us on a boat or borrow a car without all this dangerous subterfuge."

Elisabeth nodded. "Monique, what is your response to Zoe's comments?"

"She's right," Monique said. "I'm-"

"Young and full of potential," I inserted. "And physically far more capable than I am. But it is a mistake to treat me as entirely incompetent."

Elisabeth nodded. "I would like an answer to my question. What if it's Angel instead of Monique?"

"I would trust Monique to spirit me out of immediate danger," I said, "and I wouldn't fight her, Angel, or anyone else. But if we're then talking about getting home, then I would expect to be involved in the decisions."

"And if you can't reach accord, who has final authority?" Elisabeth asked.

I looked down again. I didn't want to answer. When I didn't say anything, Elisabeth snorted for a moment, then asked, "All right. If it's you and me, who has final authority in a situation like that?"

"You," I said in a small voice.

"You and Portia?"

I sighed. "Portia. And before you ask, Karen or Serena."

"Rory?" Rory was significantly younger than I was, and seemed very young at times. I didn't have much confidence in his judgment. On the other hand, Elisabeth knew him far better than I did, and she trusted him.

"Rory, but that's harder to answer," I admitted.

"Angel?" Elisabeth asked.

I didn't answer.

"Zoe," Elisabeth said gently, "there's only one answer, and you have to admit it. This is important."

"She's half my age with even less experience. I bet I'm far more traveled than she is. I bet she's never been arrested."

Elisabeth scoffed. "That's true."

I looked up. "I bet I'm more qualified to get us home than she is. I bet I'm more qualified than Rory, too. I know I'm more qualified than Monique. And I just might be more qualified than you are. Did you think of using my network?"

"No," she admitted. "I didn't."

"I bet you just would have charged ahead, barking orders without even telling me what we were doing."

"Was that a joke?"

"Was what a joke?"

" _Barking_ orders?"

"Oh. No. I'm sorry. But you would, wouldn't you?"

"Yes, probably."

"And would your way be better than asking someone from GreEN to help?"

"I can't say with absolute certainty, but if we had taken time to discuss it, and if we could take the time to find a computer and look for someone's help, then yes, chances are very good we would do so."

I smiled sweetly. "So, tell me. What's the right answer?"

"The right answer is for you to do what you're told," she replied.

"By Monique?"

Elisabeth looked uncomfortable.

"I'll make it easier. In a combat situation, I'll do what I'm told. So now Monique has spirited me away, and we've determined we can't reconnect with anyone else. We're on our own. Do you really think our best chance is if I shut up and do what I'm told?"

She sighed. "No."

"Don't you hate it when the answers aren't simple?"

She looked over at Portia. "She's as annoying as Michaela."

From the other table, Michaela leaned over and rapped Elisabeth on the top of her head with her knuckles before returning to her conversation with her daughters. Elisabeth rubbed the top of her head and grinned.

"So tell me, Elisabeth," I said. "What do you want me to do? Monique and I are hiding in the bushes a half-mile away, arguing about how to get home. We both have our backs up. Tell us what to do."

Elisabeth snorted quietly again. I simply smiled sweetly at her.

"Will you behave in an emergency?" she asked.

"Elisabeth, I'll behave, period, as long as what you're telling me to do makes sense. What do you want me to do?"

She sighed. "In a combat situation, you'll do what Monique tells you."

"All right."

"Otherwise use your judgment. But we're still doing this exercise for Monique."

"Of course," I agreed. I was surprised Ms. Chain-of-Command had actually told me I didn't have to do what the enforcers told me. I was sure it galled her.

But Monique's grilling faded away when the food came, and we spent the rest of the meal sitting quietly. The wolves watched for nonexistent danger. I watched the wolves.

I had enjoyed the verbal sparring with Elisabeth, but I hoped for somewhat more interactive meals during the rest of the trip. If Elisabeth and her enforcers were going to be too distracted to talk to me, maybe it was time to get to know Nora.

Two hours later found us in our bedroom. Elisabeth still seemed tense and distracted. I moved into her arms and tried to offer another distraction, earning myself a brief, dispassionate kiss. I stared up into her face afterwards, but I didn't find any answers.

Well, she had warned me I might not get the attention I wanted. I slipped out of her arms and got ready for bed.

She did climb into bed with me. "Roll over, and we can cuddle," she said. I didn't think "cuddle" was a euphemism for "make you scream in pleasure", but I dutifully rolled over and found myself enveloped in her strong arms. I wriggled at her a little bit then settled down.

It had been a long day and stressful besides. Stress and fatigue fought a silent battle for a few minutes, but gratefully, fatigue won, and I slept.

I woke some time later, groggy and, for a minute, unsure where I was. I rolled over and discovered Elisabeth's side of the bed was empty and cold. I slept badly for a while, waking up to every unfamiliar noise. Elisabeth's side of the bed remained empty.

It was some time later that I woke again, and I wasn't alone.

"You came back," I said.

"I'm sorry," came the reply. "It's Portia."

That woke me up. I rolled over. Portia was lying on top of the bed, watching me.

"What are you doing here?"

"Elisabeth took my duty," she said.

"That explains why you're in a bed and she's not," I replied. "It doesn't explain why you're in this bed."

"I can sleep on the floor." She started to roll away, but I reached out and caught her arm. Then I remembered what Elisabeth had said, and I pulled my hand away.

"I just want to understand," I said.

"I need to sleep," she said. "And you need someone in here with you. I can sleep on the floor."

"No," I said. "It's fine. There's enough room. Crawl under the covers. But why do I need someone in here? I'm perfectly capable of sleeping alone."

"Security."

I rolled over. "You people are paranoid." She hadn't moved. "If you're staying, crawl under the covers."

"I'm fine, Zoe."

"Suit yourself," I replied.

We lay quietly for a while. I was wide awake, and I stared at the wall. Finally, Portia said, "You're not sleeping."

"Clearly, neither are you."

"I can sleep on the floor," she offered again.

"I am not in the habit of lying, Portia," I replied. "I said it was fine. But if you're that uncomfortable, sleep where you want."

"I know this is weird to you. I'm trying not to add to it."

I rolled back to face her again. The light was dim, and I couldn't see her that well, but I could see well enough. "I haven't forgotten what you did for me," I told her. I wasn't sure what else to say. As far as I was concerned, I was alive because of her choices, and I was convinced it had been on the verge of going the other way.

"It was nothing," she replied.

"We both know it was more than nothing," I said.

"Roll over," she ordered. "I'll rub your back."

"Crawl under the covers," I countered. "And I'll think about it."

I saw a flash of teeth as she smiled. A moment later, she was climbing into bed, and I was rolling away.

It took a while to sleep, but finally I did.

 **Diving**

The diving was magnificent, everything I had dreamed of and then some.

I'd read my Advanced Open Water Diver manual. This was the path to an advanced beginner diver rating that PADI dive shops required for dives deeper than sixty feet. Karen's explanation was simple: training is important.

And so, Saturday morning we drove to a place called Well-Seasoned Divers, a small dive shop in Key West. We met Abbey and Grey Flack, the husband-wife owners of Well-Seasoned. They seemed very friendly. Lara had chartered the entire shop for our exclusive use for the duration of our visit.

Well-Seasoned had a large dive boat, big enough for all of us. We collected our gear and received a briefing from Abbey, and soon enough we were on board their boat, heading to our first dive of the day.

I'm not sure I could have been more excited, although not as excited as the pups. They loved being on the boat.

The enforcers had been tense, but they began to relax once we were away from the marina, and by the time we arrived at the dive site, they were smiling and joking around.

We anchored at the dive site, a sheltered location near a coral reef. Karen gave a briefing to Portia, Monique and me while Abbey talked to the more advanced divers. We then pulled on our gear and entered the water.

Karen led our group, collecting together on the surface before we followed a line to the ocean bottom.

It was beautiful, absolutely beautiful. The bottom here was sandy, and we would have a short trip to the coral, but even where we were, there were fish. Hanging around us were perhaps a half dozen torpedo-shaped fish that reminded me of Northern Pike, but bigger. They hung in the water, apparently not moving, watching us.

Karen moved to me. She had a small slate, and she held it up for me to see. "Calm down."

I wasn't calm?

Then she turned the slate back to herself and wrote some more. "Slower breaths."

I guessed I was a little excited. I focused on calming myself. After a minute, she held up her hand in the universal "OK" sign, thumb and index finger touching to form an "Oh" and the other three fingers raised. I gave her the same sign back.

Then I pointed to the fish that were watching us and held both hands with palms up. I wanted to know what they were.

She pulled something from a pocket of her BCD — it looked like a little flip chart. She flipped through the plastic pages then turned it towards me, tapping one of the fish.

Barracuda.

My eyes opened widely, and I looked at the fish with trepidation, but she held her slate back up and tapped the words. "Calm down."

I pointed to the fish, and she wrote on her slate, "Harmless."

Barracuda were harmless. I shook my head, but she tapped the word several times, then tapped, "Calm Down" again.

I supposed if we saw some sharks, she was going to tell me they were harmless, too.

Then she wrote on her slate, "Trust me."

I held my hand out, asking for the slate. She unclipped it from its tether and passed it to me. "Sharp teeth," I wrote.

She took the slate back and wrote, "Mine are bigger."

At that, I had to laugh, blowing bubbles in the water. But I decided to trust her. She knew what she was doing, right?

Karen had us check our air pressure and give her the "OK" sign before she led us slowly towards the reef.

It was a short swim. I kept track of Monique to my right and Portia to my left. They, in turn, were clearly keeping an eye both on me and the waters around us.

We approached the reef, and I found myself filled with wonder. There were schools of small, colorful fish everywhere, absolutely everywhere. I didn't know what any of them were, but it was just seconds before I was looking forward to our classes on fish identification.

During our briefing, Karen had talked about swimming around the coral. In short, "control your buoyancy and don't touch a thing". She spent far more time than that talking about it, of course. I thought about that, and I knew I wanted classes about that, too.

Suddenly I realized there was so much to learn; I'd had no idea.

Karen brought us to a stop at the edge of the reef. She checked with each of us and used her slate to remind us not to touch the coral. Then she led us on a slow circle along the edge of the reef. Every few minutes I checked my air. The water wasn't deep, only about thirty-five feet, and I knew in such shallow water, my air would last a long time. I also checked with Portia and Monique; Karen had taught us that good divers watch out for their dive buddies.

I couldn't have told you what we saw, not specifically. There were countless fish, most of them small, most of them very colorful. Tucked here and there were black sea urchins, their spines sharp and dangerous. There was coral of all types, some of it looking like rocks, some like palm leaves, waving in the light current, and countless shapes in between.

We saw stingrays buried in the sand. Karen found the first one, and all we could see were its eyes. But as we drew closer, it shook itself free of the sand and slowly swam off. We followed it for a short distance.

Everything was quite magical.

According to the dive computer I was using, we were down for forty-five minutes before Karen led us a very short distance away from the reef. Then she let a little air out of her BCD and sank to the sandy ocean floor, gesturing for us to do the same. I soon found myself lightly on my knees, facing her, with Monique and Portia right beside me.

Then she had Monique and me do some of the exercises we'd done before. We practiced several things, giving us the OK sign after we had each performed properly. Finally we got one final OK sign before she drew on her slate. She pointed to me and turned the slate around.

We were working on underwater navigation. She wanted me to swim a course using my compass and counting my kicks as a means of measuring distance. The first course was a rectangle; 30 kicks on a heading of 300 degrees; turn left and swim 40 kicks at 210 degrees. After that, she wanted 30 kicks on the reverse course from 300, but she didn't tell me what that was; I knew I was supposed to figure it out. Finally, one last turn, 40 kicks on the reverse of 210 degrees.

I gave her the OK sign.

Then she pointed at Monique, then held her fingers towards her own eyes, then pointed at me. Monique was to watch over me. Finally, Karen gestured to me with a little wave off gesture, and I gave her the OK again.

I added a little air to my BCD until I was properly buoyant then carefully aligned my compass. Turning slowly, I found 300 degrees. It was away from the reef. I triple-checked I was holding the compass properly and then began to slowly swim away. When I glanced over, I saw Monique was with me, hanging out just a little above me and to the left. I wasn't surprised to see Portia in a similar position on my right.

At thirty kicks, I came to a stop. I turned to the left in approximately the right direction, adjusted the compass as I'd been taught, verified my heading, and began swimming.

At forty kicks I did the same thing. I didn't bother figuring out the reverse of 300 degrees, although it would be easy enough: 300 minus 180. But the compass made it easy. Instead of having 300 furthest away from me, I had it closest to me with 120 furthest away.

One more turn, forty kicks, and I came to a stop another ten kicks from where Karen was waiting for me. Had she moved? Had I done something wrong? She was watching me then swam over to us. We let a little air from our BCDs again, sinking back to the sand. Then Karen wrote on her slate and turned it to me. "Why didn't you end where you began?"

I didn't know. She handed me the slate. "Did I do something wrong?"

She shook her finger, "No."

I thought about it while the wolves watched me. Finally I turned to Monique and pointed to her, then handed her the slate. She wrote a word down then turned the slate to see us.

Current.

Of course. I bumped my forehead with the ball of my hand to indicate I should have thought of that. When I did so, I bumped the mask, so I had to clear the water from it, then offered, "OK."

After that, Karen had Monique do the same exercise. Then we took turns doing a triangle path instead of a rectangle.

I thought it was all a great deal of fun.

When we were done with the exercises for us, we got another OK sign, then she led us back towards the coral.

"Oh my god!" I said as soon as we were on the boat. "That was amazing!"

"Did you see fishies?" one of the pups said. I turned to her.

"You're… Rebecca?"

"I'm Rebecca," said the other pup. "That's Celeste."

"I'm sorry," I said. "Yes, Celeste," I said. "We saw lots and lots of fishies. What did you do?"

"We swam!" she said. "Nora made us wear life jackets though." She turned and gave Nora a dirty look.

"We all wore life jackets," I said. "Even Karen wore a life jacket."

She cocked her head. "No you didn't. You can't swim under water if you wear a life jacket."

"Sure you can. Our life jackets blow up with air. If we let the air out, then we can sink." My gear was still sitting out, so I said, "Here, let me show you." I knelt down next to my gear, tipped it right side up, then showed her how I could put air in it. "See?"

"Ohhh," she said.

"Did you see any fish?" I asked.

"We saw lots of fish!" Rebecca said. She'd been avidly watching the demonstration, too. "Blue fish and green fish and yellow fish. One fish was this big!" She held her hands as far as she could stretch. Then she turned to Karen. "I want to Scooby Doo!"

"Scuba dive," Karen corrected. She knelt down in front of the girl. "I'm sorry, pumpkin, but you need to be older."

"I want to Scooby Doo right now!"

"Do not take that tone with me," Karen told her, and the girl immediately dropped her eyes. "I'm sorry, Rebecca, but there's a lot of reading and classwork before you can dive. You need to learn a lot of things in school before you're ready."

"Like what?"

"Reading and math," Karen said.

"I can read now."

"I know you can read, but you can't read well enough." She pulled the girl closer and whispered in her ear quietly enough the boat captain wouldn't hear what was being said.

When Karen released her, the girl said, "Yes, Karen. May we go swimming again? I want to see more fishies."

"We're going to go to another place as soon as your mommies are back," Karen said. "If Nora and your mommies say it's okay, you can swim for a while there. You'll see lots of fish. It won't be today, but later this week, if you've been good girls, we'll all go swimming together, and I'll teach you the names of some of the fish."

"Can we catch some fish?" Celeste asked. "Mommy didn't bring a fishing rod though."

"Well you know," said Nora, stepping in. "Let's go talk to the boat captain and see how the fishing is here." Abbey was diving with the wolves, but her husband, Grey, was tending to the boat. Nora grabbed a hand of each of the girls and went in search of the captain. Karen watched after them, smiling.

Then she turned to us. "You're going to overheat." And so we each stripped partway out of our wet suits, letting it bunched around our waists. Emanuel and Rory were on duty, watching over things, but I saw him glancing at Portia and Karen from time to time. I had to admit; they were worth sneaking glances. Like Elisabeth, they had fabulous bodies, and I sighed.

"What?" Portia asked, sitting down next to me.

"You guys are just so amazing," I said. "I like the view."

She laughed. "I heard Eric was nearly enough to turn you straight."

I laughed with her and bumped her with a shoulder. "He's good, but he's not that good."

"All right," Karen said. "Let's debrief."

"I have questions." I turned to Portia. "Why didn't you do the navigation exercises?"

"I've already done my advanced open water," she said. "But I'll be doing the specialty courses with you. I bought an underwater camera of my own." She smiled. "The things I've been buying since joining-" she looked around then lowered her voice. "-the pack." Portia shook her head. "I used to collect exotic weapons. Now I collect sporting goods equipment."

Karen laughed. "Me too," she said. "Keeping up with Michaela is a full time job. All right. Did you have more questions?"

"Barracuda and string rays," I said. "You seemed to treat them like no big deal."

"There are a lot of dangers in the water," she explained. "The biggest danger is doing something stupid. Panic underwater is not good. The second danger is sticking your hands somewhere without looking. You don't know what might be lurking. Very few undersea animals will bother a diver as long as you offer them some respect."

"Steve Irwin died to a stingray."

"Steve Irwin was a great man and did a lot for education and conservation," Karen said. "But he also took risks with the animals he was filming. Did you ever see any of his episodes where he didn't touch the animals?"

I thought about it and shook my head. "No."

"Did I let you touch any of the animals?" she asked.

I laughed. "No."

"And there are reasons for that. Barracuda can be aggressive if you're spear fishing or feeding them. Some animals are attracted to shiny jewelry. No one is wearing any exposed jewelry. We don't spear fish. I don't believe in feeding the animals. And we don't harass them."

"What about sharks?"

"Shark attacks on divers are exceedingly rare. Worldwide, there are fewer than ten shark attacks annually and perhaps three or four of those are on divers. So yes, it happens, but it isn't common. Did you have more questions?"

"I have no end," I said with a smile. "But we should debrief."

Karen spent a few minutes talking about the exercises we did. Then she told us what we'd be doing for our next dive. We were just wrapping up when Rory called out, "We've got divers surfacing."

Ten minutes later, everyone was on board. Abbey offered pieces of fruit to wash away the taste of saltwater, but only Michaela and I were interested. Grey pulled up the anchor, and soon we were on our way to our next location.

That morning set the tone for the rest of the week. We did a great deal of diving as well as some snorkeling with the kids. I ended each day absolutely exhausted, but I had a blast.

Michaela's photo equipment was impressive. I spent time on land growing accustomed to it, then took it into the pool with me for an hour. When we went diving, I got some amazing photos.

Our best dive was a deep dive to a wreck lying in 90 feet of water. The water visibility was perhaps thirty feet or so, and there was a stiff current at the surface, but I didn't notice much at depth. Getting to the wreck involved Grey doing what they called a plunge dive to the bottom. There were anchor ropes tied to the railing of the wreck. He found one of the ropes and attached a float to it, and then Abbey hooked the rope and tied off to it. After that, we descended hand-over-hand down the rope, going down in groups of four.

When diving in shallow water, you can see the surface — and anything on the surface — the entire time you're diving. As the water gets deeper, you get to a point where you can see the surface, and then you can begin to see the bottom. But on that dive, there was a time where all I could see was the rope and the people around me. The surface, the boat, and the bottom were all lost in the gloom, and it was like we were floating in a sea of nothing. That was a little disconcerting, but I simply followed the rope down.

And then as I passed sixty feet deep, the wreck began to appear. It was like a foggy night with a ship appearing in the gloom. It was quite surreal.

And the noises changed as we went deeper, but I couldn't explain them.

On the surface, Grey explained the wreck. It was intentionally placed here as an artificial reef. It was teeming with fish, and the photos I took were amongst my favorites of the entire trip.

From that standpoint, it was an amazing trip. And I got to know Nora, Michaela, Portia, Monique, and even Karen better than I had.

I got to know a little more about Elisabeth, too.

I learned I didn't like going on vacations with her. She paid me very little attention, offering just moments here and there. I shared my bed with both Portia and Monique more than Elisabeth.

I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

Okay that was a lie. I liked Portia and Monique, and I didn't mind sharing with them. But I was disappointed by Elisabeth's lack of interest in me. I thought it was telling.

The thought made me sad.

 **Shortcomings**

By the time we returned to Madison, I was exhausted. The wolves could go, and go, and go. I was utterly, completely worn out, and a long day of travel at the end didn't help.

My mood wasn't helped when Elisabeth didn't even bring me home. Instead, I got a ride with Portia and Monique. They helped me with my things, escorting me straight to my door. On arrival, they searched my apartment for intruders before letting me in. Then Portia told Monique, "Wait for me in the hallway." Monique and I exchanged hugs before she headed for the door.

Once the front door closed behind the girl, Portia turned to me. "Are you all right?"

"I'm just worn out."

"You were quiet."

I shrugged. "I'm fine."

She cocked her head.

"It was a nice trip, but I'm exhausted. I'm only human, Portia. I bet I held you all back, anyway."

She shook her head. "No, you didn't. We did everything we would have done without you. Thank you for the photography lessons."

"You're welcome. Thank you for watching over me, and for hauling all my heavy gear."

We exchanged smiles, but she cocked her head. "I still think you're hiding something from me, but I won't pressure you. I want to make sure you understand you can talk to me if you want."

"Everything is fine," I assured her. "But thank you."

"Well then," she said, "if there's nothing else you need, then I'll see you Wednesday at dinner."

"Wednesday it is," I agreed.

We hugged for a moment, and then they were gone. And I wasn't any less lonely than I'd been during much of the trip.

I didn't hear from Elisabeth for a couple of days. She finally called me Tuesday evening.

"Hello," I said a little coolly.

"Hey. Did I catch you at a good time?"

"Sure," I said. "I was just reading a little and was going to go to bed in a while."

"I won't keep you long," she said. "Are you coming to dinner tomorrow?"

"As it's a command performance, of course I am," I said.

Elisabeth was quiet for a moment. "Is that the only reason you're coming?"

"No."

"Because if it's a strain for you to come to dinner, I can talk to Michaela for you."

"You don't want me to come?" I asked, getting my back up. "Getting tired of me being around?"

"What?" She made that snorting noise. "No. It sounded like the only reason you came was because Michaela ordered you to."

I paused. I wasn't sure which of us was picking the fight. "That wasn't what I meant," I said. "I only meant that yes, I'll be there, and perhaps suggested it was a silly question."

"It was a prelude to what I wanted to ask," she countered. "If you bring a change of clothes, we can go for a run after dinner."

"Sure," I said. "I'd like that."

"Great." She paused. "Is everything okay?"

"Everything is fine," I replied. "Did you get a chance to unwind? The trip seemed to stress you out."

"No more than usual," she explained. "We stay on things to avoid surprises."

"I see. I thought the kids were well behaved."

"Yeah. They're growing up." She paused. "I should let you get back to your book."

"You could…" I thought about it. "You could come over."

She didn't answer right away, and I had my answer. "Not tonight. I have to get up early."

"All right. I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

We hung up, and I stared at the phone. "Well, that wasn't awkward," I told it.

I began getting ready for bed. I was just turning off the lights when my phone rang again. I ran to my bedroom and checked it; it was Elisabeth again.

"Miss me?" I asked.

"Actually," she said. "Yes. Zoe, is everything all right? That conversation felt a little awkward."

So she had noticed it, too.

I didn't know how to answer. I didn't want to be the whiny girlfriend. On the other hand, I didn't want to be something she kept around for when it was convenient to her.

"I think we're both just coming off the stress from the trip," I said. "We didn't really have much time together, and now we feel a little weird about it." I paused. "Well, I don't want to put words in your mouth."

"I did warn you."

"And I didn't complain," I retorted. "Not once. You said things felt awkward; I was trying to help with an explanation."

Oh joy, more awkward moments. Lovely.

"It would have been nice if you could have come over, but you're right. It's a little late for that. Everything is fine, Elisabeth. But now I have to ask. Is anything wrong on your side?"

"No, Zoe. Everything is fine. Are you angry with me?"

"No. You'll know if I'm angry."

"All right. I'll let you get back to your book. Good night."

"Night."

Again we hung up, and again I stared at the phone. Then I sighed, set it on the nightstand, finished turning out the lights, and climbed into bed, intending to read for a few more minutes.

A half hour later, I was woken by my doorbell. I jerked away, my heart pounding in surprise. "What the hell?"

I climbed from the bed, then jerked as the doorbell rang again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming."

When I looked through the peephole, Elisabeth was standing there, a garment bag slung over one shoulder. I stared for a moment then began unlocking the door. A moment later we stood there staring at each other. Then she stepped forward, causing me to move backwards. She pushed me away from the door then closed and locked it before turning back to me.

"What are you doing here?"

She didn't answer with words. Instead, she stepped into me and pulled me into her arms. My eyes were closed by the time our lips met.

It was a deep, long, lingering kiss, and I melted against her as it went on.

Then, without a word, she led me to bed.

Our lovemaking was quiet and a little desperate, but Elisabeth left me entirely wrung out long before she was done with me. I lay there afterwards, flushed, panting, and entirely satiated.

"I thought you had to get up early."

"I do," she replied. "I told the alpha I'd meet her at the office."

"Thank you for coming over." I snuggled more tightly and pulled the covers up to my chin.

"You were feeling neglected."

"I didn't complain."

"I know. And I appreciate that. I'm sorry about the trip. I have duties."

I laid my fingers across her lips, silencing her. "I know. It was thoughtful of you to worry and come tonight."

We murmured together for a while before drifting back into sleep. My last coherent thought was, "Everything is all right."

"Zoe," I said, crossing the threshold.

The house — as was typically the case — was full. I glanced around. Rebecca and Celeste were sitting on the floor in front of the silent television. Two of the teenagers were with them, and the four were playing some game. I thought that was sweet.

Lara and Elisabeth were standing in the dining area together, talking intently. Michaela was at the dining room table with three more students; they had a textbook open, and it looked like she was helping with homework. Serena was nearby, leaning against the wall, and I saw Monique standing at the picture window, looking alert.

Serena noticed me and nodded in my direction. No one else paid an ounce of attention. That was fine.

I passed through the room towards the kitchen, intentionally walking behind Elisabeth. I brushed my hand along her ass as I stepped behind her. She shifted slightly, and I was sure she knew it was me, but she continued her conversation with Lara.

In the kitchen, I found Francesca directing more of the students in the dinner preparations. I was noticed almost immediately, earning me a brief hug from Kaylee before she returned to her tasks.

I watched for a while. Francesca was amazing. She taught school all day, but somehow she found time to cook all these meals.

The kids were equally amazing. They all cheerfully went about their duties, kidding with each other but showing Francesca an amazing amount of respect. I was also pleased to see Connor and another boy helping. They were outnumbered by the girls, and they got a little additional attention, but everyone stayed on task at the same time.

"Is there anything I can do to help?" I asked.

Francesca looked over and smiled. "We've got it." That's the answer I expected. I presumed somewhere in this mess was a meal I could eat, but my vegan sensibilities wouldn't have been happy with what I could see them preparing. "Go ahead and get yourself something to drink." She nodded to the refrigerator.

There was lemonade waiting, so I grabbed a tall glass then spent the next twenty minutes roaming amongst the groups, not really taking part in any of the conversations.

Francesca announced it was time for dinner. I hung back, waiting to see whether there was a place for me. It looked like the table was going to be full, but most of the teenagers took plates out to the living room, leaving the dining room for the adults. Elisabeth looked around for me, then gestured to a place next to her. I took the seat, and she caressed my arm. A moment later, Kaylee set a plate down in front of me.

Dinner conversation was primarily banter between Michaela and the wolves. I stayed quiet, and no one attempted to direct the banter in my direction or pull me into any conversations.

It all felt very strange.

Normally the kids handle the post-dinner cleanup, but I bustled around with the rest of them. One of the girls told me, "You don't have to do that," but no one tried to kick me out. As long as they didn't ask me to do anything with their disgusting animal products, I didn't mind helping to clean up.

And so I was at the sink when Elisabeth found me. "What are you doing?"

"Ritual sacrifice," I told her. "I am praying to the goddess of cleanliness, asking her to take these remnants as a token of my respect for her."

"Ha, ha," Elisabeth said. "Hurry up. We're going for a run."

"Just a few more," I said. A minute later, I was drying my hands. I had been tempted to dry them on her shirt, but I wasn't sure how she would retaliate. I was sure whatever she did would be worse than a damp shirt she was about to take off anyway.

I let her lead me outside.

The wolves seemed to shift in two styles. Some of them could change from human to wolf in an eye blink. Others took time, from several minutes to as long as fifteen for some of the little kids. I'd asked about once and was only told, "It's a long story."

I wondered if it was something about being a pack leader, as Lara's entire family shifted instantly as did the strongest of the enforcers. I wondered why Portia shifted slowly, but I didn't ask.

When we arrived outside, I saw a few wolves in fur, more in their transition, and the pack leadership standing on the porch, chatting. Michaela saw me and said, "There you are." She held her hand out, and so I closed the distance and let her take my hand. She squeezed it for a minute. "Everyone needs a good run," she said.

"Have a good time," I replied.

"We want you to come with."

"I don't understand. I thought you said a good run, not a slow lope."

"Don't worry about that," she said. "That's their problem. We know you like seeing us in our fur and I think Elisabeth is looking forward to chasing you around."

"It's hard to chase if I don't run from her," I replied. I glanced over at her. "It's not like I've been playing hard to get."

There were a few scoffs at that.

"Alpha, am I doing it wrong?" I asked.

Elisabeth growled lightly, but Michaela laughed. "Well," she replied. "The wolves do like a good chase."

I didn't say it, and all the bantering aside, but if Elisabeth wanted a good chase, I wondered why I was there.

A few minutes later, the last of the slow shifters were in fur. Some of the wolves spent time chasing each other around. I noticed the pups were busy stalking absolutely everyone. At one point, Michaela said, "Don't look now, but you're being hunted."

I immediately dashed behind to the other side of her, using her as a shield from the pups. Michaela laughed then addressed the pups. "You two know the porch is safe territory. Go hunt down in the grass."

The two grunted and then leapt from the porch and began chasing one of the teenagers around but soon found themselves being chased instead.

I watched for a while. I was a little jealous. Okay, I was a lot jealous. It looked like so much fun, and they were so amazingly fast. Michaela stepped closer. "What are you thinking?"

"There's a part of me that wishes the mythology were right."

"You'd want one of us to bite you?"

I thought about it. "Part of me, yes." I gestured with my nose. "Do you think I'll ever grow past my awe at seeing this? Even when I was terrified to be here, I was filled with awe at the same time."

"It might not remain awe," she said after a moment. "Michele Lassiter uses the word 'joy'." She smiled then spoke more loudly. "Well. It appears to be time."

"Did you make a game?" Lara asked.

Michaela glanced at me. "No. Just a run." She loosened her clothing then took two steps towards her mate. She jumped at Lara, and midair, she shifted to a fox. Her clothing fell off her as Lara caught her, laughing.

I stared. I couldn't help it.

She was just so beautiful.

Michaela gave Lara a quick lick, and then the big wolf set down the fox. Michaela bumped Lara's leg then stepped over to me and began pushing me towards the stairs off the porch. I laughed and went where she pushed. A moment later, we were jogging towards the woods, the wolves all around us.

Michaela appeared to have several paces she could travel as a fox. In a flat run, she was much faster than I could run. But she also seemed to have a natural pace that was about my jogging speed. I could keep up with her. Unfortunately for me, she could maintain that speed a lot longer than I could jog, but at least for a while, I could keep up.

The wolves were faster, much faster, and I could see what an easy, slow speed this was for them.

We barely made the trees before the pups were dashing around us, chasing each other, chasing the other wolves, and even from time to time, chasing after Michaela's tail. A couple of times one of them dashed past me, and I worried I would trip over one of them, but I didn't.

And then Lara was there, loping alongside Michaela. On my left, Elisabeth bounded past me, but the path grew narrower, and I knew we wouldn't be able to run side-by-side very far. I didn't worry about that. I jogged along the path and let everyone else decide what they were going to do.

Some of the wolves ran with us, ahead or behind us on the trail or dashing through the underbrush to either side. They were streaks, visible by the movement more than anything. Light streaks, dark streaks. But just streaks. Some of them ran ahead then came back, three or four in a group, an arrow of wolves.

Some ran close to the ground. A few liked to make great, leaping bounds. I'd seen both Lara and Elisabeth leap like that, and it was amazing to watch.

"I wonder how far they can jump," I panted. "And how high? Elisabeth, can you actually jump over me?"

I shouldn't have asked.

She dashed away down the path, well in front of us. Still beside me, sharing the path with me, Michaela grunted several times, and then she looked up at me, her tongue lolling to the side. I wondered if she was laughing at me.

From ahead, I heard a brief howl, and then coming down the path was a wolf — Elisabeth — running as fast as I'd ever seen her. She was running straight at us. Then, still a good twenty yards away, she made a leap, a small leap. I was sure she could jump higher and further, but she still ate five yards.

But when she landed, she came down in a coil of muscle, and then she released that coil, and she was flying through the air straight at me.

I screamed and ducked, burying my head with my arms and collapsing to my knees, curling into a protective ball.

She didn't hit me, of course. Instead, she flew well over my head, coming to the ground behind me. I heard skidding, and a moment later, she was beside me.

"Oh my god," I said. "You scared me." I wrapped my arms around her neck. "I know. I asked if you could." I held her for a minute, and she stood still for me as my heart slowed. Finally I said, "Wow, you were magnificent. Are you going to do it again?"

She grunted then shook lightly. I released her and stood up.

Michaela and Lara had come to a stop, waiting for us a short distance away. Some of the other wolves had also stopped, and I heard more running around in the woods nearby.

"I know," I said. "Scaredy-human."

All the wolves grunted at me, a few with tongues lolling. Brats. They were all brats.

I set off down the trail again.

Michaela spun around and ran in front of me, Lara scrambling for a moment to keep up with her, then loping alongside her mate easily. Elisabeth ran next to me, then she dashed ahead, and I knew what she intended. Lara made a few big jumps, pulling out ahead of Michaela and chasing after her sister. Michaela, in turn, slowed down and then began running beside me again.

"They're both going to do it, aren't they?"

Michaela grunted twice.

"I'm probably going to scream again."

She grunted some more.

"Am I embarrassing Elisabeth?" And the fox didn't reply. I thought that was my answer.

We ran for perhaps a half minute before I heard a wolf racing down the path towards us. Lara appeared.

Elisabeth had done a double jump, but Lara did it her own way. I watched her muscles coil and then she sprang.

She wasn't pointed straight at me, and I realized she wasn't leaping at me; she was leaping at Michaela. Still, I shied away from her path, and she was a blur as she passed through the air to my right, directly over Michaela but only about my eye level. I looked over my shoulder to see her land and come to a skidding stop before turning around.

"Oh please," I said. "Even I can jump over your mate, Alpha."

Beside me, Michaela jumped ahead, did a summersault when she landed, and she came up on two feet in her human shape. "You shouldn't have said that, Zoe. Wager, and you can't say 'no'."

"Damn it."

She raised her voice. "Elisabeth, Lara. Get over here." With a hand out, she brought me to a stop, and moments later both wolves were beside us.

"Zoe has challenged the alpha," Michaela said. She looked at me pointedly, and I realized I had done just that. Furthermore, I immediately realized that challenging the alpha was probably not the best choice. I nodded understanding. She looked at the wolves. "You each get five leaps. The first two will be over me, not Zoe. The last three are over her. Your leaps must be high enough to clear her." She smiled and turned to me.

"You may react in joy or awe, but you must not react in fear or act startled. No screaming, screeching, ducking, or covering your eyes."

She looked at the wolves. "You mustn't touch her. Point to Zoe if you touch her more firmly than a brushing of fur." She looked at me. "It doesn't count if you touch them or alter your path." I nodded. "Point to the wolves if you react poorly. Point to you if you just keep jogging along as if nothing happened. Or if you laugh."

And I laughed, nervously.

She looked at the wolves. "If either of you knock her over, it's an automatic major favor from the alpha or head enforcer as appropriate." She looked back at me. "Do you understand?"

"It's a favor. I've had to give away several on pack play nights."

"Ah. But these are major favors, which can mean anything, and they are from the alpha, which is different than coming from Lara. Do you see?"

"I'm not sure. I think so." I paused. "They aren't going to knock me over, so it won't matter."

She smiled. "True. You have to keep running. You lose a point if you don't keep up with me."

"I can't run as fast as you can."

"I know. I'll set a pace you can maintain. Now, I'm the only judge, and anyone arguing with me gives up an extra point. I'll chuff for a point to Zoe and huff for either wolf."

"Chuff?"

Beside me, Elisabeth made the grunting sound of agreement.

"Oh," I said. "I called it a grunt."

"It's a chuff," Michaela said. And then Elisabeth made the snort. "And that's a huff."

"It sounded like a snort to me."

Michaela barked a short laugh. "I suppose it did."

"Chuff and huff," I said. "Got it."

"All right. If Zoe beats either wolf, then that wolf owes her help on future GreEN events. The number of points she earns more than she loses is how many days of help. Zoe, if you beat both wolves, then I'll help alongside Lara."

I thought that was a good wager. "What if I lose?"

"Then you owe the wolf that many days of tasks she assigns."

"If they both beat me, do I owe you a bunch of days, too?"

"Of course. And that's on top of your pack duty." She looked between the three of us. "Does everyone understand?" There were two wolf chuffs, and I tried to make the same sound. All three of them looked at me, their heads cocked.

"What was that?" Michaela asked.

I hung my head. "A chuff?"

"No, it wasn't," she said. She laughed briefly again. "I'll take it you understand. Let's go." She turned down the trail and jumped, coming down as a fox, then she looked over her shoulder, waiting for me to catch up. I began jogging to Michaela's pace. A moment later, both wolves dashed past us, one on either side.

"I'm going to lose," I said quietly. I glance down to my right at Michaela. She twitched an ear when I said it. And chuffed. "Are you teaching me a lesson?" Another chuff.

A moment later, there was a quick howl — I couldn't tell from whose voice. And then a silver and black streak was aimed at us. I realized it was Lara. She leapt, and I cowered and screamed. With my hands over my head, I didn't see where Lara went, but a moment later, I heard Michaela huff, and then Lara came up and snuck her nose in between my arms and bathed my ear with her tongue.

"I know," I said. "Point to Lara."

Lara chuffed then nudged me. I stood back up. Michaela gave me a moment and then set off down the trail again.

Twenty seconds later, Elisabeth appeared, running hard. She wasn't quite as far away as Lara had been at her leap. I managed to avoid screaming.

But when a two hundred pound werewolf jumps at you from a running start, it is still a frightening sight. I shied away, stepping into the undergrowth to the side of the path and nearly tripping over my own feet. Michaela huffed.

The wolves were magnificent. I loved watching them. I couldn't believe how high an far they could leap, and if I were just a tiny bit further away, I could enjoy watching.

We ran. Elisabeth and Lara followed along behind us, and then Lara ran ahead then suddenly, with no warning, turned around and jumped.

I screamed and ducked.

God, I was such a wimp.

Behind me, Elisabeth chuffed a few times. I looked over at Michaela, who was watching me. "Was that high enough?" She chuffed. "Does that chuff mean a point to me or a point to Lara?" Michaela lolled her tongue and huffed. I wasn't terribly surprised.

Without warning, I turned up the trail and began jogging again. Michaela scrambled to catch up, and Lara went bounding ahead.

A moment later I jumped slightly as Elisabeth leapt over Michaela from behind us this time. She caught me entirely by surprised.

But I neither screamed nor cowered. Elisabeth disappeared around a bend in the path, and I looked down at Michaela to see how she would score it.

She looked up at me and then chuffed.

"Point to me?" I asked. She chuffed again. "Woo hoo! Point to Zoe." I did a tiny little victory dance as we jogged down the path.

But I knew the little competition was going to heat up. Before, they'd been leaping over Michaela, but now they were going to be jumping over me, and I was pretty sure they would come as close as they could without actually touching me. I also knew Elisabeth played to win, and I presumed Lara would be at least as competitive.

Michaela and I turned the small bend in the trail, and there wasn't a wolf in sight. Elisabeth and Lara had disappeared entirely. I was sure they each had something special planned for me. Michaela and I jogged along for another minute or so before I learned what it was.

Suddenly there was rustling from the underbrush to the left side of the trail. My head snapped in that direction in time to see a wolf leaping for me. I gasped, tripped over my own feet, and nearly tripped over Michaela as well. I went down as the wolf flew well over my head, although I got a good look at soft underbelly fur.

I landed hard, Michaela barely scrambling out from underneath me before I would have landed on her. I bounced slightly, coming to a skidding halt and banging the back of my head into the dirt. Then I lay there, stunned.

Michaela huffed — as if anyone wondered how I had done that time. And then she moved to my side. A moment later, a wolf was standing over me, sniffing at me. I stared upward, not moving.

Michaela shifted to human, kneeling beside me. "Are you all right?"

I turned my head to look at her. "Ouch."

"I imagine," she said. "Is anything broken?"

I wriggled my fingers and toes. Everything seemed to work, but my backside hurt. I rolled towards her, curling into a ball on the ground for a moment.

"Everything seems to work," I said. "I didn't see which wolf it was."

"Lara," Michaela said. "Three to nothing with Lara, one-one with Elisabeth. Are you ready to get up?"

I nodded. Michaela helped me to sit then brushed the dirt, leaves and twigs from my hair. I turned to her.

"I don't belong here, Michaela," I said quietly.

She frowned, and from beside me, Lara huffed repeatedly. "We'll talk about it later," Michaela said. "But you're wrong."

I considered it. "We can talk about it another time," I agreed. I climbed to my feet, Michaela offering additional assistance. I brushed off a little further and catalogued my injuries. Nothing was broken, but I knew I was going to be sore for a day or two, and our game was only half over. Michaela turned me towards her.

"I wouldn't have been surprised," she said, "but if I had been, I probably would have reacted in a similar fashion."

"Perhaps, but you would have handled it in your graceful fashion. You wouldn't have tripped all over yourself and nearly crushed your alpha when you fell."

She smiled. "Don't worry about me. It wasn't even close."

"I think I brushed your tail as I fell."

"Pshaw. Like I said, not even close."

I didn't respond to that. Instead I turned to the trail. "Let's finish this. Now that Lara has won, does that mean she won't jump over me any further?"

"She gets two more tries to notch up the score."

I sighed. "Let's finish this," I repeated and began moving down the path, slowly at first as I worked more of the kinks out. A moment later, Michaela was back in fur, moving alongside me. Lara disappeared into the underbrush.

All was quiet for about two hundred yards. I was moving more slowly, but Michaela didn't try to hurry me.

Then, from a tree leaning over the trail, a silver wolf was leaping at me. Of course I screamed and ducked. The wolf landed on the ground behind me and a moment later was chuffing happily. I straightened and turned to face Elisabeth. "Very sneaky, Wolf," I told her. "I'm not sure it counts as jumping over me if you start from a tree."

I glanced at Michaela. She was watching both of us, her head cocked. Then she huffed.

"Is that agreement that it doesn't count, or a huff as a point for Elisabeth." In response, she stepped over and bumped against Elisabeth.

Lara's last two leaps were a little easier on me. Perhaps she wanted to give me a fighting chance, or perhaps she was worried about what I had said. For each jump, she gave me plenty of warning, and I avoided screaming. But I caught my breath both times, anyway, and I flinched as well. While I did better than I had been, I still didn't consider either of them as a point to me, and Michaela huffed for each.

Elisabeth's fourth leap wasn't bad, either, and Michaela chuffed for me. I was now two-two with Elisabeth. She disappeared into the brush, and I began moving down the path. "She's going to do something special, isn't she?" I asked. Michaela and Lara both chuffed.

She played to win. I was able to move into a jog, finally loosened up from my fall. And then from behind me, I heard a rising growl. It struck me right at the core, and I was suddenly filled with fear. I turned my head over my shoulder to see Elisabeth racing after me. By the time she leaped, she was in full werewolf growl. A part of me noticed her hackles were raised, and I caught a flash of deadly claws.

She leapt, and I screamed, cowered, and fell on my ass as Elisabeth soared well over my head.

I came to a stop on my back again, staring up into the leaves overhead, then rolled onto my side and curled into a ball, my heart pounding. I made myself as small as I could and instinctively protected my vulnerable belly from the predator.

I think I whimpered.

The wolves gave me room, although Michaela stepped over to stand in front of me where I could see her. She lay down in front of me, our noses not that far apart. I stared into her eyes before closing mine.

It took time — I couldn't say how long — before I finally got my heart under control. I was sure I was giving off fear scent, which simply added to my embarrassment.

No one said a thing.

But then I felt a wolf behind me; I presumed it was Elisabeth. She settled down against my back, her chin resting on my shoulder. A moment later, another wolf settled down next to Michaela, adding her chin over one of my legs.

We lay together like that for a few minutes. Finally I opened my eyes and found myself staring into Michaela's. I glanced down and verified it was Lara's head on my knees. I curled an arm up and buried my fingers in Elisabeth's fur, massaging the ear I could reach. She made a sound of appreciation.

"Scaredy-human," I muttered. In response, Michaela stretched out and licked my nose. I wiped the resulting moisture away. She panted at me, a foxy laugh, I presumed. I struggled to sit up, which was hampered by neither Elisabeth nor Lara lifting their heads from me. I wondered if that was meant as more humor, but they didn't do more to stop me, and I climbed to my feet. "I have no idea how far we've come." Then I looked around. "Nor do I remember which way we were going."

Michaela chuffed and began prancing down the path. The wolves and I hurried after her. Well, I hurried. I'm sure, for the wolves, it was nothing.

But Michaela set an easy pace, a fast walk for me. Her walking pace was slower, but she loped, and even, to a lesser extent, so did the wolves. I realized that my walking stride was longer than theirs, but they were quite comfortable bouncing along, and I'm sure could have moved much faster for a long, long time.

We walked deeper into the forest for perhaps another ten minutes. And then, very faintly, I heard a howl from well ahead of us. Michaela came to a stop and turned to her mate. They communicated wordlessly, and then Lara lifted her nose and howled three long howls.

I was grinning by the time she finished. I loved listening to them howl, although all of them together could be a bit much.

There was another distant, answering howl.

It took about two minutes. Periodically, Lara howled, and there were answers, growing rapidly closer. Then, bursting through the underbrush and running along the trail, all the wolves surrounded us, Rebecca and Celeste amongst them. Fresh greetings were exchanged, and the wolves frolicked for a minute. Then Michaela shifted into human. "I think it's time for a hunt. We could use fresh venison."

She turned to me. "You won't be able to keep up."

I wouldn't have wanted to. I knew they hunted, but I didn't need to bear witness.

"No problem," I said. I gestured. "This path leads back to the house, right?"

"Yes. Do you need an escort?"

It was growing dark under the trees. "No. I'll have to walk, but I'll be fine. I think in the future I'll bring a light."

After that, I didn't wait. I turned down the trail and walked away. No one stopped me.

It was full dark by the time I reached the compound. I didn't encounter everyone. I moved to sit on the porch, my elbows on my knees and my chin resting in my hands.

I couldn't tell for myself, but I was sure I stank of fear. I was sore and knew I was going to stiffen up. I needed ibuprofen and a hot bath.

I glanced at the woods were, somewhere, not very many miles away, a group of people was hunting down a helpless creature. I knew they were werewolves. I knew this was something they needed to do. I knew all that. But I still found it disturbing.

Amongst those people was the woman I had been dating. I found her fascinating and truly awe-inspiring. I loved watching her. Most of the time, I enjoyed her company. But I didn't know what kind of relationship we had. Oh, we had great sex. But lately, what else did we have? She'd largely ignored me on the trip, and when she came over last night, it had clearly been a booty call. What did we have in common?

I couldn't think of a single thing. We couldn't have been much different.

But I knew this about her: she was willing to make me afraid of her to win a wager, a wager I hadn't even wanted.

I thought about that. Michaela had given the point to Elisabeth, but I was supposed to turn submissive to a growling wolf. Wasn't that what they had told me? Wasn't that the expectation?

Was I supposed to have stood up to her as she growled at me? I didn't think so, even if the growl was as part of a game.

Michaela was wrong. I didn't belong here.

I climbed to my feet and headed to my car.

 **Done**

I was soaking in my tub when the phone rang. I thought it might, so I had set it on a stool next to the tub along with a towel to dry my hands. I dried my hands and answered the phone, putting it on speaker.

"Hello, Elisabeth."

"Are you all right?"

"Of course," I said. "I took some ibuprofen and I'm soaking in the tub."

She was quiet for a moment then asked, "Why did you leave?"

Why did I leave? What sort of answer did I want to give her?

"I didn't know how long you would be." And I didn't want to be there when they returned, dragging a deer carcass with them.

And I didn't belong there. I wasn't a wolf or a fox. I was just a human. I left that unsaid.

Again there was a pause. "Were you upset we went for a hunt?"

"No." Yes, but I couldn't say that. "I know you hunt. I know you need to hunt, and you need meat. I can't expect you to live by the rules I set for myself." On the other hand, I didn't have to give tacit agreement by sticking around for it, either.

There was a great deal I wasn't saying. Was I wrong to hold my tongue? I couldn't decide. But I didn't see how telling her that yes, I found their hunts upsetting was going to help anything.

"Were you mad about the game?"

"It was my own fault," I said. "I shouldn't have teased Lara. I forgot my place. It may have been worse if Michaela hadn't stepped in." I wasn't sure what Lara would have done to put me in my place, but I was sure it wouldn't have been any easier to handle.

"That's not what I asked," Elisabeth said. "I asked if you were mad about it."

"I'm not mad about anything, Elisabeth." That was the truth. Well, if I was mad at all, it was at myself. "I didn't enjoy the game. I wouldn't have suggested it, and I certainly wouldn't have suggested such an expensive wager. I think 11 days of labor is excessive punishment for one slip of the tongue. I guess that's what happens to someone who doesn't mind her tongue better. But I'm not mad."

"But you're at home sulking."

"I'm at home _soaking_ ," I said. "Do you have any idea what it means to hurt?"

"Of course I do," she said.

"Really? When was the last time you felt your muscles stiffening up like mine are right now? When was the last time you had bruises that lasted a week? When was the last time you knew you were going to have a hard time sleeping because your body ached?"

She didn't say anything.

"I don't know what it's like to be in fur," I said. "I don't know what goes through your mind. I don't understand a great deal about what it's like to be you. But I think perhaps there's a great deal about me that you don't understand, either. And I don't believe either of us is equipped to really understand, are we?"

"Maybe not," she answered quietly. "But you could have soaked here."

"I don't have an apartment there."

She made a sound of disgust. "You know you could have soaked in my tub, Zoe."

"I didn't have an invitation," I said. "And it wasn't like we'd actually exchanged more than two sentences all night."

"So that's what you're mad about? I didn't give you enough attention?"

"Why are you picking a fight?" I asked. "I said I wasn't mad. I didn't complain about a single thing."

"You just complained I didn't talk to you, and you complained about Michaela's wager."

"You're the one pushing this, Elisabeth," I said. "I wasn't complaining; I was stating simple facts. And I wouldn't even have done that if you hadn't pushed. I told you I wasn't mad, but if you continue to make accusations, I could start. Would that help?"

"If you wanted to talk to me, you could have walked over and talked to me."

I thought about that. She was right, but I wasn't quite ready to admit to my share of the problem.

"You looked busy, and I didn't want to break into your existing conversations."

"Why not?"

"Because…" I trailed off. In the past, I wouldn't have behaved like I had tonight — or on the trip, either. In the past, I would have walked straight to my girlfriend and simply assumed I was first in her life. Why hadn't I done that?

Because I was convinced I wasn't first. And maybe I didn't believe I deserved to be first or could hope to be first.

"What are we doing, Elisabeth?" I asked softly. She still managed to hear me.

"I don't know," she replied. "Do you want me to come over?"

"No, not tonight."

"Dinner tomorrow," she countered. "I'll pick you up."

I thought about it. "Elisabeth, I could easily fall hopelessly in love with you." She didn't respond. "You're brilliant and sexy. But if you can't say the same, then I want to know what we're doing."

She paused, and then she said, "Dinner tomorrow."

"All right. Tomorrow."

But she didn't say goodnight. Instead she said, "I care about you, Zoe." She paused again. "We'll talk tomorrow. I don't like doing this over the phone."

"All right. Good night, Elisabeth. Thank you for calling."

"I hope the soak helps. I'm sorry, Zoe. We were too rough."

"It was my own fault. I tripped over my own feet."

"Good night," she said. And we clicked off.

I slept poorly, both because I hurt and because I didn't know what was going on between us. Was she coming to sweep me off my feet? Could she convince me I was wrong? Or was she coming to agree with me?

Could I love her? I was sure if she put any effort into it, she'd have me wrapped around her finger. I already thought she was nearly perfect, but I wasn't sure if my mind was clouded by what she was.

I was still in awe, these months later.

Was I messing things up? When she arrived, should I beg her forgiveness and try to be whatever it was she wanted?

She'd give me a good life; I was sure of that. I'd be safe and well cared for. I'd lack for nothing.

Was that true?

If she didn't love me, I'd lack for love.

Would I have friends? Perhaps.

Would I be respected? I wasn't too sure about that. I didn't feel I had anything any of them found worth respecting. I could see the respect they had for each other, but I wasn't anything they seemed to covet or respect. I wasn't rich or powerful. I certainly wasn't strong or fast.

Could I be happy if she didn't love me? If she didn't respect me? Would I just be the human pet?

That was an ironic thought. She was the one that looked like a pet, not me.

I slept, but it was fitful, and sometime in the middle of the night, I took more ibuprofen.

I was ragged by morning, and I felt every single one of my years, and then some. I popped more ibuprofen and stood under the shower for a long, long time.

After that, I kept myself busy until late afternoon. I made some calls related to an upcoming GreEN event, worked on some of my photographs from the diving trip, and found other ways to distract myself.

More or less.

At four, I gave up. I took another hot bath, soaking for a long time before climbing out of the tub. September was here, but it was a nice day outside, so I wore a light dress and selected a pashmina in case it grew chilly later.

Then I did some surfing while I waited for Elisabeth.

An hour later there was a knock at the door. I guess when you are the pack head enforcer and your sister owns the building, the security guard doesn't announce you. I wasn't sure how I felt about that.

I hurried to the door, peeked to be sure it was she, and then opened. We stood there, staring at each other for a minute.

She was dressed in her professional clothes, a grey pantsuit. As she always did, she looked amazing, and I couldn't help but smile. We might be having difficulties, but this amazing woman was here to see me.

"Hey," I said in a soft voice.

"Hey," she echoed, stepping into the apartment. I closed the door and moved into her arms.

We kissed, but it wasn't as warm as I might have preferred. But then when she lightened her arms around me, I refused to let her go, laying my head against her shoulder. I breathed her in deeply.

We stayed like that for a minute or so. I didn't want to let her go. As long as she held me like this, I could believe the best. I could believe all would be right with the world, or at least my little corner of it.

"We should go," she said finally. "We have reservations."

"Oh," I said. "Right. Sorry."

"Don't be sorry," she said. "You feel good."

I stepped away, collected my shoes and pashmina, and we headed out.

She didn't hold my hand on the way to her car, but she did have a hand at the center of my back, directing me. I'd found that all the wolves did this. I'd watched Lara and Serena both do it with Michaela. Elisabeth, Portia, Karen and even Monique had found ways to guide me where they wanted me. I didn't have enough experience to know if it went beyond the fox and me.

There was a time I would have found it, oh, I don't know. Maybe condescending. But when Elisabeth did it, it felt comforting. I wondered if I would always feel that way.

She was driving her SUV tonight, and she handed me into the car. "Very gallant," I said, settling into the seat. She just nodded and gently closed the door for me.

I didn't ask where we were going; I was pretty sure it would be The Green Room. Instead, during the drive, we exchanged notes for the day. I told her what I had done. She told me about business meetings Lara had held.

"Do you have to protect her?"

"Not necessarily, but we don't let her go anywhere without some sort of escort."

"But Karen is her head of security."

"Yes, but Karen doesn't have a business degree."

"She relies on your opinion."

"Yes, she relies on my opinion."

I thought about it and realized that was another way we were different; no one relied on my opinion. I had to fight to get anyone to listen to me, and it occurred to me that's how I'd spent most of my life.

I was wondering why I cared. Why did I fight so hard? Why did I fight so hard for GreEN? Why was I so convinced I was right.

"Elisabeth?"

"Yes?"

"Do you…" I stopped and looked out the window.

"Do I what?"

"What is your opinion of what I do for GreEN?"

"I think you're very passionate."

I didn't say anything but continued to watch the world roll past the window.

"That wasn't what you wanted to hear, was it?"

"You think I'm wasting my time. Maybe you even think I'm wrong."

"I don't think either of those things," she said. "And it's not fair of you to assume."

I turned back to look at her. She glanced over. "I didn't ask about my emotional state; I asked about what I do, and you answered with a response about my zeal, not about the worth of my goals."

"All right," she replied. "I liken you to Don Quixote."

I looked back out the window. "I'm looking at windmills and seeing dragons?"

"No. But I think you're fighting a losing fight."

"It's an important fight," I replied hotly.

"I agree. I would argue that Lara and Michaela are accomplishing more in the fight than you are, and I would argue that you could accomplish more than you do."

I turned to glare at her.

"You asked," she said defensively.

"You think I'm ineffective."

"I think economics is going to win."

"That's a path to complete, utter ruin!"

"I agree."

"So… You're not making sense!"

"That's because it's a complicated topic," she replied. "Give me a few concrete things that you feel need to happen."

"We need to stop burning fossil fuels!"

"Okay, good," Elisabeth replied. "What have you done about it?"

"I work to educate people!"

"What is the path to freeing us from fossil fuels?" she asked.

"Exploration and implementation of alternative sources of energy."

"Good," she said. "Such as wind turbines?"

"Exactly."

"All right. How many wind turbines has GreEN erected in Wisconsin?"

"But they're expensive!"

She pulled into the parking lot for The Green Room, parked, and turned to me. "I could be wrong on this, Zoe, but it seems to me there's something different you could be doing."

"What?"

"You could find ways to pay for wind turbines."

"But…"

"But what?" she asked. "The one Lara put up was expensive, but you wouldn't have to start that big."

"I barely have two pennies to rub together!"

"Try thinking outside the box," she said. "You're a smart woman."

"You think I should beg for donations towards a turbine farm?"

"You could," she said. "Or you could earn it."

"Yeah, because I'm rolling in dough from selling photographs."

"I've seen your photos," she said. "They're good. I've also watched you during your pack duty days. You're really good with the kids, and you know your stuff. So why not host getaways? You could lead nature trips or nature photography trips. Use them to fund wind turbines or solar panel farms. Or take a job that actually pays something. Your expenses are incredibly low right now, so you could apply most of what you make towards your solar farm fund."

"But what I do for GreEN is important!"

"What have you accomplished?"

"You don't respect what I do!"

"I respect what you're trying to do. But if you think outside the box, I believe you could accomplish more than you have historically."

I deflated and looked out the window.

"Zoe, you are spending all your time trying to convince other people to do what you think they should. And if you succeeded, that would be fabulous. But instead of trying to get other people to do the right thing, why not lead by example? Instead of expecting other people to put up that solar farm, do it yourself."

I didn't say anything. We sat there for a minute before she added, "Just think about it. Mull it over. If you want to talk some more, we can. But I think I've said more than you can accept right now. I want to be clear. I respect you. I respect you a great deal. Now, I want you to look at me."

I turned to face her; I was sure my face was filled with shame, and I knew I was on the edge of tears.

"If you decide to build that solar farm, I'll help you."

I didn't know what to say about that.

"You're not ready to think about that, but when you are, come see me. All right?"

I nodded.

"I respect _you_ , Zoe," she said. "I respect what you are trying to do. I think trying to get others to do the right thing is a terribly difficult thing, and I believe you could accomplish more, especially with just a little help from the pack."

"The pack."

"Yes. The pack, of which you are a valued member."

I looked away. I might be a member, and maybe Lara said it was more than honorary, but I wasn't sure whether I believed any of that. "All right," I said. I looked back at her. "I guess that's not as bad as it could have been."

"Maybe after you mull it over, you'll start to form your own ideas. If you don't want to talk to me about them, you can talk to Michaela. She loves to talk about this stuff. But she doesn't have the business acumen you need. Lara and I, on the other hand…" She trailed off. "All right?"

I nodded. "All right."

"Good." And at that, she climbed from the vehicle. I hurried to catch up to her.

"This table looks familiar."

"I called before five," she said.

"You meant that literally, on our first date, when you said this table was reserved."

"Yes," she said. "It's my favorite place in the entire restaurant."

"And did you warn them your favorite vegan was coming?"

"Not this time." She smiled. "But have no fear."

We made small talk for a minute before the waitress arrived. This was a different waitress than last time, and I could tell right away, she was another werewolf.

"Good evening, Ms. Burns," the woman said.

"Hello, Jodie," Elisabeth replied. "Ms. Young would like to see the vegan menu, please."

"Of course," the waitress said. "One moment." The woman was gone only seconds before reappearing, sliding a single sheet of thick paper into my hands. "These are the items we guarantee to be vegan. Some of them appear on the main menu, and some are specific to this menu. Do you know what you would care to drink?"

She bustled away a moment later, and I turned to Elisabeth, waving the menu at her. "A vegan menu?"

She grinned. "It is very little trouble to have it available, and perhaps word will get around. I understand some of the choices are quite tasty, if you're a rabbit."

I frowned. "I'm not a rabbit, Elisabeth." I said it sternly.

In response, she held her hands up defensively. "A little joke. Banter. Offense was not intended."

"I'm not prey," I added.

"Of course not. You're right. I won't say it again."

I nodded. I shouldn't have been that touchy. She had arranged the menu for me. So I apologized, then waved the menu. "This was sweet. Thank you."

I looked through the menu. It wasn't lengthy, but the choices actually sounded good. It took little time to make my decision. Jodie reappeared with our drinks and a basket of bread she assured me was vegan.

"It seems unlikely you get enough vegans to justify keeping vegan bread. Won't it grow old?"

"We go through a lot of bread, and people eat this as much as anything else," she explained. "We serve a few slices of a variety of breads, including this."

We ordered and then busied ourselves with the bread and refreshments for a minute. Neither of us said anything. I think we both knew there would be a difficult conversation. I didn't know how it was going to end. I wasn't sure Elisabeth did, either.

Finally I couldn't stand it anymore. "What are we doing?"

"Having dinner together."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." She didn't say anything. "How embarrassed are you to be with me?"

"What?"

"Come on, Elisabeth. I'm the scaredy-human. Are the other…" I looked around. I thought perhaps we were far enough from the other tables no one would hear me, but I realized I shouldn't assume. I started over. "Do your friends and family laugh about our relationship?"

"Zoe…"

"Do they?"

"There is some humor about some aspects."

"Like what a wimp I am?"

"Like, no one understands being vegan. And there has been some conjecture over how a vegan will get along with an… um…"

"Avowed carnivore?"

"Exactly," she said. "That conjecture grew louder when you left last night while we were hunting. Whether it's true or not, people asked if you were mad that we went for a hunt."

"I wasn't mad," I said. "But I don't want to watch, either. Tell me, did you come home with blood on your… um…"

She looked away. "I'm not going to apologize for what I am."

"I don't believe I ever asked you to. I haven't offered one single ounce of criticism over your dining habits. But that doesn't mean I want to watch when it's that primal."

She turned back. "And is that what you would tell a natural wolf pack? That they can't eat their natural food?"

"I didn't say you couldn't eat what you eat. I just said I don't want to watch. Is it so important to you that I watch?"

"Maybe it's important to me that you accept what I am."

"I revel in what you are, Elisabeth."

"Not all of it."

I thought about it. "No, I guess not. But when I nearly wet my pants last night, did you revel in that, or were you disgusted?"

"I was disgusted," she said right away. "But not at you. I was disgusted with myself."

"Excuse me?"

"You should have won," she said. "The wager wasn't whether I could scare you. The wager was whether you could allow Lara and me to jump over you without a poor reaction. Michaela should have declared me forfeit. I'm sorry."

I stared at her, not sure how to respond. I lowered my eyes. "I'm sorry I thought the worst."

"Why are you sorry?" she asked. "I portrayed the worst. And in a similar situation in the future, I'll probably be just as bad."

"Excuse me?"

"I told you before. I play to win. I'm driven to play to win, and I don't seem to be able to hold back."

I looked back up. "Um. Does that trait run in the family?"

"It runs amongst the most dominant members of the family. Lara is as bad as I am."

I closed my eyes for a moment, then took a big breath and opened them. "What do you want to do?"

She looked away again.

"I know I'm not your dream girl," I said. "You're magnificent, Elisabeth. Amazing. Stunning. I don't have enough adjectives. And you're dating down."

"I am not!" she said hotly. But she didn't look at me.

"Look me in the eye and tell me I'm your equal."

She turned to face me. "Zoe…"

"If you can't do that, then tell me I'm Michaela's equal."

"Zoe," she said, making it a whine.

"I've seen the way you look at her, Elisabeth," I said. Her eyes widened, and I went on. "You want what your sister has. You want someone who measures up as highly as Michaela does. And we both know that's not me. It will never be me. I'll never run with you, not really. I'll certainly never hunt with you. Everything we ever do, you'll have to carry me. I'll be your albatross, and the entire time, you'll see your sister and sister-in-law, and you'll grow to resent me."

"Zoe…" it was another whine.

"Am I wrong?" I asked. "Tell me I'm wrong." I looked at my hands. "Tell me you didn't come here to break up with me."

"I didn't!" she said sternly. "I-"

Neither of us said anything for a while. The tension between us grew, and Jodie walked into it bringing our food. She set everything down quietly, asked us if we needed anything, and beat a hasty retreat.

I'd lost my appetite and ended up picking at my food, eating slowly. Elisabeth didn't eat with her usual gusto, either. We ate silently for a while until I was just pushing my food around the plate, and Elisabeth was staring into space.

Jodie stopped back. Elisabeth asked her to box up what was left.

"Was everything okay?"

"It was fine," Elisabeth assured her. "It's just been a stressful week."

Five minutes later, we were back in her car. Neither of us said a word until we pulled up in front of my apartment building. She got out of the car with me.

"You don't have to see me in," I said. "I know the way."

"I'm coming in," she replied.

"I don't recall inviting you."

"I'm coming in anyway," she said. I stared at her for a moment before nodding.

Even as upset as we both were, she still put a hand on my back. It felt good, and I was going to miss it. Inside, I was dead. She was the most amazing woman I'd ever dated, and I was losing her before I really had her.

Inside, I busied myself putting my leftovers away. Elisabeth waited for me in the living room. When I finally appeared, she turned to me and pulled me into her arms.

"What are you doing?"

She tried to kiss me. I fended her off. "If you think you're going to fix this with a booty call, you're crazy."

She didn't release me right away. "You have to admit the sex is pretty damned good."

"Yeah," I said. "When you have time for me."

"Is that what this is about?" she asked hotly. "As I recall, you're the one who ran yesterday, and you're the one who said we should go slowly."

I pushed away from her, and she let me go, turning my back on her. "Tell me I was wrong earlier. Tell me you're not dating down. Tell me you're falling in love with me. Tell me you can't envision a life without me."

"Zoe…" she put her hands on my shoulders, but I pulled away and turned around to face her.

"You can't say any of those, can you?" I said. "Not a single one."

She huffed. "No. We just need more time."

"More time for what?" I asked. "I'm not going to fit in any more than I already do. I don't belong there."

"You're wrong about that. Everyone likes you. Everyone wants you there. That's all you need to fit in. You should stop trying so hard to be a wolf and just be a human."

"I wasn't trying to be a wolf, Elisabeth. I was trying to be what you wanted."

She stared.

"Elisabeth, I would do a great deal to be with you. I would put up with your job. I would ignore, more or less, your diet. I could live with knowing I wasn't remotely your equal-"

"Zoe…"

"But there are a few things I won't compromise about. I won't be in a relationship unless I am both loved and respected."

"I respect you!"

"Oh please," I said.

"I do. You're… um…"

"Pretty good for a human?"

"Yes, exactly!"

"For a human. Doesn't that tell us everything we need to know?"

She huffed her displeasure. "Sit." She pointed. "You've had your say, now I am having mine."

I stared at her for a moment then moved to the sofa and sat down. She planted herself on the coffee table, facing me.

"You said last night neither of us was fully equipped to truly understand the other one."

"I remember."

"Well, I need to tell you more about Wolf. You will hear werewolves talk about their wolf almost as a second personality. That's not entirely accurate. I am Wolf and Wolf is I. But in a way, it is almost like two personalities, two beings, but really it is just two facets of the same person."

"All right."

"But for this conversation, it is appropriate to think of Wolf as something I become, distinct from Elisabeth."

"All right," I said again.

"Wolf has claimed you, Zoe. Wolf claimed you in that shower, and she has no intention to be denied."

I thought about what she said. "Is wolf a more primal facet, Elisabeth?" She nodded.

"You see?" she said. "We only need time. The rest will sort itself out. I-" she paused and licked her lips. "I'll take some time from work. Things are calm right now. Lara, Karen, Serena and Portia can handle everything. We'll go away, just the two of us."

I looked down. "Elisabeth, does Wolf love me?"

"Wolf thinks we're mated, Zoe."

"Does Wolf love me?"

"Zoe…"

"I'll take that as 'no'. So Wolf is claiming me, not because she loves me, but because she wishes to possess me. I'm just the weak human, easily possessed. I comfort your body; I ease some loneliness." I looked back up. "I'm _convenient_. Does that sum it up?"

"I-" she closed her mouth.

Inside, I was dying a little as I watched her work it out.

Finally, she spoke. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be," I said quietly. "It's been amazing. I dated a werewolf. How many people get to say that?" I put on a smile. I'm sure it wasn't much of a smile. "I had some of the best sex of my life. I got an amazing trip to Key West." I looked away and blinked the tears away. "Relationships don't have to be permanent to be worthwhile."

"Wolf would grow to love you," she said quietly. "I'd grow to love you. We'd take very, very good care of you."

"I know you would," I said. "But you would resent me. You shouldn't settle, Elisabeth. You want more than me."

She didn't deny it, but finally she said, "Zoe, I think what I want doesn't exist."

I started to quietly cry. "I don't want to be the consolation prize, Elisabeth."

She didn't say anything else, but she pulled me into her arms. I let her. I cried on her shoulder. I felt stupid for doing it.

"You're not a consolation prize," she murmured to me. "You're amazing."

Maybe, but I wasn't amazing enough, and we both knew it.

I cried myself out then pushed away from her. I stood up. "It's been amazing, Elisabeth," I said. "You're amazing. I could watch you for hours, in both your forms."

She stood and put her hands on my shoulders. Then she bent her head and kissed my forehead.

"I'm sorry, Zoe. Should I call someone to come over?"

"No. I'll be fine."

I led her to the front door and again assured her I'd be fine.

Except I knew I wouldn't be.

 **Part Three**

 **Visitors**

An hour later when my phone rang, I was in bed, wrapped around a pillow and wondering if I'd made a mistake.

She'd have taken care of me. That had never been a consideration for me before, and I couldn't say why it mattered now.

It would have been exciting. That hadn't mattered before, either.

I rolled over and looked at the phone. Michaela. I stared at it, then let it go to voicemail. I didn't want to hear from her what a mistake I was making. I really didn't care to get yelled at for dumping her sister-in-law.

Over the next fifteen minutes, the phone rang twice more. Michaela left a voice message and sent two text messages. "Call me."

I deleted the voice message without listening to it. I stared at the text message for a long time then deleted that, too. Then I turned off the phone and shoved it into a drawer.

It took a long time to get to sleep.

To some extent or another, I wallowed for another several days. I handled my photography business and did a little business for GreEN.

I left my phone in the drawer.

I couldn't entirely ignore email, but I deleted any from the pack. In hindsight, that was probably not very wise, but I did it anyway.

Saturday night was pack play night. I didn't go.

By Tuesday, I began to worry ignoring everyone would result in people showing up on my doorstep. And so I packed my car with my camping gear, told the guard I would be gone camping for a few days, and then headed for Door County.

I stayed a week, taking countless photos.

Slowly, I put my old life back together. I buried myself in my two jobs. I put my best photos up for sale on my web site and took some of the lesser photos and made them available on some of the images-for-sale sites. I never got a lot of money from them that way, but every little bit helped.

I dug around and found a few photo contests to enter. I did my submissions.

And, of course, I dived headfirst back into my work for GreEN. I had more money now, thanks to Lara's generous donation of an apartment, and so I was able to print several thousand color flyers. I went around to various free venues around town, passing out what I had. I attended softball games, little league games, malls, and just wandered through city parks.

At one of the softball games, I got hit on. She said her name was Stef. She was a few years younger than I was and a little pushy. I thought about letting her take me home, but finally I told her, "I just got out of a relationship, and I'm not ready for anything, Stef."

She tried suggesting a little quick fun, but I declined. She shrugged. A few minutes later, I saw her chatting up someone else.

I based out a lot of my flyers. Over the next three weeks, I also added twenty people to my mailing list, although I thought perhaps a few were fake addresses. And I recruited two new volunteers, a gay couple named Dan and Shannon. They accepted a small stack of my flyers and promised to pass them out to their friends. They didn't recruit any new volunteers, but they did end up sending me several more addresses for the GreEN network.

In spite of what Elisabeth had said, I was doing something right.

I probably shouldn't have been surprised. I had thought if I ignored them long enough, they would leave me alone.

I was wrong.

It was only chance I was home. It was Wednesday, late in September. I'd just come home for a break; I intended to hit the evening softball games in a couple of hours. But I was home, resting on the sofa for a few minutes when there was knocking at the door.

"Fuck!"

The number of people who could be knocking was limited, and they were all pack. I had my phone turned back on; I'd done so for a while. But it hadn't rung. The guard had decided not to announce my visitors. That meant whoever was at the door was either an alpha or an enforcer.

I moved to the door and looked through the peephole. Portia, Eric and Rory were standing on my doorstep, and their expressions weren't friendly.

"Fuck," I said again. "Oh fuck. Oh fuck."

I was sure it wasn't a friendly visit. I didn't think Lara would send three enforcers on a whim. I was sure I was in trouble. I didn't know how much, but I was convinced it would be bad.

Possibly fatal.

I panicked. I didn't know what to do, and I reacted in panic.

I grabbed my purse, made sure I had my car key, and headed for the balcony. My apartment was on the second floor. I climbed over the railing, climbed carefully down, hung for a moment, then dropped to the grass. I let myself collapse as I landed, rolling onto my bottom, but I avoided spraining an ankle.

Normally I park underground, but I hadn't been staying long, and it was actually a little faster to park outside. I ran around the exterior of the building and made a dash to my car.

"Zoe!" I heard as I opened the car door. "Zoe!"

I looked. Monique was standing near the front door to the apartment building.

"No, no, no!" I said. I climbed into my car and imagined the tires squealing as I pulled out of my parking spot.

All right. It was a Prius. The tires didn't actually squeal.

I headed for the exit, but I saw Monique break into a run, trying to cut me off. I floored it.

People make a lot of jokes about the Prius, all based on the presumption it has no acceleration and a top speed of fifty. Neither of those is fair. No, it wasn't a sports car, but it didn't wallow, either. And while I wasn't an aggressive driver, I knew from driving the interstates it had a top speed well over fifty and far higher than I ever drove. It handled like any other car.

But Monique still beat me, jumping in front of me with her hand out. I slammed on the brakes, barely coming to a stop inches from her.

"Are you crazy?" I screamed at her.

She didn't answer me. Instead, she pulled out her phone, and I knew she was calling the other wolves.

I looked around wildly. I had to escape. I had to escape. I couldn't let them take me. I couldn't let them throw me back in that cell again! Or worse. I didn't deserve that!

There was only one exit from the parking lot, but the lot wasn't terribly full, and at this point, I thought the offense of driving over Lara's grass was the least of my concerns. I put the car in reverse and hit the gas, speeding away from Monique.

She ran after me, and while the Prius isn't as slow as people think, Monique was faster.

"Zoe, stop!" she screamed, and then she threw herself on the hood, clasping at the edge right below the windshield. "Stop!"

"Let me go! Monique, let me go!"

I didn't want to hurt her. I didn't want to hurt anyone. Even in my panic, I recognized that. I brought the car to a stop.

But I rolled the window down. "Monique, please, I'm begging you. Just tell them I got away. Please just let me go."

But it was too late. The other wolves exited the building at a run, and a moment later, my car was surrounded.

Portia came to my door. "What's the matter with you?" she asked. Then she leaned in and pressed the Park button on my car followed by the power button to turn it off. She opened my door and pulled me from the car. She turned me to face her. "What is the matter with you?" she asked again.

I gibbered in fear at her. "Please let me go. I won't tell. I won't tell. I won't tell!"

"Zoe," she said firmly. "Calm down. What are you babbling about?"

"I won't tell. I didn't tell. I only went camping! I took pictures. That's all!"

She didn't respond. Instead, she held me tightly with one hand and went digging in my pocket. I tried to squirm away from her. "What are you doing?"

"Hold still. I want your car key."

"Please, Portia. Just let me go. I'll go far away. You'll never hear from me again."

"Where's the key?" She patted my pockets. "Someone check her purse."

I started to cry. "Please, Portia. I won't tell! You know I won't tell."

"Of course you won't," she said. "That's not why we're here." She looked past me. "Good. Park the car, close it up, and bring her purse."

Then she tugged on my arm.

I tried pulling away from her, but of course, I couldn't. She didn't even register my feeble attempt. Instead, she began pulling me towards a waiting SUV. Monique stepped up on my left, taking my other arm, and together they marched me towards the vehicle. I tried digging my heels in, but I just slid along, my tennis shoes grinding along the pavement.

I'm sure they noticed, but if they did, they gave no indication.

Eric stepped past us and opened the door of the car. I began to struggle in earnest, keening to "please let me go," but with little ceremony at all, the three of them picked me up and stuffed me into the vehicle.

"Buckle her in," Portia told Monique.

"What's wrong with her?" Monique asked while following the order.

"She's inaccurately assuming the worst," Portia said.

Inaccurately my ass.

Once I was buckled in, they both released my arms. That was a mistake. I unsnapped the buckle and then tried to attack Portia, hoping to crawl past her and back out of the car.

She fended me off and shoved me back into my seat, capturing both my wrists. Monique buckled me back in, and then they each held one of my arms.

Rory climbed into the front seat, and a moment later, Eric behind the wheel, we were driving away.

"Rory," said Portia. "Call Elisabeth then give me your phone."

I hadn't stopped keening. "Noooooo… Please just let me go." I struggled with the two wolves, but they barely noticed.

Portia shifted her grip and rotated in her seat to fully face me. She held my wrist with one hand and clasped my cheeks with the other. She turned my head to face her.

"Zoe!" she said firmly. "Calm down!"

"I didn't do anything!" I wailed. "I didn't do anything!"

"We know you didn't."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"If you would have answered your phone when the alpha called, we wouldn't be. Now calm down. You're in trouble, but not this much trouble."

"You're going to kill me!"

"For what?" she asked. "Do you think we're going to kill you because you wouldn't answer the phone? Is that what you think of us?"

"Of course not! Just let me go."

"Why do you think we're going to hurt you, Zoe?" she asked firmly. She still hadn't released my face.

"It was a close thing before! Admit it. Lara nearly killed me three months ago, and I hadn't done a thing. Now that Elisabeth isn't protecting me, you're here to finish it."

She stared into my eyes. "We came to bring you to dinner," she said. "That's all." She released my face and turned to the front. Rory held the phone out, and she took it from her.

I could hear Elisabeth's voice, but couldn't make out her side of the conversation. "Yeah," said Portia. "She assumed the worst the moment we showed up on her doorstep." Pause. "No, nobody hurt, but she's clearly terrified." Pause. "No, we didn't get a chance. If it wasn't for Monique, she'd have gotten clean away." Pause. "No, we've got it under control." Then she looked straight at me. "Did you want to talk to Elisabeth?"

"No," I said sullenly. "You have no right to kidnap me."

Portia stared for a moment then spoke into the phone. "She doesn't seem to fully understand what it means to be a member of a wolf pack," she told Elisabeth. "She seems to believe we turn on each other, and she seems to have forgotten her responsibilities and her position in the pack. If she was a wolf, we'd be rapping her upside the head a few times." Then she looked at me pointedly. "But we don't do that with humans."

"You are turning on me!" I said. "Let me go!"

Portia ignored me. "We'll be there in… How long, Eric?"

"Twenty minutes," he replied.

"Twenty minutes, Head Enforcer," Portia relayed. "If she makes another run for it, we'll tie her up."

I knew that last part was for my benefit. Portia hung up the phone and handed it back to Rory.

I looked away, but Monique was right there. My lap was the only place to rest my eyes that didn't have a wolf looking at me.

"It doesn't take four enforcers to bring me to dinner," I said in a small voice.

"Clearly it takes more than one," Portia said.

"Maybe if there had been only one, I wouldn't have panicked."

"If we release your hands, are you going to remain calm?"

I thought about it. I was still terrified, but I also felt myself turning belligerent. "No," I replied.

Portia sighed. "We're not going to hurt you, Zoe. Why would you think that?"

"Gee, I wonder," I said. I struggled with their clasp on my wrists for a moment, making my point.

"Let her go, Monique," Portia said. "She's not going anywhere."

They both released my wrists, and I set my hands in my lap, still looking down. "Apparently, that's not true," I said. "Whether I like it or not, I'm going wherever you decide."

"Yes, well," Portia replied. "You're going to your alpha for a well-deserved chastisement."

"For what? Breaking up with her sister?"

"Well, I meant Michaela," Portia said, "so sister-in-law. But no. For ignoring her calls. When the alpha or an enforcer calls you, you answer. If you miss the call, you call back. You don't go off the grid for a month. You had plenty of time to get over a broken heart and start taking calls."

"She was calling to yell at me."

"Did you listen to the voice messages? Don't even try denying you received them."

I didn't answer her.

"If you didn't listen to the messages, then you don't know what she wanted, do you?"

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" I wailed. "I haven't done anything wrong!"

We sat quietly for a minute before Portia said, "I thought we were friends, Zoe. How could you think we were coming to hurt you?"

At that I looked up. "We both know you'll do what the alpha tells you to do. And friends don't kidnap you."

"Well, I thought you and Michaela were friends, too."

"It's not Michaela I'm afraid of."

Portia shook her head.

"Don't look at me like that!" I said. "I was given ample reason to be afraid of her. And I know for a fact Elisabeth is willing to frighten and intimidate me for little more than a game. And if we were friends, why are you doing this to me?"

"Why do you think Michaela sent me?" she asked.

"Why did she send four of you?" I countered. "It only takes one to stop by and tell me to answer my phone. Or it doesn't even require that. She could have relayed a message through Vincent." Vincent was one of the guards at the apartment building.

"Frankly, this is none of Vincent's business," Portia replied. "And we were showing up as friends, Zoe."

"Bullshit. You were there as enforcers," I countered.

"All right. We were there as both. We were going to invite ourselves in, chat for a bit, joke around a little, then take you to dinner."

"Well, I don't want to go to dinner."

"Yeah, we figured that out," Eric said from the front seat. "But that part isn't optional. Michaela wants to talk to you."

"Then she could have come herself. She doesn't need to have me hauled home like an errant child."

"Well, that's how you're acting," he said.

"I don't belong there!" I exclaimed. "I'm just a weak, worthless, scaredy-human. I'll never fit in, and we all know it."

"You were fitting in just fine," Eric said.

"You already know what I think," Portia said. "You were trying too hard."

"I was just doing what Eric told me to do," I muttered.

"I told you to play," he countered. "I thought you'd have enough sense to know your limits."

"So it's my fault wolves don't know how to play with a human?"

No one responded immediately but Eric said finally, "We don't get a lot of practice."

"Well," I said. "I've gotten even less."

We rode quietly after that. I didn't make any more trouble, and they didn't berate me further. But I was sick to my stomach, and knew the worst was yet to come. My anxiety increased as we drew closer to the compound.

"Calm down, Zoe," Portia whispered. "It's not that bad."

"Easy for you to say."

"What do you think is going to happen?"

I didn't know, which was fueling half of my fear. But if it took four enforcers to pick me up, I knew it couldn't be good. I didn't answer her.

We pulled into the compound and parked. Eric and Rory got out of the car, but Portia turned to me and clasped my chin, drawing my gaze back to her.

"Whether you believe it or not, I am your friend."

"Do friends kidnap friends?" I asked.

"We didn't kidnap you."

"You dragged me out of my car and then forcefully shoved me into this one before driving away with me. What would you call it?"

"An intervention. I am your friend, Zoe. So are the rest of us. So, by the way, are Michaela, Lara and Elisabeth."

It didn't feel like it. "It feels like kidnapping to me," I muttered. "Whatever."

Portia didn't say anything, but she stared into my eyes for a minute longer before releasing me. By the time she turned to the door, Rory had it opened. She slipped out then turned back to face me. "Come on."

Monique didn't wait for me but released my seatbelt herself. I stared at Portia for a moment, but Monique nudged me, and I found myself moving towards Portia. She grabbed an arm and carefully but firmly pulled me from the car. Then she kept possession of my arm. A moment later, Monique was on the other side.

I thought they would take me to Michaela's house, but we turned to the barracks. We closed half the distance before the panic fully returned.

"No," I whimpered. "Please don't do this, Portia."

She ignored me, and they continued to pull me towards the barracks, in the basement of which was a far too familiar cell. I was sure that's where they were taking me.

Futilely, I began to drag my heels into the dirt again. It didn't do me any more good than it had back at the apartment. As we drew closer and closer to the doors, I increased my frantic attempts at escape, scrambling my feet and squirming in their grasp.

They didn't slip in the lightest, although Monique was holding my arm so tightly I knew she was leaving bruises.

"Zoe! Calm down!"

"No!" I keened. "No!"

Eric opened the door of the barracks. Portia and Monique dragged me to the doorway, but I stretched out my feet and braced them against the doorframe.

"Don't do this!" I screamed. "Don't lock me in that cell again!"

I pushed and struggled, frantic, out of my mind with fear. Portia and Monique struggled to push me through the door, but they were controlling their strength, and for a moment we had a standoff.

But then Rory stepped forward, wrapped his arms around my waist, and then slithered down until he had fully captured my legs.

"No!" I screamed. I squirmed and squirmed, but the three of them carried me into the barracks.

"Zoe!" Portia said. "Calm down! Zoe!"

"No!" I screamed.

"We're not taking you to the cell. We're taking you upstairs."

"I don't believe you!" I wailed.

And so, while I squirmed and struggled, the three of them carried me deeper into the building and, just as Portia said, up the stairs. But I was so out of my mind with panic that all I could think of was trying to escape, and so I continued to struggle.

Eric ran ahead and opened the next set of doors and then again for the final set of doors.

And so, quite humiliatingly, I was carried into the conference room, still struggling and, I was sure, foaming at the mouth.

They came to a stop. I continued to struggle, keening the entire time. I looked around wildly; Elisabeth, both alphas, and several other enforcers were waiting for me, all of them staring at me.

"This is an unexpected entrance," Michaela said loudly enough to be heard over the noises I was making.

"In spite of my efforts to convince her otherwise, she seems to think the worst," Portia replied. "We'd put her down, but I'm afraid she's going to hurt herself."

"I was given to believe she had calmed down," Elisabeth said.

"She lost it when she decided we were tossing her downstairs," Portia explained. "Maybe we should just hold her until she wears herself out."

"No," said Michaela. She moved closer, and I fixed my eyes on her. She captured my gaze and came to a stop beside me. "She's going to calm down. Right now."

As if.

I renewed my struggles.

"Eric," Michaela said. "Guard the door. Rory, set her down."

And just like that, I found my feet on the floor, although I was still supported between Portia and Monique. I continued to try to break free of their grasp, completely out of my mind.

"Let her go," Michaela commanded. "And back away."

"But-" said Portia.

"Do what I said," Michaela said firmly.

"Yes, Alpha," Portia replied. But she adjusted her grip, moving behind me and holding me against her chest with one arm. "Monique, go," she ordered.

From my left, Monique released my arm, and then it was only Portia I struggled with. I squirmed for a moment, but she pulled me tightly against her chest then bent her head.

"Zoe, I'm going to release you," she said. "No one is going to hurt you."

"Much," added Elisabeth.

"You're not helping, Enforcer," Michaela said. "Shut up."

"Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth replied.

"Release her, Portia," Michaela said.

She began to relax her hold, and suddenly I burst away from her, scrambling backwards until felt the far wall behind me.

No one pursued me.

I breathed heavily, looking around the room for a path to freedom. Eric and Rory were both in front of the doors, and I knew I couldn't get past them. There were no other doors or windows.

I was trapped.

Then, slowly, Michaela moved closer to me, speaking quietly. "Calm down, Zoe. You have entirely overreacted."

My eyes fixed on her as she approached me at an oblique angle.

"That's right," she said softly. "Look at me. There you go."

I kept my back against the wall and panted at her, but I'd stopped keening and crying.

"There," she said, coming to a stop an arm's reach away. "Deep, slow breaths," she said. "Breathe with me." Then she took exaggerated breaths, and I found myself breathing with her. "Good," she said after a moment. "Deep, calming breaths. We're all friends here, Zoe." She continued to breathe at me, and I matched her.

"Doesn't feel like it," I managed to say.

"Yes, well," she said. "That is your fault, but we're not going to talk about that until you're calmer."

It felt like she was blaming the victim. "Talk?"

"Yes. Talk. Well, there might be some yelling. I suspect Elisabeth intends to growl a little."

I glanced over at Elisabeth.

"No," Michaela said. "Look at me, Zoe. Eyes on me."

I found myself obeying, looking down into her eyes. She moved just a little closer.

"Alpha…" said Serena from the other end of the room. My eyes snapped to her, and I pressed my back more firmly against the wall and began sliding away from Michaela, moving closer to the corner.

"No, no," Michaela said. "Zoe, look at me!" Her command was firm, but I stared at the wolves, all of them watching me intently. Their gazes were hard.

"They want to hurt me," I whimpered.

"No," Michaela said. "Zoe, please, look at me."

I snapped my eyes to her for a moment, but I was back to panting. While she was closest, she didn't feel like a threat, and my eyes traveled back to the wolves, watching all of them.

Michaela tried to interpose herself between me and the wolves, but she wasn't remotely big enough to block my view of all of them. As short as I was, I could still largely look over her head, and I could certainly look past her. She waved her hands at me. "Zoe! Zoe! Look at me. Breathe with me." She took more, exaggerated breaths. "Breathe with me, Zoe."

I looked back at her. "Please just let me go, Alpha."

"Zoe, you're not in this much trouble. Calm down so we can have a rational conversation."

"I-" I looked around wildly then settled my gaze back on her. Finally I slumped and turned away from all of them, leaning my shoulder against the wall while I stared into the corner.

That was when Michaela finished closing the distance. She pressed against my side, a hand on my shoulder. "No one is going to hurt you," she said gently.

I didn't respond right. I wasn't sure I believed her. I simply stared straight ahead. I was still deeply frightened, but my brain was starting to work again, and I was at least as embarrassed as I was frightened.

"Scaredy-human," I muttered eventually. "Elisabeth is right to be disgusted by me."

"No one is disgusted by you," Michaela said. "You should have seen me a few times." She raised her voice. "Monique, bring me a bottle of water." Then she spoke quietly, just for me again. "It's just Monique. She's a sweet girl, and she won't hurt you. She's bringing you water, then she'll retreat again."

I didn't respond. Monique passed a bottle to Michaela who opened it and then pressed it into my hands, clasping both of my hands around it.

"Take a little," she ordered. "Just a little. Don't choke."

I lifted the bottle and took a swing. I could taste my own fear in my mouth, and so I used more water to rinse before swallowing.

"There," Michaela said gently. "Keep breathing." She made her big breaths again. "Drink more of the water when you're ready."

I did what she said, but I turned further away from her as my embarrassment grew.

"Everyone is watching me," I whispered.

"Yep," Michaela agreed. "Welcome to my world." She rubbed my back for a while, speaking soothingly as I continued to calm down. "Ready to be yelled at?"

Inside, I was still in turmoil, frightened, embarrassed, and upset. But I sighed and nodded. Michaela took my hand and pulled me from the wall, leading me towards the assembled wolves. I followed docilely. "Normally we would make you stand for this, but I think it's best if you sit." She lifted her voice. "Portia, pull out a chair for her."

Portia grabbed a chair and spun it towards me. At Michaela's urging, I sat in it, but I couldn't help but look over my shoulder at the wolf.

"Stay calm," Michaela said. That was easy for her to say.

Portia turned the chair until I was facing Lara and then stepped away. Michaela moved to stand next to her mate. She took a deep breath.

"Head Enforcer," she said, "Say whatever you're going to say, then get out."

Elisabeth began moving towards me, and I looked up at her. She leaned over, resting her hands on the arms of the chair, deep into my personal space as she loomed over me. "If you were a wolf, running from the enforcers is a beating offense. To further complicate your offense, you nearly ran Monique over."

"That was her own fault!" I blurted. "She jumped in front of my car. I'm sorry if human reactions weren't fast enough to stop sooner." I said the last part sarcastically.

"She wouldn't have had to jump in front of your car if you hadn't been trying to run. She wouldn't have had to jump in front of your car if you had obeyed her when she told you to stop."

"She didn't have to jump in front of my car at all!" I spat. "She could have let me leave. That was her choice. You can yell at me for running if you want to, but I don't take responsibility for the choices others make."

"When an enforcer tells you to do something," Elisabeth said in a low voice, "you do it."

"I don't take orders from 15-year-olds," I said back.

"Would you have behaved any differently if it had been Eric yelling at you to stop?"

I looked down.

"That's what I thought," Elisabeth said. "I should put you over my knee and paddle your bottom red."

I snapped my eyes back up to her. "Just you try it," I said. "I'll-" I trailed off.

"You'll… what?" Elisabeth said, her eyes narrowed.

I tried a different tack. "We don't have that kind of relationship anymore," I said. "But is that how you get off? Treating your former lovers like a wayward child? Does the thought excite you? Is that what the big, strong wolf needs? Is that why you were dating down in the first place?"

She loomed closer. "No."

"Maybe you just like scaring me," I said. "You sure seemed to enjoy it the last time I was here."

"God damn it, Zoe!" she said. "I'm trying to scare some sense into you."

"So being afraid of you is an appropriate reaction, and I was fully justified in trying to run. Gee. I wonder why I didn't want to continue to come to dinners. It wasn't just that I didn't want to be around my former lover, the woman who didn't think I was good enough for her."

"You broke up with me!"

"I wasn't enough for you, and you even admitted it."

"Stay focused, Enforcer," Lara said.

Elisabeth froze for a moment, then she offered a flash of a smile. "I'm not here as your former lover," she said. "I am here as the Head Enforcer for the pack. What do I have to do to convince you to never run from an enforcer again? Are you going to make me beat you? What?"

"Go ahead!" I spat. "You're just looking for an excuse to put me in my place. Go ahead! I can't stop you."

"Enforcer," Michaela said. "She's not a rabbit, and you have her cornered."

Elisabeth shook the arms of the chair for a moment then straightened, stepping back a half yard. "No, Zoe," she said, "I am not looking for an excuse to do anything to you. I'm looking for an excuse not to."

I glared at her before turning away. "I was afraid," I said. "I panicked. Given the circumstances and everything that has happened since, I think my reactions were fully justified. It's called fight or flight. Look it up sometime."

She leaned back into my space, but not as close as she'd been before. "When an enforcer tells you to do something, you will do it." She punctuated each of the last three words. "When an enforcer shows up on your doorstep, you will open your door and smile. Or else."

"Or else?" I said. "Or else?" I squeaked that time. "Were you watching when I was carried in here? I wasn't half out of my mind; I was fully out of my mind. And you think threatening me is going to help?"

Elisabeth leaned forward with her hands on the arm of the chair again. She glared into my eyes from a few inches away. I glared back.

"You're not the frightened mouse they carried in here."

"Also called fight or flight," I said. "You really should look it up." But I lowered my gaze. "I get it. Assuming I'm not in a full-out panic, I'll do what I'm told. On the other hand, if I'm in a panic, you can expect the same reaction you got today, and all the threats in the world won't change it."

Then I looked up. "But if you lay a hand on me, you better be prepared to kill me. I will not tolerate abuse. And if you try putting me in that cell, I will go with the understanding I won't be leaving again."

"God damn it, Zoe!" she spat. "Shut up!"

"Go to hell."

"Well, this is productive," Michaela said. "Elisabeth, back off."

"I'm handling this, Alpha," Elisabeth said.

"You're treating a human like a wolf," Michaela said. "And if you threaten her one more time, she's going to say something that's awfully hard to forgive. Do you want her to start threatening back? She only has one threat, and if she says it, we have to kill her. Now back off!"

Elisabeth shook my chair again, but she stepped away. Michaela moved between us. She pointed at me. "You sit there and shut up." She didn't wait for me to respond, but she turned to Elisabeth.

"She needs to learn her place," Elisabeth stated before Michaela could say anything to her.

"We'll discuss it later, Elisabeth," Michaela said. "Was there anything else you needed to tell her as Head Enforcer?"

"I need to know if she's going to do what she's told," Elisabeth replied.

"She told you she would."

"She told me she'd run after nearly running over one of my enforcers!"

"That was her own fault!" I blurted.

Michaela spun to me. "I told you to be quiet. And don't even think of talking back to me."

Again she didn't wait but turned back to Elisabeth. "She said she'd obey if she wasn't in a blind panic. That's the best you're going to get from her. The trick now is to keep her from future panic."

"She had no reason to panic," Elisabeth said.

Michaela didn't even wait for my outburst. Without even looking, she pointed a finger at me. "We'll talk about that later as well," Michaela told Elisabeth. "Anything else?"

The two stared at each other for several heartbeats. "No, Alpha," Elisabeth said finally.

"Good. Wait right there." She turned around to face me. "You." She pointed at me. "Apologize to the head enforcer." She stepped sideways so I could see past her to Elisabeth.

"Her first," I said sullenly. "She's the one who threatened me."

"She was doing her job, and you know it," Michaela said firmly.

"Bullying me?" I asked. "That's her job? Don't any of you know bullying isn't socially acceptable anymore?"

From past Michaela, Lara cracked a smile. I stared at her. "You think that's funny, Alpha?"

"After a fashion," Lara replied. "Michaela said those very words to me the first time we met."

"Elisabeth's job is to discipline wayward pack members," Michaela explained. "Which you know. You were a wayward pack member, and a yelling is getting off lightly. Your continued tone isn't helping your situation. I think you're being intentionally belligerent because you're goading us into proving to you we're monsters."

I stared at her for a minute, then lowered my gaze. I wasn't sure she was entirely accurate, but it was fair to say I was goading them.

"Head Enforcer," I said, "I apologize for my tone." I didn't mean a single word of it.

No one responded. I wasn't sure if they were expecting more, but it was as much as they were going to get.

Finally Michaela said, "Elisabeth, accept the apology."

There was another pause, and then Elisabeth said, "Zoe, your tone is forgiven."

"Zoe, thank her."

I looked up. Elisabeth looked as upset as I felt. "Thank you," I managed to croak out. I didn't feel at all thankful. She should be apologizing to me.

"Head Enforcer," Michaela said firmly. "I will handle the rest of this. You need to calm down. Right now, the two of you don't respond well to each other. I wish your permission to reassign one or two of your enforcers. Do I have it?"

"Assignment of enforcers is my responsibility," Elisabeth said.

Michaela didn't take her eyes from me, but from beyond her, Lara stepped up next to Elisabeth and whispered in her ear. Elisabeth nodded and said, "Of course, Alpha. Whatever you need."

"Thank you. Go calm down, Elisabeth. Perhaps a swim before dinner will feel good. We could meet you in fifteen or twenty minutes."

"I'd like that, Michaela." She began moving to the door but then stopped beside me, looking down at me. She began to reach a hand out for me, and I stiffened, but didn't pull away. She dropped her hand and fled the room.

Michaela paced away from me for a minute while I sat in the chair, staring at the floor. Finally she came to a stop in front of me. "Are you going to try to run again?"

"I can't vouch for what happens if I panic," I replied.

"Are you about to panic?"

I looked up at her. "I don't know. I've been dragged from my car, kidnapped, carried up here, and been threatened not only with a beating but also with an execution. Fear and panic seem like pretty reasonable reactions to me." I glared for a moment. "If you intend to toss me in that cell, just get it over with."

Michaela pursed her lips. "That is not my intention," she said. She looked around. "Eric and Rory, I'm sure you can find something else to do. Monique, you have homework." Then she stopped, her gaze on Karen. "You too, Karen." She gestured with her head towards the door. A moment later, I was left in the room with the alphas, Serena and Portia.

Michaela turned back to me. "I am not pleased with you, Zoe."

I returned my gaze to the floor.

"Why didn't you return my calls?"

"I didn't want to listen to you yell at me or remind me I had to come to Wednesday dinners."

"If you had listened to my voice messages, or if you had actually called me the way you should have, you would know that's not why I was calling."

I looked up at her.

"I was calling to remind you that you have friends. I was calling to make sure _my friend_ was okay. And I was calling to tell you I understood if you needed some time away from the compound, but I was only giving you one month. That ended today."

She let me chew on that for a minute. Then she leaned close, the same as Elisabeth had, her hands on the sides of the chair. "This had better be the last time you ignore my calls. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," I replied in a small voice. I didn't apologize.

She straightened. "All right." Then she began pacing again. She stopped by Portia and said something too quiet for me to hear, then she paced her way to Lara. "Alpha, I find I must press charges against this pack member."

"What?" I squeaked.

She turned to me. "Shut up. Anything you say right now is going to make this worse. Just shut up."

She turned back to Lara. "One charge of insubordination for refusing my calls; one charge for running from the enforcers; one for refusing to stop when Monique ordered her to stop; another charge of insubordination for her tone with the head enforcer. And I'm not sure what charge to levy for nearly running Monique over."

"That was her fault!"

She spun to me. "And a charge of insubordination for _not shutting up_!"

I clamped my lips together.

She turned back to Lara. "I believe you once charged me with endangerment of a valued pack asset. I don't know if there is a more appropriate charge."

"Probably," said Lara, "but that one will do. Ms. Young, do you understand the charges levied against you?"

"I don't know the punishments," I said in a small voice. "Is there a trial? Do I get a lawyer?"

"In this case, insubordination would be handled with pack service," Lara said. "Endangerment of a valued pack resource is a more serious charge. There is a hearing, which we would conduct immediately. I have already heard the prosecution, so unless Michaela has more to say, you will present your defense and I will make a decision."

"No lawyer?"

"No. You will speak for yourself."

"I see, so your wife will prosecute me, and then you'll render judgment. That sounds like justice." I lowered my eyes. "I understand the charges."

She ignored my first words. "Good," said Lara. "Alpha?"

Michaela paced around for another minute. She came to a stop near me. "Alpha, if the defendant will plead guilty to the other charges, I will drop one charge of insubordination. I don't care which one."

"Ms. Young?" Lara asked.

I looked up at her. "I didn't do anything wrong, and I certainly didn't endanger Monique. That was her own fault. I stopped as quickly as I could. It was entirely her choice to jump in front of my car. I'm not pleading guilty to something that wasn't my fault."

"Alpha?" said Lara. "Do you wish to pursue this charge?"

Michaela considered me. "Ms. Young," she said. "I require you to answer my questions. Failure to do so will result in additional charges. Do you understand?"

"Yes," I said tightly.

"And a bad tone will result in additional charges as well." She paused. "Did you really think Monique would stand by idly as you drove off?"

"If it were as _friendly_ of a visit as everyone insists, yes," I said. "And if it wasn't, then I was right to run. In that case, it was self-preservation, and I'm not guilty of a thing."

"Do you admit that your actions endangered your own life?" she asked. "You could have had an accident in the parking lot. Were you clear-headed enough to even make it out onto the main road while looking both ways and evading the enforcers?"

"If no one had been chasing after me, I would have left far more calmly," I replied. "I will accept responsibility for my actions. I didn't have an accident. I didn't choose to step in front of speeding car."

"So you admit you were speeding?"

"Oh please. It's a Prius. I don't think I drove more than fifteen yards before she jumped in front of me. If I was doing more than twenty, I'd be shocked."

Michaela studied me then turned to Lara. "If she pleads guilty to the insubordination charges, I'll drop one of them. We can argue this last issue separately." Then she turned back to me and leaned closer. "Do not give me a reason to consider additional charges. Watch your tone."

I nodded. "Yes, Alpha."

"Ms. Young, do you plead guilty to five charges of insubordination?"

"So you call it insubordination to ignore calls from a friend?" I asked. "That's your assertion? You were calling as a friend? And the enforcers were there as friends?"

Michaela didn't answer.

"Call it was it is, _Alpha_." I stressed her title. "If you were calling as a friend, then why is it insubordination to hide from the call? If the enforcers were there as friends, why is it insubordination to hide from them? And I don't take orders from a 15-year-old, no matter what her title is."

Michaela still had no answer.

"If you are charging me with insubordination, then you were calling as the pack alpha, not as a friend," I stated. "If you are calling it insubordination, then the enforcers were there as enforcers, not friends." I crossed my arms over my chest and glared up at her.

Michaela stepped away, turning her back on me. She paced back and forth for a minute. Finally she turned around, facing me from perhaps fifteen feet away.

"Zoe, the punishment for insubordination is minor. I can't let you get away with your behavior. Do you really believe your behavior wasn't insubordination?"

I looked between them. "How much pack service?"

"I would pass sentencing when we're done," Lara said.

I turned fully to face her. "Am I agreeing to a thousand hours a charge?"

"Oh. No. Enough to sting." She paused. "Michaela should have charged you with aggravated insubordination for running. If you were a wolf, the standard punishment is a severe beating. Michaela spent two months under house arrest for it a few years ago."

I looked at Michaela. "Really?"

She nodded. "Long story."

I looked back at Lara. "If she was calling as a friend, as she claims, then it was not insubordination," I said. "It was, at most, rude. It was not insubordination to run from the enforcers; it was panic. And I will talk to Elisabeth however I please if she's going to threaten to beat me because I panicked. It was certainly not insubordination to refuse orders from a 15-year-old." I paused. "Nor do I believe it is insubordination to defend myself from false accusations. It is unreasonable to expect me to remain quiet while I am being slandered."

Then I looked at Michaela. "Tell me. Who prosecuted you for ditching your security a couple of months ago? Wasn't that insubordination?"

She huffed.

"The issues are not linked," Lara said.

"Of course not. Because just like in every government, those in power get away with breaking the rules while those of us with no power are trod upon." I glared back and forth between both of them.

Michaela huffed again then stepped away and paced back and forth a few times before turning back to face me.

"My initial phone calls were made as a friend," she said. "But I also made calls as the alpha to discuss your September pack service. Perhaps we should discuss dereliction of duty for skipping your September duty, and I believe you intended to skip October and November and every month thereafter. Do you want to escalate this, Zoe?"

I sighed and looked at the floor, quite sullenly. "I'll take the four charges of insubordination if she drops the other charges. I'm not taking responsibility for Monique's actions."

"That is not the offer," Michaela said. "That one we're arguing." But she turned to Lara. "However, if you judge her guilty, I will ask for leniency."

I sighed. "I'm not pleading guilty to insubordination for refusing Monique's order. She's not an enforcer; she's a student, and she's only fifteen."

"I said I would drop one," Michaela said.

"Fine," I said after a moment. "Four counts, but not the one about Monique. And I didn't endanger her. She did that all on her own."

"All right. Thank you." Lara paused. "Michaela, she has a point. Present your full argument."

Michaela paced again. She came to a stop in front of me. "You're guilty of something, Zoe. Until you started driving, you hadn't risked anyone. But once you got in the car, you had gone from a minor event to real danger. You risked your life and Monique's."

"Monique risked her life," I said. "She's the one who stepped in front of my car. If you want to charge someone for that, charge her."

"What if there had been a child who wandered out from between the other cars?" Michaela asked. "Monique could handle getting hit, but some human kid could not."

"Make up your mind," I said. "If she could handle it, then she wasn't at real risk, and this charge is…" I paused.

"Is what?"

"Unfair," I said. I had meant to say "bullshit", but I thought that might be more insubordination. "And there weren't any kids. You can't charge me based on what-if. What if I have a heart condition, and I have a heart attack from enforcer-induced fear? What if I landed badly while the wolves are playing with me, and I break a rib, that then pierces my heart? What if…" I faded away, not having other examples.

"I can certainly charge you if your actions create significant risk. You're playing with the odds, and eventually they'll catch up to you. Furthermore, it is the responsibility of everyone in the pack to maintain a low profile so as to avoid official interest. Racing out of the parking lot of a pack-owned apartment building is not maintaining a low profile."

Then she leaned closer. "And I can't let you get away with this, Zoe."

"Fine," I said tightly. "Whatever. She jumped in front of my car, but if I'm the one to get punished for it, what else should I expect?"

Michaela reared back and studied me.

"What is that supposed to mean?"

I stared at her before lowering my eyes. "Nothing."

"Oh no," she said. "Answer my question."

"I don't believe I am able to do so without additional charges of insubordination. I withdraw the statement."

Michaela turned to Lara.

"Ms. Young," Lara said. "Do you fear the additional charges due to the content of what you would say or the tone?"

"Quite likely both."

"If you can avoid extreme vitriol and strive for some level of respect," she said, "we will offer temporary amnesty. We require you to answer Michaela's questions."

Michaela turned back to me and raised an eyebrow.

"Fine," I said. "My experience with the pack has not been all roses. You were ready to murder me for accidentally catching your head enforcer on a video. It was her mistake, not mine, but I was the one who was going to pay. I did pay with a week of terrifying incarceration and an even more terrifying trip to the bank. Tell me: did Elisabeth pay for her mistake in being caught on video?"

"That's none of your concern," Lara said sternly.

"Fine. I'll take that as a 'no'. So again, those in a position of power break the rules, and those without any pay the price. So I paid for her mistake, and I nearly paid with my life. Since then I have tried very hard to fit in, but I failed to do so. This was made apparent the last time I was here when I engaged in the same banter everyone else does, but I got slapped down for it."

Michaela sighed. "I was protecting you."

"Everyone else banters with the alpha, but I make one flip remark and am sentenced to 11 days of labor for it. Why would I need protection when no one else does? I presume it's either because I'm human or because my status in the pack is just as honorary as I assumed when you forced me to join."

"Forced?" Lara echoed. "You asked for membership."

"That was before a week of terror. Maybe you're the big, strong, dominant wolf who never fears anything, but I'm not. And that brings us to today. In attempts to avoid my former lover, I chose to avoid social settings where she was certain to be. And for that crime, you sent four enforcers without warning to my home to bring me here against my will. I was pulled from my car, thrown into another car, subdued, and then carried to this meeting, literally kicking and screaming. Elisabeth threatened to beat me for the crime of being afraid. I haven't received that beating, but I now am facing multiple charges with unknown punishment — all for the human reaction of being afraid after you send a squad of werewolves to my front door. But that's not enough. You also want to charge me for things I didn't do, which is how this entire relationship began. You were going to murder me for Elisabeth's mistake, you've threatened today to murder me, and now you're going to craft more charges for Monique's actions. I think you're looking for an excuse to kill me, and suggesting I tried to hurt Monique sounds like a pretty good one."

I glared at them. "But I'm only human. I shouldn't expect to be treated fairly." I shook my head. "But no, I have no cause to be afraid. None at all. Right. I've been treated fairly since the beginning."

Michaela turned to Lara. "It's hard to believe this is the same person who was carried in here forty minutes ago."

"Maybe you shouldn't have calmed her down," Lara said. I didn't think it was funny. I didn't care for the levity at all, actually. I looked away. Nothing I said was going to improve the situation.

Instead, I said, "I believe I have explained my comment." I stared at the wall.

"So you're mad about the wager?" Michaela asked.

"It wasn't a wager, it was punishment," I said. "It's a lie to call it anything else. You were slapping me down."

"I-" she paused.

And so I interrupted. "You told me to try to fit in, so I've been trying. Karen said I tried too hard. But what have you done? You went out of your way to highlight just how much I don't belong. You also made sure during the fledgling part of the relationship that I would see just how much Elisabeth would neglect me. Why did you play matchmaker if you were then going to drive us apart again? You should have just left it alone. I don't belong here, and everyone in the pack knows it!"

"Zoe," Michaela said. It was her turn to whine, or almost whine, anyway. "You're wrong about all of that."

I turned to face her again. "Oh?"

"I wanted a friend."

"The entire pack loves you," I said. "You have dozens of friends."

"I have dozens of students and former students, all half my age. I have their parents, who see me as Alpha and as their children's science teacher. I have a small number of enforcers I call friends, but if we go anywhere, they're all on duty. You saw what that's like. We have so much in common. And I knew Elisabeth liked you. So…" She paused. "I didn't think you would mind a few days doing Elisabeth's bidding. I'm pretty sure she would have made it fun. And I need your help with some of the field trips. I didn't think you would mind that, either."

"You could have just asked. Instead, you finished convincing me _I don't belong here_. And even if that weren't true, how do you expect me to enjoy helping you when it's punishment for treating you like the friends you insist you are?" I shook my head. "Whatever," I added.

Michaela went back to pacing, and I sat in the chair, staring at the wall. Finally she came to a stop. "I can't let you go unpunished for running Monique over."

"I didn't run her over. And it was her fault. Punish her if someone has to be punished." I looked up at her. "You can call it insubordination for trying to drive away, but I will not admit to risking someone's life."

"Michaela," Lara said, "She has a point. But so do you. Perhaps you are pursing the wrong charge."

"I don't know what other charge to apply."

From somewhere behind me, Portia said, "Reckless driving."

Michaela immediately began to smile. "Perfect. I will agree to withdraw the original charge if you'll plead guilty to reckless driving."

"I wasn't driving recklessly!"

"Oh, I think you were."

"Were you there?" I asked. "Did you see it? Is there video we can watch? If not, where is my accuser?"

"Portia was there," Michaela replied.

"My car was at a stop before Monique even called Portia to tell her where I was. It was at the second stop before she excited the building. I believe I was already yelling out my window at Monique for being crazy by the time the other enforcers arrived. She never saw my car moving."

"Monique was draped across the hood of your car, Zoe," Portia said. "That's at least reckless driving."

I turned to face her. "She was draped across the hood of my car because she jumped there while I was in reverse! That's why I stopped the second time, to avoid hurting her if she fell."

You could have heard a pin drop, and then Lara said, "I believe you need to explain everything from the moment you got into your car until the moment Portia pulled you out of it."

I stared at her. "Self-incrimination?" I asked.

"Or we can bring Monique back," Lara said. "Whose version would you rather I hear?"

I sighed and told her what had happened, more or less. I didn't mention I intended to exit the parking lot by driving across her grass. She didn't ask, but I presumed she figured that out.

"Michaela, do you care to bring Monique back for her version?" Lara asked.

"No. Zoe's version fits everything else we've heard and explains her adamant refusal to accept responsibility."

"Do either of you have more to say on this matter?"

"No," we both agreed.

"Very well. Ms. Young, you have pled guilty to the charges of insubordination, and we will address those shortly. You have pled not guilty to any charges related to your handling of the automobile. The prosecution has withdrawn the charge of endangerment but has not withdrawn the charge of reckless driving. I believe it was your intention to flee the scene by any route necessary, and as Monique had closed off the most obvious route, you were about to make a new one. Do you wish to argue with me?"

"No, Alpha," I said in a small voice.

"Well then, I believe it is safe to say your intention to drive across my grass, across a sidewalk, over a curb, and to then enter traffic, all presumably in reverse, qualifies as reckless driving. The fact that Monique stopped you from doing so does not absolve you. She may have saved your life or at least a far greater charge than anything presented here today. Guilty of reckless driving."

I didn't look up. I hadn't thought about that last part, and it was probably fair, although the situation itself was not.

"Do either of you have anything to say before we discuss sentencing?"

"No, Alpha," I said. I knew nothing I had to say was going to matter.

"I do," said Michaela. "I still require this pack member to integrate with the pack, and I request any punishment be consistent with that overall goal. Furthermore, she has suffered enough fear and a certain amount of humiliation, and I would prefer we not add to it." But she moved to stand behind Lara and whispered into her ear.

"Of course," said Lara with a smile. "Zoe Young, please rise for sentencing."

I climbed to my feet.

"Four counts of insubordination. Twenty-five hours of pack service each. As some of your insubordination offenses were to the enforcers, fifty of those hours are to be served in any fashion decreed by the enforcers. The other half are as decreed by either alpha." She paused. "For the charge of reckless driving, your driving privileges are suspended until your sentence has been completed. You will remain in enforcer custody during that time."

I stared at the floor. "You're throwing me back in that cell for intending to run over your grass?"

"No, actually," she said.

"Serena," said Michaela. "I wish you to release Portia from my security detail for a few weeks. She is needed elsewhere. I promise I'll behave, but if we need her from time to time, she'll be available."

"Of course, Alpha," Serena said.

"Very good," said Michaela. "Portia, we remand Zoe Young into your custody. I hope you don't mind."

"Of course not, Alpha," Portia said.

"Excellent," said Michaela. "You will need to monitor her service hours, and you may utilize other enforcers to keep an eye on her if necessary."

"Yes, Alpha."

"She owes Elisabeth a day of service," Michaela said. "As that agreement was made while they were dating, but there is tension between the two of them, I am transferring that day of service to you."

I wasn't looking at Portia, so I don't know if she nodded.

"She owes five days to me and five to Lara," Michaela went on, "on top of the service hours just assigned. She will spend her five days helping me with classes."

"I have not decided how she will spend her time for me," Lara continued. "I will let you both know."

"Yes, Alpha," Portia said.

"Then I believe this hearing is over. You are both dismissed."

"Excuse me," I said, "but you are both forgetting something."

They both raised an eyebrow — opposite eyebrows, no less.

"I don't belong here!"

Michaela smiled. "I think you're wrong. And now I have several weeks to prove it."

I stared at her. Then her smile turned somewhat predatory, and she moved closer. "Now, I am going to give you a choice. You will agree to completely obey Portia. You will agree to give her no trouble. You will agree to make no attempt to leave the compound without her express permission, and probably her company. And you will agree to spend your time here in as pleasant a fashion as you can muster."

"Or?" I asked. I knew there was an or.

"Or you can wear a tracking bracelet, and any time Portia is unable to directly supervise you, you will spend in the cell."

"But you're going to send me to the cell anyway!"

"Actually," said Portia. "She's not. You're coming home with me."

I turned to her, confused.

"Zoe," Michaela said. "If there's anyone on the compound you consider a friend, I thought Portia was at the top of the list."

I turned back to her, even more confused.

"I can't let you get away with your behavior today. You're going to work your ass off as penitence. But that doesn't mean we're not friends, Zoe." She smiled again. "So, agreeable, well-behaved, and pleasant? Or the tracking collar, et cetera, et cetera?"

"I-" I looked away. I was still terribly upset, and I wasn't sure how aggrieved I felt. "I'll behave," I said. "I'll try to be pleasant. But I'm human. I'm still upset." That was putting it mildly.

"Of course," she said. "Dinner is an hour. That should be sufficient time to calm down and clean up. I expect you there. With a smile."

"Yes, Alpha," I said. I didn't think the smile was likely.

 **Service**

Portia led me home. It was a smaller house past Elisabeth's, but it was cute and cozy. During the walk, she kept her hand on my back. I asked her about it.

"Does it bother you?"

"No." I looked over at her. "I'm sorry."

"For what?"

"You got saddled with me."

"Oh. I'm not."

"You're not?"

"No." She paused. "Let's talk about it in a minute. We're almost there."

We walked quietly for another minute, passing another house before she said, "This one's mine."

"It's cute," I said.

"Thanks, but I don't take credit. I've only had it for a couple of months. I haven't had a chance to do a thing with it."

She led the way to the front door. It wasn't locked. "All of you were paranoid about my security, but yours is unlocked?"

"Who would dare?" she asked. "If anyone were here, I could smell who it was."

"Really? They couldn't disguise it? They could use Angel's shampoo or something."

"Yeah, well, and I have surveillance cameras."

I laughed.

She showed me the house. It was a two-bedroom rambler, making it about the same size as my apartment, although she had a basement she used for storage. "This is your room," Portia said. "I've seen your place. You're not a pig. But as you can see, I keep everything tidy."

"I understand. You'll hardly know I'm here."

"Come sit," she said, leading the way back to the living room.

"I need a shower."

"You have time, and I'll loan you a shirt. It'll be too big, but no one is going to care." She gestured to a place on the sofa then took the other end. We turned to each other. "You asked why I don't mind. Several reasons. First, you're not going to be any trouble at all, are you?"

I looked down at my hands. "No."

"Good." She paused. "I'm looking forward to getting to know you better, Zoe."

"I'm disrupting your life."

"That's not how I see it. I see it as having a roommate for a week or two. We'll make it an extended slumber party."

I looked up.

"It's only a hundred hours. You could do that in a week if you really wanted to, but you would be pretty fried."

"A hundred hours plus eleven days. Do they really mean for you to follow me around while I do whatever chores I'm assigned."

"Probably, but I have another idea."

"Oh?"

"Yeah." She began to grin. "Do you know how to use a hammer?"

"You hit the screw with the big heavy end."

"Please tell me that was a joke."

"I can nail a sign to a tree."

"Do you know how to paint the sign before you nail it up?"

"I've painted a time or two."

"I like painting," she said.

"It's therapeutic," I added.

"Perfect," Portia said with another smile. "Any questions?"

"I need my things. I don't have any GreEN events for a few weeks, but I have to mail out photographs as orders arrive. And I bet there's nothing in your kitchen I can eat." I paused. "Please don't make me cook for you, Portia. Please."

"Of course not," she said. "We'll hit your apartment after dinner and the grocery store on the way back. Anything else?"

I shook my head.

"Go hit the shower then," she said. "There's soap and shampoo. I'll find a shirt for you and leave it on your bed."

At dinner, I was embarrassed. I felt like a criminal, and I didn't know how I was supposed to behave. That latter part wasn't new though; I never knew how to behave around the wolves. It didn't help that Elisabeth was there, and it was clear neither of us was comfortable around the other. And, of course, I was still sullen and upset from everything else. I hadn't deserved any of it.

I didn't say a word to anyone, didn't smile, and ignored most of the conversation.

But then, about ten minutes into the meal, Portia said, "Alpha?"

Both Lara and Michaela turned to her. "Which one?" Michaela asked with a laugh.

"I'm not sure." She looked around. "Your walls could use some fresh paint."

Both Lara and Michaela looked. "I hadn't noticed," Lara said.

"She's right," Francesca said. "And the outside is due as well."

"Am I right in believing you intend for your convict to paint this house?" Lara asked.

I bristled a little at the term "convict", but I didn't say anything to that, either.

"That is correct, but perhaps you had other tasks to assign."

"Do we have paint, Francesca?" Lara asked.

"Begging your pardon, Alpha," Francesca said, "but whether we have paint or not is below your pay grade. Is Zoe painting the house?"

"Yes," Lara said. "If you feel it is a good use of her time."

"Then I will handle it," she said.

"Very good," said Lara.

"Head enforcer," Portia said. "Did you care to direct how Zoe serves her sentence to the enforcers?"

The thought that I'd be answering to Elisabeth turned me cold inside.

"No," Elisabeth replied. "The offenses were against your team, and you are now managing her. Use your judgment, but I'd encourage you to work with the other enforcers."

"Good," she said. "Thank you." She turned and smiled at me then said, "If you have requests for Zoe's time, let me know. Otherwise I'll find enough to keep her busy."

"Make sure the other enforcers know," Michaela said.

"Yes, Alpha," Portia said. "I'll handle it."

And at that, the conversation flowed to other topics until Michaela turned to me. "You're quiet, Zoe."

"You know me, Michaela," I said without looking up. "When I have an opinion, I'll share it."

She barked a laugh.

Dinner eventually wrapped up. Portia leaned over to me. "Help with dishes."

"Going to talk about me?"

"Frankly, yes."

"All right."

Twenty minutes later, the kitchen was spotless and the kids had dispersed. I wondered if it was safe to return to the other room. I made sure to make noise as I exited the kitchen.

I couldn't tell if they had to change the topic when I returned, but Karen and Elisabeth were discussing patrols around the compound, and it didn't seem forced. Portia smiled at me. "Time to go."

It was after ten by the time we were back at Portia's. She helped me put my things away then turned to me. "You owe me one day of personal service."

"So I do."

"I would like to know the limits of what you are willing to do without resenting it."

"Are you asking for sex?"

"No."

"Are you going to ask me to do anything that violates my ethics?"

"I don't believe so."

"Well, I don't know what you have in mind, but I'll tell you if I think you're being unreasonable."

She smiled. "One hour of pampering at bedtime each night?"

I smiled. "Sure."

"I will use the bathroom. When I am done, you will get ready for bed and then find me in my room."

I nodded agreement.

Fifteen minutes later, I knocked hesitantly at her door. "Portia?"

"I'd rather you not bother knocking," she said. "Come in."

I slipped into the room. The lights were out, but I could see she was in bed, lying on her stomach.

"You may pamper me however you want," she directed. "No particular task is required. If you ask my opinion, I will give it."

I moved to the edge of the bed and sat down next to her. "Before we get to that, I want to tell you something."

"This sounds serious," she said.

"I don't deserve the way this pack has treated me," I said. "If I could go back in time and destroy those videos, and then never act on them, I would do so."

From the bed, she sighed.

"I didn't deserve anything that happened today, and I don't deserve this punishment. I certainly don't deserve those eleven days of service Michaela forced out of me."

"Zoe…"

"I'm not done." I paused. "But through all this, and ignoring the way I was dragged here today, you're the only adult member of the pack who has truly acted as a friend. I still feel you were saddled with me, but I will do my best not to make this worse for you. And I don't mind the way I'm paying this one day of duty." I paused. "I may pamper you however I want?"

"Yes. Zoe…"

I set my hand on her back, trying to silence her. "I just thought you should know that. Or maybe I just needed to say it to someone I didn't think would add to my punishment. I won't give you any trouble, and I'll try to think of this as an extended slumber party, too. In between the hundred hours of manual labor I don't deserve."

"Zoe-"

"I don't belong here, Portia," I said. "Everyone knows it. I don't know why Michaela won't just leave me alone. I don't know why she wants the stress of having Elisabeth and me in the same room together. Does she think I'm actually going to forget everyone knows I wasn't good enough for her?"

"Zoe," Portia said again, her tone gentle.

"That's all I had to say, Portia. I don't want to talk about any of it. There's nothing more to say."

Then I didn't wait. I peeled the covers away from her. As far as I withdrew them, she was naked. I shouldn't have been surprised; the wolves had no modesty about their bodies. I supposed if I had bodies as fabulous as theirs, I'd be comfortable showing it off, too.

Portia, just like Elisabeth, was truly magnificent. Even in the dim light, I found myself staring at her back.

I had an idea this was what she meant by pampering, so I had brought hand lotion. I didn't have massage oil. I squirted lotion in my hands, warmed it, then warned her, "This might be cold." A moment later, I was massaging her back.

"That feels nice," she said. "Zoe, if Elisabeth didn't think you were good enough for her, that's her problem, not yours. And it is her loss. She's not going to find what she thinks she wants, whereas you still can. All right?"

I thought about it and grunted. Portia took that as assent.

"I'm glad you're here, Zoe," she said.

I thought about it. "I don't mind being here with you," I said quietly. "Thank you for having me."

She let me work for a few minutes before she said, "I want you to talk to me while you do this," she said. "Tell me about yourself. Maybe tell me about your childhood or your family. And it's up to you, but you can be far, far firmer than that. It's okay to really put your weight into it. You can sit on me if needed for leverage."

I was determined to give her good value, so I took her suggestion, throwing a leg over her hips and straddling her, then sitting on her ass. "Is this all right?"

"You won't break me, Zoe," she said. "I'll say something if it's uncomfortable."

I leaned into my hands and worked harder. "What do you want to know?"

"Anything. Each night, I want you to tell me about yourself."

"All right." I thought about it. "Did I tell you how I became an environmentalist?"

"No."

"Well, it all started with a camping trip…"

"Rise and shine, sleepyhead."

"Mmm?"

A finger brushed against my cheek. "You have a big day ahead."

I rolled onto my side and opened my eyes. "Portia?"

"Wake up, Zoe," she said. "Workout clothes and a light snack. You can shower after the gym."

I glanced at the bedroom window. "It's still dark out."

"Dawn is almost here."

"I'm not an early riser, Portia."

"You are for the next week or two." She leaned over and whispered into my ear. "If I have to come back in here a second time, I will bring ice with me."

"I'm up! I'm up!" I struggled to sit and swing my feet out of the bed.

She laughed and pulled me to my feet then, walking backwards, she led me out of the bedroom and towards the bathroom. "Don't shower. Use the bathroom, brush your teeth and run a brush through your hair. Pack your clothes for the day; we'll shower at the gym. And Zoe?"

I blinked at her.

"Hurry. There's no reason to make me wait for you."

I wouldn't say I hurried, but I didn't dawdle, either. When I presented myself in the kitchen, dressed in sweats, Portia smiled. "Good. Tomorrow you will be faster." She pointed to the refrigerator. "Make yourself a pre-workout snack."

"We're working out?"

"We are."

"I suppose that doesn't count towards my sentence."

"No. It counts as quality time with me."

I thought about that and decided I was entirely okay with it.

"Are you going to help me?" I paused. "I don't think I can spot for you."

She laughed. "No, probably not. Yes, I'll help you. We're just doing a light workout to get the muscles moving. You're going to have to guide me, as I have no idea what a light workout is for you."

"I'm not sure I do, either." She laughed.

Ten minutes later, we stepped outside together. It was brisk and fresh out, a perfect fall day. The gym was only a short walk; we could see the back corner from Portia's doorstep.

"What's going on over there?" I asked, pointing.

"Michaela's building a second pool," Portia said. "This one is specifically for scuba practice. It is deep with caves built into it for practicing diving in tight corners. One of the caves has a window that is exactly the smallest size a male wolf in dive gear could safely use. She and Karen talked about that, and it will be against pack rules for even someone smaller to use an opening any tinier."

"Wow." I shook my head. What a different world.

Once we arrived in the gym, Portia directed us. "We'll start with a brief cardio workout. Then we'll hit the weights. And we finish with another cardio. Do you want bikes, stair climbers, or rowing machines?"

"No treadmills?"

"When we want to go for a run, we go for a proper run."

"When you want to go for a bike ride, you could go for a bike ride."

She laughed. "And Michaela would love if we were right next to Lake Superior for a row. Choose."

"Bikes."

With a hand on my back, she led the way. We climbed onto side-by-side exercise bikes. "Twenty minutes," she said. "Get your heart moving, but not pounding."

She talked to me while we pedaled. Twenty minutes wasn't bad, and I felt good when we were done. We came to a stop together, and Portia turned to me. "Wolves don't need to worry about this, so I didn't think of it. Do you need to stretch?"

"Yes, probably," I said.

"Do you need help?"

"No. It will just take a few minutes."

"There are mats this way." She led the way to another small room. There were mats on the floor and walls.

"What is this room for?" I asked.

"Sparring." She paused. "Interested?"

"Self-defense training?"

"Yes."

"Are you like a black belt or something?"

"Or something."

I thought about it. "I'd be pretty hopeless, Portia."

"It's your choice, Zoe," she said. "Any time."

"Thanks. Maybe not today."

I dropped to the mats and began stretching. Zoe sat down next to me and did her own stretching. When I raised an eyebrow she said, "We're doing everything together." Then she proceeded to demonstrate how limber she was. I found myself staring at her. "What? Did I grow a second head?"

"All of you continue to amaze me, that's all," I admitted.

"I don't mind being admired, but we're here to get a workout."

"Yes, Portia," I said. I went back to my own stretches, but that didn't stop me from watching her. She caught me a few times and smiled broadly.

I went through my own stretches, and it turned out she did her own watching. "You can do better than that," she said. "Press harder. Stop before it hurts, then hold it. It's not enough to stretch. You should be working to improve your flexibility." She paused. "You know, Michaela does yoga."

"I like yoga," I admitted. "I have some videos, but we didn't bring them."

"A problem for another day," she said. She pressed me to stretch harder for a few minutes then asked if I was ready for weights.

That was when we ran into a snag. They didn't have weight training machines; they had free weights. And even their lightest bars were too heavy for me. Portia frowned and said, "Don't worry about it. We'll take turns, and I'll help you." So she spotted me for most of my exercises, and I knew she was taking some of the weight of the empty bar so I could do what she directed.

Still, I felt really good when she declared we were done. I admitted that.

"Good. Twenty more minutes of cardio. What would you like?"

"I have old knees, Portia. Stair climbers are hard on me. Otherwise, whatever you want."

She cocked her head.

"You don't understand what I said?" I asked.

"No."

"Humans begin to fall apart sometime after thirty-five," I said. "It manifests itself in a variety of ways. For me, it's begun to affect my knees. I can bike and run, but stair climbers and deep knee bends will leave me hobbling around for two days. There's nothing to be done about it."

"All right," she said. "Let's use the rowing machines."

After we showered and dressed, she led the way back to her house. "Zoe, I talked to the alphas last night. I am not obligated to watch you twenty-four hours a day."

"That's a good thing. Sleep is important."

"Can I trust you?"

"Of course."

"Then I give you a choice. You may pack your breakfast and bring it to the alphas', or you may eat here. I am eating there."

"I don't want to make you wait."

"I'd leave you here, and you would walk over after your breakfast."

"Oh. I see. Whatever you want, Portia."

"No. This is your choice."

I would have liked to eat with _her_ , but I wasn't sure I wanted to spend any more time with the rest of the pack than I absolutely had to. Inwardly I sighed.

"It would take me ten minutes to make something. If you wait, then I'll walk over with you. If not, then I'll eat here and join you when I'm done."

"And do you have a preference?" she asked.

I smiled. "To eat with you."

"Then I will wait."

It took me a little longer than ten minutes, as I was unfamiliar with Portia's kitchen, and I had to clean up afterwards. She made no indication of impatience, and soon enough I was carrying a sack breakfast with me as we walked across the compound.

Portia's hand on my back was comforting.

As it always seemed to be, the alphas' house was busy. I didn't see the pups, but the living room held four teenagers. Lara, Michaela, Elisabeth, and several enforcers were at the dining room table at various stages of their breakfast. We greeted everyone and were warmly greeted in return.

No one seemed to find it at all unusual I was there.

Portia collected a plate of food from the kitchen, and we sat down. I took a seat as far from Elisabeth as I could without being obvious. Conversation was light and easy, although like last night, I was quiet.

It all seemed so normal. It shouldn't have seemed normal, should it? Nothing was normal about any of this, after all.

As I finished my meal, Michaela said, "Zoe, I need you for about a half hour after school this afternoon. This does not count towards your sentence."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Portia, please coordinate that with Serena."

"Yes, Alpha," Portia replied.

"Portia," said Serena, "I need you Monday from four PM until late. And you'll be on duty next weekend. Otherwise, there's nothing scheduled that I don't have covered."

"All right," Portia answered.

I paused, then said, "Um…"

"Yes, Zoe?" Michaela asked.

"If Portia is on duty Monday, does that mean I have to go to the cell in the barracks?"

Both alphas turned to look at me for a minute. Finally Lara said, "Ask again on Monday."

"May I ask why you can't answer today?"

"Because we're waiting to see whether you follow through on your promises to be pleasant," Michaela explained.

"Oh." I lowered my head. "I understand." I still felt sullen. I thought everything they had done was unfair, and now they were threatening to imprison me if I didn't paste on a fake smile.

Portia reached over and clasped my hand for a moment. "Zoe has been lovely," she said. "You have nothing to worry about, Alpha."

"If that remains the case," Michaela said, "then it will be Portia's decision what to do with you while she's otherwise occupied. Otherwise, it becomes that of the alphas."

"I understand," I said again. "And next weekend?"

"That is what we're discussing this afternoon. You owe me five days plus your October pack service days. There is a field trip. I don't have time to get into it right now."

"Of course. Thank you for explaining, Alpha." I realized as I said it that I was feeling vulnerable around both of them, terribly afraid of offending them. I didn't know I was supposed to fit in if I felt the need to walk on eggshells around them. It seemed unlikely.

"You're welcome," she replied. "Hmm. A half hour may not be sufficient. Plan on an hour, but we might be done sooner than that." Without waiting for a response, she rose to her feet. Then she pulled Lara's face to hers and gave her a deep, deep kiss. Elisabeth received a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back down in a minute, then we can go, Serena."

We all stared as she bounded up the stairs.

Lara's gaze was obvious. She remained deeply in love with her spouse.

It seemed so normal. Why did it feel so normal?

Well, discounting the whole eggshells thing.

The house emptied out. Michaela left for school taking Serena and Angel with her. A short while after that, Lara left with Elisabeth and Karen. Then the teenagers packed up. Finally, Nora collected Rebecca and Celeste, and soon they were gone along with the last of the enforcers. Portia and I had the house to ourselves.

By then, we had long finished eating. I washed our dishes, and by the time I returned to the dining room, Portia was waiting with paper, pencils, and a measuring tape. When I looked, I realized she had drawn a floor plan of the house, both upstairs and down.

I'd never been upstairs.

"All right. We're measuring the rooms. Come on."

We started downstairs. I took the end of the tape measure and held it where Portia directed. It took about fifteen minutes to measure everything she wanted measured. Then we did the stairway and the upstairs hallway.

There were four bedrooms upstairs and one bath — I would discover shortly there was a second bath in the master suite. We started with the bathroom and a bedroom that Portia called, "The pups' room." Then we measured a couple of bedrooms that clearly belonged to teenage girls.

Finally we turned to the master suite. I felt quite strange invading the alphas' personal space, but Portia walked in like it was nothing. When I hesitated at the doorway, she asked me what's wrong.

"I don't want to invade their privacy."

She cocked her head. "We're supposed to be here."

"I know. It just seems… I don't like people going through my things; I can't imagine they're any different."

"We're not going through their things. We're measuring the walls."

"I just…" I paused. "You're right. I'm being silly."

"You're being respectful of their privacy," Portia countered. "But you don't need to worry. Come on."

Fifteen minutes later, we were done. As we stepped out of the house, she asked me, "Are you afraid of heights?"

"No."

"Ladders?"

"No."

"Falling off of roofs?"

"Well, I would prefer not to fall off any roofs," I admitted with a smile. "But if the roof isn't too steep, I'm not afraid."

"Perfect. Come on."

She led me past several houses, and then I realized she was taking me to Angel's house. Well, Francesca's house, I guess. "What are we doing here?"

"This is where the things are we need." We didn't enter the house. Instead, there was a touch pad for the garage. Portia walked straight to it, entered a code, and the garage door opened. Inside was parked a nondescript sedan in one stall. The other side held a large riding lawn mower and a push mower. Along one wall was every tool known to man, or so it seemed. Portia led the way to the ladders. She eyed them. "The extension ladder, I guess," she said, pointing. It hung on hooks high above our heads.

"How do we get it down?"

Portia demonstrated by grabbing a stepladder. She positioned it at the center point of the extension ladder, climbed up, and easily pulled the ladder off the hooks.

Two minutes later, with one of us on each end, we were making our way to her house.

"What are we doing?"

"Carrying a ladder," she said.

"Oh, that was so informative, Miss Obvious."

"I know," she replied. "You can thank me later. It sure is a beautiful morning, isn't it?"

At her house, she leaned the ladder into place, extending it until one end was well above the lowest point of the roof. Then she turned to me. "We need to measure my roof. How comfortable are you on a ladder?"

I didn't wait. I climbed up the ladder. Getting off the ladder and unto the roof took just a little bit of jockeying, but soon enough, I was easily standing, looking down at her. "Comfortable enough?"

"Yes," she said.

Portia was much faster. Once she joined me, I asked her, "Could you have jumped?"

She eyed the distance. "In fur," she finally said. She frowned. "I'm not sure it would look graceful."

"So you have limits?"

She laughed. "Yes. I have limits."

After that, we measured the roof. I had never walked around on the roof of a house before, but it wasn't difficult. Once we were done, Portia walked around for a few minutes; I wasn't sure what she was looking at, but finally she said we were done up here. She moved to the ladder and held the top steady for me, and a moment later we were both on the grass. We proceeded to carry the ladder back to Francesca's garage, and I watched her put it away.

Five minutes later, we were in her car. She spent the next twenty minutes telling me stories from growing up. She had me in stitches the entire drive.

Our first stop was a paint specialty store. Portia strode straight to the woman behind the counter. She had paint samples and the notes we had taken. I stood by as the two discussed everything.

"It will take some time to mix all this," the woman said eventually.

"That's fine. Is an hour sufficient?"

"Perfect."

"All right. Go ahead and ring that up. I just need a few supplies." She turned to the painting tools. I shadowed her as she roamed up and down the few aisles, handing drop clothes, paint brushes, rollers, and several other things to me. I took two trips to the counter to set everything down.

Our next stop was the Home Depot.

"Didn't we get everything already?" I asked.

"We got everything for painting." Portia led the way to the pro desk. The man there seemed very friendly, and the two of them spoke in what seemed like Greek to me. Then he led us through the store, and I realized we were buying shingles. That was when I realized why we had measured Portia's roof.

"Portia?"

"Zoe?"

"Don't you need to hire people to put on a new roof?"

"I did. I hired you."

"I don't know the first thing about roofing a house."

"It's a good thing I do; and it's a good thing you're smart and able to learn."

I stared at her. Was she crazy? She didn't look crazy. I couldn't tell.

Before we left, she bought me a set of coveralls. "You're going to look so cute," she said.

"I'm sure."

After that, we retraced our steps. We picked up the waiting paint and returned to the compound, parking not at Portia's home but in front of the alphas' house.

"All right. Carry everything in. I'm going to get us a couple of ladders." She disappeared in one direction, leaving me behind.

Everything was in the back of her car. The bags of drop clothes and tools weren't bad, and some of the paint came in one-gallon buckets, but there were two five-gallon buckets, and I couldn't lift them. I did what I could and then waited for Portia.

She arrived lugging two ladders, one in both hands. I stood on the porch, watching her.

"I couldn't pick up the heavy buckets," I admitted.

"No worries."

So I held the door, and Portia brought in both ladders then made two trips for the remaining paint. We collected together in the living room.

"So, have you ever painted a house before?"

"I've painted apartments. Is it different?"

"Not at all. We'll start with the pups' bedroom."

So far, Portia had been all business, and she remained that way for a while. Together we moved all the furniture out into the hallway. We laid down drop clothes and masked around all the woodwork. Then she helped get me set up with a brush and a roller.

"What are you going to do while I'm painting?"

"Paint."

"You're helping?"

She grinned and nodded.

"Really?" I asked. "This is supposed to be my punishment, not yours."

"Which is why we're doing something I enjoy, Zoe," she said. "You're short. I'm tall. So you do the bottom half. I'll do the top half. It's not a race; take your time and be neat."

Soon, we were both painting. We started at opposite sides, Zoe on a ladder, me sitting on the floor, working my way around the bottom with the brush, doing the edges near the trim. We had masked off, but I didn't want to count on the masking tape if I tried using a roller right to the edge.

We worked quietly for perhaps twenty minutes before Portia asked me, "What's your favorite color?"

"Hunter green," I said. "Yours?"

"You'd look good in green," she replied. "I don't really have a favorite. I'm not fond of orange, and I used to think I didn't like pink, but that has changed."

"Oh?" I continued to paint carefully.

"Pink is, well… It's considered a girly color."

"And you don't like girly colors?"

"Can you envision me wearing pink?"

"I didn't know we were talking about our favorite colors to wear," I replied.

"We're not. I'm making a point."

I turned to look at her. "No. You look best in earth tones, I think, and maybe some of the deeper gem tones."

"How about black?"

"Oh, in black, you'd be a real lady killer." She laughed. "I'm serious."

"Well, I hate how pink has become the color for ladies. Did you know they market pink handguns to women?"

"Seriously? Do you have one?"

"No, but the enforcers all got together for Karen's birthday last year and got her one."

I laughed. "Did she like it?"

"She immediately set up a target and fired a box of ammo with it, then she made each of us fire off a clip. Even Michaela fired a few rounds, but she declared the gun too big for her and didn't fire any more."

"I think I would have liked to have been there," I admitted. Then I added, "I've never even touched a gun."

"Really?" She paused. "Did you want to?"

"It's not something on my bucket list," I said. "You understand that 'vegan' isn't necessarily a synonym for 'pacifist', but there is a correlation."

"You seemed willing to fight yesterday."

"Have you seen me try to hurt anyone?"

"I suppose not. Do you look good wearing pink?"

"I haven't worn pink in years."

"Elisabeth makes Michaela wear pink. Lara really likes it."

"I know about that wager," I said. "Are you asking me to wear pink?"

I heard her shift on the ladder, and when I turned to look, she was watching me. "No, but if you and Elisabeth had gotten more serious, she would have."

"I think there's something you're not telling me, Portia."

She returned to her painting, and after a moment, so did I. "Would you say Elisabeth is feminine?"

"I'd say she has an amazing body with all the right curves. So do you."

"Thank you," she replied. "Are we feminine?"

"I don't know if I can use labels on any of you."

"I know lesbians talk about being femme or butch. What are you?"

"I switch," I said. "I bet I don't look very femme right now."

"I don't know. I think you look really cute."

I laughed.

"I'm serious," she said.

"When I'm doing stuff like this, I'm not sure I'm really butch, but I'm not really femme, either. But on a date? Totally femme."

"And Elisabeth? Is she butch?"

"Yeah, but not in the stereotype sort of way. She's an Amazon." I paused. "You know, my life isn't centered around being a lesbian. It's centered around being an environmentalist. I'd call myself a tom boy, but I won't call myself a butch." I paused again. "I hate labels. They pigeonhole people."

"All right. Well, we're all products of modern, American marketing, and it's hard to understand what comes to us naturally and what we've grown to expect due to marketing."

"Sure."

"As wolves, we're driven to certain ideals. Strength."

"Sure."

"But as women, we're driven to ideals, too. The guys — they have it easy. They're the embodiment of what modern culture thinks a guy should be."

"Yeah," I said. "I saw Eric and Rory at the gym. I bet the girls swoon."

"They do. Most male wolves have very little trouble getting dates."

"Eric said he doesn't date much."

"Eric is conflicted," she said. "He's a wolf and wants a strong mate. But he's a man and wants a pretty wife with an hourglass shape."

"More marketing."

"Yeah. To make it worse for Eric, he has to be careful whom he dates. He can date human women casually, but if he wants to get serious, then he eventually has to tell her what we are."

"And she might react poorly."

"Yes. I know he's gone out with a few of the women living on the compound, but there aren't a lot of choices unless he dates some of Michaela's students."

"They're kids!"

"Wolves are adults at sixteen, but yeah. They're kids. And he can't date Karen or me; his ego couldn't take it. Angel is taken. And he and Gia don't get along very well."

"What about the rest of the pack?"

"Yeah, but he doesn't really see them in social settings that much. The pack has gotten too big. You see?"

"Sure."

"So, we were talking about pink. And image. The guys have it easy when it comes to image. Be themselves, right?"

"Right."

"But American society tells women to be cute."

"Portia, you're insanely attractive. You know that, don't you?"

The sound of her roller stopped. When I glanced over she had frozen.

"Thank you," she said quietly. "But do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

"You can't wear pink."

"Right. And so I have a love hate relationship with it."

"I don't understand."

"I hate it out of jealousy. I wish I could wear pink. Well, a part of me does. The logical part of me knows that's stupid. The emotional side wishes I could wear pink. And frilly dresses. Do you understand?"

"Would you give up being a wolf for it?"

"Never. Absolutely never. And that's part of the conflict, isn't it? I adore being a wolf. I am proud of my body, both my bodies."

"You should be," I said.

"So you see?"

"I think I do." I paused. "So you would prefer not to see me in pink?"

"Actually, no. I am somewhat jealous of your femininity. I shouldn't be. I want it all." She barked a short laugh. "It's greedy, I know." She paused. "I am not sure I should tell you this next part, but I am going to."

"Oh, this sounds good."

"Wolves are very possessive."

I laughed. "I think I understood that already."

"Last night, you asked about my hand on your back."

"Elisabeth used to do that."

"It is a symbol of possession. Does it bother you now?"

I thought about it. "No. But are you hinting more than that?"

"No. Well, maybe, but not what you're thinking. You're pack, Zoe. And right now, you sort of belong to me."

"Michaela gave me to you." The thought amused me. Maybe it shouldn't have, but it did.

"I guess she did. I will have to thank her." She paused. "Wolves are possessive, and we seek to control that which we possess. And… how should I put this? We wish to leave our mark on the things we possess. A wolf living alone will mark his territory. I think you can understand how."

"I imagine much like a dog does."

"Yes."

"So… you want to mark me somehow?"

"There is a part of me that does."

She stopped painting again, and when I turned to look, she was watching me. "I think you have more to say."

"If we were dating, I would want to pick your clothes."

"Another way of marking me?"

She nodded.

"Would I wear pink?"

"And ribbons in your hair."

"I'm too old for ribbons."

"Then maybe hats. I don't know."

I thought about it. "Is that what Elisabeth wanted?"

"Yes."

I thought some more. "I'd have let her," I said, turning back to my work. "I'd let you, too. It might be nice." I smiled at her. "How else would you mark me?" I looked over to judge her reaction.

"With my scent, of course," she replied.

"Would you bite me?" I asked. "Mark my skin?"

"Actually," she said, "no. That would look like abuse." I thought about it for a moment and nodded.

We painted quietly for a few minutes, then I asked, "Where did you grow up?"

"All over," she replied. "I was an army brat."

"So your dad was in the army?"

"My mom, actually."

I laughed. "Wow. I just got caught by my own stereotype. Sorry."

"It's okay," she said. "Everyone does it. Mom was a sergeant in the Corps of Engineers."

"Was?"

"She's retired and lives in Texas. I don't see her much."

"Why not?"

"The Texas alpha doesn't care for my presence. Mom has to beg permission for me to visit."

"Why doesn't she come up here?"

"Maybe she will, now that I'm settled down." From her tone, I didn't think Portia believed it. I wondered why, but I didn't ask.

"What about your dad?"

"I never knew him," she said. "I was what they call an accident. But Mom did okay by me, and in a way I had a lot of dads at every base."

"Was it hard being a teenage wolf on a military base?"

"You know, not really. I couldn't go for a run every day, but Mom made sure we got away from the base as often as we could."

The morning flew past. I lost complete track of time, but we finally finished the pups' bedroom. Together we stood in the center of the room, admiring the look.

"No ballerinas or Disney characters stenciled on the wall?"

Portia laughed then sobered. "You're serious?"

"I don't know." I looked around, then repeated. "I don't know. You tell me."

"Can you imagine a werewolf bedroom with pictures of Mickey on the wall? He's prey, you know."

"Oh, that's terrible!" I said. "Mickey is _not_ prey!"

"Yep. Mickey, Minnie, and especially that duck."

"Not Donald!" I said. "You take that back!"

We grinned at each other. Then I asked, "Do you think they'd like some pictures on the walls? I have a great shot of Michaela and Lara together, or we could use some from Bayfield or even our diving trip."

"Let's ask them at dinner tomorrow," Portia suggested. "They have a sleepover tonight so they don't have to sleep with the fumes."

"Eric said he could smell the paint in the cell a year after it was painted."

"Can he? I haven't noticed." She sniffed. "This isn't offensive, although it's strong. It makes it hard to smell anything else, and that's the real problem. Wolves get nervous when we can't smell the right things. We don't dislike the wrong smells; it's the lack of the right smells that get us. They won't be able to sleep until the room smells like Lara and Michaela again."

Just then, my stomach announced its displeasure with the dining arrangements. Portia smiled. "There's a laundry tub downstairs. You get to wash the brushes, rollers, and paint trays. I'll take care of everything here. After lunch, we'll start on the next room."

Portia and I split up when it came time to do the teenager's bedrooms. Both rooms were a little small for both of us. So she went into one bedroom to do the top, and I went to the other to work on the bottom. But we kept the doors open and were able to still talk, all be it with a little yelling.

But then I heard someone from behind me. "Zoe? Do you mind if I talk to you while you paint?"

I looked over my shoulder, and Monique was standing there.

"Of course not. Come on in." I smiled at her. "Did I just invite you into your own room?"

She returned the smile. "Yes." She stepped in and looked around. "You're almost done. This looks really good. Thank you."

"Is the color okay?" It was a light sea green, and I thought it was very soothing.

"I hope so. I picked it."

"I like it, too." I paused. "Monique, I want to apologize. You got caught in the middle of some adult things yesterday, and I'm very sorry. I hope you didn't get hurt."

She moved closer then sat down next to me.

"Careful. There might be drippings."

"I checked," she said. "Are you mad at me?"

"No, Monique. I was startled and frightened for you. I could have hurt you. That thought made me a little angry, but it was overshadowed by everything else."

"You wouldn't have hurt me," she said. "If you hadn't stopped, I would have jumped."

I stared at her for a minute. "Over the top?"

"Probably to land on the car. Otherwise yes, over the top, but then I would have had to chase you. But even if you had hit me, you weren't going all that fast, and I would have been fine."

"Fine?"

"Maybe a broken leg, but it heals."

"Weeks in a cast, and then the leg is always a little more delicate after that."

She laughed. I scowled at her.

"Zoe, you do know I'm a werewolf, don't you?"

"Not weeks in a cast?"

She shook her head. "It would hurt. But I'd shift a couple of times, and I'd be fine. So maybe a bad hour, and sore for a day or two."

"A day or two?"

"Yeah."

"Really?" I was having a hard time believing her.

"Really," she said. "And we're a little harder to hurt than humans. If I'd gotten hurt yesterday, it would have been through my own clumsiness."

"Of everything yesterday, almost running you over had me feeling the most guilty."

"Well, don't." Then she looked down. "I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for?"

"You got into trouble, and it's partly my fault. Elisabeth collected all the enforcers last night — except Portia, because she was with you — and told us about your sentence. You're, um. Kind of like grounded, and that part is my fault."

I thought about it. "You know, I'm not sure if that's true or not. You should ask someone else about that. But I know I don't blame you. Want to know a secret?"

"Sure."

"You can't tell anyone."

"You can trust me, Zoe."

I leaned closer and whispered directly into her ear. "I'm actually having fun."

She laughed. "I won't tell a soul."

"Portia has been very nice," I said. "We're getting along really well."

"I like Portia, too. She's a little standoffish sometimes, but she's helped me a lot, too. She always has time if I have questions. Eric and Rory do, too, but they're sort of. Um. What's the word? When a guy doesn't treat a girl like she's competent?"

"Patronizing?"

"Yeah. They don't do it to the other enforcers, but I'm just a kid and a girl besides. Most of enforcers are like that with me, and they're all so busy besides. But Portia doesn't do that, and she finds time for me."

I smiled. "So, we're cool?"

"We're cool," she said. She eyed me up and down. "I'd hug you, but I think that's wet." She held her hand near her chin and pointed at my coveralls.

I laughed. "I imagine it is," I said.

"Portia said I may talk to you, but that you have to keep painting. If she looks in, and you're not painting, she's going to make me paint, too."

I laughed and turned back to the wall.

"How was school?"

"It was good," she said. "Zoe?"

"Oh, I've never heard my name said in such a way that I just know a serious topic is next."

"You don't have to answer."

"If I am able, I'll do my best."

I continued to paint. She sat quietly for a minute or two before she finally asked, "Will you tell me what happened yesterday? You were so afraid. Why did you run? And I've never seen someone that afraid. Even the deer we catch aren't that scared."

I thought about her question. "Monique, I have a favor. As much as you can, I don't want to know about hunting. Okay?"

"Oh. Did I upset you? We have to hunt."

"I know you do, and no, you didn't. But do you understand?"

"Not really. I mean, I do. Don't bring up hunting. But I don't understand why it bothers you."

"I don't think you're capable of understanding any more than I can understand what it's like to smell everything you can smell."

"Oh. I suppose."

"I ran because I was so afraid. Do you know about the fight or flight mechanism?"

"No."

"All right. You understand that people are just really smart animals, right?"

"That's what Michaela said once."

"Most animals experience this." I explained. "So, think of me as an animal."

"All right. Like a deer."

"Sure, as long as you don't intend to treat me like you do a deer."

"Maybe Michaela's pet deer."

I laughed. "All right. I'm the pack's pet deer. We have similar diets, after all." She laughed with me. "Now, imagine I'm out in the forest, nibbling at a spruce tree, and suddenly I see you — a big, strong, hungry werewolf. What do you suppose I think?"

"You think you better start running or I'm going to catch you and eat you."

"That's right. Much of my brain shuts down and focuses on one of two choices: running away or fighting. Most animals you would consider prey will try to escape. But most animals will fight if cornered. Have you ever had a badger turn on you?"

"I had to evict an opossum from one of the bunk houses up at Bayfield," she said. "He practically flew at me."

"Did he bite?"

"Yeah. All the enforcers teased me and asked if I'd had my rabies shots."

I finished painting what I could reach and nudged her further down the wall so I could reach the next section. Then I went on. "When an animal perceives a threat, the fight or flight mechanism can kick in. It doesn't always, but it can be pretty overwhelming when it does."

"I think I understand that part."

"Let me ask another question. Have you ever been really, really afraid, so afraid you couldn't think clearly?"

"No."

"Do wolves feel fear?"

"Yes, but I've never heard of a wolf reacting like you did yesterday. Well, I've seen them act a little like that when they're really angry, but you weren't angry. You were afraid. We were just there to pick you up for dinner. I don't understand, Zoe."

"Do you know how I was introduced to the pack?"

"Elisabeth asked you out."

I frowned, then I raised my voice. "Portia, are you listening?"

A moment later, she was standing in the doorway. "You bellowed?"

I looked over at her. "I don't know what I can tell her about… um… my first visit to the compound. Or maybe it was my second. I'm not sure how to count it."

"Monique, Zoe accidentally discovered us."

"Oh my god! How?"

"You need to ask Elisabeth if you want details," Portia said. "I'm not authorized to share. Neither is Zoe. Zoe, you may tell her about events after that."

"All right. Thank you for clarifying."

I told Monique about my stay in the cell while Lara tried to decide whether she could trust me. I glossed over the details, but I made sure she understood I was sure I was going to die, and that I spent an entire week afraid. Then I told her about my nightmares.

She was quiet the entire time.

But when I finished, she said, "You thought we were going to kill you?"

"Three enforcers arrived on my doorstep, unannounced and looking annoyed. I thought the absolute worst. If I had stopped to think about it, maybe I could have been calmer. But because I've spent so much time lately being afraid, and my last nightmare was only a few days ago, all I could think about was, 'run away, run away'."

Monique didn't say anything for several minutes. I let her think about, continuing to paint calmly, bumping her down a few times. Finally she said, "I'm sorry, Zoe."

"You didn't do anything wrong, Monique." I didn't blame her for stopping me, after all. Where was I going to go, anyway?

"No, but I'm sorry the way people are sorry when someone dies."

"Thank you," I said. "I appreciate that."

"Zoe?"

"Yes, Monique?"

"Do you mind if I'm on your security detail?"

"I don't believe I am going to have a security detail, or at least not very often, but I would be delighted if you were on it."

"Are we friends?"

"I certainly hope so."

"Good," she said. She looked around. "You're almost done."

"Another few minutes," I agreed.

"Unfortunately," Portia said from behind me, "You have an appointment with the alpha, and you won't quite finish. Monique, will you escort her to Michaela's office? I can finish in here."

"You look positively industrial," Michaela said. "You have paint on your face."

"I'm not sure I should sit," I said.

"Turn around," she said, making a twirling gesture. "Let me see."

I showed her my backside.

"You're fine," she said. "Close the door and take a seat." She gestured to the guest chair.

I turned around and gently closed her office door then took the chair. We exchanged gazes for a few moments, then Michaela clasped her hands on the desk and leaned forward.

"You seem calmer today."

"I over-reacted yesterday. I'm sorry, Alpha."

"Your fear wasn't justified, but it was, perhaps, understandable. I wouldn't have pressed charges, but it would be a bad precedent. Do you understand?"

I wasn't exactly pleased about any of this. While I appreciated the apartment I was living in, and I continued to be in awe at all of them, I thought giving up my freedom to their whims was a heavy price. But I didn't want to pick a fight over this. I would complete my sentence and then do what I could to fade into obscurity. If I weren't living on the compound, eventually Michaela would set her focus elsewhere.

So I avoided her question. "Portia has been very kind. I don't promise to respond well if I feel I'm being abused."

She frowned. "I don't like hearing that, but it's honest, and to be fair, I've said the same thing in the past. As best you can, if you feel you're being taken advantage of, respond as calmly as you can and find a chance to talk to me. But I expect you to accept my decision."

"Yes, Alpha," I said.

She gestured to the back of my hand. "What room is that color?"

I looked at it. "Monique's."

"All right. I want to talk about two things. First, I want to know the real reason you're being so quiet at meals. I do not buy this line of, 'I'll say something when I have an opinion'."

"Haven't we had enough stress for a few days?" I asked. "Do we really need to talk about that?"

She studied me for a moment. "Let me ask a different question, and I expect an honest answer. Do you consider us friends?"

I thought about it before answering. "I don't think there's a simple answer to that."

"Why not?"

"Because first and foremost, you're the alpha. And when I treated you and Lara as friends, I was punished for it."

She sighed. "We talked about that."

"Tell me you weren't putting me in my place, Alpha."

"I wasn't," she replied instantly.

"Oh? You pulled rank on me. Is that what friends do? In fact, you pull rank every time you want me to attend one of your events. You even pulled rank when playing matchmaker, ordering Elisabeth to invite me on a date, and ordering me to accept."

"Elisabeth didn't invite you because I ordered you to. She doesn't do a single thing that I order."

"That's not what I've seen. It sure looked like you were the one in charge yesterday. And you were the one in charge the last time I was in that room, too. And speaking of that, if you don't want me to have a complete panic attack, maybe having me hauled to that room is a poor idea. I don't have fond memories of it."

This time, it was her turn to look away. Then she looked back. "If I had asked you to give me extra help with our field trips, and assured you it was okay to turn me down, what would you have done?"

"I would have helped," I said. "But that would have been a request from one friend of another, not an alpha chastising a pack member. Surely you see the difference."

"Yes, I see the difference. Are you willing to believe I've done the things I've done with your best interests in mind?"

"Including my little trial yesterday?"

"Well, not entirely on that one, but I think I've made sure it's not as onerous as it could be. I'm not, for instance, allowing Rory to order you about the way Lara did to me."

"Excuse me?"

"Long story. Trust me. Portia is a great deal easier to deal with than Rory is. Power goes to his head."

"Begging your pardon, Alpha, but power seems to have gone a little to yours as well. If we're speaking plainly."

I probably shouldn't have said it. It was the sort of comment that had gotten me into trouble with her once already. But instead of lashing out, she nodded.

"You're right. You're absolutely right, Zoe. I can't expect you to see me as a friend if I treat you as an underling."

"But I am an underling, Michaela. I haven't said you were wrong. I only tried to point out that you're acting as the alpha, not as a friend."

"Yes, well, I was trying to act as a friend. I make mistakes just like everyone else."

It didn't sound like an apology, and I didn't know why I had to pay the price for her mistakes.

She leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes. "You didn't answer my question. Are you willing to believe I've had your best interests in mind?"

"I don't know what interests you have in mind, Alpha," I said. I looked away. She was dragging me into a conversation I didn't want to have. And actually, I didn't believe my best interests were at all a factor in her choices.

"You shut up," she said. "Again. Why?"

I didn't answer her, and she huffed displeasure. "I require an answer, Zoe."

At that I turned to her, my eyes flashing a moment of annoyance before I calmed my features. "Friends don't demand answers," I said. "That's the act of someone in a position of authority."

"I am Fox," she said with a brief smile. "I am capable of being many things at once."

"I am human," I replied, "and I have a very difficult time understanding when I am talking to someone who claims to be my friend, and when I am talking to someone who has the power to order me to speak, and then who can order me punished if she doesn't like what I say or how I say it. Eleven days for treating you and Lara like friends, Michaela. Another three days for defending myself from unfair accusations. Three more days for avoiding all of you. And six for the crime of being afraid."

I sighed. It was far more than I had intended to say.

"You're mad about the sentence."

"I do not deserve the way I have been treated. But I was only trying to point out why it doesn't feel like I'm sitting here with a friend. I'm sitting here with the pack alpha. Treating you like a friend has not gone well for me."

She frowned, and then her features turned to even greater annoyance. I kept my mouth closed and turned away again.

"All right," she said finally. "I don't think the uncertainty is your fault. I never sought for this position, for authority over anyone else. That's not the nature of a fox. We don't covet power."

"You wield it well," I inserted.

"Thank you," she replied. "It's been a learning experience primarily born from knowing what I want and being willing to push people around to get it. But that's not the same thing as wanting the power to push people around."

"You just know what you want."

"Right." She paused, and I glanced at her. "I want another chance."

"I already gave you two."

"I want a third. And if I grow heavy handed again, I want you to tell me."

"Oh, I don't think so."

"I don't make promises I don't keep," she said. "I promise I won't punish you for telling me if I'm being heavy handed. I won't ask you to promise, but if I am heavy handed, please tell me."

"I'll think about it," I said.

"I release you from your obligation to Lara and me for that wager. I would like you to pay Portia though, as a sort of thank you for watching over you."

"I pay my debts, Alpha."

"I know you do. I still release you of that obligation."

I nodded. "Thank you."

"Did you have more you wanted to say on this topic?"

"No. I didn't want to talk about this in the first place."

She smiled. "I'm not sure that's entirely true, but I understand. So. My friend…"

She paused, and I nodded. "Your friend," I agreed. I didn't really believe it, but I wasn't willing to fight with her. Her smile grew.

"I would like to ask a favor," she said. "I could use your help."

"I owe you pack service, anyway."

"I was hoping you would become a permanent assistant, and I hold more outings than your service would call for. I'd pay you, but we're out of money in the budget, and I don't want to ask the council for more money. But at least we would cover your expenses, and maybe that's worth something."

I thought about it. I actually had enjoyed helping her with her classes, and it gave me opportunities I couldn't afford myself. I nodded. "You don't have to pay me," I said. "Do you mind if I talk about GreEN?"

"No, I don't, and I don't mind if you find opportunity for nature photos. In fact, I encourage it. How would you feel about teaching a class on nature photography? I bet I could get the council to pay for that."

"You want me to train my competition? I bet wolves could get really good photos. They can get places I can't. Hell, they can take photos of each other and pass them off as wild wolf photos. They could get the best wolf photos on the planet."

I could tell she wasn't sure if I was teasing.

"They wouldn't dare. Do you know how much trouble they'd be in?"

I smiled. "I'm teasing. Mostly. I wouldn't suppose you would pose for fox photos?"

"No, I will not," she said, but she smiled. "About the class?"

"Are you talking an hour class during the field trip, or a real class?"

"A real class. Maybe two classes a week for a term, plus time during outings."

I didn't want to get sucked into her plans. My entire plan was to fade into obscurity, and being under Michaela's thumb would make that more difficult.

"I'm not qualified to teach formally," I said slowly.

"You're a natural educator," she replied. "You would be perfect."

"It's an hour round trip to teach a one-hour class," I observed. Maybe I could make it took expensive for her budget. "And they would need proper equipment."

"We would make it worth your trouble," she assured me. "How proper of equipment?"

Inwardly I sighed. "Digital SLR for sure. Lens choice would be based on what you want them to learn to photograph. If you want close up work like flowers and insects, that means a macro lens and maybe a small tripod. If you want them to photograph wild animals, that means a telephoto lens. My best telephoto lens cost me sixteen hundred dollars, although the one I really want is nearly six grand. They wouldn't need that much, but you get what you pay for."

"I would want a comprehensive course. Can you do a proposal? Explain what you would teach and what equipment you would recommend, maybe as a minimum, desired, and premium."

"These kids can come up with a thousand dollars, maybe fifteen hundred worth of photo equipment?"

"Most of them. Not all the kids will be interested.

"Do you want me to recommend professional level equipment?"

"I think you should explain what you have and why you picked it, and what you would buy if money weren't an object. Then make recommendations that make sense."

"All right. I can do that."

"When can you get it to me?"

"When do you want it?"

"First draft for us to discuss before your sentence is over? Can you do that?"

"Are you going to judge the proposal based on a first draft?"

"No, I already know I want to do this. I don't want you to spend too much time on it. I want to see what you produce and then guide you towards the final proposal."

"Then yes, I can have it done in that timeframe, perhaps sooner. I don't know how hard Portia intends to work me, but I presume I'll have time. It might be a little rough."

"Rough is fine. Can you do a very introductory, informal class next weekend with whatever equipment the kids have? That might mean cell phones."

"Cell phones have very good cameras," I said. "Yes. I can talk about lighting and composition, and then we can take a walk and see what they find interesting."

"Good. We leave Thursday. If you have photos to ship, plan accordingly."

Then she smiled. "Lara's going to have words for me."

"Oh?"

"Every time she turns around, I'm doing something new with the school." She paused. "I want an email from you before you go to bed tonight. Send me the list of lenses I might want for my camera with an explanation of why."

"You're going to attend my class?"

"I am," she said with a smile.

I sighed. "There goes my best customer."

She laughed. "Naw. You'll always be better than I am. I'm pulled in forty-seven different directions. But I want to know enough to talk intelligently to you about it, and I think I want to go on some of your photo outings."

We smiled at each other for a moment or two before she said, "That's all I had. We'll coordinate a little more next week. Did you have anything else?"

I thought about it then nodded. "You don't have to answer this, but in your opinion, was I wrong to break up with Elisabeth."

She frowned and shifted in her seat, then stilled. "You know, I wish I could say yes, you were wrong. But no. She seemed quite taken with you, and I think she was. But she's conflicted about what she wants."

"Portia said that about Eric."

"Oh?"

"He wants a strong wolf who will let him be dominant."

Michaela smiled. "I suppose so. Elisabeth wants someone very feminine who can run with her. According to Lara, she used to date guys, but when she became head enforcer, something changed. I think she's still figuring things out. Maybe if she'd dated a few more humans — or a few more anyones — she would have had better perspective."

"She thought she was settling."

"Not shifting to fur was a litmus test she couldn't get past," Michaela said. "She was more than satisfied in every other way."

"My being vegan?"

Michaela waved that away. "That's minor. It adds amusing character to the relationship. Yeah, it might be a pain in the ass for both of you from time to time, but she wasn't going to let that get in the way. Were you?"

"No, as long as she wouldn't make me cook the flesh of dead animals."

"Elisabeth may think about what she's lost and ask for another chance. If she does, I hope you'll consider it. Not that I think she's going to, so don't plan your life around it. But she might."

I didn't answer that, as I no longer wanted anything to do with Elisabeth anymore, not after her behavior towards me yesterday. I wasn't even sure why I'd asked my question. "Thank you for answering, Michaela. I wouldn't suppose you've stopped meddling?"

She smiled. "Don't hold your breath. Feeling better?"

"Let me rephrase myself," I said. "I would rather you stop meddling in my love life, Michaela."

"I'll think about it," she replied. "Feeling better?" she repeated.

I thought about it and nodded.

"Good."

"I don't know if Monique waited. Am I allowed to find Portia without an escort?"

"Go see if she's waiting. If not, I'll call her and find out where she is."

I rose from the chair, poked my nose out, and found Monique had indeed waited. "Ready?" she asked.

"She's here," I said to Michaela.

"Then you're all set."

 **Games**

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Mmmm. It's Sunday, Portia!"

"I know," she said. "And it's going to be a beautiful day. Now, do you want a repeat from yesterday?"

I sat bolt upright. "I'm up! I'm up!" Yesterday I had fallen back asleep, and she made good on her threat to return with ice, and not just a couple of cubes, either.

"That's better. We've been invited on an outing. You may come with, or you may spend the day in the cell."

"Oh there's a choice for you," I said. I opened my eyes to see she was grinning. "Would you really make me spend the day in the cell if I didn't want to go?"

"Yep, but it's not my fault. There's no one to leave you with, and I have some leeway with you, but not that much."

I rolled away from her, my mood growing sour.

"Where are we going?" I asked quietly.

"I'm not sure I should tell you."

I didn't respond.

"It's something humans do," Portia added. "It's outdoors. It's a beautiful day. We're going to have a barbeque. And I think there are plans for a movie this evening."

"Am I going to wish I picked the cell?"

"I think you're going to have fun," she said. "I'll pick your clothes while you're showering. Please hurry."

I rolled to face her and narrowed my eyes. "Barbeque. That means burnt flesh."

"I wouldn't let you starve," she replied. "Francesca is going, and she is already assuming everyone on the compound is going. Well, except the pups. They're too young."

"All right," I said. "Fine. It's not like I have a choice."

She helped me from bed then said, "Zoe, have the last few days been as bad as you thought they would be?"

I looked down. "No."

"Why is that?"

"You know why."

"Tell me anyway."

"Because you've been with me."

"Would you really rather stay here than spend a glorious day outdoors with me?" she asked. "Monique will be there, too, and she's looking forward to you coming."

"No," I admitted. "I'm not upset about that. I'm upset you think you have to put me in the cell if you can't keep an eye on me."

"I don't," she said. "And Lara hasn't flat out said anything to me about it, but I think she wishes she hadn't added that stipulation to your sentence. But it's hard to take things like that back. Zoe, I'm sorry about that. But I'll do what I can to make sure you have a nice time today. We all will."

I nodded and hugged her briefly before heading to the shower.

A half hour later, it was clear everyone else knew where we were going, and they all seemed excited. There was a fair amount of trash talk going on, some of it directed at me. It was hard to fight back when I had no idea what we would be doing.

Everyone seemed to know I didn't have a clue what we were doing and seemed amused by it. I tried to get Monique to tell me, but she simply locked her lips and threw away the key.

In the end, it was a forty-minute drive. I rode with Portia, Monique, and three of Michaela's students. The kids were ribbing each other and trying to tease me. It was clear there was to be some sort of competition, so I didn't understand why Portia thought I'd have fun. Whatever it was, I couldn't compete with the wolves.

As we drew closer to our destination, Portia said, "Monique, it's time."

I was in the passenger seat of Portia's SUV. Monique leaned forward and said, "Don't struggle." And then she wrapped a blindfold over my eyes.

"Seriously?" I asked.

"Everyone wants to see your reaction," Portia explained. "Let them have their fun."

"Be honest, Zoe," Monique said. "Can you see?"

"A little light out the bottom," I said. "That's all."

"That's fine," Portia said. "Please don't try to peak, Zoe."

"I don't believe I'm going to have the fun you promised, Portia."

"I didn't promise fun; I predicted it and promised to do my best to ensure it. I hope you'll give it a fair chance."

"You're having far too much fun with this," I said. I raised my voice. "You all are."

They just laughed.

I laid my head against the back of the seat and turned to "look" out the window, although I couldn't see anything. I didn't like being the brunt of their humor. They weren't picking on me any more than they were each other, but I still didn't like it. I felt like they were ganging up on me, the token human.

I didn't say anything else, and I stopped asking questions.

I realized I was nervous and it was making me crabby.

From behind me, Monique leaned forward and whispered into my ear, "We're going to have fun, Zoe. Maybe Portia won't promise, but I will."

What did she know? She was only fifteen and a big strong wolf. She didn't know what it was like being small, weak, and afraid.

Was I afraid? Not for my life, or even of getting hurt. But I was afraid of being the fool. I realized I was quite afraid of that. I'd been that plenty in school, and I suppose often enough since.

I turned my head towards Monique. "Is everyone going to pick on me?"

"Everyone is going to pick on everyone," she replied. "But if anyone gets singled out, it will be the alphas and the enforcers."

"And the token human?"

"You're not the only one," she replied. "Scarlett's father is here."

"How about your mom?"

"No. Everyone on the compound, basically. Even Francesca will play."

Five minutes later, we left the highway and were bouncing along a rough dirt track. Then we came to a stop, and I could hear the sounds of the other cars' doors opening and closing.

"Monique, take care of Zoe at least until we let her take off the blindfold," Portia directed.

"Wait there," Monique said. I listened as everyone climbed from the car. Then my door opened, and Monique helped me out. I took her arm.

"The ground is uneven," she warned me. "Lift your feet; don't shuffle."

I nodded and let her lead me. I heard the other wolves all around me, and then Elisabeth said, "Okay, I think we're all here. Everyone remember: there are humans here. Limit yourselves to human abilities."

"Is that rule for me?" I whispered to Monique.

"No."

Elisabeth continued to talk. "I want to see good sportsmanship."

"Does that mean no ganging up on the head enforcer?" someone asked.

"Yes," she said. "That's exactly what that means."

"As if," I heard from several voices, and there was general laughter.

"We should have time for several games before lunch and then even more this afternoon. We're going out for pizza afterwards. Zoe, we called ahead, and they know how to make vegan pizza."

"Not just vegetarian?"

"Vegan. They promised."

"Thank you," I said. "That is very thoughtful. I know I'm a pain in the ass."

"Yeah," someone said. I thought it might be Rory. "But you're _our_ pain in the ass."

That produced laughter, including from me.

"All right," Elisabeth said. "We're going to move inside. There's a viewing area. We'll let Zoe take her blindfold off there, then we'll get signed in and grab our gear."

Around me, the wolves teased each other. Monique kept me steady, even catching me once when I stumbled. We moved inside.

"Put her here, Monique," Michaela said. We took a few steps, and then Monique turned me to face a particular direction. I heard milling around me, then Michaela said, "Remove her blindfold."

I let Monique do it. I blinked a few times, then looked around.

We were in a rustic building with tall ceilings. I couldn't see much of the building, as the big, tall wolves were crowded around me. But there was a large, panoramic window in front of me. Beyond the window was some sort of weird obstacle course.

I looked at the wolves. Most of them were watching my reaction.

"I have no idea where we are," I said.

"Just watch," Michaela said. "You'll figure it out. There's a game in progress."

So from perhaps five feet away, I watched out the window. After a minute, a group of four people moved into view. They were carrying some odd sort of gun and wearing camouflage clothing, complete with some sort of face shield. They ducked behind two of the obstacles and then began firing over and around them.

"I still don't know what this is," I admitted.

"It's paintball!" some of the kids said. "They're shooting paint."

"You guys play _paintball_?" I asked in surprise.

"This is only our third time," Michaela said. "Well, some members of the pack are out here practically all the time, but as a group it's our third time."

"I heard it hurts to get hit."

"If you're really close it does," Monique said. "But it's not that bad, not even by. Um."

"My standards?"

"Yeah."

"What do you think?" Michaela asked. "Going to play, or are you a spectator today?"

"Are you actually going to give me a gun, or am I just the target?"

There was laughter at that. "It wouldn't be fun if you couldn't shoot back," Michaela said.

"And I'm allowed to shoot um. You. And a few other key individuals?"

"Oh yeah," someone said. I turned to see Angel, her arm around Scarlett.

"Well then, I'm definitely playing."

"Excellent," Michaela said.

It was nearly an hour by the time we were checked in, had our gear, and had watched an introductory video. Then we got a chance to test our guns on a little firing range. That was pretty fun, and I found myself grinning.

Portia stepped up to me. "Everyone turns a little primal with a gun in her hand," she said.

After that, we all gathered in a circle to pick teams. I expected Michaela to manage it, but she gestured to two of her older students, Iris and Lindsey. They moved to the center of the circle.

"Michaela said we get to organize the first game," said Iris. "We're not going to do teams in our usual style. Instead, if anyone wants to be on the same team, stand together holding hands. If you want to be on opposite teams from someone, we'll work that out in a minute."

Monique immediately grabbed my hand, and then Portia was on the other side, grabbing my other hand. Looking around, I saw perhaps a third of the group was partially partnered up. I was surprised that Michaela and Lara had put some distance between themselves.

"Are they fighting?" I asked.

"Lara likes competing with Michaela," Portia explained, "although I'm surprised she doesn't turn all protective for this game."

"Okay, good," Lindsey said. "Iris and I are the team captains for this game. I am team one, Iris is team two. We're going to start with the groups. I'll point to a group, and you say which team you want to be on." She looked around then pointed to a group.

"Iris," that group said.

"Over here then," Iris said.

It only took a few minutes to divide everyone. We were on Lindsey's team, as was Lara. Elisabeth and Michaela were both on Iris's team.

"All right," Iris said. "We're on one of the medium sized fields, and our first game is Blob."

There were some cries of pleasure at the choice.

"Raise your hand if you don't have a clue what I just said."

Mine was the only hand that went up. I was sure she asked just as another way of teasing me.

"We start at opposite ends of the field. It's wooded with a variety of things to hide behind. If you get shot you raise your hands and say, 'I am hit'. Then you run to the other team's starting area. You're now on the other team, so you switch your armbands and then reenter the game. We play until everyone is on one team."

"How do you tell who won?"

"We don't," she said. "This is just a fun match, but you should still avoid getting hit."

"My team is blue," Lindsey said. "Iris's team is the red team. Put on the right armbands but keep the others in a pocket."

Then they passed out four armbands to each of us, two of each color. I pulled on the blue ones and pocketed the red ones.

As a group we walked to the proper field. The wolves continued to banter.

I was subdued and nervous. I wasn't sure why. This was going to be fun, right?

"Are you all right?" Portia asked me.

"Sure," I said.

"My recommendation is to stay under cover as much as possible and play defensively for a few games. You can expect nearly everyone else to play exceedingly aggressively."

"What are you going to do?"

"As long as we're on the same team, I thought we should stick together."

"Me, too," Monique said from my other side.

"How does this usually go?"

"Usually? We haven't done this enough times to have a usually. We've had a few games that were very one-sided. More often, it's quite for a minute or two, and then it becomes chaos. A few people will get flipped to the other side very quickly, but the people who shot them also tend to get shot themselves. But eventually one side gains numeric superiority, and then it tends to end fairly quickly."

"So I should expect to get shot a few times?"

"Unless you successfully hide in back, or you're on the winning side of a very one-sided game, yes."

"There was one game where Connor got shot eleven times. I think after six or seven, everyone else was just waiting for him. He kept charging in and getting shot by three or four people at a time."

I laughed. "I don't think that will be my style."

"You should play a game or two this morning like that," Zoe said. "It's all in fun. This afternoon we'll have more of a tournament, and it's worth playing to win. There are prizes."

"Michaela gives out the weirdest prizes," Monique said. "She gave Lily a prize for most dramatic death the last time we were here."

We arrived at our playing field. The two teams separated, and we followed Lindsey to our starting point. She pulled all of us into a huddle.

"All right," she said. "I want us to win decisively. We're going to play a defensive game and make them come to us. The field is about the size of a football field. We're going to move forward only about twenty yards or so and take up a defensive position. I'll be in the middle, and I want a shallow V-formation, more or less, although the flanks could come up even with me if they want and there are good, defensive positions. Try to have good lines of fire and pick your targets."

She looked around, her eyes settling on me. "Remember, if you get hit, raise your hands above your head and say clearly, 'I'm hit'."

I nodded.

"Questions?"

There weren't any.

"All right. Take your positions." She turned away, and we spread out within our designated start area.

"We'll follow you," Portia said. She pointed. "I'd head for that set of barrels between the two trees."

Thirty seconds later, the referee called out through a megaphone, "Three, two, one, start. Go! Go! Go!"

I immediately began running for the cover Portia had identified. Two of the wolves had the same destination in mind, but when they saw me heading there, they moved past it to another location. I ducked into place, and a moment later, Portia and Monique slid into place beside me.

I peered over the top of the barrels. The trees weren't heavy, but they were heavy enough I couldn't see the opposing team.

"I don't think Lindsey picked a good strategy," Portia said. "The key to paintball is to keep moving."

"I don't know," Monique countered. "If we flip people, they won't have to go as far before they're shooting on our team, but if we have to flip, we have to run all the way to the other end then turn around again."

"Good point," Portia said. And then I heard her gun fire a couple of quick splats. I never saw what she was shooting at.

"Get him?"

"No. Killed a tree though."

I laughed.

My heart was pounding in my chest though. I was hyped up on adrenalin, and I had no idea what to expect.

Nothing happened for the first minute or two. I watched ahead and saw no movement, but glancing both right and left showed me more teammates hiding behind their own obstacles. With their masks on, I couldn't see who anyone was, hair color the only hint. Portia had put me in a hat, but no one else seemed to be wearing one.

But then the action started. To my left, towards the center of our formation, I heard a male voice call out, "I'm hit," and then a few seconds later, a female voice.

"That was Lindsey," Monique said.

"I told you her strategy was weak," Portia replied.

There was movement in front of me, just a flash of brown. We'd been told to shoot at people, not movement. "See what you're shooting." So I didn't fire, but I had my gun stretched out over the top of the barrels, and I was sighting down it.

"Movement," I whispered.

And then Portia's gun spat twice again, and a moment later a female voice said, "I'm hit."

But I heard sharp hits against our barrels, and Portia bumped against me as she ducked under cover. The sound startled me, and I jerked, but I saw someone aiming at me, but not quite at me. I realized he was firing at Portia's position. I swung my gun over, fired twice, missed, and then twice more and got him.

"I'm hit!" He raised his gun in the air and stood up.

"I got him!"

That was when I felt a sharp thwack against the side of my head, another against my shoulder, and one more on my arm. I cried out and fell backwards. I dropped my gun and pressed my hand against the side of my head.

"All you all right, Zoe?" Portia asked in a whisper. Then I heard both their guns firing.

"I don't know," I whimpered.

My arm and shoulder stung, but my head really hurt.

Then Monique was there. She pulled me more closely against the barrels, hiding me, then went back to her position, firing with her gun.

I curled into a ball, holding my head and waiting for the pain to dull. Then, beside me, I heard Portia call out, "I'm hit." I felt her stand. "I'm hit!" she called out again again. "I need to check on Zoe."

A moment later, even before Portia could kneel down next to me, Monique said, "I'm hit! I'm hit!"

Then both of them were kneeling over me.

"Let me see," Portia said. "Monique, help her sit up."

Strong wolf arms reached under me. Monique rolled me onto my back and then sat me up, supporting me from behind. Portia leaned closer and pulled my hand from my head then used her hand to turn my chin towards the side. She examined me with her eyes, then said, "I'm going to touch you."

She was already touching me, but I knew what she meant. She prodded at the impact point. I winced, but the pain was fading.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Ready to stand and switch sides?"

I nodded.

She looked around, found my gun, and handed it to me. She raised her own gun in the air and said firmly, "We're all hit!" Then she reached down, waited until I had my own gun over my head, and pulled me to my feet.

I looked around. I saw a couple of wolves, their guns in the air, heading towards our starting position. Portia got us moving in the direction we'd been facing.

We walked for a few seconds, then Portia shifted her gun to her other hand. "We're supposed to run. Zoe, we'll help you." She grabbed my left arm. "You can lower your gun and let Monique grab your other arm.

And then we moved into a jog, the two of them pulling me along, and then an open run. I had to keep bouncing on my feet, but they pulled me along far faster than I've ever run before. We weaved around the trees and obstacles, and in far less time than I ever would have imagined, we were at the far end of the field.

Arriving, we saw several people switching armbands, and we passed a few more on the way there. I still couldn't tell who anyone was.

"I got two," Monique said as we switched armbands. "Zoe got one."

"I got one," Portia said. "We actually did pretty well. But now we get to go shoot them again."

"Why don't you wear helmets?" I asked. "Oh wait, that's a stupid question. Wolves heads are made of granite."

"Head shots hurt," Monique said. "Don't be embarrassed about that."

"Some people wear masks that cover the entire head," Portia said. "They have some for sale. If you want, we'll buy one for you before the next game."

"Are they expensive?"

"Don't worry about that," she said. "I'll pay for it."

"Are they?"

"Not that bad, maybe fifty or seventy-five dollars."

"I-"

"Zoe," Portia said, "We didn't give you a real choice about coming. If you'd picked the cell, we'd have talked you into changing your mind. We want you to have fun. Will you feel better about playing if you have more protection?"

I was embarrassed. I shouldn't have been. But I nodded.

"All right then. The only thing to discuss will be which one to buy. We don't wear them because we're all macho wolves. But it's better if you wear a helmet and laugh than try to match us and have a horrible time."

I nodded agreement and was touched by her kindness.

"All right," Portia said. "Monique, what do you want to do?"

"Right flank, push for the far corner, then turn left."

"You take the lead. Zoe, watch the way I follow Monique, then you do the same behind me. Monique, set a pace she can keep."

Monique nodded and immediately turned towards the right. She began moving quickly — but not running — back towards the action, taking us at an angle. She moved from cover to cover, and in between, she moved erratically. Once she was about ten yards away, Portia began following her, taking a slightly different path.

I didn't wait, but instead of following Portia directly, I aimed further to the right, putting some distance between us before I turned left to head up the field.

It didn't take long until I was largely lost, but I kept Portia in view and, most of the time anyway, Monique. So I saw when she went to ground, ducking behind one of the obstacles, then peeking around it before pulling back again. She peeked around the other side and fired, then pulled back.

Portia moved behind her own obstacle. She glanced back at me then turned forward again.

I moved closer to Portia but shifted towards the left then hid behind a tree, peering around the left side. Portia popped up, fired twice, and ducked. I watched where she was firing. I could see just a foot sticking out from behind a little wall. I took careful aim and fired three shots then ducked behind the tree.

"I'm hit!"

I smiled. Guns have always been a great leveler, giving power to those who otherwise wouldn't have it.

"Zoe!"

I peeked around the right side of my tree. Portia was gesturing towards the right. Then she moved, running quickly to her next bit of cover. I peeked again, didn't see anyone, and ran.

We reached the far edge of the field, but then Monique came under heavy fire. She cowered behind a tree, and from my own safe position, I could see the paint balls hitting the edge of the tree, splattering paint, but not hitting her.

I couldn't see where they were coming from.

Portia was carefully firing back, but I couldn't see that, either.

Then suddenly, everything turned into pure chaos, if it wasn't already. There was a great yell from several voices, and then I saw several wolves break cover, running towards Monique and Portia. Monique popped out, fired twice, and fell back, but then she lifted her hands. "I'm hit!"

Portia began firing, and, a moment later, so did I. I didn't think I hit anything, and I didn't hear anyone call out "I'm hit".

They overran Portia's position, and she got hit multiple times. They didn't even slow down but soon I was gunned down, taking multiple hits against my body and one to my face mask, scaring the shit out of me.

I fell backwards in surprise, and then I was surrounded. I cowered on the ground with my arms over my head, and one or two of them shot me again.

"Knock it off!" Portia said. "She's hit already."

"She didn't say she's hit!" And I took a paintball splat right to the ass. I cried out.

There was a rush of sound, and then I heard Portia said, "Pull shit like that again and I will beat the crap out of you!"

When I looked over, Portia had one of the wolves backed up against a tree, one hand on his throat and another locked on his wrist, holding his gun in the air. The other wolves stood back, holding their guns in the air.

"Don't know what I did," the wolf gurgled.

From my right, there was the sound of a paintball gun and then the wolf that Portia was holding took two shots against the side of his head. Monique had her gun leveled at him.

"You were being an asshole, Layton," Monique said. "We're supposed to make sure Zoe has a good time!"

"That's Zoe?" he gargled. "I'm sorry!"

I sat up, and then Monique was there, pulling me to my feet.

"I'm fine, Portia," I said. I moved closer, Monique watching over me protectively, her gun in the air. I set a hand on Portia's arm, the one holding Layton. "I'm fine," I repeated.

Slowly, she released him, but she was breathing heavily.

And then Michaela was there, holding her gun over her head. Her I could tell, both by size and her red hair.

"Zoe, are you all right?" she asked.

"I'm fine."

"Let him go, Portia," Michaela said.

Portia finished releasing Layton. He rubbed at his throat, croaked a couple of times, then turned to me. "I'm sorry. I thought you were…"

"You thought she was whom?" Michaela asked, her tone low.

"Um. You, Alpha."

"No titles," Portia hissed. She whacked him upside the head. "Idiot."

"I'm sorry!" he said, lowering his eyes.

"You thought I was curled up on the ground?" Michaela said. "Does that sound like me?"

"Um. No. Um. Ms. Burns."

"And then, when you saw someone you thought was me, curled in a ball on the ground, you decided to shoot me a few extra times?"

"Um."

She turned to me. "Are you angry?"

"No. I'm fine, Michaela."

"All right." She looked back at Layton. "I want a paper, due Wednesday before I sit for dinner, on good sportsmanship. If I am dissatisfied, you will not be leaving with us on Thursday."

"Yes, Ms. Burns!" he said quickly. "Zoe, I'm sorry."

"I'm fine," I repeated again.

Michaela cocked her head then looked around, then cocked her head the other way. "We're being watched." She raised her voice. "Everyone here retreats to his own side and is safe for thirty seconds or until he turns back to the action, whichever comes first." She pointed in the direction Monique, Portia and I had been heading. "You six. Go."

The six wolves took off and were soon out of sight.

"I believe you three need to change your armbands. Zoe, gun up." She waited until I had my gun over my head — Portia and Monique already did. And then she turned in the other direction and quickly did her own disappearing act.

The game didn't last much longer. With the exception of Lindsey getting shot early, her strategy was actually effective. Monique got shot once more, but Portia kept me under cover, playing conservatively. By the time Monique got turned around to come back, most of Iris's original team was on Lindsey's end of the field. It became a mop-up with a few wolves getting shot and then shot once more. And then the game was over.

We cleared the field and collected in the portion of the picnic area that was reserved for our group. The wolves were all sharing their exploits.

Layton came over to me. Monique and Portia watched him warily, but they didn't stop him.

"Zoe?" he said. "I'm really sorry."

"It's fine, Layton," I said. I rubbed my ass theatrically. "But if you shot me there one more time, I'd tell Michaela to make you kiss it."

From around us there were a few scoffs and one or two suggestions of, "Make him kiss it anyway," and at least one person said, "He'd enjoy that too much."

"Maybe if it was your ass, Ember!" someone else said. And then Ember received a little teasing.

She waited for a lull and said clearly, "If Layton wants to kiss my ass, I'll let him."

That generated more banter, but Layton ignored it and moved closer. "I'm really sorry."

"Forgiven, Layton, but you can make it up to me by not shooting me again today."

He chuckled nervously, so I reached out and clasped his arm. "It's fine. I'm teasing. I bet you want to go share your exploits. You can go tell your friends how you shot an old lady in the ass."

"You're not old," he said. "Well, not that old."

"Gee. Thanks, Layton."

"I think you should take off while you're ahead," Portia said. He took her advice.

Portia turned me towards her. She touched the side of my head. "Does it still hurt?"

"No," I said. "I'm fine, Portia."

After that, I listened to the wolves extoll their paintball virtues, but then Michaela interrupted them. "All right. I think there's one question that hasn't been answered." And as a group, everyone turned to face me. "Zoe, did you have fun?"

"Um, I'm not sure, but I'm not going to ask to sit out. But I didn't have a clue what I was doing."

"Don't worry about that," said Karen. "None of us do."

"But… You and Portia were in the army, weren't you?"

"It's not the same," she said.

"Yeah," said Portia. "We can't call in an airstrike."

There was laughter at that.

"We're going to buy Zoe a better mask," Portia added. "She doesn't have a hard head like the rest of us. Can you give us a few minutes before the next game?"

"Sure," Michaela said. "We're at Hopscotch next."

"Lend a hand, Monique," Portia said. They each grabbed an arm, and suddenly we were running along the path towards the main building.

"I could get used to that," I said when we came to a stop at the door. "But isn't that a little obvious?"

"Naw," said Portia. She leaned closer. "We can run a lot faster than that."

After that, it was Monique that led the way into the store. They had all sorts of fancy gear for paintball: several styles of guns, a variety of camouflage gear, sweatshirts, and, of course, masks.

The two of them took turns plopping different masks over my head.

"I like the skull one," Monique said finally.

"I don't think so," I said. I leaned closer. "Shouldn't we get one that says 'wimpy human' on it?"

They both chuckled. In the end, Portia picked the mask for me. It was painted in camouflage and gave me the best protection. She plopped it over my head again then asked if I felt claustrophobic wearing it. I shook my head, so she took it away from me and asked, "Did you want anything else?"

"No, I'm good," I said. "Thank you."

We played another game of blob, this time on a smaller field. This one didn't have any trees, just a variety of obstacles you could hide behind. Because of the open nature, it was a lot easier to see what was going on, and the game made more sense.

I got hit early and did without my protective detail for the rest of the game. I hit a few people too, but I got flipped back and forth several times before the game was over.

In all, we played a variety of games. It stung getting hit, but it wasn't bad. My heart was pounding most of the time, but I decided I had fun, too.

I especially enjoyed it when I shot Elisabeth.

In the afternoon, they ran a tournament. I performed poorly, but I didn't mind.

We did have one more game of note. This one was organized by Scarlett and Angel, and they called it, "The corrupt guards game".

"Oh, this one is fun," Monique whispered to me.

"This is a timed event," Scarlett said. "We're playing for forty-five minutes."

"If you get shot, you should stand up and say 'I'm hit' just like normal," Angel explained. "At that point, a member of the opposite team is allowed to take you prisoner. Normally, it would be the person who shot you, if there's agreement on who that is."

"You have to count out loud to thirty," Scarlett explained, "and if no one grabs you before you reach thirty, you can retreat to your own starting point and re-enter the game. Otherwise the guard takes you to jail."

"Guards should raise their guns just like when we get hit, so they can break cover to take a prisoner," Angel said. "And no shooting a guard until he is back at the jail with his prisoner."

"It's a points game, and the alphas have prizes for the top three scores," Scarlett said.

"We're playing in one of the arena fields," Angel explained. "There's a large bell. Every two minutes, the bell will ring."

"If you are alive and free when the bell rings, you get a point. If you're a prisoner, or waiting to be taken prisoner, you lose a point. You get no points while you're a guard, but you get five points for escorting a prisoner to jail."

"Everyone keeps track of their own score," Angel said.

"Now, here's the fun part, and why they are called corrupt guards." Scarlett smiled. "You can bribe your guard to let you go. If your guard releases you, you exit the arena through the back door of the jail, run around the outside, and re-enter the game from your starting point."

"You get no points until you're back in the playing area again," Angel said. "But as you're no longer a prisoner, you don't lose points, either."

"You can offer your guard anything you want," Scarlett said. "You can give up some of your points. You can offer cash or favors. Anything is fair to offer."

"The guard must either accept your offer or make a counter offer."

I raised my hand.

"Zoe?"

"What if your guard doesn't want to let you go?"

"Ah. Once you're escorted to jail, you can bribe any of the guards," said Scarlett. "There must be one guard per prisoner up to five guards. So even if your original guard is stubborn, you can always bribe one of the other guards."

"And remember, they don't get any points for holding you," said Angel, "so they're motivated to get back into the game where they can earn points."

"Have you played this before?"

"Yeah."

"What's a typical bribe?"

"Anything," Scarlett said. "I've paid as little as one point. The alphas are fond of demanding baby sitting services, and then you're negotiating how long."

"Sometimes they make you do something," Kaylee said. "I had to dance with Elisabeth once. And Mom made me promise to clean my room."

I laughed at that.

"It can be anything," Scarlett said. "You aren't obligated to do what a guard orders. Frankly, some of the guards can be pretty immature." She reached over and punched Rory in the arm. "This one made Angel and I make out while he watched."

"You hated it, too," someone said, and there were snickers.

"You could have counter-offered," Rory said, rubbing his arm and grinning. "Nora offers dates, but she's not here today." He sighed dramatically.

"You can't offer anything that isn't yours," Angel said. "You can't offer points you haven't earned yet or if your score is negative. People get really creative."

I smiled. It actually sounded like fun. "Got it."

"Any more questions?"

There weren't.

"All right. Scarlett and I are on opposite teams. We're going to let each of you pick which team you're on, but if we decide they aren't even, we'll make whatever adjustments we want."

Portia and Monique both turned to me. "Portia," said Monique. "May I play opposite Zoe for this game?"

I laughed. "Hoping to catch me?"

"Uh huh," she said. "Is that all right?"

"Sure. But you know that means I can catch you, too. Portia, can people help me pay my sentence?"

Portia laughed. "Yes."

"Do you have to ask the alphas?"

"They told me to manage it. I'm managing it. Yes, you can ask for help paying off your service time, but not your normal pack duty hours. No one shirks pack duty."

I nodded and grinned.

"Zoe," Portia said. "I want to catch you, too."

"Oh, you do, do you?" She nodded. "All right."

"We'll let you pick which team you're on, then," Portia said. She glanced over. Scarlett was standing to the left with a growing group of wolves near her; Angel was on the left. "The teams appear to be roughly equal, but there will be a little shifting around. There always is. If there's someone you want to play against, then pick the other team."

I looked between the two teams. Michaela was standing next to Angel, talking to her, and I saw Lara and Elisabeth with Scarlett. I gestured. "Is that normal?"

"Oh yeah," Portia said. "Those two love playing against the fox. In most games, she kicks their collective asses, but not so much in this game, especially in an open arena. Half of Scarlett's team will be after her, and if she's the first capture, I won't be surprised."

"Well, I don't want to compete with everyone else to shoot Michaela, but if I'm on her team, then I have good targets while they're all focused on her. But before you go, I want to know what fair bribes are."

"If paying with points," Monique said, "I've never paid more than five and have never received more than three. If you have to pay something that takes time, I've never paid more than twenty minutes, unless it was something I'd do anyway. Everyone fights to help babysit the pups, and an hour is a typical bribe for that."

"So I shouldn't expect anyone to pay me an hour?"

"Ask for that," Portia said. "You can probably get twenty minutes easily and an hour from the males. They get pretty gung ho and want to get back into the game quickly."

"You can accept bribes the minute you take a prisoner," Monique said. "But you both have to go all the way to your jail anyway. But the guys might pay early so they can run faster."

I laughed again and nodded.

"People don't actually offer money very often, but I've been offered ten bucks, and I've accepted twenty."

"Really? People would pay twenty bucks just to get back into the game?"

She laughed. "Yeah."

To me, twenty dollars was a lot, but maybe it wasn't to everyone.

"I know," Monique said. "I wouldn't pay it. But it's money between friends, you know? We're all friends here."

"Oh." I hadn't thought of it that way. "Are you guys going to offer me any advice?"

"Hell no," Monique said. "But if you let me catch you twice, I will."

I laughed and wondered what she wanted from me. I considered telling her she could have whatever it was, but Portia leaned over to me. "The fun is winning whatever it is she's after."

"All right then. I guess we should join our captains."

A moment later, I was accepting a hug from Michaela. "Tell me the truth," she whispered into my ear. "Are you having fun?"

"I feel incompetent," I said. "But otherwise, yes. I wouldn't mind if we played games I was good at once in a while though."

"I know what you mean," she said. "They keep me on my toes, finding ways to twist their games to suit me. In the fields with lots of cover, I do okay at this." She paused. "You figured out about my hearing, didn't you?"

"Yeah. Not the details, but yeah. Natural foxes hunt by sound and can hear a mouse under the snow."

"Right. My hearing is better than a natural fox. So when there is deep cover, I can still tell where a lot of people are. But in these arenas, I get clobbered. It's all in fun." She paused, still not releasing me. "There will be games you're good at. Not often. I'm sorry about that."

"It's all right, Michaela. Thank you for looking out for me."

"Speaking of looking out for you… Where are your guards?"

"They each want something from me," I said with a laugh.

"Ah, of course. I wonder what."

"They didn't offer any hints. With half of Scarlett's team going after you, there won't be that much competition to take me prisoner, so I suspect I'll find out soon enough."

She laughed. "Just so."

By then, everyone had picked teams. Michaela released me, and we turned to see Scarlett and Angel negotiating.

"You have more enforcers," Angel said.

I whispered to Michaela, "I thought we weren't supposed to use titles."

"We're alone here," she whispered back, "but the playing field has a referee."

"You have the fox," Scarlett countered, "and two more people than I do. I think the teams are fair."

"You have Lara, Elisabeth, Portia, Serena, Eric and Monique. I only have Karen and Rory. I want one of your enforcers and you can pick one of my members or I'll pick two."

I leaned to Michaela. "Are the teams uneven?"

"Maybe a little, but they're mostly hamming it up."

"You have Michaela, too." Scarlett crossed her arms. "What am I offered?"

"You're asking for a bribe?" Angel asked her.

"Yep."

Angel put her hand on her hip and thrust it out. "What do you want?"

Scarlett looked Angel up and down pointedly. "You know exactly what I want."

"What?" Angel spat. "No."

"Fine. We'll play with these teams."

"No," said Angel. "Fine, but I'm only giving you one person and it's my choice."

"Fine, but you have to keep anyone who is over there because someone over here wants to shoot her." She looked pointedly at Michaela, and there were several chuckles.

Angel pulled us into a huddle. "Any volunteers to switch?"

No one spoke up immediately. Finally Connor sighed. "I wanted to catch Monique."

"I'll go," said Ember. "If you guys promise to go a little easy on me."

"No way," someone said. "I want my room cleaned."

Ember laughed. "Gotta catch me."

"Thanks, Ember," Angel said. "If I catch you, I won't ask you to clean my room."

"Thanks, Angel. If I catch you, I want an airplane ride."

We broke up the huddle, and then almost as an exchange of prisoners, Eric and Ember traded places. And then we were moving towards our field.

The field we played on seemed large, about the size of a soccer field. There were ample obstacles, but not so many that you couldn't see where people were moving, more or less. We huddled together before the start.

"All right," Angel said. "Our guns are only good to about a third of the length of the field. You can shoot a pellet from here to the other end, but it probably won't break when it hits someone, especially against a soft target." She looked at me. "Your helmet protects you, but the balls also break more easily against it, so people can shoot you from further away."

"That's another reason some of us don't wear them," Eric said.

I nodded. I wasn't willing to take it off. I'd gotten shot in the head several more times, and it hadn't hurt with the helmet in place.

"So we're going to move forward quickly," Angel said. "We're going to advanced as two bulges, one on the left, one on the right. Michaela, you're in the middle."

Michaela groaned.

"What?"

"She's the bait," Angel said. "Everyone wants her. They want favors from her, but they also like shooting her even more than anyone else."

"They're getting even because I win so many of the other games," Michaela said. "Angel wants me visible, but not too visible. She's hoping everyone will concentrate on me, and the rest of you can pick people off from the flanks." She turned to Angel. "I'll agree to your strategy, but it costs you an hour."

Everyone laughed.

"I am the team captain," Angel said. "And you'll follow my strategy whether you like it or not."

"Perhaps, but the zeal with which I do so would be greatly enhanced if I knew my babies were going to be watched over by your careful eyes."

There was more laughter."

"Uh, uh," Angel said. "We both know you'll play with every ounce of skill you have, regardless of what I do."

"Damn it," Michaela said. "Fine. I'll be your bait."

"Questions?"

There weren't any. We moved to the staging location, indicated we were ready, and then waited for Scarlett's team.

I moved to stand next to Michaela.

"You aren't going to want to do be anywhere near me," she said. "They'll start shooting at me long before we're even in range."

"How is this going to flow?"

"Ah. It tends to be a shootout somewhere near the middle. There will be a few breakthroughs, and the lines will collapse into chaos. But because anyone shot has to be taken to jail, the games don't tend to get too one-sided. There's an advantage to being the guard in that you can return to the game sooner. Prisoners have to run around the outside. But that just means the game flows back and forth a bit. If it gets too one sided, the returning prisoners will wait until they can join the game en masse, and then it's a huge shoot out. If that happens, guards take really small bribes so they can get back into the action immediately, and the game flows back towards the center again."

"Got it."

Then the referee counted down, and then "Go! Go! Go!"

I played the first few minutes conservatively, playing to the right side and well back from the main action. I made a number of long distance shots, and a few of them even hit the people I was shooting at, but it was past the effective range, and they must have bounced off, as they didn't surrender.

Michaela came under heavy fire right from the beginning, eventually crouching behind a barricade about a third of the way down the field. She got pinned there after that. I don't know if she could have broken free or not. I'd seen her move, and I knew I couldn't have hit her on the run. But she'd promised to be Angel's bait.

A minute after that, we began exchanging prisoners. I could only tell a few people, so I didn't know who was capturing whom. But we took a few prisoners; they took a few prisoners.

The bell rang, and I counted my first point.

I moved closer to the front, coming to a stop perhaps ten yards behind our bulge on the right side. I was close enough that I could be shot there, so I was more careful.

A group of wolves began moving onto Michaela's position, but they came under heavy fire, and one by one they put their hands up. Other wolves raised their guns and ran forward to claim prisoners.

I even shot one, or thought I did, but he was claimed by someone else, so maybe we both hit him, maybe only she did. I couldn't tell.

Then I looked right, and I saw three wolves trying to outflank us to the right. I fired and actually got one. She stood up and said, "I'm hit."

I raised my gun. "Guard!" I yelled. I ran forward and claimed my prisoner.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Ember," she said.

"Sorry, I can't tell anyone behind the masks."

"It's okay."

I grabbed her by the arm and began pulling her to the jail.

"What do you want to let me go?"

"An hour helping me work off my service time," I said immediately.

"Ten minutes," she countered."

I began walking more slowly.

"No way!" she said. "You're supposed to run."

"I'm a clumsy human," I said. "I might trip and get hurt. It's an hour if you agree now or a half hour once we finally arrive at the jail."

She laughed. "An hour, but I get to pick how I serve it?"

"An hour, but you negotiate with Portia from amongst the things she's making me do. I want company."

"Agreed," she said. "Shake on it, but then I get to run."

"Forty-five minutes if you know how to help me run fast."

She laughed. "Forty-five minutes." We shook on it, then she took my arm. We didn't run as fast as I had with Portia and Monique, but she was able to pull me along a lot, lot faster than I could have run without her.

At the jail, there was a table with paper. Ember wrote down what she owed me, told me, "Don't forget you get five points for catching me," and then she left by the back door.

There were several wolves still in jail, trying to bribe their guards. One of the prisoners said "Zoe! Are you a guard?"

"Um. Sure."

The wolf moved to me.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Kaylee." She moved closer so we could whisper. "Please let me go."

"Sure, for an hour helping me work off my sentence."

She laughed. "Ten minutes."

"Thirty."

"That's too much," she said. Then the bell rang. I lost the chance for a point, but Kaylee lost a point. "Damn it," she said. "Come on, Zoe. I helped you scuba diving."

"You can pick what you do based on the tasks Portia assigns to me," I said, "but I want a half hour, and it has to be working with me. We can talk while we work."

She glanced over at one of the other guards. "Eric is trying to make me wash his dishes for a month, and he's a pig with his dishes." She stuck out her hand. "Thirty minutes."

"Thanks, Kaylee," I said. We shook, she wrote down her debt, and then she was running out the back.

The game had barely begun. I had six points and seventy-five minutes of help with my sentence. I decided I liked this game.

Before the bell could ring again, I began moving forward, moving from cover to cover. I was most of the way back to the main action when I came under fire from the front. I ducked down, making myself look as small as I could, then smaller still as I nearly got shot anyway.

That lasted about fifteen seconds before I got shot from the right. I lifted my hands and called out, "I'm hit," then slowly stood up, ready to duck again if anyone started shooting at me anyway.

Then I began counting, waiting to see if anyone would come claim me.

"Guard," came a familiar voice, and when I turned to look, I saw Elisabeth moving quickly towards me. She took my free arm and pulled me towards the edge of the field before coming to a stop.

She leaned down. "I was watching for you. Please don't be angry."

I thought about it and shrugged.

"I want something from you," she said. "Will you let me run us to jail and then give me first shot at accepting a bribe before you ask anyone else?"

I nodded. A moment later, we were running.

Once we arrived at jail, she pulled me towards the back corner. "Do you want me to let you go?"

I nodded. "What do you want?"

"A calm conversation sometime before Thursday."

"That's it?"

"Yes. You agree to do your best to stay calm and keep an open mind. That's all I want."

"An open mind about what? Elisabeth, I won't let you settle. I won't be the consolation prize."

"That's not it," she replied. "Just a conversation."

"Everyone seems to negotiate," I said. "That seems to be part of the game."

"I don't know what room there is to negotiate, Zoe. This is what I want."

"You can have your conversation on two conditions."

"What are they?"

"You are also calm. I might have things to say, too, and I don't want you browbeating me."

"I have no intention to browbeat you."

"Condition number two. You run me back to my side."

She barked a quick laugh. "Halfway back."

"Agreed. Do I write it down?"

"No. Neither of us is going to lose track." She took my arm, led me out the back door, and then we were running again.

A few minutes later, I took another prisoner. I wasn't the one who shot him, but he got to twenty-five in his counting, and he was just on the other side of my barricade, so I popped up yelling "Guard" and got to him before he hit thirty. I let him talk me down to thirty minutes if he helped me run back to jail with him.

But then I barely left jail before I got shot. "I'm hit," and a second later, Monique popped up from the edge of the field yelling "Guard".

I let her take me prisoner. I let her run me to her jail.

"I love this game," she said. "I've been captured three times, but I finally got you."

"Yes, you did," I said. "Good one. Please let me go, Monique."

"I want a camera like yours," she said.

"Monique, I can't pay for that!"

"No, no," she said. "I'm going to ask my mom. I want you to help me talk to her, and then I want you to teach me how to use it."

"Oh." I thought about it. "Monique, I can't in good conscience tell your mom to get a camera like either of mine. They are both professional cameras and very, very expensive. But they are a few years old, and good quality consumer level cameras have caught up in the most important features."

"Oh," she said "I didn't know. How expensive?"

"Mine are older models, but new, professional cameras similar to mine start at about twenty-five hundred. One of mine was over five grand. And that's just the camera. The lenses can cost that much or more. That's way too much camera to start with."

"Oh," she said again. "I don't want that. Now I don't know what to do."

"How about we talk to your mom and I'll talk about the right camera to start with. It will be kind of like mine, but a consumer level camera. And you should know, Michaela asked me to teach a class on all this."

"Will she let me take it?"

"You'll have to ask her. But I'll help you talk to your mom, and if she agrees, I'll teach you how to use it."

She smiled and held out her hand.

"But… that's a huge bribe, Monique."

"I know."

"So you have to help me run back to my side."

She laughed and held out her hand again.

Five minutes later, I found myself exchanging shots with a couple of wolves. We both had good cover, and I wasn't the only one shooting at them. But then I popped up to take my shot but instead got nailed right between the eyes. I was getting used to it, so while it startled me, I didn't react poorly. I raised my hands and surrendered.

And was taken prisoner by Portia.

"Finally got me?" I asked her.

"Yep." She ran me back. I could really get used to that. Once we were at the jail, I asked her to let me go.

"I want hugs."

"Hugs?"

"Yep. Whenever I want. Forever."

"Really?" I asked. She nodded. "You're asking for something you could have anyway."

She didn't say anything, and I wondered if she was telling me something.

"Portia, is that what you really want?"

She paused before nodding.

"What did you really want?"

"You're not willing to give me my hugs?" she asked.

"Of course I am. But you wanted something else and chickened out, didn't you?"

"Um. No, I want hugs. Whenever I want. That may include times I'm wet and you're not."

I laughed. "You may have hugs when we're either both wet or both dry. If you want them at other times, then I want you to run me back to my side."

She laughed and agreed.

I barely missed the next bell, and then the referee called out, "Five minute warning."

I really wanted to catch one more person. I'd consistently been going to the right, and I was sure anyone after me knew that, so I went left, moving quickly. I managed to work my way to the far edge and had good cover. More importantly, I could just barely see someone's shoulder while remaining under cover. I lined up and waited for the right moment.

And then I felt the barrel of a gun in my back.

"Surrender."

"Monique." I raised my hands.

"Guard!" she yelled, raising her own hands. She ran me back to jail. I knew I wouldn't get back into the game again, and I knew I didn't have enough points to remotely come close to winning, so when we arrived, I didn't ask to be released.

"Aren't you going to ask me to free you?"

"I won't get back in time to catch anyone," I said.

"I'll meet you in the same place and make sure no one else shoots at you, and we have just enough time for one more round if we hurry."

"Are you trying to sucker me?"

"No. If anyone else shoots you, or if neither of us manages to shoot the other one before time is over, then you don't owe me."

"Please let me go, Monique."

"A date."

"Monique!"

"Not for me!" she said. "Someone I pick."

"Seriously?"

She nodded.

"Not Elisabeth."

"No, not Elisabeth."

"A woman."

"Yes."

"An adult woman within ten years of my age."

"Or so."

I thought quickly. "Agreed."

"Come on." She grabbed my arm and then we were running, really running. She brought me most of the way back to my side, along the outside of the arena, then said, "Run! I'll meet you at the same place."

I ran.

As I drew close to the old spot, I heard Monique calling out, "No one shoot Zoe! No one shoot Zoe."

I didn't make the same request for her, but I saw wolves on both sides moving away from us. I guess they were going to let us have it out sans interference.

"One minute warning!" the referee called.

"Zoe, ten second truce!" Monique called out. We both popped out from cover. I realized she had done it just so we could spot each other, but that was probably for the best, as otherwise we would have run out of time before engaging. "As soon as we duck, I'm coming for you!"

I didn't wait. I ducked and ran away from her, picking a different obstacle to hide behind. I spun around, and she was running after me, firing wildly. I returned fire, but missed, missed, missed, and then we were both behind cover again.

Then I waited for her.

I was sure she'd try to come in behind me, so I turned my back to the side I'd come from.

She didn't come from the other side. Instead, she came over the top, leaping over me.

From nearly point blank range, we shot each other. The human briefers had told us to avoid shooting each other from too close of range, but the wolves ignored that guideline; it wasn't a rule, anyway.

Monique came to a stop. "Um. Now what?" I asked.

"We're both hit!" she called out. She lifted her hands and stood up. "Start counting. One…"

I lifted my hands and let her count for both of us. She reached fifteen before we were each taken prisoner.

The referee called the game before we reached jail.

"You still have to bribe your way to freedom," my guard told me. "If you don't, we get to use you for target practice. The wolves sometimes get stubborn, but you won't like it."

"I don't recognize your voice."

"I'm Harper Armstrong. We haven't met. My daughter was one of Michaela's students. She's around here somewhere. We get invited to these things and come when we can."

We reached jail, and I turned to her. "Harper, please let me go."

She tapped her toe on the ground. "I'm trying to decide what I want."

"Five points."

She crossed her arms, looking at me. "I don't like taking points for bribes, but I'm not sure what I want."

"Please, Harper. I don't have anything you want. Twelve points. It's all I have."

"No," she said. "If I take points, I'll take five. Anyone with zero or negative points gets used for target practice." She paused. "A date."

"A date? Seriously?" I thought it was funny right after Monique asked for one. "Am I paying for this date?"

"No. I'll pay. Dinner and a movie."

"I'm vegan."

"I know. You're quite the talk of the pack."

"A date," I agreed, "but I don't know if I'm allowed to go anywhere until my sentence is paid."

"I'll work with Portia. If I have to wait, I'll wait."

"Why do you want a date with me, Harper?"

"I haven't had a date in three years, and it sounds like fun. It's just a date."

"Well then, if I'm giving you a date, I want a hug."

And so I got one.

 **Movie**

Over dinner, the wolves talked about nothing but the games. Michaela gave out a bunch of prizes, most of them small and some of them very amusing. Everyone had a good time.

"How about you, Zoe?"

"I liked that last game the most," I said. "It was too short."

Everyone laughed in agreement. Michaela smiled at me, and I felt a few hands clasp my shoulders for a brief moment.

"I want to hear the bribes people paid," she said. "Raise your hand if you think you have interesting bribes to share."

A bunch of hands went up, including mine. Michaela looked around. "Ember."

"I have to let Kimbriella do my makeup every day next week."

"Oh good one," Michaela said. "I look forward to seeing what she does. Who else?" She worked her way around the room. The wolves were very creative in the bribes they asked for. She got to Connor.

"I have to call Ember 'Lady Ember'."

Ember spoke up. "For how long, Connor?"

"A week."

"And what happens if you forget?"

"You get to add a day," he said.

"Does anyone notice what he just called me?" she asked.

The wolves began to laugh.

"So you mean for eight days, Connor," Ember said with a smile. "I agree with Zoe. I like this game. Even if I owe her forty-five minutes against her sentence."

Michaela turned to me and gave me a sharp look.

"Hey," I said. "Portia said it was legal."

"Not that. I'm just wondering how many you caught."

"Ember, Kaylee and…" I looked around. "You know, I didn't get his name, but he wrote it down."

"It was I."

I looked over and saw Nick, Scarlett's dad holding up his hand.

"Oh. And Nick. I only recognized a few of you in your equipment."

"You mistook me for a wolf?" he asked.

I shrugged. "Except for Michaela, you're all bigger than I am."

"All right," said Michaela. "Who else?" She looked around. "Rory, we haven't heard from you."

"My bribes were boring," he said. "I won't say whom, but one of your students tried to get me to agree to a date, but I begged off. Ten years is a little too big a gap."

"Ah, I was wondering when someone would mention being 'forced' to accept a date. Without Nora here, I wasn't sure what would happen. Raise your hand if you owe a date."

I looked around. Four of us had our hands up. A moment later, I heard a growl, and when I looked over, I saw Elisabeth glaring around the room. But Lara put an arm on her hand and whispered to her.

I shrugged. I wasn't hers anymore, and I could date if I wanted to.

Michaela settled her gaze on me. "Zoe. Did you have other interesting bribes in addition to dates?"

"Yes." I looked at Monique. "Is my bribe to you private?"

"No, go ahead," she said.

"Monique wants help picking out a camera and learning how to use it," I said. "And I owe two dates, and I don't even know either person. But at least I met one of them."

"What do you mean, you met one of them?" Michaela asked.

"One of the dates is to someone here. For the other, one of your students got me to agree to a date with someone she picks. We placed a few stipulations."

"I hope one of those stipulations was your date should be an adult."

I laughed. "Yeah. And female."

"Well, you're trying to be cryptic, but half the people here know who caught you, so we can make guesses." Michaela turned to look at Portia.

"Hey, it wasn't me," Portia said. "I figure I already have a two-week date with her."

That was worth some laughs and a couple of catcalls.

And more glares from Elisabeth, but I ignored her. Mostly.

Michaela appropriated my company for dinner, telling Monique to sit with her friends and releasing Portia from watching me until it was time to go home. She leaned over to me and asked, "Harper asked for a date?"

I nodded. "Is she nice?"

"Exceedingly, and she has the most amazing daughter." She paused. "Make it a good date, Zoe. You both deserve a nice time, and you both could do far worse."

"Matchmaking again?"

"Always. I won't interfere."

"I told her she might have to wait until my sentence is over."

"No," Michaela said. "You have no driving privileges, but if Harper agrees to pick you up and drop you off, she can have you tomorrow night, if she wants. Otherwise it will have to be next week or some time after that. I'll let her know. Well, assuming that's okay with you. It's your date. But Portia will be with me."

"Do you know what she likes?"

"Harper? Not a clue. I've never seen her date and couldn't have told you if she preferred men or women."

"I'm not sure you can judge by this. I think it was the first thing that popped into her head. It's just a lark. But that's okay."

"Well, keep an open mind. She's one of my favorite people. You're going to like her."

"I will."

"Now, this other date… I saw Elisabeth had you, but I can't imagine she asked for a date."

"She wants a conversation."

"Ah. Well, I won't spoil that. Are you going to be okay?"

"If she doesn't browbeat me." I paused. "I'm not really ready to be alone with her, but I suppose I owe her."

"She owes you at least as much. Portia said it wasn't her. Monique asked for help with the camera. I didn't see who else caught you."

"Monique caught me twice."

"Ah ha!" she said.

"I thought she was asking for a date for herself. I was a little shocked."

Michaela lowered her voice. "She may have been."

"What?"

"She's had quite the crush on me."

"I had noticed."

"She may be transferring her affection."

"Oh god. Michaela, she's really sweet, but she's a kid."

"I think it's fine, but maybe I'll talk to her. Make a point of calling her a friend. It will be fine. She's a good kid, but she sometimes feels like an outsider. She'll outgrow that as she becomes more accepted by the enforcers. But she lived in her sister's shadow for a long time, and at school she's not in the science program. All the kids are good kids, but there's a distinct difference between being in the science program and the enforcer program. So she kind of holds on to people who treat her well."

"Should I back off?"

"No. It will be fine. She probably doesn't realize she's doing it. I'll handle it."

I studied her profile for a moment. "You work hard."

She glanced at me with a smile. "Thank you for noticing. So you enjoyed that last game?"

"Yeah. I think next time we should play it twice."

She laughed. "That's a popular request, but you'll realize you've got quite a few bribes to pay off. You weren't caught as many as some. I, for instance, was caught seven times."

"Did you catch anyone?"

"Hell no. If we played in the trees, it would be a different story."

"So is the reason we don't play twice is because you don't want to?"

She laughed lightly. "No. We don't want to overplay it because this way makes it the crown for the day."

"I wanted to catch a few more."

"We all want to catch a few more. You caught three. That's good on your first day."

"I only caught two. Someone else shot Scarlett's dad, but no one was claiming him, so I did."

"Well, that's still good." She paused. "It may have been Angel, who suddenly realized that demanding a bribe from her wife's father might not be prudent."

I smiled. "I don't know. She could have asked for embarrassing Scarlett-as-a-baby stories."

"I bet she's heard all of those."

During the movie, I got placed next to Lara, with Portia on my other side. While we waited for the movie to start, Lara leaned to me. "I'm glad to see things are going better for you."

"Me, too. Lara?"

"Yes?"

"Do I have to worry about your sister? I heard her growling."

"No. Ignore that. That's her… inner spirit trying to catch up to reality. She'll be fine."

"It's hard to ignore when she growls at me."

"She wasn't growling at you. She was expressing displeasure with whomever was bold enough to ask you out. I presume my mate already found out who it was and will talk to them to make sure they know it's safe."

"You know her well."

"She has her fingers in everything."

"I heard that," Michaela said from the other side. "If you want your fingers in me, you'll be careful."

Lara leaned the other way and kissed Michaela.

I didn't know anything about the movie we were seeing. It turned out to be a cheesy action movie, and around me, I heard the wolves heckling.

"They should let us do the action sequences," I heard one of the kids say. "Now that would be a movie!"

I had to admit, I'd pay to watch that.

Later in the car ride home, I said, "Why was everyone so tense in Key West but so relaxed today?"

"We're home," Portia explained. "We're not at war with anyone. And we had so many wolves there, someone would have to be truly insane to try anything."

Later before climbing into bed, Portia asked for her hug. We held each other for a long time.

"Will you tell me what you really were going to ask for?" I asked her. "You didn't ask to be on opposite sides for hugs."

"No, I am not going to tell you, and I don't want you to keep asking, Zoe."

"Will you tell me why you won't tell me?"

"No. No more questions on it."

And so I stopped asking, but I didn't stop wondering.

 **Harper**

Portia was long gone before Harper arrived. I wore one of my few dresses and heels, then took my time with makeup and hair. She rang the bell right at six, and I hurried to the door to get my first look at my date for the night.

I should admit: I found all the wolves stunning, each in her own way. Perhaps that sounds trite, but it was entirely true. I opened the door, and this tall, striking woman stepped in.

Oh, she wasn't as tall as the enforcers, and she didn't have the same physical presence they did, but I was reminded by just how impressive they all were.

There were other differences. She wore her hair longer, not long, but longer, done in a loose braid. And her features were just a little bit softer than Portia's or Elisabeth's.

But — like them — she had bright eyes. And — like them — I couldn't help but be awed in her presence.

Unlike Elisabeth, I discovered Harper had a quick smile, which she would lavish upon me throughout the evening.

I decided then and there several things. First, I was definitely attracted. And second, I wanted a very comfortable tone for this date. And so, once she was fully inside, I stepped into her and gave her a warm kiss on her cheek, then held her, standing on my toes so our faces were pressed against each other.

It was quite intentional, quite intentional indeed. I knew the wolves were sensitive to scent, and so I was both marking her and allowing her to mark me.

"Hello, Zoe," she said.

I hadn't really paid attention on Sunday, but she had a rich voice. I'm not an aural person; I cannot make sound effects or do impressions. And I couldn't have compared her voice to someone more famous. But just those two words brushed over me, and I tingled to the gentle caress.

"Hello, Harper."

"You look nice," she said.

"You do, too." I smiled at her.

She was wearing grey trousers and a white blouse; around her neck was a white gold pendant necklace. Her ears were bare, and she didn't wear any rings.

"Can we sit for a few minutes?" She gestured to the living room. "I'd like to talk to you."

"Of course." I led the way. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, no. Just a few minutes, then we can go." She took a place on the sofa, and I intentionally sat at the middle, near her, not quite touching, but close enough to invite touch from her, if she wanted.

She smiled again, and again, I returned it.

"We don't have to do this," she blurted.

"Do what?" I asked, puzzled. "Sit on the couch and talk?"

"No. Go on this date."

"Are you dumping me before our first date?"

She laughed nervously. "I sort of coerced you."

"Let me ask a question, and I want an honest answer. Do you want to go out with me or not?"

"Um."

"Oh." My features fell.

"No, wait!" she said. "I don't want to go out if you're still…"

I interrupted her. "Does it make you nervous that I'm human?"

"It doesn't make me nervous, but it makes me worried I make you nervous."

"Do I look nervous?"

She looked me up and down carefully. "No."

"Do I smell nervous?"

She laughed. "No."

"We've only met once. I was wearing ratty jeans, a ratty jacket, and a helmet hiding all my features. Are you disappointed now that you've gotten a closer look?"

She shook her head. "No."

"Do you think I know wolves well enough that I knew what I was doing when I brushed cheeks with you?"

That generated a real laugh. "Perhaps not entirely, but I suspect yes."

"Harper, do you want to go out with me?"

"Yes."

"So do I."

She smiled again.

"But-"

Her smile froze.

"I don't entirely understand wolves. I don't know how to judge whether you like to be the one in control."

"Does it matter?"

"It matters in that it helps me to know how to behave."

"Why can't you just be yourself?"

"Well, because I've been through some turmoil lately, and I'm not sure who I am right now."

"Did you and Elisabeth break up because she is too dominant?"

"No."

"So if I said that yes, I like being in control, that isn't going to bother you?"

"That depends. Does my opinion count?"

"Absolutely."

"Then no, I am quite happy with you in control."

"Good."

"But I have one more thing to say."

"Oh dear. This sounds serious."

"When I'm on a date, I like being touched."

"Good. I like to touch."

"We're going to get along fabulously."

And then, tentatively, she reached out a hand and brushed the backs of my fingers along my arm. It was a simple touch, a very simple touch, but I closed my eyes and enjoyed it.

My heart did a little jump. It was so strange, but it jumped just a little, just from her caress.

"I have to warn you," she said. "I've never dated a human woman."

I opened my eyes. "Have you dated human men?"

She nodded. "And wolf women, but not very many. I'm not a successful dater."

"I find that hard to believe. You're absolutely stunning, and Michaela tells me you're one of the nicest people she knows."

"I tend to pick bad boys. The only good that has ever come out of it is my daughter, Sophie."

I smiled. "Perhaps I should impress you with my arrest record."

Her eye grew wide. "Arrest record?"

I grinned. "You did know I'm an environmental activist, didn't you. A tree hugger. We're bad, bad people."

She laughed. "Yes, I believe you should tell me about your arrest record. Perhaps I will swoon."

I laughed. I was pretty sure if there was swooning to be done, it would be by me.

She stood up then reached forward and helped me to my feet. I could get used to chivalrous wolves. "Do you have a jacket? It will be chilly later."

"Pashmina by the door," I said.

She took me at my word about the touch, and I felt the familiar touch of a guiding hand on my back. She led me to the door of the ubiquitous, at least for the pack, SUV.

"I know," she said. "I bought it when Sophie was going on all of Michaela's outings, and I wanted to be able to go and help out."

"A good reason for such a vehicle," I said. "I don't begrudge a modest SUV. It's not a Hummer, and you have a good reason for it."

She handed me in, although I intentionally brushed along her as I climbed in. I felt quite shameful being so physically forward. But it felt nice; I couldn't explain why. And I wanted to let her know I was comfortable with her.

But then I realized I might be giving a bad impression, and so I grew quiet as she climbed in. We drove quietly, and then she asked, "Is something wrong?"

"I suddenly realized I was being a little trampy."

"I wouldn't put it that way. I would say you were telling me in no uncertain terms you are comfortable with me. I'm flattered. Please don't stop. You're very good for my ego."

I laughed.

And so I turned in my seat so I was angled towards her, then reached out, setting my hand on her arm.

We drove like that. She was a careful driver, rarely glancing over at me, but instead keeping her eyes on the road.

"I need to talk to you about the restaurant."

"Is it a steak house?"

She laughed. "No. Well, maybe. We actually don't have reservations anywhere. I called around a few places I know. Everywhere has vegetarian dishes, but I'm told that doesn't mean vegan."

"Harper, I can find something to eat most places, as long as it's a full menu. They'll have a salad."

"I wanted to take you somewhere nice," she said. "I try to stick to the pack restaurants, and they tend to be steak houses. But there's a pack Thai restaurant. It's not much, but they have an entire section labeled Vegetarian on the menu. Will it be vegan?"

"Yes, probably. Harper, please don't stress about this. I don't expect the world to bend to my ways."

"But…"

"Harper, as long as it has a full menu, I'll find something. Take me where you most want to go. Really, it's fine. I'm not worried about the food, anyway. I want to get to know you. Take me where we can talk."

"All right," she said.

After that, we made small talk, just growing more comfortable with each other. I enjoyed her voice so much, I could listen to her for hours.

Eventually we came to a stop in front of a small, Thai restaurant.

"It's not fancy," she said. "But it's quiet and the food is good."

"It's perfect, Harper."

We climbed from her car, and then her guiding hand was on my back again. I walked as close to her as I could and tried to match her gait, but her legs were so much longer than mine that I couldn't.

But then she changed her steps to match mine.

Neither of us said a thing, but I leaned against her. She was warm and felt good.

"This is kind of fast," she said.

"Do I need to back off?"

"I hope you don't," she replied. "But I'm left wondering who was in charge of your relationship with Elisabeth."

I laughed. "She was. And you are. I'm just going with your hand on my back."

Inside, we were readily seated. She was right. The restaurant was small and not fancy, but it was cozy and quiet. We were led to a square table with places for four, and we sat at adjacent sides with Harper on my right. I set my hand on the table where she could take it if she wanted to.

She didn't, but she did edge her chair closer to mine, and then she caressed my arm while we reviewed the menu.

That was okay, too.

A server came by and took drink orders; we each ordered tea. When the tea arrived, we ordered our dinners. And then we were alone.

"Did you know? You're quite the talk of the pack."

"Oh?"

"New members aren't common. Human members are very uncommon, especially unmated humans."

"I was dating Elisabeth."

"Barely unless it was clandestine. No one knows why she told you about us so quickly."

"Oh. She didn't." I paused, not sure what was safe to say. "I sort of assumed everyone knew, but I have discovered that's not the case."

"If it's not common knowledge, then it's because no one who knows is talking. And that probably means you're not supposed to tell, either."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be. But you're still the talk. A human vegan with the werewolves."

"I imagine that's quite a joke."

"Yes. Not that you're a joke, but the combination is."

"I've noticed the irony. What else do you hear about me?"

"Well, I guess I knew you were some sort of tree hugger. But we're all tree huggers in our own way so that's not as noteworthy."

"I suppose not."

"I didn't know what you meant when you mentioned your sentence."

"You played it cool."

"I asked Michaela later."

"How much did she tell you?"

"She said you were a complete reprobate, so I knew you were the woman for me." I laughed. "Seriously she told me you were amazing, but if I wanted to know, I had to ask you."

"So she didn't tell you I was serving a sentence for multiple counts of insubordination and one count of reckless driving?"

Harper's eyes grew wide. "No."

"Suddenly afraid?"

"Not yet."

"I suppose she didn't tell you I slugged Elisabeth?"

"You what?" she blurted.

"That's probably not as bad as running Monique Simpson over with my car."

"Oh my god."

"She didn't tell you I threatened her life, either, I suppose."

"You didn't!"

I smiled. "You're right. I didn't. That's probably why she didn't accuse me of it."

Harper looked at me carefully. "Now I don't know what to believe."

"I didn't run Monique over, either."

"Wait," she said. "Don't tell me. You didn't slug Elisabeth, either." I shook my head. "And your sentence — it's really for littering."

"Oh no," I said. "The sentence is for insubordination and reckless driving."

"Are you going to tell me?"

"I wanted to see if you were gullible." I grinned. "Apparently you are."

"She didn't tell me you had an evil sense of humor, either."

"Oh, she should have warned you about that." I sighed. "The real story is fairly dull. You wouldn't be interested."

"In my experience, when someone says something like that about reckless driving and insubordination, she is lying."

I sighed again. Dramatically. "If you must know…" I told her the story, but I hammed it up. Soon, I had her laughing as I described my state of panic, especially when I talked about the wolves, frothing at the mouth for daring to ignore Michaela's phone calls. "See?" I said when I was done. "Boring story."

"How much of that is true?"

"The guts," I said. "I was terrified. I ran. Monique stopped me. They carried me, screaming, into the conference room to face Michaela. She's so frightening, after all."

Harper sobered. "You do know she's killed more wolves than the rest of the pack combined, don't you?"

"What?" I blurted.

"You'll have to ask her. I only know about some of them." She paused. "Maybe don't ask her. Most of the stories are bad." Then she smiled. "But the day I met her, she pushed Lara into Lake Superior."

"What?" I blurted again.

Harper grinned. "Michaela is a whole lot scarier than she looks." She cocked her head. "You didn't look scared yesterday."

"I'm emotionally resilient," I said.

"I watched you when you arrived."

"With my blindfold."

"You looked so…"

"Helpless?"

"No. Well maybe, but that's not what I was thinking about. That's when I decided I wanted to meet you."

"When did you decide you wanted to ask me out?"

"Oh, you watched me decide that," she said. "I didn't have a clue what to ask for."

"Why didn't you want points?"

"It wouldn't have been enough to matter. Besides, points are boring. I thought about asking for a kiss."

I smiled. "So I could have talked you down."

"Yep."

"I'm glad I didn't."

And when I moved my hand closer, this time, she took it.

We sat quietly for a while. The spring rolls came, and we focused on eating for a minute. I let her keep my hand and ate left-handed."

"Tell me about yourself," I said.

"All right. I'm a single mother of one daughter, a year younger than Angel and Scarlett. They live on the compound. Do you know them?"

"I do. They were the first wolves I met. And I've since met Scarlett's father and, of course, Angel's mother and sister. I've probably met Scarlett's mother, to, but I couldn't pick her out in a lineup."

We talked about her daughter. We talked about my family, which was a brief conversation. Then she told me stories from her younger years, which she referred to as her "decade and a half of misdeeds".

Our meals came, and I barely noticed. It could have been a hamburger, and I might have eaten it, for all the attention I gave it.

We ate as much as we wanted, and the server boxed the rest. We finished the pot of tea and asked for another.

We talked.

And we talked.

And we talked.

She spent most of the time touching me, just casual touches. Most of it was simply holding my hand or occasionally caressing my arm.

She asked me what I liked most about being human. I didn't know how to answer that, so I asked her about being a wolf.

"Everything," she said. "Have you asked anyone else?"

"Yeah. They mention the smells and the power."

"I love my fur," she said. "The shift is unpleasant, but once I stand up and fluff myself out, it's the most amazing thing. I'm warm in nearly any weather, and I can run, and run, and run."

She paused. "I suppose I'm bragging."

"No," I said. "I wanted to know."

"I wish I could describe it, or show you."

"I do, too, but some things aren't meant to be. I don't know of anything in my life to compare. There's nothing I can do you can't do better. That makes me feel inadequate."

"I looked you up. You take photographs. Is that you? Zoe Young Photography?"

"Yeah, that's me, but you could take photos. Point the camera and press the button."

"I can take photographs, but mine don't look like yours. So that's pretty special." She smiled. "I understand why you feel inadequate, but I wish you didn't."

"But… You all like to play all your games, and I'll always lose."

"I guess that wouldn't be very fun."

"It's not that," I said. "I just feel… Well, I wouldn't want anyone to be embarrassed by me."

"Let me tell you something about wolves. We're exceedingly protective of the weaker members of the pack. Zoe, no one is embarrassed by you. All that we feel is protective and possessive. I'm already feeling it, and we've just met. Please don't worry about that. You had fun yesterday, didn't you?"

"Yeah, I did."

"What matters to us is you play. We're so competitive that it's okay that you don't win. Hell, we want to win." She grinned. "For instance, I am suddenly thinking about tickle fights."

"Oh no you're not!"

She grinned. "Oh yes I am. Are you ticklish Zoe?"

"Yes. Are you a bully?"

"Yes."

And that was when I knew she was teasing me.

I suddenly wanted to be somewhere more private with her. From the look she was giving me, I thought perhaps the feeling was mutual.

"We missed our movie," she said.

"We were going to sit together, side-by-side, in the dark. Would you be touching me?"

"I believe I would be."

"You know, we don't need a movie for that."

She smiled. "Where's the check?"

Five minutes later found us in her car. We drove quietly back to the compound. She parked in front of Portia's house.

"Are those shoes comfortable?"

"They're not bad. I wouldn't go for a hike in them."

"How about a walk?"

"I could handle a walk," I said. "But if we walk through the trees, you'll have to guide me. I won't be able to see."

"Do you normally wear glasses?"

"It's dark," I said. "Wolf, meet human. Receive introduction to human shortcomings."

"Ah. Well then, I shall endeavor to guide us both."

We climbed from her car, then I waited for her. She came to my side, took my arm, and turned me away from the compound. I laid my head on her shoulder, and together we slowly walked, talking quietly.

"I didn't think this through entirely," she said.

"Oh?"

"I was going to suggest we sit on the ground and make out, but you'll ruin your clothing."

So instead she pulled me to her. My eyes were closed long before our lips met.

She could kiss, and when she wrapped her arms around me, I felt warm and safe.

And very, very aroused.

We kissed for a long time, our tongues dancing together, and both of us making needy little noises for each other.

Finally she released me but pulled me into a hug instead, brushing cheeks again.

"Wow."

"I want you," she whispered.

"Good," I said. "I have my own room at Portia's."

"Come on."

Still, we stopped to kiss several more times before reaching Portia's, then had another lengthy kiss on the steps. I was panting long before we were done.

She was amazing. She had been sweet and funny all night long. She was kind and gentle, and so far, she was treating me exactly like I wanted to be treated.

"Please come in," I said.

"Uh huh. You said something about a bedroom."

I fumbled with the door, finally getting it open, and together we stumbled into Portia's house.

Beside me, her arm around my waist, Harper stiffened and froze.

"What's the matter?"

"Zoe?" I heard Portia's voice. "How was your date?"

"It's just Portia," I whispered. "Come on."

"Elisabeth is here." She turned me to her. "Zoe…"

"Elisabeth and I stopped dating over a month ago. I'm a free agent."

"I'm sorry," she said. "I really like you, but I can't challenge Elisabeth for you. I'm sorry."

"Harper?" I tried stepping closer, but she pushed me away.

"I'm sorry, Zoe. I really am. Maybe when she really lets you go." And then she bolted for the door.

I stared after her.

"Zoe?" asked Portia. "Is everything all right?"

I closed the door then leaned against it. Then, slowly, then not so slowly, my blood began to boil.

I stepped away from the door and then turned into the living room.

Portia and Elisabeth were sitting there. They each had a beer, and there were the remnants of others on the coffee table. I came to a stop, staring at Elisabeth.

"What are you doing here?" I asked her coldly.

"Do not take that tone with me."

"You did that on purpose!" I screamed. "You scared her away on purpose! I had a nice time tonight. I had a really nice time, right up until _my date_ told me you still think you own me. _What are you doing here?_ "

"Elisabeth and I were talking," Portia said. "Calm down, Zoe."

"She growled yesterday when she heard I had promised dates, and I bet she knew one of them was tonight. She's here to intimidate anyone who thought to linger with me!"

They both stood up and began moving towards me. I backed away.

"Don't you dare touch me!" I spat at Elisabeth. "I stopped being yours the minute you decided I wasn't good enough for you, and you will leave me alone."

"Zoe," Portia said. "It's not her fault."

"The hell it's not her fault. Everyone heard her growl, and everyone knows why, and now she's here scaring my date away."

"Zoe!" Portia said. "It's not her fault. It's mine."

I froze in place, but I kept a wary eye on Elisabeth. If she touched me, she'd have a fight on her hands. But she kept her distance from me, not saying a word.

"It's my fault, Zoe," Portia said again. She moved closer. "I'm sorry. She's been trying to leave for an hour, but I kept her here."

I glanced at Portia then returned to glaring at Elisabeth.

"It's not her fault," Portia said a fourth time. "I'm sorry."

"It's partially my fault," Elisabeth said. "I'm sorry, Zoe."

"I'm not yours," I said.

"Wolf doesn't realize that."

"When is Wolf going to realize it?" I asked. "If it weren't for Wolf, maybe I would have measured up, so I'm not real happy with her right now."

"Wolf is quick to claim and slow to let go," she said. "I'm sorry. I really am."

Slowly I calmed down, finally lowering my eyes. "I'm sorry I screamed at you, Head Enforcer. Can I expect additional charges of insubordination for it?"

"No, Zoe. You were yelling at your former girlfriend, not the head enforcer."

I nodded once and then fled, running to my room and slamming the door.

 **Roof**

It was a half hour later when Portia knocked at my door. "Please, may I come in, Zoe?"

"Yes," I called out. I was lying on the bed, curled into a ball. She opened the door, saw me there, then moved in and sat on the bed behind me for a moment, then lay down behind me, curling in next to me. She held me for a while.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"It's fine," I said.

"I take it you were hitting it off."

"Yeah."

"Don't blame her. It's a wolf thing. She would have smelled Elisabeth the instant she walked in."

I didn't say anything, but together we lay for a while.

"I owe you pampering," I said eventually.

"Not tonight," she replied.

"Yes," I said. "It will help me take my mind off things." I rolled over to face her. "Thank you."

She grimaced.

"What?"

"I'm the one who kept her here, Zoe. It's my fault your date ended badly."

"I'll chalk it up to fate," I said. "I had a nice date. I got some nice kisses. A stunning werewolf wanted me. I just have to kick the shit out of Elisabeth so she'll let me date, and there will be someone else."

She smiled faintly. "I don't recommend that exact plan, but I like your attitude."

"Don't think she'd let me kick her ass?"

Portia smiled. "No."

"Go climb into bed. I'll be in shortly."

"You don't have to."

"I want to. I enjoy it."

"Do you?" she asked. I nodded. "All right. I'm not going to argue with that."

I let her get ready for bed first, then I used the bathroom and pulled on my own pajamas before moving into her room. She was waiting for me when I arrived.

"I bought something today," she said. "It's on the night stand." I looked, and there was a bottle of massage oil waiting for me. I smiled at it.

I grabbed the bottle, pulled the covers down, climbed on top of her, and then began her massage.

"Wake up, sleepyhead."

"You could come in ten minutes earlier and cuddle me, you know."

She chuckled and then climbed into bed with me. I rolled over and squirmed back against her, letting her spoon me. "This is nice," I declared.

"We only have a few minutes. We have a big day today."

"We have two more rooms downstairs to do."

"Yes, but we won't do them today. We have something else to do."

"Oh? Another trip to the paintball field?"

She chuckled. "No. But if I asked, would you want to go?"

"I just might," I said.

She tightened her arms around me for a moment. "I'm glad, Zoe."

"Do you think there are games we could play where I wouldn't suck though?"

"We'll put Michaela on that. She'll think of something. Of course, you won't beat her, but you might be able to hold your own against the rest of us."

I laughed. "Environmental Trivial Pursuit."

"There you go."

She gave me another minute then said, "As much as I enjoy this, Zoe, we have to get up."

"Workout clothes?"

"Yep. Very light workout then breakfast at the alpha's."

An hour later, I asked Portia, "What are they all doing here?"

She grinned. "Helping us for an hour or so."

Hanging around her house were most of the pack enforcers, minus the three we'd just left behind at the alphas' house. They were all in construction clothes.

We greeted everyone, Portia thanking them for coming. Then she led the way to her garage, opening the door. Waiting for us were several ladders and a bench with a bunch of tools, most of which I didn't recognize. Portia directed, and the wolves carried everything out. She handed me a pair of work gloves.

"Pace yourself this morning," she said. "This first part is hard work. Let the wolves do most of it. We only get them for a couple of hours, and then I'm really going to need you."

I nodded.

"All right," Portia said. "We have to strip everything down to the wood, but I want to get these tarps spread first. In twos, please grab a tarp and spread it out to give the shingles a place to land, all around the house."

It was Angel that grabbed me. We grabbed two of the tarps and went to the other side of the house. We spread it out and used rocks from the garden to hold the corners down.

"We haven't talked since Sunday. Did you have fun?"

I laughed. "Everyone keeps asking that. Yes, I had fun. Yes, I'd play again."

"Good. There's a campaign to make it a monthly event. I don't think it will be that regular, just because we go to Bayfield a lot."

Portia made a circle of the house, declared everything ready, then sent us up the ladder. I found myself with Portia holding the ladder at the bottom and Rory waiting at the top to grab me as I stepped off.

"You know, humans do this without werewolves watching out for them."

"Yeah, but you're just a girl," he said with a grin. "It wouldn't be chivalrous to let you climb on and off the ladder without help."

"But you'll let me paint the alpha's house and nail shingles to Portia's roof?"

"You're right!" he said. "I have some darning that needs doing."

I laughed. "I bet you don't even know what darning is."

"It's what you say when you're not wolf enough to say 'damn'," Portia said, stepping up next to me. "Enough lolly-gagging. Let's show the human how wolves work."

For the next hour, while I tried to help, mostly I just got in the way. Finally I sat at the peak of the roof and watched.

The wolves were amazing. I keep saying that, I know, but again I was reminded. They weren't reckless, but I was sure a human crew would take far longer than that.

I actually felt kind of worthless and offered to fetch drinks for people, but Portia told me, "Your part is coming up soon. Watch and learn."

Soon, the roof was down to bare wood. Portia sent everyone around. "Look for any wood that looks rotted. If you find any, show it to me."

There were a couple of boards that they declared, "Soft."

"We're going to rip them out," Portia said, "But leave them there for now. We'll do it after the delivery."

"Did you get a dumpster?"

"It was supposed to be here yesterday, but they screwed up," she replied. "It'll be here this afternoon."

"We'll come back and help dump everything," Eric declared. "In fact, we'll grab the kids from the program, too." He looked at me. "We'll take those drinks now."

It was twenty minutes later before a big, flatbed delivery truck appeared. It had a crane with a forklift attachment and was piled high with building materials. Portia talked to the driver for a few minutes, and then he backed the truck as close to the garage as he could. Soon he was operating the crane, lifting the palettes to the roof. He didn't set them down. Instead, the wolves pulled the materials off, making piles along the peak of the roof.

I tried to help, but they were heavy, and I almost dropped the first one. Portia told me to find a place I could stay out of the way.

I felt worthless.

It didn't take them any time at all to unload everything, distributing the materials evenly in six piles along the roof peak. Portia thanked everyone.

"Can we get those soft boards pulled out? I bought replacements."

Eric attacked one, and Rory went after the other. It took them only a minute or two before the old boards were pulled out. Portia found the replacements and dropped them into place. "Zoe and I can nail those," she said. "Thanks guys."

There were several offers to stay behind and help, but she said, "Naw, now Zoe has to pay off her debt to society. If we get done too fast, I don't know what I'd make her do next. And this will be real work for a little human like her."

The wolves laughed. I got my hair tousled. And a minute later, Portia and I were left alone.

"You know, I don't have a clue what to do."

"That's okay. I do." She gave me a safety lecture, and a few minutes later we were working together, driving nails into the boards that had been replaced.

Using a hammer wasn't as therapeutic as a paintbrush, but it was a nice change of pace. But I wondered how I would feel about it in a few hours.

"Are we really going to do all this ourselves? It'll take weeks."

She smiled. "Yes, we are, and no, it won't. Wait until you see."

We finished nailing in the boards. Then Portia found a box of something called 'water shield'. It came in a roll three feet wide by seventy-five feet long. One side had a sticky side after you peeled the protective paper back, and it went down on the roof nearest the gutters. Working together, we rolled it out and got it in place all along the edges. Then we did a second row overlapping the first by a few inches. This left the bottom six feet of the roof covered in the rubbery material.

We switched to a different material after that, covering the entire roof to just below the shingles waiting in the big piles near the peak. We surveyed what we had done. Portia smiled.

"All right," she said. "Now we do chalk lines."

"I'm not that artistic," I said. She glanced over to see me grinning.

She had a little metal box with a string sticking out of it. You could pull on the string, and it came out of the box, covered in chalk. Portia handed me a tape measure and sent me to one end of the roof. She showed me how to measure. Then she had me hold one end of the string, went down to the other end, and called out a distance. I put the string down tight on the tape measure at the right distance. She did the same on her end, pulling it taut, and then she reached over, lifted the string away from the roof, then released it to slap against the roof.

It left a clear, straight mark on the roof.

"Cool!" I said.

We did that over and over, all the way up the roof, leaving lines across the roof.

"We'll do the other side later," she said. "Wait here."

She climbed down from the roof, was gone for a couple of minutes, then I heard her climbing back up. She was bringing some weird tool with her, dragging an air hose along behind her.

"What's that?"

"Nailer. No hammers. You'll see." She arranged the hose the way she wanted then said, "Don't trip over it."

"Important safety tip."

"All right. Let's get started. What I want you to do is bring me shingles."

"I can't carry them."

"Open a pack and bring them in handfuls," she said. "Be careful not to break them."

I found I could bring a half pack of shingles at a time. Portia sat down on the roof, took a shingle from me, set it in place, then banged the end of the nailer against the shingle four times.

"Next."

"Um. Portia. It's backwards. The tabs go the other way."

She looked up at me. "Trust me. Next shingle please."

She put that one in place, nailed it, and then moved down for the next shingle.

The nailer made a thwack sound every time she used it, a little like the paintball guns from Sunday. When I looked, I could see the heads of four shiny nails perfectly embedded into the shingles.

"Okay, that's cool," I said.

We got to the end and found ourselves with a shingle hanging out the end. "It's too long."

"We cut them later," she said. "You can cut them now, but you get a straight line if you cut later. Now we'll go backwards."

So I kept bringing her shingles, and she worked back, laying the second shingles immediately on top of the first ones, but these were facing the right way.

"Why did you do it that way?"

"So that the open tabs have shingle behind them," she said.

"Oh. That should have been obvious."

After that, we worked our way up and across the roof. I brought shingles and Portia nailed them. I realized after the third time across that she was using the chalk lines to keep the shingles straight. It took another few trips to realize she was also staggering how the shingles were installed so the joints between them were not on top of each other.

"Is that it?" I finally asked.

"For most of it. The peak is different, and it's a tiny bit harder to do the garage." The garage was attached, but it was at a different level, with one edge against the side of the house. I would learn later in the week that wasn't too bad to handle, either.

Portia waited until we were a good third of the way up the roof before she said, "Okay, we're far enough from the edge. Did you want to try it? You can work from below now."

"Could I?"

Using the nailer was a little tricky, but it only took a few minutes before I was nailing shingles like a pro.

"I told you that you'd earn your keep," she said.

After that, we traded off periodically, one of us doing the fetch and carry thing, the other running the nailer.

"You could do this yourself if you set bundles around here and there," I said.

"Yes, but it's still a lot faster with help, and the company is nice. Otherwise I'd let you keep working here and I'd head over to the other side."

"You have another nailer?"

She smiled and nodded. "But I'd rather do it this way. Maybe if we get some volunteers to help this afternoon, then we'll run two nailers at a time."

It was work, and of a type I wasn't accustomed, but it was fun. We spent the time talking and teasing each other.

We worked steadily the entire time, but when Portia declared a break, I was more than ready. "Lunch. Then we're going to work for an hour or so before going for a swim."

"Oh, that will feel nice," I agreed.

Shortly after lunch, with us both back on the roof, a guy with a truck stopped by and dropped off the dumpster, asking Portia where she wanted it. She pointed to a place on the driveway. We didn't even need to climb off the roof.

It was more like an hour and a half when she straightened up, stretched her back, and said, "I think it's time for that swim."

It had been my turn with the nailer. She pulled me to my feet. We put the tools to safety and then looked around, our arms around each other.

"We have a problem," I said.

"What's that?"

"We're almost done with this side. We're not going to spend my fifty hours this way."

"Afraid what I'll make you do next?"

"Do you have jobs lined up for me?"

"Not enough. I've been turning down some of the requests."

"Why?"

"Because I don't think you should have to do Rory's laundry, for instance. Rory's a really good guy, and I'm always happy to have him at my back, but he can be a jerk, too. They also wanted you to serve for an enforcer by-invitation picnic, but I vetoed that, too. I didn't think it was right to make you serve food you find morally objectionable."

"I'd have been okay."

"They want to do a whole pig, and if I know them, they'd have made you carve it."

"They wouldn't!"

"Well, I don't know how much support that idea had. There's a picnic; it's the weekend after next. And there's nothing on the menu that you eat."

"Is there really a whole pig?"

"Yep."

"Enforcers only?"

"Enforcers and guests. Everyone is supposed to bring a date. Plus the alphas will be there."

"Who did you invite?"

"I haven't yet."

"Well, for the record, while I'll never lecture any of you for your choice of food. If someone did a pig like that for pack play night, I wouldn't say anything. But I'd be really upset if anyone expected me to cut it up or even serve her. Thank you for looking out for me."

She leaned over and kissed the top of my head. "You're welcome."

"So, what jobs do you have lined up?"

"There's more maintenance on this house," she replied. "And some fall planting. Gia wants some help setting up more electronic surveillance."

"I don't know anything about that."

"It's for the eagle nest. She thought you'd be good."

"Oh. Yeah."

"You'll be washing cars on Monday after the trip. We'll get back too late on Sunday to do it. That's a small one. Karen said she's thinking about painting some rooms in her house."

"Has Monique submitted anything?"

"No."

"I think she should, if she has anything."

"She happily let you take her shopping," Portia said with a grin, "but no driving privileges. I'll talk to her and let her know she should submit requests if she has any."

"I could help set up for that picnic," I said. "But that's only a few hours."

"Don't worry. We'll get your hours in, but it might drag out a little. Would that bother you? I can get some of them converted to pack service hours if we don't have enough things for the enforcers."

"I don't want to let GreEN suffer, and I have errands on Thursday. Who is going to drive me?"

"I am. Come on. Let's go swim."

We swam laps; it felt good. I was much slower than Portia, but I swam slowly and steadily, loosening up and cooling off. Even though it was autumn, it was warm on the roof.

Finally Portia called a halt, and we collected together in the shallow end. I couldn't help but admire her body. I looked her up and down pointedly, and I didn't mind that she caught me doing it. She raised an eyebrow.

"What can I say? You're stunning. Does it bother you to have your lesbian prisoner admire you?"

She smiled. "Thank you. No, it doesn't. Do you really think of yourself as my prisoner though?"

"I was being light-hearted." I moved closer. "Your skin is perfect. Your entire body is perfect." I shook my head.

"What?"

"In my head, over and over, I keep using the same words. I am in awe. I think I always will be. In that video of Elisabeth, it wasn't just her wolf that stunned me. I saw her as a human, as well. She was stunning as both. So are you. You all are."

"Do you see differences?"

"Between you and Elisabeth?"

"Between any of us, other than color."

"I'm starting to. It's harder for me when you're wolves. You're all huge. Even the teenagers are huge. The pups aren't, but I can tell they're going to be, as well."

"What notices do you see, say between Karen and me in fur. Have you noticed?"

"Her head is blockier. If I were to compare it to canine counterparts, her head is more like a male black lab's than yours, although of course, bigger. And you're different colors. I'm sorry, should I see other differences?"

"It's probably hard with the fur. Karen, Elisabeth and Lara are all bigger than I am. Elisabeth is actually a little bigger than Lara and is the biggest female in the pack. In fur, Elisabeth has fifteen pounds or so on me. What about us as compared to the guys?"

"Eric is bigger than Rory." I thought about it. "Maybe about the same difference as between you and Elisabeth?"

"Yes, perhaps."

"But I don't know if he's bigger than Elisabeth. I can't tell."

"He is." She paused. "But you understand, we're not just a physical beast. We're also magical."

"I imagine, what with the shape shifting and all."

"The size we become as wolves is partly genetic, partly training, and partly determination. Elisabeth is bigger than Lara because Elisabeth as a teenager expected to become the alpha. Lara only worried about being big enough to help protect her family. But they both were very determined as teenagers to be as powerful as they could be, and so they are the most powerful members of the pack. I expected to be in the army special forces, and so I have a different sort of power as a wolf. Karen, too, although she aimed for the army rangers, which is just a little different than special forces."

I smiled. "I'm not sure I fully understand, but that just makes you more amazing." I moved closer and ran my fingers down her wet arm. Portia stood very still while I did it. I shook my head again.

"What?"

"I was remembering Eric in the weight room."

She laughed. "I'm sorry, I'm not quite that impressive."

"I wouldn't want you to be. God, if I weren't so gay…"

She laughed again.

"Have you two ever…"

"No. I don't date other enforcers. It's a recipe for disaster. Did Elisabeth ever play, um, a little roughly with you?"

"Yeah."

"Imagine two enforcers. We'd destroy the house, and then it would go from lovemaking to a fight for dominance."

"Serena and Emanuel make it work."

"Emanuel is a very, very good enforcer, but he doesn't fight Serena for dominance. As I understand it, he fell in love with her when they were both teenagers, and he would have done anything for her. He still would. Wolves can be exceedingly devoted that way, but it's rare to see a wolf like him able to be so comfortable shedding his need for dominance, even with the devotion."

"I'd like to get to know the two of them when they aren't on duty, I think."

"That's rare. We've been so busy. But it's getting better. I understand Angel was a godsend, and Monique is going to be, too, along with the other kids coming through the program. But she's by far the best of the teenagers." She smiled. "She has a crush on you. On both you and our fox."

"Yeah. Ah, if only I were twenty-some years younger."

"Twenty- _some_?"

I grinned. "So. You're strong enough to pick me up, right?"

"Of course. Did you want a demonstration?"

"In a minute," I replied. "Are you strong enough to throw me?"

"Yes."

"How far?"

She eyed me. "Seriously?" I nodded. "I don't know. It would depend upon conditions, whether you were cooperating…"

"Expect me to cooperate."

"Maybe as far as ten yards. I'm not sure. But you'd get hurt when you landed."

"So, you could, for instance, pick me up right here and throw me into the deep end?"

"No, but I could from the edge of the pool. I'd have to swing you, and you don't have a lot of places to hang onto."

I took her hands and began walking backwards towards the deep end.

"Where are we going?"

I looked over my shoulder and came to a stop. "Just here. Cup your hands together." I cupped my own to demonstrate.

"Oh," she said. She cupped her hands. I turned around, and then she helped me slip a foot into her waiting hands. She lifted, and I found myself balancing precariously, halfway out of the water.

"Can you throw me so I can dive back in? Don't throw me too far."

"Put your hands on my shoulders." I reached back until I found her shoulders. Then I felt one hand slip out from under my foot, but she held me — and it seemed as if it were easy — with one hand. "Give me your other foot." After a moment, she had a foot cupped by each hand. "All right. On three, I'm going to start lifting. I'm only going to try to throw you about six feet or so. You should push off from my shoulders so you start to fall forward. If I weren't about to throw you, you would fall face first. Keep your legs straight."

"Ready."

"One… two… three." On three, I pushed forward from her shoulders and at the same time, she lifted me quickly. I went up and up, lifted my hands forward, and came down in something resembling a dive.

It wasn't going to win any awards for grace, but it was a dive. When I got to the surface, I laughed. "That was fun."

I turned around and swam back to her.

"I can throw you higher and further, but I can't give you any more control. It's just a little too awkward. Again?"

And I nodded.

We tried a few different things. She threw me six times total. Some turned out to be more graceful than others. By the time we were done, we were both laughing. I returned to her and gave her a hug. "That was fun. Thank you."

"It was fun for me, too." She smiled at me. "You're a strange woman."

I wasn't sure that was a good thing. "Oh?"

"I can't figure you out. You're serious and playful. You're submissive and dominant. You're fierce and so easily frightened. You get hurt, and sometimes you bounce back, and other times you don't. You're outgoing and quiet."

"Well, I'm all those things," I said. "This has all be such an unexpected situation for me that my old behavior patterns don't work. But patterns and who I am aren't necessarily the same thing. I think, consciously or subconsciously, I'm testing new patterns."

"I suppose."

"The playfulness is new. That's a reaction to all of you." I paused. "I like it. I don't know how to play the games you play. I haven't played physically for a very long time, and I was never the sort of athlete that being around all of you requires. But I don't want to be left out."

"You enjoyed paintball."

"I wasn't very good," I said. "And I never will be. I liked the games where you weren't eliminated after getting shot once. I could keep playing. But other than the last game, I got the impression the wolves like the others a lot more."

"We do," she said. "Although that last game is probably everyone's favorite. It would be too much if that's all we played though. And we're pretty driven for the type of competition that the elimination games offer." She smiled. "Perhaps we have time for one water game, but then we have work waiting for us."

"Oh? What game did you have in mind?"

"Water tickle fighting," she said.

"Oh no!" I said. Immediately she began stalking me slowly, and, shrieking, I tried to stay away from her.

She chased me all over the pool, but she didn't swim any faster than I could evade. But finally she herded me into the deep end of the pool, capturing me in the corner. Both of us were laughing when she grabbed me. Seconds later I found my wrists trapped in one of her hands, and she began searching my body for ticklish places.

I was a pretty ticklish person, but I was already laughing so hard, she had a difficult time finding anywhere that was ticklish, especially when I was wet. But still, she soon had me squirming and struggling to get away while we both continued to laugh.

Although my laughs were a lot like shrieks.

"Do you surrender?" she finally asked.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

She pulled me backwards against her, and I went still. Then she held me for a moment longer before releasing me. I turned around in the water, and she carried a serious expression.

"What was that last part?"

"A hug," she said. "Come on, Prisoner, we have work to do."

When we got back, instead of continuing on the first side, we went to the other side and started there. We were just to the point we could turn around and work from below before company began to arrive. When it did, it was in the form of most of the enforcers, Kaylee and Ember.

"Ah ha! My extra credit workers." I turned to Portia. "They don't owe that much time, but I made them promise to keep me company, too. But I'm having a grand time with you."

"Well, let's get them both up. They can haul shingles for us, and we can both nail. Keep working here." I took over with the nailer, and she brought a couple of bundles of shingles, leaving them where I could reach them without having to get up and down. Then she disappeared off the roof, but I heard her directing everyone.

A few minutes later, Kaylee and Ember appeared. "Portia said to do whatever you said," Ember said.

So I explained what we were doing, and I even taught them both to use the nail gun after asking them if they were smart enough to avoid nailing their own hand. I pointed out it was a gun, after all.

They were good kids, and careful.

"All right. Let's play a game."

"While we're working?" Ember asked, carefully positioning a shingle for Kaylee to nail.

"Sure," I said. "We're going to take turns. We're each going to say something about ourselves the other two don't already know. If neither of us know it, then you get two points. If one does, and one doesn't, you get one point. If both already know it, then you lose a point."

Ember laughed. "You don't know a thing about me, so this should be an easy game."

"But fun?"

"Sure," she said. "Who goes first?"

"You do," I said. "We'll go you, Kaylee, then me, around in a circle like that."

"All right. My full name is Ember Marie Johnson."

Kaylee cocked her head. "I didn't know your middle name."

"Two points for me?" she asked, and I nodded. "Oh, I like this game!" she said with a laugh.

God, the wolves were fun.

"My turn," Kaylee said. "Well, if we're doing names… Mine is Kaylee Alice Moss."

"I knew that," Ember said.

"I didn't. One point. I suppose I should keep Ember's tradition going, but after this, we should try to change things around. I am Zoe Everest Young."

"I didn't know that," Ember said.

"Neither did I."

"Okay," I said. "From now on, to keep things going, we'll say something only if we know. Otherwise we'll each assume two points."

"My turn," said Ember. "I was ten when my aunt told me about Ms. Burns' program here at the school. I knew right away I wanted to be in the program. I bugged my teachers to help me learn everything I could so when it was time, I could come here. "

"Oh wow," Kaylee said. She stopped working and stared at Ember. "That's cool, Ember."

"I agree. I applaud your devotion to science, Ember."

She smiled, a little shyly. "Your turn, Kaylee."

"All right. I gave a speech at Michaela and Lara's wedding."

"I knew that," Ember said. "I was there." She looked at me. "But I had forgotten. Does that count?"

"Hmm. What do you think, Kaylee?"

"One point," she said. "I bet you didn't know, Zoe."

I laughed. "No, I didn't."

We went around with our game while we continued to lay the shingles, but we had fun getting to know each other better. I could tell the girls didn't know each other that well, and the scores grew steadily.

I wasn't sure how long we had been playing when Portia reappeared on the roof. She was pulling another air hose with her and had a second nail gun.

"Hey, Portia," Kaylee said. "This is fun!"

"Good," Portia said.

"We're playing a game," I said. I explained the rules. "Did you want to join us? We can declare a winner and start over with fresh scores."

"Maybe in a bit. The enforcers are going to help me with something first." And sure enough, we were shortly joined by the adults.

Ember, Kaylee and I continued to nail shingles, working steadily while sharing stories. I saw the adults shifted the piles of waiting shingles so that Portia could lay out the rest of the underlayment underneath where the shingles had been sitting. She thanked the adults, and then they were gone. She came over to join us.

"I should have done that part differently," she said. "If I had brought the replacement roofing boards and underlayment home myself, we could have had that done before the shingles were delivered. Live and learn."

Both of the girls looked over at her for a moment then went back to the shingles. It was Ember's turn with the gun. Portia watched critically for a minute and also checked our completed work.

"You're doing a good job. Let me show you how we can use two people nailing, and then we can start up your game again."

Five minutes later, we were really flying our way up the roof, both nailers going like crazy.

And I started learning more things about Portia.

A few minutes later, Kaylee said, "I was only supposed to be here a half hour. But Portia, may I stay?"

"Yeah," Ember said. "Mine was forty-five minutes. Why was Kaylee's only thirty?"

"Because Kaylee was already in jail, and I didn't have as much leverage as I did with you," I said with a grin.

"Well, may I stay, too, Portia? This is fun."

"Are your parents expecting you? Should you be doing homework?"

"Well, _my_ mother isn't expecting me," Ember said with a smirk.

"Smarty-pants. Is Michaela expecting you at home?"

"I'll text her."

"I can call my mom," Kaylee said. "She's probably with Michaela anyway."

"If your mother gives permission, then I would really appreciate your help," Portia said.

"Does it continue to count against Zoe's sentence?" Ember asked.

"It does."

We worked for another hour and a half when Portia said, "All right. We're done for the day."

"No…" said Ember. "Already?"

"Quitting time. Zoe and I have been at it all day."

Both girls glanced at me then turned to Portia. "May we come back tomorrow?" Kaylee asked.

"If it's okay with Serena and Michaela, then yes, we would love to have your help."

"Cool!" Ember said.

"Before you go, you can help cover everything up."

 **Field Trip**

Thursday, everyone met in front of the school an hour after school got out. Zoe's roof wasn't done, but she assured me that it would be fine for the weekend.

We all drove up in a convoy of SUVs. The pups were staying behind, but from the goodbyes they shared with their mothers, I got the impression this happened with some regularity. There was clearly a lot of love, but no tears.

We had all of Michaela's students, including Layton. Michaela must have been satisfied with his paper. We also had the enforcer students as well as six enforcers. The rest were staying to manage the compound and keep the pups safe.

I again wondered about a lifestyle requiring guards to keep your children safe.

There were a lot of people.

Michaela gathered around. She had a clipboard and looked around, checking off names, then she said "All right. There are a lot of us on this trip. We're going to play a quick game, and we're going to do this a few times. The kids should all know each other by now, but this is the first trip for some of you. And there are adults who don't know all of you. So we're going to go around and each introduce ourselves. We're going to be quick. For the adults, I want your names and what your job is on this trip, very briefly. For the kids, I want you to tell us your name, age, and what class you are in. We'll do the kids from the enforcer program, then the science program, then the various adults. But Lara and I will start."

She paused and looked at her mate for an instant.

"I am Michaela Burns. I am the teacher for this event." She turned to Lara.

"I am Lara Burns. I'm here to do whatever Michaela tells me to do."

The kids laughed at that.

"Okay, enforcer students. One of you pick."

One of the boys said, "I'm Nash Fields. I'm 15 and a freshman."

After that, I met Shelton, Evangeline, and, of course, Monique.

"Okay," said Michaela. "Evangeline, you have a different name you prefer?"

"Yes, Ms. Burns," she said. "But you know it."

"I do, but many here do not."

"Oh. Sorry. I like Evangeline, but it's a mouthful. My parents usually call me Line." She pronounced it like Lean. "I really like my whole name, but most people shorten it."

I vowed to call her Evangeline anyway.

"All right," said Michaela. "Good. Now the science program students."

There were a great many of them, seven girls and six boys. Amongst the girls, I learned that Kimbriella was often called Kimber, but the most unusual name was Cassiopeia. She could also be called Cassie but asked us not to call her Cass.

I thought that was an unexpected name. Cassiopeia is from Greek mythology, a queen who was vain about her appearance. I would learn later from Michaela that her mother didn't know the full etymology of the name and thought she was naming her daughter after a particularly beautiful Greek goddess.

Still, I thought it was a lovely name, and during the trip I would call the girl both Cassie and Cassiopeia.

When the kids were done, Michaela said, "All right, the remaining adults. Let's start with you, Zoe."

"I'm Zoe Young. Like Lara, I'm here to do whatever Michaela tells me."

Next were Bertram and Gretchen Beck, who I learned were Cassiopeia's parents. They described themselves as "chaperones" and admitted to knowing little about science. Bertram introduced both of them, and Gretchen struck me as almost mousy, which I found an unexpected personality for a werewolf.

I would learn during the trip that Gretchen wasn't the brightest bulb, but she was kind, exceedingly good with the kids, and loved her daughter to pieces. Bertram was a little rough around the edges, but it seemed like perhaps he knew it and was trying to be on his best behavior.

The enforcers went last: Elisabeth, Serena, Karen, Portia, Angel and Scarlett.

"Excellent," Michaela said. "I'm going to talk for a few minutes, and then Elisabeth has more to say. Then we'll assign vehicles." She looked around. "This is a lot of people, and it would be easy to misplace one of you. We're going to do a few things. First, I want all of you to pair up. Science programs, pair up together. We have an odd number, so there will be one group of three. I want boys with boys and girls with girls. Hold hands once you're in your groups. Enforcer students, you are assigned to one of the enforcers. Elisabeth?"

"Monique, you're with Portia."

"Yes!" said the girl, immediately moving to Portia's side.

"Shelton, you're with Angel. Nash with Karen. Line, you're with Scarlett."

Each of the kids moved to stand next to his or her assigned enforcer.

Elisabeth turned to Michaela, and she was watching the students. I saw that Kaylee and Ember were together, and they had Cassiopeia with them as well, forming the group of three. Iris and Lindsey were together, and I would learn they were best friends. Kimber and Valeria formed the last group of girls.

"Excellent," Michaela said. "Now, partners eat, sleep and breathe together. Most of you have done this before, so you know the drill. If I see you separating by too much, we will be lashing your wrists together." She looked at the guys. "I know it's not macho to hold hands, especially in public. But I require you to be within touching distance most of the time, and I expect you to be touching when we're walking through Bayfield or at the two rest stops we make during the drive. One of you can put your hand on the other's shoulder, if you want." She demonstrated with her hand on Lara's shoulder. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Ms. Burns," the kids intoned together.

She looked at the girls, all of whom were casually holding hands.

"Rules. I know you'll all be on your best behavior. I know if any of the adults tells you to do something, you will do it. I know there will be absolutely no mischief. I will tolerate a certain amount of playing around and banter, but I know that none of you will engage in unwise or risky behavior." She looked around. "You all know what that means by now." The kids all nodded.

"We have a lot of field work to do, but we're also going to take time for the fun stuff, too."

"She means kayaking," Angel inserted.

There were expressions of glee from the kids.

"The amount of time we have for kayaking and other games will be related to how well you do on the field work. If you goof off, it will take longer. If you do a poor job, we'll have to do it again. If I don't feel you're learning the material, we'll be spending time in class instead of outside doing what we all really would rather do. You guys know this, and you know the material, but you also know I have to remind you sometimes."

Then she looked at the adults for a moment before looking back at the kids. "Ms. Young is an environmentalist. Her understanding of what we're doing is a little different from mine. She's here to help me help you, but she's also going to be sharing the things she knows, too. Take advantage of the opportunity to learn what you can from her."

I thought that was really nice of her to say, and it made me feel good.

She glanced down at her clipboard, and I realized she had notes. "All right. Elisabeth has some things to say, then we'll assign cars. Head Enforcer?"

Michaela stepped back and Elisabeth stepped forward. "We're doing a few things different from how we have in the past, so pay attention. First, absolutely no shifting into fur without permission. Anyone caught in fur without permission will be having a long, very, very difficult conversation with me. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Head Enforcer!" they said together.

"Good. You also know to avoid certain words and conversations in public."

"Words like 'werewolf'?" I asked.

"Yes," Elisabeth said. "Next. As always, if an enforcer tells you to do something, _you will do it_." She looked around and her eyes settled on me. "That includes the adults."

"Yes, Head Enforcer," I said. That earned some chuckles.

"Now, we're also training our future enforcers, and we have a variety of exercises for them. We may not share those exercises with the rest of you, and they could happen at any time. So, if one of the student enforcers tells you to do something, _you will do it_. They, in turn, will certainly not tell you to do their dishes or clean up their messes. But if they tell you to clean up a mess, you will clean up the mess, and then you will tell one of the enforcers of the orders you were given. It is not your responsibility to judge whether an enforcer should be giving you that particular order."

She looked around. "Questions on that?"

I raised my hand.

"Yes, Zoe," Elisabeth said. "If Monique tells you to do something, you will do it."

I lowered my hand to a few more chuckles.

"Part of being an enforcer is handling the authority. There is a temptation to overstep bounds and become a dictator. The enforcers in our pack resist that temptation, but learning to resist it takes time, and we all have to help them learn."

She looked around again. "I want to repeat something Alpha Fox said. When we are in any of the towns, partners will be touching. This is an important rule. Do not break it."

"No, Head Enforcer," the kids intoned.

"That's all I have," she said.

"Thank you, Elisabeth," Michaela said. "All right. For the trip, you are assigned to cars. Not only will partners remain in physical contact during our stops, but you will remain as a group by car."

She checked her list. "Car One: Lara Michaela, Serena, Kimber and Val. You two come here." The girls joined them, and soon there was a clump of five.

"Car two: Elisabeth with Kaylee, Ember and Cassie."

She assigned out all the cars. I was with Portia, Monique, Iris and Lindsey. It would be fun getting to know two more of the girls. Each group clumped together so we had six groups of four to six people.

"Elisabeth?"

"While Michaela listed herself as car one," Elisabeth said, "Car one will not be in the lead. Karen, you're in front. Portia, I want you at the rear." She assigned the other cars with Michaela's car in slot three and Elisabeth immediately behind her as four.

"Why that way?" I asked.

"Karen to watch ahead for trouble. I'm to watch behind. Elisabeth will watch over the alphas."

"Okay am I missing anything?"

"One last thing," Lara said. "Zoe, your driving privileges are reinstated for this trip, but you continue to report to Portia."

I nodded understanding.

Michaela stepped forward once more. "We're going to have a great trip, but it's up to everyone to make sure. And that means you not only selfishly make sure you have a great trip, but you make sure that I have a great trip. I'm going to cover my ears, then I want to hear a howl of joy."

She stepped back to Lara, who pulled the little fox against her chest, wrapping arms around Michaela's head. The kids seem to know when it was time, because as a group, they all lifted their noses and began to howl.

Even through their human throats, it was a beautiful sound.

At our assigned car, I was ready to climb in, but Portia stopped me, turning me to her. "I need an honest answer. Are you a good driver?"

"I'm not a race car driver, but yes. I haven't had an accident or even a speeding ticket in twenty years."

"Can you drive an SUV?" She gestured. I nodded. "Would you keep your cool in an emergency?"

"Yes."

She studied me. Then she held out the keys.

"If you get tired, tell me."

The girls were hovering around. Iris asked, "Where should we sit?"

"Monique in back," Portia said. "Monique, we're the last car. Do you know what that means?"

"It means we watch for trouble from the rear."

"So what's your job?"

"To make sure we know if anyone comes up behind us."

"Yes. And watch the sky too."

"Got it."

We all climbed in. I got the car started then adjusted everything. I thought this might be the first time this vehicle had been driven by someone my size. I made sure I knew where the lights and wiper controls were. Then I turned around.

"The human is driving. Make sure your seat belts are properly buckled."

There were chuckles, and I heard one last seatbelt click closed. When I looked over, I realized it was Portia's. I grinned at her.

Then she played with the radio. It was the strangest radio I've ever seen, and there was a microphone as well. I stared.

"Is that a CB Radio?"

"The military version," she said. "We have them in the airplanes and the pack cars." She picked up the microphone. "Portia checking in."

Over the next minute, the other five cars checked in.

"Let's head out," came Elisabeth's voice. "Go ahead, Karen."

One by one, we pulled out of the lot. Karen came to a stop out on the road, waiting. Then Portia said, "We're ready." And we were on our way.

Behind us, the girls chatted together. Once we made it onto the highway, I asked, "So, do you guys play games during drives?"

"Sometimes," Iris said.

"What game?" Lindsey asked.

I glanced over at Portia, searching for permission. She nodded. "But eyes on the road," she added quietly.

"Iris, my computer is next to my seat. There is paper and pens. You and Lindsey may take turns keeping score."

I waited until she was done rooting around and said she was ready.

"All right," I said. "Here's what I propose, but I want to see what you think. We have a six-hour drive, and there are five of us. I propose we each come up with a game, and we play each game for an hour, with a little break between games. Can someone time us?"

"There's a timer on my phone," Lindsey said.

"We'll play my game first," I said. "That gives the rest of you time to make up a game." I explained my game, and they were all keen.

"I have been thinking about this game," Portia said. "I believe if you know someone's else's fact, then you should get a point."

"That's a good change," I said.

From in back, Monique asked, "Are there prizes?"

"Oh. I hadn't thought about prizes. I'm sorry, I didn't bring anything."

"Cash is always good," she said. I glanced in the mirror and she was grinning.

"Well, I am poor, so I am not funding cash prizes."

"How about we make up a prize," Lindsey suggested. "Do we want prizes for each game, or just one at the end?"

"You guys decide," I said.

"Let's have one at the end," Portia said. "Toss out ideas."

"Foot massage," Iris said.

"I'd play for a foot massage," Portia announced. "Does anyone have another idea?"

They didn't, but I added, "Clean feet." That generated laughter. "But there's something else I want, too."

"What's that, Zoe?" Monique asked.

"I want to see all of you in your fur, with permission to hug you. Would that bother any of you?"

Iris laughed. "You don't know wolves very well yet. You can hug me." That was followed by a round of "me too" from everyone.

"All right," Portia said. "As thanks to Zoe for helping out this weekend, we'll find a chance to shift to fur and give her a good, long look and a hug for each of us. That's on top of whoever wins the foot massage. I should warn you: I intend to win."

She got the expected laughter.

"I think there should be points or even a prize for the best game," Monique said.

"Prize!" the two other girls said immediately. "I love being brushed when I'm in fur," Iris added.

"With a hair brush?" I asked.

"I have a brush for it. It feels really, really good." She paused. "If you don't know how, I'd have to show you."

"You know, I haven't been brushed that way in years," Portia said. "As I recall, it does feel good. But what if we decide Zoe's game is best. Even if we brush her hair, it won't take anywhere near as much time."

"I know what I want," I said. "I really liked the way you guys ran me around on Sunday. Could we do that on pack lands, but at your best speed?"

From in back, Monique laughed. "Sure. Portia, is that allowed?"

"I think it is," she said. "And a few minutes of pampering, because brushing an entire wolf can take a long time."

"All right then. If we're ready, start the timer, Lindsey, then say 'go'."

"Ready… go."

"Um. Who is first?" Monique asked.

"Whatever order Iris wrote our names down."

"Oh. I'm first," she said. "Um. Gosh. Okay. I used to have a stamp collection."

"I knew that," Lindsey said. "Point for me."

We went around for a while. The things the girls shared were sometimes very superficial but frequently very, very personal. I was having a great time.

They laughed at a few of mine. "When I was young," I said, "My parents were going on a vacation to Miami. And I thought it was like My Ami." I said it as two words. "I kept asking my mom what an Ami was, and if she got one, when did I get one."

We'd been playing for a half hour when Monique said, "I want to suggest an enhancement to the rules."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. If the thing you tell is pretty embarrassing, I think you should get double points."

Everyone laughed and immediately agreed.

The game turned really raucous. We learned the most unexpected things about each other, and all of us were laughing long before Lindsey's timer went off.

"Time's up," she announced.

"Finish this round then," I said. "So we all get equal chances." Portia and I each gave our last facts. Then Iris read off the score.

I was in the lead.

"Oh ho," said Portia. "A game the human is good at."

"I think it was Monique's added rule and my willingness to share embarrassing stories."

"That's probably it, bed wetter."

"Hey! What's said in Car Zoe, stays in Car Zoe!"

"You can hope so, anyway," Portia said.

The girls all laughed. "Okay, we get a short break, then we'll play the next game."

The girls broke out in conversation with each other. I glanced over at Portia, and she was smiling at me.

"What?"

"You. You're relaxed. It's good to see."

"I've been relaxed with you."

"Yeah, but you stress out around additional wolves."

"These are good kids," I said.

"Those are the only kinds we have, on the compound, anyway."

"So, got a game figured out?"

"Yep. But you have to wait to hear about it. How are you doing on driving?"

"I'm fine. But are there sodas or water or anything?"

"I'm sorry, but we'll be stopping in another twenty minutes. You can get something there."

So far, it had been an easy drive. Karen kept a steady five miles over the limit, and Portia had directed me to maintain a proper following distance from Angel and Scarlett immediately in front of us. The car drove well, if a lot bigger than I was accustomed, and it was a nice afternoon.

Iris asked to pick the next game, but we had to interrupt for our rest stop. Our train of cars pulled into a truck stop, and Karen parked well away from all the other vehicles. I parked where Portia directed.

"Monique, you're on duty," Portia said. "You have Zoe. Girls, you will stay with Zoe as well. I want all of you in a tight group."

"Yes, Portia," they said together.

"You sit tight until Monique and I are ready for you," Portia said. And so I sat in the car for another minute until Monique opened my door. It was all quite unnecessary, but I did what I was told.

We managed to get bathroom breaks for those who needed them, and snacks, water, and soda for everyone. Portia bought mine for me before I could protest, which was kind of her.

Ten minutes later, we were on our way again.

Monique's game was third, then Lindsey was fourth. "This might be a bad game, she admitted. I have another one, but it's lame."

"Explain it and we'll decide," Iris told her.

"Well, Zoe. Ms. Young. What do we call you?"

I glanced at Portia and she said quietly, "Whatever you prefer."

"Stick to Zoe," I said.

"All right. You're an environmentalist. You know science and nature stuff. Right?"

"I know different things than Michaela, but yes. I know science and nature stuff." I thought it was cute the way she put it.

"All right. A game Michaela plays with us is Science Fact or Fiction. She tells us about something, maybe taking a few minutes. Some of it is true, some is false. Then the first person in line gets to identify as many true or false items as she can. She gets one point for each one right. Once she is done, the next can go, then the one after her. Then for the next story, the first one becomes last. You see? It's fun, and we learn things."

"Can you do that and still drive?" Portia asked. I nodded.

"How does Zoe get points?" Portia asked.

"Oh," said Lindsey. "I didn't think of that."

"If we get something wrong, she gets a point," Monique said. "But that means she has four times as many chances to get points as us, so at the end, we divide her points in four."

"If we do that," said Iris, "then it's only sporting if she talks about stuff we have a chance to know."

"Monique isn't in the science program," I said. "Is this game fair to her?"

"Portia isn't in the science program, either," Portia said with a laugh. "Let's see how this goes, but if the score is lopsided, then we'll adjust it. Maybe Zoe and I will alternate. Or she can throw in current events or any other topic she feels she knows well."

"If we play this game, it will have an environmentalist and conservationist twist. I don't know very much about chemistry or physics."

"That's good," said Iris. "We'll learn more."

"All right," I said. "You guys asked for this." I smiled. "Tell me when to go, Lindsey."

"We're switching," she said. "I'm keeping score and Iris has time. I have a fresh page and a fresh order for us."

"Zoe… go!"

"There have been eight major extinction periods," I said. In truth, there were six. "The most famous one was called the K-T event, and that's when the last of the dinosaurs died off, 66 million years ago." That was all true. "Each extinction period from the past was very distinct, with the deaths occurring over a very short period, weeks to a few years." That was false, or deemed to be false.

"We are currently in the middle of the most recent extinction period," I went on, "called the Holocene extinction. It has been going on longer than the ones in the past." That was false. "And has been going on for about ten thousand years." True. "It is deemed to be entirely, or nearly entirely caused by man. The most notable extinctions are the dodo bird and passenger pigeon. Currently, it is estimated man is killing on average approximately a thousand species a year." The actual estimated figure was as high as 140 thousand annually, including insects and plants.

I talked for another minute or so. Finally I asked, "How is that?"

"That's great," Lindsey said. "And I get to go first. I knew about the K-T event, and I knew it was when the dinosaurs died. I knew it was 66 million years ago."

"Good. Is that three points?"

"Yes," said Iris.

"Um. That's all I can do," Lindsey said. "Iris?"

"I knew that dodo birds and passenger pigeons were killed by man," Iris said. "Two points. But I don't believe we're killing a thousand species a year."

"You think it's less?"

"Yes."

"Okay, we need a check on the rules. That fact is wrong, but Iris is wrong." I told them about the actual number. No one believed me.

"That number is an estimate. No one knows for certain. But every scientist agrees it's far, far more than a thousand species a year, if you include insects and plants."

"I don't think she gets a point," Monique said.

"I don't either," Lindsey said.

"Neither do I," Iris agreed. "A point for Zoe. Your turn, Monique."

"I don't know any of this," Monique said. "Except… I think she lied when she said the extinction events were short lived. I thought it took millions of years for the dinosaurs to die off."

"Point to Monique. No one is absolutely sure. There is some evidence of only a few years to maybe a few thousand years, but there is also evidence it might have been a few million years."

Portia didn't have anything to add, then I asked, "Do I get points for the falsehoods you guys didn't catch?"

"Oh," said Lindsey. "I don't know."

"Tell us what we missed," Iris said, "And we decide how many points you get."

They had missed three, and after I explained them, they agreed they were worth three points. But then Iris reminded me my score would get divided by four.

Still, it was a good game.

We played for a half hour. Iris and Lindsey were doing the best. Neither Portia nor Monique were doing as well, although Portia was more aware of some of the modern conflicts such as fracking and nuclear power.

"We need to change it a little," Lindsey said. "Either Zoe should include more stuff that Portia and Monique might know, or Portia should do some, too."

"It's okay," Monique said. "I'm having fun anyway."

"I still think we should do something," Lindsey said.

"How about if I try one," Portia said. "And we'll see. Mine will be about history."

"Go for it," I said. "But I get regular points then, so you'll have to score two columns for me."

"I'm on it," Lindsey said.

Portia talked about the Unabomber. She spoke for several minutes. Lindsey declared I should go first. I got three points, just facts I knew. Lindsey got one and handed one to Portia, and Iris handed her two more.

Monique racked up eight points.

"Way to go, Monique!" Iris said, turning around and high-fiving her. I smiled. While they were competitive, they were also very supportive of each other. It was heartwarming.

Portia got two more for falsehoods we hadn't caught.

"That was good," Lindsey said. "How about two from Zoe and one from Portia?"

"That's a good mix," Monique said.

So that's what we did.

We came to another rest stop just as we were wrapping up this game. I desperately needed to use the bathroom, and we bought more water.

"I hate these bottles," I said to Portia, once we were back on the road.

"We keep them and reuse them."

"Yeah, but I still hate them. I planned poorly. I have a ton of GreEN water bottles, but I didn't bring them. I sell them at events."

"Talk to Michaela. She hates the water bottles, too, but wolves can be rough on your type of bottles. That's why she allows us to continue to use these."

"All right, it's time for Portia's game," Iris declared.

"All right," she said. "We're each going to tell a story. You get two minutes. Iris you'll have to time us."

"Actually," said Lindsey, "I'm the timer again."

We laughed.

"Give people a fifteen second warning," Portia went on, "and cut them off exactly at two minutes."

"Got it," she said.

"Each story will be based on a theme, so the first person to go picks the theme. We'll each tell our story. The story must be true and it must be from your own life. After we have each gone, we each vote on the best story. You can't vote for yourself. You get a point for every vote."

"What makes it a best story?" Monique asked.

"Whatever you want, but it should be based on the theme. Are we ready? I can go first."

"Hang on," I said with a glance in the side mirror.

"Someone coming up fast behind us," Monique said. "Portia!"

Portia spun her head around. She immediately grabbed the radio. "Fast driver behind, looks like two cars together, doing twenty over the limit or more."

"What do I do?"

"Stay calm and drive safely. You watch ahead, ignore that car."

It was hard to ignore as the lead car came zooming up until it was right on our ass.

"Monique?" Portia asked.

"Single guy, human, twenty years old. He looks like an asshole. Um. It's a Nissan GT-R with an asshole paint job to match the driver."

"What's behind him?"

"Can't tell yet. There he goes!"

"Iris, watch that car!" Portia said. "Zoe, watch the road and maintain distance." Then she was on the radio. "Everyone slow down, let them pass, maintain distance."

"Mustang," Monique said. "Underbody lights. Driver is low twenties, scruffy. Passing! Passengers!"

"Slow to fifty," Portia said. "Be ready for aggressive driving. Iris!"

"I'm watching…"

"Monique?"

"No one else," she reported.

The two cars weaved in and out of our line a little as we came around curves, but after another minute, they were all gone.

I was gripping the wheel as if death himself had just passed us.

"Non-event," Portia said. "Like most of them."

"But we are forever vigilant," Monique said.

"Good job," Portia said more quietly. Then, "Are you all right?"

I looked over at her and nodded, then snapped my eyes to the road again. Immediately, she leaned over and set a hand on my arm. "We're fine. Just a couple of fast drivers. You were perfect, Zoe. Iris, our driver needs some touch."

A moment later, I felt Iris lean forward and set her hands on my shoulders. Portia kept hers on my arm. Slowly, I calmed down.

"I couldn't live like that," I said. "How do you do it?"

"It becomes old hat," she said. "It was nothing."

"But it might have been something. Portia…"

"And if it were, you would have done the right thing," she said. "And then fall to pieces afterwards." She got on the radio. "Karen, find a safe place to pull over."

"Got it. Next town is five minutes."

"That's fine," Portia replied. "Monique, report."

"They were just humans and they didn't pay us any particular attention. A couple of asshole drivers who think with their gas pedals."

I had to laugh at that assessment, and I decided Monique was going to be an excellent enforcer. She already had good judgment.

"Describe the Mustang's passengers," Portia said.

"Man in front, a girl in back, and there might have been a second one in back, but I couldn't see. Everyone I saw was low twenties. The guy was wearing a black tee-shirt; I couldn't see what was on it, but it was some pattern, probably for redneck beer."

"Stick to facts," Portia said.

"It was for Breakdown," Iris said.

"What is that?"

"A head banger band," she said. "Crappy music."

"Keep going, Monique."

"The girl had short, brown hair in a cheap cut and a ratty sweatshirt."

"Color of sweatshirt?"

"Dark, either black or navy blue."

"Dark blue," said Iris.

"How could you see that?" Monique asked.

"It was from Yale. Yale's color is dark blue."

"No way was she a Yale student," Monique said. "No way."

"Hand-me-down maybe. It was from Yale," Iris said.

"All right. Monique, if you were driving, and both cars had pulled in front of us then begun to slow down, what would you do?"

"Slow down, keep distance, and get on the radio."

"Radio is broken."

"If they are slowing down more than following distance, I would pass them again."

"Do you think you can pass the Mustang?"

"Yeah, but I don't know about the Nissan. However, if he played games with me, we're a lot bigger than he is."

"You'd hit him?" I screeched.

"If he's playing games with us, damned right I'll hit him," Monique said. "Angel will see it in the rearview mirror, and suddenly we'll have 28 wolves dealing with them on the side of the road. We can have the entire thing cleaned up in a minute and a half."

"That's not your first choice," Portia said.

"Well, if they won't let me pull in behind Angel, then I can pass her and pull in front."

"What if they drive side-by-side?"

"Then it's intentional, and we run them off the road."

"What if they're SUVs, too?"

"The advantage is to the car in back. Anyone who watches race car accidents knows that. But Angel would see it. They wouldn't be able to split us up."

Portia continued to quiz Monique while keeping a hand on my arm. Iris's hands never left my shoulders. And I held it together until we pulled into a gas station in the next town.

I put the car in park.

"You did fine," Portia said. "It was a non-event."

"I know." I looked at her. "I need to speak with Elisabeth."

"All right."

"Is everything all right?" Elisabeth asked over the radio.

"My driver wants to speak to you," Portia answered.

"I'll come get her."

A moment later, Elisabeth was at the side of my door. She opened it and helped me out.

"Over there," I said.

"Are you all right?"

"No."

She took my arm and pulled me a little way from the cars, then we turned to each other. "Zoe?"

I threw myself into her arms and held her tightly. "I'm sorry."

She slowly wrapped her arms around me. "For what?"

"Every bad thought I had about your job," I said. I held her for a minute, then slowly released her. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," she replied. "Better?"

"Yeah. Do I stink?"

"A little stress, but don't worry about it."

"What about my passengers."

"Don't worry about it, Zoe."

"Elisabeth, why am I driving? Shouldn't Portia be driving? Lara made a big deal about it, so I bet all of you decided this as a group."

"I wanted Karen in front and Portia in back, and I want Portia free to watch behind. You're not trained for this, but you're still a better driver than Monique. Would you have held it together if you needed to?"

"Yeah, and fall apart after."

"That's all I can ask. It was just a couple of idiot drivers."

"I know."

"Are you going to be okay? I can move Scarlett back here to drive."

"I'll be fine, but I hope there's beer tonight."

She laughed. "We'll find one for you."

"Take me to Portia now, please. I want a hug from her, too."

"Thank you for the apology. I knew you were frustrated in Key West. Is that what you meant?"

"Yeah."

"Do I get my conversation this weekend?"

"Whenever you want."

"You let me know when you're calm. I think tonight is a little stressy for each of us."

"Tomorrow then, if I'm not too tired."

"Good." We turned around, and Portia was standing next to the car, watching us. Elisabeth led me right to her then walked away.

I stared at Portia. "Was that a make-up hug?"

"No," I said. I moved closer, and she took the hint, wrapping me in a hug. I clung to her for a minute. "I'm a rabbit."

"No. You're a human learning to walk amongst the wolves. What did you tell Elisabeth?"

"I apologized for thinking bad thoughts about her job."

Portia held me a while longer until I said, "Everyone is waiting, and I bet they're all staring at me."

"Actually, no one is staring at you," she replied. "And I for one am happy to hold you."

"You're not what I expected," I said. "I thought you would be cold and aloof."

"I'm slow to warm up to people, but I open up once I do," she said.

Finally I relaxed.

"Are you okay to drive?"

"Yeah."

"Good." She led me to my door. A minute later, we were back on the highway.

We each had time to tell our stories. Some of them were light-hearted and some of them were deeply, deeply personal. We laughed a lot.

It became time to count up the score. Iris won the grand prize, although she had competition for it. Then they began discussing the quality of the games.

"I liked Zoe's game," Monique said. "But Portia's game was really good, too."

Iris and Lindsey both agreed, and then the three of them went back and forth about it. But then Iris said, "Portia's game was a better _activity_ , but Zoe's was a better _game_."

"Yeah!" said Lindsey. "Sorry, Portia."

"Three for Zoe then."

Portia reached over and clasped my arm.

"I know I won a foot massage, but could I get brushed instead?" Iris asked.

"Sure," I declared immediately.

"Cool! Who is going to brush me?"

"If someone teaches me, could I?" I asked. "Um. Unless I'd do it wrong, anyway?"

"Iris?" Portia asked.

"Sure," Iris said. "I kind of like the idea of the adoring human brushing me."

We laughed at that.

"Zoe and I will do it together," Portia declared.

"I've never been brushed like that," Monique said. "My mom has brushed me out when I got into bad stuff, but I don't think that's what you mean."

"No," said Iris. "This is different."

"Will you show me, too?" Monique asked.

"Sure," Iris said. "I can show on you what I like, and then I can shift and they can do me."

"I want to know how," Monique said.

"You don't want to be brushed?"

"I want both."

Iris laughed. "All right. We'll figure it out."

We arrived at the land near Bayfield without any further incident. Michaela assigned housing, with the kids staying in the bunkhouses and the adults in the lodge. I got my own room right next to Portia's with Bertram and Gretchen in the room across the hall.

"Everyone take a few minutes to settle in and use the bathroom. It's late, so we'll have a short run to shake out the fur, then we'll unwind with a snack before light's out."

Ten minutes later, we all met in the large atrium of the lodge. Iris moved to stand next to me. "Are you running?"

"No. If there's to be a fire, I can tend it. Otherwise I'll relax here."

"You know, if they show you how, I would be happy just to be brushed."

"You don't want to run?"

"Run or brush… run or brush… I'll take a brushing."

I laughed. We explained to Michaela and Portia, and they were fine with it.

"But first, I think," said Portia, "we should pay Zoe her winnings." She explained that to Michaela.

"Well," said Michaela. "Who wants to take Zoe for a run."

"Wait. I won't be able to see. It's dark."

The wolves laughed. "We'll do it again tomorrow, too," Lara said. "Portia, who is going to help you?"

"Actually," said Lindsey. "Iris and I want to do it. But maybe Portia wants to."

"You two know the lands," Portia said. "Take her to that overlook, give her heart no more than a minute to catch up with her body then bring her back. We'll do something longer tomorrow."

The two girls stepped up to my sides and grabbed an arm each. They tugged me outside, and then Iris said, "Ready?"

"What do I do?"

"Not a thing," she said. "Let's go."

They began moving forward, supporting me by my arms. I ran along, but after the first few seconds, we were taking ten or twelve-foot leaps with each step.

I began to shriek with joy.

Beside me, I could feel the power. They ran in perfect synchronicity with each other, carrying me along between them, and so my leaps were as long as theirs.

We entered the trees and followed a wide path, and then, far too soon, we came to a stop.

And out in front of us, perhaps four miles away, was Lake Superior.

"Oh my god!" I said. They released my arms, and I turned and hugged each of them in turn. "That was amazing!"

We turned and looked out at the lake for a minute. Then they took my arms, turned me around, and we were running again. Elisabeth was waiting by the doors, and she held it open as we approached. The girls ran us all the way back into the lodge, then they held me while I caught my feet.

I laughed and clapped my hands, then hugged them each again. "Thank you! Oh, you guys can do that to me _any time you want to_."

I knew around me the wolves were looking at me in amusement, but I didn't care. I didn't care at all.

I turned to Portia. "I thought we ran fast on Sunday, but that was nothing. How do you guys hold yourselves back?"

The wolves laughed. "It's not easy," Lara said.

"It's damned hard," Connor said. "Begging your pardon, Alpha."

"No, Connor," she said. "You're right. It is damned hard sometimes."

"And you're faster in fur?" I asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "Although not for a long run. That lookout is about a half mile. If it were further, the girls would have been winded."

"A half mile? It couldn't have been more than 30 seconds."

"A little over a minute," Iris said. "We had to go a little slowly with you."

"We'll take you for a longer run tomorrow," Portia said with a grin. "If you can stand it, ask Lara and Elisabeth to do it. Then you'll really fly."

"All right," Michaela said. "You guys start shifting. I want my run."

The kids immediately began peeling their clothes off, then lying down, some on furniture, some on floors, and they began their shift. Bertram and Gretchen looked between the other adults and the kids, and then they lay down and began their own shifts.

I moved to stand next to Portia, still grinning.

"You're not shifting?"

"We're going to brush Iris together, then I'll take a run after. We're going to show Monique tomorrow sometime." She paused. "I need to speak with the alphas. Do you mind?"

Not at all.

She moved to talk to Lara and Michaela, and a moment later, Elisabeth and Serena joined them at the side of the room. I moved over to Angel and Scarlett. They both turned to me and smiled.

"We'll take you for a run whenever you want," Scarlett said. "You liked that?"

"It was… I keep using the same word. Amazing."

"Yeah," Angel said. "I wish we could pull you in our fur, but the pace wouldn't work, and it would hurt our back to carry you. I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm just happy to be here." And I realized I was.

"So you're all right?" Angel asked.

"Yeah. I was shaken up by those cars. I was so afraid I'd have to do something, and I didn't know what."

"You're a good driver," she said. "But if you're ever in a situation like that, and Portia tells you to ram someone, you do what she says."

"It will be hard."

"I don't care," she said. "If she tells you to run over a mother pushing a stroller, you run that mother over. Portia probably knows something you don't."

"It's not a mother at all. It's really a CIA agent, and in the stroller is another agent with wolfsbane?"

She laughed. "Something along those lines, yes."

In ones and twos, the wolves began to stand up in their fur. It would take another ten minutes for the slowest to finish. But I asked, "Will you two help me learn who is whom?"

"Sure," Angel said. "Whom should we start with?"

"Monique."

Angel pointed. "She looks a little like Karen, but not as big. Yet, anyway. Her head is a little narrower, and she has a little more white."

I looked around. Karen was actually three colors, a base of black with both white and silver. So I looked and pointed.

"Yep. Next?"

"Iris."

"She's still shifting. She's all black with just a white patch on her chest and around her eyes."

"Does Kaylee look like her mother?"

"Sort of. Same colors, but she's much more delicate."

"Is she done?"

"Yep."

I pointed.

"Very good," Scarlett said.

"Ember."

"I bet you can guess."

There was one wolf that, if I hadn't known better, just on her name, I would have thought it was Scarlett. Her hair had a reddish tint with black. I pointed.

"That's her," Scarlett said.

"I'm going to turn my back. Tell me when Iris and Lindsey are done shifting."

"They're both done already," Angel said.

I looked through the wolves. Several were black, but only one had the white they had described. "Iris."

"Good," said Angel. "Lindsey looks like a younger version of Rory. You would swear they were brother and sister."

I looked around. There were several wolves I thought would fit. "I'm not sure."

"Which ones are you considering?"

"I pointed."

"That's a boy," Angel said. "Can't you tell?"

"No."

"Who else?"

I pointed out two more.

"One is Lindsey and the other is another boy." She raised her voice. "Nash, Lindsey and Dawson, come here. Stand side by side in front of Zoe and let her look at you."

The three largely black wolves walked over. They were, of course, all huge.

"We're helping Zoe learn your names," Scarlett explained. "Zoe, two are boys and one is Lindsey. To add to it, one of the boys is going to be an enforcer, but they're all still filling out, so don't expect him to be as big as Angel."

I studied them. Two had blocky heads, but the third one was taller by a tiny bit. One was perhaps a little broader through the chest. I described the differences I saw.

"Anything else?"

"Well, markings are different, but I don't think markings are gender specific."

"They aren't," Angel confirmed. "Care to guess?"

"I think the broad one," and I pointed, "Is the enforcer student."

"Nash," Angel said. "Yep. And the other two?"

I pointed to the tall one. "Lindsey?"

"You got it!"

"So this is Dawson," I said.

"Right."

"But Elisabeth has a blocky head, too."

"Elisabeth is pretty butch," Angel said with a grin.

"All right," Michaela called out. "If we're done with wolf identification classes, we can run."

"Sorry," I said.

"Don't be," she said. "But I'm ready to run." She headed for the door, opened it, and then a moment later, there was a fox on the front steps. I stared.

"God, she's so beautiful."

"That she is," Angel said. "That she is. We'll see you soon."

A minute later, I was left with Portia, still on two feet, and Iris in her fur.

"We're going to light the fire." She gestured to the large fireplace near the wall. "Then we can do this on the rug. We'll have to vacuum though."

"Do we have her brush?"

Portia held up both hands. She had two brushes. They were both a little different. One was rubber, kind of like a mitten, with nubbies on one side. The other was a more traditional brush. "This one," she said, holding up the rubber one, "Is Iris's. The other one is Lindsey's. Iris likes them both."

She led the way. Iris sat down on the rug. Portia lit the waiting fire, fanned it for a minute, then turned to face us. She and I knelt down on opposite sides of Iris.

I stared at the wolf for a minute. "You're all so beautiful," I said. "May I touch you, Iris?"

She chuffed, and so I began to pet her gently, digging my fingers in. She leaned into it, so I decided I was doing something right. I kept that up for a minute, then I slowly hugged her. She chuffed with it, so I decided it was okay.

"All right," said Portia. "Iris, when I used to have this done, I liked it firm enough it was kind of a massage, too. Is that what you like?"

Iris looked over. She nuzzled her rubber brush and chuffed, but then knocked the other brush and huffed.

"Got it," Portia said. "I'll show Zoe how to use the rubber one, then let her have it. I'll work on your fur with the other one." She picked up the rubber brush and put it over her fingers. "I'll do this the way I liked it, and Iris will let us know if we do anything wrong. Iris, remember: Zoe is human."

Iris chuffed.

Then Portia started first gently petting Iris with long strokes, but then she began digging her fingers in, still stroking, but in sort of wiggly movements. Iris began to grunt her pleasure.

"She probably doesn't want you doing her ears like this," Portia said. "But the nubs feel really good against the scalp. Here, I'll show you. Bend your head."

I didn't even think about it. I bent my head, and then Portia was massaging my scalp with the rubber brush. She was right; it felt good. But then she stopped, and she was chuckling. I looked up.

"You just spread wolf fur into my hair, didn't you?"

She laughed. "I sure did."

"It was worth it," I said. "That felt great." I took the rubber brush from her, slipped it over my hand, and said, "Iris, let me know if I do this wrong." I started on her head, and she grunted at me. I decided I was doing it right. Portia let me brush alone for a while, then once I moved down to Iris's body, she began with the other brush.

"You can lie down if you want, Iris."

We brushed her for a long time and had to clear both brushes off repeatedly, making a large pile of it on the floor. After a while, Iris rolled over.

"For her stomach, you are gentler," Portia said. "And she'll growl if you get too personal. She would even growl at me for it, and Iris is not a dominant wolf."

"Like this?" I asked. I wriggled gently with the brush. Iris closed her eyes and laid her head back, her nose pointed towards the fireplace and her legs splayed widely. I decided I was doing something right.

We both brushed her for a few minutes, then Portia said, "If you're good, I'm going to run."

"We're good," I said.

Portia leaned down and whispered something into Iris's ear. "Zoe, you'll need to clean the fur up when you're done. Don't burn it; it smells horrible to a wolf. There's garbage in the kitchen."

"I remember."

She set her brush aside and moved away for her shift. When she was done, she checked on us.

"Do you need help with the door?"

She huffed, and a minute later, she was gone.

I continued to brush Iris. After a while, she stirred and rolled back over, then slumped onto her stomach with her head between her paws and her eyes closed.

"I'll stop if you want, but I'd love to keep going."

She chuffed, so I took that as permission.

I brushed her for a long time. I let her reactions tell me what she liked the most. I left her tail alone but told her if someone showed me, next time I could brush it.

She may not have been big for a wolf, but I thought she was big, and I could feel her muscles under the fur, even as relaxed as she grew under the brushing. I found her magnificent, and so I kept brushing, but I told her to let me know if I should stop. She just grunted and moaned her pleasure, so I brushed, although I got softer with it.

By the time the wolves returned, I was just sort of wriggling my fingers in her fur, gently massaging the muscles. She had grown entirely relaxed, although I didn't think she was sleeping.

But then the door opened. The room filled with wolves and one little fox. Michaela bounced over to us, shifting into her human form.

"Oh, you are totally spoiling her. Iris you big sponge, that's more than enough."

"I don't mind," I said. I leaned over and kissed Iris on the forehead. "She's very sweet."

"That she is. But she's going to stir herself so you can clean up the fur. It's time for snacks, then bedtime."

Portia checked on me before going to her own bed. She was going to just pop in and out of my room, but I said, "Portia?"

"Yes?"

"I'd brush you any time you want."

"I'd like that, Zoe."

"Get some brushes," I said."

"I will. Are you all set?"

"Do I get a bedtime hug?"

We hugged for a while, then she released me.

"Thank you," I told her.

"For the hug?"

"For being so good to me."

"You're welcome."

Angel and Scarlett took me for a run in the morning. It was only about ten minutes, and they were both breathing hard when we got back, but it was magical, truly magical.

Helping Michaela with her program was fun, fun and fascinating.

She and I also had gone over the proposal for the photography classes. There were still more hoops to follow, so of course, the kids hadn't all rushed out and bought SLR cameras, but she'd encouraged all of them to bring something. And so I taught introduction to photography for an hour on Friday and Saturday, and we did a couple of outings to take photos.

We made time to go kayaking. I talked to Michaela about that.

"I can stay home."

"You don't want to go?"

"I love kayaking. But-"

"But you don't want to hold us back."

"Right."

"Zoe, you're going to just have to accept your limitations."

"I do, Michaela."

"And accept the help we offer."

"You would tow me?"

"Not me. Monique. Or any of the other wolves. We're going to outfit your kayak with a tether, and when you want a tow, you just pop over to the back of someone's kayak and attach it. You might want to warn her first, of course."

"I'd be embarrassed."

"You shouldn't be. Zoe, if you really, really can't stand it, you may stay here. But this is important, and I think you should bite the bullet and just get used to asking for help."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You shouldn't make Monique tow you the entire time, and I presume you would still paddle. Rather than just assuming someone is going to tow you, ask for a tow and see who volunteers."

"All right, but if you guys tow me out there and leave me miles from home, I'll cry like a baby."

She laughed.

And so, that was what we did. I started out paddling, but once we had gone a little while, I said, "All right. I love this, but if we want to go faster, someone can tow me. Otherwise this is a great pace for a human."

I had five offers immediately, and after that, the kids fought over who got to tow me to the point that if we came to a stop, someone would paddle over, release me from whoever was already towing me, then ask someone to attach me to her kayak.

It was — like so many other things these kids did — very sweet. Who would have thought it? Sweet, thoughtful werewolves.

The wolves also got in the habit of running me everywhere. Unless we were all going at a slow pace, anyway, suddenly there would be a wolf on either side of me. They'd grab my arms, count to three, and we'd be off. It surprised me the first few times they did it, but I loved it from the beginning, and I ended every run laughing with joy.

Then I saw them doing it with Michaela, too. She bitched the first time, but the kids ignored the bitching. I saw Lara laughing, and I thought perhaps she had put the kids up to it.

I teased her a little about it. "Weren't you telling me to ask for help when I needed it."

I got a glare and a grin for that comment.

There were two other notable events on the trip. I'll save my conversation with Elisabeth for a moment and talk about the other.

"Where were you?" I asked Portia. "You disappeared."

It was Saturday evening. Dinner would be soon, and I was in my room taking a little break.

Portia didn't answer. But she looked shell shocked.

"Portia? Are you all right?" I got off my bed and moved to her, looking into her eyes.

"I'm fine," she said in a small voice. Slowly she focused on me. "Zoe, I need to talk to you."

"All right," I said. "Does this conversation require a beer?"

"No. Champagne, perhaps."

I pulled her to the bed, and we sat down. There was a chair, but I didn't like it, and I'd been sitting on the bed.

"We can trust you, right?"

"You've been trusting me. Yes, Portia. Of course."

"This is a pack secret. Zoe, this secret is almost as big as the big one you're keeping."

"I won't tell, Portia. You know that."

"Promise."

"Promise. You don't have to tell me."

"Yes, actually. The alphas told me to, but I can't stress the secrecy enough."

"I won't tell a soul. Is it something I'll want to talk to Michaela about?"

"Probably not. Once I tell you, you'll understand whom you could talk to and whom you can't. And you'll know not to talk about it to anyone else."

"All right. I promise, Portia. I'm not a blabbermouth."

"Good. We know that, but I had to be clear. You know how most wolves take time to shift between fur and skin?"

"Yes. But not all of them."

"Right. I'm pretty fast, taking two or three minutes. That's pretty standard for most wolves like me. But you noticed the kids — and even Cassie's parents — take a lot longer. Young kids can take a half hour."

"Michaela's pups are instant."

"Yes, they are." She paused. "I want to show you something."

She began unbuttoning her shirt.

"I'm not sure we have that kind of relationship, Portia."

She colored and laughed nervously. It was cute. But she stripped entirely naked, then knelt down-

-and from one blink to a next, she was a wolf.

I stared at her, then clapped. "Oh Portia!" I climbed from the bed and hugged her. "Oops. I should have asked." But she turned her head and licked me, and I thought that meant it was okay. I hugged her quick once more then sat back on the bed.

Then I patted it and said, "Her girl."

She growled at me. It was a playful growl, but a growl nevertheless.

"Oh come on, it was a joke. But I wouldn't mind. I could scratch your itchies."

Instead, she shifted back into her skin; it was instant as well. When she looked at me, she was grinning. She hadn't stopped grinning by the time she was dressed. Then she joined me on the bed.

"Do you understand?"

"No. You've been shifting slowly to hide your ability?"

"No. Um. That's where I was. Learning how."

"You just learned?"

She nodded. "They taught Monique, too. Lara's going to get shit from the pack council for that, but they taught Monique, anyway."

"Congratulations, Portia. It is congratulations, isn't it?"

"Yeah. Zoe, you might not understand, but this is a big deal. It's a really big deal."

"Rory and Eric shift slow."

"Rory is really slow for an enforcer," Portia said.

"They haven't taught them? They've been in the pack longer."

"I need to explain a few more things. Do you know how advancement works in the pack? Like how you become alpha? Or how you join the council?"

"Lara's father was alpha. It's inherited?"

"Lara's father was alpha. It's not inherited. It's earned."

"So, like, she moved up the ranks?"

"She did, but that's not how you earn it. You kill the previous alpha."

"What?" I screeched. "She killed her father?"

"No. She killed the alpha who killed her father."

I stared at her. "That's horrible!"

"Yeah, it is. It's an old tradition. That's how you get on the council, too. It doesn't have to be a fight to the death. And there are members of the council who wouldn't survive a challenge, but no one would dare challenge them because the pack would kill them for disrupting the organization. Do you understand?"

"Not really, but sort of." I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but that's a little barbaric."

"It's a lot barbaric." She paused. "Zoe, when I joined the pack, I promised I had no political aspirations."

My eyes widened. "You promised not to challenge Lara?"

"Well, I promised not to challenge Elisabeth. I don't know if I could beat her. I don't want her job. I can't tell you how much I don't want that job, and I really don't want Lara's job." She paused. "I want you to think about a challenge fight when one of the two people can shift instantly to fur."

"You're stronger in fur?"

"Yes. A strong male wolf in skin can beat a weak wolf in fur, but a strong wolf in fur always beats a wolf in skin. Do you see?"

I nodded. "They're afraid Eric and Rory would challenge Elisabeth?"

"No, but they're both immature for their ages."

I thought about it. "Angel and Scarlett are instant. And the pups. Elisabeth. Karen. Lara. Serena. And now you and Monique."

I thought through the implications.

"Michaela's the teacher," I declared.

"You're too damned smart for your own good. Zoe that is a pack secret times five. Do you understand? People know we can shift quickly, and we know of other wolves that do, as well. But you cannot talk about Michaela teaching us. Not with anyone."

"I won't, Portia. You know that."

"Again, I had to be clear."

I nodded. "There's a little more. They didn't teach you sooner, and they just taught Monique. But they haven't taught all the students, and not even Eric and Rory. Are they going to be mad?"

"I don't know. That's not my problem. Can you figure out why they taught Monique and me?"

"It has to be a trust thing."

"Yes."

"Well, I'd trust both of you. It's hard to believe they trust a 15-year-old before two adults though."

"Eric and Rory are both very solid in a fight, but male wolves have to deal with everything there is about being male plus everything about being a wolf. Those two have as much power as they can handle gracefully, and they both know it. It's easier for a woman."

"We have our own hormones. Well, I do."

"I do, too," she said. "And I produce a lot more testosterone than you do, but nothing like what the guys produce."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I was stunned when they offered. So was Monique. Did you hear the howling?"

"I heard howling. I can't recognize voices. I didn't know it was her."

"She must have shifted back and forth a dozen times, jumping around the room and shifting. She's not very good at that yet. None of us are as graceful as Michaela. I'm going to have to practice. You saw I had to crouch down. Lara isn't as graceful as Michaela, but she can shift in a jump."

I hugged her and laid my head on her shoulder. "Congratulations, Portia. I'm happy for you."

"It's going to make everything so much easier," she said. "It takes a lot of energy, so if I do it too much, I'll get low blood sugar and have to eat someone."

"That's not funny!"

She chuckled.

"But being able to shift to human and talk, then back to fur…" She shook her head. "It's going to take getting used to. All my life, I've had to shift slowly, and now in one night, it's instant." She leaned against me for a moment. "It's going to take time to absorb."

"I imagine."

She turned to face me again. "I want to tell you one more thing."

"Okay."

"As soon as we were done, the first thought I had was, 'I can't wait to show Zoe'."

"Oh Portia," I said. "I'm touched. I'm glad you did. I'm so excited for you."

"I wish we could teach you," she said. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "I'm just happy to be included."

"You weren't before."

"No. I was scared. I'm not scared now, and it's because of you."

She smiled. "I'm glad. I like having you around. Does this mean the next time I show up on your doorstep, you'll open the door and smile?"

I laughed. "Yes."

"Good."

"Did you want to help me make dinner?"

"You're not going to make me eat bean sprouts, are you?"

I laughed. "No."

"I'd love to help."

 **Tough Conversation**

It was later, after dinner, that Elisabeth asked if we could talk. "Sure."

And so, we went for a walk. Neither of us said anything for a while, but then I realized she was leading me to the Lake Superior overlook. We arrived, and there were seats from tree trunks waiting for us. We each grabbed a log and sat down, staring at the lake for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry," she said.

"For what?"

"Several things. I'm sorry how I treated you last Thursday."

I rotated to face her. "I'm going to forgive you, but I want to understand what you think you did wrong."

"You were already clearly terrified. I've never seen anyone as scared as you were when they carried you in."

"Not my finest moment."

"Yes, well…" She paused. "I knew you were scared. I understand fear, although not the way you do. I've never been afraid of dying, but I've been afraid of failing. I've been afraid of people I care about dying. It's a different sort of fear. Some wolves know fear the way you do, but mostly we get angry. I don't have a fight or flight mechanism. I only have fight. Do you see?"

"Yes, I think so."

"You went from being terrified to fighting. I didn't understand it. I didn't understand any of it. They'd only been there to pick you up, and I didn't understand."

"You should have, Elisabeth."

"I know. Zoe, I know. You've told me about the nightmares. Do you still have them?"

"Not this past week, but yes. I had a horrible one last Tuesday. Horrible. I don't want to think about it, so please don't ask."

"I'm so sorry, Zoe."

"I want to know what you think you did wrong on Thursday."

"I should have been understanding. I tried to cow you. That works for wolves unless they're dreadfully stupid and stubborn. You don't respond to that. You respond to logic and a gentle, polite request. I'm sorry."

I nodded. "Thank you. And of course, you're forgiven. To be honest, I had moved past that. I'm a little bitter about some other things, but not that."

"Well, I'm not done apologizing. I'm sorry for how I treated you when we were dating. You never should have gotten the impression I thought I was settling."

"Does that mean I misunderstood."

"No. It means I'm an idiot." She paused. "I have a view of what I want, and I can't get past it. The person I want shifts to fur."

I looked away.

"Zoe, you're an amazing woman, and this week you've really demonstrated it. You're everything I thought you were."

"But it's not enough?"

"It should be. Zoe, it should be."

I turned further away from her. "I'm not sure I want to talk about this with you. If you think we're going to get back together, we're not."

"I know."

"And you have to knock some sense into your wolf. Do you hear me?"

"Yes, Zoe. I hear you. I'm always going to be possessive."

I turned towards her, and I knew my eyes were flashing anger. "If you think I'm going to stop dating because your wolf believes I belong to her, you're insane."

She held her hands up. "No, no, Zoe, that's not what I meant."

"It sure sounded like that's what you meant when you growled last Sunday."

She hung her head. "I know. I'm really sorry."

"Why did Harper run from you, Elisabeth? Why? Do you give off some sort of possessive scent? Am I somehow marked as yours? Does it wear off?"

"You're not marked," she said. "I swear. But yes, I was probably giving off dangerous scents."

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I won't chase anyone else away, Zoe. I promise. Harper's the wrong one for you, anyway."

"You don't get to decide that!" I screamed.

"I know! I know. Zoe, please. Calm down. Please."

I stared at her, then stood up and walked a short distance away, looking out over the lake.

"If you scare anyone else away, I will petition the alphas to let me leave Wisconsin, and I will demand they pay for my resettlement. I will refuse to ever have anything else to do with werewolf packs. I will never share secrets, but I damned well deserve a clean start."

"It won't come to that. I swear, Zoe. I'm sorry."

I thought about it. "Why was Harper wrong? We were really getting along."

"She's not strong enough for you."

"She seemed plenty strong."

"She's a good person, but she has a history of getting walked over, and she manipulates relationships to repeat the pattern."

"She seemed perfectly sane to me, Elisabeth."

"I've known her for a long time, Zoe. She's never had a healthy relationship in her life."

"Have you?" I asked.

She was still. I turned to look at her. And she brushed a tear away.

"Oh Elisabeth," I said. "I'm sorry."

"No," she said. "It was a fair question. My relationship with you was the best I've had in years, if we're talking people I've actually romantically kissed."

"And we were kind of screwed up."

"No, but we've had our turmoil. God, I wish I could bite you."

I laughed. "That's what they all say." I paused. "I do, too."

"Can we be friends?"

"I need a little more time. But yes, I think so. If you don't chase away the next woman who shows interest in me. I think Monique has someone in mind."

She laughed. "I'll let you decide for yourself about that one."

"You know who she wants me to date?"

"Yeah."

"Tell me."

"No way. And don't ask. If you gave Monique a date for a bribe, then you should treat it fairly. Don't let yourself become prejudiced."

"Laughing about it sort of tells me a lot."

"Yeah, but you shouldn't trust my judgment."

"Uh huh."

 **Monique**

It was a good weekend. I was tired by the time we got home, but when we were a half hour away, Monique asked, "Zoe, would you be willing to talk to my mom tonight? I know it's kind of late."

"It's far too late to drive into Madison and back, Monique."

"I've got her on the phone and she wants to see me. She said she'll meet us at the compound."

"If Portia is willing to release me, I'll talk to your mom with you."

"Go ahead," Portia said. "But Monique, the alphas' house will be busy. Why don't you have your mom come to my house?"

"Sure!" she said. "Thanks."

We arrived, safe and sound, a half hour later. Hugs were passed all around, and I heard from a few kids how much they enjoyed my classes. That was nice.

Iris and Lindsey offered to take me for runs whenever I want, and Iris told me I could brush her, too. I told her I'd like that.

I accepted a hug from Elisabeth. I missed her hugs, and I was subdued after, but then Michaela hugged me, too.

"Thank you so much," she said. "And you can count on teaching the photography class. The kids are campaigning already, so that means they'll push their parents, and the pack council will cave in and find a way to pay you."

I laughed. "I'll look forward to it."

By the time we were done saying goodnight, Monique had her bag plus my bag, computer and both camera bags. She was quite laden down, but when I offered to take some from her, she wouldn't hear of it.

And so, three of us made the walk to Portia's house. When we arrived, we found a woman seated on the steps, waiting for us.

"Faith," Portia said. "You could have waited inside."

"It is far too nice a night for that, and I've only been here about five minutes," the woman replied. "Let me get the door."

Monique carried my things to my room for me then came back and hugged and kissed her mother. The two held each other for a while, then they separated. "Mom, this is Zoe Young. Zoe, my mom, Faith Simpson."

She and I shook hands.

She was a wolf, of course, and big, but not monstrously so. She smiled at me. "Monique said she wants to talk to me about something, and she wants your help."

"She does. Are you in a hurry? I was going to make a bite to eat."

"No, no hurry," Faith said.

So the four of us moved to the kitchen. I had a bag of soybeans in the freezer, so I started water boiling and put together the ingredients for edamame. "I want help with the spices," and I got the wolves to help me put together a sauce for them.

Then I turned to them. "So while that's cooking, I believe Monique can't wait to show you something."

"May I?" she asked. "Portia, may I?"

"She'll see it eventually," Portia said. "Yes, you may."

Monique was already working on shedding her clothes. Faith cocked her head and said, "Did you acquire a tattoo? We've talked about this, Monique."

"No, Mom!" Monique said. "I promised I wouldn't."

"It just seems everyone around here has a tattoo," Faith said. "But you will wait until you are sixteen and a proper adult."

"Yes, Mom," Monique said. She made it sound like teenagers everywhere, but I didn't think she was upset. She finally slithered out of all her clothes, then said, "Okay. Don't blink." Then she dropped into a crouch and a moment later, there was a furry wolf in Portia's kitchen.

Faith almost fell off her stool.

"Oh my baby!" she said. "Oh honey!" She dropped to her knees and pulled her daughter into her arms.

Then she held her daughter for a long time, her face buried in Monique's fur.

Finally she released Monique, who gave a quick howl of happiness then shifted back into her human form. She was grinning as she pulled her clothes back on.

"Is this what we were going to talk about?"

"No, Mom," Monique said. "But I bet Zoe wishes we could teach her!"

I laughed. "Zoe would like that a great deal."

"Faith, you need to call the alpha before you leave this house," Portia said. "You may do that later. They are expecting your call."

"I understand. She's going to explain this is a pack secret."

"Yes, but she wants to do it herself."

"Of course." She looked at Monique. "I am so proud of you. I'm sorry I called you 'baby'. You know I can't help it."

"It's okay, Mom," Monique said. "You didn't do it in front of the other kids."

About then, the edamame was done, so I drained them then tossed them thoroughly with the spices and some salt then tried one.

Perfect.

I tossed them all into a bowl, added a second bowl for the shells, and said, "Everyone has to try one."

Portia didn't need encouragement. She grabbed one right away. "Good," she declared. "But I liked the ones you did with a little more kick."

"What are they?" Faith asked.

"Try one, Mom," Monique said. "You peel the beans out with your teeth." Then Monique proceeded to demonstrate. "These are good, but I liked when you used brown sugar."

I chuckled. The wolves couldn't agree, and I kept fiddling with the recipe. I didn't think I was going to find something they all agreed on, but as long as they liked them, that was fine.

"Beans?" Faith said. "No, thank you."

Portia ate another one. Faith watched her warily.

Then Monique had another one, too.

"You're eating beans? Is this some sort of enforcer initiation thing?"

"It's edamame, Mom," Monique said. "It's good. She made them plain once, and they weren't very good, but she says it's all in the sauce."

Faith eyed the bowl of soybeans. "I'm not sure wolf digestive tracks are meant for peas."

"Not peas. Soybeans. Try one, Mom."

"I think this is a trick on your mother."

"Portia is eating them." And Portia took another one to prove that yes, she was eating them.

"Portia is perhaps in on this trick."

"Mom, have you ever seen me willingly eat something I didn't care for?"

"Yes. You ate worms when your older sister dared you."

"Have you ever caught me lying to you?"

Faith studied her daughter. "No."

"First time for everything? Is that what you're saying, Mom? And in front of my boss?"

Portia chuckled. And ate another one. I realized if I wanted any, I better start chowing. I hadn't made that many.

Faith reached in and picked one up. She eyed it.

"The pods kind of pop open," I said. "Some people can actually just squeeze them out, I guess, but I never figured that out. Besides, you want the sauce, and most of it's on the outside. For just myself, I boil them in a brine, but the wolves complain they're too salty that way."

She tried one. Not the entire pod, just the bean on the end.

"Aw, you barely get any sauce that way," Monique said. "It's not going to kill you."

So Faith tried the entire pod, struggling to free the beans, but then they all popped into her mouth, and she withdrew the pod and dropped it in the bowl.

Then she held the beans in her mouth, not chewing.

"Really, Mom. I promise they digest."

I suppressed a laugh, but it was a near thing. Faith chewed and swallowed the beans. She cocked her head.

Then she took another one, and Monique said, "Yes! I told you."

Once the bowl was empty, we all washed our hands, and then Faith said, "If you served them to me again, I'd eat them, but I'm not asking for the recipe."

I laughed. "That's what all the wolves say, but I have yet to see one pod go to waste."

"It's worse than that," Portia said. "Francesca wants you to make up batches for pack night. She said you should make different recipes and mark them. People can vote on them, too."

I laughed. "All right." I finished drying my hands. "Shall we move to the living room?"

"Should I make myself scarce?"

"Only if you want to, Portia," Monique said. "Do you know what we're talking about?"

"Not a clue."

"Actually, I think you should stay," I said. "Just so you know what's going on."

So we all sat down in the living room, Monique and her mother on the sofa, Portia and I on the two easy chairs. "All right, Monique, did you want me to do the talking?"

"I'll start," she said. "Then you can take over."

"Okay. Before you start, there's a print out on my desk. Will you go get it?"

She would only be gone a moment, but as soon as she was out of the room, I said, "Faith, you can be very proud of your daughter. She is an amazing girl."

"Almost a woman," Faith said. "I couldn't be more proud. Did you know, they made the enforcer program for her? She was the first student. Her father and I burst our buttons with pride when Elisabeth, Lara, and Michaela showed up on our doorstep one evening and invited Monique into the new program."

"This printout, Zoe?" Monique asked, showing it to me. I nodded, and she gave it to me. "Did you have enough time to talk about me?"

We laughed. "The important parts," I said.

She took her seat and turned to her mother. "Mom, you know how I almost never ask you for anything."

"You're about to ask me for something."

"Uh huh. I'm a good girl, and I work hard."

"You don't have to sell me, Monique," Faith said. "Tell me what you want, what it will cost, and then we'll see if you need to sell it."

"Well, what do you know about Zoe?"

"She's human, and you've been talking about her during our phone calls."

And here I thought my reputation preceded me.

But then Faith turned to me. "You're the human Elisabeth was dating. The vegan! That's why you fed me beans."

"Guilty," I said.

She shook her head. "When I heard about that, I had to ask what a vegan was. And are you converting my daughter to your rather quaint ways?"

"No, Mom," Monique said. "Just the edamame. It's good. Zoe has her food, and we have ours."

"It's a lot like keeping a pet rabbit," Portia said.

"Or a hamster," Monique added.

"Oh, yeah," Zoe said. "A hamster." They looked at me and grinned. I sighed dramatically.

Faith watched all this, looking between the three of us. "Monique, you have become quite comfortable here."

"Only here, Mom. It's because of Portia and Zoe. They don't treat me like a kid."

Faith looked at Portia and me again, then said, "Well, keep going."

"Zoe is a professional photographer," Monique said. "She does nature photography, and she sells her photos online. The alpha even buys her photos!"

"You know, I heard about a new photographer in the pack, but I didn't put two and two together. This is what happens when I never come to pack events." She turned to me. "My daughters have had their lives here, first Monique's older sister, and now just Monique, and I want to leave them free to pursue their dreams. I am afraid I don't treat either of them like adults yet, and I should."

"You should come to pack nights, Faith," Portia said. "You would be very welcome, and it's good for the parents to get to know what happens here."

"Yeah, Mom. I keep telling you and Dad to come."

"Your sister used to ask us not to."

"She did?" Monique said. "Why?"

"Because I call her 'baby', too."

Monique thought about it. "Well, I want you to come, even if you call me 'baby' in front of the other kids. But that's not what we're talking about, either."

"Well, get to it," Faith said.

"Mom, you know I've always wanted to be an enforcer, and everyone here says I'm going to be a great enforcer. But you used to say how satisfying it was to have a hobby, too."

"Ah, I see where we're going."

"Michaela said that Zoe is going to be teaching a photography class starting after Christmas, but the standards are going to be high. Michaela said I can take the class if I want to."

"But?"

"I need a camera."

"Ah ha. We come to the core of this meeting!"

Monique turned to me. "Now it's your turn."

I smiled. "Faith, for the class I taught this weekend, any camera would do, although I would have preferred something other than the cell phones some of the kids use. But for my course this winter, assuming the pack council approves the budget, I will require digital SLR cameras. Do you know what that is?"

"The fancy ones with the changeable lenses, but that's all I know."

"Right. We're going to start with photography basics, the simple things, and the kids could use almost any camera for that, but as we get into the more advanced topics, that won't do. For instance-" I broke off. "Monique, I need my computer."

"Coming right up," she said. She dashed from the room.

"I could get used to this," I said.

"Best reason to have kids: fetch and carry," Faith said. I could tell she was kidding.

Monique was back a minute later. She pulled the computer from its bag and handed it to me. I fired it up then brought up a slide show. I turned it around. "I'm going to show you a variety of photos. These are all mine. First, we have landscapes. These are older. They're good, but they're not great. However, they continue to sell, so I continue to offer them."

I let the images move across the screen, then turned the computer around again. "Those are basic, and you can do that with any camera, even a cell phone. But now I'm going to show you some close ups." I started the next slide show and turned it around.

"Oh wow!" said Faith. "That's fabulous. Oh, I like that one, too." I let about a dozen images float past them.

"I have two more slideshows for you. The next are animals." I brought that up and turned it around. "Some of these could be taken with relatively inexpensive equipment, but I admit that most of them required a very expensive lens. The lens is in the write-up I have for you, but to be honest, I don't recommend it unless you have a whole lot more money than any one person should have."

Faith laughed, but she expressed appreciation for the photos.

"The kids aren't likely to get anything like these unless they get permission to pose themselves. So far, my suggestions for furry wolf and fox photo shoots have been met with resounding 'no'. These types of pictures take a great deal of patience, far more than expected for a high school photography class. And, as I said, an expensive lens."

Finally I turned around. "But now, here are the kickers." I didn't say anything. I just turned the computer around.

They all stared, their expressions priceless.

"I haven't seen these," Portia said. "Oh my god, look at the colors!"

Finally I closed the computer. "The kids are going to learn to do that."

"No way!" Monique said. "Really."

"Really."

Faith looked at her daughter, then at me.

"What is this going to cost me?"

"Well, that depends. Before we go any further, if I said $500, does that end the conversation?"

"Oh, no. Of course not. I was afraid you would say $5000."

I smiled. "I have a little over $10,000 in gear, but it's professional grade, and I have one lens that was $4,000. I'm lusting after one for about twice that, but I'll never be able to justify it. I could never sell enough photos I'd take with it to ever pay for it."

I paused. "If your family already has a DSLR — Digital Single Lens Reflex — camera, then it will do for the course."

"We don't. We have the kind you just point and shoot. No lenses to change."

I nodded. "Well then, if you have a reason to pick something else, or if you wanted to save a little money, there are less expensive choices. But if you want Monique to be able to borrow my lenses-"

"-I wouldn't!"

"Don't say that," I said. "If we go out together, I might loan you one. So as I was saying, if you want Monique to be able to borrow lenses from me, she needs a Nikon. If you want her to be able to make images like those last ones, it should be a D-5200 or D-5300. With just enough to get started, the price is about $700. If you need to save money, you can get a D-3200 for $200 less. The D-5300 will be about a grand. But then I would strongly recommend a quality tripod. Cheap tripods are cheap, but I have a few I recommend that are about $150 or so. Professional tripods that can take a seriously long lens are a little more. Or sometimes a lot more."

I slid to her the write-up I had done. "Everything I could think of is in here."

"So, we're talking less than a thousand dollars?"

"Yes, at least to get started. I've listed options that can drive the price through the ceiling, if you want. The best money after that is spent on lenses. There are also better cameras, but really, the two I recommend are both great."

Faith paged briefly through my notes then turned to her daughter. "Is this your Christmas present?"

"Um. I was hoping to start sooner. I bet all the kids are getting cameras for Christmas. Mom, you know I study hard, but you also know I need a little more time than the other students here. In a regular school, I do okay, but this isn't a regular school. I wanted a jump on them."

She turned to me. "And you would help my daughter?"

"I would," I said. "You're daughter is a big share of the reason I am beginning to fit into the pack." I gestured to Portia. "And she's the rest of the reason."

"And my daughter would take photos like those last ones?"

"I am a professional," I said. "I've had a great deal of experience. And those are an advanced technique. But yes, she would present you with some very stunning photos. She needs this camera and a little software." I turned to Monique. "Do you have a computer? What kind?"

She smiled. "One of those." She pointed to my Mac.

"The software is inexpensive," I said. "It's listed."

"Where do we buy all of this?"

"Also listed. There are stores in town, or you can order online and save a little money."

Faith looked at her daughter. "Is there an argument for the more expensive gear?"

"I have never used the D5300. I have used a D5200 and been pleased."

"Will you be satisfied with the lower cost camera, Monique?" Faith asked.

"Yes, Mom!"

"I will review this material, and I will buy this for you," she said.

"Thank you! Thank you!" Monique hugged her mom, then ran over and hugged me, too.

"I give a few suggestions, Faith," I said. "Everything is in there. You can save money over my suggestions."

"No," she said. "We will buy what you recommend. I do not cut corners that way. If this is the right camera for what she will learn, this is what we will get her."

"It is," I said.

"All right. I believe the alpha is expecting a call from me."

Portia pulled her phone out, hit a speed dial, listened, then handed the phone to Faith.

"This is Faith Simpson. I understand you have taught my daughter something very startling."

Then she got up and moved out to the kitchen.

Monique turned to me. "Thank you, Zoe!"

"You are welcome."

Faith returned right away and handed Portia her phone. "Monique, the alpha wishes to see me in person. I believe that is your bag. You will walk your mother to your home. I will visit with the alpha. And then I would like a run with my daughter."

"I'd love to run with you, Mom!"

"Beer?" Portia asked a minute later.

"Sure." We moved to the kitchen and grabbed a couple of beers. We clinked necks and drank.

"Would you teach me?"

"Teach you what?"

"Alongside Monique. The HD-stuff."

"HDR. Really?" She nodded. "I'd love to, Portia."

"What camera should I buy? The same as Monique."

"You could borrow one of mine."

"No. I want my own."

"I'll give you another copy of the document I wrote," I said.

"You told Monique she didn't need a professional camera. Why not?"

"Because it has features she'll never learn to use. They have features I never use. But I don't see a computer around here."

"I have a Windows laptop I hid before you got here. It's old."

"And, well, Windows."

We talked about computers and cameras as we finished our beers. We finished, and she said, "It's late. You still owe me one more night of pampering, but if you're too tired…"

"I'm not too tired. I need to unwind a tiny bit more or I won't sleep anyway."

"All right. Get ready for bed then meet me in my room."

Ten minutes later I knocked on her door and entered. She was standing beside the bed, naked.

"Oh, what type of pampering did you have in mind?"

"Iris gave me her brush," Portia said, pointing. "She said she has more."

I smiled. "I'd love to, Portia."

She crouched down and turned furry. I moved over to her and knelt next to her. "So beautiful," I said. "So amazing." She bumped into me, hanging her head over my shoulder, so I took it as permission to hug her. We stayed like that for a minute, then she jumped up onto the bed, turned around once, then settled in with the tip of her nose and toes curled over the end. I grabbed the brush and sat down next to her.

Soon she was grunting and moaning in pleasure.

Word got around about Zoe's roofing job. Kaylee and Ember came over after school on Monday and asked if they could help. But Monique, Iris and Lindsey were with them. "We all want to help," Iris said.

Portia invited them up after making sure they understood ladder safety. "I only have two nailers," she said. "I don't know how to keep more than two of you busy so I could only credit Zoe for the time of two of you."

The girls exchanged looks, then Iris asked, "May we stay anyway? I'd like to learn."

"Certainly," Portia replied. "These are good skills to learn."

And so we taught the girls what we were doing, and then we let them help. Pretty soon they were taking turns running the nailer while all I did was run shingles back and forth. Portia sat back and supervised, a smile on her face.

"All I need is a beer," she said.

"I can get you one," Monique offered.

"Thank you, but I was kidding," Portia said. "Power tools and alcohol don't mix."

Still, we made good progress, and on Tuesday afternoon, we finished.

I stared at the roof. It looked good. I'd never done anything like this before. But it looked good, and if I had to do it again, I could, as long as I had help with the heavy lifting.

Portia moved to stand next to me. "It's a good feeling, isn't it?"

"Yes." I turned to her. "Thank you for letting me be a part of this."

"You're welcome. You worked hard, Zoe."

"For a human?"

"No. You nailed as many shingles as I did, and it wouldn't have gone any faster if you'd been a wolf. You worked hard."

That felt good.

"However, we're going to leave it to the wolves to bring down the remaining bundles." And she smiled. "And you have a blind date tonight."

"What?"

"You made a promise to Monique."

"I didn't know it was tonight. Isn't that something I should have known?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention it?"

"So, you're now the organizer of my social calendar?"

"Don't be smart or I won't let you go."

I grumphed at her.

"How about a swim? Then you have time to get ready. I have to drive you, but you'll get a ride back here."

"By my date?"

"Yes."

"Is Elisabeth going to be here when we get back?"

She laughed. "No."

"I'm with you 24 hours a day. When are you making plans like this?"

"I'm sneaky."

"Yeah, I bet," I said.

"Let's go swimming."

I had no idea who I was meeting, what we were doing, or how I should dress. So I dressed in what I had, doing what I could to look nice. If she was taking me to a demo derby or football game, someone should have told me.

But I brought a small bag with a change of shoes, just in case. I could leave it in her car.

I finally presented myself in the living room to find both Portia and Monique waiting for me.

"Oh, Zoe," Monique said. "You're a hottie!"

"For an old hag?"

"You're not a hag," Portia said with a grin.

"Whom am I going out with, Monique."

"My aunt."

"And your aunt's name is…"

"Prudence."

"Really?" I asked. "That's a cool name. I've never met a Prudence before."

"If you're ready, let's go," she said. "We don't want to be late."

"Are you coming on my date?"

"I'm coming to introduce you, and then I'm coming back here with Portia."

"You know, if I had driving privileges, you wouldn't have to drive me, Portia."

"True. But you don't. Let's go."

I let them usher me out to Portia's car.

"Tell me about her, Monique."

"She's a wolf."

"I thought she might be."

"She's really sweet and kind."

"That's good," I said.

"You want to know if she's beautiful, don't you?"

I turned back to look at her. "I don't like blind dates."

"She's not blind! She couldn't drive you home if she were blind, could she?" She and Portia both grinned.

"This one has gotten lippy, Portia."

"Wolves like to banter," Portia said.

"They just don't like to let humans banter back," I muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Try as I might, Monique wouldn't tell me anything else, and Portia insisted she had never met the woman. Finally I said, "There's something you're not telling me, Monique. Is this some sort of practical joke?"

"No, Zoe!" she said. "I wouldn't do that."

"Does she have two heads?"

"Only one."

"Buck teeth? You can tell me now so I won't stare."

"There's nothing wrong with her teeth," Monique said.

"How close to my age is she?"

"She's a few years older than my mom."

Her mom had appeared younger than I was, so I thought that was okay. Then I thought about how she said it.

"How many years older?"

"A few."

"A few as in less than ten?"

"Um."

"Less than twenty?"

"Of course!"

"How many years older, Monique?"

"Eleven."

That made her older than I was, but not egregiously older. "You could have told me that. That's not so bad." I paused. "Monique, I know there's something you're not telling me."

"Zoe, my aunt has no deformities. She's a little on the small side for a wolf, but that still makes her bigger than you. She is a nice lady, and everyone likes her. No one would call her beautiful, but kids don't run in fear from her, either."

I thought about everything she said.

And so I dropped it.

We pulled up in front of a nice house, not too big, not too small, in Madison suburbia. "Before we get out…" Monique said.

I turned to look at her.

"Please be nice to her, Zoe. You may not hit it off, but it's one evening."

"Do I have a reputation for being so terrible you have to tell me that?"

"No. It's just-"

"You've had a half hour to tell me, Monique."

"She's eccentric. That's all. And she doesn't date much. There's nothing wrong with her. She's just eccentric. That's the word my mom uses."

"Eccentric."

"Right."

"I will be on my best behavior," I said, "but if she's a lunatic, I will find a way to make you pay."

"She's not a lunatic, Zoe. You'll like her. I promise."

"You heard that, Portia. If I don't like her, may I accuse Monique of breaking her promises?"

Portia chuckled. "Leave me out of this. You're the one who bribed her. Now you get in there and enjoy your date."

"You know more than you're telling, too."

And with that, I got out of the car, quickly followed by both of them.

"You can wait in the car," I told Portia.

"No way. I want to meet her, too."

I grumbled, but then Monique took my arm, and I was so accustomed to going where the wolves tugged me, I thought nothing of it as she led me to the door.

"You look very nice," Monique said. "Thank you for doing this. Zoe, she's very sweet. You'll have a nice time."

Then she opened the door, and we stepped in.

"Mom? Dad? Aunt Prudence?"

"Living room, darling!"

Monique tugged on my arm, and with Portia following along behind, we stepped through the foyer and to the back of the house. Faith, a man I presumed to be Monique's father, and another woman were just rising to their feet.

I eyed the woman carefully. I detected no buck teeth, no lazy eye. Contrary to most of the wolves, she had long hair, black, with touches of grey. On her it was striking, and I decided I liked it. Her eyes were bright and active. She checked me out at the same time I was looking her over.

While she herself seemed normal, her clothes were not. She was dressed in what I will describe as New Age Hippie. She was only the second wolf I'd seen in a dress — Scarlett being the first. She wore a long dress in a southwest native style with sunset colors. Over it she wore a long jacket in earth tones. She had a necklace and earrings with quartz crystals, and to top it off, a headband to match the dress.

"Zoe Young," Monique said, pulling my attention from her aunt, "this is my father, Brendon."

As if she were afraid I was going to bolt, Monique didn't release my arm, but I shook Brendon's outstretched hand, exchanging pleasantries.

"And you know my mom."

I got a cheek kiss from Faith, which was sweet.

"And this is my Aunt Prudence Simpson. Aunt Prudence, this is Zoe Young."

Prudence stepped forward, took my hands, and held my arms out wide to get a good look at me. Monique released my arm and stepped away.

"Your aura is green with tinges of purple," Prudence declared, "and you have an old soul. Have you done a past life regression?"

I stared at her for a moment before answering. "No, Prudence, I can't say I have. I love your hair. Most of the wolves wear theirs so short, so it's nice to see hair this long. It looks good."

"Thank you," she said. She stepped closer, brushed my cheek with hers, and then wrapped my arm around hers. But then she stopped. "I see I haven't met everyone."

"Oh, right," said Monique. I turned, and Portia was standing there carrying an amused expression. "Aunt Prudence, this is Portia Fleming. She's an enforcer for the pack and one of my bosses at school."

"Don't go away, dear," Prudence said to me. She released my arm and stepped to Portia. She gave her the same treatment as she had given me. I couldn't see her expression, but then she said, "You have been hurt, but you are healing. And I see you are contemplating a major decision. You are a bold person, but you have been timid. You should be bold, Portia. It is the right choice."

Portia's jaw dropped open, and then she snapped her mouth closed. "How…"

Prudence patted her hand just like Portia was a young child. "It is all there to see if only we dare to look. But I also see you are not quite ready to make your decision. Make it soon, before the prize is stolen from you." Then she shifted. "But not tonight. No, not tonight." Then she turned away and collected my arm. "We shall retreat, Zoe Young, while your protector is flummoxed."

Then, just like all the other wolves did, she tugged my arm, and I found myself led back outside. But then we came to a stop.

"It is a lovely evening."

"It is," I agreed.

"Are there shoes in that bag you carry?"

"There are. I thought to leave them in your car. I didn't know what was planned."

"Simple plans. I am told you are vegan."

"I am, but I can find something to eat at most restaurants."

"I shan't give you a challenge." Shan't? She actually said, 'Shan't'? "There is a lovely little cafe called Carly's. Perhaps you know of it."

"I do," I said, "but Prudence, we can go somewhere more in keeping with a wolf's needs."

"I enjoy Carly's," she said. "The essence is refreshing, although poor Carly's aura grows dark. I fear her business suffers. Come."

The woman was a fruitcake, but she was a sweet, sweet fruitcake.

She led me to her car, parked in the street, and I wasn't remotely surprised to find an ancient VW Beetle waiting for us. No, not a new model, but the kind Volkswagen used to make. Prudence handed me into her car, then closed the door. It sounded like a tin can. Then she managed to fold herself in on the other side and started the engine.

I had expected the car to wheeze and sputter, but the engine purred to life. Prudence looked over to me.

"It is an old car, but the pack has very, very good mechanics, including my daughter's husband. He found this car for me, and he takes very good care of it for me."

And then she roared off down the street. Seriously, that woman could drive. I closed my eyes during most of the ride and tried not to whimper. For her part, Prudence jabbered the entire way. We arrived at Carly's far sooner than we should have, screeching to a halt.

"Oh, you poor child. I may look eccentric, but I have a wolf's reaction speeds. I haven't had an accident since I was Monique's age, and that one wasn't my fault."

"I hope you will not be offended if I suggest my human heart isn't quite ready for your driving, Prudence."

She laughed. "Quite all right. It is good to know our limits, wouldn't you say?"

"Indeed."

Then we climbed from the car and she took possession of my arm.

All the food at Carly's is vegetarian, every last bite. It is organic, GMO-free, and void of additives and preservatives. Most, but not all of it is vegan, and the non-vegan choices are clearly indicated. Carly herself is willing to cook non-vegan food provided the animals involved were not killed, so she serves honey and dairy products, but only from humane providers.

Prudence ordered one of my favorite dishes, one of the vegan choices.

"I continue to surprise you."

"You do. Monique would tell me very little about you."

"I am, perhaps, difficult to describe. My family doesn't know what to make of me." She smiled. "You believe I am a charlatan."

"I would never make such a statement," I said. At least not out loud.

She studied me. "You have evidence of things beyond human experience, but you doubt there can be even more than you have seen?"

"I am a scientist, Prudence. I am still catching up to everything I've learned lately. I haven't full integrated everything into what I thought I once knew."

"What you knew, you still know," she said. "There is nothing wrong with science. But it is wrong to believe science can explain everything, and that nothing exists outside of science. Science cannot explain your newest friends. Perhaps, and I say perhaps, there exists an explanation for most of your friends, but a certain petite woman breaks the 'laws' of science every time she becomes something else."

She meant Michaela, and I was sure she was talking about conservation of mass.

"Tell me. If I were to throw a ball into the air, and somehow I could cause it to gain mass but contain the same amount of energy, what would happen?"

"The ball would need to slow down proportional to the gain in mass."

"And conversely, if the ball were to lose mass, it would dramatically increase in velocity." I nodded. "And yet, your friend demonstrates different behavior."

She was speaking quietly and cryptically besides, but I found the conversation troubling. She read that in my expression.

"Do not worry. People hear what they wish to hear. Or in my case, they do not hear what I do not wish them to hear."

I looked around, and no one was paying an ounce of attention to us.

"All right," I said. "And so you believe the gemstones around your neck carry mystical powers?"

"Oh yes," she said. She brushed her fingers to the necklace. "They carry two very powerful magics, and I can even prove it, more or less, even to a scientist like you."

"Oh?"

"Yes. First, they are beautiful, and beauty is certainly quite magical."

At that, I had to smile.

"Secondly, they please me to wear them. I brush them with my fingers, and they calm my spirit. And to bring pleasure is also magic, wouldn't you say."

"You know, Prudence, I believe I would agree."

She smiled and then patted my hand, maintaining possession of it afterwards. I let her.

"I see you will remain a skeptic, but perhaps you will open your mind a tiny bit further." She cocked her head. "I do not predict the future any more than you do, but I believe there will come a time that you will wish to talk to me about all this again. And when you do, you should not hesitate."

Then she smiled and said, "I have seen your photographs. They are so lovely. I particularly liked the special ones from Glacier National Park. They are so vivid."

And so we talked about my trip to Glacier. She asked about my other travels, and she shared stories from her own life. Our food came, and we stilled. Prudence told me she prefers to honor her food, and she ate slowly and with a delicacy I hadn't seen before in the wolves.

It was fascinating to watch.

We finished our meal. Prudence asked if I desired dessert, but I declined, so she paid our bill and soon was leading me back to her car. We came to a stop, and she turned me to her. "Do you wish me to take you home?"

"I am in no hurry for the evening to end. I am having a lovely time."

"As am I. It is a beautiful night, although the chill grows for you. But I have blankets. Perhaps you would allow me to take you to a nearby park. We can sit with our backs to a tree and our shoulders touching. I will bundle you in additional blankets, and we could talk until we grow weary of conversation or desire another change of venue."

Yes, she really talked like that.

"I can imagine nothing better," I said with a smile. "Would it be too much to ask you to drive at a somewhat more decorous pace?"

"Yes," she said. She grinned when she said it, then handed me into the car. As we left the parking lot, she said, "It is time for you to close your eyes again."

"This is a lovely spot, don't you think, Zoe?"

"I do," I said. Again, she had possession of my arm, her blankets thrown over her opposite shoulder. I had changed shoes, so walking across the grass was easy. Prudence released me, laid out one of the blankets, then gallantly handed me down. Then she placed another blanket about my shoulders before sitting down next to me.

"You did not honor my request for a more decorous driving style," I observed, "and so I wish to make a different request."

"Oh?"

"Perhaps you would like to sit under this blanket with me."

"Why Zoe Young, are you getting fresh?"

I laughed. "A little."

"Well, let boldness be rewarded." She removed her jacket and then adjusted the blankets so we were sharing one behind us and one over us, giving me a bare arm to touch. Then she took my hand in hers and began caressing my own arm.

"Thank you," I said.

"I have not frightened you."

"No." I laid my head on her shoulder. She grew still for a moment, then laid hers against mine. We sat quietly for several minutes, looking up at the stars.

"You have learned," she said eventually, "that wolves enjoy their games."

"I have indeed."

"Then I wish to propose a game. I will think of three things I enjoy about you, and you shall do the same, but of course, about me. And then we shall share them."

I laughed. "A lovely game."

"Let me know when you are ready."

"I am ready now."

"Well then, I find it delightful that you allow me to take the lead, but you nudge me when you wish. It is refreshing. A wolf would do one or the other."

I thought about that. I didn't understand the significance, but I decided to take it as a compliment.

"I do not know the proper reaction to that," I said.

"It is sufficient to accept," she replied.

"Well then. I like that, while you are a werewolf, and I can tell you are strong and powerful, you have a gentleness, both physical and spiritual. I have felt safe with you since the moment we met, not just physically but I feel my soul is safe with you."

"Why Zoe," she said, "that is perhaps the kindest thing said to me in some time. You have distilled down what I wish to be, but what wolves cannot typically understand." She tightened her clasp of my hand for a moment, then resumed caressing. "Now it is your turn again."

"I like that you make me think," I said.

"Ah, and as a scientist, you like to think. But I challenge your beliefs. Do you not find that stressful?"

"No. If my beliefs are challenged, then it may be my beliefs should be modified."

"Well then," Prudence said. "I like that you have a care for the world. You and I are alike in that, but our care manifests itself differently. You have said I am gentle, but you are also gentle. And while you are not physically fierce, I detect that you are fierce in your words and in defense of your friends and your ideals."

I snuggled against her a little more, absorbing her words. Again, I didn't know what to say.

"And for our last," she said after a minute, "it is again my turn to go first. I find you physically beautiful, Zoe Young. You have an attractive body, lovely features, and while you doubt me, a beautiful aura that surrounds you."

"No one has ever said any of that to me," I said, "well, except for women in a bar, and we both know what they wanted."

"And you do not believe I want the same thing?"

"You might but you know you won't win me through flattery."

She laughed. "No. And so you are able to believe my words?"

"I believe that you believe them. Perhaps another may not see the same things you do."

"As it should be," she replied.

"My last one is simple," I said. "You feel good. I like looking at you; you feel good to look at. Perhaps in a way, you are like your crystals. And it feels good to sit here with you. What you are doing to my arm feels good. Being here with you feels good."

With that, I turned to her, lifting my face towards her and closed my eyes. I let her decide from there. A moment later, she shifted position, then one hand caressed my cheek, and then her mouth was over mine, not quite touching. She breathed in, and I thought she was savoring my scent, almost like she was tasting me.

And that was when our lips met.

There weren't fireworks. It wasn't a hungry, press me to the ground and take me right now type of kiss. It was sweet and lovely.

She had a taste of her own. I couldn't describe it. It was warm and cold, of the earth and of the air, and if there were such a thing as souls, I knew then and there that hers was old, very, very old, and exceedingly kind and caring.

I knew with her I would always be safe, that she would never hurt me, not even in the little ways that lovers hurt each other through a careless word or forgotten commitment.

I knew with her, I would certainly be content and, much of the time, happy. She would expose me to wonders only imagined, but at the same time, we would be grounded with the earth.

And then the kiss ended, and the noises of the world returned. I curled against her, pressing myself as close to her as I could.

"I have not kissed a woman in that way for a great many years," she said quietly. "You have given me a gift, Zoe."

"I believe it was a gift shared, Prudence, and I hope there will be perhaps a few more such gifts tonight."

"I believe there shall be," she said.

We sat together like that for a long time, no longer talking. She held me, and I pressed against her, happy for her warmth, happy for her protection, happy for her silent company.

It was some time later, much later, that she said, "There is something I must tell you, and then it is time to leave, before you grow chilled."

I moved more tightly against her and nodded.

"I know you have reason to fear the wolves. I know you have had nightmares. I wish to tell you that the pack is here to protect you. Discounting the bumps and bruises of life, no wolf of this pack will hurt you, not the ways you fear."

She couldn't possibly know that, not with such surety.

"I know you doubt me."

That wouldn't be hard to guess.

"But your nightmares are over. You may have others, but your recent nightmares are over. They shall trouble you no further. And when the days and the weeks and the months pass, and the nightmares do not return, remember what I told you."

"Do you know this, Prudence?"

"I am not a charlatan, Zoe. Yes, I know this."

I took a breath, and somehow I believed her, at least partly.

"Ah," she said. "Growing acceptance of my words."

"Will you kiss me again?"

"I believe I shall." And she did. This kiss was different, full of other promises I couldn't describe. She was offering something, but I wasn't sure what it was.

Still, it was a long kiss, and even then, it left me wanting more.

But I would have to wait.

Prudence stood, then she helped me to my feet and collected her blankets. She draped one around me, donned her coat, and then, my arm in her grasp, she led the way from the park.

She drove sanely. When I looked at her, she said only, "I do not wish to damage your serenity. It is hard won for you, and so we will cherish the gains you have made tonight."

I had no answer to that.

I paid little attention to the route, and she took me to the main parking area in front of the school. "I do not know where Portia's house is, but this gives us a chance for one more walk. I hope you do not mind."

"No, I do not."

"Remember your shoes." And it was a good thing, as I was about to forget them.

We walked slowly, me leaning against her and her arm around me. Far too soon, we reached Portia's front steps.

"Will you come in?"

"I wish to speak to you out here." She took my things from me and set them on the steps, and then she turned me to her and pulled me into a hug. She was strong and warm, and even her hugs held a promise. Then she lifted my chin, and we kissed, we kissed deeply.

She broke the kiss, but she didn't release me. I stared up into her eyes.

"You are a lovely woman," she said.

"As are you. I have had a wonderful evening."

"I have, too. Zoe, you are not for me. You are for someone else."

My heart fell, and I looked away, but she pulled my gaze back to hers.

"No, do not be saddened. Can you feel your soul? It is perhaps elusive to you. But can you feel? You are healing, and tonight, you healed more than you realize. And I have also healed."

"Prudence…"

"We are to be friends," she said. "There will come a time when you need me, and you will call. And I think there will come a time I will need you, and I will call. We have shared gifts tonight, and I feel you would offer your whole self to me. But there is something here you must do. It is not fate, but it is, perhaps, a need, and you must not be tied to me when the need becomes evident to you."

"Do you know all this, Prudence?"

"I do. And I know this as well. If you allow yourself to be happy, you will be."

I wrapped my arms around her and hugged her. She returned the hug, and then she asked, "Could we share one more gift?"

I lifted my lips, and she pulled them to hers.

And in that kiss, I believed every single thing she had said to me.

"Thank you, Zoe," she said. "You have filled my heart with joy."

And then she released me and began to walk away. I stared after her, but I was suddenly struck with something.

"Prudence!" I ran after her, and she turned, pulling me into another hug. "I must ask. I don't know why, but I must ask. How old are you?"

She chuckled. "The last time I kissed a woman like I kissed you tonight was when I was your age, a great many years ago."

"Not so many," I said.

"Perhaps not, if fifty-one is not so many."

I pulled away and looked at her. She was smiling, and there wasn't an ounce of guile in her gaze.

"Impossible."

"There you go again," she said. "Insisting science explains everything."

"But… Monique says you are her aunt, and she said you are only eleven years older than her mother. But you are her father's sister, so that was an odd way to put it."

"Zoe, I am not her father's sister. I am not Monique's aunt. I am her great, great aunt."

"I-" I licked my lips. "Are wolves immortal?"

"No, Zoe. But we are magical, some of us more than others."

"Is that why we are not to be together?"

"No. If we were meant for each other, I would not let a number grow between us. Would you, after the kisses we have shared."

"No," I said. "I would not. But Monique said-"

"Monique may have fibbed a tiny fib or two, but do not blame her. I told her I must meet you. I did not understand why. This is what she arranged. I could not be more pleased."

"You know? Neither could I. But I find myself feeling greedy."

"For one more gift?"

"Yes."

I didn't wait. This time, I initiated the kiss, and I gave it everything I had. And she returned it.

And somehow again, I believed her. I could taste the last woman she had kissed, so long ago, and I could taste the years in between. One would have thought they would taste like dust, but they were like flowers, fresh from the field.

And then Prudence set me back on my feet. "I believe we are to share another gift, but it is not to be tonight." She looked away and began to smile. "Yes. Another gift. When you need me, you must call."

"I will. But we will be friends, yes?"

"I believe we shall," she said. "But you have things to do." She looked away. "Yes, you have things to do. Here, and elsewhere."

She slipped away from me, walking backwards. "Thank you, Zoe. Thank you for the joy. It shall keep me warm."

I watched her walk away. I brushed a tear from my eye. A short while later, I heard a tinny car door, and then she roared away, the little gerbil of an engine screaming in protest.

 **Pardon Me**

I stood there for a long time, but eventually I turned around and walked to the house. I collected my things then stepped into the house. I leaned against the door for a minute.

"Zoe?" I heard Portia call from the living room. I pushed away from the door and followed the sound, finding both her and Monique waiting for me. There was a pot of tea on the table between them with one spare cup. Without a word, Monique leaned forward and filled the cup, then set it in a fashion that encouraged me to sit on the sofa next to Portia.

Without my own words, I took the seat and sipped from the cup. No one said anything until I set the cup down and looked at Monique.

"Your great-great-aunt tells me you fib."

"Um."

I held up a hand.

"She's… I don't have the words."

"She said she wanted to meet you."

"Thank you," I told her. "And thank you for not telling me any more than you did."

Monique grinned. "You liked her."

"I adore her," I said. "Even if she says I am not for her."

"You don't look upset," Portia said. "You look stunned."

"I am," I said. "I thought she was a charlatan. She's not."

"No," said Portia. "She's not."

Monique was still grinning. "You were kind to her."

"Kind to her? How could anyone be anything but kind to her?" I asked incredulously.

"You would be surprised," Monique said. "Aunt Prudence said some people aren't ready to believe, and so they belittle."

"Even wolves?"

"They can be the worst," Monique said. "Most people think she's a crackpot."

"I did. I was wrong."

I turned to Portia. "What did she mean about a decision you have to make?"

"Nothing," she said quickly.

"Fine," I said. "Don't tell me. But I saw your face, so at least don't lie."

She nodded. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'll tell you when I'm ready. Okay?"

"Okay," I said. "That's better."

I picked up my tea and finished it, then set the cup down.

"I am going to bed," I announced.

With Portia's roof finished, we returned to the alphas' house, painting the last few rooms over the course of two more days. Then we moved around the outside, fixing the caulk around the windows and doors and handling other maintenance tasks that Francesca outlined.

Portia did every task right alongside me.

We ran out of things there, so we moved to the gym. We organized the equipment room, fixed a few little things, and serviced some of the equipment.

Portia did those tasks with me, too.

Saturday arrived, she announced, "You've fulfilled your pack hours, but you have fourteen more hours for the enforcers, but I'm out of things I want us to do. Tonight is pack play night, so we can do whatever you like until it's time to join everyone."

"I need to finish though."

"It's Saturday," she said. "And it's a nice day. Let's enjoy it."

"All right," I said. "But you pick."

"All right. I want a picnic. I should ask you to dress in jeans, but do you have a warm skirt or dress?"

"I can wear tights under it."

I changed clothes and then, together, we packed a picnic basket, making sure there was food for both of us. She carried the basket with one hand and, as she nearly always did, she guided me with her other hand.

It was a short drive, but I didn't know where she was taking me until we pulled into the pack's flying field.

"I had forgotten you're a pilot."

"We won't go far," she said. "Just for a ride, then come back and have the picnic here. But it will feel like we went somewhere, and we'll still be back in plenty of time."

Ten minutes later we were in the air. "Look down," she said. And below us, I saw the compound. She did a few circles, then I saw people waving at us. Portia rocked the wings then flew us away.

It was a beautiful day for an airplane ride. We flew around some lakes and found a pumpkin patch from the air. They looked so cute.

"Did you want to fly?" she asked.

"I couldn't."

"Sure you could." And then she showed me how.

I loved it.

We sat in the grass alongside the runway, eating our lunch, neither of us talking. Then she invited me to lie with my head in her lap. I closed my eyes, and then she began massaging my scalp. She had brought the little nubby brush.

It felt wonderful.

"Portia, I'm glad Michaela and Lara sentenced me to my time."

She chuckled. "Oh?"

"If I knew the following two weeks would have turned out like this, I'd do it all over again."

"But you won't, will you?" she asked, the brush stilling.

"No, Portia. I'll have to find other excuses to make you spend time with me."

She didn't respond to that.

Later, the wolves took turns running me through the woods. Michaela's students seem to take great joy from my laughter. I could be in the middle of a conversation with this person or that one, but suddenly two wolves would appear by my sides, grab my arms, and off we would go before they deposited me, giggling, back with the person I'd been talking to.

And then the conversation would continue as if it hadn't been interrupted.

After dinner, they described the game for the evening. Lara asked if I wished to play; they could make adjustments for me.

"I think this time I'll sit out, if that's okay," I said. I was assured it was.

I knew it would be a long game. The bonfires were already waiting, so I collected my laptop, grabbed a chair, lit one of the fires, and then got comfortable, working on nothing of consequence.

Of course, the game eventually ended, and soon I found myself surrounded by wolves in two feet and four, all in good spirits. Michaela shifted to skin, wrapped in a waiting blanket, then told Monique, "Take that machine from her and put it away."

Monique knew how to take care of it.

They lit the other two fires, and then Lara called for stories. I sat back and listened to their antics.

Finally Michaela asked if she could be allowed to talk. She paced back and forth for a minute before turning to me. "Zoe Young, please stand up and come here."

Puzzled, I stood. When I reached Michaela, she turned me so I was facing the wolves. I looked out, my eyes searching for and finding Portia. She looked upset.

"Michaela?"

She leaned close to me. "No fears, Zoe. You're not in trouble." Then she raised her voice. "Zoe, two weeks ago, and a few days, you were found guilty of several crimes against the pack."

"I know," I said. "I'm so sorry."

"I know you are. But worse, during the resulting discussions, you stated over and over that you didn't belong here, that you didn't belong in the pack."

I didn't say anything.

"I would like to know: do you still believe that is true?"

I raised my eyes to look at her. Then I looked around. Portia still looked upset, but Lara was smiling.

"No, Michaela. I was wrong."

"No. At the time, you were not wrong. You weren't fitting in. You were troubled, and we were troubled. Something changed. Do you know what?"

"I don't know," I said. "Please don't tell me you're kicking me out. I want to stay."

"We're not kicking you out," she said. "No, we are not kicking you out. But we must be formal about this. Zoe Young, do you belong as a member of the Madison weres?"

"Yes, Alpha. I do."

And as if it were a signal, the assembled wolves lifted their noses and howled. Michaela covered her ears. They howled for a minute or two before Lara held up her hand, and they faded off. But she'd been one of the howling wolves.

"Those assembled agree with you," Michaela said. "In the two weeks, we have watched you. You have been under observation from many angles: mine, Lara's, Elisabeth's, and even many of my students. But most closely, Portia has spent nearly every minute with you. And she has nothing but the best things to say about you. She tells us that you performed every task assigned, cheerfully, even exuberantly."

I looked over to Portia, but she didn't look pleased. I didn't understand what was going on.

"I concur with her observation. My students have taken a shine to you, as we all saw earlier when they continually stole you away."

There was laughter at that.

"Lara, our alpha, and Elisabeth, our head enforcer, also agree. Portia, has this member completed her sentence?"

Portia stood up. "She was assigned fifty hours of pack service and an additional fifty of service to the enforcers. She has completed her pack service hours with a few to spare but lacks another fourteen hours of service to the enforcers. We ran out of tasks I was willing to let her do."

"What tasks did you deny?"

"In short? Rory's laundry."

"Eww," Michaela said. "A wise decision, enforcer. What is your impression of this pack member?"

"My impression, Alpha?" Portia asked. "The pack is lucky to have her."

"Succinctly said," Michaela said. "You may sit."

Portia still looked unhappy, but Michaela gathered my attention. "Zoe Young, Lara, Elisabeth, Portia and I have discussed your service for us, as well as the other aspects of your position in the pack. We feel that the original reason for your sentence has been addressed. We are gratified at how you have become a vital member of this pack. And so, we pardon your remaining sentence. Your driving privileges are reinstated, and you are free to return to your normal life and standard obligations to the pack."

I stared at her.

"Portia will drive you home tonight, or if it is too late tonight, perhaps in the morning. Now give me a hug."

I hugged her, but I felt a little sick inside.

She was sending me home.

And I didn't want to go!

Michaela kept me with her for the next hour as the stories and skits continued. When she finally released me, I looked for Portia, but I couldn't find her.

Portia came home very late that night. I thought she would come to check on me, but she went straight to her own room. In the morning, she drove me home.

Neither of us seemed to have anything to say to each other.

 **Part Four**

 **Confession**

I glanced at the phone before answering it, and I was smiling when I said, "Hey there, you."

"Hello, Zoe," said Portia. "How are you doing?"

"Well. I missed you on Wednesday."

"I had things I needed to do," she said. "I heard the council approved your photography class."

"Yeah, but we're waiting until after Christmas. I think the kids are getting cameras in their stockings."

"Yeah, probably," she said. "I bought one."

"Really?" I asked. "Which one?"

"The Nikon you like," she said. "And a couple of lenses and the other things you said."

"Maybe you'd like me to help you learn to use it."

"I would," she said. "I'd like that a lot. Maybe tomorrow? I could pick you up."

"Maybe you should invite me there. Better subjects to photograph."

"You're right. In the morning?"

"I'll come after breakfast."

"I'll do something for lunch, and maybe you'll let me take you to dinner."

"I'd like that."

"Show me what you know," I said.

"I read the manual, and I took a bunch of pictures. I don't know what to do with them." She smiled. "I have something else to show you." She took my hand and pulled me to my feet.

Portia's house was small, but she had a little room she used for storage just off the kitchen. She led me there. When we arrived, I saw she had changed it. It was now a home office, and there was a shiny new Mac sitting on the desk.

"Ah, I love converting the world, one person at a time." We grinned at each other.

I showed her how to move pictures from her camera to her computer, then showed her what she could do with them.

"This rocks, Zoe!"

"I know." I taught her how she could get them printed if she wanted, but told her, "You'll want image processing software."

"The guy at the store tried to sell something to me, but I wanted to see what you recommend."

"There are a lot of good choices. I could teach a dozen classes." We talked about software, and I told her for now she could use iPhoto, but I'd show her other software when she was ready.

Lunchtime arrived, and we ate together. Then we each grabbed a camera and spent the afternoon in the woods, practicing.

It was a lovely day.

We stayed out until late afternoon, but eventually made it back to her place. I had a change of clothes, and it was like I had never left. I showered and changed, and twenty minutes later, we were in her car, heading for a restaurant.

We talked comfortably over dinner, but I could tell something was bothering her. "Are you going to tell me what's wrong?"

"I need to talk to you about something, but I don't know how you're going to react. So I want to wait until we get home."

"All right. You're not leaving the pack, are you?"

"No way," she said. "This is the pack for me."

"Good," I said. "Because if you said you were leaving, I'd throw a fit until Lara refused to let you go."

She smiled but didn't say anything right away, then changed the subject.

Her hand felt good on my back as she directed me to the car. But once we were inside, she was quiet. I babbled for a few minutes, but I faded off as well, and we rode the last half of the return home in silence.

"Would you like to go for a run?" she asked once we were out of the car.

"You're stalling."

"I know."

"Come on." I took her hand and pulled her into the house. We sat down on the sofa. "Tell me."

She wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Portia, tell me."

But she was still quiet.

Finally I reached over and pulled her chin to me. I'd been told to never do anything like that with a dominant wolf, but she didn't growl. Her eyes were filled with pain.

"Are you sick?"

"No. Wolves don't get sick until we're a lot older."

"Are you mad at me?"

"No. I'm afraid you'll be mad at me."

"If so, you'll apologize, and I'll forgive you."

"I'm not sure you will."

I huffed at her, causing her to smile. "Wager."

"What?" she asked.

"Wager. If you win, I owe you an unconditional apology. If I win, you owe me a foot massage."

"Zoe…"

"I bet you can't make me beg you to stop tickling me. You have five minutes."

"Zoe, this is important."

I lay back against the cushions of the couch, spread my arms, and closed my eyes. "Start a timer and start tickling."

"Zoe, I'll happily play this game another time. I appreciate what you're doing, but this is too important."

I opened my eyes and looked at her.

"All right," I said. "Just tell me."

"I have a confession."

"So you said."

"Do you remember your date with Harper Armstrong?"

"I do," I said.

"And do you remember how Elisabeth was here when you got home."

"I remember that, too."

"And do you remember when I said it was partly my fault she was still here?"

"I vaguely remember that."

"It wasn't partly my fault. It was entirely, 100% my fault."

I stared at her. "Okay," I said. "Explain."

"I didn't know Harper, but I knew of her. I asked about her, once I knew you had a date with her."

"Okay. Keep going."

"I made sure she knew you had to be home that night. She couldn't keep you overnight. Due to your sentence."

I narrowed my eyes.

"And I made sure Elisabeth was waiting when you two got here."

"And did you know she would run from Elisabeth?"

"I knew Elisabeth wouldn't keep her cool if she saw you with another woman, and I knew the house would stink of her jealousy. Yes, I knew Harper would run."

I got up from the sofa and walked to the window, trying to figure out what was going on. I stood there for a while.

"Say something," Portia prompted.

"Why?"

She climbed from the sofa and moved behind me. When she tried to put her hands on my shoulders, I moved away.

"Why?" I repeated.

"I knew Elisabeth's scent would overwhelm another scent."

"What scent?" I turned around. "The scent of betrayal?"

Pain flicked across her face, but instead of retreating, she said, "No. My own jealousy and desire. Zoe, I couldn't stand you with someone else. I want you for myself. I love you."

I stared at her.

"What?"

"I love you. I want you."

I moved away from her, still staring. "This is what Prudence meant, isn't it?"

"Yes."

"Why didn't you say anything then?"

"I-"

"Yes?"

"I was afraid."

"You were afraid."

"As long as I didn't tell you, then I could believe you felt the same way, or could grow to feel the same way. But once I told you, then the cards are on the table. Zoe, I'm sorry. I had no right to meddle. If Harper was the right woman for you, you deserved the chance to find out. And if she wasn't, you deserved the chance to find out."

"I see." I looked around the room for a while, my eyes finally settling on her again. "You love me. Is that what you're telling me."

"Yes. I'm not sure I knew what love is. Now I know. Zoe, I'm sick thinking you'll hate me. Please, please don't hate me."

"That was awfully conniving."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You should have told me a whole lot sooner, Portia."

"I know."

I couldn't believe she was saying this to me now. "You didn't seem upset about Prudence."

That caused a ghost of a smile. "I didn't know Prudence, but I knew of her."

"You were expecting an old granny. Were you surprised?"

"Yeah, and I felt threatened, but then she said what she said, and I knew I had time. Not much, but some. Please, Zoe, am I too late?"

My brain was trying to catch up to everything she had said. The problem was, my brain was largely shut down.

Portia loved me.

"I'm human," I said.

"I know. I love you."

"We can't run together."

"That's not true. We can run just fine. Just not in fur. I don't care. Well, I wish we could, but we can't, and I'm fine with that. We'll do our own way of running. And we'll find games we can both play."

"I won't be any good."

"I don't care. I don't care, Zoe. All I care about right now is hearing you tell me you forgive me."

"Forgive you. That's what you want?" I asked. "You want me to forgive you?"

"Yes."

I huffed.

"Please." Her voice cracked.

"No," I said. "We're not talking about that anymore."

"Zoe, please."

"Quiet."

I moved closer to her and looked up into her troubled eyes. Her hands trembled, and I knew she ached to hold me.

"You love me."

"Yes."

"Like a woman loves a woman."

"Yes."

"Well then," I said. "That's good."

"It is?"

"You're a dominant wolf, Portia."

"Yes, normally."

"When I want something, I am not going to be shy with my opinion. So you better be okay with that. And right now, I want you to pick me up, carry me to your bed, and show me exactly how much you love me."

She gave a cry of joy and did just that.

She howls when she comes.

I don't. I scream her name.

 **Forever**

 **Portia Fleming**

I stared at her as she slept. I leaned closer and inhaled deeply. I didn't have to. The entire house was filled with the scent of our shared passion. But I couldn't get enough of her scent.

Tomorrow, I was going to chase her all over the house. I knew she'd shriek with laughter. I knew if I made her work hard, she would spread her scent everywhere, and my home would smell like her.

I'd do that often.

I inhaled again, filling my nose with her scent. I wanted to bury my nose in her. I wanted to bury my fingers and my tongue in her. I needed to wake her, and do it all again.

But I had worn her out.

Her joy though, oh her joy was like none I had ever seen.

"Mine," Wolf said to me.

"Ours," I agreed.

"Mine," she growled.

"Ours."

"She thinks I'm magnificent," Wolf said.

"That she does, Wolf. That she does."

"She thinks you're magnificent, too."

"I know. No one has ever said that to me before."

"She likes touching you."

"She does."

"Mine!" Wolf said.

"Ours."

"And we're hers," Wolf said. "We are mated now."

"Yes, Wolf, we are mated."

"Forever," Wolf said.

"Forever," I agreed.

And in her sleep, Zoe whispered, "Forever."


	10. Chapter 9

**Morning After**

I woke, and I was sore in places I wasn't often sore.

And I remembered, oh did I remember!

In a way, it was so sudden. We went from friends to... this... in just moments, it seemed. But I had known her for months, and when she told me how she felt about me, I understood my own ennui when Michaela had pardoned the last hours of my sentence, sending me home early, before I was ready, before I understood how I felt about Portia.

We had become friends, yes, very much, but I loved her. I realized I loved her.

I opened my eyes. Portia was watching me, smiling.

"Good morning, Lover," I said.

"I could grow accustomed to those words," she replied. "Good morning, my mate."

Her last two words shocked me a little. Wasn't that a little presumptuous? I'm sure she read the confusion on my face; certainly it was evident. But her smile didn't fade, and instead she waited for me to think it all through.

"You used those words deliberately." She nodded, just once. "Are you so sure?"

She nodded again, but then she said, "I will let you think, but a wolf knows. Your scent changes, even as a human."

"Hold me," I said. I rolled over and backed into her, and she pulled me against her tightly. Her lips delivered kisses along my bare shoulder. "You may touch, but don't start anything, and no tickling."

Perhaps she knew it was a request at least as much as permission, and one hand began to stroke me softly, finally coming to my bottom, where she massaged. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the attention for a minute.

"Tell me what you think, Zoe."

"Too many thoughts," I said.

"Is this forever?"

"Yes. At least, I want it to be."

"As do I. Do you belong to me?"

"Only if you belong to me, Portia."

"I do. Completely."

"And so we're married?"

"No. We are mated. You are my mate, and I am yours. Marriage is a human institution, and wolves also follow this tradition. But mating is much more primal, and the ceremony equally primal. And I will tell you this: mated wolves do not divorce."

"What if we stop loving each other?"

"We won't. I am incapable of it."

"You will treat me the way I wish to be treated."

"Oh yes. I am incapable of anything else. Part of being mated is to be driven to protect you and any young we produce, but another part is an overwhelming need to see to your happiness. Look at how Lara treats Michaela, or Emanuel and Serena."

"You are my mate."

"Yes, and you are mine."

"You are my mate, and I am yours," I echoed. "Yes. I am your mate, Portia."

She wrapped her arms around me, practically, but not quite, crushing me against her. "Thank you, Zoe. You have completed my path to happiness that began when this pack accepted me."

"We are a lesbian cliché," I said. "Our second date will involve a U-Haul."

"Oh, no," she said. "We have been dating since I brought you to my home."

"Well then, in a way, our first date was a U-Haul."

She laughed. "I supposed in a way, it was."

"Cli-ché," I said, separating the syllables carefully. She laughed. I grabbed her hand and lifted it to my lips, kissing it. "I don't remember if I told you last night, but I love you, Portia Fleming."

"You did, but I require you to tell me frequently. And I love you, Zoe Young."

I rolled in her arms to face her. "Do you have duties today?"

"Somehow I suspect Serena has already made sure I am free."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because, Zoe, everyone living on the compound would have heard us last night, and they would all know what it means. But we must get up, dress to face the world, and go in search of breakfast."

"Oh god," I said. "You're as bad an exhibitionist as Elisabeth was." I rolled over. "You _howl_!"

She grinned. "You have so much to get used to, Zoe, and it begins this morning."

Then my face fell as I realized something. "Elisabeth knows. Portia..." The last was a whine.

"Do not worry about Elisabeth," Portia said. "I talked to her. I told her I intended to claim you, or at least to make the attempt. It was difficult for her to accept, and she may be aloof for a period of time. But she never considered you mated."

"She said I was hers, and she would have a difficult time letting go."

"Yes, but Zoe, you are still hers. As am I. As are all the enforcers in the pack, and their mates. Michaela is hers, in a way. And we are also Lara's and Michaela's. Do not worry about Elisabeth. She wants you happy, and she knows she wouldn't have been able to do that. And she knows she wouldn't have been satisfied, either. Those are difficult facts to accept, but they are facts, and everyone involved accepts them."

"I'll always care about her."

"As you should," Portia said. "I care about her, and I am deeply indebted to her. She took a chance with me. She told me she was glad it would be I to claim you."

"I have so much to learn."

"We both do," she said. "We have so much to learn about each other. There will be mistakes. There will be accidents. We will forgive each other. But Zoe, this is my first pack, and I am still learning what it is to be a member."

"Really?"

She nodded. "I went from being an army brat to being in the army myself. And then I took a job that moved me around, and still I was not a member of a pack. So there will be things we will learn together."

I thought about all of it. I was deeply overwhelmed. I wanted to get my mind around everything, but I knew it would take time. It wasn't like me to go with the flow and let things just happen, but I realized that was what I would need to do.

And so I placed myself in Portia's hands, in her care, and I knew I could trust her. I knew I would enjoy what she did.

But I wanted to understand a few things, like how I was to behave.

"We went from being friends with a strained history, to you bringing me here, kicking and screaming, to you being my jailer and supervisor, to mated lovers. I'm having a hard time catching up."

She caressed my cheek. "I was treating you as my mate," she said. "I am a dominant wolf, Zoe. In some ways, we will have a very 1950s relationship."

"I will greet you with ribbons in my hair and an apron around my waist?"

She smiled. "Perhaps we can forego the apron. And the gender roles. But the nature of the relationship..."

She pushed me onto my back. I was helpless but to go where she pushed. Then she captured my mouth with hers, invading me, even as she pressed me into the bed. And I was immediately overwhelmed with desire for exactly what she offered.

But she didn't stop. She kissed, then she released my mouth but traced her tongue to my ear, and then down to my neck.

Then she kissed my neck and asked, "Do you know what to do?"

I nodded, and a moment later she opened her mouth and settled it around my throat.

The emotions were overwhelming, entirely overwhelming. My entire body went limp, and I was infused with the deep, penetrating knowledge that, in no uncertain terms, I was hers. I was entirely hers.

She tightened, but I wasn't ready to whimper. Then she tightened again, and then I began to whimper. She held me for a moment before releasing my throat.

"Mine," she whispered into my ear. "Say it."

"Yours, Portia. Yours, my mate."

"Yes. Mine, my mate."

And I was. I knew I was. I was hers, entirely hers.

I had never been so happy.

We showered together. I found such amazing joy in her body, and I expressed it every way I could. She laughed with her own joy; we both did. She let me bathe her; she let me take my time.

And then she bathed me.

And then she took me, and somehow the aches from last night disappeared. She took me, she ravished me, and I cried out for her as I shuddered and shuddered.

She howled her pleasure at my surrender, and then she held me as the water poured over us.

She bathed me a second time before leading me from the shower. I stood still as she dried me.

I was a little self-conscious about my own body. Hers was taut and strong, and mine showed my age. Perhaps she knew of my lack of confidence, but she kissed me, she kissed me deeply, and told me today, she was the happiest wolf alive. She thanked me repeatedly, and I knew she loved and desired me.

I would never be self-conscious with her again, although I didn't realize it at the time.

She insisted on dressing me. I had to wear my clothes from last night, as I hadn't expected to spend the night. Then she let me watch as she dressed, and she pulled on ratty clothes.

I complained.

"You would have me ruin my good clothes helping you move?"

"We're really renting a U-Haul today?"

She smiled. "I believe I will let you experience the day as it unfolds."

Then she took my hands. "We have a great deal to discuss, and time for the discussions. I will tell you only a few things for now, and then we will go eat."

"Where are you taking me?"

She smiled and didn't answer. "This home is now yours as much as mine. But you are the artist; I am not. You will make this place our shared home. You will place your mark everywhere."

I smiled. "We will place our shared mark."

And she nodded.

I looked around. "We will paint."

"And I want your photos on the walls."

I took her hands and began dragging her through the house, thinking critically. "How do we share the expenses?"

"We do not share the expenses. I take care of you." She turned me to her. "Do not protest. This is how it will be. I take care of you in all ways."

"But-" And she placed fingers over my mouth.

"No," she said. "This is how it will be, Zoe. You will save your money for things for yourself, and presents for me." She grinned at that. "And no, that is not a way for you to share expenses. You will let me take care of you. That is the way this relationship works."

I lowered my eyes submissively. "Yes, Portia."

"Good." She kissed my forehead. "I am not rich, not like Elisabeth and Lara, but enforcers are well paid, and prior to that, I saved my money. I have money. I have investments. I am well able to care for you. Are you good with money?"

"I've had to be, but in that I know how to control my expenses. I don't know anything about investing or having a bank account of more than a few thousand dollars."

She lifted my chin. "Then we will manage our money together. But we will not start today."

"Are you going to let me continue to work for GreEN?"

"Of course. And I will become one of your most ardent assistants. I think perhaps we shall have a great number of assistants. But Michaela will drag you more and more into the pack, forcing increasing responsibilities onto you. We will work these out as we go."

I nodded. There was so much.

"For now, food. Come."

And she led me outside. I thought she intended to take me somewhere. And she did, but 'somewhere' was a short walk across the compound. When I realized where she was taking me, I whined. "They'll all _know_!"

"Are you not proud of our relationship?"

"Well, yes, but-"

"Are you not pleased by how I make you feel?"

"Yes, but-"

"Are you not pleased I express my joy in you?"

"Yes, but-" My protests grew weaker.

"Then hold your head high, my mate. What is to happen is not teasing, it is joy in our relationship."

"It's going to feel like teasing."

"Perhaps, but it is a celebration." She smiled. "Zoe, this is important to me."

And so I laid my head on her shoulder, and, her hand on my back, she directed us towards the alphas' house.

"Portia," she said as she crossed the threshold.

"Zoe."

It appeared we were expected. The house was full, and absolutely every pair of eyes was watching as we stepped in.

I saw every enforcer in the pack and a great number of Michaela's students. No one said anything, but then I saw a nose here and there twitch. Then the wolves all pointedly inhaled.

"Oh god," I said. I knew they were smelling _me_.

And then, the wolves all began to smile and a moment later they lifted their noses and began to howl. Portia joined their howls.

I watched, embarrassed. But then Michaela began weaving her way through the house towards us. She wasn't covering her ears, but it hurt mine. It had to hurt hers. She walked straight to us. She hugged me, then Portia, then me again, yelling into my ear, "Congratulations, Zoe."

Then she held up her hand, and the wolves began to still, some continuing to howl a little longer than others. She cocked her head one direction, then the other, then smiled. "That's better." She looked over her shoulder. "If there is to be more of that today, you will take it outside. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," they said together.

She hugged me again and again said, "Congratulations. Are you as stunned as you look?"

"They can smell we had sex?"

"Oh no, we all heard you had sex. They can smell you are mated. You can see their joy."

She hugged Portia again, whispering to her for a minute, then she stepped away, pulling on our hands to draw us further into the room. Here and there, a wolf reached out a hand and touched us.

Then Lara stepped forward. "Congratulations," she said, beaming at us.

"Alpha," Portia said formally, "I wish to present my mate, Zoe Young, and formally request permission for her to join me in my home on the compound."

"Portia Fleming," Lara said, "I am most pleased to greet your mate. And where else would she live? I was wondering when I would get that apartment back."

There was laughter.

"I signed a lease," I said.

There was more laughter.

"Serena," Michaela called out. "I will require a security detail in about an hour. We have a move to see to."

"Already handled, Alpha," Serena said from somewhere.

"Karen," Lara called out.

"Already handled, Alpha," Karen said.

"Francesca," Michaela called out. "Where is Francesca?"

"Here, Alpha," Francesca said. We all turned to her as she worked her way through the crowd. "Now that they have arrived, breakfast will be available shortly. I was not prepared for these numbers, so we may need to eat in shifts."

"You waited for us?" I asked.

"Of course we did," Michaela said. "Francesca, we require a celebratory picnic this evening. Is there time to arrange it? Recruit whom you need to help."

"Yes, there is time," she said. She looked at me. "You will make your edamame, but I will have your supplies and one or two assistants for you. Do you mind making it in your kitchen? This one will be busy."

"No, I don't mind," I said. "Everyone liked the aloo gobi I made. Would you like me to make that, too?"

Michaela looked pointedly at Francesca and nodded, but it was Francesca who said, "Yes. What is in it?"

I relayed the ingredients. "We can play with the recipe though."

"I will have your supplies. Make it the way you like," she said, "and then you and I will experiment in the weeks and months ahead. And if there are other dishes you make that we like, we will experiment with those as well."

"Yes, Francesca."

"Good." She squeezed my hands. "Congratulations, Portia. Congratulations, Zoe."

"Thank you," Portia said.

After that, Michaela pulled me in one direction and Lara pulled Portia in another. We moved around the room, and I received congratulations here and there. I received a great many hugs.

I didn't realize it until it was obvious, but Michaela orchestrated everything very carefully, and it was after I had greeted nearly everyone that I suddenly found myself facing Elisabeth.

And Michaela deserted me there.

"Congratulations, Zoe," Elisabeth said.

I was ready to flee, but she captured my hands and pulled me into a hug. "No," she whispered. "This is good. I am a little jealous, but only a little. Portia will be very good to you, and you will be good for her."

Then she partially released me, but she kept my hands captured, lest I flee. "I want us to be friends. Good friends. Can we do that?"

I nodded.

"It would kill me if you avoid me," she added.

"I won't, Elisabeth." I paused. "You treated me very well. Portia said we are both yours in part, and Lara's and Michaela's as well."

"How do you feel about that?" she asked.

I thought about it and I answered by hugging her again. She tightened her arms around me. "Will this make Portia jealous?"

"No," she said. "Wolves don't cheat. It wouldn't even occur to her she should worry. And we're very open with touches and hugs. It is part of being pack."

"I like it," I said. "I was never a toucher, but I like it."

"Good." We stepped apart, and she smiled. "It is a little difficult. I am not jealous in the way you worry, but I am jealous of your happiness. I am not sure similar happiness waits for me."

"I'm sorry, Elisabeth."

"You gave your entire self, and it is my own fault."

"I am sorry anyway," I said. "Will this hurt?"

"No. As Portia said, she is mine, and as you are her mate, you are also mine. But I believe Michaela's claim on you is even stronger. You have made her very happy."

I smiled up at her.

"Now, your mate waits for you, and Francesca is waiting to announce breakfast." She turned me around. Portia was standing with Lara and Michaela, pretending not to be watching me. Elisabeth leaned down to speak into my ear. "Go to her and use your body to ask for a kiss."

I began walking, and somehow, the pathway between us cleared. She waited until I was half way before she watched me openly. And so I walked straight into her arms, closed my eyes, and lifted my chin.

She enveloped me in her arms and tipped me back further before her lips descended.

It was a long, thorough, amazing kiss, and I clutched at her. I forgot where we were. I forgot everyone was watching. I accepted her kiss and her passion, and I reflected it as much as I was able.

And I know I moaned.

The kiss ended, and she pulled me tightly against her. I laid my head against her shoulder and wrapped my arms around her.

And then the assembled wolves applauded.

When that died down, Francesca's voice rang out. "Breakfast is ready."

Michaela and Lara pulled Portia and me to the table. I found myself between Portia to my left and Michaela on my right. The other adult wolves took places, although there wasn't room for everyone. Then a bunch of the students brought platters of food into the room and set them onto the table.

"We have more in the kitchen, so you may eat in shifts or find a place to sit," Francesca said. "Zoe, everything is vegan unless it is clearly not vegan."

"Really?" I asked. "Pancake mix has milk it in."

"I did not make these pancakes from a mix. Everything is from scratch. You may safely eat."

I actually teared up a little at that. She had gone through a great deal of work to do that. Under the table, Michaela clasped my hand and whispered into my ear, "Pack."

"Wolves," said Francesca, "I will want to know what you think of the various dishes. Zoe is pack. She is part of us now. And pack shares. You all know what this means."

"They're going to eat vegan food?"

"It's pancakes," Portia said. "Everyone loves pancakes."

Of course, the entire meal wasn't vegan. They were carnivores, after all. There was bacon, eggs, and breakfast sausages, and around me, the wolves dug in. But they ate the pancakes and banana bread, although the bowl of fruit made its way between Michaela and me and stayed there.

"Scarlett's parents aren't here?"

"They have a quaint tradition," Michaela said. "They attend church."

I laughed. "That is hardly quaint."

"It is for wolves. We can be very spiritual, but religion is unusual. I don't think Tara believes, but Nick does, and she goes with him. They are mated, after all, and it makes him happy, so of course she goes."

It was a lovely meal. I ate more than I wanted, in part because Francesca had gone to so much work for me. I was deeply touched, and when she finally sat down, I told her that.

She cocked her head. "Zoe, you are pack. I adjusted a few recipes. I was going to cook anyway, and I had a great deal of help. But now I wish to know, wolves. What did you think?" She lifted her voice. "All the wolves. I want to know what you think of the food."

Several of the teenagers got up from their seats on the floor, and the adults let them speak up first.

"I liked the pancakes," Conner said. "And this bread." But then he looked uncomfortable. "But I put butter on it."

"Conner," I said, "For you, there is nothing wrong with that."

"I buttered mine, too," said Kimber. "And I haven't had... What is this? This mush?"

"Oatmeal," Francesca said.

"There was oatmeal?" I asked. "I missed it, but now I'm full."

"I haven't had oatmeal before," Kimber said. "None of us had. So we each tried things. I didn't like it plain, but I put brown sugar on mine. That was good."

"I do that, too, sometimes."

"I used honey," Lindsey said. "Is honey vegan?"

"No, but don't worry about it," I said. "I like to put fruit in mine, but based on the location of this bowl of fruit between Michaela and me, I doubt that would help any of you."

"All right," said Francesca. "Did you like the pancakes because you poured so much syrup over them you couldn't taste them?"

The kids didn't answer that. That was fine, too.

"I liked them," Karen said. "But... they were a little nutty?"

"Did you like that?" Francesca asked.

"I did," she said. "I'd eat them again."

Francesca took more opinions, then nodded. "We will try a few other things over the coming weeks. That's all I had."

Everyone went back to her conversation, but I leaned to Michaela. "They don't eat fruit, but they eat banana bread and drink lemonade and apple cider? I don't get it."

"Neither do I," she said. "Orange juice isn't popular. It's too sweet. I only drink it when I really need the energy."

Shortly after that, the kids handled the cleanup. I tried to help, but I was forcibly pushed back into my seat by at least two pair of teenage hands. They laughed as they walked away, carrying my things, and I heard one of them say, "Humans are fun."

Another said, "I wonder if I can get one. Do they make good pets?"

That generated more laughter as they walked into the kitchen.

Portia smirked at me then leaned over and asked, "Maybe I should fit you with a collar and leash." On my right, Michaela snorted a laugh.

"You think that's funny?" I asked.

"I certainly do. Let me show you the pictures of me dressed like a yappy dog sometime."

"You don't look at all like a dog!"

From around me, several wolves said, "People see what they expect to see."

"To be clear," I said into Portia's ear, "There will be no collars and no leashes."

"We'll see," she said. She grinned at me, but I couldn't tell if she was teasing.

"I think I'm going to get you a water bowl."

Michaela snorted again.

"Sorry," she said. "Ignore me. Another story."

Breakfast wrapped up, and Michaela took possession of me. Then she pulled me to the side. "There's someone else you need to talk to." She turned me, and I saw Monique standing in the corner of the room. She looked miserable.

I turned to Michaela. "Oh, no. Michaela..."

"It will be okay. Treat her like an adult. She knows she's being silly. But she thinks no one will ever love her. She thinks she's ugly and stupid. She is neither of those things."

"She's stunning. You're all stunning. But she's fifteen."

"Fifteen is a hard age for wolves just like it is for humans, and until three years ago, she attended a human school. To human kids, she is big and ugly, and she had to intentionally hide her athletic abilities besides. The kids weren't kind. And she was kind of gangly besides."

"She's not gangly now. She's beautiful, Michaela."

"She doesn't think so. And she's so self-conscious around my science program kids. She'd have dates if she wanted them, but she's an enforcer, and no one is willing to ask her. She has to ask, but she assumes the worst."

"Are you sure about all that?"

"Yes."

"And I may tell her all this?"

"Yes. I have, but she needs to hear it again."

I nodded. "We'll be gone for a while."

"Thank you."

When I looked back, Monique was still watching me, looking at me with such longing, my heart burst. My god, I was older than her parents! I crossed the room towards her, but as soon as she realized it, she turned away, and then she began walking towards the door, but I cut her off.

"Monique."

"I have to go, Zoe. I have homework."

"Well, you weren't heading for homework. You were trying to run from me. You're one of my dearest friends here. I thought maybe we could go for a walk."

She'd been looking anywhere but at me, but she turned to face me. "I am?"

"Come on," I said. "Can we run if it's just you pulling me?"

"Not as fast."

"Come on." I took her arm and pulled her outside and down the steps. "Take us somewhere we can sit and talk where I won't get too dirty."

We shifted grips. She took my arm, adjusted her hold, and then we were running. She was right. It wasn't as fast as with two. But it was a lot faster than I could run.

I laughed with the joy.

She took me deep into the woods, finding a fallen tree. We came to a stop, and she made a show of brushing it off for me. Then we sat, and I immediately took her hands.

"Well," I said. "Monique, I am older than your mother."

"No you're not," she said. "You're barely forty. My mother is fifty-one."

"She looks thirty-five!"

"She's a wolf. We mature fast but then age slowly."

"Oh. Someone else said something about that to me, too. How old is Portia?"

"Older than you," she said. "You'll have to ask her."

"Elisabeth?"

"Older than you."

"Lara?"

"Older than you."

"Michaela?"

She paused. "No comment."

"You're a brat."

"I know." She looked away. "I'm being stupid. I know I'm being stupid. I'm just a kid. I know."

"You thought I would wait?"

"I don't know. Maybe hoped. That's stupid, too."

"Honey, compared to you, I'm old. And wrinkled."

"You aren't wrinkled."

"You haven't seen me naked."

She didn't respond to that.

"Tell me, does Prudence look like a typical 90-year-old wolf?"

"No. She looks perhaps sixty-five."

"I would have guessed late forties, if even that. What is a wolf life expectancy?"

"If we don't die violently, then about one-twenty-five," she said. "Sometimes older."

"All right. I want you to think about something. Let's say I waited."

"You're mated."

"Let's say I wasn't. I waited until you're twenty-one."

"I'm an adult in three months."

"Not to my human eyes, Monique. And even at eighteen, you're a kid. Twenty-one and out of college, or it is just so amazingly creepy I can't begin to tell you."

"Fine. Twenty-one. That's not so long."

"No, not so long. So, you would be twenty one, and I would be." I sighed. "Fifty."

"Okay."

"A human at fifty is starting to fail. Knees going bad. Grey hair. Menopause."

She didn't say anything.

"Average life expectancy for a human who made it this far and is relatively healthy and takes care of herself is 80 or so. 95 is uncommon. Let's use 80. At 80, I am going to die. You are only 51 and still healthy with 75 years in front of you, more than half your life remaining. Do you know what it would do to me to leave you behind, Monique? I would die of a broken heart, knowing I was deserting you while you still needed me."

She turned towards me, and there were tears in her eyes.

"I don't want to think about you dying," she said.

"I don't want to think about you being lonely," I added.

She nodded, then she hung her head. "It's worse."

"Oh?"

"I am a dominant wolf. I would want to be able to support my mate properly. I won't be able to do that for a while. I can't ask you at fifty to live in a tiny apartment in the barracks. But it hurts, Zoe."

"I know it does, honey," I said. "So we're going to think about it differently."

"We are?"

"Honey, you are one of my dearest friends. I have human friends, but not that many. They are acquaintances more than friends. Most people think I'm a crackpot, and they sort of edge away from me. I can't help but share my views, after all. But you're a dear, dear friend. You matter to me a great deal."

"I do?"

I nodded. "You helped me fit in. We're scuba partners! You watch out for me. You help me. Monique, we're _friends_."

"Best friends?"

"I don't use that phrase, because it excludes others. We are dear, dear friends. That's better, because you can have Portia as a dear, dear friend, too, can't you? And you can also have dear, dear friends close to your age, and no one feels bad because she's not your best friend."

"That's smart," she said. She smiled. It was weak, but it was a smile.

"Monique, I need friends. I'm kind of alone here. It would kill me if we couldn't be proper friends."

Her smile grew slightly.

"Now, I'm going to tell you a few more things, and you are going to listen to me, because while you might be the enforcer and a dominant wolf besides, I am old enough to be your mother, and I know things. Are you listening?"

"I'm listening."

"To my eyes, you are beautiful. Stunning. Amazing. I keep using the same words. I use the same words about you that I use about Portia and Elisabeth and Karen and Scarlett and Angel. You are unbelievable, and you are only going to grow more so."

"I'm not pretty."

"None of you wolves are thin waifs or anime characters," I said. "But you are beautiful and stunning, both like this and in your fur. Oh my god, I can't stop looking at all of you in your fur." I reached out and caressed her cheek. "But like this, you are beautiful."

"I'm not."

"You are! I know you don't believe me, maybe because the kids in your old school weren't nice. But kids that age are stupid, frightfully stupid, and they attack anyone who is different."

She looked away, but I pulled her back to face me.

"And you are also exceedingly kind and a whole lot smarter than you think you are. You are strong and brave and a damned good person. Everyone, and I mean everyone likes you. Everyone admires you. Monique, the alphas just taught you the instant shift. They haven't taught anyone on the council, have they?"

"No."

"They haven't taught Eric or Rory, either. They just taught Portia the same time they taught you. They haven't taught any of the other enforcer students, and you know what? I don't think they're going to. But they taught you. Do you know why?"

She shook her head.

"Because you are just that amazing. They trust you. They trust all the enforcers, but they trust you more than the others. They trust you will do the right thing. They trust you will use this skill to protect the pack, to protect Michaela and Rebecca and Celeste."

"And you."

"Yes, and me. And you know what else? All the kids in the science program are jealous, but they all admire you. Every single one. I won't say you could ask just any of them out, and he or she would say 'yes', but I promise you some of them would."

"Why don't they ask? They never invite me to anything."

"Because, honey, you are an _enforcer_. You don't get invited. You do the inviting."

She stared. "Oh shit."

"Yeah. Oh shit."

She stared for a while, then brushed the tears from her eyes, but she smiled. "Am I really pretty?"

"No. You're beautiful. They aren't the same thing. Pretty is just on the skin, and while you have perfect skin, you aren't pretty. Beauty is deeper. A woman can be pretty, but if she is ugly on the inside, then once you get to know her, she is also ugly on the outside. You are beautiful. You are radiant. And you are very, very important to me, and to the alphas and the other enforcers."

She sat there, and I imagined she was quite overwhelmed with her own emotions.

"I have a few more things to say, and I know you have to let this settle in. First, we are friends, right?"

"Dear friends."

"Dear, dear friends. And you are also friends with Portia, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Good. And so, I want you in my life, and I want to be in yours."

She smiled.

"I want to ask you something. I don't know how often I'm going to need protection."

"Whenever we leave Madison," she said. "Even Bayfield, although not on pack lands up there, and not as much as when we go anywhere else."

"I would never tell Elisabeth whom to assign, but if I make requests, she'll at least listen. If I request you, is that okay? I know you wanted to be on Michaela's team."

"I'd love to take care of you, Zoe."

"Good. Then I will make sure Elisabeth and Portia know how I feel. Two more things. You're fifteen. You're old enough to date. You're not old enough to become mated."

"Scarlett and Angel were only a little older."

"Yes, but you just learned a great deal about yourself you didn't know, and you need time to get used to it. It would be very easy for you to become mated to the first person you ask out. That is too soon. You need to date. They both dated a little before. Do you understand?"

"I guess."

"So I want you to think about going on very casual dates with a variety of people. Do you only like girls?"

"I like boys, too, I guess." She paused. "I like watching Eric work out."

"Oh honey," I said laughing. "Even I like watching Eric work out." We laughed together.

"I should date kids near my age," she said. "And I should do other things with them, too."

"There may be a few jerks in the science program, but if there are, I haven't seen it. They would be happy to include you, but you'll have to start it first."

She nodded.

"And so, I am going to also say one more thing. I need to talk to Portia, but she'll agree. We are going to start having movie nights at our house. I don't know when or how often. And I want you to come and bring a date. I expect to see a different date each time."

She smiled. "I'll come."

"Good. I'll let you know when." Then I leaned forward and hugged her. "Better?"

She nodded. "Thank you, Zoe." She paused. "Congratulations."

"Thank you."

She grinned. "Is she good in bed?"

"She's amazing in bed," I said. "And on the sofa. And in the shower. And she was eyeing the countertop this morning, but we had to go."

Monique laughed.

"So, who are you going to ask out first?"

"Cassie. Or maybe Sebastian. No, I think Cassie. Zoe, if I decide to only ask girls, is that okay?"

"Of course it's okay. If you want to talk about it some more, we can, but we should get back."

She popped to her feet, pulling me up after her. "Run?"

"How far are we?"

"About a mile."

"Run us halfway back, but I want us to walk from there."

I could get used to being tugged around. I really could.

 **Traditional Conversations**

When we got back, Monique peeled off, heading straight for a group of the teenagers. "May I join you?"

"Sure," said Valeria, making room. "But I think we're all leaving soon."

Monique plopped down, and then I saw Valeria offering a one-armed hug, and I decided she was going to be just fine.

Later, I saw Monique speaking to Cassiopeia, and I heard Cassie say, "Really? Monique, I'd love to!" And the two hugged.

I almost cried at those words, and then Michaela caught my eye and nodded to me.

But that was later.

I went in search of my mate, then stopped. My mate. I had a mate. I had a werewolf for a mate. I had a big, strong, dominant, protective werewolf who was going to devote her life to my happiness. For a mate.

My mate.

My mate.

I stood there, unable to get past it.

"There she is," Lara said. I turned and found myself approached by half the pack leadership. "Ready?"

"Ready for what?"

"To move you," she said. "Really, Zoe, keep up." She grinned when she said it.

"Don't pick on her," Michaela said. "That's my job."

"Don't be greedy," said Angel. "It's all our jobs. You have to share her."

Portia stepped up beside me, putting her arm around me. I leaned against her. "I'll share her for teasing," she said. "But only because you're all my friends."

"Don't think you're getting off," Lara said. "I never would have guessed you for a howler." But before I could say something smart, she turned to me. "You must be really good."

"I am," I said even as I blushed.

Portia kissed the top of my head.

Then Michaela clapped her hands. "All right. Anyone helping Zoe move, outside." She literally began pushing people out the door, which was quite funny to watch.

Especially as she emptied out the entire house.

"All right," Michaela said, looking around. "Head enforcer, do you care about the arrangements?"

"As long as Serena is with you," Elisabeth said, "I'm happy. The kids are staying here, I presume, and Nora and Emanuel have them in hand."

"Yes," said Serena. "Emanuel took them all to our house for some game, and they'll go swimming later."

Michaela looked around. "If everyone is going, we need the limo, too. Serena, send someone for it."

"Angel and Scarlett, go get it," Serena said, and the two took off to return in just a couple of minutes with Scarlett driving.

"In the limo, Lara and me, Portia and Zoe. I guess Angel and Scarlett up front, Serena with me, and one more." She looked around. "Monique, I need you with some of the kids. Kaylee, would you care to join us?"

"Sure!" the girl said.

"After that," Michaela said, "I don't care. Enforcers grab a car. People climb in. Let's see if we're good, or if we need more cars."

"Everyone is going? I have like ten things."

"Then we can haul it all in and out a few times," Michaela said with a grin. "And not everyone is going. Francesca grabbed some kids to help with the picnic preparations tonight."

It took another fifteen minutes, but everyone got settled, and soon we had a huge convoy heading into town.

Once we were away, Michaela said, "I know we only needed about four, but welcome to the pack, Zoe. This is important to them."

"It's very sweet," I said.

Michaela continued to organize when we arrived. Someone else was moving, too, in or out, I couldn't tell, as there was a large delivery truck near the front door. But then Eric and Rory climbed out of it, and I knew it was for my things. I'd barely fill a quarter of it.

We all piled into my apartment, but Michaela immediately said, "Eric and Rory, take a small crew back to the truck. We'll deliver things to you, and you will fill it. Take a few extras to come back with boxes."

They called out some names, and about eight people left. Then Michaela looked around. "All right. We need a small team to assemble boxes. Hands."

Ember and Dawson were fastest, so she assigned them. "If you can't keep up with demand, recruit help," she said. "Do you know how to make the boxes?"

They didn't, but Kimbriella stepped forward. "I do. Three of us will be enough. I'll show them."

"Perfect," Michaela said. "Don't get too far ahead of demand; we don't know how many we'll need."

Just then two wolves came in carrying a bundle of boxes, still flat, and a third wolf with a couple of tape dispensers and other tools.

"Perfect," Michaela said. "Monique. Where are you? And Kaylee."

"Here," said Monique.

"Monique, grab Kaylee and two more wolves. Pack Zoe's clothes. Kaylee has the best handwriting, so she can label the boxes. Be careful of the contents of her dresser, and use girls."

"Iris and Lindsey, will you help?" Monique asked. "Bring four boxes as soon as they're ready."

"Connor," Michaela said. "We need all the small things in this room packed, and then there is furniture to haul. Pick three people to help you."

"Cornelius, Dawson, and... Cassie."

"Good. My mate," said Michaela. "Artwork. Hmm. We need the rest of the packing materials. And there are narrow boxes for the framed photos."

"I'll get them!" Nash said. "Come on, Sebastian."

"Angel and Scarlett-" Lara started to say.

"No," Michaela said. "Angel and Scarlett, the bathroom."

"Portia and Karen," Lara said. "Artwork."

And like that, Michaela and I were left. She grinned at me.

"How did you organize all this so fast?"

"Lara owns an interest in a trucking company. She keeps trying to unload it, but so far, it's been problematic. It was one call, and they had everything ready and a truck Eric can drive long before he and Rory arrived. Now, I guess that leaves you and me for the kitchen, but we'll get more help as they finish what they're doing."

An hour later, everything I owned was in the moving truck, and we watched it drive off.

An hour after that everything was in Portia's house. Michaela dismissed most of the wolves, but we kept enough to move things around. My clothes and toiletries got unpacked. She and Portia discussed where to put my few pieces of furniture. Most of my kitchen items went into storage, but I had a few things Portia didn't have, so we rescued those first. The artwork went up on the walls, but I knew I'd be moving it.

And then we were done.

I couldn't believe it.

Lara, Elisabeth and Serena then approached Portia. "Enforcer," Elisabeth said. "You have from now until Wednesday off, but we need you again beginning on Thursday."

"Thank you, Head Enforcer," Portia said. She glanced over at me and smiled.

"You may stay here, of course, but the house in Bayfield is there if you want to get away."

Portia looked at me. "I want to organize our home," I said.

"Then that is what we'll do," she said.

"All right," said Michaela. "You haven't had each other for hours, so we'll leave you alone. We'll see you in a few hours."

They were barely gone before Portia began chasing me all over the house. Every time she caught me, she tickled me terribly, then she let me get away again.

I spent the entire time shrieking with laughter.

I felt like a little girl.

It felt amazing.

"I think I'm bloated," I said.

Michaela laughed. "Francesca outdid herself. And did you notice? The aloo gobi disappeared."

"I did notice. Did someone throw it away?"

"No!" she said.

A couple of kids came by and collected plates. We sat in our chairs for a while. Lara and Michaela cuddled on a double chair. Portia and I were side-by-side in solo chairs, holding hands.

I was still so overwhelmed, and amazingly happy.

Finally Michaela stood up. "We're going to play some games later. But for now, I need you to come with me." She took my hands and pulled me up, and then she linked arms with me. Then we wandered through the assembled wolves, and she collected Michele Lassiter and a female wolf I didn't know.

The four of us headed for her house. On arrival, she said firmly, "Everyone outside." She cocked her head, and then there was scampering from upstairs. Iris and Lindsey appeared and headed outside.

"What were they doing?"

"No idea," Michaela said. "Not sex, if you were wondering. They're friends, but not that kind. Come." She tugged on my arm, and three of us went upstairs to Michaela's bedroom. Michele peeled off, but she appeared a minute later with a pitcher of lemonade and four glasses.

"Zoe, this is Hadley Smith. She is the mother of one of my former students and serves as the pack lawyer."

"Pleased to meet you," I said, shaking hands.

The four of us took seats

"Why are we meeting up here?"

"Privacy," Michaela said. "The walls and door are soundproofed. It doesn't stop me, but it stops teenage wolf ears, if we aren't too loud."

"Zoe," Michele said, "The pack has five human female members and two male members. You've met both Nick and Benny. The other three female members are mated to wolves that don't come to the compound often. You'll probably meet them eventually. But you and I are the only two females who are regulars on the compound or who are on first name basis with the alphas and enforcers."

I nodded understanding.

"And Zoe," said Michaela. "You, Michele, and I have something else in common. None of us grew up to the wolf lifestyles and traditions. However, Hadley has, and that's part of the reason she's here."

"All right," I said cautiously.

"I did not receive a proper introduction to some of the pack traditions," Michaela went on. "I do not want you to have an introduction similar to mine."

"My introduction wasn't as jarring as Michaela's, as my mother-in-law took me under her wing," said Michele. "But there are traditions that are still very jarring and nearly incomprehensible to human sensitivities."

"The three of us are here to help you," Hadley said. "You may ask us questions, tonight or at any other time." She slid her business card to me. "I would recommend you start with Michaela, but if you want human perspective, you can ask Michele. If you want wolf perspective, you are better asking me than perhaps your mate."

"This is very kind," I said.

"We have two we are going to talk to you about tonight," Michaela said. "First, has Portia taught you about taking your throat."

"That's where she bites me here?" I gestured. Michaela nodded. "Actually, Elisabeth taught me."

"All right," Michaela said. "If you have questions, you may ask."

"Donald doesn't do that to me," Michele said. "I do it to him. I am the dominant in our relationship."

"Oh. Wow."

She smiled.

"There is another tradition," Michaela said. "It is possible Portia doesn't know this one, and right now, Lara and some of the enforcers are talking to her about it. It is not something you need to worry about tonight, but you need to know about it. Do you understand the difference between being mated and being married?"

"Portia explained."

"Well then, you are mated, but not married," Hadley explained. "And perhaps you will not become married. But if you do, we have the same traditions as humans do, more or less anyway. But we perhaps have a few extras."

"Sometime in the last few days prior to your wedding, there is something called Bride Ransom Night," Michaela said. "The bride is kidnapped and held for ransom."

"What?"

The three of them spent quite some time explaining. Per a request, I held my comments back until they were done.

"That's-"

"Tradition," Michaela said. "I learned when there was a group of wolves at my door, trying to quietly sneak into the room. Lara hadn't told me. No one had told me."

"But... they would want to torture me?"

"For humans, it is a little different," Hadley said. "For a wolf, it is a test of strength, an opportunity for her friends and closest family to show how strong she is, so her mate knows he is getting a powerful partner, someone strong enough to protect their young."

I looked between them. They were all watching me.

"If this is the tradition, I believe that Portia and I will be eloping."

Michaela looked pained, but it was Hadley who spoke. "There are female wolves who refuse the tradition. It is run by her maid of honor and whomever the maid of honor invites. She may simply tell her maid of honor, 'no ransom night'. Although from time to time, the maid of honor does it anyway."

I narrowed my eyes.

Hadley went on. "When the bride refuses ransom night sometimes it is fine. The marriage proceeds. At other times, the groom's family may refuse to allow the marriage. Sometimes grooms back out of a marriage offer if the bride is unwilling to accept this tradition."

"But-"

She held up her hand. "I know. I do not think like a human, but I understand intellectually that this seems barbaric to you. And if we treated you like a wolf, it would be barbaric. Even we would feel it was barbaric, because you are not a wolf, and we would never treat a human that way. And so, with a human, it is symbolic."

"More or less," Michele said.

"Well, I'm not doing it," I stated firmly.

"Zoe, you need to listen to us," Michaela said. "That is your choice, but you need to listen to us first, and you need to avoid any decision until you have thought about it. And then we're going to talk to you again."

"You want me to do this? You said it was horrible, and you want me to do this?"

"For me, it was horrible because I didn't understand, and then because I was very, very stubborn," she said.

"But Zoe, it was very, very important to the pack," Hadley said. "It is very important for the alpha's mate to honor our traditions. Lara would have had a very difficult time elevating Michaela to alpha if Michaela hadn't honored a tradition she can never fully understand."

"I would not be the alpha's mate," I said.

"No, but you would be an enforcer's mate. Worse, this is an enforcer who did not grow up in this pack, and there are some who still eye her with distrust."

"She's entirely trustworthy!" I said.

"I know that," Hadley said. "Everyone here knows that."

"Zoe, we just taught her the instant shift," said Michaela.

I eyed her sharply then glanced at the other two.

"Don't worry about that," she said. "These two are privy to everything in the pack, although behind the scenes. We taught her the instant shift. We haven't taught anyone on the council, and I refuse to do it. There are members of the council that don't trust her."

I hung my head. "I have to do it."

"No," Hadley said. "You don't."

I turned to look at her.

"You don't," she repeated. "Portia will be accepted over time. You will be accepted over time. You don't have to do it."

"But if you accept this tradition," Michaela said, "You will make things easier. Politically for Lara and me. Socially for Portia and you. Professionally for Portia. And I think you will look back on it with pride at having honored the traditions."

"What-" I looked down. "What would they do to me?"

"There is a punishment, an inducement to beg Portia to buy your freedom," Hadley said. "The time between punishment varies, but an hour is typical, sometimes half that. Initial punishments are almost nothing. Even when it is a wolf, initial punishments are something you would call small. You are not supposed to beg at first."

"Like what?"

"My first punishment was a spanking," Michaela said. "I think it was designed to move me emotionally to feeling more vulnerable than anything else."

"It probably was," Hadley said. "Punishments can be amusing as well, the sort of pranks human teenagers play during Truth or Dare. There is a party, after all."

"All right. But later?"

Michele spoke. "Mine was difficult," she said. "Normally, it is a bride's sisters, cousins, and closest friends who do this. Never a mother or aunt. And no men of course. But other than Donald, I had no wolf friends. And so Donald's mother, a few weeks before the wedding, introduced me to friends of hers, and their daughters. They kidnapped me early, so to speak, and we spent a long weekend as a sort of bachelorette party, becoming friends. And then the daughters offered to hold my ransom. But they didn't know what to do or how to treat me. And so my punishments were very, very erratic. Some would be nothing to a wolf, but they were horrible for me."

"How did you handle it?"

"Stubbornly, and perhaps a little stupidly."

"That is not how it should be," Hadley said. "For a wolf, yes, the punishments become horrible. For a wolf, it is pride, and if the punishments were not horrible, she would feel very cheated. But the wolves should be able to control the punishments. They should grow slowly horrible. But for a human, we do not expect horrible. We expect you to honor the tradition." She paused. "If I were your maid of honor, and I spent enough time to understand you far more than I do, then eventually, I would make you beg, but it wouldn't be before you had fully honored the tradition."

"This is..."

"I know," she said. "You don't have to do it."

"I think I do," I said.

"Portia will try to block it," Michaela said. "She mustn't. She absolutely mustn't. If you don't do this, it must be because you are too afraid to allow it, Zoe. The pack could accept a human who appears timid. But you must not let Portia block it."

"If she blocks it, she will never gain the council's trust," Hadley said.

"She's supposed to protect me though."

"She is also supposed to have faith in you," Hadley replied.

"So when it becomes time for you and Portia to discuss this," Michaela said, "You must already had made up your mind, and on this one thing, you must be firm. She must not block it."

I nodded understanding.

"Zoe," said Hadley, "If I were running your ransom night, then you would know when you had honored the tradition. You would know when you could beg without dishonor."

"How would I know?"

"Because until then, the punishments would grow unpleasant, but you can handle unpleasant. It is when they grow worse than unpleasant, and when my tone is harsh with you, and I do not apologize for making a mistake and going too far too soon. And maybe I would simply, quietly tell you. We are allowed to lie to the brides, but on this, I would not lie."

We sat quietly for a minute while I tried to absorb everything. Then Michaela said, "Zoe, I will be very angry if you elope. Do you understand me? I cannot disallow it, but if I could, I would. I would be very angry with you. You may say 'no' to this tradition, and if you do, I will support you, but do not elope to escape it."

"She might not ask me."

"She may not," Michaela said. "But if she does, you must not elope."

I nodded. "We won't elope."

"When the time comes, I will talk to your maid of honor, and I will insist on being involved," Michaela said. "And Michele will be there as well. And I will ask if Hadley may be there."

"If. When. The time comes, I will want all three of you," I said. "Thank you for explaining."

"You may talk to any of us," Michele said.

I nodded. "Thank you." I turned to Hadley. "I want to know what you would consider unpleasant and what might be horrible?"

"I'm sorry," she said. "I don't know you well enough yet." She paused. "You have perhaps noticed the number of tattoos amongst the wolves and our Alpha Fox."

"She has Lara's tattooed on her bun, and fox and wolf tracks on one leg."

"Yes," said Michaela. "The 'Lara's' was a punishment from the first ransom night. The fox and wolf tracks were during a redo, as I wasn't satisfied with my first performance. I kicked their asses during the second one."

"You got away?"

"Oh hell no," she said. "But they broke long before I would have."

"A tattoo doesn't seem so bad," I said. "I don't have any."

"Well, that would probably be one of your punishments a few hours into the night," Hadley said. "Not horrible. Perhaps unpleasant, but humans get tattoos all the time."

"And something horrible?"

"I don't know you well enough to say this, either, but I might try to break you emotionally before physically. I am not human, and do not have the sense of fear that you do. But I am a lawyer, and I could probably do it. But if Michaela is there, I am almost certain she could."

"Will you tell me how?"

"No," Michaela said. "But I will tell you, on my first, I begged because they beat me emotionally, not because they were hurting me physically. And as I said, I beat them on the second. Lara paid only with favors."

I laughed. "All right. Is there more?"

"Yes. I haven't decided about this yet. For my first, because Lara is also a woman, we did both her and me at the same time. That was too much, and so for Angel and Scarlett, we did Scarlett first and Angel another night."

I stared. "I'd have to ransom Portia? I don't have anything! And you said I'd have to pay for food and water. I don't have anything."

"It's worse," Michaela said. "My house? You know I lost it to the enforcers?" I nodded. "It was my price for Lara."

Again I stared. "I don't have anything. Except my car and my cameras. I can't trade those. Those are my livelihood, Michaela, and I don't have enough money to replace them. I couldn't come up with more than a couple of grand, and I don't have that much right now."

"I know," she said. "It would be the enforcers holding Portia, although I would be there as well. And after Elisabeth took my house and they saw how well that has worked, even these years later, they wouldn't dare try something like that again. But I don't know what happens in this case."

"We do this tradition even when the groom is dirt poor," Hadley said. "He pays with work. Zoe, you would pay with work. But Alpha, I do not believe the pack would require this. For you and Lara, yes, Lara needed to prove herself, and it was right for Angel and Scarlett. But I do not believe it is necessary for Portia. She is a deeply dominant wolf mated to a human. And so, perhaps she will ask or invite this tradition, but I do not believe she should feel pressured or obligated."

Then she looked at me. "If I were handling your mate's ransom night, you would pay me in work and perhaps with your hair as a sacrifice."

"My hair?"

"Yes. It is meaningful to you or you would not wear it like this. You see?"

"I would attend my wedding bald?"

"I would not make you bald, but instead very short. And I would allow you to negotiate to pay after the wedding but before your honeymoon. I might perhaps insist on cutting it before you are carried to your wedding bed."

"Should you be telling me this?" I asked.

She smiled. "I am telling you the things a wolf would know." She paused. "I would demand five years of your service, working in my law office, and I would pay the others involved their share of what your time is worth to me."

I stared. "Five years?"

"She means initially," Michaela said. "You aren't supposed to pay so fast. She comes down."

"What would I end up paying?"

"That I won't tell you," Hadley said. "It would be significant, more than a week. Portia is a fine catch, and I could make you pay whatever I demand if I want, even those five years."

"How?"

"I would tell you what I was doing to her, and I would make you watch video. You would pay anything."

I stared.

"She would be very hurt if you paid too early."

I shook my head.

I took a breath. "I think I understand. Thank you for explaining."

I thought it was very barbaric.

 **Games**

They used hugs to calm me down, and then when we got downstairs, Monique, Angel and Scarlett were waiting with more hugs. They all knew what the conversation had been about, but we didn't discuss it. Then Angel and Scarlett ran me to the fire, but we circled the compound twice first. I arrived laughing. I couldn't help it.

Portia and I didn't discuss the conversations we had, but she pulled me into her arms and held me tightly.

"All right," Michaela said. "It's time for games. These first few games are played on feet. Separate those two." She pointed to Portia and me, and we felt ourselves pulled apart. It was Karen and Elisabeth holding Portia; Iris and Lindsey had me.

"We are playing a game of keep-away," Michaela said. "Zoe, I'm not telling you the rules yet, but you should pick three other opponents from amongst the less dominant here."

"Do you count?" I ask.

She laughed. "Perhaps not by that definition, not exactly, but in relationship to my mate, yes. I count."

"You, Scarlett, and Cassie."

"Cassie is it?" she asked. "Interesting choice." She winked at me. "Do any of you wish to decline playing?"

"Oh, I'd love to play," Scarlett said.

"Me, too," Cassie said. "But I don't know this game."

"I'll explain. All right. Lara is my partner in this game, and Angel is Scarlett's, of course. Cassie, you must pick a partner, someone who you would trust to defend you."

"All right. Monique."

And then Michaela looked right at me, and she winked again.

"Excellent," Michaela said. "I need two - or possibly more - very strong wolves to restrain our partners."

Elisabeth and Karen grabbed Lara. Rory and Eric grabbed Angel. Serena whispered to Cornelius, and the two of them grabbed Monique.

"All right. Now we also need two wolves on Scarlett, Cassie, and me."

Various wolves grabbed each of them the way Iris and Lindsey had me.

"Now, this is a game of keep-away," Michaela said. "You are keeping us away from our partners."

I began to laugh, joined shortly by some of the others.

"You may take us anywhere on pack ground," she went on. "And you may pass us off to others. You get a three-minute head start. After that, our mates - or partners - are released, and they have to find us. Anyone who gets tagged by any of the searchers is frozen for two minutes, but anyone who is currently touching one of us and is tagged is permanently out. You should return here. You may use no more than two wolves at a time to move us, or up to four during a hand off. And the same rules as our other games. Be sensitive to the fragility of the fox and the human."

"And me!" said Cassie. "I'm very, very sensitive."

There were chuckles at that.

"What do we do, Michaela?" I asked.

"We enjoy getting carried all over the place," she said.

"Oh, I think I'm going to like this game."

She smiled. "So am I."

"Is there a winner?" I asked.

"Hmm. I suppose there should be a way to win. First wolf to return carrying her partner wins, but we play until we're all back, or an hour has elapsed."

"Can we steal a mate away again?" Elisabeth asked. "Or once the partner has her, is that really it?"

"Hmm. The rules reverse. If you can tag Lara while she's carrying me, then she is frozen for two minutes while you steal me again."

I laughed. I was sure it was going to go the full hour.

"However," said Michaela, "when Lara is carrying me, I can tag people, and they are frozen for two minutes. More questions?"

"Do we cooperate?" I asked, "Or do they have to carry me?"

"Portia has to carry you."

"Zoe, you should run with them," Portia said. "Don't worry, I'll catch up."

I laughed. "All right."

"What about Scarlett and Cassie?" Angel asked. "If they run, I might be faster, but I'm not a lot faster, unless I shift to fur, and then I couldn't carry her back."

"They should get carried," Lara declared. "But the fox can run if she wants."

There were no more clarifications, and so Michaela said, "Who is timing?"

"I am," said Francesca.

"Play to win," Michaela said. "If all four of us are still prisoners an hour from now, then all of you win. Well, except for our partners. Call the start, Francesca."

"Ready... go!"

Immediately, Iris and Lindsey took off with me, running south, with a half dozen other wolves running along with us. We went south then soon began curving east, and I was entirely lost.

The trees went past in a blur, and I couldn't help but laugh. But they came to a stop.

"If you keep laughing so loudly, we get to gag you," Iris said. She grinned. "Part of this game is to make her find you."

"I'll try to be quiet," I said. "Honestly I will."

A wolf howled a minute or so later, and we were still rushing through the trees.

Then they passed me off, and it was Valeria and Layton pulling me along. And a while after that, Ember and Aidan.

And then we came to a stop. Iris stepped up to me. "Turn her around." They turned me the other direction, and then Iris reached over and said, "Open your mouth, Zoe."

I behaved, and she began filling my mouth with rags.

I thought that was funny, too. She tied it off, and then we were racing through the trees again.

I laughed into the gag.

I continued to get traded off. The wolves were breathing hard now, but still we ran.

And then I heard, "Oh shit, here she is! Go! Go! Go!"

Then I heard Lindsey call out. "She tagged me!"

I looked over my shoulder. Lindsey froze where she was, and Portia was dashing after us. She tagged Iris. And then Ember said, "Let Portia have her, but then tag her!"

She and Aiden set me down, and then all of them were trying to evade Portia. I stood where I was. Portia saw me and ran over, picking me up, and an instant later, she was swarmed by all of them.

"Damn it," she said.

Valeria and Ember grabbed me from her and we ran.

It was several minutes before Iris and Lindsey caught up to us, but Portia was only seconds behind them. Aiden and Layton set me down, but this time, Portia ran around, trying to tag everyone. She got Layton, but when her back was turned, Iris and Lindsey grabbed me, and they got me a hundred yards away before Portia realized and ran after us. It became another chase, but she was a lot faster than they were. Again they set me down, and again, it became a game of tag.

Every time Portia chased after someone else, two wolves stepped up to me and tried to rush me away, and so it became a traveling game.

But then she got them all tagged, spread out all over the forest, Ember and Valeria tagged last.

Portia grabbed me, picked me up, and began running. I wrapped my arms around her neck and held on.

I had no idea where we were, but it wasn't long before Iris and Lindsey were right behind us, and then Iris made a fast dash and tagged Portia. "Got ya!"

Portia came to a stop. The girls grabbed me and ran back the way we'd been coming.

And that was the nature of the game.

We met up with the group holding Michaela. They had gagged her, too, but her eyes were bright as she looked over at me. We all ran together for a while before we split up again.

A while later, I saw Cassiopeia through the trees, but I didn't think she saw me.

Then I saw Angel carrying Scarlett. I had all six of my guards by then, but two of them peeled off and surprised Angel. They were able to tag her, and then Serena and Karen arrived to take Scarlett away.

Elisabeth caught up to our group, and I ran with her on one side for a while.

But Portia surprised us, and she tagged Connor while he was still holding me, and she almost got Elisabeth. Well, she did get Elisabeth, but it was after she had released me, so she was only frozen.

Portia immediately picked me up and got tagged fifteen seconds later, and then I was spirited away again.

A minute later, Lara was behind us, but they said, "Don't worry; it's Lara," and they kept running with me.

Lara tagged Valeria and Ember. "You two are out," she said.

"Oh hell," they said, setting me down. Lara let the rest of them drive her off, and then we were running again. Of my original six kidnappers, I was down to three, but others would join us shortly.

In the end, the game lasted the full hour, although by the end, at least half the wolves were out, and Portia was running with me for the compound when the howl went up announcing the end.

Laughing, she continued to carry me to the compound. I held on tightly.

Our mates carried each of us into the compound, slowing down so that we all arrived together. I looked around and realized all four of us had been gagged. We were set down, and then our mates ungagged us. I could have done it myself, but I thought that was against the spirit of the game.

And then I received a deep, deep, hungry kiss before she pulled me tightly against her.

"God, I love you," I whispered to her.

She tightened her hold, but finally she released me enough I could turn around, and she held me from behind. I looked around.

Michaela's eyes were bright, and she was smiling. I was still full of laughter.

"Michaela, please tell me we're playing that again sometime!"

"You liked it, did you?"

"Oh yeah," I said. I looked up at Portia. "How about you?"

"Hold that question," Michaela said. "Lara, howl again. We have stragglers out there. We should talk about it together."

So Lara howled, and then we waited.

Monique and Cassie were talking, and there were a lot of smiles. That was cool. Then some of the kids joined them, and they were all quite casual. Ember stepped up and put an arm around Monique and another around Cassie.

I knew everything would be okay there. A moment later, Monique turned and saw me watching her. She grinned and blew me a kiss. That was sweet.

Finally Michaela said, "Okay, I think everyone is here. Who had fun?"

They all began to howl, and she covered her ears. Lara held up a hand, but it was a minute before they quieted.

"All right," Michaela said. "Keep it down. Zoe, what was it you asked me a few minutes ago?"

"Please, Michaela, are we playing this game again?"

The wolves laughed.

"And what did you ask Portia?"

"Darling, what did you think?" I asked, looking over my shoulder.

"Oh, I'd play again," she said. "It was very hard to watch you be carried away."

"Tell me about it," Lara said. "The urge to shift was nearly overwhelming."

"You, too?" Monique said. "I wanted to shift so badly."

"Chasers?" said Michaela. "Good game?"

"Great game," Portia said. The rest agreed.

"Do we need to adjust the rules?"

No one made suggestions.

"I actually thought the chasers would win," Michaela said.

"We didn't have time to devise a strategy," Lara said. "Now we'll all be thinking about it, so I think next time it will be a good game, but perhaps some of us would return with our mates." Then she looked over at Monique and Cassie. "Or partners."

"Let's talk about that," Michaela said. "You two first. Did you enjoy being partners in this game?"

"I did," Cassie said immediately.

"Me too," agreed Monique.

"If we're going to be carried, choice of partners is critical," Cassie said. "I wouldn't want someone less capable than Monique. She was great."

Monique stood up straighter. Good girl, Cassie.

"All right," said Michaela. "Who would want to be one of the prisoners for this game?" She raised her hand, and immediately I shot mine in the air. Perhaps a third of the wolves raised hands.

"Who would want to be a chaser?"

All the wolves raised their hands, but then Scarlett, her hand in the air, said, "But I don't think I can carry Angel as easily as she carries me."

"I couldn't carry anyone," Cassie said. "Chasing would be fun though, but I'd happily be a prisoner or one of the... What are we calling everyone else?"

"Kidnappers," Michaela said. "Unless someone has another words." No one said anything.

"Well, I'd be a prisoner or a kidnapper," Cassie said. "Or a chaser if we can figure out how I'm supposed to carry my partner."

"Cassie," Kaylee said. "You could carry me. And I'd have fun as a prisoner."

"And the pups," Lara said, "although I'm not sure how insane Michaela and I would go if anyone tried to kidnap one of them."

There was laughter at that.

"All right," Michaela said. "I shared the rules of this game with a few people, but not that many. And yet, you were prepared to gag us. I want to know whose idea that was."

There was laughter, but then everyone turned to stare at Elisabeth. She simply shrugged. "I liked the idea of shutting the fox up."

That was worth more laughter.

"And how did you know she would be playing?" I asked. "Was it the fox you wanted to silence, or me?" I put a hand on my hip.

"Oh please," Elisabeth said. "I knew what role Michaela would want to play in this game."

I paused, nodded, then turned back towards Michaela. "If we play again," I said, "How do we decide who is playing what role?"

"I made this game after I saw how much you enjoyed being run around, and then when they started doing it to me, well, I won't admit I liked it." More laughs. "It's designed to be human friendly, at least as a prisoner. But I don't know if either Nick or Michele would agree." She looked around.

Nick shrugged. "You know, I've never asked to be run around like that, but I see how much Zoe enjoys it, and I think I'll be talking to Tara about it."

"Angel and I will run you, Dad," Scarlett said. "You'll love it."

"I may take you up on it. I would try this game," Nick said, "Although I don't know if my fragile, male ego will survive being rescued and carried about by Tara."

There was more laughter, but I thought he was serious.

Michaela turned to Michele. She shook her head. "I could be a prisoner, but Donald would not enjoy chasing."

"You could pick a different partner, Michele," Donald said. "I might have fun helping to kidnap the alpha."

Michele smiled and caressed his face.

"I do not need to play these games," Michele said. "But if invited, I would play. However, there are others here who also wish to play, and I do not believe you would want more players, from the sound of it. I am happy to sit by the fire."

"Well then," Michaela said. "What we will do is this. Zoe, you will always be a prisoner. And then we will ask who wishes to be prisoners as well, and you will pick. You should vary it, with preference to the humans, as they play so few of our games."

I smiled. "All right."

"You may always pick me, at least until I'm bigger," Kaylee said. "It would give more choices for chasers."

"And then prisoners pick partners, and it doesn't have to be her mate," Michaela said, "although your mates may have something different to say."

"Damned right she will," said Portia into my ear.

"All right," said Michaela. We're going to play another human friendly game, and then those who want may go for a run. It's a school night, so we must not stay out all night. All homework due tomorrow or Tuesday gets an extension to Wednesday."

"That's true for my classes as well," Francesca called out.

The kids whooped, but a few look upset.

"Damn it," said Iris. "I did all of mine already."

"I am announcing a contest," Lara declared. "We play a lot of games here, but most are ill suited for the humans. That was fine when we had so few humans coming here, but we're up to four at times. I want more human-friendly games that also try us as wolves. This game was excellent, and I thank you, my mate."

Michaela took a little bow.

"So the contest runs for the next six months. I would make it shorter, but we're running into winter soon. You may enter as many times as you like. You will devise new games. I will assemble a group to judge which ones we want to try." She looked around. "Zoe, I want you on that group. Nick and Michele, you are also invited if you like."

I wondered why the different treatment, and so I asked Michaela about it later, and she said it was because I actively tried to play the games. Nick didn't play even when he could, and Michele was only marginally more likely to play.

"We'll play the games, perhaps with adjusted rules," Lara said. "At the end of the contest, I will pick a winner. I might pick more than one. Any game that becomes a pack regular will earn a prize of some sort. The grand prizewinner will win something significant. Not quite new car significant, but perhaps new computer significant."

There were whoops of joy and a few howls.

"Are they doing this for me?" I asked Portia.

"For us," she said. "Yes. And Benny, too."

I nodded and then raised my hand.

"Yes, Zoe?"

"If I'm on the committee, does that mean I can't submit games? I could use a new computer."

Lara laughed. "The committee decides which games are worthwhile. Everyone may submit. To be honest, I doubt anyone is going to beat my mate, but I encourage all of you to try."

There was laughter at that.

"May we practice these games?" Angel asked. "Before we submit."

"You may do whatever you want," Lara said.

"What if two people submit nearly identical games?"

"Then they would be stapled together and considered a group submission," Lara said. "And no, I haven't decided how I will divide a prize in that case. But you should submit the games because you want to, not because you expect to win."

There were nods at that.

"May we ask Zoe's opinion?" Monique asked.

"Yes. Anything you want. The goal is to come up with more games. They can be human games with a wolf twist, if you want, or a wolf game with a human twist. Now, not everyone is here, so I will post the rules on the compound resident's web page. And your families can submit too, students."

There were grins.

Over the months ahead, many of the wolves would propose new games for us to play. Some of them, adults and teenagers alike, sought my opinion before submitting their proposals. Many of the proposals were for twists on existing games, as Lara had suggested. I gave each proposal my best advice. When asked, if the game wasn't too rough, I played, and I helped revise the game.

Some of the games, of course, were better than others, at least as far as I was concerned. One proposal was to use the humans as a handicap during relay races. Said simply: carry us to slow the wolf down. For some reason, this was different than the kidnap game, which I adored, and it was a proposal that didn't proceed very far.

I decided to submit no proposals myself; I decided doing so would be a conflict of interest, and narcissistic besides. My decision made it easier to be forthcoming and honest with everyone who sought my opinion. Portia made the same decision, although from time to time, she helped test the games people proposed.

In the end, the pack adopted several new games, human friendly while challenging for the wolves. And there was a grand prizewinner, as well. I would say more, but the winner may have her own story to tell some day, and so I will leave the details to her.

"All right," Michaela said. "We're playing a new form of freeze tag. This is team freeze tag. Nick and Michele, are you playing?"

"Sure," they both said.

"All right," Michaela said. "Each human is a team captain, and she is the team's freezer. We will pick a home base for each, forming a triangle. Anyone tagged by the freezer sits down, but you may be unfrozen if you are picked up by at least two members of your team and carried back to your base. You are also frozen if you are tagged by any freezer who is sitting down and has been sitting for at least thirty seconds, but you may move out of range of any other opponents before sitting down." She paused. "However, I'm pretty sure we're all capable of avoiding the humans, so I'm not sure how to make it just a little easier for them."

"Nerf sticks!" Angel called out. "Give them each a couple of Nerf sticks. And limit the playing area so it's a little crowded."

"And no intentional contact with another wolf," Serena suggested.

"So a team could corral members of the other team," Lara said. "That might skew it too much, but we can try it."

"If you do that," Angel said, "Make it a bigger area so there's probably a path to escape, but still not too big."

"Or," I said, "you have to touch each of the other team's bases periodically, but taggers shouldn't intentionally guard."

"Let's try Angel's initial suggestion and see how it goes for a few minutes," Michaela said. "Angel and Scarlett, please go collect six Nerf sticks."

They took off at a run. I stared after them. "So fast."

Portia chuckled.

"If this seems to be going on too long, we'll adjust," Michaela said. "If it's going too quickly, we'll take a Nerf stick away or something. I am intentionally splitting up couples. Portia, you are on Michele's team; Donald you're with Nick; Tara, you're with Zoe."

Portia kissed me then moved to stand with Michele. A moment later, Tara was standing next to me. "All right. Nick, pick."

"Lara."

"I'm with Zoe. Michele?"

"Elisabeth."

It took a few minutes to make teams. Angel and Scarlett returned carrying not only the Nerf sticks, but a bunch of other things as well. They began marking a large playing field, then some of the kids ran over to help them.

"How's this, Alpha?"

"Everyone into the field," she said. "We'll see."

We all moved onto the field. Michaela called for it to be a little larger, assigned our home bases, and then said, "Ready?"

"Ready!" everyone called out.

"Go!"

It was complete and utter chaos, but it only took twenty seconds before I was laughing as I swung my Nerf sticks around while trying to remember who was on my team.

I whacked Scarlett a couple of times, and she said, "Hey! I'm on your team."

The wolves were hard to catch, but then Michele and I found ourselves side by side and we began chasing after Nick's team members. We got about half of them before she and Nick turned on me and began chasing my members.

Everyone was laughing.

"If you do my whole team, then you'll never beat each other!" I called out.

And then I spun around and caught Lara as she tried to free one of her teammates, although others from her team would free her a few minutes later.

Michaela danced over to me. "I never said you couldn't help free people," she said. "Come on."

We freed Scarlett and Iris before Nick and Michele noticed what we were doing. And then I interfered, waving my Nerf sticks and whacking Nick and Michele while my teammates worked on freeing the rest of the team.

"That's cheating!" Michele said before whacking me across the ass.

Everyone laughed.

Eventually Michaela called a halt. "Everyone freeze. What do we do so this doesn't go on all night?"

Michele whacked me again. "Tell Zoe to stop hitting me."

We went after each other, both of us laughing.

"Knock it off, you two," Michaela said.

"Add a second freezer," Lara said. "The other two team captains to pick someone. So Nick and Michele would pick someone on Zoe's team, etc."

"But freezers can't help unfreeze," Angel said.

We played that way for a while, and that worked better. Soon, most people were frozen. All four opposing freezers tried to catch Michaela, and I was sure it was a matter of time, but so far, she'd been avoiding them. Ember was my co-freezer, and we kept chasing Lara and Valeria from Nick's team and Dawson from Michele's. We hadn't caught any of them yet, but we kept Lara from freeing anyone.

But then we managed to chase Lara into Serena, and she was frozen. We focused on Dawson, and he got tagged by Lara.

"Michele's team is all captured!" we called out. "Michele and Cornelius, you have to sit down."

Nick and Kimbriella couldn't catch Michaela, and finally Ember and I caught Valeria.

Everyone enjoyed the game.

We collapsed into a big pile of people for a while. My head was in Portia's lap, but I had Monique's in mine, and I was surprised when Ember curled up and laid her head on my shoulder. There were more wolves touching my feet, and when I looked around, everyone was casually touching several other people.

"Michaela," I called out. "Good games tonight. Thank you."

"You are welcome, Zoe."

I looked down at Ember, then wrapped an arm around her and hugged her. She grabbed my arm and held on. I looked up at Portia, and she leaned to whisper into my ear, "She misses her mom."

"All right," Lara said. "Those who want can begin to shift for a run, or you can stay here and enjoy the shared comfort. But I have one more thing I wish to discuss first. Portia, where are you?"

"Here, Alpha."

"No, no," Lara said. "Don't get up yet. Everyone looks comfortable. When you joined our pack, you were single, and I believe you expected to remain that way."

"I did, Alpha."

"And you bought your house with that belief."

"I did."

"You are not single anymore, and while you have hardly had time to talk about any of this, I wonder if there will be pups in your future."

"Oh god," I said. "Already? It starts already?"

There was laughter.

"We haven't discussed it," Portia said. "Without discussing this with my mate, and only judging by her behavior with some of Michaela's students, I believe she wishes at the very least for our home to be an extended home to younger members of the pack."

I realized she was right.

"I also think, but we would need to discuss it, that she would like to foster some of Michaela's students."

I looked over my head and nodded. Portia caressed my face.

"That has been one of the limiting factors to the number of students we take," Lara said. "For now, I ask these questions to give you and your mate opportunities for discussion, and I will offer one more. Your house is too small for what we just discussed. What would you like to do?"

"In the spring," Portia said, "I would like to break ground on building a new home. Is there a place we may do this, Alpha?"

"Yes," Lara said.

"Scarlett, wherever you are," Portia said. "I wish to hire you to help us design the house."

"Really?" she said. I looked over in time to see her head pop up from another pile, and I realized Angel's head was in Michaela's lap and Scarlett's had been in Angel's. "I'd love to."

I was a little surprised she made these decisions without consulting me. She bent over and whispered, "We will design and build it together with our own hands."

"I will only support this plan," Michaela called out, "If I am allowed to help."

There was laughter.

"We would love any available help," Portia replied.

"Then we will discuss this option in the coming weeks," Lara said. "I will require a reasonable plan for the cost of this home, but so far, I fully endorse what you have decided, Portia."

"Thank you, Alpha," Portia said.

"All right. If you want to run, get shifting," Lara said. "There won't be a hunt tonight, just a nice run."

I looked up at Portia. "Running?"

"I'd like to blow out the fur a little, and I wouldn't mind a little attention later."

I smiled. "I'd love to. I'll wait here for a while, but if I'm not here, I'll be home, waiting for you. If I go, I'll take your clothes with me."

Neither Monique nor Ember had moved, and Portia could wait until it was time.

"What are you two doing?" I asked.

"I'll run," Monique said. "Zoe, my mom bought the camera. I know you and Portia have plans or something..."

"Work it out with Portia," I said.

"I don't know your homework load, Monique," Portia said. "What would you like to do?"

"Could I come over tomorrow after school?"

I looked up at Portia and nodded, so she said, "Yes, but call us. We might be running errands and have to do it after dinner."

"Okay. Thanks."

"Ember, are you running?" I asked.

She looked over at me. "May I stay here with you, Zoe?"

"Of course you may, honey," I said.

So the four of us stayed that way for a while. Then as the wolves finished shifting, Monique and Portia got up. Portia whispered to Monique, who ran off and returned with some blankets. She slipped one under my head and then arranged another one on top of me.

"Thanks, Mom," I said, and she laughed.

They both undressed and shifted, then shook their fur out. Portia leaned over and licked me, and then they were running.

Ember hadn't released my arm the entire time. I was a little surprised. First Monique, and now Ember. Iris and Lindsey had sort of adopted me, too, and the boys had been sweet.

"Sleepy, Ember?" I asked.

"No. Do you mind?"

"No. This is nice. Thank you for helping me feel welcome."

We lay quietly. I wanted to know what was going on with Ember, but I wasn't sure how to ask.

"The stars are pretty," she said. "Did you know that some of them are entire galaxies?"

"I did," I said.

"Have you seen those pictures from the Hubble Deep Space Telescope? They pointed the camera at a seemingly empty place in the sky and took pictures, and it's full, full, full of galaxies, too many galaxies to count."

"Yes, I've seen those. They're beautiful pictures."

She lay quietly for a while before she said, "Monique's mom bought her a camera. That's what she was talking about."

"Yes."

"Like yours?"

"Kind of like mine. Not as expensive."

"Yours are expensive."

"To me, frightfully."

"Is Monique's expensive?"

"Not if she bought the one I recommended. Not cheap though, either."

"How much?"

"Maybe six or seven hundred."

"Oh." She grew still. "I guess I can't take your photography class."

"Your mom can't afford one, huh?"

"I don't have a mom."

My gut reaction was to pull her into my arms and hold her, but in a way, I was already doing that.

"You live with your dad?"

"He took off years ago. I don't remember him. Mom said he was a total asshole."

"What happened to your mom?"

"She was human," Ember said. "He got her pregnant and never told her what he was. Imagine her surprise when I shifted to wolf the first time."

"Oh my god." And I wondered if the reason she was here with me was because I was human and so I reminded her of her mother. I was okay with that.

"She was a drug user and thought it was a trip. But after I did it a few more times, she realized it wasn't the drugs. She remembered my dad was from up here, and so she stared calling every Klein in the book, looking for relatives. She asked if they knew Clay Klein and described him as 'particularly hairy'. She found my uncle. So she put me on a bus and told him to pick me up at the bus station."

"Oh honey."

"No, it was best. She couldn't take care of me. Young wolves need structure. I was turning really wild, and I didn't understand what was happening. And it hurt. It really hurt. My aunt and uncle took me in. But they have their own kids."

"You live here now."

"Yeah. Michaela and Lara said I may stay as long as I want, and I study really, really hard in school."

"What about your aunt and uncle."

"I haven't seen them since they dropped me off last year."

I thought that was terrible, absolutely terrible.

"Did they adopt you?"

"No. I suppose I still have a mom, somewhere, if she didn't die. But I was seven, and I haven't heard a word."

What kind of mother puts her own daughter on a bus and never sees her again?

"Well," I said, "Now you have lots of mothers. You have Michaela and Lara and all the enforcers and me. Don't you?"

"I do?"

"Yes."

"So does that mean you'll buy me a camera?" She laughed. Then she grew still. "It's not the same though."

"No, I suppose not. But if you ever need someone older to talk to, or just for hugs, I'm only a human, and I'm not very strong. You have to be gentle with me. But I give really good hugs. For a human, anyway."

"Thanks, Zoe."

We lay quietly for a good five minutes before I asked, "What are you thinking about?"

"I'm trying to think of good games," she said. "If I think of any, will you help me work on them?"

"I would love to."

"The keep away game was the best, but tag was funny."

"Yeah."

"And you liked paintball, too, but you didn't think you did well. Even though you shot me." She laughed.

"What?"

"Walking slow so I'd give in on helping you. I'm glad you did. That was fun."

"You know, I thought so, too. Now Portia wants to build an entire house."

"Will she let me help?"

"I'm sure she will."

"You two are perfect together," she said. "I never knew girls and girls could be together."

"How do you feel about it?"

"I think it's cool, but I know some people think it's wrong."

"Yeah, some people think it's wrong. Those people worry too much about what other people do and should be more concerned about taking care of their own lives."

She didn't respond to that. Instead she asked, "Are Monique and Cassie dating now?"

"I gave Monique some advice, and I am going to give you the same advice. I told her she should start to ask people out, boys or girls, but she shouldn't become mated with anyone yet. She's too young, and it's too easy to make a poor match at this age. I told her she should ask different people for a while. So I think perhaps she is going to ask Cassie, but then next week she might ask Dawson or Connor or you."

"Me?"

"Sure. If you don't want to go on a date with her, you don't have to, but you should be nice about it. Just say, 'No, thank you. I just want to be friends'. Nothing more than that is necessary. She'll be fine with it."

"What if... she asks, but she asks me to do something I don't want to do?"

"Then you tell her you'd love to go out with her sometime, but ask her to pick something else. And if it happens a second time, then you have to suggest something, or she might think it's an excuse."

"How do you know if it's a date or just hanging out?"

"You know, everyone wonders that. When I ask, I use the word 'date'."

"You ask people."

"I asked Elisabeth."

"Oh. You asked Elisabeth? Really?"

"Yep." I thought about it. "If you're not sure, you ask. You can say, 'Is this a date or friends?' Sometimes people mean a date but aren't willing to say it cause they're afraid of rejection. So they'll make it sound like friends, but really, they want a kiss at the end of the night."

"That's stupid. They should say what they mean."

"Maybe wolves aren't like that, but humans are totally like that. I was really wishy-washy when I was younger. I had all sorts of ways to ask a woman out without ever admitting I wanted a date. And you're right, it's stupid, but I was afraid."

"Of what?"

"Feeling foolish if they didn't like me that way. And what if I think they're gay, but I'm totally wrong?"

"Oh, that could be embarrassing." She looked up at me and grinned. "Is it as embarrassing as yelling, 'Portia! Portia! Portiaaaaaaaa!' ?"

I laughed. "Okay, maybe not as embarrassing as that. But I thought wolves didn't think that was embarrassing."

"We don't, but I'm smart, and you're human, and humans find everything embarrassing. That's stupid, too. I haven't even seen you naked, and we see each other naked all the time. Humans think it's a big deal. I bet you aren't embarrassed to see us in fur, but you look away when we're in skin. Why?"

"Um. God, I don't know, Ember. If you were raised by a human mother and didn't know you were a wolf, why aren't you more like me?"

"It was a long time ago and I don't remember very well. Zoe, do you have any tattoos?"

"Not a one. Do you?"

"No." She paused. "Do you know about bride ransom night?"

"Michaela explained it tonight," I said.

"I bet you think it's terrible."

"I think I have to think about it a lot more. I can understand it for wolves, but as a human, I don't think I'd do very well."

"We wouldn't really hurt you, like, we wouldn't break your hands or anything."

"What?" I shrieked. "You break hands?"

"Well, if she isn't begging, eventually. Or other things. I mean, she has to beg, or her groom has to pay anyway, but usually they wait until the bride begs. If the ransom is too high, he might still not pay. At least, that's what happened with one of my cousins. But we shift a few times, and it's all better."

"That's all it takes?"

"Yep. Want to see?"

"No!"

"Are you sure? You can break my hand, and then I'll shift. It hurts, but I'd show you."

"Now you're just teasing."

She laughed. "Yep. So, you know about bride ransom. And you've seen Michaela's tattoos. And Lara has tattoos, too."

"Michaela said hers are from her ransom nights."

"Yeah. Well, I hope my kidnappers make me take a tattoo. I want my skin bare until then, and then wear a tattoo for my new groom. Or bride. I haven't decided."

"When you're older, and you know for sure who would be kidnapping you, or at least some of them, find a way to tell them. If that's allowed. Is that allowed?"

"I don't know. But there isn't a bride ransom night police force, so who is to say it isn't?"

I laughed. "Good logic," I said.

"Are you and Portia going to get married?"

"She hasn't asked me."

"If she asks you?"

"I think she should be the first one to hear my answer."

"So that means 'yes'. So you'll have a ransom night. Is there anything you want them to do to you?"

"Foot massages, pedicures, facial treatments..."

She laughed. "I don't think it works that way." She changed her voice. "Portia, they're rubbing my feet. It feels so good. Oh god, it feels so good. Please pay my ransom so they'll stop." She laughed again. "Yeah, I don't think it works that way. What do you want them to do?"

"I don't know, Ember. Michaela told me some of the things they did to her, but they were things Lara wanted, not things Michaela wanted done."

"Oh, I suppose. Well, what if Portia has a ransom night? Do you want them to give her a tattoo?"

"No. If Portia gets a tattoo, I want to be there."

She huffed. "You're not very good at this game."

"I'm sorry. This isn't the sort of tradition that humans would look forward to."

"But-" She paused. "I suppose not. Some brides try to get out of it. Are you going to do that?"

I thought about it. "No. Michaela said it's important."

We grew quiet again. I closed my eyes. It was getting chilly, and I wouldn't last much longer, but I was hoping the wolves would get back so Ember wouldn't be alone.

"Zoe?"

"Ember?"

"How do you get someone to ask you out?"

"You could ask him. Or her."

"No I can't."

"Why not?"

"Um. Because the people I want to ask me out are dominant wolves, and I'm not. I try flirting with them, but they still don't ask. Maybe I don't flirt very well."

"I don't believe in playing games to get asked out," I said. "I ask. Who did you want to ask you?"

"Anyone," she said. "Maybe Monique, but anyone. I've never gone on a date. No one asks me."

What was with teenagers coming to me for dating advice?

"Boys or only girls?"

"I don't know, Zoe."

How could she not know? I always knew.

"So if one of the girls asked you, you'd go?"

"Yes."

"Anyone you wouldn't go out with?"

"Kaylee's a little young."

"How about the boys?"

"They can be immature."

"Boys are like that."

"But they're cute. Sure. But not Shelton or Nash."

"Why not?"

"They're bossy. I mean, they're going to be enforcers, but they're bossy about stuff they shouldn't be. They're not supposed to do that."

I made a mental note to tell Portia about that.

"Well, I don't know how you get someone to ask you out. I never waited. If I wanted to go out, I asked. Let me think about it."

"Okay. Thanks."

I was getting really cold on from the ground.

"Ember, I'm really sorry, but the ground is cold. I'm freezing."

"Oh. Oh. I'm sorry. It feels good to me." She sat up. "You have to go in."

"Yes, I'm sorry. I'm having a nice time here with you."

She turned and pulled me upright, which was sweet.

"Are you going to bed? Or something? Could I hang out with you, just until Portia comes home?"

"I'd like that, honey."

Later, much later, Portia and I lay together in bed, sweaty and spent. "You need more practice," I said.

"I do not."

"Oh yes," I said. "Lots and lots and lots of practice."

She laughed and kissed my head.

"Did you have a nice time with Ember?"

"Do you know her story?"

"Not really. Just that her mom took off."

"It's a horrible story!" I sighed. "It's been a very strange 24 hours."

Shortly after, I was asleep.

 **Settling In**

Monday we woke, made love, worked out, then made love again while showing. At the gym. I was quite scandalized, but Portia was very determined.

I discovered I couldn't say 'no' to her. Well, I could, for a few minutes, but she could turn my 'no' into a 'yes'. And I would learn over the next few weeks that she would get better and better at turning my 'no' around.

"Time to decorate," she said after. "What color do you want?"

"If we're moving in the spring, does it matter?"

"Yes. That's six months away, and then we have to build the house. So yes, it matters. The room downstairs is too small for both of us for a home office, so we'll convert the second bedroom."

And so we picked some gentle colors, bought paint, and spent the day painting. We started in my new home office. Then we did our bedroom and started on the living room, but Portia said, "Monique will be here in a little while. We'll finish tomorrow."

She arrived at 3:30. We had changed out of our paint clothes and were cuddling on the couch when the bell rang, then a moment later, the door opened. "Zoe? Portia?"

"Come in, Monique."

She appeared a moment later carrying a computer bag. It was exactly the one I had recommended. She was lugging her tripod, too. It was also from amongst the ones I had recommended.

"Am I interrupting?"

"Nope," I said.

"I smell fresh paint!" She glared. "You didn't let me help."

"Sorry," Portia said. "It's just a few rooms. You can help when we build the house."

"Okay," she said, easily mollified. She sat down in one of the chairs.

"Well, what did she buy you?"

She opened the bag and showed me her equipment. Faith had gotten everything on the list under the 'basic kit'. It was perfect for what we would do.

"Okay, good. We'll use the tripod for some advanced techniques and when I let you borrow my really long lenses. I'll let you know. You can leave it home otherwise."

Portia had her camera, too, and so I had both of them take similar photographs. Then we moved to Portia's little office. We loaded her photos into her computer, and I went through basic editing.

"What about those videos where they totally Photoshop someone?"

"I don't do that much," I said. "But I can show you what I do. Let's start with some photos. Lets go back outside." I grabbed some of my special equipment, and we assembled with their cameras. "We need a subject. We'll start with Monique. Portia can photograph her, then we'll switch. Then I'll let the two of you work with me."

I had Portia take a bunch of photos. Then I pulled out some of my light reflectors.

"Portia, zoom out and photograph us both so you can see what I'm using and doing, then zoom in and take another dozen photos of Monique." I used the reflectors to fill in her face and add some gold tone. Portia took the photos.

"What does that do?" Monique said.

"Easier to show you," I said. "Okay, you two switch." I helped Monique. After she had taken a bunch of photos, I handed her my reflector and said, "Now you two take turns with me."

Ten minutes later, we were inside. We had to use my computer, as Portia didn't have all the right software yet. I loaded Monique's pictures. Then I put several of them on the screen.

"Okay, which one do you like the most?"

"This one," they both said.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"This is one with the gold reflector. Does that help?"

"It feels warmer, and you can see more details here." Portia gestured.

"Understand? You can also use the reflectors for shade when it's too bright. After that, it's art, and you have to experiment."

I loaded Portia's pictures, picked my favorite of Monique, and then spent just ten minutes, doing the things I might normally do. When I was done, I showed the picture of her full screen.

"I'm... I'm..."

"A hottie." I said.

"That's not really me."

So I showed her the before picture. "You're still a hottie here. You are still you when I'm done, but I fixed a few specs of dust on the lens, adjusted the lighting a little, things like that. Want to see what you would look like with long hair?"

"Yes!"

That took longer. I had to play for a while. I didn't go for long, long, but I brought it down past her shoulders. Finally I was really pleased.

The two of them sat there quietly the entire time, not saying a word. But when I was done, Monique said, "I don't know what to say."

"Monique," Portia said. "You are a wonderful woman any way you look. The alphas and all the enforcers have nothing but the best impression of you. You're diligent in your studies and will be a very good enforcer. You are bright and inquisitive. Furthermore, you are kind, generous, and fun to have around. But you have a confidence problem with your appearance, which is both a little shallow and, as you can see, unjustified besides."

"Everyone wants to be attractive though," she said. "Don't they?"

"Yes," Portia said. "Most people want to be attractive."

"Well, I didn't do this to make any points about your appearance, Monique. I was showing some of the things you can do."

"Still..." She stared at the screen. "I've always worn my hair short, because that's how enforcers wear it. Portia, is it required to be short?"

"No, Monique. If it's too long, it gets in your way. And if you're in a hurry, which we often are, then it slows you down in the morning. But I know of female enforcers in other packs with long hair. Wear your hair how you want, but keep it out of your face when you're on duty. Braiding it is best, if it's long enough to interfere. If it becomes problematic, one of us will tell you."

She nodded.

"Well," I said. "I've given both of you things to get started. So I have assignments for both of you."

"Homework?"

"Fieldwork," I said. "I want you to find a model and practice photographing people. Present me with your ten best shots. You may borrow my reflectors, if you want, but it might be more fun to find other things that work instead. You can use poster board or almost anything. That's assignment one. Assignment two is to go on a nature shoot. I want to see ten good, interesting photos. You both have Macs, so you can do basic editing in iPhoto. Our next class is next Monday afternoon unless either of you have to move it for something. Class dismissed."

For the three days of Portia's mini-vacation, we set our patterns. She got us up early each morning for a trip to the gym, and that was a pattern we would maintain moving forward. I had never been afraid of exercise, but it had never been a main factor in my life, either; what exercise I got in the past was ancillary to the other activities I did. I knew Portia would be getting me into better shape.

After our showers was breakfast. Some mornings we ate at the alphas', and there always seemed to be plenty of food, although I would bring my own with me. Other mornings we ate at Portia's house.

We then spent our time on the house, turning it into a shared home. I had, from time to time in the past, moved in with a girlfriend or had a few move into my small apartments. But I'd never had someone make such changes to her own home for me.

We set up the spare bedroom as an office for both of us, Portia requiring far less space than I did. I really liked sharing the space with her. The main floor room she'd turned into an office became the spare bedroom. It was small, but it would work for the occasional guest.

We moved my photos around the house until we were both pleased. That was actually fun, as Portia let me order her around. "No, not there. Up a little. Down a little. It's crooked." I teased her a great deal, and she knew I was doing it.

And then when I carried it too far, she set the piece down and chased me around the house until she caught me. I got tickled into complete submission.

I loved it.

She made me vow the most outrageous things before she stopped tickling.

During one of the painting sessions, I told her about my conversations with Monique and Ember. When I explained about movie night, I felt guilty.

"I should have asked you, but it sort of came up."

"I disagree," she said. "I love the idea, and I am very happy to let you manage our social life."

"So you like movie night? How do I know when you're going to be available?"

"There's a schedule," she said. "Things will come up, sometimes on short notice. A few times a month, I get a call to appear at the alphas' immediately or to meet with either Elisabeth or Serena. Sometimes I am needed for only a few minutes, perhaps to discuss something, perhaps to give the fox an escort across the compound."

"She needs a guard here?"

"The answer to that depends upon who you ask. If you ask her, the answer is, 'I rarely need any guards at all'. If you ask Lara or the enforcers, and we want two with her at all times."

"That would put a crimp in lovemaking."

She smiled briefly but didn't otherwise acknowledge my joke.

"My point is this: when I get those calls, I drop what I am doing and take care of it. You understand."

"Of course."

"This is something we don't complain about, Zoe. It is the role of the enforcer to disrupt her life so that our alpha and her family can have as normal a life as we can arrange. Michaela tends to feel guilty that her life requires us to sacrifice, and so she sacrifices to reduce the intrusion on our lives. None of us are happy when we find out she's been skipping things she wants to do, and if she ever heard any complaints, she'd do it even more."

"I'll never say a word, Portia."

"It can be hard not to mutter. I never admit to a bad night of sleep, and I make sure I never sound like I was sleeping when answering calls from her."

"I understand. So, about movie night. Friday?"

"This Friday is currently free," she said. "The alphas intend a quiet night at home. There's a Bayfield trip next weekend."

"Field trip for the kids?"

"No, just the family. To Michaela, that also means Angel and Scarlett. I'll be going; I don't know if you're invited. But if not, you can still have movie night."

"I want Monique to invite dates; it would be awkward if she had a date and you're not here."

"Well, I don't expect you to be a hermit when I'm not here, but the choices are yours." She paused. "However, I will want to know where you are, and I'm a little controlling about that. I'm sorry; I can't help it."

"It's fine," I said.

We discussed movies for a while, and we made arrangements. "What about food?" I asked.

"Make a vegan pasta dish, and I'll cook up some protein the wolves can add," she suggested. "Or we can order pizza. There's a wolf-owned place that delivers here."

"It won't be vegan. I can make something for me and you guys can order pizza or make something."

"Whatever you want, Zoe," she said. "I should warn you. Word about movie night will get around in about fifteen seconds."

"Would it bother you?"

"We're very, very social," she replied. "I don't know how I would feel if my house was a revolving door the way Lara's is. Maybe it would be okay, but I've lived alone for a long time. But having friends over is fine. However, I want you to make more friends than just the students."

"Well, we'll start small," I said. "Monique and a date, Friday."

"Right."

It was during another break when I told her about Ember.

"That's a sad story," Portia said. "Michaela is her official guardian. That took legal wrangling, but Hadley Smith is exceedingly good."

"Do any of the kids have jobs?"

"No. Michaela works them too hard, and one of the requirements of her program is complete devotion to their studies, even during the summer."

"What do they do for pizza money?"

"Their parents fund them."

"Well, what does Ember do?"

"I presume Michaela gives her a little spending money. I don't know."

I hadn't told Portia about the camera conversation. I decided to sit on it, but if Ember wanted to join my photography class in January, I would find a way to include her.

We rushed on Wednesday to finish everything we wanted to do on the house. I would spend some time moving things around and making little touches, but by late afternoon, the last of my photos was where I wanted them; the walls were all a different color. And those few things I had to make the space mine were spread around.

Portia and I stood in the office, looking around, our arms around each other. I laid my head on her shoulder. "Everything has been so fast," I said. "I'm still catching up."

"I know. Me too."

We shifted so she was behind me, her arms around me. I leaned backwards into her.

"I love your strength, Portia. I love knowing I can lean against you, and you'll always hold me."

"I like holding you." She bent forward and brushed her cheek along mine.

"I like when you do that. Do I smell more like you afterwards?"

She sniffed at me. "You smell like me all the time."

"Do you smell like me?"

"Yes, but not as much as the other way around. Um."

"Oh, this is going to be good."

"It's a wolf thing."

I pretended to be upset. "Tell me. Right now."

She chuckled. "Do you believe that tone is going to work for you?"

"Yes, it is. Tell me. Or else."

"Or else what?"

"Or else I'll make you eat soy burgers."

She laughed. "Care to attempt a threat you can actually enforce."

"Um." I stamped my foot. "Tell me!"

She laughed.

"Please?"

"Of course, Love. I am a dominant wolf. I don't have scent glands in the same way a cat does. But every time we touch, I mark you with my scent, anyway."

"Intentionally?"

"Well, I touch you intentionally. But it's a mating thing and just happens. Anyone who gets remotely near you will know you're scent-marked."

"Did Elisabeth do that to me?"

"You tended to smell like her, but not the same way. Her wolf didn't decide you were mated."

"So Michaela smells like Lara?"

"The pups, too. And Scarlett like Angel."

"Well then." I stood up on my toes and brushed our cheeks together. Portia chuckled. "I wouldn't want it to wear off."

"It's not going to wear off, but you may brush against me all you want."

A while later, we headed to the alphas' for Wednesday dinner. Monique caught me the minute we walked in the door. "Portia, may I borrow your mate?"

"Of course, Monique."

The girl dragged me to her bedroom. Once we arrived, I asked her, "What's up?"

"I want to show you the photos I took. I'm not satisfied for Monday, but I'm not sure what to do. My model said we could have another photo shoot."

We sat down on the floor, our backs against her bed, and she flipped her laptop open. A moment later, she was showing me her photos.

"You got Eric to model for you?"

She grinned at me. "He was flustered. It was funny."

We flipped through the photos. She had done well for a beginner, but there were some basic problems, too.

"All right. Monique..."

"Before you say anything, I want to say something."

"All right."

"I want you to be honest. I want to get better, and if you're not honest, I won't get better."

"How honest?"

"Brutally. I can take it."

"All right. I'm not going to find every little thing wrong. I'm going to point out the main things, and then when you take more, it gives you a little bit to fix at a time."

"Okay."

"First, pick the five you think are the best." She did that, and I thought she'd done a passible job of it. I might not have made the same choices, but explaining why not would be difficult.

"All right. First, all of them have a consistent problem. It has to do with lighting. Do you know what it is?"

She shook her head.

"You took these right after school, didn't you?"

"Tuesday," she said.

"It was a bright, sunny day."

"I thought that would give the best light."

"It gave you too much light," I said. "The shadows are harsh, and in many of them, he's squinting."

"I-"

I patted her hand. "Everyone thinks more light is better. But direct sunlight, except early morning or late evening, is too harsh. So that's one problem. I'd wait until evening. You'll get much more interesting colors that way. Next." I pointed. "Do you see how these areas are in deep shadow? You need to use fill light. Remember how I bounced light? Sometimes you can get your subject to hold the reflector for you, or you can use an assistant. When photographing outside, you'll almost always need to do this for the best photos. You can go out to YouTube for examples."

"But you don't do that for animals."

"Eric isn't an animal, at least not in that sense."

She nodded. "What else?"

"Last thing," I said. "The background. Look, Eric has the frame of a door growing out of his head. And in this one, it's the antenna from the car. Over here, he has a tree branch growing out of his arm."

She stared at the photos.

"There are two ways to deal with this. You can use a narrower depth of field so the background blurs out. Or you can move your subject. This is why portrait photography is always in front of some sort of drop cloth. You can also try to fix it with editing tools, blurring out the background, but that's an art in itself. I like to get the photos as close to right and not rely on Photoshop tricks."

She nodded.

"Now, you did some things right. You framed close, but not too close. You didn't chop off any heads. You can always crop the photos, but you can't uncrop."

We talked for a few more minutes. Then she put her computer away and hugged me.

"Are you having fun?"

"Yeah! I did a nature walk, too, but I'm not ready to show you yet."

"Good. Now, are you coming Friday? You haven't told me."

"Yes. And I have a date!" She squealed that part.

"Cassie?"

"Yeah. We've gone for walks, and I went for a walk with Val, too, but I haven't had any real dates yet. Should I buy her flowers or something?"

"Oh gosh," I said. "You know, I wouldn't. And don't worry about stuff like that. Just try to have a good time. Try to make sure she has a good time. Don't force it."

"How will I know if she wants me to kiss her?"

"Another question I can't answer. You know what my rule is?"

"What?"

"I don't go on a date if I'm not willing to kiss good night, and I assume the same thing with the people I'm with."

"So I should assume the same?"

"Uh huh. That doesn't mean a make-out session. It means a sweet good night kiss. She may want more, she may not want that much, but if you go a little slow, if she isn't interested, she'll either pull away or offer something else to kiss."

"Like a cheek?"

"Right."

"Do I hold her hand?"

"Yes. It's a date. You don't want to maul her, but touching is expected. Heck, you're wolves. You touch all the time."

She had another half dozen questions with me, all that were different ways of saying, "I'm nervous." Finally I said, "Monique, you're over-thinking this. Just pick her up, walk over here with her, hold her hand, wait on her, and have a nice time. Be yourself. You're a great person, and she likes you for who you are, not for who you want to act like."

"Are you sure?"

"Do you want a relationship based on a lie? Yes, I'm sure. Be yourself. You're perfect just the way you are."

She smiled. "Thank you, Zoe. You're right."

"You're welcome." I bumped my shoulder into hers then said, "I have something for you."

"You do?"

"I wasn't sure whether I should tell you. If you weren't going to be such a great enforcer, I'd be more nervous about telling you this."

"It sounds serious."

"It's not serious, not exactly. I am going to tell you something, and then you're never going to tell anyone I told you, unless you are directly asked."

She laughed. "All right. Promise."

I lowered my voice. "If you were to ask Ember out, she would say 'yes'."

Monique smiled. "She would?" I nodded sagely. "I like Ember. She's nice."

"Good," I declared. "Done here?"

"Almost." She hugged me deeply and kissed my cheek besides. Then she popped to her feet and pulled me to mine. "Now we're done here."

We arrived back downstairs and were there for about thirty seconds when there were two more teenagers on either side of me. Iris and Lindsey grabbed my arms and began pulling me towards the door. Before we even got there, Serena stepped in front and opened it for us. "Have a nice run," she said with a smile.

I was laughing before we made it to the trees.

They took me deep into the woods, and we didn't follow a path. Instead, we ran amongst the trees, dodging them right and left, and we even flew - almost literally - over a few downed trees, the wolves lifting me over as we approached.

I screamed a few times, sure they were about to run me into something, but they laughed and we went over or around all the obstacles.

Finally, somewhere deep in the woods, we came to a stop. They propped me against a tree and bent over. They were both panting, and I was still laughing.

Although my heart was pounding, too.

None of them had taken me through the woods quiet like that before. It had been quite the ride.

"That was pretty wild, girls," I told them.

"We mapped a route," Iris said. "You screamed."

"I did."

She turned and high-fived Lindsey.

"Is this just a rest break, or did you two want something."

"Both," Lindsey said. "Are you really teaching a photography class this winter."

"Yes."

"What do we have to do to get in?"

"Have a camera with the minimum features and sign up, I guess. Well, those are my requirements. Michaela and Francesca have final authority."

"What if we've never used a fancy camera like that?"

"Oh, that might be a problem," I said. "Hmm. What would I do about it?" I snapped my fingers. "You know, back in the compound there's a building. What's it called? It's on the tip of my tongue."

"The gym?"

"No, that's not it," I said.

"Barracks?"

"No, it has all these rooms."

"You're talking about the school?" Iris asked.

"School!" I said, snapping my fingers. "That's it. And in this school, don't adults stand up in the rooms, and kids sit down. And the adults... what are they called? Teacups? Something like that."

"Teachers," Lindsey drawled like only a teenager can.

"Right. Teachers. And they talk about things the kids don't know. And the kids... What is that thing kids do with their ears?"

"Hear." By now they had their hands on their hips.

"No, no, it's an L-word. Listen! The kids listen. And they learn things."

"You could just have told us you were going to teach us," Iris said.

"Tell us," Lindsey said. "Do you know where the compound is from here? We can leave you out here."

I laughed. "Go ahead."

"I'm not bluffing," she replied. "We're six miles from the compound, and you don't know what direction it is."

"So? I'm not worried."

"You should be. It will be dark soon."

I reached into my pocket and pulled my cell phone out. I tried calling Portia while the two looked at me, their heads cocked. The call failed. I looked at the phone. "No signal?"

"Worried yet?" Lindsey asked.

I thought about it. "Nope."

"Why not?"

"Because Portia would eventually come find me. I'm pretty sure she won't have the slightest trouble following our scent."

"Damn it," said Iris. "We need better threats."

They both grinned.

"Were you even a little nervous?" Lindsey asked.

"Not particularly," I said. "I know how to walk a straight line, and I know I don't have to go more than two miles in any direction to find a road."

"Damn it," Iris declared again. "We really need better threats."

"Work on them," I said. "Girls, I hope you take the class. It's going to be a lot of fun."

"What if our families buy us cameras, but we don't like it?"

"Good question. Are there more outings planned between now and Christmas? Ones where I'll probably be asked to help?"

"Yes. Well, we have trips every month."

"Well, I'll talk to Michaela. We can work on some of the things with the cameras you have, even cell phones. If you like what we do that way, and you don't mind taking more time per photo, then you'll love what we do with real equipment." I paused. "I will also offer half-day sessions with me and one of my cameras, one or two at a time. That will give you the full experience."

"Really?" Iris said. "When?"

"I don't know. I'll let you know."

"We get first pick," Lindsey said. "It's only fair."

I laughed. "All right."

"Okay. Because you agreed we get first pick, then we won't scare you on the way back," Iris said.

"Oh," I said in a small voice.

They both cocked their heads again. "You _want_ us to scare you?" Lindsey asked.

"Uh huh."

They looked at each other before turning back to me. "On a scale of one to ten, we're calling that trip a three or four. How high do you want us to take it?"

"What would be a ten?"

"We'd drop you from a cliff," Iris said. "But we don't have any here."

"What?" I said.

They grinned.

"You can do that without killing me?"

"Ask for a ten somewhere there's a cliff, and you'll find out," Lindsey said. "You'll probably get bruises at a seven or higher. We'd have to be a little rough."

"Just a little," said Iris. "You'd have bruises here." She clasped my arm. "And maybe on your legs a few times."

"How do you know all this?" I asked.

They grinned. "We've been practicing on each other. We bruise almost as easily as you do, it's just that we don't really feel it, and it heals."

"You could tear me apart."

"We wouldn't," Iris said.

"You two pulled each other around?"

"No. Kaylee."

"Does Serena know?"

"Hell no," Lindsey said. "And if you tell her, we won't run you ever again."

"Mum's the word, but please don't let anyone get hurt doing these things." I paused. "Seven."

"Are you sure?" Iris asked. "You're going to scream, and parts will be uncomfortable."

"Seven."

They looked at each other.

"You said seven," Lindsey said. "Once we grab you, we don't stop until we're back at Michaela's, even if you beg."

"Seven."

I'll say this: roller coasters have nothing on what they did with me. We came a lot, lot closer to the trees, whisking me away from them only at the very last instant, frequently by one of them letting go and the other pulling me past before the first reconnected on the other side. I spent part of it running, but I spent a great deal of the trip held in the air as they ran. Multiple times they let me believe they were dropping me. Twice they swung me around and then sent me flying - literally - head first towards a tree, but each time, one or the other caught me before the impact.

I screamed most of the way.

There weren't any cliffs, but the ground wasn't flat, and they made use of the rises and falls, making great, terrifying leaps.

And once they threw me over a tree branch, ten feet above the ground, catching me on the other side while barely seeming to break their stride.

At some point I'm sure I screamed at them to stop, but if so, they ignored me, just as they said they would. But near the end, it turned back into a normal run.

About then, Michaela, in fur, intercepted us, moving into our path and barking at them. We came to a stop, and I slumped over, my heart pounding, even though they had done all the work. Michaela flowed onto two legs.

"What are you doing with her?" she screamed.

I held up a hand. "Roller. Coaster." I managed to pant out.

"Roller coaster?" Michaela asked.

"A ride, Alpha," Iris said.

"I'm fine," I said.

"Perhaps, but if Portia had heard your screams, these two wouldn't be. Zoe, maybe I don't expect you to think these things through, but these two know better."

"But-" I straightened. Both girls were staring at the ground. "Michaela..."

She looked angry.

"Does Portia know you were going to give her a roller coaster ride?"

"No, Alpha," Iris said. "We're sorry."

"Michaela, if anyone is in trouble, it should be I." By now three of us were staring at the ground.

She huffed. "You asked them to?" I ran through the conversation about it. "Did you enjoy it?"

"They scared the crap out of me," I said. "I loved it. Please don't tell them they can't do it again."

She huffed again. "Girls, if you ever decide to do this again, you better warn Portia. And probably Lara and me."

"Yes, Alpha."

"Thank you, Alpha," I said. I turned to the girls. I didn't have words for what they had done.

Slowly, they grinned. "We're good," Lindsey said. "We've spent hours working that out."

Michaela looked between us. "I think perhaps you should show me."

"Frankly, Alpha," Lindsey said, "You're a little too delicate for what we did."

"And you did it with a human?"

"She may not heal like you do, but she's harder to break," Iris explained.

Michaela huffed. "It's time for dinner. Get her back to the compound, and she better be laughing when she arrives, not screaming and white as a sheet."

"Yes, Alpha," Lindsey said.

The moved to take my arms, and then we were moving.

I did, indeed, arrive laughing. Iris and Lindsey delivered me straight to Portia. They were going to go, but I turned and hugged them first. "Thank you! Wow, that was fun."

Portia collected me into her arms. "Did Michaela find you?"

"Yep. The girls took me for a long run. They wanted to talk."

Michaela pulled me to the side after dinner. "I need you next weekend."

"I heard. Leaving Thursday again?"

"Yes."

"Am I teaching photography again?"

"Yes, and helping with the other classes."

"Excellent. Michaela, if I asked to borrow a thousand dollars, no questions asked, would you loan it to me? If I don't pay it back before that, you could take it from what you're paying me for the class this winter."

"You don't want to ask Portia?"

"No, and I don't want you to tell anyone, either."

"Is it a surprise for Portia?"

"No questions asked," I repeated.

"I'm sorry. Fox. Curiosity is a species imperative."

"It's a surprise for someone else. I'm looking for other options, but so far, I am failing."

"Very mysterious." She tapped her foot on the ground as she studied me. "I want to know what it's for. You can tell me, or you can presume I'll find out."

"I have a drug habit that I'm struggling to break. It's why I never have any money. I need one more fix, just one more. Please, Michaela, I swear I'll go straight after that."

She laughed. "Good one," she said.

I sighed. "It's for my bookie. He's threatening to break my legs if I don't catch up on what I owe him."

"Strike two," she said. She crossed her arms.

"Never mind," I said. "It was a foolish idea, and I'm sorry I asked."

I turned to leave, but she stopped me. "Zoe, you can have the money. But I think you're solving a problem that's not your problem to solve, aren't you?"

"Why do you say that?"

"Am I wrong?"

"No."

"And are you so sure I haven't already solved it?"

I turned back to face her. "Have you?"

"I don't know what problem you're solving."

"Have you recently solved any problems that are so easily solved?"

She cocked her head. "Not recently, no."

"There you have it."

"But that doesn't mean I wouldn't." She grinned. "How soon do you need the cash?"

"Before my next credit card statement is due."

"I'll get you a check tomorrow."

"Thank you, Alpha."

"Not Alpha," she said. "This is from Michaela."

"Thank you, Michaela."

We hugged, and then together we stepped outside.

 **Wii**

Thursday as I was making lunch, there was a knock at the door. Puzzled, I carried the pan with me, stirring.

It had been weird being alone all morning. I spent it running errands, visiting my printer with a new batch for GreEN, getting a trim and an oil change for the car, then back to the printer to pick up my order. Now I was home, stuffing envelopes, which would take me the rest of the afternoon.

I opened the door. Ember was there. She was shifting from foot to foot, but turned to me when I opened the door.

"Ember? Shouldn't you be in school?"

"Lunch break." She held up a sack lunch. "May I eat it here with you?"

"Of course. I was just making my own lunch. Come in."

She stepped past me, and I closed the door, then went back to stirring. "Follow me."

"The house looks nice," she said. "Are those your photographs?"

"They are. You helped move them."

"Yeah."

We moved into the kitchen. I put the pan back on the stove and busied myself with my lunch preparations.

"Plates are there," I said, pointing. "What would you like to drink? Check the fridge."

I let her busy herself with her own preparations. I checked my pasta, then said, "Careful, I'm heading to the sink." I drained the pasta, tossed in my pesto sauce, and by the time it was ready, there was a plate waiting for me.

"Want some?"

She sniffed the air. "What is it?"

"Pasta with a pesto sauce."

"And bacon?"

I laughed. "I'm sure if there was bacon, you'd smell it."

"I'm fine with mine," she said. We carried everything to the kitchen table, and a minute later, we were eating quietly.

She tried not to be obvious, but she watched me while I ate.

"So," I said. "I'm an astute woman."

"Oh?"

"Yes. I am astute enough to know something is eating at you, but you haven't decided if you want to tell me about it."

"Nothing's eating at me," she said nonchalantly. "I just thought we were friends, and friends have lunch together."

"Uh huh."

"And friends invite each other over."

"They do."

"And, when someone's friend is going to be alone all evening, maybe friends see if she wants company."

"Oh, that's what this is about."

She nodded.

"As it so happens, Portia is working late tonight. How's your homework status?"

"I'm all caught up."

"And how will your homework status be after the afternoon assignments."

"I might have a little to do, but I could get it done and then come over."

"Maybe you'd like to come over after dinner. We could watch a movie or play a game. Do you have any games to bring?"

"I've got a Wii. It's old, but the games are fun. I got it on eBay for ten bucks. They tried to cheat me. One of the controller cords was broken. They're supposed to say stuff like that in the description. But Rory helped me fix it, and now it works just fine. Sometimes I have to wiggle the cords, but then it works great."

I smiled. "You'd have to teach me. Do you have games an old lady like me could play?"

"Sure."

"You're just looking for a chance to kick my butt."

She grinned.

"If I lose too badly, I'll cry," I said.

She laughed. "You will not."

"I might. You never know." I smiled. "And as long as we're planning to party, are you busy tomorrow night?"

"I don't have a single plan," she said. "Not one."

"Well, Portia and I are having a few people over for movie night. Would you like to come?"

"I'd love to!" she said, and from her reaction, I thought perhaps she'd heard about movie night and was hoping for an invitation.

"Be here by six. We're watching movies and ganging up to tickle Portia."

Her eyes grew wide. "I couldn't do that!"

"Sure you could. You just have to hold down one arm."

"Please don't make me, Zoe. Please, you're kidding, right?"

"Yes, honey. I'm kidding. Now, tell me why I'm kidding."

She stared at me. "You really don't understand?"

"No. Surely three or four of you can hold her down while I tickle her. She tickles me all the time; it's only fair."

"You should ask her about it," she said.

"I'm asking you."

"She'd... she would be obligated to cuff us. All of us."

"She would?"

"Uh huh. She'd be really, really mad. A wolf like me would never gang up on a dominant wolf like Portia. Maybe the other enforcers could, but there would be broken bones involved."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Well, I guess I won't suggest we throw her in the pool some time, either."

"Probably a bad idea. Wow, you don't know any of this. What has she been teaching you?" She paused. "Oh wait, I know. She's teaching you how to scream her name."

I laughed. "I can uninvite you."

"Yeah, but you won't, because I'm just so cute that you can barely stand it."

"Don't get cocky."

I was a little surprised. When I was that age, I never could have said something like that. While these kids had their own insecurities, they were a whole lot more comfortable than I had been until I was a lot older than this.

She hung out for a few more minutes after that, and then she said she had to get back to school.

Portia called late in the afternoon. "Hey," I said, my entire body growing tingly.

"Hey yourself," she said. "How has your day been?"

"Good. Ember is coming over after dinner. We're going to play games on her Wii and begin our plans for world domination."

Portia laughed.

"What? I would be a great dictator!"

She laughed again.

"And the first rule is no laughing at the dictator."

"Tell me your plans."

"Duh. We haven't made them yet. That's what tonight is about."

"Well, you can plan for your world domination, but when I get home, I think I'll demonstrate how domination works in the Fleming-Young household."

I grew quiet - and a little gooey - just thinking about what she had said.

"Are you still there? Zoe?"

"Yeah. Say it again."

"Which part. The domination part? Sure. I'll come home. And when I get there, you will be dressed in something very, very sexy."

"No, I meant the other part. The Fleming-Young part."

"We'll get to that," she said. "I will begin by kissing you. I imagine you'll make that noise you make."

"I do not make a noise."

"You certainly do. You make a little noise that sounds suspiciously like, 'Take me, oh take me'. Yes, that's exactly what it sounds like. But sometimes it's shorter, and I know you're are just saying, 'Yours'."

"Keep this up, and I won't be making any such noises for a week."

"More like... About seven hours. Then you'll be making all sorts of noises."

"Portia!"

She chuckled.

"I can't dress sexy," I added. "Ember is coming over."

"She'll be gone by the time I get there. It's a school night, after all, but on the off chance we're early, you'll be wearing a skirt and blouse."

"I am not dressing up," I said.

"Once she leaves, you will change into something much sexier. Won't you?"

"No, I will not," I said.

"Yes," she said with a light laugh. "You will."

We chatted for a few more minutes, and then I knew she had to go soon. "Portia? Thank you for calling. It's nice to hear your voice."

"It's nice to hear yours, too," she said. Her voice was soft and sweet. "You make me very happy, Zoe. I'll see you tonight."

I was just cleaning up from my own dinner when the doorbell rang. I was starting to appreciate Michaela's open door, just walk in policy. I grabbed a towel to dry my hands and hurried to the door. Ember was there with a paper shopping bag. I let her in and exchanged a hug.

"You changed clothes," she said.

I had. After hanging up with Portia, I had put on the skirt and blouse she had asked for, and under the blouse, my only black camisole. I had left enough buttons open it could peek out. If Portia got home early, I thought she would be pleased.

"Portia asked me to."

"She came home?"

"Over the phone."

"You look nice," Ember said. "I brought my Wii and the games I thought you might like."

"Why don't you get it set up," I said, gesturing to the living room. "I was just cleaning up from dinner. Did you want something to drink?"

"Sure." She dropped her bag off at the entrance to the living room and followed me back into the kitchen.

"Feel free to raid the fridge," I said. "Mi casa es su casa."

She buried her head in the fridge then said, "I think I'll have one of the beers."

"I think you won't," I said, but I knew she was teasing, or perhaps testing the waters. She emerged with a soda and asked if I wanted one.

"Sure."

So she opened that one and set it on the counter for me then dived back in for a second one.

"Did you have dinner?"

"Yep. You said after dinner." She grinned at me. "I bet that's because you didn't want wolf food in the house."

"I didn't want to cook it," I said. "Where did you have at Michaela's?"

"I didn't eat at Michaela's," she said. "I usually eat at the barracks."

"What?" I asked. "Why?"

"It's where I live. There's a kitchen, and there's always food. We rotate who cooks."

"Who is 'we'?"

"Me, the enforcers who live there, and some of the enforcer program students."

"You live in the barracks?"

"Sure," she said. "It's not that different than a college dormitory, Angel and Scarlett told us. Or sort of like the dormitories from Harry Potter, except we each have our own room."

We chatted as I finished cleaning up, and then together we headed to the living room. As she began setting up the Wii, she asked me what my favorite game was.

"Well," I said. "I guess we'll find out."

She looked over her shoulder at me. "What do you mean?"

"I've never played one of these."

"What? How can you not have played Wii?"

"I've never played any of these kinds of games. Sometimes I play solitaire on my computer."

She stared, then turned her attention back to what she was doing. She was quiet for a minute, then she said, "I brought a few easy games. We can start with DDR."

"What's DDR?"

She glanced over her shoulder, perhaps to see if I was serious. "Dance Dance Revolution," she said. "I'll teach you." She looked down. "I don't have the mat, but we can play with just the controllers."

It took her a few more minutes to set everything up and test it. "All right, you have to get up."

"Are we moving the couch closer?"

"No. Haven't you ever seen anyone play Wii? You don't sit." She pulled me to my feet and handed me something that looked like a television remote. "Slip the strap around your wrist. Just in case."

"In case what?"

"In case you drop it."

"I'm not that clumsy, Ember."

But she pointedly put the strap for the other remote around her wrist then waited for me. So I emulated her.

"Okay, now we pick a song. I'll pick a real easy one."

"I have no idea what we're doing."

"You have to dance," she said. "In time to what's going on. It's easier to show you." She played with her remote for a minute, and things on the television changed far faster than I could follow. "There," she said. "You have to do what they show you on the screen."

She pressed play, and after a little introduction, she began dancing. I stared at the screen, trying to figure out what I was supposed to do.

"Zoe, you have to dance," she said. "Come on! It's fun. Are you afraid of looking stupid?"

"Yes," I said. But I began dancing. I had no clue what I was supposed to do.

"Not like that. Here." She moved behind me then clasped my wrists and began moving me like a puppet. "See?"

"I guess."

By the end of the song, it sort of made sense. "Let's try again," I said.

It took me several more songs before I thought I had the hang of it. It was actually kind of fun. Ember and I danced side by side, and the game recorded how well we did. Her screen kept saying things like, "Perfect," and "You're totally awesome, I just love you to pieces." Okay, it didn't say that, but mine said, "What's wrong with you, old lady? Even my granny dances better than you."

Or something like that, anyway.

I began to put on a shine, so I asked for a break. Ember seemed surprised, but then I added, "I'm only a human, Ember, and I'm not young anymore."

"Oh. Right. You don't want to get all sweaty before Portia gets here. That happens after."

"Hey!" I complained.

"So, whatcha got for snacks?"

"I can whip up some tofu cakes specially designed for smartass teenage wolves."

She laughed. "I bet Portia has real food here."

"You're free to raid the fridge," I said.

"I'll get you started with my favorite game first." She fiddled with her controller, then a new game started. A game called "Endless Blue" began. She turned to me. "You'll like this, and it's a lot easier." She spent a few minutes teaching me the game, then she left me to my own.

This was a single player game, and it was like I was a scuba diver, swimming around in the ocean. There were all sorts of fish, and I got to swim with them.

It was pretty cool, and I got totally into it.

"I knew you'd like it," she said. "There were some frozen pizza rolls." She held out the plate. "Want one?"

"No, thank you," I said.

Ember stayed until ten before I reminded her it was a school night.

"I know," she said. She shut down her game and packed up. "Zoe, this was really fun."

"I thought so, too," I said.

I walked her to the door. She hesitated, then set down her bag and turned to me, moving into a hug. She held me tightly.

"Thank you," she whispered.

Out on the front steps, I stared after her as she walked away.

 **Taken, Well Taken**

It was just shy of midnight when Portia came home. I waited up for her, although it was late. I used the time to put more of my photos up on some of the photo sharing sites. It was probably a waste of my time, as the amount of cash I got that way was minimal.

Now, if I was willing to produce photos of nearly naked women, those might sell. And I was all about the objectification of women. Yeah, that was entirely I.

As soon as I heard the front door, I snapped the laptop shut and set it aside, and I was on my feet by the time Portia made it that far.

She didn't have to call out for me. I'm sure she knew where I was from scent, and she turned the corner into the living room. We stared at each other.

I wanted her.

She smiled, then looked me up and down thoroughly and smiled again. After Ember had left, I had opened the blouse most of the way, exposing more of the camisole.

"Is this look for me or for Ember?"

"For you!" I said defensively. "I was primly buttoned until two hours ago."

She grinned. "You can't always tell when I'm teasing, can you?"

"Neither can you," I replied.

She moved closer, setting her hands on my hips. Then she reeled me in, and I went to her willingly, enthusiastically. I lifted my lips and closed my eyes.

The kiss was deep and searing.

And yes, I moaned, but it didn't sound at all like "Take me". It may - and I repeat the word 'may' - have sounded a little like 'yours'.

Or maybe an awful lot like 'yours'.

When finally our mouths separated, I was thoroughly draped over her. That was something I really liked about her, the way I could let go with her.

I really, really liked the way she took care of me. It felt so good.

"I told you," she whispered.

"Take me," I whispered back. "If you're not too tired."

She didn't wait. I screeched and clung to her as she picked me up. She laughed and headed for the stairs. I giggled the entire way. But not once did I protest.

I loved when she carried me. Elisabeth had been the first lover I let pick me up, and now with Portia, I looked forward to it.

The wolves were making me into something I had never been before, and I was letting them.

No. I was encouraging it.

"Take me," I ordered again. Portia set me down gently on the bed, then crawled up after me, climbing up my body. She pressed me into the bed, kissing me deeply again.

"You obeyed me," she said when the kiss was over. "I wasn't sure you would." She fingered my camisole so I knew what she was talking about. She leaned into me and nuzzled my neck. "Good..." she nibbled my ear, then kissed her way to the other side. "... girl."

I wasn't accustomed to letting my lovers call me 'girl'. But when she said it, when she called me a good girl, it made me gooey. Everything she did made me gooey. I felt my ardor rising, and I was pleased by her expression of approval.

She captured my lips again, and it wasn't long before I moaned and squirmed under her.

One of the moans may have sounded a little like 'Take me'. No, not possibly. Although I admit another sounded like, 'Yes, oh yes'. And one may have suspiciously sounded like, 'Portia'.

She continued to kiss me, but her hands moved between us, and she found the last two buttons I hadn't released. She struggled with them. I moved my hands to help, but without even breaking the kiss, she growled, and I immediately went limp.

She released the buttons before she released my mouth, then she hovered over me. "Good girl," she said again.

I opened my eyes to look up at her.

"I am taking you shopping this weekend," she said. "We are buying more skirts and blouses." Then she began threading me out of the blouse, leaving the camisole in place. She tossed the blouse aside. "And more of these, whatever these are called."

"Camisole," I said. "You didn't know this was a camisole."

"I don't own any."

"I would like to see you in them," I said. "We can find some that fit you."

She paused, considering. "We'll see."

"You will look good," I said. "Black. Or deep red. But probably black, silky, and matching black undies. It will feel good. You could wear them under your other clothes, and you'll fell them against your skin."

She smiled, and then her hand moved up my side, sliding over the silky smooth material until she found my breast. I closed my eyes as she began to knead me. Her thumb teased my nipple, which hardened under her touch.

"Mine, Zoe," she said. "Aren't you?"

"Yes," I hissed. "I love what you do to me."

"I know you do," she said.

I tried reaching for her, but she captured my hands. "You know that's not how this is going to work." She pressed my wrists to the bed, my hands near my head. "These stay here. If they move again, I will tie them."

My eyes snapped open. "You wouldn't."

"I would, and I would enjoy it. I might even enjoy it more than your willing surrender. Do you intend to test me?"

I smiled at her. "Yes." And then I dashed my hands for her ribs, hoping to get at least a few seconds of tickling her. It was a futile attempt, and she captured my wrists easily. I giggled at her. "You don't have anything to tie them with."

"Is that what you believe?" she asked.

I tried struggling with her, but it did me no good. She moved my wrists so they were pressed to the bed near my hips, then, still holding them, she reached underneath me, pulling my arms behind my back while wrapping her arms around my waist. Then, still holding me like that, she began to climb from the bed.

"No!" I said. "Portia, no!"

I wasn't sure if my protests were real. We hadn't played any games like this. I wasn't sure if I really wanted her to stop, I wasn't sure at all.

She didn't stop. She pulled me up from the bed and threw me over her shoulder, still holding my hands behind my back. I couldn't believe she could do it.

I kicked and protested.

She carried me to the closet then transferred my hands so she could clasp both wrists in one big, strong hand. From my position over her shoulder, I couldn't see what she grabbed, but then we stepped away and returned to the bed. She popped me off her shoulder and back onto the bed, rolling me onto my stomach and pinning me there. I kicked at her, but she climbed onto the bed with me and pinned me thoroughly to the bed, then slowly, methodically tied my wrists together.

"Stop it!" I protested.

She finished what she was doing then rolled me over. Her eyes were a little wild, but she sat me up and then kneeled in front of me, her hands on my shoulders.

"Zoe?"

I struggled with my wrists then turned to look at her. "I can't believe you tied me so easily."

I could see her struggling with herself. "Do I need to stop?"

I struggled some more. She had tied me very well, and I didn't think I was making headway.

"Did you think I was bluffing?" she asked. "You challenged me. I thought it was permission."

I thought about it. "It was," I said finally. "But I don't want to lie on my arms for very long."

She smiled. "There are a few things that you don't seem to fully understand."

"I understand just fine," I retorted.

"You belong to me." She moved closer, leaning over me, well into my space. "You are mine. And you will obey me."

"Good luck with that."

She moved quickly, nearly instantly. She had me on my feet next to the bed and stripped my skirt and undies from me. Then before I could react, I was back on the bed.

And in her throat, she began to growl.

Immediately, I would have turned submissive if I could. But she didn't wait. She rolled me onto my stomach, then followed me onto the bed. She pushed me where she wanted me, using her legs to pin mine, but pulling me onto my knees, my head down and my ass in the air.

"You will obey me!" she said, still growling at the same time.

"No!"

She didn't punish me. Instead, she licked me right at the cleft of my butt cheeks. It may have been one of the most sensuous things anyone had ever done to me.

"Portia!" I screamed. I tried to squirm, but she held me tightly.

She licked me again, and a third time. I had never known I was so sensitive there. I screamed her name again.

Listening to me, it probably sounded terrible, but I felt my ardor rising, rising dramatically, and I knew she could judge my mood from my scent. And my mood was simple. I wanted her to take me.

"You will obey me," she said again. "Won't you."

"No," but it was a whisper. She licked me again.

"Yes, you will," she said. "I've only started, and I can smell your surrender already." Then she licked, but one hand slipped under the camisole and found a nipple. She pinched, and I gasped.

"Obey," she ordered. "Promise it."

I squirmed and struggled, trying to escape her, earning a slap on my bottom. I yelped, but then she licked me again, and I went insane.

Her hand left my breast and moved between my legs. She began teasing me, and she knew what she was doing.

"Do you want me to stop?"

"No!"

"Promise, or I'll stop. I'll untie you, and you can go to bed frustrated."

"No!"

"Promise, Zoe. You will obey."

Then she licked, and her fingers pressed against me, making a promise.

"You know this is our relationship. You know I am a dominant wolf. And you know you will obey."

"I'll obey," I whispered. "I'll obey!"

"Keep saying it," she said. "Keep promising." And then she was teasing me in earnest.

"I'll obey! I'll obey!"

She parted me.

"I'll obey!" I screamed.

And she entered me, and all I could think was, "I'll obey! I'll obey!"

She teased and tormented me - delicious, delicious torments - for an hour. I came three, maybe four times, each time screaming, "I'll obey!"

Finally she untied my wrists, but then she retied them in front of me. I was far too worn out - and obedient - to even think of struggling. Then she went to the closet and came back to tie my ankles as well.

She left, turning out the lights in the house before returning to me. I lay where she left me, but she pulled me under the covers and into her warm arms.

"Yours," I whispered.

"Mine," she agreed.

"Why did you do that to me?"

"It started as a reward for dressing the way I asked, but then you were feeling feisty. I thought you needed a reminder."

"I liked my reminder," I said.

"If you don't keep your promise, the next reminder won't be as fun."

"If I do keep my promise, will I get more reminders like this one?"

"Yes."

"Good."

She kept me tied all night, wrapped in her arms. I slept well, waking only occasionally. I felt the bonds each time and was reminded what we had done, what she had done to me, what I had promised. It was... intoxicating.

In the morning, I woke before Portia did. I was on my side, my head resting on her shoulder. We were both still naked, and the covers had slipped down. I got a good view of her perfect skin, her strong, perfect chest, her perfect breasts. Even relaxed in sleep, I could feel her strength.

God! I loved her.

I was still bound, hand and foot. I knew she'd left me like this as a symbolic gesture. I wasn't at all sure what it did to her to see me like this, to do this to me. I wasn't sure what it did to me, either.

I'd never been submissive with my lovers before. Oh sure, I'd experimented. Doesn't everyone? I'd been tied before, although I was more likely to do the tying. But it had never been like this.

My relationship with Portia had begun with the understanding she was an enforcer with authority over me, even when I was dating Elisabeth. And then I had reported to her while serving my sentence.

We had established certain patterns long before we had become lovers. And now Portia had told me those patterns would continue.

I would obey.

I had _agreed_ to obey.

But it had been in the moment of passion. Okay, not exactly a moment. But it had been in passion.

Thinking about that made me think about what else she had done to me. She had known exactly what to do to drive me crazy. I'd been entirely helpless to stop her; she did whatever she wanted to me, regardless of my struggles.

And oh god, it had been amazing.

There was that word again.

I could feel my ardor rising, just thinking about it. I wanted her to do it again, and again, and again.

Portia's nose twitched, and I immediately began to blush. Even I could smell the lingering scent from last night's activities, but she could smell my reaction this morning?

She began to smile. "Someone is remembering."

"I can't believe you can smell that," I whispered.

She opened her eyes and rolled her head. We stared into each other's eyes from inches away.

"You made promises to me last night," she said.

"I know. Portia-"

She lifted fingers to my lips.

"I want you to be yourself, Zoe," she said. "You are a strong, dynamic woman who speaks her mind. We are partners in what we do."

She pulled her fingers from my lips, brushing them as she did so.

I glanced down at my bound wrists, then looked back up at her. I didn't know what to say.

She caressed my cheek. "You're worried." I nodded. "Let me ask you some questions. When I call and tell you I want you to dress a certain way, is it going to bother you?"

I thought about it. I didn't have an answer.

She frowned. "You wouldn't obey such a small thing, knowing how much pleasure it would bring me?"

When she put it that way, it was easier. "I would," I said. "It's just... this is a lot to absorb."

"You're afraid I'll treat you like a puppet."

"Yes."

"Take you for granted."

"Yes."

"Hurt you."

I thought about it. "I don't know. You turned a little wild around your eyes last night."

"Are you afraid because I turned a little wild, or because you fear it was because I wanted to hurt you?"

"I don't think you wanted to hurt me, but maybe you wanted to play rougher."

"No, I don't want to play rougher. Taking you that way was as intoxicating for me as it was for you, Zoe. My own reaction surprised me. That's all."

I thought about it. "If I tell you that you are being too rough, you will stop."

"Always," she said. "Promise."

"You will never, ever hit me."

Her eyes grew wide. "Never."

"You will never intentionally hurt me."

"Never," she agreed.

I smiled. "Then you may do to me what you want, on one more condition."

"Oh?"

"I don't need to do to you the things you did to me last night," I said, "but I need to know I am free to make love to you, that it won't always be you making love to me."

"Oh darling," she said. "Of course."

"Then you may do to me what you want," I said. I smiled, wondering what I'd just agreed to. I was fairly sure I would enjoy it a great deal. Over time, I would learn I was right.

I glanced down at my bound wrists.

"Did you want me to untie you?" Portia asked.

I looked up at her and smiled. "Not quite yet. I want you to make me taste you."

So she did.

 **Movie Night**

Ember arrived first. Portia let her in while I remained in the kitchen. But I got a warm hug from the girl.

"That smells really good," she said. "What is it?"

"It's just pasta with a pesto sauce, although different from yesterday's," I said. "And I'm making garlic cheese bread to go with it. It's vegan cheese. I like it. I hope you do, too."

"And don't worry," Portia said, "I am making some meat to go with the pasta, but I have to wait until Zoe takes as much of the sauce that she wants."

Ember leaned over the pan of sauce I was making. "It smells good this way," she said. "And I like spaghetti."

"Your body needs the protein though," Portia said. "Zoe tells me she can get me protein from other sources, but my body doesn't recognize what she tries to feed me as food."

"I suppose it's like candy," Ember said. "Just because it tastes good doesn't mean it has everything we need."

"Right," Portia said.

"I-" I paused. "I should learn to cook what you need."

"No," Portia said. "You should not. I am not biologically able to agree with your moral choices, but I absolutely would never wish you to compromise them."

"But-"

"No."

She stared into my eyes until I dropped my gaze.

"Zoe," she said, "I am happy we don't fight over our food choices. You share your choices, and I enjoy some of them. And when someone teases you about it, you take it good-naturedly. But you do not try to force your beliefs on me, and while I suspect sometimes it bothers you, you don't show it."

"I wouldn't want to watch you hunt or kill something, and I don't want to see you bring it home." I still had my eyes down. "If you are ever bloody from a hunt, I hope you will wash off so I don't have to see it."

"I will," she said gently. She moved to me and lifted my chin, then kissed me.

When she released me, I could tell Ember had been watching, but she didn't say anything. She carried a small smile though.

"What?" I asked.

"I didn't say anything," she said.

"Uh, huh," I said. "You were thinking awfully loudly."

"Then you shouldn't have to ask what I was thinking," she replied. "If I was so loud."

"Portia, are all teenage wolves such smart asses?"

"Ember is exceedingly well-behaved," Portia said in defense.

"I didn't say she was ill-behaved. I suggested she's a smart ass while being well-behaved."

Portia snorted, but Ember only looked pleased, then her frown faded. "I can't tell if you're really upset or teasing me."

"Oh honey," I said. "I'm teasing."

"That's okay, then." She grinned. "I'm not afraid. You're outnumbered around here."

"Tell me about it," I muttered.

We talked and teased each other for several minutes while I continued to stir my sauce, making little adjustments. I asked them both to try it, then added a little more rosemary.

The bell rang, and a minute later, Portia returned with Monique and Cassie. They both looked very nice, and I saw they were holding hands. I got hugs from both.

"Is that what we're having?" Monique asked. "It smells good, but I'm really hungry."

"Don't worry," Portia said. "I have it covered."

"And there are things to snack on during the movie, but if you want real butter on your popcorn, you're going to have to melt it yourselves."

They helped with the garlic bread, all of them assuring me they loved garlic cheese bread. I started with making three slices, cut them in half, then passed them out.

"Is this all? Aren't you making the rest?"

"I am, but I want you to try them first."

So they each took one and declared them perfect.

I smiled and made the rest, popping them in the oven. While it was cooking, I separated out my portion of the sauce - I had made plenty, and more than enough pasta, or so I hoped, and then I turned the kitchen over to Portia.

She pulled a package from the refrigerator, and I saw it was some sort of ground meat. "What is that?"

"Venison," Monique said.

"How can you tell?"

"Smell. It's mixed with pork."

"You can tell that from the smell?"

"Sure," she replied.

I wondered if they could tell I had used vegan cheese on the cheese bread.

Ten minutes later, we were eating.

"This is really good, Zoe," Cassie said.

"What are we watching tonight?" Monique asked.

"That will be a group decision," I said. "We have to pick a category we like." I got up and retrieved the paper I had along with five pencils. I passed them out and sat down.

I'd come up with all the categories of movies I could think of, organizing them in groups. "What's the difference between a romance and a romantic comedy?"

"I suppose a romantic comedy is really a movie in both categories of romance and comedy. A romance doesn't need to be funny."

I let them read through the list and ask a few more questions. "So, we have to figure out which categories we don't like. If there's a category you hate, you may veto it. There are categories I don't tend to watch, but I wouldn't necessarily veto. I don't think movie night means a documentary, unless it's a really good one, and I don't know how I feel about horror movies."

"Wolves tend to heckle horror movies," Portia said. "It's hard to take them seriously."

"I have enough nightmares," I said. "I don't really want more. I could watch something like _An American Werewolf in London_ , but _The Shining_ is right out."

"The what?" Ember asked.

Between the five of us, we ruled out about half of the genres. I largely kept quiet; I wanted to see how the wolves worked this out. I had expected them to head straight to the action or adventure categories, but they didn't.

Ember admitted a fondness for both fantasy and science fiction movies.

"Are we watching one movie or two?" Monique asked.

"Unless it's really long, I was thinking about two," I replied.

"Maybe we should watch an action movie and a romantic comedy movie."

"I'd rather go to bed with an easy movie second," I said, "but it can be really hard to go from a serious action film to a comedy."

"We can go for a little run in between," Monique said. "On two feet. It will clear the air, and you know how you laugh when we run you around."

"All right," I said. Everyone else thought Monique's idea was great.

We finished dinner, and then the girls told us they'd clean the kitchen. "But we haven't picked a movie yet."

"I'll get my laptop and we can talk it over."

Ten minutes later, we all trundled into the living room. "We need to rearrange this room so everyone has a good seat," I said.

The kids didn't need to be told any more than that. They moved the coffee table out of the way then set the sofa so it was the perfect distance from the television. The two easy chairs were next.

I expected them to hog the sofa, but Portia pulled me there, and I curled up against her. Then the kids eschewed the easy chairs. Monique and Cassie plopped down on the floor immediately in front of Portia and me, leaning against Portia's legs. Ember grabbed the opposite end of the sofa from me.

I didn't know anything about the movie. It was a spy movie with long action sequences, a sort of visual inundation. From time to time, one of the girls asked, "Is that even possible, Portia?"

Sometimes she answered, "Yes." Most of the times it was some form of "unlikely" or "no way".

Partway through the movie, Monique grabbed the remote and hit pause. "Snacks?"

And so we all trooped back to the kitchen. I made popcorn, unbuttered, then flavored it with nooch - nutritional yeast. I didn't tell anyone what it was, but I put it out and said, "Everyone try a few pieces, then give it a little chance to decide if you like it."

"What is it?" Portia eyed it dubiously.

I took some and popped it in my mouth. "It's good, and it's healthier than butter. What have I given you that you've hated?"

So, somewhat reluctantly, they tried it. Then they tried a little more.

"May we melt some butter and add salt?" Monique asked.

"If you don't like it this way, yes." I took my bowl. "That one's for the rest of you."

"What about mine?" Portia said. "There's not enough there to share with me."

"Oh. I thought you didn't like it."

"I did," she said. "Make more."

So I did.

Portia made other things that were more wolf-friendly, and it didn't take long before we were back for the rest of the movie.

Ember stole some of my popcorn and grinned at me.

The movie ended in the usual flurry of explosions, rippling chest muscles, and male chest thumping. The wolves seemed to like it, but they also heckled it, once it was over.

Still, it was fun to have had them over to watch it.

"All right," Monique said. "A run." She grinned. "What fear factor, Zoe?"

"Oh, no," said Portia. "I heard about that."

"But-"

"We're supposed to be making Zoe laugh so she's ready for the next movie," Portia said. Then she grinned. "You'll have to scare the crap out of her another time."

Monique returned the grin. "You won't stop us?"

"I cannot promise I won't overreact if I hear her screaming," Portia said. "But all of you better be careful with her."

"All right!" Monique said. She popped to her feet, pulled Cassie up, then said, "We'll switch halfway. How long a run, Portia?"

"Ten minutes should be enough."

"Ember, get the door!" A moment later Monique and Cassie had my arms and we were out the door.

We went south this time, Portia ranging ahead of us, and Ember following along behind. We stayed to the trail, but we ran so fast, so fast.

Yes, I laughed and squealed with the joy of it.

Then Portia came to a stop. Monique and Cassie practically threw me into her arms. She caught me and, with me laughing around it, she gave me a quick kiss. "All right, Ember," Portia said. "Our turn for the trip back."

We didn't run quite as quickly; Ember wasn't as big as Cassie, and she hadn't been pulling me around as much as some of the other girls, but it was still far, far faster than I could run, and we arrived back at the house with all of us laughing.

None of the girls had ever seen a lesbian romantic comedy before. I'm not sure Portia had, either, and I didn't tell them that's what it was. I let them figure it out.

"Oh my god!" Monique finally said. "Those two are lesbians!"

I began laughing. "You finally figured it out?"

A few minutes later, Ember lay down with her head in my lap. I thought that was sweet, and I put a hand on her shoulder. She looked up at me and smiled, then went back to watching the movie.

Monique and Cassie cuddled together on the floor, leaning against the sofa and Portia's legs. And I, of course, leaned against her side. A while later, Ember captured my hand and held it, pulling it under her chin and cupping it with both hands. I spent the next several minutes looking down at her instead of watching the movie.

It was all very cozy, and I didn't want the evening to end.

But of course, it did.

"I liked that movie," Ember said over the credits.

"Me, too," agreed Cassie. She looked up at me. "Monique and I already talked. She told me what you said about dating steady. Or not going steady. But..."

"We'll figure something out. I don't want twenty people here for movie night, but we can handle a few more. I kept it small this time to get us started."

"So even if Monique doesn't invite me, I may come?"

I glanced at Portia.

"You're the social coordinator," she said.

"Yes, Cassie. Because of all the other things we do, we can't do this every week. We're all going out of town next weekend, for instance. But once or twice a month."

"Some of the other kids wanted to come," Monique said.

"The house isn't big enough for more than about one more couple," I said.

"We didn't use two chairs," Monique said, "and there's room for two more on the floor."

"We'll see," I said with a laugh.

Everyone got up. Ember disappeared into the bathroom. Monique and Cassie offered to clean up, but I insisted I had it covered. They gave us hugs, looked after Ember for a minute, then decided to head out.

Ember was waiting for that; I'm sure she was, as she appeared twenty seconds later. "Were you guys going to bed? Or were you going to watch one more?"

It was late, but I could tell she didn't want to go home. "Bed soon, but did you want to hang out for a little while?"

She nodded, so we moved back to the living room. Portia and I sat down, and then Ember curled up on the sofa again, her head back in my lap. "Is this all right?" And she captured my hand.

"Yes, Ember."

I looked over at Portia. My heart was breaking for the girl.

"You know," Portia said, "we could have a slumber party."

"We could?" Ember said immediately. "Really?"

"Sure. We'll make space right here and make little nests right on the floor. Ember, why don't you run home and get your toothbrush and pajamas."

"All right!" she said. She popped up and was out of the house seconds later.

"Thank you," I said, once the girl was gone. "My heart is breaking for her."

"I know. Zoe, I like having the young ones around, too. I don't want twenty at a time, but five or six is fine. After that, and they get a little squirrelly."

"They can get squirrelly with two."

"Yeah, but it grows exponentially."

I laughed. "I suppose it does. Do you want to make our nest while I clean up?"

"I'm going to make sure the right people know she's here tonight, too."

I moved around the room, collecting the detritus, then headed to the kitchen. A few minutes later I heard Ember return, and then I heard Portia ask her to help. I thought I heard the girl ask which side was mine.

"All right," Portia said to her. "Go brush your teeth and put your pajamas on. You can use the bathroom down here. We can all settle in and maybe tell stories for a little while, but it's late, and I've had a long day."

Ember headed for the bathroom, and I heard the door close, and then Portia entered the kitchen. She moved up beside me and grabbed the towel for drying dishes.

"You're very sweet," I said.

"Because I help with the dishes."

"That's not why, and you know it." I paused then lowered my voice. "She seems awfully well adjusted, given her background."

"I know. She was a little out of control when she got here, but the enforcers took the edges off of her."

"Who did you tell she was staying?"

"I texted Michaela. She texted back that she'd take care of it from there."

I nodded. I was starting to forget why I had been so afraid before. Michaela worried about everyone, and she watched over all of us besides.

"How did Michaela have time to spend with me when she's busying mothering half the people here?"

"She doesn't stop," Portia said. "There's not an enforcer on the compound who wouldn't trade their lives to protect her, and most of the students would be right next to us."

Then the bathroom door opened, and I hurried to finish the clean up.

Fifteen minutes later found all of us back in the living room, pajama-clad and teeth brushed. Faces were washed and bodies were ready for bed.

Portia had made up two beds, and I realized she'd used camping pads with blankets on top of them. We slipped into our beds, and then Ember moved closer to me. I lay cuddled and spooned with Portia while I stared into Ember's eyes, not that far away. Her hand slipped over and looked for mine, so I gave it to her. She smiled at me. "Thank you," she mouthed, and I nodded.

"All right," Portia said. "Story time. Everyone has to tell one embarrassing story about herself."

"Oh no," I said.

"Oh yes," she said. "We'll go youngest to oldest, so you're first, Ember."

"Do I have to?" she asked.

"Yep. But we're all going to tell one, so just remember that when we're laughing at your story, you're going to get to laugh at Zoe-the-human's story and Portia-the-enforcer's story. I bet that's worth letting us laugh at yours."

The girl laughed. "I suppose it is." She closed her eyes for a minute, then began to tell her story.

Over the next several minutes, we each told an embarrassing story, inducing chuckles and a few outright laughs.

"All right, now one of the rules is that you don't share these stories with anyone else," Portia declared. "We're all trusting each other here."

"All right, Portia," Ember said. "But does that mean we can't tease each other?"

"It doesn't mean that at all, but you can't let yourself be forced to give the story away. So be careful."

I wondered what she was doing, but I didn't ask.

"Now, we're each going to tell a happy story. This time, I'll go first, Ember second, and Zoe third." She told the story of how she'd become a member of the pack. Ember followed Portia's lead and talked about being accepted at the school.

As they knew how I had become a member, I talked about a family vacation when I was younger.

"Okay, last story, then we can talk very quietly, but it's late, and we need to sleep. Zoe is first; I'm second; Ember is third. This story is from our future."

"I don't understand," Ember said.

"Something you want to happen in your life," Portia explained. "Pick something important to you and tell the story."

I felt put on the spot, but then I thought of something that wasn't quite so personal. "I am going to start a company," I said. "Well, according to the rules of the story, I have to assume it's true, that it will happen, right?"

"Right," said Portia.

"All right. I will need help, but I am going to start a company. I'll find investors. And I'm going to build a wind farm."

"You can farm wind?" Ember asked.

"You generate electricity, like Lara and Michaela do with the generator in Bayfield." I paused. "Or I might farm sunlight instead. I'm going to find a way to make more money, and I'm going to put some of it into the farm. And I'll sell stock to attract investors. We'll take all the money and build the farm. It might start small, but we'll reinvest the earnings. Five years from now, I'll have rows and rows of solar sells. Or wind turbines. I'm not quite sure yet."

"That's cool," Ember said. "Maybe you'd let me help. I bet all those solar cells need frequent washing."

I laughed. "I'd love to have your help. Your turn, Portia."

"I have a question first. Will you let me invest?"

"You won't get any money back for a long, long time. We're going to reinvest everything we make for at least twenty years."

"That's fine. I'll consider it a long-term investment. All right. I think you both know I want to build a house. I'm going to start over. Until I moved here, I never set roots down anywhere. Growing up, Mom and I moved from army base to army base; we were never posted anywhere for more than three years, and shorter was more common. Then I joined the army, and it was even worse. After that, I took a job doing security, and then I really moved everywhere. I never had roots until I moved here. But I find myself driven to set down roots, deep roots."

She hugged me before continuing.

"I didn't know there would be a woman involved. I sort of thought I would be alone, just happy to have a job. So this house was fine. But now that I have Zoe, I want a family. I want children. Zoe and I haven't talked about it, so I don't want to get too far ahead. But I want a house. A big house. Not huge, but a good one for the kids here to come over."

"Slumber parties?" Ember asked.

"Yes. Slumber parties. So we're going to talk to the alphas this weekend, Zoe. Please, I hope that's all right."

"It is." I kissed her hand.

"We're going to pick the location. I want it in the trees a little, but close. I want a little room, if the alpha will let me have it. There are places, but she may not want houses there. If not, then anywhere is fine. I want a kitchen that's big enough to cook in together. Maybe even two stoves, and big, stainless steel vent hoods over them so if I'm cooking something Zoe can't stand, it's all right. And lots of bedrooms."

Her story made me all gooey.

"Are we going to adopt?"

"We might," she said. "But I want to see you pregnant."

"Me? Pregnant. I don't think so."

"Why not?"

"I'm too old, Portia, and if I'm too old, you're certainly too old."

"Nonsense."

"The chance of birth defects increases dramatically after forty, at least in a human. Maybe not for a wolf. You can get pregnant if you want."

"Zoe," Portia said. "If you have wolf pups, they can't have defects. You can safely have babies as long as you're healthy, until menopause, anyway."

"I can?"

"Yes."

I thought about it and grew quiet.

"All right, Ember," Portia said after a minute. "It's your turn."

"Mine is stupid."

"No judgments," Portia said. "Tell us."

"I-" she paused. "I always wanted a little brother or sister. So when you have your kids, my fantasy is that you'll let me call them my little brothers and sisters. I told you, it's stupid."

"It's not stupid," I said. "Maybe you can be their big sister, but there's a human custom. I wonder if wolves do it."

"What custom?"

"Humans have god parents. It's a religious thing. I'm not religious, and I don't think you guys are, either."

"You mean, like going to church and stuff?" Ember asked. "No."

"But you could still be like a wolf sister. Or something. I don't know what we'd call it. But we can make the rules, and if you want to be their big sister, you can. But you know, big sisters have to help."

"I'd help!" she said. "I'd even change diapers. And babysit."

"Big sisters babysit for free," Portia said.

"I don't care," the girl said. She squeezed my hands, and I could see her smile.

"Well then," Portia said. "It seems like we all have dreams, and we can help each other. Now, it's time to sleep, so I'm going to tell you both a bedtime story. Get comfortable and close your eyes.

 **Visitors**

We didn't get time to visit with the alphas over the weekend. Everything was a whirlwind, and timing didn't work out.

But Tuesday night, Portia and I were just about ready to head to bed a little early when her phone went off. She glanced at it. "Lara and Michaela want to talk to us. They want to know if now is a good time. They'll come here."

"Sure," I said.

She called Lara, spoke just a few sentences, and hung up. "I'll put on the tea."

It only took a few minutes before there was a knock at the door. I answered, finding both alphas as well as Elisabeth. They stepped in.

"We're sorry for the intrusion," Michaela said. "I didn't want to let this wait."

"Quite all right," I said. "Come in. Portia is making tea."

"Portia is done making tea," my mate said from behind me. "We can talk in the living room."

They took the sofa; Portia and I got the easy chairs. The tea was brewing, so we made small talk while we were waiting. Finally it was ready, and I poured five cups, passing them out.

"All right," Michaela said. "I'll get right to it. Ember talked to me this afternoon."

"Oh?"

"She asked for a favor. She wants to move in with you."

I turned towards Portia to see her reaction. She was watching me. Slowly she said, "The house is small, and we converted the spare bedroom into an office. Zoe needs an office. There's a room down here, but it's not a legal bedroom, and it's too small for Zoe's office."

"I explained to Ember that you were newly mated and may not be ready to have a fourteen-year-old living with you. Plus I wasn't sure about asking an enforcer to foster any of my students, and said I would have to talk to Lara." She paused. "I can tell her Lara and I weren't comfortable with it."

"No!" I blurted. I turned back to Portia, and I knew my look told her what I wanted. She studied me.

"Maybe when we build the house," she said slowly.

"If you don't want an intrusion," I said, "or if you don't like Ember-"

She interrupted me. "Zoe, you've had a turbulent several months. How many times have you had to move your office? Now you want to have no office at all?"

"I can use the basement."

"No," she said. "It's unfinished, and there's no sunlight down there."

"If you know how to build an entire house, you must know how to make a room," I said. "Could you make a room for me?"

"Well, yeah, but it will be like a dungeon. You're an artist. You can't work in a space like that."

I smiled. "Is that your only objection? If we had a bigger house, would you want her?"

"Yes. For you, if nothing else, but I think I'd like having her here. But you know: I'm not going to turn into a hermit. Wolves aren't bothered by issues of sex, and I don't have the slightest compunction about having sex, really loud sex, with a teenage girl in the house."

I thought about it. "If you make the space, it won't be a dungeon. Trust me. I'll need a little money though."

"What will you do?"

I smiled. "Trust me."

"The pack will fund the cost," Lara said. "We're talking a little drywall, a little lumber, and I presume some lighting."

"And maybe a few hundred dollars so it's not a dungeon," I said. "Portia, there's room. You don't use the basement for more than storage. There's that entire huge room, and you're not using it. We can divide it."

I looked down. "But if you don't want to share the house, I understand. And I don't know how to feed her."

"She knows how to feed herself," Michaela said. "I mentioned that, and she said she can add to the things you make. She said she'd handle meals for her and Portia."

I kept my eyes lowered and waited for Portia to decide.

"Zoe, are you sure?" Portia asked.

"If you do this, you have to stick to it," Michaela said. "I won't have her rejected again. Her mother dumped her. Then her uncle's relief at getting rid of her was palpable. I think she would have seen me as a mother figure, but when she got here, she was a handful. That's been taken care of, but I'm an authority figure, and there isn't really the basis for the sort of warmth she needs."

"She's a good kid," I said. "Isn't she? It's not an act, is it?"

"She's a good kid," Elisabeth said. "She needs guidance, but she does the right things."

I glanced up at Portia. She was watching me.

"Alpha," Portia said finally, "I'm sorry. I am willing to do a trial run. I cannot commit to a permanent arrangement until I see how this is going. I must think first of my mate, and she has been through so many changes. She is still learning what it means to be a member of a wolf pack. She is still learning what it means to be mated to a dominant wolf. She wants to do this, and I find I do as well, but it may be too much stress."

"It won't be," I said.

"I have made my decision," Portia said. "We can do a trial. If the alpha will not approve a trial, then we can revisit the question next summer when we have a larger home and you've had more time to settle in."

I looked up. "You have made your decision?" I asked.

"Yes."

I thought she was being heavy handed, but I realized that we both had to be comfortable with this. She was comfortable with a trial run. So I nodded.

"A trial," said Michaela. "Do the two of you want to sit on this?"

Portia paused, then said, "Our answer won't change."

"I suppose a trial is better than saddling you with a child if it's not working out. All right. Elisabeth, we need Ember here."

"I'll retrieve her myself."

I looked up at Portia. There were tears in my eyes. I didn't know what to say.

Elisabeth was gone about ten minutes. Portia and Lara talked about the new house, speaking in codes I didn't understand. Finally Michaela spoke up.

"If we give you as much land as you are requesting, and you build a house like you have discussed, then I presume you will also consider more fosters in your home."

"Yes," Portia said. "But we need to see how it goes with one first."

"Then you will have my blessing in the spring," Michaela said. I looked at her. She smiled. "Consider it a little extra incentive." She turned to Lara. "They may plan a location and a building, but if it doesn't work with Ember, then I presume it won't work with other fosters. In that case, a house larger than Elisabeth's is inappropriate."

"She's right, Portia," Lara said.

"I wouldn't have considered the house I'm describing, but my mate is already inviting your students into our home, Michaela. I believe it is going to grow. I agree to your stipulations. They are well considered."

A minute later, Elisabeth returned, pushing Ember in front of her. The girl looked at all of us assembled. I'm sure my expression and body language didn't help. But I looked at her, and my heart went out to her.

"Come here, Ember," I said. I stood up and held my arms open. She ran into a hug.

"We have been discussing your situation," Michaela said. "Portia and Zoe have asked if you would like to move into this home. However, I am concerned because Zoe is a new pack member, and she is still settling in. And she and Portia are newly mated. There are concerns, adult concerns we do not care to discuss with you. I want to see if the arrangement can work, and so I have approved a trial run."

I thought it was interesting she turned it around. It wasn't our hesitation; it was hers.

"A trial run? I get to live here?"

"Yes," I said.

"But I will be watching carefully," Michaela said. "And if it isn't working out, then I won't allow this to continue."

Ember heard that, but then turned back to look at me, then at Portia. "You would be like my moms?"

"Yes, honey. We would be your foster mothers," I said.

She stared, then she burst into tears and threw herself into my arms again. A moment later, Portia was there, too, and the two of us held her while she sobbed. Through it all, she said, "I'll be good! I'll help around the house and won't make any messes. I'll help cook and do anything else you need me to do."

"We'll discuss all that," Portia said. "You will obey both Zoe and me. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Portia. I'll be good. I promise."

And I knew she would be.

"They have to make a room ready for you," Michaela said. "It might be a couple of weeks before you can move in."

"Portia," I said. "We can move my things downstairs immediately. I can make it work, if you don't mind if I do my computer work in the living room."

"Alpha," said Portia immediately. "If I could presume to make use of my alpha wolf and her head enforcer, we could have Ember's new bedroom available in a jiffy."

"Of course," Michaela said. "Perhaps just this once I could walk across the compound with Ember and Zoe for protection, and we could collect the things she needs most immediately. She could recruit her friends to help her finish moving tomorrow."

"I get to move in tonight?" she asked. "Really?" And then she was crying again, and turned to Michaela for a hug, but then was back in my arms. I held her tightly.

I have no idea how anyone felt allowing Michaela to walk without an enforcer to guard her, but finally Elisabeth said, "Of course. We'll get everything ready here."

Michaela didn't wait for more permission than that. She had Ember and me out the door in seconds. Then, our arms around each other with Ember in the middle, we began walking towards the barracks.

"Ah," said Michaela. "A walk without someone hovering over me. Do you know when the last time was they gave me permission to walk anywhere without an enforcer?"

"I recall a visit to my apartment."

"Ah, but that wasn't with permission. The last time with permission was... hmm. Actually, it wasn't a good experience. I nearly got killed."

"What?" I asked.

"Vampires."

"Vampires are real, too?" I squeaked.

"Believe me, I was just as surprised," she said. "Vampires and fae-"

"Fae?"

"Elves."

"Elves?" I squeaked. "Really? Do you know any? Could I meet them? Do they have pointy ears?"

Michaela laughed. "I know only one. She lives in New Orleans. If an opportunity presents itself, I will happily introduce you. She looked quite human the times I have seen her, but I understand she is able to alter her appearance, so it may be her birth form has pointed ears. I never asked."

"What else exists?"

"Witches. There are several minor witches living in Wisconsin. Their abilities are somewhat limited. There is one major witch who moved to Madison about five years ago. She leaves us alone; we leave her alone. I've never met her, although Elisabeth paid a visit to her shortly after we knew of her, just a sort of 'Welcome to Wisconsin, don't do anything to threaten the pack' visit."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Oh, and there are other types of shape shifters. The wolves and I are the only major predators living in Wisconsin, but there's a family of were beavers-"

"Beavers?"

She laughed. "Yes. There are also a few different types of were cats in the world, but none in Wisconsin. Wolves are by far the most common were, but were pumas are far more common than foxes. There are also tigers and jaguars. Oh, and were bears."

"Bears? Really?"

"They are uncommon."

"Ghosts? Ghouls?"

"If so, I don't know of them," Michaela said.

By then, we had reached the barracks. I hesitated at the door; I didn't care for this building. But for Ember's sake, I finally followed the two of them inside.

"Are you all right?" Michaela asked me quietly as we followed Ember up the stairs.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

The building wasn't like a barracks you see in the movies. It was more like an apartment building, although the center corridor was open to the second floor. There were doors on either side. About half of them had some sort of sign on them indicating what they were for. I saw two bathrooms, one for each gender, and signs with various names on them.

"Someone is going to be happy when you build your new home," Michaela said. "Your current home is a good starter home."

"I don't quite understand."

"One of the enforcers, or perhaps a couple together, will buy it. There is a waiting list."

"I still don't understand. If they have the money, and there is the space, and people want them, why not build them? Is it an environmental thing?"

"No. But building a house is a lot of work and takes a great deal of commitment. The enforcers have been overworked. They haven't had the time to build anything, and some of them don't have that vision. But Lara and I agree we aren't going to build tract houses. We want the homes to have meaning, which means you build them yourselves."

It didn't entirely make sense to me, but there was so much that I didn't understand, so I let it go.

We reached Ember's room. She opened it and stepped inside.

I suddenly realized there were things I didn't know about her. Like, for instance, was she a slob? I stepped into her room and was pleased to see it was as neat as a pin. It was small, and she didn't have much. But what she had was well taken care of.

"I'm pleased to see you aren't a slob, Ember."

She colored. "I was. Elisabeth had a chat with me. I get in trouble if anything is out of place."

"You will be following the same rule in your new home, won't you?" Michaela said.

"Yes, Alpha," the girl said, lowering her eyes.

"We have weekly inspections," Michaela said to me. "And occasional surprise inspections. Any enforcer can pop in at any time and take a quick peek."

"And they do," Ember said. She looked at me. "I like my room neat, but I can be impatient about it."

Michaela leaned to me and whispered, "She just asked you to stay on top of her about this." I nodded. I had understood.

"All right," Michaela said. "Tonight we'll take what you need most immediately: pajamas and toiletries, clothes for school tomorrow, and your school work. And your pillow. Tomorrow after school you can get everything else."

"And Lester," she said.

"Who is Lester?"

She moved to her bed and picked up a stuffed bear from the bed. She held him in her arms for a minute then moved to me. She turned the bear around. "This is Lester. It's the only thing I have from when I was young."

She held the bear out, and I took him reverently, then held him up at face level and said, "I am pleased to meet you, Lester." He looked quite the worse for wear, but I didn't comment on that. I looked past him at Ember. "Does Lester like being hugged?"

"He loves being hugged," she said.

And so I hugged the bear. Ember moved closer to me and put a hand on the bear.

"I know it's just a stupid stuffed animal, and he's really old. He wasn't new when Mom gave him to me. He used to be hers. He smells, just a little, mostly of me. I used to be able to smell Mom in him, too, but not for a long time. I'd wash him, but I'm so afraid he'll fall to pieces if I do."

I thought she was likely quite right. I kissed the bear on the nose and held him out to her, but Ember said, "Do you think you could hold him for me?"

Michaela put her hand on my back, and so I brought the bear back into a hug and rubbed my cheek along his fur a couple of times. Ember smiled.

I nearly cried right there. She wanted the bear to smell like me.

"All right," Michaela said. "You shouldn't need much. Pajamas and clothes for tomorrow."

The girl set those on the bed then took her pillow from it's place at the end of the bed and set it next to the clothes.

"Your school work."

She spent a couple of minutes putting things into a backpack. That went onto the bed as well.

"Toothbrush and other toiletries."

"I have a basket," she said. There was a bookcase, and there was a small wicker basket. That moved to the bed.

"Computer?" I asked.

She shook her head. "I use the ones at the school. I've been saving my money for one." She did a small circle of the room. Then she straightened the bedding over the place where her pillow had been. "I think this is all I need tonight."

"I agree," said Michaela.

Ember pulled her school bag onto her back. She picked up the pillow, hugged it for a minute, then asked if I'd carry it. I opened an arm, and she stuffed the pillow into place so I could hug Lester and the pillow both. More of my scent.

"How should I carry my clothes?" she asked.

"You can do what I do for a camping trip," I said. "I roll them up into a log."

"Oh. I can do that." It took her a minute until she was satisfied, then she stuffed the log under her arm. Michaela stepped forward and picked up the basket, and we had everything she needed.

"Oh good," Portia said. "Ember, come along. We need to know where you want the furniture." She grabbed the girl and pulled her upstairs, the rest of us trooping up afterwards, but Michaela stepped in front of me and blocked my path.

"Do you understand?" she gestured to Lester and the pillow.

"My scent."

"You're human. Her mother was human. Do you understand what's going on?"

I nodded. "Should I discourage it?"

"If she isn't welcome to stay, then yes. Otherwise, you have to decide how you feel about it." She paused. "You almost cried back there, didn't you?"

I nodded.

"Sadness for her?"

"No."

"Be careful, Zoe. She's a werewolf teenager. You have no idea what you're getting into."

"She's a very good kid," I said.

"Yes, she is. But she needs discipline. That is the nature of wolves. They either rule the roost or are ruled. You're seeing that in your relationship with Portia. If Ember were more dominant, I wouldn't allow this, not until you had been here a lot longer. She would walk all over you."

"She won't walk over me," I said. "I know I turn submissive to Portia. And you. But to a 14-year-old? I don't think so."

"Good." She glanced at the pillow, then took it from me, turned it around, and gave it back to me. "Hold both of those tightly until she takes them from you. She'll know when you've spread enough of your scent."

I nodded.

When we made it to the guest room - now Ember's room - Lara and Elisabeth were just making the last of the adjustments Ember had requested. Michaela smirked, watching the pack alpha accept directions from a pack mate. But they finished, and Lara pulled the girl into her arms, hugging her tightly.

"Thank you, Alpha," Ember said.

"You are welcome, Ember," Lara said. "Is everything good?"

"Everything is perfect."

I noticed my photos were still hanging on the walls.

"We should take these down so Ember can put her own things on the walls," I said with a gesture.

"No!" she said. Then she lowered her eyes. "Um. I mean."

"Would you like them to stay here for now?"

"Yes."

"All right. For now. I'll want some of them for my new office downstairs." I paused. "Alphas, is there any way I can get prints of some of my favorite wolves in their fur? I would prefer to use my normal printer. I want them much bigger than the pack printer is able to do."

"You aren't going to sell them, are you?" Lara asked.

"No. Michaela hasn't told me I have to stop asking, but I wouldn't do that without permission."

"And they will look like wolves? You won't have them sitting on the sofa or something like that?"

"Out in the woods."

Lara and Michaela communed with their eyes, then Michaela said, "Yes, but I must approve the images."

I smiled. "Would there be any way the two of you would allow me to take photos of you in your fur."

Michaela laughed. "Still hoping for that photo shoot session, are you? I will allow these photos on my memory card, and we will pick the ones you may use. I keep the rest."

"Agreed," I said immediately. "Thank you! As long as I'm asking..."

"Yes?" Michaela said, her eyes narrowing.

"I know I can't send to a human printer an image of a fox and a wolf playing together, but I wonder if I could use an image of a mother wolf with her two pups."

Lara scoffed.

"Yes," Michaela said. "On one condition. There will be two prints coming from that selection. I want one for my office."

I smiled. "Thank you."

Ember found a place for her backpack, put away her clothes, and took her toiletries basket from Michaela. She didn't take her pillow or Lester from me.

"Well," Michaela said. "I believe everything here is handled. Zoe, I'll email you a copy of the house rules we use in our house. You can use them as a start and make adjustments as appropriate here."

Ember eyed me, then she took the pillow and set it in place, but she said, "You can hold Lester for a while longer, if you want to."

"I like Lester," I said. I pulled him tightly into my arms.

Everyone descended the stairs. Ember hugged Michaela, Lara and Elisabeth in turn, thanking them several times each. Once the door closed behind them, Portia said, "Let's move to the living room and talk for a few minutes. Then I believe it is past someone's bedtime."

"Yes, Portia," Ember said.

Portia led the way. She gestured for Ember to take one of the easy chairs, then she and I sat on the sofa.

"Who is this?" Portia asked, gesturing at the bear.

"This is Lester," I said. "Ember has had him a long time." I held him up for Portia to see.

"Lester needs a bath," Portia declared. Ember tightened, but she didn't say anything.

"Lester wouldn't survive a bath," I said. I gave him a sniff. He didn't smell bad to me.

Portia frowned.

"Lester once belonged to Ember's mother," I added.

Portia nodded. "Of course," she said.

I pulled the bear back into my arms, and Ember smiled.

"Ember," Portia said. "We want to officially welcome you into our home. This is now your home, too."

The girl grinned.

"I am going to say a few things. They are going to sound harsh. I am being clear so there are no misunderstandings later."

"Portia..." I said.

"No, Zoe. This is a wolf thing. Ember understands."

The girl nodded.

"Zoe is submissive to me, Ember. She is not submissive to you. She is a human, smaller and weaker than you are, but you will offer her the same respect you offer me. That is the only way this is going to work. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Portia." The girl lowered her eyes.

"I know you're a good girl," Portia said. "What I don't know is how much of your behavior is because you've had the enforcers looking over your shoulder constantly. Moving in here is no excuse for you to let loose."

"Of course not, Portia," Ember said. "I understand. I-" She looked up. "I know what you're saying."

"All right. Good."

"We've already talked about keeping her room neat," I said. "She has asked us to stay on top of her about that."

"Military barracks neat?" Portia asked.

"Do you require it that neat?" I asked her.

"No."

I looked at the girl. "You will make your bed every morning. You will do your bedding weekly, or more often if necessary. We have spare sheets, so you can strip your bed, make it with fresh sheets, and then wash the old ones."

"Yes, Zoe."

"Homework and a neat room come before play," I said. "Also, I do not want you running off to school with your room a mess. It does not need to be perfect, but it shouldn't be embarrassing, and you will return it to perfection when you come home."

She nodded.

I turned to Portia. "Friends over?"

"This is a small house," Portia said. "You may have friends over, but this isn't party central. Small groups. For now, no more than four teenagers in the house at a time, and that may be a little cozy."

We talked about curfew and a few other things. Finally Portia said, "You and Zoe will formalize all this over the next few days." Ember nodded. Then Portia said, "Now, neither of us has ever done this before. We might make mistakes. We may not know what you need. You're going to have to tell us. Can you think of anything? Questions? Requests?"

"Portia," I said, "she currently uses the computers at school."

"I will create an account for her on my computer," Portia replied.

"Really?"

"Yes. Do not install any software without permission."

"I won't."

"And don't fill the hard disk. If that becomes a problem, we'll add a drive just for you."

"Really?" She seemed more surprised.

"Yes."

"All right. Questions or requests?"

She looked down, not saying anything.

"That looks like a question you should ask, but aren't," Portia said.

"I know I'm too old for this," she said.

"Just ask, Ember," I said.

"At night, could one of you tuck me in?"

"Oh honey," I said. "Of course. We'd love to tuck you in."

She looked up. "You're like, um, my foster parents now?"

I looked at Portia, but she left it to me to answer. "I guess we are."

"What do I call you?"

"I think," said Portia, "that for now, you will stick to our names. If this works out, then we should have a ceremony."

"A ceremony?"

"Yes," Portia said. "And then we may discuss other names you might want to use."

"Okay," Ember said.

"All right," Portia said. "We'll all figure this out as we go. Go get ready for bed. Do I need to remind you what that means?"

"I already brushed my teeth," she said. "I just need to put on my pajamas."

"All right. One of us will be up in five minutes to tuck you in."

"And maybe cuddle for a few minutes?" she asked hopefully.

"And perhaps a few minutes of cuddling," Portia agreed. "Go on now."

The girl stood, then moved to me and held her hands out. I handed her the bear, and she turned away. But then she turned back and practically flew at us, wedging herself between us for a three-way hug.

We held her for a minute, then Portia said, in the gentle way she had, "We're happy to have you here, Ember. Go on now."

She tightened her hold for a moment, then she pushed away and, with a backwards glance, she was gone.

Portia waited a moment, then she said very quietly, "This is going to be interesting."

"She needs us."

"She does," Portia said. "She's trying to turn you into her mother. She doesn't know what to do about me."

"You'll be her mother, too."

"You can't leave the discipline to me, Zoe."

"I won't."

We cuddled together. "Thank you," I whispered.

"Don't thank me. I want this, too. I couldn't take any of the girls in before. I'm not here enough to watch over them. You're taking on a great deal."

"Do you think it's going to work?"

"Yes, but you will need to be firm. She'll be on her best behavior for a week, then she'll start testing boundaries."

"She wouldn't."

"She's a teenage wolf. Yes, Zoe, she will. You will have to nip it in the bud the instant it happens. It will probably start with her room or leaving things around the house. But it might be testing her curfew nights I'm not here or giving you some attitude. You will need to be firm. I won't see it when it starts, because she won't try it in front of me, but if it gets to the point I start to notice it, she's out of here."

"What?"

"If it gets that far, it means she's reversed the dominance order with you, and you'll never get it back, Zoe. Am I clear?"

"You're clear," I said. "I'll be firm with her. But I don't think it's going to be a problem."

"We'll see. Zoe, you've seen how Michaela is. She states what she expects, and she acts like she's going to get it. And she does. You could learn a lot from her. You can't emulate me, but you could try emulating her."

I nodded.

"I think we should tuck her in together, the nights you're here," I suggested.

"She wanted that cuddle from you."

"She's going to get it from both of us. And I want you to hug the bear, too. How badly does it stink?"

"It's not that bad," she said. "It's fine."

And so, we both stood, and arm in arm, we ascended the stairs. Ember's door was open, and she was wearing her pajamas and sitting on her bed when we arrived in the doorway. She looked up and smiled.

"All set?"

She nodded.

"Climb on into bed," Portia said. We waited at the doorway for Ember to slip under her covers. Then she flipped the lights off, leaving the light from the hallway for navigation.

Together, we moved to the side of her bed. Portia moved around to the other side, and the girl beamed when we both climbed in with her making a little Ember sandwich in the middle. Portia and I both slipped an arm behind her head and then held her as she lay on her back between us.

"Ember, We're very pleased to have you join our family," Portia said.

"Your family?" she asked. "I'm joining your family?"

"It's now our family," I said. "Portia, Zoe, and Ember."

At that, she started to cry softly. Portia and I held her, murmuring softly. "I'm sorry," she muttered.

But Portia said, "I never thought I'd have something like this, Ember. We have work in front of us, to make sure this stays good. I think you understand."

She nodded.

"Thank you," she whispered.

I kissed one salty cheek, and a moment later, Portia kissed the other side. The girl clutched our arms to her.

We lay together for a long time.

"It's time for you to sleep," I said eventually. "It's a school night."

She nodded. I really, really didn't want to leave her, but it was best. Portia and I slipped from her bed, then I said, "But we have to tuck her in."

"We did that."

"Oh please, she's not remotely tucked." I bent down and tugged the sheets tightly, pinching them in place between the mattress and box spring. "If she can escape, it's not at all done properly."

Ember giggled. Portia clearly didn't understand, but she tucked her side in the same way I did mine.

"Tighter," Ember said, and so we both tugged the covers as tightly as we could until they were good and taut. Ember giggled again.

"May I have Lester now? He's sitting on the desk."

"You may have him if you ask properly," Portia said. "You should say, 'He is sitting on _my_ desk'."

"It's my desk?"

"Of course it is."

"May I have Lester now, please?" she said. "He is sitting on my desk."

Portia stepped over and picked up the bear. She moved to my side of Ember's bed, still holding the bear. "Do you mind if I hug him first? He seems like a sweet bear."

"I don't mind," she said. And so Portia held the bear very tightly, just for a few seconds. And then she slipped the bear into bed with the girl, tucking him in next to her.

"Thank you," she murmured.

"Good night, Ember," Portia said. She leaned over and delivered a kiss to the girl's forehead. I stepped into place and delivered one as well.

"Good night, Zoe and Portia," she replied softly.

 **Winter**

We spent Christmas in Bayfield. All the families living on the compound were there. Not all the kids came, their families electing for one reason or another to stay in Madison. Monique was not there, which was a disappointment for more people that just me.

She'd been dating heavily. Cassie seemed to be her movie night date more often than anyone else, but she was also seen with several of the other girls and even a couple of the guys. While she admitted to me the thought the girls were more fun, she wasn't limiting her choices. Maybe she just hadn't met the right guy yet.

Ember enjoyed her dates with Monique. True to my recommendation, Monique was cycling through many of the students, rarely bringing the same date two weeks in a row. They also had homework dates and going running dates and photography dates. Ember wasn't dating anywhere near as often, and when she asked permission to go out on a date, Monique's name came up the most often. But she'd also gone out with a few others, both boys and girls, and she'd said she'd had a nice time after each.

Of the girls, Cassie, Iris, Evangeline, and, of course, Kaylee and Ember were there for Christmas. The guys were Layton, Cornelius, and both of the enforcer students, Shelton and Nash.

Michaela, as always, organized everything, and she made an effort to ensure I was welcome to enjoy all the activities. My performance cross-country skiing was laughable, so after the first day, I begged off from that. And, of course, I didn't ice fish.

Christmas morning came. All the families gathered in the lodge, each making their own little space, separated from each other. We had a place near the windows, and we sat and watched the gently falling snow.

It was a beautiful day for Christmas.

There wasn't a Christmas tree. Instead, there was a sculpture placed to one side of the fireplace, and there had been a growing pile of presents placed around the sculpture. Michaela drafted Angel and Scarlett to organize the dispersal of the presents, and they in turn drafted all of the kids. Angel and Scarlett went through the presents, finding the tags, and then handing them to one of the kids with directions for what to do with them. And so, piled near Portia and me, were the presents I'd bought for my family as well as two presents each for Portia and me from Ember. I didn't see anything for me from Portia, which puzzled me. If she forgot me, she was going to hear about it.

Most of the presents were passed out; there was a lingering pile near the sculpture, which I would learn were from the alphas.

Ember joined Portia and me, sitting on the floor and wedging herself between my legs and Portia's. She'd been doing that for months, even when there were other places to sit. She leaned against each of us for a moment, then she realized she couldn't watch us that way, so she shifted around.

"Moms," she said. "Open the ones from me first!" She passed two beautifully wrapped boxes to each of us.

"We'll each open one first," Portia declared. "Then it is your turn."

"Yes, Mom. The big ones first then."

We'd had our ceremony on Thanksgiving Day. Portia had originally planned a three-month trial, but she'd caught me managing Ember one day, saw the girl accept my dominance in the house, and decided there was no reason to wait.

Ember started calling us "Mom" or sometimes "Zoe Mom" and "Portia Mom". For the next few weeks, I had teared up every time she did it.

"You first," Portia said to me.

"In my family, we had a tradition," I said. "The giver would say something about why she had picked out a particular present. We wouldn't do it for every gift, but we'd do it for some of them." I picked up the larger box. I was pretty sure it was clothing; I was also pretty sure I would love it. Portia had taken to inviting Ember when we went clothes shopping for me, and the girl had shown very good taste.

"What am I supposed to say?" Ember asked.

"Anything. You can give a hint. You can be enigmatic."

"What does that mean?"

"Cryptic," I clarified.

She smiled. "You don't have your own fur."

I frowned. If she had gotten me fur, I didn't think I could be gracious, as much as I might try, and I would certainly never wear it. But the girl was smiling, and she knew my limitations.

I opened it with a certain amount of trepidation. Lifting the cover, I caught a hint of hunter green hiding behind tissue paper. I set the box aside and pulled out the garment.

It was a big, soft, fluffy sweater, and at least a size too big.

"I got it extra big because then you kind of snuggle in it," she said. "It's a little like snuggling with Portia. And it's not wool. I know it's weird, but it's bamboo and cotton, and it's from a place that says they use environmentally conscious bamboo sources. No panda bears lost their habitat for this sweater."

I stared at her. "Oh honey, I love it!"

I pulled off the sweater I was wearing, made sure there weren't any tags to poke me, and pulled on the new one. She was right. It was very cuddly to wear, and I knew it would be warm besides.

"You look cute," Portia said with a smile. "Good gift, Ember." She reached over and high-fived the girl.

Ember grinned in pleasure. "I was sure you would like it."

I thought perhaps she wasn't so sure, but she should have been. It was perfect.

"Now yours, Portia!" She paused. "Karen helped me pick this, and it's for Zoe as much as for you."

That left Portia puzzled. When she opened it, she found a blouse and with it, a camisole. Portia didn't have any. "You like when Zoe dresses like that, and I thought she'd like it if you did. Karen went with me, and she looked really good, so I thought you would, too."

I smiled. Portia looked a little unsure, but then she smiled. "I never buy myself clothes like this because I've just never thought of it. Thank you, Ember. It's perfect. I'll put it on later."

Ember's pile of presents was huge. Most of them were clothes, and I made her open those first. She expressed pleasure with each gift.

I hadn't known what to get Portia. Eventually I had written a lengthy letter telling her what she meant to me, and then I had bought a new coat for her. Her old one had been getting ratty. I didn't think the coat was very romantic, but I thought the letter might make up for it. She found the letter first, but I told her to read it later. She said she loved the coat, and she held it tightly to herself for a while, so I thought perhaps she did.

Then Ember insisted we open our other present from hers. "You should open them at the same time," she said. "Monique helped me."

She had given us framed pictures. Mine was of her and Portia playing together in fur. Portia's was of Ember and Monique taking me for a run. We were all clearly laughing. "We had Cassie wait for us," Ember said, "to take the picture."

Portia stared at the photo and then leaned over and kissed Ember on the top of her head.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mom," Ember said, pleased with the reaction to the gifts.

A short while later, we got down to Ember's last gift. I had packaged everything together, carefully boxed for protection, and I had marked it, "fragile" besides.

Ember picked it up. "It's heavy."

"A little," I said. "You can handle it." I paused. "This is for together time with your mom."

She offered a puzzled expression.

Portia offered me a quizzical look. I hadn't told her I was doing this, so she had no idea what was in the box.

Ember opened it carefully, pulling out the bag. She studied it. "Is it a backpack?"

"Not exactly. There are different configurations of the straps, so you can carry it over your shoulder or as a fanny or tummy pack."

"Fanny pack? It would look like a caboose!"

"It would," I agreed. "The bag isn't empty, Ember."

She eyed it. "There are so many zippers."

I leaned forward and touched one of the zippers. "This one. Don't dump the contents out when you open it."

She unzipped the bag carefully, and then she stared, and stared, and stared. Then she looked up at me. "Is this..."

I nodded.

"For me?"

I nodded.

She began squealing. "It's a camera! It's a camera!" She pulled it out. "It's the same one as Portia Mom's!"

She already knew how to use it. She pulled off the lens cap, flipped it on, and pointed it at me, snapping several pictures. Portia was next. Then she reviewed them on the screen.

"There are two lenses," I said. "A couple of filters and a spare battery. We don't do a lot of tripod work, so for that portion of my class, you may borrow one of mine."

"I-" She paused. "I didn't sign up for your class."

"Your mother signed you up for you," I said with a smile. "I hope that's okay."

"Yes!" she said. "Thank you, Zoe Mom!" From her knees, she delivered a crushing hug. "Thank you, Portia Mom!" Another crushing hug.

She poked through the bag, taking mental inventory, clearly quite pleased. She turned to me. "Can we go take photos later?"

"I think that would be lovely," I said. "And I think I see a few more students with new cameras, so I suspect I'm going to be asked to give an impromptu class. I hope you don't mind sharing me."

She sighed dramatically. "If I have to..."

She played with the camera for another minute, then she turned back to us. "Portia, where's your present for Zoe Mom?"

"She gets to see it last," Portia said.

"This is last," Ember said.

"Not quite." She gestured with her nose. Michaela and Lara were making a tour of the room, passing out presents. "Why don't you go see what Cassie got, then come back when the alphas get to us."

The girl scampered off in search of her friend. I turned to Portia. "I hope you don't mind. I paid for it myself. I didn't ask you."

"It's an excellent present," she said. "She could have borrowed mine."

"You know how you once told me you decide to act as if things will turn out the way you want?" She nodded. "Well, I decided she is going to enjoy photography, and I planned accordingly. If she borrows yours, she always has to ask. If she has her own, she doesn't."

Portia nodded.

"So, my present is a secret, hmm?"

"Yep."

"Where is it?" I asked. "Am I supposed to find it?" I moved towards her, climbing up her body. We kissed, and I began patting her down, but she immediately captured my fingers.

"Behave."

"I want my present," I said.

"You will wait," she said.

I put on a mock pout, but she pulled me to her and nipped my pouting lip.

"Hey!" I complained. Then I smiled. "You have to wait for that kind of behavior."

She laughed then pulled me around so we were cuddled together. "Happy?" she asked into my ear.

I nodded. "You're going to look great in that blouse and camisole."

It was another fifteen minutes until Michaela and Lara made their way to us, and it felt like they brought half the pack with them. I had small presents for each of them, and we did exchanges. I had presents for the pups, too, but they had already opened them. Portia and I received our thanks for the kids, and everyone expressed appreciation for her gift.

"Well," Michaela said. "Portia, is that the coat Zoe gave you?"

"Yes," Portia said. "I love it."

"Zoe, what did Portia give you?"

"I don't know," I said. "She's holding out on me. I think she forgot it at home." I didn't, but I was teasing.

"I didn't forget it at home," Portia said. She sat me back on the sofa, then moved to kneel in front of me. Lara moved behind her, and I saw her slip something into Portia's hand, but I didn't get to see what it was.

But you could have heard a pin drop.

"Zoe Everest Young," Portia said. Then she pulled her hand from behind her back and opened a black ring box. "We have only known each other for six months, and in the human way of doing things, this is far too soon. But we are mated, I love you with my entire heart, and I do not want to wait. Zoe Everest Young, will you marry me and be my wife?"

I stared at her.

No one said a word.

Michaela was standing behind me, and eventually she reached forward and nudged my shoulder. I glanced backwards at her for a moment, then back to Portia, waiting patiently with the ring held up to me.

I couldn't think. Well, I could partially think. I wanted my words to be elegant, the words we would remember forever. But I couldn't think. I thought she might ask me eventually, but I had never given a thought to how I would answer her.

And so, simply, all I could think of was, "Yes."

I didn't realize until later that I had started crying the moment she fell to her knees in front of me.

While the wolves cheered and howled around us, Portia took the ring from the box and slipped it over my finger. Then she leaned up and kissed me deeply, then kissed my salty eyes.

I threw myself into her arms and held tightly.

"When?" I asked.

"I want our wedding night to be the first night in our new home," she said. "Do you mind waiting that long?"

"No."

I did, indeed, get drafted to teach impromptu photography classes. All the kids wanted to know how to use their new cameras, and a number of parents were also interested. Michaela had her own equipment and she knew perfectly well how to use it, but she and Lara attended the classes with us.

"Zoe," Michaela said near the end of the first class. "I believe perhaps we should discuss evening adult classes."

I laughed. "Do you think I could get through the first term with the kids before we expand the program that hasn't even started yet."

"It looks to me like it has started out just fine," she countered. "Wednesday nights work for me."

I laughed. "And do I get paid?"

"Of course."

"When do I start?"

"I believe we can give you a short time to get used to it. So rather than the first Tuesday in January, perhaps the second one is a good start."

I sighed. "Yes, Alpha." But secretly, I was pleased, and I think she knew it.

"Mom?"

I tingled. Every time, I tingled.

I turned to the office doorway. Ember was standing there.

"I was wondering if there was a time we could go over the pictures I took?" She was holding her camera's SD card.

"Of course, honey. Come on in."

She stepped into the room and looked around. "When I asked Michaela if I could live with you, I didn't think about where you would work."

"Portia Mom made a good space for me."

She had, too. It was roomy, and while it was a dark basement, there was a full eight feet to the suspended ceiling over my head. We both had desks, and there was a table set up for framing. There was even a sofa.

Once Portia had made the space, I had done my part. A foot from the ceiling, I had mounted a wooden, well, not quite a frame. It was like a T sitting on its side, the base of the T mounted securely to the wall and the top of the T pointed into the room. Inside the T, out of sight behind the arms, were LED rope lights. I could light the lights in different configurations to control the brightness of the room. The result was indirect lighting that bounced off the ceiling, giving the entire room a warm glow. It wasn't daylight, but it was inviting and lovely.

And around all the walls hung my photos printed on large, life-size canvas. I had Portia in fur on one and Ember on another. The alphas and their pups took up one wall. And I had a nature triptych on another.

The end result pleased me to no end, and I'd never had so much space. I loved it. Portia didn't use a home office the way I did, but from time to time, we shared the room. And if I was working when Ember needed to study, she tended to study at Portia's desk.

I loved the quiet company.

Ember and I moved to Portia's computer. I let Ember drive. She loaded the pictures from the SD card, and after a few minutes, we were going through them together.

"You have a good eye," I told her.

"What do you think of this one?" she asked. It was Portia and I standing together outside. She was wearing her new coat and had just kissed me. My hand was on her cheek, my new ring obvious. Our love was just as obvious as we gazed at each other.

I hadn't known she had taken it. Those were usually the best.

"This is good, honey," I said.

"Good enough to print?"

"Definitely."

"Would you, you know, fix it for me first?"

"Fix it."

"Photoshop it."

"Ah. There isn't much to do."

I brought it into Photoshop then looked at it. She had framed it well, but I recropped it just slightly. I played with the color balance just a little and then - vainly - fixed a few blemishes in my skin.

"I wish you wouldn't," Ember said quietly.

"It looks better this way."

"It looks like you the other way. You're beautiful, Mom. Please don't make it artificial."

So I undid that change.

"Thank you."

I did make a few more tweaks, which she allowed.

"Now what?" she asked when I was done.

"Now we ship it to the printer, and we pick it up on Friday."

She laid her head on my shoulder. "I love you, Mom."

"I love you too, Ember."

 **Part Two**

 **Friendships**

Shortly after returning from Bayfield, Michaela stopped by the house, her security detail remaining outside. I found it amusing that her security detail was half filled by my mate and the owner of the house.

I offered Michaela tea, which she declined, and she said, "I'm just here for a few minutes. I want you to come to lunch with me on Sunday."

"All right. That sounds like fun. Who else is coming?"

"Michele and Hadley," she replied. "No spouses."

"Well, except mine will be on security."

She smiled. "Then she's an enforcer, not your mate."

We met Michele and Hadley at The Green Room. We had a lovely meal. There didn't appear to be any sort of agenda. We did the things friends do when they get together. We had lunch, we drank a modest amount of alcohol, and we talked about our weeks. Michele asked me how it was being a mom, and I talked about it for the next ten minutes while they all smiled at me.

"I'm sorry," I said eventually. "Um."

"So it's going well," Hadley said. "Good. Michaela became an instant mother in a fashion not all that different from how you did. She made several phone calls to me the first day, half in a panic with questions." She smiled at Michaela.

"Really?"

"Yes. It was cute. I had been incredibly rude to her just a few days previously, and I was quite unsure about trusting my daughter to her. My concerns proved to be unfounded, and my daughter had the best experience I could possibly have given to her."

"I wish I could take them all in," Michaela said. "But Zoe and Portia are a far better fit for Ember, and beginning next year, I hope they take in one or two more of our new students."

"But no pressure?"

"Of course not," Michaela said. "Would I pressure you?"

"Yes," all three of us replied.

Michaela hung her head. "I'm shocked you would say such a thing."

"You prefer we lie to you, Alpha?" Hadley asked. "That would make such a poor policy, don't you think?"

"Speaking of your daughter," Michaela asked. "How is Ava?"

"She met a boy, she tells me."

"In Boston?" Hadley nodded. Michaela sighed. "And here I hoped she would return to us."

"Have no fears," Hadley said. "You must know that Ava is the dominant one in that relationship. She assures me they'll be moving here, if he has permission to join our pack."

"Well, that's all right then," Michaela replied.

"So," said Hadley. "I heard you received a lovely proposal."

"I did," I said, grinning. I flashed my ring, receiving proper oohs and ahs.

"Rings aren't a wolf custom," Hadley said. "She did this in deference to your race."

"I-" I paused. "I didn't know that. She didn't have to do that."

"She wanted to," Michaela explained. "She thought perhaps the symbol would be important to you."

"What is the wolf custom?"

"Marriage and a ceremony, but there is no exchange of this nature," Hadley explained. "But then, mated wolves share a scent, and I suppose in a way, that is a more enduring mark than jewelry."

"Can you tell I am mated from my scent?"

She nodded. "For you, it would wear off, but she refreshes the scent. You really carry her mated scent, and technically, anyone she handled as closely as she handles you would carry the same scent. But of course, she doesn't treat anyone else so intimately."

"What about Ember? They hug, and I've seen Ember intentionally rubbing against each of us."

"Ah. That is the child I smell," Hadley said. "Do I need to be less delicate in exactly what she is doing to refresh her scent on you, Zoe?"

I immediately began to blush, causing the three of them to laugh.

"I think she figured it out," Michaela said.

"There is a possessive nature in what your foster child does," Hadley said. "But of course, it is a different nature of possession. I can also smell Michaela upon you, although that was when we hugged upon our greeting. Sitting here, I can not make out her scent on you over her scent directly from her."

I shook my head. "So much you can learn?"

She nodded.

"Don't try to play poker with them," Michaela said.

"They can tell what I have by my scent?"

"It becomes a tell like any other tell," Michaela replied. "Even I have one I haven't been able to get rid of, but I have tricks to lie with it." She sighed. "No one will play poker with me."

"She wins," Michele said. "On the other hand, I would happily engage in other types of card games, one in which no money exchanged hands."

"I could find room in my schedule a few times a month," Hadley said. "For cards or perhaps movie night."

All three of them looked pointedly at me.

"You want to come to my movie nights?" I said.

"I've been hinting for months," Michaela said. I hadn't noticed. "Was I too subtle?"

"Months? Yes, you were too subtle."

She sighed. "So you didn't notice when I asked what movies you were seeing last Friday?"

"I thought that was idle curiosity. I'm sorry. You really want to come?"

"Of course I do," she said with a grin. "Everyone wants to come."

"Well, I knew the kids were vying for invitations," I replied.

"And where is my invitation?" Michele asked.

"And mine," Hadley added.

I looked between them and sighed. "You know, I came up with the idea on the spur of the moment for Monique. She needed a little help understanding how dating works." I told the story, omitting the more personal parts.

"But we're getting cozy on room," I complained.

Michaela laughed. "Zoe, have you noticed how comfortable we are with each other? Even I am comfortable in a crowded pile. Touch is comfort."

"You guys really want to come to movie night?"

"Well, actually," said Hadley, "what we want is a friendship with you. And friends invite each other to their events."

"Hadley, you weren't supposed to be so blunt," Michaela complained.

"Oh please," the woman replied. "You're the one for subtle, such as pushing your mate into a frozen lake. I am far more direct."

"She pushed Lara into a frozen lake, and you say you're more direct than that?" I asked.

"Perhaps I was making a point," Hadley replied with a smile.

"Well," I said, "You're all welcome to come. It's every Friday unless there is a conflict. We have dinner and pick movies from Netflix."

"More of your tofu?" Hadley asked.

I smiled. "They seem to like my cheese bread. No one has asked how it is I'm able to eat cheese."

Michele laughed.

"Portia and Ember dress up whatever I make so it is more palatable for wolves, or sometimes we order pizza."

"Now, about cards," Hadley said. "I believe I would like to host a little gathering once a month, the same night as these card games to which I, too, am never invited. We can start our own club."

"Ooh," said Michaela, rubbing her hands. "Elisabeth is going to hate that. Excellent!"

"Why will Elisabeth care?"

"Because she hates letting me go into town without a proper guard, and she has a hard time believing a proper guard excludes her. And, of course, that night is one of her night's off each month."

"She's not here today."

"Serena, Portia, Eric, and Rory." Michaela pointed towards the enforcers, hovering around in the shadows, so to speak. "It's really quite excessive. What do you suppose the chances are she'll let me free with fewer than that?"

"Zero," Michele said. "You know what a subversive Hadley is."

"Not to mention me," I added.

"We can pick a different night," Hadley said.

"Oh no," Michaela said. "Poker night is the perfect night."

"Should we keep it intimate with just the four of us, or should we broaden the invitation?"

"There are a lot of good games for four," Michaela said. "But perhaps two tables of four wouldn't strain your house."

"Well then, if you bring your spouses, and I acquire a date or a friend, then we have eight," Hadley declared.

"Donald won't be comfortable," Michele said. "But he'll love movie night," she added.

"Well then, Alpha, if you bring Lara, and Zoe brings Portia, and we invite the lovely Angel and Scarlett, we have four enforcers whose company we enjoy," Hadley said. "Although perhaps you wished to make your sister-in-law more uncomfortable." She grinned at Michaela.

We discussed details, and soon we had a plan.

"As long as we're filling our social calendars," Michele said, "in the past, Donald and I have declined, but Michaela, if we are invited for future paintball games, we would love to come."

"You're always welcome, Michele. Why the change of heart?"

"Because now I won't be the only human."

"Is that what has kept you away?"

Michele nodded. "Maybe it was silly, but if Zoe can play, then perhaps I am able, as well."

"How about you, Hadley?"

"No, thank you," Hadley said. "I do not wish anyone to get used to the idea of shooting lawyers."

We laughed, although in time, Hadley would also begin attending paintball events.

Conversation flowed around the table some more. I waited for a lull then said, "There's something I'd like to talk about. This might not be the right group, but I thought I could start here. I'd love to hear what you think."

"Go ahead, Zoe," Michaela said.

I explained about the idea Elisabeth had for a renewable energy power company. The three of them conferred for a moment, then Hadley asked, "Michaela, what is the expected ROI for your tower in Bayfield?"

"We think it will take fifteen years to pay for itself," Michaela answered.

"That seems faster than the industry average."

"We don't have to pay for the land, and we're not financing the funding."

They talked back and forth about the money for a while, leaving me behind in the conversation. Finally Hadley turned to me. "Do you understand?"

"You lost me," I admitted.

"This would not be a good investment. There are better ways to make money."

"No, there are faster ways to make money. I would question whether helping to save the world from catastrophic climate change can be beaten by any other activity any of us can do."

They stilled, then Michele said, "Spoken like a true activist, and I, for one, would not care to argue against her position."

"No one should invest because they want a profit," I said. "They should invest to help reduce their carbon footprint, and because if all of us do our part, we don't have to wait for government to solve this. Further, if we start now, we can begin generating electricity now. I have little faith there will continue to be drops in wind turbine prices, but solar panels will continue to become less expensive."

"And we will have bought too early."

"I disagree. We'll know more about what we're doing, and we'll have experience before everyone and his brother jumps on the bandwagon. And humanity should have gotten serious about this problem back in 1970."

Hadley cocked her head. "Elisabeth's original idea was for you to spend less time on GreEN and take the bulls by the horn, so to speak. Find work that pays better and use the money to create this company."

"Yes."

"And from that, the idea quickly expands to a discussion of investors."

"It doesn't have to," I said. "But there's too much I don't know."

"Like what?"

"Where to put them," I said. "I don't own any land, and land is expensive."

Michaela smiled. "That problem is easily solved. What else?"

"I need expertise. But we have ways we can cut corners. We can build our own panels from solar cells. It is labor intensive, but if I learned how, I could do it. I can find the time."

"And you need to sell this electricity somehow," Hadley pointed out. "Michaela has experience with that."

"Lara set that up," Michaela said.

"Actually, Lara's attorney set that up," Hadley said. "Zoe, I will do all your legal work, excepting litigation, for a five percent equity position in your new company. I would expect to serve on your board of directors."

"I don't have a clue what that means."

"Then you require an education," she said. She spent several minutes explaining what she had meant. I thought I understood when she was done, but I wasn't sure if five percent was fair.

"The pack will provide a location to place your solar cells," Michaela said, "for a ten percent equity position. I will invest modestly to help finance a trial run. And I want a position on the board."

"Well, I don't have time to serve on the board, but I would invest, modestly," Michele said.

"Where are you going to place her panels, Alpha?" Hadley asked.

"The roof of the school," Michaela answered immediately. "And of course, there will be classes for the kids. If we fill the available space on the school, we can use space at the airfield."

"Of course," Hadley said.

"In fact, that's how we could begin the trial and keep our costs down. We can get the pack to teach the kids a hands-on class in solar energy." She turned to me. "What would it cost to build a panel?"

"I'm not sure. In round numbers? Under a hundred dollars. But then there's the wiring, installation, a grid tie inverter, and monitoring equipment."

The three of them looked at me. "Have we answered your question as to whether we think you should do this?"

"Yes," I said. "But now I'm really confused."

"Well, I am going to make a proposal," Michaela said. "You are going to be busy between now and when your house is built. You are teaching photography classes, designing a house, planning a wedding, building the house, getting married, perhaps going on a honeymoon, being a new foster mother, and still settling into the pack. And so my suggestion is that we assemble a plan for what you would like to do. If you wish to take advantage of the various offers made today, then we could target fall term of next year to begin your trial run."

I stared at her. "I could have panels installed next fall?"

"Yes, for a small trial."

"I want to do it," I said. "But I don't know if the offers are fair."

"It would depend on the details," Michaela said. "Five percent of what? Ten percent of what? When you start accepting investors, how will those original numbers degrade. You see?"

"No, but I'll take your word for it."

"Zoe," said Michele, "let's you and I do lunch sometime in a week or two. I can explain all this, and you'll be free to tell me you think Hadley is asking for too much."

"I wouldn't say that," I said. "I don't know whether Hadley's offer is fair or not. I don't really understand it all."

"Well, we'll talk about that," she replied.

"Oh, pshaw," Hadley said. "It's all about stock. Let us say that your company issues ten million shares of stock. I want five percent, or fifty thousand shares. The pack gets ten percent, or a hundred thousand shares. We would agree that, as the founder, you would get some amount strictly for having the idea, and with the understanding you would be doing a great amount of work for no money. Let's call it another hundred thousand shares."

"Wait. I only get ten percent of my own company?"

"Well, so far, you we've only given away 250-thousand shares, and you have 100-thousand of them. So you actually own forty percent."

"But I'm going to do a lot more work than you are."

"Not necessarily," Hadley said. "But we are only trying to explain the principles. So let's use these numbers."

"All right."

"After that, you will accept investors. The pack will invest. The three of us will. You'll put money in. I bet Lara, Elisabeth, and half the members of the council invest. You sell the remaining shares at one dollar per share, raising 750-thousand dollars."

I stared at her.

"Now, you started with nothing but an idea, but you own ten percent of a company that suddenly is worth at least 750-thousand. Or maybe a little more than ten percent, as we agreed you would be buying stock, too."

"I understand. I hadn't thought it would be that big."

"It doesn't pay to think small," she said. "So those are one set of numbers. Let's say that you don't want to start that big. Let us say you don't wish other investors, and you're only going to build as fast as you can finance this yourself. We start with the same numbers, and you find 10-thousand to invest. I am going to do a great deal of legal work for only five hundred dollars worth of equity."

"Oh. That's not fair to you."

"No. Let's use another set of figures. Let us say we aren't going to write a million shares, but ten million. I get a half million; you get a million; the pack gets a million. You own forty percent so far, I own twenty percent, and the pack owns forty percent. Now you start selling, but you only sell 750-thousand, because that's all you can sell. I'm not sure about the math, but the investors are kind of screwed, because they put in a lot of money but didn't get a very good equity position."

"And you are over-compensated for your work," I point out.

"Exactly," she said. "Here's what I expect. I expect we'll pick some target investment goal. Let's use that million shares I stated earlier. We do that over a period of several years. You build a modest solar farm with that, and then you reinvest all the profits, growing the business. We prove it's a good investment, but at some point we want to grow faster than we can with reinvestment. So you then write more stock and continue to sell it. Now, instead of a five percent investment, I might drop down to three percent, unless I buy some of that stock. But you know what?"

"What?"

"That's fair, because most of my work happened at the beginning."

"What about me?" I said. "If I'm still working for it, shouldn't I get more stock?"

She smiled. "Good. Yes. I would envision we would also have stock options as part of your compensation, and I would also insist you get paid, at least once the company grew to a certain size. You could choose to take some of your compensation as stock, but you would have to pay taxes on it."

"I think my head hurts. What if we just want to stay small? No investors except me."

"Well then, we'd come up with different numbers, but if you're talking that small, the amount of legal work is minor. We wouldn't need to negotiate with a power company. You could sell the power to the school for whatever they currently pay for electricity."

"But Zoe," said Michaela. "Don't you want to do more than that? Isn't that what GreEN is all about?"

"I could sell shares through GreEN!"

"No, you couldn't, unless we produce a public company," Hadley said. "That's another big ball of wax."

"I will not allow investment from outside the pack," Michaela said. "I'm sorry, Zoe, but that just creates a mess. What if your investors want to visit our facilities? We can't have people traipsing through."

"Oh."

"If you ever want to go down that route, you can form a separate company and find land somewhere else for your solar panels," Michaela said. "Frankly, I think we can get more than enough investment for you for a long time."

"If you even want outside investors," Hadley said.

"Would people really invest under those terms?" I asked. "As you said, it's a poor investment, financially speaking. The reason to do it is so that you can help."

"We all said we'd invest," Michaela said. "Not heavily, not at first. I don't want to give you a lot of money until you solve the problems that having less money create for you."

We snickered at that.

"Have we given you enough to think about?" Michaela asked.

"Yes."

"Well, you and I should still do lunch in a couple of weeks," Michele said. "Away from these two vultures."

"Oh yeah, like you're not a vulture yourself," Hadley said. She laughed at her joke. "But it's good advice, Zoe."

We had a plan.

More than one.

In the car, I asked Michaela, "How much of that did you orchestrate ahead of time?"

She laughed. "You caught me."

"How much?"

"Well, I hadn't anticipated your conversation today. I thought you might come to me alone first, but we would have needed Hadley, anyway. I shouldn't have offered the school without Francesca's approval. So consider that a tentative offer."

"You knew about it?"

"Elisabeth told Lara and me last summer. Why did you wait so long?"

"So much has been going on. So you had already planned the other conversations?"

"Well not all of them," she said. "I didn't know Ava had a boyfriend."

"You know what I mean."

She grinned. "Yes, I orchestrated that."

"You're not done meddling either, are you?"

"Of course not."

We rode along quietly for a few minutes before I turned to her and wrapped my arms around her, kissing her cheek. "Thank you."

That night, after we tucked Ember into bed, sharing our usual cuddle with her, I led Portia to the bedroom, tugging on her by the end. With the door closed, I moved into her arms, asked for and received a very warm, lovely kiss, and then fended off her hands.

"What is this?" she asked. "You turn me away?"

"I have a confession, Portia," I said, lowering my eyes.

"It can't be that bad," she said. "You may tell me about it later." She reached for me, but I stepped away. She began stalking me.

"Please, Portia. You may do anything you want to me if you aren't angry after I tell you."

"Oh ho," she said. "A bribe, is it? I accept your offer." She pointed to the bed. "Sit."

We sat on the bed facing each other. "I have done a few things."

"I am not surprised. You do a great deal."

"I didn't consult you first."

"Are these irreversible decisions?"

"No."

"Then tell them, and we shall discuss calmly."

"I may have invited too many people to movie night."

She laughed. "The three women from today?"

"Plus mates," I clarified.

"Finally."

"Finally?"

She nodded. "I wish to invite Karen as well."

"Where will we put everyone?"

"You may have to sit on my lap." She struck a dramatic pose, the back of her wrist to her forehead. "Oh, the horror: a lap full of warm, squirming human. However shall I bear it?"

"Stop it," I said. "We went from five or six of us to at least twice that. You said you didn't want the home turning into the alphas' house."

"I don't want people coming and going at every hour. That's not what's happening."

I still wasn't sure, but I said, "Okay."

"Now, what else did you do?"

"I may have accepted an invitation on your behalf."

"Oh?"

"Hadley is inviting us to cards once a month."

"Cards?"

"She wasn't specific what game, but it's not for gambling. Michaela was particularly pleased to make it the same night as that poker game. She muttered they never let her come." I gave her a little more information.

"That sounds like fun. Anything else?"

"I'm not sure, but I think I formed a new company today."

Portia began laughing.

About the same time, we began to plan the wedding. Portia and I agreed we wanted something small and relatively informal. We couldn't invite any humans who didn't know about werewolves, and so that kept my side of the aisle basically empty. While I would have liked to have my brother and his family at the wedding, it wasn't to be.

We made a guest list. While we wanted small, we didn't want to be exclusionary. So the guest list was pretty simple: the people living at the compound and a small number of others.

Portia wanted Karen at her side. I wasn't sure whom I wanted, although my list of choices was small. We also wanted Ember involved in some fashion, but not as my maid of honor. Portia wanted the alpha - and by that, she meant Lara - to officiate. Oddly, I wanted Prudence, Monique's aunt. We talked to Karen about it, and then we talked to Lara, who solved this easily.

"If Prudence agrees, then she and I will co-officiate."

Problem solved.

I spent much of January deciding what to do about a maid of honor. There were a few clear choices. As I couldn't include any of my old friends or family, that meant someone from the pack. I had grown close to Ember, of course, Monique, and Elisabeth. I never even mentioned Elisabeth's name to Portia. I wasn't having my ex-girlfriend as the maid of honor at my wedding. And, frankly, I didn't want a child, or someone I thought of as a child.

Finally Portia asked me about it.

"I don't know whom to ask," I told her.

"I would think it was fairly obvious," she replied.

"I want Ember there, but she is important to both of us, and I don't want to give the impression she's only my daughter."

"I wasn't thinking of Ember."

"And all the kids are too young."

"I wasn't thinking of any of the kids. Who else are you close to? Who has gone out of the way to include you as a friend?"

"There's Michaela, but she's the alpha, and she's already so busy with far too many other irons in the fire. I can't ask her to do this, too."

"Why not? She's expecting you to."

"No she's not."

"Zoe, I know you haven't been friends with her for that long, but who do you go to when you need advice, and you can't ask me?"

I sighed. "Michaela."

"Who made sure you remained tied to the pack?"

"Michaela."

"Who has stated repeatedly she wants the two of you to be friends."

I sighed again. "Michaela."

"If you ever needed help, and you didn't want to ask me, who are you most likely to turn to?"

"Michaela."

"Zoe. Ask her."

And so, two evenings later, I found myself driving into Madison with Michaela. I invited her to dinner and told her to pick a restaurant we could both enjoy. She refused to tell me where we were going. But we had a complement of enforcers, including Portia. Michaela found that amusing, as the enforcers wouldn't be eating with us.

We arrived at a sushi restaurant, pulling up in the limo. We had talked about classes and an upcoming field trip the entire way.

"I called ahead and ensured there would be vegan choices," she said. We climbed from the car, and she took my arm. "This is where Lara took me on our first date. I almost went into a full melt down panic just entering the place then again when the owner approached our table rapidly. My past experience with wolves hadn't been good." She pulled me towards the restaurant, and we passed through the door without a second thought. We barely paused before we were led to a quiet table in the corner.

I had vegetable tempura and a couple of vegan maki rolls. Michaela ordered nigiri and a spicy tuna roll. I frowned at her.

"I know. The fisheries." She hung her head. "I'm a poor conservationist."

Our tea came, and we clinked teacups, then stared at each other over the table setting.

And stared.

And stared.

"Zoe, you invited me, and I think you have an agenda."

"I do," I admitted. "But I'm nervous."

"Are you about to ask me to take Ember back?"

"What? Over my dead body!"

She smiled. "Good. Are you asking me how to divorce Portia?"

"No. Michaela!"

She grinned.

"Are you-"

"Do you have time in your schedule to be my maid of honor?"

"Finally got the nerve to ask, did you?" she said with a grin. "I was going to give you two more weeks before I started bugging you about it."

"You were going to ask me if you could be my maid of honor?"

"Of course not. I was just going to remind you that you had to pick someone and suggest a teenager might not be the best choice. Or an ex-girlfriend. That didn't leave you with many other choices."

I sighed. "You have so many other things-"

She interrupted me. "Yes, I will be your maid of honor. I would be delighted and honored, Zoe. You should know that."

"It's just-"

"That there's no one you can ask who will do a better job than I will, or with whom you are closer."

I grinned. "Thank you."

We clinked teacups again.

"Do you have a date selected?"

"Portia wants to plan it around when the house is completed. That may complicate things. She wants the first night in the house to be our wedding night."

"Okay. We can work with that. Where?"

"The compound."

"Who are you inviting?"

"Everyone living at the compound."

"Well, we'll hold off invitations for now," she said. "I'm not done introducing you to people, so once we know the date, we'll do the invitations. What else do we need to plan?"

"I don't want any bridal showers."

"Wolves don't do traditional bridal showers, anyway. But why don't you want one?"

"They're for younger kids who don't have anything, a way for everyone to help the young couple get started. Portia and I talked, and we don't want wedding presents, either, for the same reason."

"All right."

"We haven't decided how to use Ember. I want her involved somehow."

Michaela smiled. "Will you let me handle that?"

"You have something in mind?"

"I do. Lara and I established a sort of precedence with our wedding. The bride doesn't have a clue what the ceremony is like."

I laughed. "Seriously?"

"You have to write and practice your vows. Otherwise, I'll walk you in, unless there's someone else you want to give you away."

I shook my head. "There isn't anyone."

"All right. A dress. Have you thought about that?"

"I want a simple, summer dress."

"Afternoon or evening?"

"Late afternoon, but we want a party into the evening."

"With dancing," she said. "I want you to let Lara, Karen, and me plan everything."

"But-"

She smiled. "Do you want to plan it? If you do, tell us what's important, and we'll include it. Otherwise, this is our gift to you. Even if you don't want gifts."

"Are you sure? You're volunteering Karen and Lara."

"Do you really believe I haven't already talked to them?"

"You are sneaky, Alpha. Very sneaky."

"I am Fox," she said. "Hear me roar."

We talked about some of the other details, but with Michaela insisting on handling everything, we shortly ran out of conversation. Then she said, "Now, we have to talk about ransom night."

I looked away.

"You don't have to do it," she added.

"What would you do if you were me?"

"I would do it."

"If you were human?" I looked back at her. She nodded. "Who will be there?"

"I'm not answering those types of questions."

"You said the tradition is, if I don't struggle effectively when kidnapped, that you get to cut my hair. I don't want my hair cut, but we both know your pups can probably catch me."

She laughed. "Maybe not quite yet, but I understand what you're saying."

"I don't know if I'm supposed to have a chance to get away."

"It's not whether you have a chance, it's whether you try, and how hard. What other concerns do you have?"

"Portia is designing a big house. I can't ask her to shell out more money for this tradition. And you said the enforcers took your house for Lara. Are you going to wait and then take Portia's brand new house away?"

"Oh Zoe, of course not. Elisabeth took my house in part because she didn't want me to have it as a safe retreat if Lara and I were to fight. And I would have used it, too. There were a few times that I would have run back to Bayfield if I'd had a place to go."

"We both know I won't last any longer than you decide to let me last."

"Zoe, Lara paid a big price for me, but she's filthy rich. But it was only about two percent of her net worth."

"You paid a lot more than two percent for Lara."

"I did, and that was a source of strife between Elisabeth and me for a long, long time. And even, to a lesser extent, a wedge between Lara and me. You saw last summer I'm not fully over it. There is no way I would do that to you. The tradition is to ask a large price early on largely as incentive for the bride. But then we come down."

I looked away. "I don't know what to do. I don't like this tradition."

"Frankly, neither do I," she said. I turned back to her.

"But you did it twice?"

"Yeah, well, I'm stubborn," she said with a smile.

"You want me to do it."

"I think if you don't, you will eventually feel cheated. I think if you don't, there will be long term social repercussions we'll never fully identify. I think if you don't, you will make Portia's career a little more difficult for her."

"That's not fair," I said.

"No, it's not," she agreed. "I think if you do it, you'll earn respect within the pack. I think you worry that you aren't worthy of being a pack member, and I think feeling that respect will help."

"It won't help if I cave in ten minutes after you take me, or if I panic from the very beginning."

"You might panic, but the only people who would know are those closest to you, and then we'd calm you down. I panicked. I was a wreck. But that was because I didn't understand what was happening. And you won't cave at the beginning, because I won't let you."

I sighed. "I have to do it, but I don't like it."

"You don't have to do it."

"Yes, Michaela, I do. As you said, there are prices if I don't." I turned away. "What will you end up doing to me?"

"Actually, I don't want to tell you, Zoe. And honestly, I don't know yet."

I sighed. "Do it. When?"

"I won't tell you that, either. I'll tell you this: you won't see it coming."

I sighed.

"Zoe," she said, "this is run by people who care about you to show how strong you are, not to show how weak you are. No one is going to treat you like we would treat a wolf. But you have strength, and you have courage, and you have pride, and you'll be showing those. I have absolutely no intention of letting anyone believe you are weak or ill suited for one of my favorite enforcers. Trust me."

I nodded.

And then, somehow, I managed to put it all out of my mind.

Movie nights became chaotic. The first after my lunch with Michaela, Michele and Hadley was startling and nerve-wracking.

They all came along with Lara and Donald. Monique brought Sebastian. Ember was there, of course, and she had invited Cassiopeia; the two were treating it like a date. Other than to tell me she had invited someone, she hadn't talked to either Portia or me about it, and I made a note to ask her about it later. Iris and Lindsey were both there, and they brought dates as well. Evangeline was with Iris, and Nash was with Lindsey.

I prepared baked ziti: a small vegan pan for me, and the ingredients for two large pans for the wolves. Ember assembled the wolves' versions so that I could pretend I wasn't helping anyone to consume animal products.

The line on that had been growing increasingly indistinct. I was able to keep my own diet vegan, although that was a challenge at times. And I didn't actually touch any of the meats and cheeses the wolves were eating. But I did the grocery shopping. Usually Ember went with me, but not always. And so I was buying the things on their list as well as keeping things like frozen pizza rolls, lunchmeats, and other such foods in stock.

Keeping two werewolves fed required a great deal of food, and we had encouraged Ember to invite friends over, so we were feeding them, as well.

They were always hungry. I didn't understand how they could eat so much and not get horribly fat.

No, I wasn't jealous. I swear.

Portia had made a sign for the house. It was wooden. She added a slot near the front door, and the sign could be slipped into the slot and removed later. It said simply, "Enter". If people were expected, we could put the sign into the slot, and everyone knew she could come right in without knocking. Everyone was so used to that policy at the alphas' house, it didn't take long before nearly everyone on the compound understood about the sign.

Hadley and Michele didn't live on the compound, and so they didn't know about the sign. When the doorbell rang, I had my hands full of edamame sauce. "Go get that, honey," I told Ember. "It's probably Hadley or Michele."

She was gone a minute. I had been slightly wrong. It wasn't one or the other; it was both of them, and Michele's husband, Donald, as well. Ember led the three of them back to the kitchen.

"Stir this, Daughter," I said.

She giggled; she frequently giggled when I called her that. But we both loved it, and so I did it often. Portia did, too.

"Yes, Mom."

I dried my hands then hugged Michele. I didn't know Donald well, so he got a handclasp. Then I turned to Hadley. We eyed each other. Then I decided I didn't care; I decided I wanted a certain style of friendship with her, too, and the wolves were very physically comfortable with each other, if not always tender. I wrapped my arms around her and gave her a tight hug, too.

She returned it, like it was nothing special.

"Thank you for coming," I whispered into her ear.

"I am pleased to be invited," she replied.

I returned to the stove. "Ember will help you with refreshments, but I need to know how this smells."

"Quite lovely," Hadley said from six feet away. I eyed her. "Oh please, do I need to make a show of sticking my nose over it when I can tell from here." But she sniffed pointedly. "But there are scents I do not recognize."

"Well, it's a vegan household," I said. "You probably have never eaten vegan before."

Ember snorted.

"Hush, you," I said.

Hadley eyed me warily. "You truly do not understand the sensitivity of a wolf's nose. I can smell cooking meat." She sniffed. "Beef. With pasta, garlic, and tomato sauce. And something else I do not recognize."

"Vegan cheese," Ember said. "It's made from crushed water chestnuts or something, but it's actually pretty good."

"Well, maybe the entire household isn't vegan, but I have a vegan appetizer that has actually been popular with the wolves."

"What do you think, Donald?" I asked. "How does this smell?"

"Very good," he replied. Those were his only words for the next hour.

"Well," said Michele. "We brought wine. White and red."

"Oooh," I said. "And I'm not driving."

Ember retrieved the corkscrew and glasses. Hadley opened and served. Ember grabbed a coke from the refrigerator in the basement.

And the house began to fill.

"You look nervous, Zoe," Hadley observed. "Have we quite descended on you?"

"No, I'm fine," I said. "Ember, the kids know where the refrigerator is, but remind them to help themselves. Make sure the adults are taken care of. You know the drill."

"Yes, Mom," she said.

But just then, Cassie stepped into the kitchen. Ember stopped all movement and stared at her. Cassie stared back, then the two approached each other slowly.

"Hey," Ember said.

"Hey," Cassie said.

It was immediately clear what was going on. "Michele, please stir this," I said. I handed her the whisk, and then I stepped up behind Ember. "It's good to see you, Cassie." then I whispered into Ember's ear, "If this is a date, then treat it like a date. Take her hand."

I stepped away to relieve Michele, but I kept an eye on my daughter. She reached for Cassie's hand, and the two clasped.

They would spend most of the evening holding hands or finding some other way to touch.

Hadley stepped up beside me. "First date?" she whispered.

"I didn't even know she had a date lined up," I replied. "And yes. First date for them."

"They'll be fine," she said. "One of the advantages of living here on the compound is there are so many role models to follow, showing them how to behave."

"Are you making edamame, Zoe?" Cassie asked.

"Indeed I am," I said.

"And is there some of your special popcorn later?"

"Indeed there is."

"But did you use real cheese or that vegan stuff tonight?"

I laughed. "Your nose should be able to answer that question. All right, Ember, I heard more people in the living room. You need to help host."

"Yes, Mom," she said. "Come on, Cassie."

All four adults watched the kids as they left the kitchen.

"A difficult age," Michele said. "So many things to learn. Ember is lucky to have you, Zoe."

"And Portia," I added.

"Yes, and Portia. But the two of you are teaching her different things, aren't you." She paused. "Well, together you teach her what love is, and what it is to be cared for."

"You see all that?"

"She calls you 'Mom'. None of the kids who have lived with Michaela and Lara have ever called her that."

"That's not entirely true," Michaela said, entering the kitchen. "Most of them slip up once or twice. Both of your daughters did, Michele. But none of them made it a habit of it the way Ember does with her mothers. Of course, the situation is different."

"Hello, Alpha," we all said.

Michaela worked the room, hugging all of us. I got a kiss on the cheek, too, so I felt special.

"Is that wine?" she asked.

"Would you like a glass?" Michele replied.

"Half glass," she said. "And none of your sneaky tricks to get me drunk."

I didn't say it out loud, but I thought it would be fun to see the fox inebriated.

"Where are your keepers?" Hadley asked. "You didn't lose them again, did you?"

Michaela accepted her glass, took a sip, then answered Hadley's question. "I am reformed," she said. "No more ditching my security. Half my security is upstairs changing into more comfortable clothing. The other half is guarding me from the hordes of teenagers in the other room. As if I need protection from my own students."

"She isn't really!"

Michaela laughed. "Naw. We got into the house and both got swarmed, and then the kids wanted to talk to Lara. I imagine she's trying to extricate herself and get in here before the edamame is gone."

"Speaking of which..." I drained the beans and then began tossing them with the sauce I had made. Michaela didn't wait and began opening cupboards until she found the right bowls - which were out of her reach.

"Donald, I need both those bowls," she said, pointing. He stepped forward and pulled them down for her. "Thank you."

I was amazed at how comfortable she was in her role. I stared at her.

"What?" she asked. "I'm helping."

"It's not that. You're just such a force in such a tiny body."

She smiled. "They do what I want to keep me from pouting." She stuck her lip out for a moment. "See?" She trembled her lip.

I couldn't help laughing.

"Please tell me there's alcohol in this house," Lara said, entering the kitchen. She walked straight to Michaela and tried to steal her wine glass.

"Get your own!" Michaela said, pulling it away from her. "I'm onto your tricks, too. You'll take some infinitesimal sip, then Michele will top it off, and the two of you think you can get me to drink more than I planned."

Lara chuckled and accepted a glass from Michele. She sipped her wine then moved around the room, offering greetings.

When she got to me, I got a firm hug and a brush of her cheek along mine. We grinned at each other after that. "Marking me?" I asked into her ear.

"Yes, actually. Don't worry; Portia won't mind. I was just mingling my scent with Michaela's, but we left the other side for Portia."

She stepped away. "Oh, edamame. Don't dawdle, Zoe. Really, a wolf could starve in this house."

"Are those pea pods?" Hadley asked. "You're all excited about pea pods?"

There was laughter, and then Michaela explained. I divided the edamame into two bowls.

"The second one was for the shells," Michaela complained.

"I'm pretty sure there will be a mutiny if we don't share with the kids," I said. I retrieved two more bowls for the shells then, leaving one set in the kitchen, I carried the other set to the living room.

It was full of teenagers.

"Monique," I said. I held out the bowls, and she immediately stepped over and took them from me.

"All for me?" she asked.

"Funny," I said.

I returned to the kitchen; I could properly greet the kids shortly.

When I got there, I saw Michaela had her nose in the oven. "Lara," I asked immediately, "I find myself puzzled about a point of pack protocol."

"Oh?"

"Yes. When the alpha snoops through my cooking, am I allowed to yell at her?"

Lara chuckled, and Michaela hastily snapped the oven door closed.

"I was just looking," she said. "And no, you're not."

"I believe, Little Fox," said Lara, "that Zoe managed to make her point quite effectively, and without any yelling at all. Well done, Zoe."

"Michele," Michaela said without even turning around. "Get away from my wine glass."

Michele retreated, holding the wine bottle, but then topped off Hadley's instead.

The kitchen door opened, and Portia stepped in. I turned, and we stared at each other for a moment.

She was wearing the blouse and - peeking out the top - the camisole that Ember had given her at Christmas. I found my eyes dropping to the hint of exposed lace.

She closed the distance and pulled me into her arms, delivering a warm, thorough kiss. I draped myself over her for a moment afterwards. "Hello, Hadley, Michele, Donald," Portia said. Then she frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm wondering if I want wine. Do you mind if I have a beer?"

The kitchen door opened, and Ember entered, pulling Cassie behind her. "Here you go, Mom," Ember said, handing Portia a beer. "Is there more edamame? We're out." She stepped forward, saw the bowl, and said, "Oh, good."

She was halfway to the door again before Michaela stopped her. "Ember Louise!"

The girl froze. "Alpha?"

"Put. The edamame. Back."

Sheepishly, Ember returned the bowl to the counter, but then she grabbed one, handed it to Cassie, then grabbed one more for herself, fleeing the room before Michaela could yell at her again.

I beamed, deeply pleased they enjoyed the food I created for them.

"I'm starving," Portia said. She slipped away from me and hovered over the bowl for a minute, eating three or four of the beans. It would hardly satisfy her hunger, but it was the thought that counted, right?

"Do I really need to make bigger batches, or are all you guys just playing with me?" I asked.

"I think you should leave them wanting more," Michaela replied. "I like how the sauce is different every time you make it."

"It's not like it's hard to make," Portia said. "If they want it so badly, they could make it themselves."

Hadley snorted. "Yes, I can see a wolf in the grocery store, buying these." She gestured to the bowl, then took another one. "They _are_ good though, Zoe."

The timer went off. It was time to pull the baked pasta out of the oven and toss the garlic cheese bread in. I silenced the timer then said, "I need a big, strong wolf to take those out and set them here." I arranged potholders on the counter. I was expecting Portia to step forward and pull out the pans, but it was Lara who grabbed the oven mitts from me.

Fifteen minutes later found us in the living room. Lara and Portia took opposite ends of the sofa with Michaela and I wedged between them. Hadley took one of the easy chairs, and Michele got the other. Donald sat on the floor, leaning in the groove formed by the chair and Michele's legs. That was how Ember often liked to sit.

The kids were all on the floor, many of them leaning against the sofa or each other, others sitting cross-legged. Ember staked out a place against my legs with Cassie leaning against her.

"This is really good, Zoe," Iris declared. "Thank you for inviting us."

"You're welcome," I said, "but you can thank Ember. She made the non-vegan version."

"What are we watching tonight?" Monique asked.

"Well," I said, "here are the rules. We'll go through the possible genres like we always do, but with this many people, the likelihood of eliminating all the genres is too high. So we'll let one down vote from an adult count, but it takes two from one of the teenagers."

"I'm an adult," Iris said.

"Let me rephrase that. It takes two votes if you are under 21."

"Damn it," she said, but it was with a smirk at me.

I didn't particularly care what we watched, and Portia was quiet as well. Michaela tried to get us all to watch a nature documentary, but she was soundly vetoed by nearly everyone.

In the end, we did what we frequently did: an action movie followed by something sweet. The wolves took turns heckling the action movie; it was pretty heckle-worthy, and Michele and Hadley were both involved in the heckling. I decided it was fair game.

"All right," Iris said once the credits were rolling. "That was bad." Then she turned to me. "One through ten."

I grinned at her.

"One," Portia said. "You can do a one."

"Aww," I complained.

"And it may be that Zoe isn't the only one who wants a run," Portia said. She glanced at Michele.

"A one?" Michele asked.

"They're asking me how intense of a run I want. A one is just a run. At a four, they're able to get me to scream. A seven means I spend most of the time screaming." I turned to Portia. "After that movie, you're going to deny me a good scream?"

She sighed. "Fine. Four."

"Seven."

"Four."

"Six?"

"Two."

"Four?"

"Four," she agreed.

"Excellent!" said Iris. "Who is helping me?"

"Lindsey is," Portia said. "Or it's only a two."

"Michele," said Monique. "Evangeline and I can take you."

"I don't think I fully understand," Hadley said. "What are you going to do to her?"

"We're only human," I explained. "They each will take an arm and help us run. It started with them just running, but then these two-" and I gestured to Iris and Lindsey, "-realized they could make it more exciting."

"Well, I want a four as well," Michaela said. "Who is willing to wager how many times I'll scream?"

No one would take up her wager. She sighed dramatically.

"We'll take you, Alpha," Sebastian said, gesturing to Nash. "If Michele wants a run with Monique and Evangeline."

Everyone turned to Michele. "Sure," she said, "but I think I should experience a one before I agree to more than that."

"Monique," said Sebastian, "then you and Evangeline should take the alpha. You have more practice."

We grabbed jackets and moved outside, three of us flanked by our escorts. Iris and Lindsey grabbed me, but I said, "Hang on." I turned to Michele. "They'll take your arms - as you can see. You sort of run with them, but let them do the work and let them do what they want."

"How often do you do this?" she asked.

"A normal run?" I asked. "Some days it's several trips a day. At events, they just sort of grab me and take me somewhere, then return me. Portia and Ember take me for a run most evenings if I haven't had one already that day, and sometimes even if I have."

"It's dark," Lara said. "So don't get carried away."

"We won't, Alpha," Iris said. "Ready, Zoe?"

I shook myself out. Then I looked over my shoulder at Portia. "Wager."

"Oh?"

"If I make it without screaming, then..." I gestured for her to come closer. She approached and leaned down. "Then later, you don't get to make me scream more than your name."

She chuckled. "And if you scream?"

"For every scream, you can add other things I have to say."

"Agreed," she said immediately. "Ah, if only it weren't nighttime, I'd ask these fine wolves to make it a seven. Take her, girls!"

Iris and Lindsey immediately grabbed my arms again, and moments later we were off.

They ran straight for the back corner of the gym, pulling me sideways along it just at the last instant. I managed to avoid screaming, but it was close.

They did jump me over one of the cars in the parking lot, and then they almost ran me right into the alpha's house. I didn't scream about the car, but I gave a good scream when we came to a stop inches from the wall of the house. They laughed, then they dragged me along the porch, picking me up in what I called 'superman style' to clear the railing.

More or less, we remained a group. I recognized the people around me, although I was too wrapped up in my own experience to see what happened with Michele and Michaela. I got about a ten-minute ride before we came to a stop deep in the woods. Iris and Lindsey were breathing hard and laughing. They set me down.

"I heard screaming," Michaela said after being released by Monique and Evangeline. "And none of it was from me."

"I am not convinced Zoe plays to win," Portia said. She and Lara were barely winded. She stepped over and hugged me.

Sebastian and Nash brought Michele to a stop, and then the rest of the wolves gathered around, many of them laughing.

"What did you think, Michele?" I asked her, still panting.

"I understand why you come back laughing from your runs," she said. "That's fun." She turned to her wolves. "You two may step it up on the way back."

They grinned. "How far, Ms. Lassiter?" Nash asked.

"Dial it back a little from what they were doing to Zoe," she said.

"Your mate has come a long way," Lara told Portia. "We are very proud of her."

"I am, too," Portia said. "But it is very difficult to hear her scream and not intervene."

"It's good for you," I said. "Besides, they made me scream so you could win our wager."

She laughed. "They made you scream because it amuses them," Portia replied.

"You'd think she'd get used to it," Iris said. She grinned. "She keeps us working to come up with new routes to take."

"Eventually someone is going to make a mistake," Lara said. "I'm not sure why I allow this."

"That's part of how they get me to scream," I said. "One or the other 'slips'."

"Works every time," Lindsey said. "Every. Time."

I hung my head. It was true.

"Got your breath?" Iris asked.

"Yep." They picked me up, tossed me in the air, and then caught me on the run.

A minute or two later, I heard a scream from Michele.

Back at the house, once my heart slowed down and I had thanked the girls, I offered dessert. That meant fruit for me and whoever else wanted some and ice cream for everyone else. Then we sat down and enjoyed a very sweet romantic comedy.

I soon found myself lounging in Portia's arm, snuggled tightly against her. Beside me, Michaela was in Lara's lap. I loved watching how tender the large werewolf was with the little fox.

Ember was paying more attention to Cassie than to the movie. They were holding hands, and Ember was lightly caressing Cassie's arm. Cassie had her head on Ember's shoulder. It was really cute.

Iris and Lindsey were flirting with their dates, but it didn't look very serious. Monique had Evangeline's head in her lap. She was running her fingers through Evangeline's short hair while another hand rested on the girl's hip.

It was a sweet movie, and everyone seemed to enjoy it. When the credits rolled, there were a few sighs.

"Well," Michaela said. "I had a lovely time. Thank you, Zoe."

"I'm glad you could come."

"Kids," Michaela ordered, "take care of the cleanup. Then it's time to go."

"Actually," said Ember. She turned to Portia and me and offered a perfect puppy-dog expression. "Do you think we could have a slumber party? We'd sleep down here."

"You're not having a co-ed slumber party," I said firmly.

"Just the girls," she clarified. "Please, Moms!"

I didn't ask Portia. I turned to Michaela. She immediately said, "It's up to the two of you."

So I looked at Portia. She raised an eyebrow. "You ask me after you ask Michaela?"

I shrugged. "That's better than not asking you at all."

Portia looked at me, then at the girls, then back at me. "Your decision," she said finally.

I turned back to Ember. "You aren't going to do anything that might cause me shock if I walk in on it, are you?"

"Mom!" she said, dragging out the word. "No!"

"All right, but everyone needs to run home for tooth brushes and pajamas."

"No we don't," said Iris. "We came prepared."

"Just how long have you been hatching this plot?" I asked.

"Um."

"Never mind," I said. "I don't want to know."

"Well then," said Michaela. "You still have cleanup to do. I expect everyone for breakfast in the morning."

"I'm not sure I'll make it, Michaela," Hadley said.

"I didn't mean you," Michaela replied. "Although you know you're always welcome."

The adults collected their coats, and then we moved outside to see everyone off. Hugs were exchanged, and then Michaela smirked at me.

"What?"

"You forgot the terms of your wager when you agreed to a house full of giggling teenagers. And I don't think your mate is going to postpone, either."

"She wouldn't!"

"She certainly would," Portia said with a grin. "And I counted seven clear screams. I really do have to thank Iris and Lindsey."

Over the next several months, we established a variety of patterns. Both Hadley and Michele went out of their way to establish friendships, which I thought was very kind. Once or twice a week, I had lunch or dinner with some combination of Michaela, Hadley, and Michele. They came to movie night, not every week, but often. We had cards once a month at Hadley's.

The third Thursday in March, Portia was working late, and Ember was scheduled to work on a class project with some of the other girls. Hadley and Michele picked me up and took me to dinner, where they managed to pour an obscene amount of alcohol into me. Then we went back to Hadley's, where they poured more alcohol into me. I never enjoyed getting drunk, and I tried to stop, but they were insistent, and, well... I let them.

I don't remember everything we talked about. I do remember at one point declaring loudly, "I totally love you guys!"

We talked about Portia. I think I told them about all my old girlfriends, every single one. Every time I stopped talking, they tried to make me drink more, and by tried, I mean lifted a glass to my lips while holding my shoulders. They gave me the choice of talking or drinking.

So - mostly - I talked.

At some point, I fell asleep. I woke hours later in a strange bed, and I wasn't alone.

"Portia?"

"Not Portia." I was in bed with Hadley. I sat bolt upright.

"Relax," she said. "You were so tired."

"Why am I in your bed? Hadley!"

"Relax," she said again. "It was just sleep. We're both chastely dressed. Portia knows you're here."

"Ember!"

"Overnight at Michaela's," she said.

"You got me drunk," I accused.

"We sure did," she said. "And you sang like a canary. You're not going to be sick, are you?"

"It would serve you right." I lay back amongst the pillows. "I should go home."

"I'll drive you in the morning," she said.

"Oh god," I said. "What did I tell you?"

"Are you sure you want to know?"

"No. I want to know why though."

"Bonding experience," she said. "Now Michele and I know _all_ your secrets." She dragged out the 'all'.

"Hadley..."

"Relax," she said for a third time. "I'm just teasing you." She paused. "I may not be very good at it. I don't get much experience."

I lay there staring at the ceiling. "Did I really tell you all my secrets?"

"Only a couple," she replied. "You're actually pretty closed mouthed. We could get you to tell your secrets, but try as we might, we couldn't get you to tell anyone else's."

"Is that why you did it? To see if I could keep a secret?"

"No. It really was supposed to be a normal girls' night out. But then we got a little carried away. Please don't be angry."

"If I have a horrible headache in the morning, all bets are off."

"There is a glass of water on the night stand next to you, and we got some ibuprofen into you. You should be fine."

After that, I drifted off again.

I did have a little headache in the morning, but it wasn't horrible. Hadley was amazingly solicitous of me, anyway, and I wondered if she felt a little guilty.

I wasn't sure if I fully believed her explanation, and I wanted to know if I'd told them anything terribly embarrassing or private, but she didn't tease me about any of it, and the next time I saw Michele, she didn't, either.

Hadley drove me home, and we hugged tightly. "Thank you," she said.

"For what?"

"I don't have many friends," she said. "We're friends, right?"

I thought about it. "Yeah, Hadley, I think we are."

 **The Start of A Very Long Night**

We broke ground in April, as soon as it was safe to dig a foundation. Portia hired a contractor - werewolves, of course - to do the concrete work. We, along with our friends, would do the rest of the work ourselves, except for the plumbing.

At first, everything seemed to go slowly. But then we took delivery of a great, great pile of lumber, and then it became a whirlwind.

Portia, Ember, and I did most of the work together, but we had a great, great deal of assistance. It seemed like everyone wanted to help. The shell went up quickly, amazingly quickly, and by early May, it began to look like a house. But then it slowed down again. The roof was much more complicated than our old house, and even with help, it took over a week to do the shingles.

Of course, it didn't help that we both had jobs to attend to.

Siding, windows, doors: they all took time.

And then inside there was plumbing to do, and by then, I was grateful we were hiring a plumbing contractor. We hired someone else for the heating and cooling system. But Portia did the electrical work herself, teaching all of the helpers. That part went quickly, as we had ten people in the house that afternoon, drilling holes and running wires. Portia checked every single connection herself.

The drywall was the worst, and I remembered what it had taken to drywall my office in the old house.

"I want you to hire someone to do the taping," I told her. "It will take us months."

"Trust me," she replied.

It didn't take months, not with the amount of help we had. But it took weeks. June arrived, and then July.

We used a sprayer to paint the walls. What would have taken weeks by hand was done in three days. The exterior paint went just as quickly.

Cabinets and flooring were installed, and she hired professionals for both of those. The plumbers finished their work.

It was the first of August when Portia, Ember, and I stood in the center of the room that was to become the master bedroom.

"The wedding is in two weeks," Portia declared.

There was a flurry of last-minute activity, most of it by Michaela and Karen. "We've got it," Michaela said. "Don't worry, Zoe."

"Shouldn't I be doing all this?"

"No."

Invitations went out the next day. In effect, we appropriated pack play night, so everyone was already expecting to be there. And the pack had everything we needed, so there were no companies to deal with, except for flowers.

It felt weird to me knowing I was about to get married, and I wasn't running around like a chicken with its head cut off, making sure everything would be settled.

But it was Thursday evening, just a bit more than a week before the wedding, when I got a call from Michaela. I was home alone. Portia was helping Karen and Elisabeth deal with some pack issue, and Ember was doing homework with a few of the kids.

"Good evening, Alpha."

"Good evening, Zoe. Did I catch you at a bad time?"

"Nope. I was actually relaxing with a book."

"Well, we need to talk about something for the wedding. Could you stop over? I'd come to you, but I don't have enough of a security detail to step out of the house." She sounded annoyed about it.

"Of course. I'm kind of grungy though. Let me throw something on."

"Naw, grungy is fine. I am, too, actually. This won't take long."

"All right. Five minutes."

I thought about changing anyway, but I didn't want to make her wait. So I slipped my phone into my jeans pocket, left a note for Ember and Portia in case they got home before I did, and stepped outside.

It was a beautiful night, just turning dusk. I stood on the steps for a moment and breathed the clean, spruce-scented air.

Life was pretty darned good.

I climbed down the steps, glanced over to where the new house was waiting for us, then turned towards Michaela's home.

I was just passing Elisabeth's house when Iris and Lindsey came walking around the corner heading in the opposite direction.

"Hey, Zoe," Iris said. "Where are you going?" The two of them ran over, flanking me on either side. They grabbed my arms.

"Hi, girls. As much fun as that is, I don't have time. Michaela's waiting for me."

"No problem," Lindsey said. "We'll take you to her."

"No," I started to say, but they tightened their grip and then, whether I cooperated or not, we were running. They basically carried me until I began running with them, but of course, this wasn't anything new anymore.

We headed straight for Michaela's house, but then they turned playful. They tried to get me to believe they were going to bounce me off the house, but of course, I knew that trick by now, and I only grunted heavily when they jerked me to the side at the last instant, Iris on my left using her body more than anything to change my direction. We dashed around the house then ran for the cars. We jumped over them, ran past them out to the road, then did a quick U-turn, which left me a little dizzy. Then another trip over another car before we ran to the front of the house, both of them moving in front of me to stop me from hitting smack dab into the front door.

"You girls are good," I said.

"We know," Iris said. "But that was too short."

And then as I protested, they dragged me backwards off the porch. "Michaela's waiting!"

"She won't mind," Lindsey said. I struggled lightly with them, but they had a firm grip, and soon we were heading into the woods.

"Girls!"

They just laughed.

They gave me a two-minute run at about a four, finally coming to a stop and releasing my arms.

"Very funny. Take me back now."

"Backwards?" Lindsey said. "Okay." They both shifted their grip, and then we were running, but I was facing the wrong way.

"Girls!" I shrieked.

I had gotten pretty used to a fright factor of four, and it was rare they got me to scream, but going backwards was a lot worse. To add to it, I was growing angry. "No" had always meant "no" in the past.

They got a couple of shrieks, but they also got quite a bit of yelling. They ignored all of it.

"Are you two on drugs?" I finally asked.

We came to another stop.

"That's enough," I said. I glared to one side then the other. "How far are we from the compound?"

"A half mile or so," Iris said. "That way." She pointed.

"Fine. I'll walk." I tried shaking them off, but they didn't let me go. "I've had enough tonight, girls. Let. Go."

"You know," said Lindsey, "Michaela said you wouldn't see it coming."

"Wouldn't see what coming?" I asked.

"We're kidnapping you, Zoe," Iris said.

"What?" I spat.

"Ransom night," Lindsey clarified. "Remember to struggle."

I was stunned into silence. Before I could absorb what they had said, they bent down, each grabbed a leg just below my knees, and then picked me up, tipping me upside down. They still had my arms, and this was a little awkward for them, but they began to run.

And I began to scream and didn't stop.

They gave me a seven, or close enough. Flying along upside down like that was far more terrifying - and humiliating - than what they normally did, and I spent the entire time screaming.

But I was so terrified they would drop me, I didn't struggle.

"I'm going to be sick!" I finally called out, but that didn't result in any mercy at all. Still they ran.

But then they came to a stop, spun around once, and then lowered me to my hands and knees. Immediately in front of me were a pair of legs in a skirt, and I knew it was Michaela. I screamed for another fifteen seconds, reverting to panting. My heart was pounding out of my chest with a mix of fear and anger, and my stomach was heaving, barely contained.

Finally I said quietly, "I should throw up on your feet."

She laughed lightly. "You really don't want to do that, Zoe. Did she struggle?"

"Not really. She yelled a lot."

"I heard," Michaela said.

Still on my hands and knees in front of her, I looked up. She was looking down at me. "Please don't shave my head," I said in a small voice.

"We're making concessions because you're human, and I really dislike that part of the tradition, anyway," she said. "If you had struggled, we'd let you keep your clothes. Well, some of them, anyway." She paused. "Strip her."

At that, I did struggle, but the ride through the forest had taken whatever fight I may have had and spread it out in little driblets along the forest floor. Iris and Lindsey picked me up, and I got a look at my captors.

Michaela was there, of course, and Iris and Lindsey. I got a glimpse of both Hadley and Michele. Angel and Scarlett were there as well, as were Monique, Cassie, and Evangeline. I hadn't spent as much time with Kaylee, Kimber, or Val, so I wasn't surprised they weren't there, but I wondered where Ember was.

I didn't have time to ask.

I protested I hadn't any warning. I protested it was unreasonable to expect a struggle while hanging upside down. I protested I had tried to struggle even before I knew what was going on. I pointed out they were a lot stronger than I was, and perhaps they just hadn't noticed my attempts.

None of that mattered, and they collectively ignored everything I had to say.

I think Michaela knew all that, and telling me they would have let me keep my clothes if I had struggled was a means of conciliation with the tradition.

The girls took turns stealing my clothes. Monique bent over and collected my legs. I tried to kick her, but she just laughed and wrapped them in a hug, then picked my legs up. Cassie stepped forward and removed my tennis shoes and socks. Monique put my feet back on the ground, but she held my legs tightly while Evangeline undid the buttons of my jeans.

"Stop this!" I said. "Michaela!"

Michaela smiled and said nothing.

They stole my jeans, then Evangeline grabbed my legs from Monique, and she looked at my tee shirt.

"Ratty," she said, and rather than pulling it off me, she grabbed the collar, then bent forward and bit the hem. Then there was a rip, and she tore it down the front. More rips tore the sleeves, and then the material dropped to the ground.

"That's a nice bra," Michaela said. "If you cooperate, she won't destroy it taking it off you."

"Go to hell!" I said.

Yeah, I'd agreed to this, but I hadn't agreed to how they had taken me. Monique shrugged, and a moment later, she began destroying the straps of the bra. It only took her seconds.

I tried to cover myself, but Iris and Lindsey still had my arms. I began blushing furiously, looking anywhere but at my captors. That was hard, as they were all around me.

"Let her keep her undies," Michaela said. "Tape her. Don't forget to wrap her first."

"No!" I said. I struggled again, quite ineffectively. It did me no good, and then they forced me onto my knees, then flat on my stomach. Iris and Lindsey pinned me while I swore at them. I tried kicking at whoever had my legs, but Evangeline tightened her grip. I didn't see what they were doing after that, but I felt them begin to wrap my ankles in something; I would learn shortly it was Saran Wrap. They wrapped the ankles, then I heard the sound of tape coming off a roll.

"No!" I said again, but they wrapped the tape around my ankles, binding them tightly. After that, they worked their way up my legs, lifting them into the air behind me, which was awkward with my face pressed into the ground. They taped me all the way to just below my buns.

Then everyone stilled. Michaela knelt down in front of me. I tilted my head sideways to try to look at her. She studied me.

"Are you all right?" she finally asked.

I thought about it. "Yeah." I said it calmly, more or less. "You're not going to cut my hair?"

"No. I'm about to give you a choice. We need to tape your arms. It is trivial to tape them behind your back. If we have to do that, we won't use the wrap, and it will hurt when we pull the tape off. If you promise to cooperate, we'll sit you up and tape them along your sides."

"We should tape them behind her back," Evangeline said. "That is more secure, and less comfortable. She will break sooner."

"Ransom night is about helping the bride demonstrate her strength," Hadley said. "Good judgment is one of Zoe's strengths."

"Sides," I said. "I'll cooperate."

"Sit her up," Michaela said.

They rolled me over first then helped me to sit. Iris and Lindsey grabbed my arms again, holding them straight out to either side. I looked down at my legs and saw them wrapped in duct tape, and just peeking out of the top of the tape, I could see the Saran Wrap.

"They did this differently with me," Michaela said. "It was awkward." She pressed something into my left hand. "Hold this. If you drop it, we're taping your hands the way Evangeline wants them."

"What is it?"

"One of your GreEN stress balls."

They wrapped my wrist in plastic, but not my hand. Then they added tape around the wrist and over my fingers, holding them closed around the stress ball. They were thorough, and when they were done, you couldn't tell it was a hand. My right hand was treated similarly.

They stood me up, supporting me as I balanced precariously, pressed my arms along my sides, then wrapped and taped me, around and around, pinning my arms to my sides.

I blushed horribly when Michaela lifted my breasts out of the way so they could wrap and tape me all the way to my sternum. Then they taped the top of my chest, too, and soon I was covered nearly entirely from my shoulders to my ankles. My breasts, buns, and feet were exposed.

"There," Michaela said with a smile. "First favor."

Monique stepped forward. "You have a choice. You will ride in the trunk. We are driving some distance. It would not do for Portia to be able to find you. It won't be comfortable."

"Or?"

"Or you may ride with us. But there is a price."

"What price?"

"We want to have a dance at the school four times a year. It requires a faculty advisor to oversee us, but neither Michaela nor Francesca has time. We want you to do it."

I considered what she said. "That is an expensive price for a more comfortable ride, and I believe you have more prices I will be paying. I will oversee one dance to ride with you and I get input into the music that's played, or you may put me in the trunk."

"Ooh," Angel said. "A tough negotiator. Iris and Lindsey, you didn't cow her enough."

"We cowed her plenty," Iris said. "Didn't you hear the screaming?"

"What does 'input' mean?" Monique asked.

"If you guys don't pick very much music the old folks can dance to, then every ten songs, you have to play two songs from a playlist I create."

Hadley snorted. The girls glanced at each other, then Monique said, "Agreed. One dance, and music input as specified."

"Monique, you're giving in too easily," Evangeline said.

I looked over at Evangeline, studying her. I tried to decide if this was a case of good wolf / bad wolf. I didn't have enough information to judge. "It costs nothing to give me a more comfortable ride, but it will cost me a great many hours to help with your dance. I only agreed at all because I expect it will be fun. But if you feel my offer is unreasonable, I will ride in the trunk."

Evangeline looked frustrated, but Monique said, "She's going to want more favors. We'll get what we want from her. One dance as agreed."

"Finish preparing her," Michaela said.

Someone stepped up behind me and began to braid my hair. I raised an eyebrow. Michaela noticed but said nothing. It took only a minute to braid my hair then she wrapped it in a scarf.

Evangeline stepped in front of me. "Open your mouth." She was holding several rags.

"You're going to gag me?"

"Yes."

I sighed and opened obediently. She stuffed a couple of rags in. Then Michaela said, "The scarf protects your hair for this part." Someone handed Evangeline the roll of tape, and she began wrapping my mouth closed around the rags, pulling my mouth tightly closed. She wrapped it around and around my head, pulling tightly, then smoothing the tape tight to my skin immediately underneath my nose.

She was handed a blindfold. She let me see it before she pulled it over my eyes.

"This is to protect your eyes," she said as she did it. She adjusted it carefully, and then she began taping it in place, too. I couldn't see a thing.

"Last thing," Monique said. "Michaela adjusted the volume." She inserted ear buds into my ears. But they didn't turn it on.

Then Michaela said, "Portia. It's Michaela. We have your mate. Her price is one million dollars and the house you just built. You have one hour to consider your decision."

I began yelling into the gag. She told me she wouldn't take the house!

"Shhh," Michaela said. "She's not going to pay that. Shhh, Zoe. Lara, Elisabeth and Karen are with her. They won't let her be stupid. She'll give you honor. We ask an unreasonable price until we're willing to let her pay for you. Otherwise, some mates pay far too early. Portia is an enforcer, Zoe. This is very difficult for her. She is driven to protect you, and letting us do this is very difficult. We're helping her control her response to rescue you before you're ready to be rescued."

I calmed down, but my heart continued to pound. I couldn't believe I had agreed to this. I had gotten over my fear from the trip into the forest, but I wondered when the fear would return.

"Turn on the music, then we better get out of here."

 **Head Games**

It wasn't music; it was a thunderstorm. It was actually soothing, and I enjoyed listening to it. I thought that was kindness on their part.

They ran with me over their shoulders for a few minutes, and then they were passing me off. I realized they were handing me into a car, and I felt myself stretched across several laps. Then we were moving, rolling down the road.

I was completely, utterly lost. I lay limply, cradled in someone's arms. I couldn't have told you in whose arms I lay, except it was a wolf. But I felt multiple hands the entire time. Someone caressed my face, or what was exposed of it, or patted my tightly taped cheeks. Someone held my feet. There was a hand on my hip, another on my shoulder.

All the touch felt nice. All the touch was comforting.

I didn't know what they would do. Michaela had said it would be fun. Even early on, the punishments wouldn't be very bad, and I would enjoy some of them. I could only make guesses what they might do.

I couldn't tell you how long we drove along or where we went. I didn't even know where we were when the mad rush ended with me on my hands and knees in front of Michaela.

I was embarrassed at being mostly naked. The tape hid most of my body, which only highlighted what they left exposed. The wolves were all casual about nudity, but they knew I wasn't. I decided that was a portion of my punishment. It was helping to increase my sense of vulnerability, and I was pretty sure that was intentional.

Finally, the car slowed, turned around, and came to a stop. The vibration, already muffled by riding across their laps, ended. And then I felt fresh air across my breasts; it had grown warm in the car with all of us cuddled together. They passed me out, turned me around a few times, and then they were carrying me somewhere.

We went up, turned more corners, and then went down. I knew they were taking me to a basement somewhere.

I'm not going to talk about everything they did. Some of it I consider very private. Some was scary. But Michaela had been right; the evening would become very important to me, and so I must share enough to understand why.

They set me onto a sofa, then arranged me until I was comfortable, more or less. I couldn't feel the edges of the sofa, so I thought perhaps I was in the middle. And then I felt two people sit down on either side of me, confirming my suspicion. They shut off the thunderstorm and removed the ear buds.

"Not so bad, hmm?" Michaela asked from somewhere in front of me.

I shook my head 'no'. Not so bad, so far.

"I already told you some of this, but I am going to repeat it. We are not treating you like a wolf. You do not have the strength of a wolf, and no one expects you to. And, of course, if we hurt you, you won't heal. Do you understand?" I nodded.

"From time to time, you may want a favor. There will always be a price. In a while, we will offer you all the water you want, and the girls were discussing the price in the car. We know you have little money, so you can imagine the nature of the prices we'll ask." Again, I nodded. The girls would undoubtedly get their four dances. I didn't know what the adults wanted.

"At any time, you may end what is happening by begging Portia to pay your ransom. As long as you beg convincingly, we will stop what we are doing, even if she doesn't pay the ransom. But of course, a half hour or an hour later, there will be a new punishment, and if you want it to stop, you will need to be far more convincing."

I sighed into the gag and nodded.

"This ends when she pays your ransom, Zoe. You may beg us to stop all you want, but Portia is the only one who stops this."

I nodded again. I was doing a lot of nodding.

"Now, the reality is this. We can make you beg any time we want, but that is not the tradition. The tradition is to help you show how strong you are. We are your best friends, and we are showing you off to your groom and your groom's family. Well, that's the tradition, but of course in this case, it is to Portia, to Ember, and to the entire pack, your new family. But we do step it up, and you will eventually beg her to pay for you."

I knew the last part.

"You should know. We have video cameras set up. For my second ransom night, they streamed the video live to the pack web site. We're not doing that, but we're going to pick and choose, and we'll be uploading some of the video. We're also taking pictures." And then I heard a camera fire, five or six photos, some from very close. I immediately began to blush, as I knew my breasts were exposed. I was posing naked for someone's camera. I complained into the gag.

"The pack gets to see those immediately," Michaela said. "Soon, everyone will know it is your ransom night."

I sighed.

"No one in the pack will sleep tonight," Michaela continued. "When Iris and Lindsey took you, very few knew tonight would have a ransom night, but these nights are for the entire pack, and five minutes after we upload the first photos, they will go viral within the pack. Friends will call friends, and soon much of the pack will be awake and watching for updates. The girls will be blogging, and we'll upload photos and video."

I groaned, imagining myself on display like this.

"That's our job," Angel said. "Scarlett and me."

From somewhere near Michaela, Michele spoke next. "Zoe, we know the nudity is hard for you."

"It was hard for me at first, too," Michaela interjected.

"But you're in a wolf pack now," Michele continued. "Ransom night isn't only about showing you off. It is also a bonding experience between all of us, you with your closest friends."

"Or in my case," said Evangeline, "someone who expects to be around a long, long time." She was right; I was a little surprised she was here, but it made sense.

"But it also helps you to bond with the pack," Hadley said. "That is not as important when the bride has been in the pack for a long time, but it is very important for you."

"You have a hard time with the nudity," Michele said. "Perhaps after tonight, it won't be as hard for you."

I thought about that and nodded.

"We aren't uploading all the photos and video," Michaela said. "Some we will be sending to Portia as incentive to pay for you. She won't see all your punishments, but she'll see most of them. It is our decision what we show her, Zoe." I nodded to that. "We will show your strength." I still didn't know what she meant by that, but I nodded. "But we also must be honest with her, and she will see some of your weakness as well. When you cry-"

"And you'll cry," Monique said. "Even strong wolves cry."

"Portia will see that, too," Michaela finished. "And that is just as important."

I didn't understand why.

Michaela's tone changed. "In my second ransom night, Lara paid far sooner than I wanted her to."

"But she was pregnant," Angel added. "We didn't know that. She had to pay because it was stressing her too much, and that was bad for the pups."

"Zoe, are either you or Portia pregnant?" Michaela asked.

I shook my head. How could we have gotten pregnant?

"Are there other health issues we need to know?" Again I shook my head 'no'.

"For my ransom night," said Scarlett, "I eventually asked Angel to pay for me. But for hers, I paid before she asked. If you are far more stubborn than we expect, you'll find out later what they were doing to her."

Oh god. I gulped and nodded.

"All right," said Michaela. "For your first punishment, you are getting a firm spanking. Do you wish to beg Portia to pay your ransom?"

I shook my head.

A moment later, she said, "Hello again, Portia. No, I wouldn't really say she's all right. She is undamaged, but we've already frightened her badly. We had her on her hands and knees, and she was nearly ill."

Oh, so that's how it was to be. Head games with my mate?

"Have you considered our offer? Are you sure?" Michaela asked. "We are about to bend her across the back of the sofa and take turns spanking her. She is sure to yelp, although you won't make out words through the gag. No? Well, hang on. You can listen. Do it, ladies."

Two people reached over me from behind the sofa and dragged me backwards. I was surprised by it and cried out, but of course, it was severely muffled. Then they bent me over the sofa so far that my feet were in the air, but my head was lower than my butt.

"She has a cute ass," Michaela said. "So soft and ripe."

I heard the camera clicking, and I protested into the gag. Then there was a swat! And I yelped in surprise. It wasn't that painful, but it was the surprise. Whoever was spanking me swatted me three times total, and then there was a pause. I felt shifting around, and then someone was rubbing my ass.

"Hey!" I complained into the gag.

Then I took three more swats. They weren't any softer than the first three, but I was ready for them, so I didn't cry out.

They switched again. And again. And the discomfort built. I began grunting from each swat, and then yelping again, the sounds muffled.

"We won't stop until we've each spanked her," Michaela said. "No? Keep going."

Then someone new was rubbing my bottom again. It actually felt good.

"No, no, you're not supposed to rub her bottom," Michaela said. "Spank it. You do know what a spanking is."

Swat. Rub. Swat. Rub. Swat, and then tender rubbing.

I lost count of how many had spanked me. Michaela continued talking to Portia, taunting her. Finally she said, "Has everyone gone? Oh wait; it's my turn. Hold the phone." There a pause, more shuffling around, and then I felt a hand on my back, just above my buttocks. Then she leaned down. She must be half over the sofa herself, but she whispered into my ear. "We will remove your gag and allow you all the water you want, but the price is three good yelps, your best yet. If you don't pay this price, there will be another offer shortly, but this is far easier for you than what the girls have in mind. Think about it."

Then she straightened and began rubbing my bottom.

I was by and large overcome with conflicting emotions. This was all very strange to me. I could feel the tenderness in what they were doing. But she was asking me to help her with her head games with my mate.

I vowed to remain silent.

Michaela's hand stilled, lifted away from me, and then there was a loud, firm, swat! Far harder than anyone else had done. I grunted with the impact, but I didn't yelp.

One point to Zoe!

Her next two swats were just as firm, and I grunted with each, but I held back the yelps, although it was a close thing on the third.

A moment later I heard Michaela say, "Her ass is red with three fox-sized hand prints. Did you hear the offer I gave her? And she kept silent. She didn't give me what I wanted. I'll have to try harder next time, Portia. We'll talk to you soon."

There was a pause, then she said, "Put her back on the sofa and make her comfortable."

The lifted me up, very gently, and then carefully walked me around and set me back down. Two wolves sat next to me, then both leaned against me. It felt nice.

Even if my ass stung.

From in front of me, Michaela said, "Well done, Zoe. Now it's time for a game, but the games you're most likely to enjoy involve ungagging you."

"There is a price for ungagging you," Cassie said, and I realized she was sitting to my right. "You've already offered to oversee the fall dance. Ungagging you is the early winter dance. Will you pay our price?"

I thought about it and then shook my head.

"Really?" she asked.

From my left, Monique asked, "Do you want us to remove the gag?" I nodded. "Do you hate the idea of helping with the dance?"

Actually, I was looking forward to it, but I wasn't going to tell her that. I shook my head "no."

"Hmm," said Monique. I was pretty sure Michaela realized I was negotiating, but she didn't say anything. "You want more than just having the gag removed?" And I nodded. "What?" she asked.

The girls giggled. "I don't think she can answer you," Evangeline said.

"Oh, yeah," Monique said. "Help me out here."

Still, the adults were quiet. "The other things we might offer this early would be taking off the blindfold or giving her water," Iris said. "Are those what you want, Zoe?"

I nodded.

"We're not doing both," Cassie said. "Not for one dance. You have to pick one. Water or blindfold. Um. Water?"

I thought about it. I shook my head.

They were quiet for a minute. "Gag and blindfold for a dance. Agreed?" Cassie asked, and I nodded.

It took them a few minutes to free me, and when they pulled the tape off, it hurt. They did the blindfold first, which wasn't bad, but the tape around my mouth and over my cheeks hurt. I would have used naughty words if I hadn't had the rags in my mouth.

Iris moved around, taking photos the entire time, and Scarlett held a video camera before setting it back on the tripod, facing me.

I blinked in the light and worked my jaw. "Thank you," I said.

I looked around. We were, indeed, in a basement. The walls were concrete and painted white. There was a white suspended ceiling. And the space was clearly someone's home theater. There was a large television at one end of the room with stereo equipment and several speakers, but the sofa I was on was turned sideways. At the other end of the room from the television was an air hockey table. Past the air hockey game was a bar; it looked well stocked. There was a coffee table directly in front of me, and Michaela was sitting on it. Watching from easy chairs were Michele and Hadley. The other girls milled around, but there was seating for everyone, if some of it was more comfortable than others. And there was a storage chest behind Michaela.

"It's time for a game," Michaela said. "We're going to have our own version of Fear Factor!" She looked around. "Cassie, pick your partner."

"Hadley!" she said immediately.

"Iris?"

"I pick Michele."

"Lindsey?"

"Angel, will you be my partner?"

"Evangeline?"

"Scarlett."

"I am the host," Michaela said. "But Monique doesn't have a partner. Zoe, you may be the studio audience, or you may play."

"Oh god," I said. "Are you going to tell me the things we have to do?"

"Nope. But there's a prize to the winner."

"What sort of prize?"

"A good prize," Michaela said with a grin.

"Maybe you should tell me the rules."

"We'll spin a wheel." She nodded, and Lindsey and Angel got up and left the room. I turned over my shoulder to watch their progress. They returned a moment later carrying an easel with a spinner wheel attached to it. Scarlett collected one of the video cameras on its tripod and moved it so it was pointed over my shoulder; anyone watching that video would see what I saw.

The spinning wheel was big, and when it stopped, it would land on one of the slots. I couldn't quite read what was written on the various places. The girls set the easel down on the other side of the coffee table where I could see it. Michaela stood up and gave the spinner a good spin. There was a tab that poked through nails embedded in a circle around the perimeter of the wheel, and it made a sound similar to a playing card in the spokes of a bicycle. Finally it came to a stop, and Michaela pulled out the piece of paper in the corresponding slot. She read it out loud. "Diet Coke and Mentos Challenge!"

"Oh god," I said, laughing.

"So the way it works is this," Michaela said. "We'll pick an order to play. One of the partners spins the wheel, and you see what you get. Then the other partner picks which of you will do it. We do a round, and then each team scores the other contestants based on whatever criteria they want. Four for best, three for second, et cetera. Most points at the end wins."

"I need a partner," Monique said. "Please..." She made it about four syllables.

I looked around and spotted Hadley. "I can't believe you're agreeing to play this."

She smiled sweetly.

"I'm in, but I'm not exactly mobile."

"Don't worry," Michaela said. "You can do all of these."

"Yes!" said Monique.

"Round One for this edition of Fear Factor! The order is by the first initial of the middle name of the oldest on the team," Michaela said.

Michele's middle name was Chelsea. Mine is Everest, so she was first, we were second, then Scarlett, Hadley, and finally Angel.

"All right," Michaela said. "Michele and Iris, come on up!" She sounded like a game show host, pitching her voice low and sounded over-excited. "Michele, you may choose if you wish to spin first or let Iris spin."

"I'll spin," she said. She stepped forward and gave the wheel a good spin. It went around and around, clicking and clicking, finally coming to a stop. The whole time everyone clapped - except me, of course. Even Hadley was getting into it.

They were such goofs.

Michaela stepped forward and collected the slip of paper. "What challenge shall Michele and Iris accept?" she asked dramatically. "Shall it be the spider munch? Or the dreaded bowl of Brussels sprouts?"

"Eww!" said the wolves together. I laughed.

"Save that one for me!" I called out.

"Ohhhh," said Michaela, reading the note. "It's the Chubby Bunny! Iris, are you playing, or will you make Michele play?"

"But I don't know what Chubby Bunny is."

"Ah, but that's part of the fun," Michaela said. "Choose wisely."

"Michele will play!" Iris said.

"All right," said Michaela. "Michele, stand here, facing the television audience." Michele moved into position, and Michaela went to the storage cabinet, returning with a bag of marshmallows and a metal pan. "Now, in deference to our guest vegan, everything we have here for the games tonight is vegan."

"Spider Crunch doesn't sound vegan to me," I said.

"Hush, you," she said. "Do not question the game show host." She stepped up next to Michele. "Here is how Chubby Bunny is played. I will pop a marshmallow into your mouth. You will keep the marshmallow in your mouth and say, 'Chubby Bunny'. Then I add another, and another. Eventually, of course, you will no longer be able to hold any more marshmallows, and you may spit them all into this pan."

There were a bunch of laughs.

"But, that's the tame, Boy Scouts version of Chubby Bunny," Michaela said. "In Werewolf Chubby Bunny, your partner then has to eat the discarded marshmallows while keeping her hands behind her back. You will hold the pan for her."

"Gross!" Iris complained, generating more laughter, not least of all from me.

Michaela turned to us. "You should score this game based on how many marshmallows Michele is able to hold in her mouth while successfully and clearly saying 'Chubby Bunny', and then after that, on how much laughing you do while Iris eats the marshmallows."

"Can I change my mind what role I have?" Iris asked.

"All decisions are final!" Michaela said. Dramatically, of course. "Are you ready, Michele?"

"Ready!" she said.

Michaela ripped a hole in the bag, withdrew a marshmallow, held it up, and then popped it into Michele's waiting mouth. She clearly shoved it to one cheek and said, "Chubby Bunny".

"That's one!" Michaela said.

By the third marshmallow, Michele was really working to stuff them into her mouth. The rest of us were laughing uproariously, and Iris was talking about how hard it must be, and surely she couldn't fit any more. In the end, Michele got seven marshmallows into her mouth, saying, "Chubby Bunny" afterwards, but she couldn't get the eighth in. She took the metal pan from Michaela and spit out all the marshmallows.

They looked truly disgusting, slimy from her mouth and sliding around on the pan.

"All right, Iris," Michaela said. "Hands behind your back."

"Oh god," Iris said, but she clasped her hands, and then Michele held the pan out for her. Soon Michele was laughing as Iris chased the marshmallows around the pan, and I was sure she was tipping it intentionally, causing them to slide around.

Iris finally corralled all the marshmallows, but Michaela took a look at the pan and announced, "It's not clean!"

That generated more laughter as Iris went after the pan with her tongue. It got worse when Michele intentionally smeared some of the marshmallows against Iris's nose and cheeks.

"No hands!" Michaela said in warning. And then a minute later, Michele showed her the pan, now clean, more or less.

Iris wanted to wash her face, but Michele whispered to her, and so she took her seat next to her partner.

"Next up, Zoe and Monique. Zoe, do you want to spin or let Monique?"

"How am I supposed to spin?"

"You have feet," Michaela said.

I laughed. "I'll spin."

"All right, girls. Pick her up and bring her to the wheel!"

Monique and Cassie did the honors. They carried me to the wheel until I could reach it with my toes. "What do we do if we land on the same slot?"

"Oh, wait!" Michaela said. She stepped forward and pulled a nail from the perimeter, dropping it into a little can. "I have to pull the nails as we go. Spin away!"

The girls adjusted me. "May I have a practice flick?" I asked.

"Go for it," Michaela said.

It took me a couple of tries before I could get the spinner to go around more than one time. Then I said, "Here's the money spin." And I gave it a good flick.

The applause was funny, and then they kept clapping. "Mentos!" yelled Lindsey. "Mentos challenge!"

The spinner came to a stop. "Oh, I think that's the Pigeon Poop!" declared Michaela.

"Eww," everyone said.

She stepped forward, grabbed the note, dropped the nail into the can, then read it. "Ah ha, I was wrong. This is Bobbin'. Monique, are you playing or is Zoe."

"Zoe is, of course," Monique said.

"Is this a game I can play like this?" I asked.

Michaela grinned. "They all are, although some have roles, and you can only do one, not the other." She stepped away to the bar, rummaged in a refrigerator, then returned with a bowl. She set the bowl down, and I saw it was half full of Brussels sprouts.

"Tonight, Zoe will be bobbing for these delightful, vegan, baby cabbages." I laughed. "But bobbing while they float in water is far too easy." She went to the storage cabinet and came back with a large bag of flour and a large cake pan. Even I laughed, knowing what was to happen.

She dumped the Brussels sprouts into the cake pan then poured the flour over them before giving it all a stir.

"We need to move the coffee table." Iris and Lindsey handled it. Michaela recruited help to spread a plastic drop cloth, and then she set the pan on the floor, also adding the pan from the Chubby Bunny game next to it. "Zoe, we'll move you here, and when you're ready, you have two minutes to find as many of the Brussels sprouts as you can. You must bite them in half and then drop them into the pan. And Monique, when she is done, you get to eat them."

"Oh god," she said. "I knew it."

"Don't worry," Michaela said. "They've been blanched."

Monique wasn't acting about the Brussels sprouts. I loved them, but the wolves disliked most vegetables, especially Brussels sprouts and asparagus. Asparagus was so offensive that Portia had asked me not to cook it if she were going to be home. Even the smell was offensive, or so she explained.

Cassie and Monique set me down on the floor, but without my hands, I couldn't support myself over the pan. They let me drop with my face into the flower anyway.

"Oh dear," said Michaela. "That won't work. Maybe she can kneel."

They picked me back up, sputtering flower, which of course resulted in laughter. I tried kneeling, but I was taped so tightly, I couldn't bend my legs far enough.

"Oh my," Michaela said. "Well, there is one answer. Stand her up." She waited until I was on my feet. "Cassie, support her. Monique, lie down on your back in front of the pan." Monique lay down, and then Cassie and Hadley picked me up and laid me down with my stomach across Monique's, my face hovering over the pan of flour and Brussels sprouts."

"If you let go, I'm going to flop over," I said.

"Cassie, hold her ankles to the floor, if you don't mind."

"I'm ready," I said.

"Ready, go!" Michaela said.

At first it was easy. There were a lot of Brussels sprouts. I would find one, getting a face full of flower, pick it up, then I could bite it before squirming over to drop both halves into the other pan. Of course, I was left with an enormous amount of flour in my mouth and even more on my face.

"One minute," Michaela said.

It got harder as I went. I was spreading flower all over, including splashing quite a bit on Monique. Everyone was laughing, of course, even me.

"Thirty seconds... Fifteen. Five... Stop!"

I bit the last Brussels sprout and dropped it into the pan.

"Does that one count?" Lindsey asked.

"Sure," Michaela said. "One more for Monique to eat. Help her up!"

They stood me up, and everyone got a better look at me. "Oh my," Michaela said. "She's a mess. It's a good thing we have more drop cloths."

A minute later I was back on the sofa, a drop cloth spread over it to protect it.

Monique had to eat the Brussels sprouts without her hands, Michaela holding the pan for her. She got a face full of flour, but I was sure mine was worse. She made a face after each one, but she ate them, each and every one.

I'm not sure I have ever laughed harder.

Michaela let us all clean up before the second round. I sat quietly on the couch until Monique came back with two towels: one damp and one dry. She cleaned my face carefully and gently, then delivered a sweet hug and kiss on my cheek.

For our second round, we got a game called Burp. "All right," Michaela said, "for this game, Monique, you have to get Zoe to burp. You have thirty seconds to give her anything you want to eat or drink. After that, you pull her into her arms and burp her like a baby. Extra points for good baby talk from both of you."

I was not one of those people who could burp or belch on command.

"And to make it more fun," Michaela said, "the baby gets blindfolded again, so she doesn't see what she's about to eat."

Monique played to win. They actually had an adult size high chair. They moved me into it, then I was blind folded. "Go get what you're going to give her first."

I heard Monique rummaging around, including a trip to the refrigerator. The audience stilled, and then I heard, "Oh no!" From Cassie. A moment later, "Gross!" from Scarlett. The others laughed.

"Oh god," I said. "Ready."

"The timer starts when the first food or drink passes her lips," Michaela said. "You aren't allowed to tell her what you are giving her, except whether it's food or drink."

Monique played it up. "Hello, baby," she said in a sweet voice. "Aren't you a sweet baby? Are you hungry, baby?"

I gurgled at her, as best I could.

"Oh, what a good girl. Open up! Here comes the rabbit, hop-hop-hopping into your mouth."

I opened obediently, and she popped something in. It tasted like mint.

"It's baby food," she said, "you can just swallow it, little Zoe. That's a good girl."

I swallowed. "You pre-chewed my food?"

"Those are big words for a baby," Michaela said. "Stay in character."

But everyone else laughed.

Whatever it was, she gave me two more, then she stepped up and said, "Head back, big drink." She didn't wait but pressed the mouth of a soda bottle to my lips and began to pour.

I swallowed as fast as I could, but some of it drizzled down my face. I was going to be so sticky. I recognized the diet coke.

"Time," said Michaela. Monique removed the bottle from my lips, and then she pulled me into her arms, my head over her shoulder, one hand under my buns to hold me there, and she began patting my back while bouncing up and down.

I couldn't believe she was strong enough to hold me like a baby, but it felt effortless for her.

"Burp for mommy," she said. "Big burp now!"

And darn if I didn't just do that, a rip-roaring burp of epic proportions.

Well, maybe not epic proportions. It was, I'm sure, a very dainty, lady-like burp.

"First try! Well done, Monique."

Then I let out another burp. And a third.

Yeah, who doesn't like a good burp laugh? The wolves sure did.

Monique carried me to the sofa, set me down, and then removed my blindfold before sitting next to me.

Sitting on the coffee table was an opened package of Mentos and a two-liter bottle of Diet Coke.

"Please tell me those Mentos are vegan," I said quietly.

Michaela smiled. "Don't you trust me, Zoe?"

I eyed her then nodded.

We were up to the last players of the second round, Evangeline and Scarlett for this round, when someone's phone began to beep. The sound was coming from Michaela.

"We'll finish this round," Michaela said.

Five minutes later, the round was over, everyone in high spirits, and the score counted. Monique and I were in third place of five teams.

"Punishment time," Michaela declared. Everyone grew still. The coffee table was still pulled out of the way, but Michaela dragged a chair over so she could sit in front of me. She leaned forward. "For wolves, the physical punishments begin right away, and that was true for my second ransom night. But for my first, my kidnappers had a list of other things they wished to do to me first." She peeled her hair away from one ear. "They pierced my ears."

"Mine are already pierced."

"Yes."

"We did things to her that Lara would enjoy," Angel said.

"Your tattoo."

"The one on my butt," Michaela said. "That was later in the evening, but yes." She gestured to her chest. "You have seen these, as well."

I nodded.

"They were things that hurt," Angel said, "but only a little."

"Well, these hurt more than a little," she said, gesturing at her chest. "And so did the tattoo and a few of the other things they did, but relatively speaking, yes, only a little."

"We didn't really know what to do," Angel said. "Except we had a list of things we thought Lara would like."

"I don't think Portia wants my nipples pierced."

"No, I don't believe she does," Michaela said. "So unfortunately, we don't have a list of those types of punishments."

I didn't want to tell them, but I wanted a tattoo. I thought Portia would like that. But I wasn't going to suggest it.

"Ransom night is about showing your strength. And so, this is your punishment," she said. "You must describe in detail at least five things you do not like about Portia. We will be recording it and sending it to her."

I stared at her.

"For every item that you are short, or if we are dissatisfied in your level of forthrightness, we are going to hurt you."

"Oh god," I said. "Is there an alternative?"

"Hurting you is the alternate," Michaela said. "Scarlett, start recording."

Scarlett held up her phone, pointed at me. She moved around slowly, shooting from different angles and distances.

"Why the phone?" I asked. I gestured with my nose. "You're already recording."

"We can send these right away without editing," Scarlett said. "Start talking."

I watched her for a few seconds, but then I looked back at Michaela. I stared at her for a good fifteen seconds, not saying a word, then I looked around. They were all watching me. "Well," I said finally, returning my gaze to Michaela again. "You're going to have to hurt me. Portia is perfect. She is strong and beautiful, with all the right curves. She treats both Ember and me exceedingly well. She is thoughtful and kind, and while she seems quiet when you first get to know her, she opens up and is quite intelligent and witty. And while I don't like that her job sometimes keeps her away from me, I am proud of her. I wish the job she did wasn't necessary, but she keeps you safe, and I do not begrudge that of her. I love everything about her, and I don't have five things to tell."

I paused. "But even if I did, I would either keep them to myself or discuss them with her. They would be no one else's business. And so, if there are a few niggling, inconsequential things I wish were different about her, I wouldn't share them with you." I closed my eyes. "Go ahead."

"Do you wish to beg Portia to ransom you instead?"

"No."

"Well, we must give her a chance, anyway." There was a pause, and then Michaela said, "Hello, Portia. We've been playing a fun game, but it's time for a punishment. She refuses to ask you to ransom her, but perhaps you would like to hear what we're about to do." Then she stood up and walked away, and I couldn't hear the rest of the conversation. A minute later, she came back.

"Portia declines to ransom you at this time," Michaela said. "Hold her."

Evangeline and Angel were seated next to me, a shift made during the movement during our game, and they grabbed my arms through the tape, and then pressed a hand onto my thighs. They also wrapped an ankle in front of mine so I couldn't kick, and from behind me, someone else also pressed into my shoulders, holding me firmly in place. "Zoe, this stops when you agree to do what we have told you to do, or when I decide. Monique, you're first."

My eyes were still closed, but I heard someone knelt in front of me, presumably Monique.

She grabbed my feet in her hands, curling her fingers so they were pressed into the bottoms of my feet. From beside me, Angel leaned closer and whispered into my ear, "Strength, Zoe."

And then Monique began to dig her fingers into my feet.

It hurt immediately. I let out a gasp then clamped my lips together, breathing heavily through my nose. It went on for perhaps a half minute, and I felt tears begin to leak from my eyes, but other than rapid breathing through my nose, I didn't make a noise.

"That's one," Michaela said, and Monique released my feet. A moment later, I felt lips pressing a kiss into the top of each foot, and I opened my eyes in time to see Monique kneeling upright again.

She leaned forward, held my cheek with her hand, and said, "We love you, Zoe."

I smiled halfheartedly and nodded. I didn't trust my voice.

"Lindsey," said Michaela.

There was no pause. It was Lindsey who was holding my shoulders, and she immediately began digging fingers into one shoulder. I gasped in surprise, and this time I didn't have the control to clamp my lips closed. I panted loudly, gasping several more times, but I slammed my eyes shut and vowed to hold on.

"Harder," Michaela said.

Lindsey began pulsing her grip, and each pulse brought forth a fresh gasp. I began to whimper, and a moment later, Michaela said, "That's two."

Lindsey immediately relaxed her hold. I realized I was trembling. Then she leaned over the couch, wrapped her arms around me, and kissed my tear-stained cheek. "We love you," she said into my ear.

"There are three more," Michaela said. "I'm sure you can come up with three things to tell us."

"No!" I said.

"You can beg Portia to ransom you."

"No!"

"Iris."

Iris did it differently. I heard movement, and I watched her move around the front of the sofa. Then she climbed on top of me, straddling my legs and sitting back on them.

"What are you going to do?" I asked her.

She didn't answer, but she leaned forward and wrapped her left hand in my hair then yanked back savagely, tilting my head to the ceiling. I yelped in surprise.

I was, of course, completely helpless and unable to resist even the slightest amount. They could do what they wished to me, and my only defenses were my words. My heart was pounding now, and I could feel the fear begin to creep in.

But I realized I trusted them, and they wouldn't carry this too far.

Iris leaned over me, staring down into my face, then I felt a knuckle begin to press into my chest.

I didn't close my eyes this time. Instead, I stared into hers. She began to press harder, twisting, and it began to hurt. I gasped again, and she increased her efforts.

What Lindsey had done to my shoulders had hurt worse, but I felt even more helpless and vulnerable being held like this, and I began to whimper nearly immediately, the whimpers turning into keening. Still she didn't let up until Michaela said, "That's three."

Immediately her knuckle relaxed, and she held her hand flat against my chest instead. Her fingers relaxed in my hair as well, but she didn't release my head right away. Instead she leaned closer and whispered, "We love you, and we're proud of you, Zoe. Thank you for doing this." She kissed my ear, and then she released me, her touches gentle as she climbed from me.

"You're not going to make it through two more, Zoe. Give us two. Only two."

"No. None."

"Evangeline, I don't think she realizes we're serious."

Evangeline moved to my feet. "She will," she said. And then she was squeezing, but she ground the bones of my feet against each other.

"Stop!" I said. "Stop! Stop! Stop!"

She didn't stop, and my demands turned into more keening. Tears were flowing freely from my eyes. But I didn't scream, and I didn't beg to be ransomed, or even to talk about anything I didn't like about Portia.

I couldn't think of any, anyway.

"That's four," Michaela said calmly some time later.

Evangeline immediately stopped what she was doing, but the pain lingered for a while, and I gasped for air, slowly calming down.

"Angel is next," Michaela said. "Evangeline is just a student and not into her full strength. Angel has nearly reached her full size, nearly two hundred pounds of werewolf." I looked over at the woman. "Give us one thing you don't like about Portia, and Angel doesn't have to hurt you. Zoe, if you don't give me what I want, she isn't going to go easy on you."

"Portia is perfect," I said. I took two deep breaths and closed my eyes. "She's perfect."

I won't explain what Angel did to me, but it hurt a great deal.

When I began to scream, she stopped immediately.

I sat there, panting for a long time. Finally I opened my eyes and looked around. The wolves were watching me, looking on with various degrees of concern.

But when my eyes settled on Hadley, she was smiling, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly, just once.

I offered a halfhearted smile. "What is the price for something to eat, and are we still playing Fear Factor, or is there another game?"

We played Fear Factor through several more punishments. They went easy on me for the next one, ordering me to describe ten things I liked about Portia. That I was happy to do, and it wasn't punishment at all. I talked at length.

The nature of the Fear Factor challenges changed. The first set was based on food. But then Michaela refilled the slots with new notes and put all the nails back in. This next set was based on beauty treatments, with one of us dolling up our partners in various ways. The challenges had names such as Unusual Mascara and Green Eyed Monster.

Michaela reassured me everything we were using was vegan.

We got pretty raucous.

I especially liked when Cassie used lipstick to draw two big hearts on Hadley's cheeks. She turned to us and asked, "Is it me?" We assured her they were.

I had to make up Monique, but with my hands full, I could only hold things with my mouth. People were laughing so hard I saw tears running down a few cheeks. I had a hard time doing it, as I was laughing, too, and kept dropping the instruments of Monique's discomfort.

A punishment time came. Angel and Scarlett had been missing for a few minutes, but they returned carrying a few platters of food - all of it some form of animal product. There were a roast chicken, a plate of eggs, and something they told me was venison. There were even biscuits and a jar of honey.

Michaela moved a chair in front of me again. "Since joining us, I have never seen you eat proper food. You claim to be vegan."

I eyed the food.

"We don't think that's a real thing," she added. "So, you're going to eat a little of everything Angel and Scarlett cooked up."

"No, Michaela, I am not."

She reached over, picked up a fork, and speared a piece of the venison, popping it into her mouth. "Mmmm," she said. "That's good. Your body needs protein for what we're going to do to you later." She speared another piece and held it in front of me. Then her tone turned serious. "Eat it."

"No."

"That is a direct order from your alpha. Eat it."

"With all respect, Alpha," I said, "No."

"You are acting like an ill behaved child, refusing food from her mother."

"I'm not compromising my morals for this, Michaela. The answer is no. It was 'no' when we met. It was 'no' when I sat in your cell. And it was 'no' last week. It is 'no' today, and it will be 'no' until the day I die."

She leaned back. "She's being a wayward child. While I don't believe in corporal punishment for children, I'll make an exception. Spank her. Hard."

The girls didn't wait. They pulled me over the sofa again, and they weren't gentle. They bent me over the sofa, holding me roughly. Someone grabbed my legs and held them higher, and it was Iris pressing my chest into the cushions. Then I got a swat.

It hurt! I yelped.

"One slice of venison won't kill you, and the deer already died," Michaela said.

"No!"

Three more swats, and tears were leaking from my eyes. I yelped with each.

"It's a chicken, a stupid bird," Michaela said. "They're so dumb, they're practically begging us to eat them."

"You eat them," I said. "But I won't."

That was five swats, delivered slowly. Each swat resounded loudly, and they each hurt. I yelped and tried to kick, but they held me tightly.

"The eggs are from lovingly raised chickens," she said. "They aren't kept in cages. They have a nice coop. No animal died for these eggs."

"I don't care," I said. I did. At least they weren't shoved into tiny cages. But I wasn't going to eat them.

Ten swats, and they counted them. I began crying.

"You think I'm kidding?" Michaela said. She put her face down near mine, looking into my eyes. "You're going to eat this venison before we're done."

"Then you better mush it up real good and get a funnel, because you'll have to shove it down my throat."

Another ten swats, and by the end, I was crying freely.

"The honey," Michaela said. It was said gently. "The biscuits have milk, but cows don't suffer to give us milk. And the bees don't suffer to give us honey. Please, Zoe. A few bites are all I ask."

"No."

Ten swats.

"You can stop this," she said. "Agree to eat a biscuit with honey. They're really good. There must have been a time in the past you weren't vegan. You remember what honey tastes like."

"No!"

Ten swats.

"Come on, Zoe. We're not going to stop. Eat the biscuit or beg Portia to ransom you. That's the only way we're stopping."

"No!"

Ten swats. And then ten more. And then I was crying hard enough I couldn't breathe.

"Well," Michaela said. "I guess she's vegan. Help her up."

They put me on my feet, and then someone pulled me into a hug. "I knew you'd outlast her," Monique whispered. "You think you're weak, but you're not."

And then I was crying in earnest. They all clustered around me, touching me, calming me. Monique held me for a while, but then they passed me around, and I accepted a great amount of affection. I got hugs and kisses, even a quick peck on the lips from several of them. I couldn't have been more surprised when one of those was from Hadley.

"You're very brave," she whispered into my ear.

"I'm not," I whispered back.

"Did you think she'd stop?"

"No."

"Then you were brave to stand by your convictions. Strength comes in different forms, Zoe."

I calmed down, and they cleaned me up, and then they turned me to Michaela. She hadn't hugged me yet, holding herself aloof. She was watching me carefully.

"Where's my hug?" I demanded. She moved forward and wrapped her arms around me, holding me tightly.

We continued our game of Fear Factor. The challenges weren't terribly frightening but were instead designed to be funny and not too terrible. Michaela changed out the cards again, and we found ourselves doing much more outrageous things.

I spun the wheel and got one called, "Crisco Coin Search." Monique declared I would be playing.

Michaela grinned then directed the wolves to do the preparations. They had PVC pipe amongst their supplies, and they made a frame from the pipes, eight feet long by four feet wide. That went onto the floor, then they spread one of their thick, plastic tarps over it, taping it in place to the frame, but loose so the plastic rested on the floor.

Michaela had twenty one-dollar coins. She spread them around on the plastic. Then she had the girls collect large tins of Crisco. "All right, Monique. You have to dump out all the Crisco and hide the coins."

"Oh no," I said.

"Oh yes," Michaela replied. "And when you're done, Zoe has to find the coins, every last one."

There was a lot of Crisco. Monique dumped out the large tins and then spread it out in an even layer within the frame. I stared at it.

"You have an evil mind, Michaela," I said.

"I know," she replied. "Help her over there."

"Help" meant they picked me up and set me down right in the middle of the Crisco. I was immediately a slimy mess, and I knew it was only going to get worse.

At first I searched with my feet, digging my toes into the white mass. The Crisco squished between my toes, and soon my feet were covered. The girls laughed for a while, but I knew it would turn boring long before I found them all. I found several that way, but I couldn't manage to pick them up with my feet. I looked at Michaela.

"You have to pick them up," she said.

"I can't!"

"You haven't tried everything." She grinned, and I knew she wanted to see me bury my face.

So I did.

The girls loved it. Scarlett picked up one of the video cameras and filmed carefully, showing my entire, slimy body. I got it all over my face, my chest, and in my hair. The more I flopped around, trying to find the coins, the worse it got, and the louder the girls laughed.

Michele and Hadley were having just as good a time, and my gaming partner was doubled over with her hands on her knees, she was laughing so hard.

Even while I was doing it, I was amused by it, too, and at one point when I felt Crisco sliding where it didn't belong, I broke into paroxysms of laughter.

"This is only twelve," Michaela said. "Where are the rest, Zoe?"

"Perhaps you would care to help me, Alpha," I suggested.

"Maybe I will," she said. She went to the supply cabinet and pulled out a pair of disposable gloves, pulling them on her hands. Then she moved over to kneel next to my little Crisco playpen, being careful to avoid the splashes that had escaped containment. She felt around, then said, "There's one here."

"Where?"

"Right here."

I shifted around, which was work, given that I was exceedingly slippery, and absolutely no traction, and was bound neck to ankle in duct tape, now very, very slimy duct tape.

"A little more... a little more... Right there." Then she pressed down on the back of my head, pushing my face into a deep pile of the Crisco.

I came up, sputtering. I should have seen that coming. What can I say? I'm gullible.

Of course, my audience renewed their laughter, and I was sure whatever video Scarlett took would be jerky and hard to watch. She was laughing as hard as everyone else.

Michaela was still crouched down, grinning at me and, perhaps, wondering how I was going to react.

"It sure is too bad I wasn't around for your ransom night," I told her.

"Crying shame about that," she agreed. "I think you've found as many as you're going to find."

I squirmed around until I was lying on my side. If I splashed a little Crisco on her in the process, that would be all for the better.

I laid my head down and closed my eyes. "I heard your phone go off."

"Yeah," she said. "We'll score this round and see who won the game."

"You're not going to make Monique do something with the coins?"

"Oh please. Like I could come up with anything remotely as hilarious as watching you dig for them."

I had to admit she had a point. "You put a lot of work into this game."

"It was most of us," she said. "Honey, we've been planning for months."

"So they all know the challenges?"

"People submitted challenge ideas to me privately. Some ideas resulted in discussion. Some I didn't care for. I changed most of the names and fiddled with them enough the person submitting them probably isn't guessing what they are from the names."

"So, are you going to move me to the sofa, or do I have to wriggle my way there?"

"As entertaining as that might be to watch, we're leaving you right where you are for a few more minutes. Come on over, Monique. You have to score your opponents."

"I'm not getting near her," Monique said. "She'll splash."

"I promise I won't splash," I said.

I watched Monique. She eyed me carefully then got up from the sofa and made her way to kneel next to me. Michaela moved away, told us to go ahead and score our opponents, and reminded us what game each group had played. I waited until Monique was distracted then stretched out and brushed my face against her leg, wiping off some of the Crisco onto her jeans.

"Hey!" she complained, pulling away. "You promised you wouldn't do that."

"I promised not to splash. I didn't splash. I rubbed. I had an itch."

Behind me, the others snickered, but Monique eyed me carefully. I grinned up at her.

"Michaela, shouldn't I punish her for that? She was naughty."

"Probably," Michaela said. "What are you going to do?"

Monique eyed me. "I don't know." Then she smiled. "The next punishment is the cold water one?"

"Yes."

"I am adding ice," she said.

"All right," Michaela said. "Have you scored everyone yet?"

"No." Monique eyed me carefully.

"I'll behave," I said. "I'm sorry. I was feeling playful."

She leaned closer. "I don't want to punish you, but I have to. I'm sorry."

I shook my head. "It's fine. What order did you want?"

She wrote up our score sheet, and then Michaela asked for the scores, totaling them up. We got the four from each of the other teams for sixteen points total, pushing us into the lead by two points.

"And, by a scant two points, the winners are Zoe and Monique!" she announced. Everyone clapped and cheered, just like contestants on a game show were supposed to do. "We'll discuss the prize after Zoe's punishment. Angel and Scarlett, please go get the box."

"We won!" said Monique. "It was all you."

"I had a great partner," I said.

Angel and Scarlett returned carrying a long, clear box. I rolled back over to see what they had, and they set it down several feet away so I could get a good look at it.

It was a Plexiglas box, six feet long, about two feet wide and less than that tall. The lid was locked in place, and they undid the latches and pulled the top off. I stared at the box. When I finally glanced at Michaela, I saw everyone was watching me.

"I'm going in that, aren't I?"

"Perhaps not," she said.

"Uh huh. You went through a lot of work for that."

"Perhaps you won't see the inside until later. Or if you beg Portia to ransom you, you won't see it at all."

"Does something go into the box with me?"

"Water. Cold water."

"And ice," Monique added. "I didn't splash; I rubbed." She quoted me.

"How long?" I asked.

"Well, I guess we'll see," Michaela said. "Is someone filming?"

"I am," Cassie said. I looked over, and she was pointing an iPad at me.

Michaela moved to kneel down in front of me, looking into my eyes, but not close enough I could rub any of the Crisco on her.

"Zoe, you have a teenager living in your house. She has taken to calling you 'Mom', and I've heard you call her 'Daughter'."

"Yes."

"Teenagers can be a handful."

"Ember's a darling," I countered. "I love her to pieces."

"Still," she said, "I imagine there are times she is difficult."

"Imagine all you want, Michaela."

"I want to hear five things you don't like about Ember," Michaela said. "Or you go in the box. We'll fill it with water all the way to the brim. You will notice there is a breathing tube. We'll start the timer once it is absolutely full. Two minutes per item under five."

I sighed. "Ember is perfect. Or if she isn't, that is between her, Portia, and me."

"I don't believe you understand your predicament. Put her in the box."

No one moved. I laughed.

"You seem to have a mutiny on your hands, Alpha," I said. "Aren't you going to give Portia a chance to ransom me?"

"Not before you understand what this is going to be like," she said. "Monique and Evangeline, put her in the box."

Evangeline got up from her chair. She and Monique tried to get a hold of me, but I was so slimy and slippery, they had trouble. They kept dropping me, which meant I kept splattering everyone.

The other wolves were chuckling.

"Laugh it up," Monique said. "We're going to need help."

"For crying out loud," I said. "Move the box closer, set it on its side, and help me roll into it. Do I have to do everything?"

"You're awfully lippy for the prisoner," Michaela said. "Three minutes for every missed complaint instead of two. Did you want to try for four minutes each?"

I closed my mouth.

She made a disgusted sound. "Do it her way."

Angel and Scarlett got back up and moved the box closer, tipping it on its side. Monique and Evangeline helped me roll into it, getting quite a bit of Crisco on themselves in the process. They both muttered about it.

They tipped the box upright, thumping me lightly and leaving me on my side. I couldn't get rolled back over on my own, and it took all four of them to arrange me. There was actually an indentation for my head, and they got me positioned where they wanted me. Then the top went back on and was locked tight. Not like I could have gotten out, taped up as I was.

The breathing tube was retractable. Michaela pushed down on it from the outside saying, "Open up!" It had a mouthpiece like our scuba gear did, and she pushed it down until my lips wrapped around it. I continued to breathe through my nose anyway.

"Bring the cameras," Michaela ordered. "Carry her."

From inside the box, I looked around a little more. There were small doors in the lid, one over my chest and another near my feet. I realized that was how they were going to fill the box with water - or ice. I wondered if they had other plans for the box. It seemed like an awful lot of work for one punishment.

I hoped they didn't have a bunch of creepy crawling animals to toss in with me; not only would it wig me out terribly, but it wouldn't be at all vegan, and Michaela had promised.

There were handles at each end of the box. Scarlett and Angel picked me up, and when I craned my head to look, neither of them appeared to strain with the effort.

We passed through two rooms, and then we were in the utility room for the house. There was a furnace, air ducts, and plumbing. The floor was concrete. I presumed they brought me here so that any water I splashed would flow into the floor drain. They set me down, all of them crowding into the room, making sure the cameras were pointed at me. Michaela knelt down next to the box.

"The hose," she said. Her voice was muffled by the Plexiglas, but I could hear her.

Michele handed her a garden hose. I stared at it through the clear box top. Michaela opened the door directly over my chest, aimed the hose, and then said, "Turn it on."

A moment later, the water started to flow, and it was on cold, pure cold.

I screeched, releasing the breathing tube. Of course I did. It was at least as bad as getting blasted by cold water in the shower. But this time, I couldn't get away from the water. Michaela ignored my screeches.

"Stop! Stop! Stop!" I screamed.

She ignored that, too.

"Turn it up higher," Michaela said. "This is going to take forever."

I continued to screech and attempted to free myself from the frigid onslaught. There wasn't any room in the box to get away, and I was thoroughly bound, but that didn't stop me from trying to escape it.

The water flow increased, but it didn't get any warmer. Michaela aimed the hose in different directions, soaking me thoroughly. She aimed it down my body, and her aim was impeccable. With my legs taped together so tightly, there was no gap, but cold water began seeping everywhere. My screeching grew louder, if that were even possible.

It took a minute or two, but I felt the water begin to rise in the box. With my head against the bottom of the box, it reached my ears, and then Michaela said, "Turn it off." A moment later, the water flow stopped.

"How are you doing in there, Zoe?" she asked through the hole.

"Cold. Cold. Cold!"

"Do you want to beg to be ransomed?"

"No!"

"Send that video to Portia," Michaela said, looking over her shoulder. "Tell me when it's been sent. Take your time. We're comfortable here."

"Hurry!" I yelled.

She turned back to me. "Do you understand your predicament now?"

"Yes."

She leaned closer. "You really should give me what I want. I always win, Zoe."

"No."

"Beg."

"No."

"Tell me what I want to know."

"No."

"It's sent," Cassie said a minute later.

Michaela leaned down, her face over the hatch. "Comfy in there?" she asked.

"C-c-c-old," I complained.

"Well, we have to give Portia a chance to watch the video," she said. She spent a few minutes talking quietly about how cold I looked and how much colder it will be when she filled the entire box. I just told her, "Ember is perfect."

Finally, Michaela pulled her phone from her pocket and dialed. It took Portia a moment to answer.

"Have you seen the video, Portia?" Pause. "She seems stubborn. I wonder if hypothermia will set in before we let her out."

Then she pressed a button on the front of the phone. "Zoe, she can afford the ransom."

"No."

"So be it." She stood up and walked away, returning a minute later. She knelt down next to me again. I watched her through the top.

"Five things you don't like about Ember," she said. "And we'll let you out."

I was already shivering. I wanted her to get this over with.

"No!"

"She has annoying habits," Michaela said. "Everyone does. Tell me about one. We might not share it with her."

"She's perfect," I said. "Just like Portia. Well, perfect in her own way."

"Oh come on. She eats you out of house and home, and the things a wolf eats." She shook her head. "Teenagers can be such pains in the ass."

"Hey!" came several voices from behind her. But then Iris added, "Well, it's probably true."

"I have nothing to tell you," I said. "Fill it up."

"I don't think you really understand yet," she said. "Monique, do you have your bag of ice?"

"Yes, Michaela."

"There's another door near her feet. Pour the ice over her feet."

"No!" I screamed, then I watched in horror as Monique opened the door, tore open a bag of ice cubes from the store, and began pouring the ice over my naked feet. I screeched again and reflexively tried to pull my feet away, but there was nowhere for them to go.

"Cold! Cold! Cold!"

"I imagine," Michaela said calmly. "You really should buy your way out of this box, Zoe."

"No!"

"Turn the water on," she ordered. The water began to flow. Michaela fed the hose into the box so the end was down along my side near my hips.

"You'll want to take the mouth piece before the water gets that high," she said around my complaints. "Or you'll inhale water. Otherwise make sure you clear it before you breathe."

I nodded understanding.

"At any time during the next fifteen minutes you want to beg, say, 'surrender' over and over into the mouth piece. I will give you from now until the box is full to surrender, and you only owe me five annoying habits of Ember's, but once the box is full, the only way you get out early is five about Ember and five about Portia. Just say 'surrender' over and over, and we'll pull you out."

I nodded again.

The water trickled into my ears. "Oh god," I said.

"Give me what I want, Zoe," she said.

"No!"

The box filled. I screeched and complained. Michaela reminded me about the breathing tube by tapping it several times, and I wrapped my lips around the mouthpiece and began panting rapidly through the tube, still complaining.

I was shivering like mad, but I knew the danger came if I stopped shivering. As long as I had enough energy to shiver, I was okay.

Then the water covered my face. I looked at everyone watching me, their images distorted by the box and the water.

Bubbles escaped from my nose.

Just before the box was completely filled, Michaela began withdrawing the hose, but she didn't stop filling until it was absolutely full, and I saw some water leak out through the top. She pulled the hose out - someone must have turned it off - and closed the latch.

It was cold, but I wasn't going to buy my way out.

I wasn't.

I wasn't.

I closed my eyes.

And shivered.

I wasn't sure how long it was, perhaps a couple of minutes, but there was rapping on the top of the box. When I opened my eyes, Michaela held a sign in front of my eyes. "Surrender."

I shook my head.

She waved the sign, and I shook my head again.

She turned her head, and when I followed her gaze, Iris was holding another bag of ice.

"No!" I screamed into the breathing tube.

Michaela waved the sign at me, but I shook my head.

Iris stepped forward, opened the hatch over my chest, and began dumping the ice cubes in with me.

I screeched, probably as much from indignation as anything else. The ice bobbed around on the water, and she had to push them all in before she could close the hatch again.

Michaela waved the sign. I closed my eyes.

And shivered.

The next time she rapped on the lid, they had two bags of ice.

And then a few minutes later, two more.

I was cold; I was so cold.

She rapped on the lid again, but I crunched my eyes together and didn't even look. She rapped again, and I ignored her. I heard the hatch open, and a moment later, a hand clasped my chin. My eyes snapped open.

It was Hadley's arm, and she was looking down at me. In her other hand, she held up the sign. I shook my head, and she released me.

They threw two more bags of ice in, then Michaela held another sign that read, "And two more for not looking."

I couldn't even feel if the water was getting colder. It had to be with all that ice. But the next time she rapped on the lid, I opened my eyes, then shook my head.

A minute later, they were opening the lid. Before they pulled it off, Michaela rapped on the lid. I looked at her. She pantomimed taking a big breath and holding it. So I did, and then they lifted the lid off, pulling the breathing tube from my mouth. Seconds later, she and Hadley were reaching in to help me sit up, and then all of them together lifted me from the cold water.

"C-c-c-cold," I shivered.

"Your prize for Fear Factor," Michaela said gently, "is a hot shower followed by a two-hour nap. You will be blindfolded, but you may pick one or two of us to cuddle with you, if you like."

"Ha-ha-ha-"

"Hadley?"

I nodded.

 **Napping and Conversation**

There was a full bathroom in the basement. I got there by the expedient method of Hadley stepping forward and picking me up. Evangeline helped her to steady me until I was settled in her arms, and then she carried me to the shower. Michaela ran ahead to turn the water on.

Hadley didn't even take off her clothes. She stepped right into the shower with me. It was a big, walk-in shower, quite luxurious. A moment later, Michele joined us, stripping down to her undies first. Hadley set me on my feet and steadied me, and then Michele began washing me.

The hot water felt glorious. I never thought I'd be warm again.

"Th-th-thank you," I managed to get out.

Michele had her hands full, washing the Crisco from me. It had gotten everywhere. She washed my hair multiple times, using the soap to wash the rest of me.

"She's still slippery," she complained. "Michaela is evil."

I stood there and let the water flow over me. Michele's gentle hands didn't hurt, either, and I closed my eyes. I stood as still as I could while Hadley balanced me and Michele washed me, over and over.

"She's as clean as I can get her," Michele said finally. "Unless we're willing to remove the tape and then tape her back up later."

"She's fine," Hadley said. "Zoe, why did you accept that punishment? You could have avoided it. Teenagers are teenagers. I'm sure there's nothing you would tell us Ember hasn't already heard."

"Ember is a good girl," I said without even opening my eyes.

"Ava is a good girl," Hadley said. "But I could come up with ten things and not bat an eyelash doing it."

"And share them with the entire pack?" I asked. "Share them in front of her friends?" I shook my head. "No. If I have complaints with her, I address them with her." I opened my eyes and turned my head to look at her. "I think I'm as warm as I'm going to get here."

She nodded, and a moment later, Michele turned the water off. The two of them helped me from the shower and into a pair of waiting towels.

"We're going to go change," Hadley said. "We'll see you shortly, Zoe."

The girls dried me as best they could with towels, and then four of them produced blow dryers. Scarlett worked on my hair while three others tried to dry all the tape. I didn't think it would work very well, but they tried it anyway.

I zoned out and let them do what they wanted.

"We should retape her," Cassie said eventually, yelling over the sound of the hair dryers. "This is never going to dry."

"Then she can consider it part of her punishments," Michaela said. "We'll wrap her in one of the plastic sheets before we put her to bed. That's good enough."

Angel stepped forward and picked me up, carrying me back to the entertainment room. Someone had cleaned up all the mess from earlier, and I couldn't tell we had played such messy games.

"Now I'm damp," she complained. I didn't comment.

Michaela produced one of the plastic drop cloths. They wrapped it around me a couple of times, even encasing my feet. Then they pulled the blindfold over my eyes and taped it into place, although not as thoroughly as during the trip here.

"If that comes off," Michaela said, "You will receive a significant wolf punishment. You will be begging Portia to ransom you long before it's over. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, Alpha," I said.

"Take her to bed."

Hadley was already waiting. They set me into a bed, and then I felt her climb in with me, pulling the covers up.

"Michaela?"

"Yes, Zoe?"

"I want to speak to Hadley for a few minutes, then if anyone else wants to cuddle on my other side, I wouldn't mind."

"All right," she said. "Ten minutes?"

"Yes, thank you."

I settled in, spooned by Hadley behind me.

"I find myself in a bed with you again."

"Please don't tell your mate."

I laughed. "That sounds like a favor. What are you paying me for it?"

"Agreeing to answer your questions."

I laughed again, then grew still.

"Hadley, I'm not doing very well. I cried earlier."

"Of course you did. We expected you to. If you hadn't started crying, the spanking would have been rougher."

"What? I thought you were supposed to show how strong I am, and you're showing how weak I am. I couldn't stay quiet in the box, and I cried and begged from the spanking."

"Ah, but you didn't beg your mate to ransom you. You didn't eat the food Michaela tried to feed you. You didn't talk poorly about your mate or your daughter with us. Your morals tell you these are wrong, and in spite of fairly significant inducement, you didn't override your morals. That takes strength."

"I-"

"Michaela is pushing you physically. She's pushing you harder than I would be, but she has a better feel for what you can take. She's not trying to break you, Zoe. She's trying to show, we're almost breaking you, but you stick to your morals. Tell me, what would it take to tell us about Ember's bad habits?"

"I don't know."

"Would you die for them?"

I sighed. "No. She wouldn't want that."

"No one would want that, not for a few bad habits. Would you die to protect the pack's secrecy?"

"Yes."

"Well then?"

"I'm... I'm doing okay?"

"You're doing great, Zoe. No one expects physical strength. Most people don't expect any strength at all. There are people in the pack who do not understand why an enforcer would want a human."

"June has Benny."

"They don't understand that, but June is not as visible as Portia is."

"Could you hold me tighter, Hadley? I'm still so cold."

"I can," she said, and she pulled me more tightly against her.

We lay quietly for a minute before I said, "What's she asking for the ransom?"

"If she wants you to know, she will tell you. Portia can afford it."

"The punishments are going to get worse. I thought they were supposed to get worse slowly, but they started harsh, and then it's been erratic."

"Are you asking a question?"

"I don't understand."

She paused before answering. "We wanted to be sure to show your strengths, and we wanted to do so before you were too worn out. We have a few easier things after our nap, and a few more ways to show you off. And then I think the gloves come off."

"I don't understand that part. If you are showing how strong I am, then why push me until I break?"

"So that your mate knows the punishments aren't fake. Remember, this is a tradition, Zoe, and your human mind won't understand all of it."

"How do I know when I should beg, Hadley?"

"You could have begged already, and it would have been okay, Zoe. The pack would have been satisfied. There are wolves who would have freaked out just being put in that box, and others who would have begged when the water flowed over their faces."

"Not strong wolves."

"You would be surprised. Zoe, you are honoring the tradition, and that is what matters. You should stop us when you become unwilling to take more and before it threatens to hurt you psychologically."

"I don't know when that is."

She paused. "We have several easy punishments. I won't say what they are. One is momentous, and you will recognize it. After that, Michaela wants you to beg, and she'll make you beg eventually. You know she will. If you hold out after that, it is for your stubbornness and pride in an attempt to be a wolf when you are not a wolf."

"Are you telling me I should give in easily?"

"No. I will respect you for this, but it is not necessary to take more."

"But it is the tradition, to hold out as long as I can."

"Honor will be satisfied, Zoe. Do not worry about the tradition."

"We'll see."

"Unless you have more questions, you should sleep. Two hours is not a long time."

"As soon as whoever is joining us arrives."

"Well, try to relax." And then she began singing quietly, soothingly. She had a very pleasant voice, deep and smooth. She sang no words, she just... sang.

I began to drift.

There was a knock at the door, and then it opened. "Hadley, it's Cassie and Monique. Is there room for both of us?"

"Of course," Hadley said softly. "She's trying to sleep now. Come cuddle with her."

A few minutes later, sandwiched between warm wolves, I slept.

I woke groggily when my warmth was removed. I tried to stretch, but I couldn't, and then I remembered where I was.

I felt hands clasping me, and then they rolled me from the bed and lifted me. "Mmm," was all I could say at first, then, "I was warm."

"Nap time is over," Monique said. "It's time for your next punishment."

"Wait," I said. "Don't tell me. You're going to wake me up without any coffee."

"Darn!" said Michaela. "Why didn't I think of that?"

They carried me downstairs and set me on the sofa. They hadn't taken off the blindfold yet. "May I have some water?"

"Of course." A moment later, there was a straw in my mouth. I took several slurps then offered thanks.

"It's punishment time," Michaela said. "We are going to spank you until you are sobbing or you beg Portia to pay your ransom."

"Why aren't you offering alternatives?" I asked. "I thought that was part of this little tradition. Someone else should get spanked until she sobs, and I should accept something worse."

Someone climbed onto my lap, and by her size, I realized it was Michaela. She caressed my cheek. "That part of the game is for more of the fun. But we played Fear Factor instead, and you got to see all of us engage in a variety of silly, humiliating, or uncomfortable behavior."

"I didn't get to see _you_ engage in any of those, Alpha."

She chuckled. "Of course not. I'm running this show, so I get to make the rules. But we do have a few alternatives coming up. However, perhaps you wish to beg Portia to ransom you."

"What's the price down to? Maybe you should negotiate with me, not her."

"Maybe we will, later," Michaela said. "She almost paid when we put you in the box."

"She did?"

"If she could have afforded the price, she might have paid during one of your earlier spankings as well."

I grew still. Even though I couldn't see, I looked down. Michaela placed her forehead against mine and held my cheeks with her hands. "I could hear Lara in the background telling her you deserved this chance."

"This is really a screwed up tradition."

"Not to wolves," Monique said from beside me. "This is important to us. It's hard with a human, though. It's hard with someone I am driven to protect."

"You didn't seem to have any trouble dropping ice cubes into my box."

Michaela shifted her position then whispered into my ear, the one away from Monique. "She is compartmentalizing." Then she kissed my cheek.

She squirmed around on my lap, then she said, "If you say one word while I am on the phone, Zoe, I am obligated to give you a real wolf punishment. Please don't make me do that."

"I'll behave," I said.

There was a pause, then she said, "Hello, Portia. Your mate had a nice nap, but if you do not pay the ransom, the next thing you will hear is her cries."

She didn't pay. For some reason, I was proud of that, and I would have been disappointed if she had.

We had breakfast, and then another punishment, easier than the spanking. We played a new game, and then another punishment. They kept me blindfolded for a while, but then Michaela said, "Get the table. And remove the blindfold."

Someone moved into my lap, and a few moments later, as the blindfold came off, I saw it was Cassie. I smiled weakly at her.

I was pretty worn out and so tired.

"May I have a hug?"

She nodded and hugged me tightly, ducking down so my chin rested on her shoulder. She held me that way for a minute, then there was a clatter, and she climbed off. I looked over. Angel and Scarlett were bringing in a large, metal table, and it was fitted with straps and clamps. I stared.

I knew I was going onto the table.

They set the table down, then wriggled it around until the legs found balance and it sat solidly on the floor.

"What are you going to do?" I asked in little more than a whisper.

"Did you want to beg Portia?"

"No."

"Put the prisoner onto the table," Michaela ordered.

It took four of them, although I didn't struggle. The set me down then rolled me onto my stomach, adjusting me into place. The metal was cold, and I shivered. I lay there as they added the straps and clamps, locking me firmly in place.

"Her undies are in the way," Scarlett said.

"Cut them away," Michaela said immediately. There was a pause, and I only sighed as cold scissors slipped between the material and my buns. Snip, snip, and then they pulled the material away, struggling for a moment to pull it from between my clenched thighs.

"Show her, Scarlett."

Angel set a chair on the floor at the end of the table. Scarlett sat down, and she was holding a sketchpad. She turned it towards me. It was a drawing of a wolf.

"A tattoo," I said. "Where?"

Iris slapped my ass. "Right here."

I looked at the drawing and realized it looked like Portia. I smiled. "That's really good, Scarlett. Is that actual size?"

"Yes. It will take some time, and the ears will poke out above your jeans."

"What price am I charged if I want something else?"

She frowned. "You don't like the wolf?"

"I love the wolf, and I want it," I said. "I want more."

"More?" asked Michaela. "What?"

"I want wolf tracks like some of you have," I said, "from my ankle up to Scarlett's wolf. Weaved through them I want human tracks, and here and there, as respect for my alpha, a set of fox tracks." I thought about it. "And I want a second set of wolf tracks, too, although smaller than the first set. They should be weaved in as well."

"For Ember," Michaela said softly. "And weave them all together for your shared lives."

There was a collective, "Awww..."

Scarlett glanced up at Michaela, then frowned. "Zoe, I'm sorry." She gestured at the drawing she held. "This is going to take me several hours."

"We're going to do it in stages," Michaela said. "With breaks for games in between."

"What you're asking for is hours more, and even if you didn't need breaks, I would. I'm sorry."

But then she looked up at Michaela. "I could simplify and shrink this-"

"No," said Michaela. "Unless Portia ransoms her, she's getting that tattoo the way you've drawn it." But she grabbed another chair and sat down next to Scarlett. She looked into my eyes. "Your life with Portia is really just at a beginning. What about one pair of the tracks? Then every year, you can have them extended, as your lives go on."

"They..." I paused. "There would be a gap. It would be separate tattoos. I want one long one."

"We can do them backwards," Scarlett said. She stood up and turned around, showing me her jeans-clad ass. "Wolf here." She gestured. "Tracks here." She dragged her fingers from where the wolf's feet would be, sliding down her leg. "They would work their way to your ankle over time."

"It would be backwards," Michaela said. "The wolf walking backwards, so to speak. Maybe you don't care for that symbolism."

"But it would be really cool," said Cassie. "Scarlett, can you do Ember's tracks, too?"

Scarlett turned around and sat back down again. She flipped to a new page in the pad then began patting her pockets. Angel held a set of pencils out to her, and the two smiled at each other. Scarlett took one of the pencils and began drawing. It took her a few minutes, then she turned it to me.

"I can do this," she said. "It's very simple." The tracks were, as she said, simple, with only a few lines. "Michaela, could you show her your ankle."

It took her a moment. She was wearing a skirt, and she pulled it up, but she had to remove an ankle sheath with a knife in it. Michaela's tracks were more detailed. I liked them better.

"I want those," I said.

"Just to start those is perhaps two hours, Zoe," Scarlett said. "If you want four for Portia, four for Ember, and two of yours. And that's if I size them for the wolf. They would be smaller than Michaela's."

"Scarlett, if you had all the time in the world, what would you do?"

"I wouldn't try to do it all at once," she said. "In the end, I'd have the wolf as discussed, and then a set of small tracks immediately behind her, but then I would let them grow to the same size as Michaela's."

"That's what I want," I said. "What if I agree to additional sessions?" I paused. "Oh. I'm asking for a lot of time from you-"

"Don't worry about that," Scarlett said right away. She frowned and looked at her sketches. "I'll do the wolf, and I'll do a hint where these other tracks will be," she said. "A few lines. You'll be able to see what they're forming into, but they won't be done. I may have to leave some of the details of the wolf for later."

"That's what I want," I said. "You're the artist. Do it how you'll be proud when everyone sees it."

I laid my head back down onto the cold tabletop. "May I have a thin pillow?"

Michaela pulled out her phone. "Portia, your mate will be exceedingly upset with you if you pay her ransom between now and dawn." A moment later she put her phone away. "She declined to pay. She didn't even wait to hear the price."

Everyone chuckled.

"Get her a thin pillow," Michaela added. "Zoe, you may ask for breaks. We may give them to you. Don't be afraid to cry out. It's going to hurt. We'll be filming you if you cry, and we fully expect you to."

It did hurt, and I must admit: I am a wimp about pain. Scarlett worked for a half hour before I asked for a break. Then I asked Michaela if I could speak to her privately. She sent everyone upstairs and turned off the cameras before sitting down.

"Are you all right?" Then she looked into my eyes. "You're crying."

"I know." I blinked the tears away. "Will you untape one of my hands?"

"Oh Zoe, no."

"Please. I want to hold someone's hand."

She studied me. "One hand, but not your arm."

"Thank you."

"It gets taped again when we're done, and there's a price."

"What price?"

"You'll ask for a favor later, and then when the girls present the price, you'll accept without negotiating."

"They could ask for anything."

"I won't tell them about our agreement. They'll only ask a little more than they think you're willing to pay and expect you to negotiate."

"What if they throw out something outrageous as a joke, or something entirely unreasonable?"

"Then I'll intercede, but unless I think it's unreasonable, you'll pay it."

"All right. Thank you."

"You're welcome." I got a kiss on the forehead, and then she stood up and retrieved the scissors. "I'll do your left hand," she said. "The opposite side from where Scarlett is working." It took her a few minutes, and it hurt while she pulled the tape off, but she freed my hand all the way to the wrist and took the stress ball from me. I flexed my hand for a while, the fingers not moving very well at first.

Then she called the girls back.

They rotated through whose hand I held, and some of the girls whispered nice things into my ear besides. We played games even while Scarlett worked, although I was sufficiently distracted I played poorly. She took short breaks, and that was when they gave me things to eat or drink.

Michaela mopped my brow. "How are you doing?"

"Fine," I said. I wasn't, but this was the one thing I wanted them to do, and I wasn't going to complain.

"Most humans wouldn't sit this long for a tattoo of this size," Scarlett said. "You're doing very well, Zoe."

She was doing the hard work.

Finally, hours later, Scarlett said, "That's all for today. Zoe, you'll need at least two more sessions. They'll be shorter than this."

"How does it look?" I asked.

"It looks fabulous," Iris declared. Everyone wandered past, examining my ass and making comments. I was beyond blushing at this point. Hadley was last, and she leaned down to whisper into my ear.

"Now Michaela starts a new game, the time to make Zoe beg game. Do you understand?" I nodded. "There is no shame in giving her an easy win, Zoe. She has dropped the ransom to the realm of reasonable for an enforcer to expect to pay."

"Not the house," I said. "Is she still asking for the house?"

"Dropping the house from her demands is how she will signal to your mate when it is time to pay for you. We would not take the house; the alphas want you to foster one or two more children."

She squeezed my shoulder and straightened up.

I was glad she was there. I wondered if that had been Michaela's plan all along, from back in January when she began thrusting us together.

Scarlett put a bandage over the new tattoo then told me how to take care of it. After that, they began to unstrap me.

"I want to ask a favor," I said.

"Oh?" said Michaela. "What favor?"

"Could we cuddle for a while?" I asked. "All of us?"

"There will be a price, of course."

"What price?"

"Girls?" Michaela asked.

It was Lindsey who explained. "Francesca is making all of us sign up for speech this fall."

"I know. Ember told me." Ember had been both excited and nervous about the idea. "You'll be competing against other schools. Finally, an activity they'll let you compete against humans."

"The thing is," Lindsey said. "We need a head coach."

Michaela began coughing. I looked over my shoulder at her, wondering if she was going to interfere. Instead, she moved closer and said, "Zoe is a good public speaker and will make a great head coach." Then she leaned and whispered into my ear, "It's a paid position, but we haven't found anyone we trust who has time."

"Agreed," I said.

"Really?" Lindsey asked.

"Really," I said. "If you're really sure you want me and weren't just trying to negotiate."

"Oh no," she said. "We want you." She began to squeal. "I was dreading it, but if Zoe is our coach, it'll be great!"

"I'll make you work!" I said.

"You better," she replied. "I want to _win_."

The girls bounced around for a while. I couldn't tell if it was real pleasure, or was for my benefit, but it felt good at the same time. Then they finished unstrapping me.

There wasn't enough room on the sofa for all of us, so they made a nest on the floor. I found myself across a bunch of laps, with more of them wedged in with me. My head was in Michele's lap, with a pillow for comfort, and she stroked my hair. Michaela made a storytelling game, and I zoned out.

Until Michaela's phone went off.

 **More Head Games**

She didn't announce a punishment. Instead she started a conversation with Angel. "We're going to have to treat her like a wolf."

"Probably," Angel agreed. "I didn't realize you were going to use ice the first time we put her in the box."

"I wasn't, but then she slimed Monique."

"I know you planned on using a return trip to the box to break her, but I don't think it's going to work."

"Oh, I can break her with the box," Michaela said. "But I'm not convinced the pack will be satisfied with that."

"Did you have other ideas?"

"Like I said: treat her like a wolf. We haven't taped her hand back up yet. It would be a shame to miss out on an opportunity like that."

"Break her fingers?"

"One at a time," Michaela said. "Not all at once like we did Scarlett's."

"What?" I screeched. I knew they were messing with me, but I thought she was telling the truth about that."

"That's when I begged," Scarlett said. "But they used a nut cracker on Angel's fingers." She paused. "It's her left hand that is free, so if she's laid up for a while, that's not so bad. She's right handed."

I knew they were trying to get to me. The thing is, it was working. I began to shudder in sympathy, if nothing else.

"Cuddle time is over, I suppose," Michaela said. "Just as I was getting comfortable. You have a good lap, Scarlett." She got up, and then one by one, the pile of wolves and two humans split apart. I found myself back on the sofa with Michaela sitting in front of me on the coffee table, now back in place in front of me.

"So," she said. "Break your hand or put you back in the box?" I considered the question rhetorical. "Breaking your hand is a little extreme. I think we should work up to that. Tape her hand back up, then she goes back into the box."

I didn't struggle, and soon my hand was all wrapped up again, squeezing around the stress ball. They picked me up and carried me to the utility room. The box was still there, still full of water, although the ice had melted. The floor was still damp in places, but it had mostly dried out. They set me on my feet and turned me to Michaela.

"Do you care to beg?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

She stepped closer and whispered, "You should beg now, Zoe. It's time."

"I don't think so. You're going to have to try harder than that."

"It's not wise to challenge me."

I lowered my eyes. "Perhaps you should negotiate my ransom with me."

"I don't think so," she replied. She still didn't move away. "Zoe, this is when it gets serious. I'm not bluffing. You should ask Portia to pay your ransom."

"You may not be bluffing about this, but we both know you were bluffing about my hand."

She sighed. "Put her in the box, but hold her head up for a minute."

They picked me up, and I nearly freaked out as they lowered me into the water. I began swearing a blue streak; it was cold, damned cold. They had to push me down into the water; I kept trying to pull body parts away from it. It took five of them to hold me, one holding my head up, the other four holding the rest of me down.

I splashed quite a lot of water.

"Oh good," Michaela said, "More room for ice." She pulled out her phone. "One word to your mate, and we will break your hands. I'm not bluffing, Zoe. Not one word." I nodded. She punched numbers on her phone. "Just texting her first." She waited a moment, then she held the phone to her ear.

"Hello, Portia. Were you wondering what was happening?" Pause. "I suppose that was obvious. Well, we're long done with that. Your mate is three quarters of the way in a box of ice water. She thinks she can beat me with this game, but she is wrong. Will you pay her ransom? I texted the amount." Pause. "Portia, I believe you should reconsider." Pause. "All right." She hung up and knelt down beside me. "You think you're safe from my games in the box, don't you?"

I didn't, although I had no idea what she had in mind.

"If you change your mind and want to beg, you should yell out 'surrender' into the breathing tube. If for some reason, you are unable to do so, then blink your eyes rapidly at me, and we will fish you out. I expect you to watch me the entire time, Zoe."

I nodded.

"Take a breath."

They shoved me under and put the lid on top, pressing me down into the box.

It was cold. Cold, cold, cold. The breathing tube descended towards me. I took it in my mouth and exhaled hard, sending water up the tube and splashing Michaela. She reared back, and I could see the wolves laughing.

What had she expected?

But then she leaned over me, and we stared into each other's eyes. Then she held a sign for me. "Blink once for no, twice for yes. Understand?" I blinked twice. She looked over her shoulder, and several of the kids were holding bags of ice. She opened the hatch over my chest, and Angel bent down and opened the one near my feet. They dumped two bags of ice in with me.

I protested into the tube. Michaela held up the "surrender?" sign, and I blinked once at her, shaking my head for emphasis.

They added four more bags of ice until water was sloshing out the holes. I squirmed around, trying to escape the cold, but entirely helpless.

But I refused to surrender.

The breathing tube was simple; it was a converted snorkel, the flexible portion closest to my mouth truncated short and reattached. Even with it in my mouth, it extended several inches out the top of the box. Michaela smiled at me, then she tapped the tube. I could feel it in my mouth, but by tapping it, she drew my attention to it. Then she wrapped her fingers around the tube right near the top.

And then she plugged the end of the tube with her thumb.

I immediately made a mistake. I yelled, "No," into the tube, long and clear. With the tube plugged, I blew bubbles around the mouthpiece, emptying my lungs of air. Then when I tried to draw in air, I couldn't get any.

I immediately began to panic. I was under water, and I couldn't breathe.

She only kept her thumb in place for ten seconds or so, then she released it, and I gasped in the air, panting heavily.

She waved the 'surrender' sign at me. I shook my head. So, while I was still in a panic and panting through the tube, she covered it again.

I didn't scream out my air this time, although I didn't have an entire breath, either. She held it longer, perhaps twenty seconds, before she let me breath again.

She looked over her shoulder, talking. I couldn't make out the words. Then, nearly absentmindedly, she covered the tube again.

This time was shorter, only five seconds or so.

Michaela looked back at me, then she pointed to Scarlett, who was filming with her camera. Then someone handed her a note, and she held it for me to read.

 _You think I won't hurt you, but are you sure? I play to win._

I finished reading it, and then she was tapping the top of the tube. Thumb on, thumb off, thumb on, thumb off. I found myself staring at her thumb. I was staring at my life, air was life, and without it, I would die.

Then she held the 'surrender' sign again, but I wasn't going to surrender. I wasn't.

Then there was another sign.

 _Are you counting the seconds of no air?_

I hadn't been, but I probably would now.

I watched her pull out her phone, and then she held it to her head.

She timed her thumb right at the end of an exhale, and while my lungs weren't empty, they were low.

I immediately began counting; I tried to count slowly, one-hippopotamus, two-hippopotamus.

At fifteen hippopotamuses, she held up the 'surrender' sign, but I shook my head.

Fifteen seconds of holding your breath is not a long time, when your lungs are full. But when they're empty, it's a different story. Try it. Let out all your air, and then clasp your hand over your nose and mouth and start counting hippopotamuses. Fifteen hippos of no air is hard.

At twenty, I truly began to panic. I began banging my feet against the box and shaking my head. But I still kept counting.

Michaela said something into the phone then held it over the box. I tried to still myself, but panic had hold of me. I banged and banged.

At thirty hippopotamuses, I began to wonder if she would win this easily.

And then she let me breathe. I took in great, gasping breaths.

Michaela held up a new sign.

 _If you promise to beg, this stops._

It took me a long time to calm down. She let me breath freely. I no longer noticed the cold. All I could think about was breathing. She waved the sign, and I shook my head.

She plugged it, just for a few seconds. And then she waited until I had a full breath, and she plugged it for sixty hippopotamuses. I didn't start to panic until forty-five.

I don't know how long she did that. I don't know how long I was in that box. I don't know how many times she covered the tube. I don't know how many times I banged against the sides of the box.

But I never surrendered.

Then she held up a new sign.

Big breath.

I took a deep breath and held it, and then they were unlocking the box.

I was sobbing as soon as they pulled me from the box. I was still sobbing by the time Hadley carried me to the shower. This time, she was better prepared, and she was wearing a swimsuit. She continued to hold me in her arms for a long time, and I sobbed into her shoulder.

She made soothing noises. I would never have thought of Hadley as a soothing person, but she soothed me.

And slowly I calmed down. Even more slowly, I began to warm up. She set me on my feet, but it wasn't safe to leave me, so she stayed, helping me to stand.

Finally I said, "You're in a swim suit. I thought wolves didn't have a nudity taboo."

"I am not telling your mate I was naked in a shower with you," she explained.

"Well, for the record, you have a good figure."

She chuckled. "Thank you."

Her body was different from Portia's. She was still a werewolf, so she was very tall and clearly powerful, but she was softer at the same time.

"Why are you still single?"

"I don't suffer fools well," she said. "It would take a special person to accept the type of person I am, and most of the ones who can accept me are short on intelligence. Those who aren't get snatched up by someone else."

"You have a daughter."

"Conceived in a fashion not that dissimilar to Lara's daughters," she explained.

"So you've never..."

"Of course I have, and I've had boyfriends, some of them for a few years. But when we start to get too close, one or the other of us proves wanting, and the relationships end."

"Maybe you should try women."

"In my experience, women are smarter than men, smart enough not to put up with me."

I laughed.

"You're feeling better."

"I'm still so cold."

"We're going to get you thoroughly warmed up."

"In a good way or a bad way?"

"Perhaps both," she replied.

"Hadley, she could have beaten me. Why didn't she?"

"That was a significant step in the escalation," Hadley said. "I can't profess to know the mind of that woman, but I think she was impressed, Zoe. In spite of your clear panic, you didn't surrender."

"I would have. It was so close a few times."

"I think she knew that, too. She was watching you carefully. I believe our good alpha isn't done showing off your strengths both to your mate and to the entire pack."

"Everyone gets to see?"

She nodded. "Photos anyway, some of them. And maybe some of the video. Angel will edit them, and Michaela will decide. But you get raw copies of everything we take. You may do with them whatever you want. But would you like some advice?"

"Always."

"Keep them, but don't share them, not with anyone. Not Portia, certainly not Ember, and not the pack."

"Why that advice?"

"It's classier. Let everyone else extoll your virtues."

I thought about it and nodded.

"Hadley, I'm glad you're here."

She hugged me. "I am, too. You know, this is the first time for me."

"Really?"

"My sister didn't want me at hers. She was afraid of me, probably with cause. We didn't get along. And I haven't had close female friends around the time they were getting married. Angel, Michaela and Scarlett all have more experience with this than I do, but Michaela wanted my perspective, and she thought you would, too."

"I appreciate it."

"Michaela, Michele and I are also forgoing our share of the ransom. We don't need it, and we don't feel right taking it. I'm not sure about Angel and Scarlett. Michaela is handling that." Then she smiled. "But I get the next price for a favor."

I laughed. "Was that a hint you want me to ask for something? You could argue I owe you for helping me."

"This is part of the post-punishment recovery and doesn't involve a price."

I leaned against her briefly.

"Well, let's get you dried off."

They dried me as best they could, using the blow driers again, and then I was wrapped back up in the plastic and carried to the sofa. They filled me with warm food and hot tea, and I sat between two warm wolves.

They even gave me a pair of slippers to wear.

The girls expressed amazement I hadn't surrendered. But when I glanced at Michaela, she was watching me with a small smile on her lips. We both knew she could have won. We nodded to each other.

I was pretty wiped out, and my emotions were rocky. I knew I wasn't going to last through many more of her punishments, even if she didn't step it up any further than she had. I think Michaela read it in the face. She declared we'd play a game of charades, but of course, I only had to sit on the sofa and guess.

She made everyone act out the most outrageous things, and she took a turn herself.

Then her phone went off.

I stared at it and sighed.

As things went, it wasn't that bad, but I ended the punishment sweating and wrung out. I didn't beg.

We played a few more games, but my heart wasn't in it. When the timer went off, Michaela sent the girls upstairs, keeping just Hadley and Michele. They sat on either side of me while Michaela sat down in front.

"You're done in," she declared. I nodded. "I wouldn't have expected you to be this stubborn, Zoe."

"Are the cameras off?" She nodded. "I know I'm just a weak human, but I want Portia to be proud of me anyway."

"Oh honey," Michaela said. "She's already proud of you."

I looked down. "I don't think she is." I paused. "And you're still showing my strengths, aren't you?"

There was a ghost of a smile, but then she stilled her face. "You should beg now, Zoe."

"You haven't even told me what you're going to do."

"Michele, go upstairs," Michaela said. "I don't think you should watch this."

"I'll stay," Michele said.

"Suit yourself," Michaela said. "Untape her left hand." She handed Hadley the scissors. She couldn't quite reach my hand properly the way I was sitting, so I fell over onto Michele's lap, and that gave Hadley the leverage she needed.

While Hadley worked on freeing my hand, Michaela played with her phone. "I'm sending Portia the new ransom," she said. "It's quite reasonable. She'll pay if you ask her to."

"How much?"

"You know I won't tell you that, but if you ask again, I am shaving your hair."

I sighed.

"I should have made that rule earlier," she said. "Ah well."

Hadley finished freeing my hand, but Michele held me in place on her lap.

"She's going to make a mess," Michele said. "Even the wolves soil themselves when you break their fingers."

"The plastic will contain it, but if some leaks, it's an old sofa."

I looked up at Michele then over at Michaela. Then I smiled.

"You should beg, Zoe," Michaela said. "We don't want to do this, but I'm out of ideas."

"I think this is going too far, Alpha," Hadley said. "The pack doesn't require this."

"I don't care," Michaela said. "If she wants to play wolf games, we'll play wolf games with her. She should have begged two punishments ago."

She picked up the phone and made a call. "Portia, if you don't ransom your mate, we are breaking the bones in her left hand." She paused. "No. She thinks she's tougher than I am, but I am about to disabuse her of that belief." Another pause. "Portia, you really should pay this ransom." Another pause. "So be it." And she hung up.

She turned to me. "Hadley, start with one finger."

Hadley grabbed my ring finger and began to bend it backwards.

"Wait," Michaela said. "Take the ring off first."

I lay there patiently while Hadley worked the ring from my finger. My hands were a little swollen, so she had to bend down and wet my finger before she could pull the ring off. She held it up.

Michaela took it and set it aside. "We'll hang onto this for you. You should be able to wear it in a few months. Do it, Hadley."

"We both know you're bluffing," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"Does this feel like bluffing?" Hadley asked. She grabbed my finger and began to bend it. It hurt, but she didn't break it. I winced and whimpered a little.

"Agree to beg," Michaela said. "Don't make us do this, Zoe."

"Bluffing," I said.

Hadley flexed on my finger, but still didn't break it. I gasped.

"Beg for Portia to pay the ransom."

"Bluffing."

Hadley relaxed her grip but then trapped two fingers and bent them together. That hurt just as much, but if they were serious, they would have done it by now. I gasped and panted, but gritted my teeth.

"Beg, Zoe," Michaela ordered. "Look into either of the cameras and beg Portia to pay for you."

I shook my head.

Hadley relaxed her hold on my fingers, but not all the way.

"Zoe, it won't heal, not at our ages," Michele said. "You won't get full motion back. Hadley's a wolf; instinctively she doesn't understand. She would just shift once or twice and she'd be fine. Michaela doesn't even need to do that."

Michaela bent down and pulled a knife from her ankle. "This is silver," she said. "Watch what it does to me." She pressed the blade against her arm and gritted her teeth. She held it there for fifteen seconds, and when she pulled it away, there was an angry mark, at least a first, possibly a second-degree burn.

"That's a real burn," Michele said. "Just like if it were red hot."

"And hurts as much," Michaela said tightly. "Now watch the burn."

It took her thirty seconds, but the burn faded.

"I heal broken bones the same way," she said, "although it takes a little longer, and I need to eat quite a bit afterwards." She got up and went to the storage chest, coming back with a couple of towels. She put one over her knees when she sat down, then rested her hand over the towels. "Observe." And then she slammed the knife through her hand.

I gasped with the sudden ferocity; I made more noise than Michaela did. She pulled the knife out, and the wound was bleeding severely. Then, as I watched in horror, it healed.

"Damn, that hurts," she said. She flexed her hand at me. "The wolves can't do that. They have to shift. But I'm going to have to eat something. Hopefully the girls are bringing food."

"Zoe, we're done bluffing," Hadley said. "In fifteen seconds, I am snapping both fingers."

"You won't heal," Michaela said.

"You probably won't get full motion back," Michele said.

"Your hand will still hurt by the wedding," Hadley said.

"You won't be able to help Portia with the last few things on the house," Michaela said. "And you won't wear your rings at the wedding."

Then Hadley began to bend my fingers.

"Bluffing," I said between gasps. "Bluff-ing." I dragged the word out.

"Damn it," Michaela said. "Just. Damn it."

Hadley released my hand.

"That's a dangerous game, Zoe," Michaela said.

"You wouldn't go that far, Michaela," I said.

"You don't know that."

"Yes," I said. "I do. I trust you. I trust all of you. You're willing to do a lot to me, but you wouldn't cripple me. Nice try though." I smiled. "I wouldn't suppose you would clean me up and let me pick our next game."

Michaela sighed.

"That sounds like a favor," Hadley said.

"It certainly does," Michaela said. "Hadley, I believe you wanted the next price."

"Zoe, the price for this favor is to serve as my personal assistant for two days."

"Who picks the days?"

"I do, but it will be subject to your schedule. It will be in September."

"Agreed."

I actually couldn't care less about getting cleaned up or picking the next game. I just wanted to give Hadley whatever it was she wanted. I think they knew that.

"What game?" Michaela asked.

"A memory game."

The timer on Michaela's phone went off.

I sighed. "Game over?"

"Angel and Scarlett, please bring the table back. Monique, go get the breathing tube from the box."

While they were doing that, Michaela busied herself at the bar. She came back with a funnel and a large measuring cup full of water. I stared at them for a moment, trying to decide what she intended to do. Everyone returned from her assigned duties, and a minute later, I found myself lying on the table, facing up this time. They didn't clamp me down, which puzzled me.

Michaela moved to my side. "You're going back in the box," Michaela said. "Yes, I was bluffing last time, but this isn't a bluff. But I am going to let you practice."

"Practice?"

"You may ask for the opportunity to beg Portia at any time," she said. "Monique, hold the tube for her."

Monique held the abbreviated snorkel over my mouth and inserted the mouthpiece.

"Your practice stops if you spit out the tube," Michaela said tightly. Then she inserted the funnel into the top of the snorkel and lifted the measuring cup. Just before she poured, I took a deep breath, and then I did something we had learned in scuba class.

I plugged the mouthpiece with my tongue.

Michaela poured a small amount of water into the tube. As soon as she lifted the water and funnel away, I exhaled heavily, ejecting the water from the tube.

Then I went back to breathing through my nose.

"All right. This is too easy if you can breathe that way," she said. "Monique, pinch her nose closed."

Monique pinched my nose, but she also wrapped a hand over my mouth, making sure I couldn't breathe around the mouthpiece and was forced to breathe through it.

Michaela gave me a second to hold my breath, and then she poured more water into the tube. I gave a big blow, splashing water on her and Monique, then breathed through the tube. We did that several times.

"Do you understand?" Michaela asked.

I released the snorkel, and Monique released me.

I sighed. "Eventually you'll pour water into my throat."

She nodded. "Beg, Zoe."

"No."

She shook her head. "Foolish woman. You should beg."

"Maybe I should, but I'm not going to."

"Go get her ready," Michaela said. "I'm going to try to talk sense into Portia."

She lifted her phone, and four of the wolves lifted me.

By the time Michaela appeared, I'd been in the frigid water for several minutes. It was horribly, horribly cold, and a part of me, a very big part of me, hoped she won this time. I was ready to be done.

But I wanted Portia to be proud.

Michaela knelt down and shook her head. She looked at me sadly.

She plugged the tube a few times, getting me into a real panic, and then while I was still panting, she poured water into the tube.

It wasn't a lot, but I wasn't ready, and I breathed it right in.

I immediately began coughing. Coughing out my lungs while underwater on my back, breathing through a snorkel tube, is not easy, and I coughed for a long time. Michaela didn't interfere, but when finally I was breathing normally, she held up a sign.

"Please beg, Zoe."

I shook my head.

She went back to plugging the tube, but each time she released it, I watched her hands while panting for air. I was right on the edge of complete, utter panic. She timed plugging it, sometimes letting me have a full breath, sometimes catching me in between breaths.

And then she lifted the water, and I got a fast breath, held it, and plugged the mouthpiece with my tongue. Michaela added the water, I waited until she was done, and then I blew it out.

Slowly, she got sneakier, and she managed to fool me twice more. In between, she plugged the tube for a long, long time, and I was frantic with panic, banging my feet and my knees in a vain attempt to escape.

I didn't beg.

I didn't get another hot shower. They tried me in towels, wrapped me back in the plastic to serve as insulation, and then we were back in the living room.

 **Ember**

The timer went off.

Michaela didn't even hesitate. "Strap her to the table." They hadn't put it away, so I had been sure I'd be visiting it again. "Face up."

It took them a few minutes, and they had me incredibly secure.

"Blindfold her. Tape it carefully."

Then Michaela stood over me. "Zoe, it's time. You know it's time. Ask Portia to pay your ransom. She knows it's time. You won't have to beg."

"I don't think so." I really wanted her to convince me. I was long past ready to be done, but pride stopped me.

Stupid pride.

She leaned down and whispered into my ear. "Zoe, I know you're done in, aren't you?" I nodded. "You're ready for me to win." I nodded again. "Please ask Portia to pay." I shook my head.

"No," I said in a small voice.

She sighed. "I didn't want it to come to this. She doesn't deserve to suffer for your stubborn pride." She straightened up. "Angel, Scarlett, go collect our guest. Make sure she's quite secure."

"Guest?"

Michaela ignored my question.

Everyone was quiet. I heard Angel and Scarlett on the stairs and then walking on the floor above me.

"What guest?"

"This is your fault, Zoe," Michaela said. "You should surrender. You're right. I can't treat you like a wolf."

Then I heard Angel and Scarlett returning.

"Zoe, when you talk to Portia, if you tell her why you're begging, we'll take up where we left off. Do I make myself clear?"

"I'm not begging, Michaela."

"Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes."

Then I heard her voice.

"Mom?"

"Ember?"

I heard struggling.

"Let me go to her!" Ember said. "Angel! Let me go!"

"What are you doing?" I screamed. "Leave her alone."

"Mom!"

"Tape her to that chair," Michaela said. "It's sturdy enough."

"Mom!"

"Leave her alone!" I screamed again.

I heard the sound of duct tape coming off a roll mixed with more struggles.

"Damn it," Angel said. She growled, and it was a serious, serious growl

Ember whimpered. My daughter whimpered.

"Leave her alone! Don't you dare hurt her!"

Michaela leaned down and whispered into my ear. "You're right. I was bluffing earlier. I can't treat you like a wolf. I can, however, treat your daughter like one."

"No!" I struggled with the bonds. "Leave her alone! She's too young for this."

"Mom! Help me!" Ember said.

I started hyperventilating.

"Start with her hands," Michaela said. "Left one first. Don't bother taking your time. She can heal five as easily as one."

"No!" I screamed. "Don't do it!"

Then there was a clear "crack". Ember didn't scream, but I did. But I heard her whimper. It took two more "cracks" before I was screaming, "I'll beg! I'll beg! I'll beg!"

"Stop," Michaela said. She paused just a moment. "Remember what I told you, Zoe. If you tell Portia what we just did, we'll finish what we started."

"I'll beg," I said, sobbing. "Just don't hurt her anymore. Oh god. Ember, I'm so sorry."

"Enough," Michaela said. "I'm dialing." A moment later she was pressing the phone to my ear, and then I heard Portia's voice.

"Alpha?"

I started sobbing. "Please pay," I told her. "Please pay. Please pay. Please pay."

And then Michaela took the phone away, and I sobbed uncontrollably.

But then someone kissed my cheek. "I love you, Mom," said Ember. I felt her hands on my face, and then she began pulling at the tape holding the blindfold.

"Ember?" I sobbed. "But-"

It took her a moment, and then Michaela was there with scissors, and they freed my eyes. I stared up at my daughter.

"I'm fine," she whispered. She waved her fingers at me. "Everything is whole." She kissed my forehead and my cheek and my nose. "Shh. Shh. You protected me. I love you." Over and over, she soothed me.

I didn't even notice they were unstrapping me from the table but then Ember pulled me into a sitting position on the table and wrapped her arms around me. I stared over her shoulder. Michaela moved into my field of vision.

"You tricked me," I said.

"We tricked you," she replied.

"Don't be angry," Ember said. "I couldn't let them hurt you any more. I didn't help them, Mom. I helped you."

I sat on the sofa, numb. The tape was gone. They had dried me completely, buffing my skin thoroughly, then dressed me in a teddy and robe. The slippers were back on my feet.

Ember sat next to me.

I finally turned to her. "You helped them trick me."

"You protected me," she replied.

From my other side, Hadley said, "It is our responsibility to protect our young. You showed your strength and devotion to duty."

I turned to look at her. "You are an asset to the pack, Zoe, and I am proud to call you a member."

Michaela moved closer, kneeling in front of me. She took my hands. "Zoe, look at me."

I turned to face her.

"Portia needed to see your strength."

"And the pack as well," Hadley added.

"But you needed to see your strength, too," Michaela went on.

"You keep thinking you're not worthy," Ember said. "It's not as bad as when we first met, but you still keep saying things like, 'just a human'. You're not 'just' anything. You're my mom! I'm so proud of you. And so is Portia Mom."

Michaela was smiling as well. "Lara and I are very proud of you, Zoe. We didn't know what we were getting when you joined us last summer, but we couldn't be more pleased."

"We're proud too," said the teenagers together. "You're a lot more fun than most adults," Iris added. She got some chuckles for that.

"It was time," Michaela said. "And we showed your strength, even in your surrender."

I reached out an arm and wrapped it around Ember, then pulled her sideways until she was leaning across my lap. She curled up her legs and settled in. I bent over and kissed her cheek. "I love you, Ember," I whispered into her ear. "I will forever cherish the day you came into my life."

I stroked her hair. A moment later, the other wolves crowded around me, some resting their hands on my shoulders. Monique settled to the floor but twisted so she was resting her hands across my lap just in front of Ember, and then lowered her head to rest on the hands. She looked up at me. I accepted the comfort and stroking, finally closing my eyes and just absorbing the kind attention.

"I think it's time to go home," Michaela said.

"Not yet," replied Ember. "I haven't seen the tattoo yet."

"I think Portia gets to see it first," I said.

"No way! They all got to see it. I want to see it."

"Oh, and do we always get what we want?" I asked her.

"No," she said. She rolled onto her back, and I opened my eyes to look at her. "But I'm going to this time, aren't I?"

"Fine," I said, "but then we're going home."

 **Celebration**

The day finally came. Everyone descended on our little house by noon. The enforcers took Portia away, and I wouldn't see her for several hours.

It had been raining for two days. Portia and I had wanted an outdoor wedding, but it wasn't to be. Everyone else was worried I would be upset, but I didn't much care. I was getting married, and that was what mattered. I didn't think I'd see anything beyond my mate, anyway.

As soon as the house was clear of enforcers, Michaela handed me a glass of champagne. Michele and Hadley passed out more glasses. Angel and Scarlett were with Portia, or so I presumed, but I had Ember and everyone else from my ransom night with me. Once the glasses were handed out, Michaela proposed a toast.

"To love," she said.

"To romance," Michele added.

"To a shared life," Hadley said.

"To my moms," Ember said.

And at that, we sipped.

"So fifteen-year-old wolves get champagne, Alpha?"

"They do at a wedding," she said. "One glass now and one with dinner. Unless their mothers say 'no'."

Ember pouted, and I said, "I'm happy to let Michaela be in charge."

"Darned right," Michaela replied.

I did my own makeup, but I let the girls play with my hair. They couldn't decide what they wanted to do, and they tried different things for a while. Ember sat back and watched, and then said, "If you're done playing with her like a doll, it's my turn."

"Oh?" Iris said, turning to face her. "What would you do?"

"I'd weave these flowers into her hair." She gestured to one of the displays.

"I'm a little old for flowers in the hair," I said.

"That's not what Portia Mom said," Ember replied.

"Portia wants flowers in my hair?"

"That's what she told me."

"Why didn't she tell me?"

"You can ask her that sometime," Ember said. She got up from her chair, bringing the flowers over. And then the gang of them set to my hair again.

When they were done, I had to admit it was pretty.

"She does know how old I am, doesn't she?"

"Flowers are ageless," Hadley said. "They look nice."

"Wolves don't quite understand," Michele said. "They can't pull this off, so when they see someone who can, they go a little nuts."

"That's why Elisabeth keeps trying to get me into the most ridiculous outfits," Michaela added.

"You looked real cute that one day," I said.

Michaela pointed a finger at me. "We are not discussing that."

"Yes, Alpha," I said meekly.

She stepped closer and played with the flowers for a minute. She cocked her head. "It's raining again. We're going to cover you up and get you to the gym before you change clothes." She pursed her lips. "We need a better place for formal events."

"It's fine, Michaela," I assured her.

"I think I want a dance hall," she said. "Something we can open up in nice weather." She pulled out her phone. "Scarlett," she said after a moment. "I want a rough estimate for the cost of a dance hall, something we can use in weather like today, but that can be opened up on nice days." Pause. "No rush, it's probably too late in the year to start on it. Um. Don't tell Lara yet." Pause. "Thanks. I love you. See you in a while."

She put her phone away and looked at us. "Not a word," she said. "If Lara gets wind of this before I prepare her, I will not be happy."

"Of course, Alpha."

"It happens, just like that?" I asked.

She laughed. "After a fashion, yes." She laughed again. "Free labor helps a great deal."

"And having Lara wrapped around your dainty little finger doesn't hurt, either," Michele added.

"What free labor?"

Michaela looked at me and smiled. "Well, you, of course. The entire reason Lara let you build that house was so that Portia and I could teach you how to build something."

"I think you're going to need more than just me."

"I don't quite understand it," Michaela said with a tone that suggested she understood it very well. "But somehow there are always plenty of people willing to dive in on my pet projects. If I were more cynical, I would accuse all of you of sucking up to me."

"Speaking of sucking up," Michele said. "When is your next vacation, and why am I never invited?"

"That's a good question, Michele," Hadley said, putting a hand on her hip. "A very good question."

"I have nothing planned," Michaela said, "unless you want to come to Bayfield for Labor Day."

"It's a start," Hadley said.

"You're always welcome, Hadley," Michaela said. "You know that."

"And yet, not once have I been invited. So no, Alpha, I don't know that."

I looked between the two of them. I couldn't tell if Hadley were upset or not. Michaela pursed her lips then turned to Michele. "Who else have I been neglecting?"

"Other than me?" Michele asked. "And did you invite Zoe?"

"Portia's going. Zoe knows she's welcome."

"She does?" I replied. "I didn't know that Zoe knew she was welcome."

Michaela turned to me with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not a class outing," I pointed out. "I presume you want me for all of those. But unless you say something, I also presume your other outings are to spend time with your family."

"Family and friends," she said. "Angel and Scarlett come."

"Angel is on your security detail," I said. "And I bet you say something to them about it."

She sighed. "So I have to do formal invitations?"

"Maybe not," Hadley said, "but informal invitations would be nice. Michaela, you deserve breaks from being alpha. No one wants to get in the way of that."

She nodded. "Well, anyone who wants to come is welcome for Labor Day."

"You don't want to put it that way," Michele said. "You'll get all the kids and their families, and you'll spend the time planning all the events. You'll make Zoe teach a photography class-"

"I'll make Zoe teach a photography class, anyway," she replied with a grin in my direction. "But I see your point."

"So we're invited and then uninvited," Iris asked. "But if Portia and Zoe are going, I presume Ember is going, too."

"Oh god," Michaela said.

"Hadley," I suggested, "perhaps you and I could handle the kids, giving Michaela and her family a break."

"I could help with that," Hadley said, "but I would want a little more help. Perhaps I could bring Ava with me."

Michaela laughed. "You two handle it," Michaela said. "Invite whom you want. But you're responsible for arranging everything. Transportation, meals, activities... I'll report what my family is doing and which of those would do with guests."

"Like kayaking?" Iris asked.

"We might split up for kayaking," Michaela said. "But yes. Now, can we please get the bride over to the gym and get her ready?"

"In a minute," I said. "Michele, are you and your family coming?"

"We would love to," she said. "Let me know if I'm welcome to help organize."

"You are," I said. I turned to the girls. "You three spread the word. I can't commit the enforcers, but everyone living on the compound is invited. You handle signups."

"We want at least one parent for every four kids," Hadley added. "That doesn't include Michele, Zoe, and me."

"And there probably isn't room in the lodge," I added. "The lodge is a quiet space for the alphas. So everyone else can expect to sleep in one of the bunk houses."

"You girls can handle that, right?" Hadley said. "If not, you're not the girls we think you are."

"We can handle it," Lindsey said. "We want to help organize activities, too."

"I want to try swimming in the lake," Iris said.

"Oh god," Michaela said. "You aren't going to like it."

"I want to try it," she said. "Kayaking. Fishing. Barbeques. Campfires." She grinned. "Roller coaster rides."

I laughed. "Sounds great."

"All right," Michaela said, tapping her toe on the floor. "May we go now?"

I didn't have to do a thing. They bundled me into a long, plastic raincoat, long enough for a wolf. It nearly reached the ground on me. Ember walked with me with an umbrella pulled down low over us. Someone carried my things. And soon we were at the gym.

As soon as we were inside the door, Michele and Hadley stepped to my side. Ember stepped away. They took the coat off me, turned me around so I was facing outside, and then blindfolded me.

"We already did this part," I said.

"We don't want you to see what we've done," Hadley said. "We'll take it off in a minute."

Then they led me through the building. I thought they were going to take me to the locker room, but instead, when they removed the blindfold, I saw we were in one of the sparring rooms. The floor mats were stacked along one side, and there were all the accouterments required to get me ready.

"I'm going to go see how Portia Mom is doing," Ember said. She gave me a quick hug and was out the door in an instant.

Michaela gave me a little more champagne, and then they began to fuss at me. I let them do what they wanted. They messed with my hair for a few more minutes, checked my makeup, then stripped me down, powdered me, and then dressed me.

When they were done, Michaela frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"We're ready early. For mine, it took forever."

"Yes, well," Michele said. "You had that dress."

"Oh, that dress," Michaela said. She sighed happily. "I wanted my wedding like yours, Zoe. Simple, with a dress like this." She gestured.

"Instead, you were marrying the alpha, and that would not have done," Hadley said. "It was a beautiful dress and an even more beautiful bride. But we are here for Zoe's wedding today."

"I only meant to say, this is lovely." She gestured again. "You are so beautiful, Zoe."

I didn't think I was beautiful. I never had. The wolves now, and the fox... They were stunning. I was just average, but I was fine with that.

"Well, we're not quite ready," Michele said. "We have not finished our preparations." She turned me towards her. "Zoe, today is your wedding. You are marrying a wonderful woman, strong and brave, who will love you and take care of you until the end of your days. But it is your wedding night, and so there are things you must know."

I laughed. "I think I know those already."

"Hush," she said. "It is tradition in this pack to offer advice to a bride on her wedding day, so you'll listen and pretend this is the most sage advice you can imagine."

I laughed.

All of them took turns offering the most outrageous advice, including some that were anatomically impossible, at least for me. But then Michele turned me towards her.

"Choose your battles carefully," she said. "Don't fight about anything unimportant."

Then Michaela turned me to her. "But stand up for yourself, and don't be afraid to tell her what you want."

Iris told me, "Be proud of who you are."

Lindsey said, "Love generously, and accept generous love in return."

Hadley said, "Fight fair, be fast to apologize, and even faster to accept an offered apology."

"Be adventurous," Michaela said.

"But not foolhardy," Michele added.

"Share your feelings," Hadley said, "but understand she may not be as able to share her own."

"Oh no," Ember said from the doorway. "I missed the silly part of this." I turned to her and my voice caught in my throat.

She had changed clothes. She was wearing a dress. I had never seen her in a dress, or anything formal at all. When I had asked her if she wanted to go shopping with me for clothes for the wedding, she told me she had it covered, not to worry about it, then asked if I trusted her or not.

"You look... Oh honey!" I opened my arms, and she moved into them, hugging me carefully.

"You do, too," she whispered into my ear.

"How?"

"Scarlett took me. Portia Mom gave me money."

I pushed her away and collected her hands, holding them wide so I could look at her. She had flowers in her hair, a light dusting of makeup, and a simple, blue, strapless maxi dress. She looked... I still didn't have the words.

"I love you, Ember."

"I love you too, Mom."

I threatened to tear up. I didn't think I'd ever get tired of her calling me that.

Ember reached up and brushed the tears away before they could fully form. "None of that," she said. "Or I'll go put the ratty jeans back on."

I laughed.

"All right. I think it's my turn for advice. Remember that the key to a happy marriage is a happy daughter. Dote on and spoil your daughter the way you want your wife to dote on and spoil you."

That generated the expected laughter.

She grinned. "Or said another way, always remember that you are loved."

"You're so sweet."

"Remember that when I turn sixteen and ask for a car."

I laughed.

"All right," Michaela said. "I think it's time for the rest of us to get dressed. We'll do this in shifts, with two of us managing the bride and her nerves while the rest of us dress."

The thing is, I wasn't nervous. I had no idea what to expect for a ceremony, but I didn't care. I knew I loved her and she loved me. I knew we would be together for the rest of our lives. I knew Portia would treat me well, and I would treat her equally well.

We would be happy and fulfilled.

Soon, we were all ready, and then there was a knock on the door. Lara stepped in. "How are we doing in here?"

"We're good," Michaela said. "The bride seems to be the calmest of all of us." She paused. "Lara, indoors. My ears."

"I've already talked to them," Lara said. "Everyone will use indoor voices, and there aren't so many here. Zoe, how are you doing?"

"I'm ready," I said with a smile. "Is everyone here?"

"Everyone is here," she confirmed.

"Prudence?"

"She's waiting." She looked at Ember. "Ready?"

The girl nodded. She looked nervous. I stepped over to her and took her hands, pulling her close. "Nothing matters but that we're a family. I don't know what your part is, but if you forget everything you're supposed to say and do nothing but speak from your heart, that is all I care about."

"Thanks, Mom," she said. "I hope someday my future mate makes me as happy as you and Portia make each other."

"How could it be different for someone mated to you?" I asked.

"All right," Lara said. "Ember, come with me. Lindsey and Iris, go take your places. Give us three minutes, then bring her."

They stepped out leaving me with Michaela, Michele and Hadley. I moved to the door. Michaela almost had a cow, but I said, "I'm just making sure they are gone."

"I'll check," said Michele. She slipped out and came back immediately. "They just disappeared."

I turned to them. "Michaela, Hadley. I want to fully, formally adopt Ember. Is that possible?"

"As far as the pack is concerned," Michaela said, "you already have."

"I want it legal." I looked at Hadley.

She smiled. "I'll get it started. Have you talked to Portia?"

"Yes, but not Ember. I didn't know if it were possible."

She nodded. "I'll start things."

"All right," Michaela said. "Let's take a look at you." She eyed me critically then declared me, "Perfect."

Michele and Hadley stepped out of the room, then Michele poked her head back in. "Give us thirty seconds to take our seats."

They disappeared, and I turned back to Michaela.

"Thank you. For everything, absolutely everything."

"You are so welcome," she said. "Big breath now, then give me your arm."

We turned to the door. And, with Michaela at my side, we strode forth with confidence.

There was a great deal about my upcoming future I couldn't foresee, but I was sure my family would be happy together.

I was wrong.

 **Part Three**

 **Mom**

Portia took me to Hawaii for our honeymoon. I didn't want to think about how many packs had to give permission for that, but she handled everything.

We had talked about the honeymoon as a family. Portia and I were already mated, after all, and the wedding was symbolic more than anything. But as a family, we were starting out our lives together, a family in its infancy.

But it was Ember who said, "No. As much as I'd like to go to Hawaii with you, this is your time together. But you can arrange for me to come on future trips. I'd like that. But this is just for you."

We rented a cabana beside the beach. We swam in the ocean, went sailing, and spent several days diving. And, of course, I spent a great deal of time panting out her name.

She loved calling me by my full name, Zoe Everest Fleming. I loved it, too.

That had originally been a short conversation. Portia thought I'd keep my last name. I threw a fit at the suggestion. It took her thirty seconds to see my side of things. But I knew she was pleased, a suspicion confirmed when she made a point using my name over and over.

I finally said, "You really like that."

"You know, it never occurred to me someone would take my name. But yes, I do like it."

"Michaela took Lara's."

"Lara is alpha."

"And you are you," I said. "So?"

"Yes," she said.

"And this is easier," I said. "We're the Flemings. We live in the Fleming household." I smiled. "It's a good name or I would have made you take mine."

She laughed. "You understand, no matter what, that wasn't going to happen."

"Uh huh. So if I made that the only stipulation to getting married, you would have withdrawn the proposal?"

She laughed. "It's a good thing you like my name."

We had a great many conversations. Ember came up more than once. "I had resigned myself to never having that," I told Portia.

"Why?"

"I didn't want to be a single parent, and now I'm too old."

She cocked her head. "Nonsense."

"The chance of birth defects goes up considerably at age forty, at least for humans."

"Oh," she said. She smiled. "I think I'd like to see you pregnant."

"And barefoot?" I asked.

"I'd rub your feet," she offered. "If you think I'm attentive now, you can't imagine what I'd be like while you were pregnant."

I laughed then sobered. "I'm sorry, but if you want children, we can adopt or you can carry them."

"We'll see."

"No," I said. "I know I have a few years left I could have children, but I don't care for the risks."

"We'll see," she said again.

"Portia..."

She grinned. "If you absolutely knew your baby would be born healthy, would you want one?"

I nodded. "Or two. But it's moot."

"We'll talk to a doctor-"

"Portia, no."

"We'll talk to a doctor, and then if you still say 'no', we'll discuss other choices. Or are you happy with Ember?"

"I always wanted two," I said. "Ember could use a little brother or sister. But-"

She covered my lips.

"You know something," I said around her fingers.

"I know a great deal."

"Portia..."

"Wolves don't have birth defects."

"I'm not a wolf."

"But your baby could be."

I stared at her. "We- we- we-" I closed my mouth, collected my thoughts, then said, "We could use one of your eggs."

She nodded. "Or a male wolf donor."

"That would be half wolf."

"The wolf DNA takes over. A half wolf is still a full wolf." She paused. "We will talk to a doctor. A wolf baby doesn't protect the pregnant mother, and we won't do this if you would be at significant risk. I don't want a child if it means losing you."

I'm not sure I heard everything she said but was stuck on one thought: "I could have your baby."

"You could have my baby," she said. "Or we can go with a turkey baster.

"I could have your baby," I said again. "I could have your baby!" I paused. "But maybe you don't want kids."

"Oh honey, yes, I do."

"Maybe you want to carry them?"

"Oh no," she replied. "I am much, much happier allowing that honor to you."

"What if the doctor says it's not safe?"

"What would you want?"

"Kids."

"Me too."

I grinned at her. "I could have your baby!"

"Yes, Zoe, you could have _our_ baby."

It was hard not to think about it after that. I tried to decide if I cared whether it was my DNA or not. I decided given the choice of my egg and a random male donor, or Portia's egg, and a random male donor, I wanted to use hers. It would make the baby ours, and she'd look like Portia that way.

In fur, she should look like her mother.

I could have her baby!

We were gone for ten wonderful days. Hawaii was beautiful, and I decided I wanted to come back.

"Portia, we have to teach Ember to scuba dive."

"Yes," she said with a laugh. "We do."

In some ways, it wasn't enough time. But I was ready to go home. We'd only spent one night in our new house, and I was ready to get serious about moving in. And I missed Ember.

I missed the pack.

I thought Portia did, too.

Labor Day came and went, and school resumed. Michaela had been consistently carving out more and more places for me to help at the school. I wondered when she'd have me there full time. I was assisting for every field trip she took, and field trips were a significant portion of her curriculum. I wasn't teaching a photography course this year, but I was leading photography walks with some frequency, and several of the kids were asking for informal instruction. With the start of the fall term, I was meeting with the kids once a week to work on the rooftop solar system; for that, we had the help of Drake, an electrical engineer. He and I had met several times over the summer, and he taught me how to make a solar panel from individual solar cells. The plan was for each of the kids to make one panel each. We would do some experiments, and then the panels would get mounted on the roof and wired into the building's electrical system. Drake would help with that as well.

During my ransom night, I had agreed to serve as the faculty advisor for the dances, the girls doing enough favors that I was committed for all four dances they wished to have.

And of course, I was now the head speech coach. I had ample public speaking experience, but I knew nothing about speech as a competitive sport. I had a great deal to teach myself. I couldn't coach each child myself, but Scarlett and her mother, Tara, stepped up to help coach as my assistants.

I didn't get paid as Michaela's assistant; it was how I paid my pack duty. And if I was spending more time as her assistant than was strictly called for by pack tithing rules, I didn't mind. I loved the kids, and spending time with them was fulfilling.

What was surprising is that my commitments to GreEN didn't suffer. I was scheduled to attend just as many events as ever, and I had built in volunteers to help me out. I also found myself with ready hands to help stuff envelopes or even write personal notes. I spent less time focusing on fundraising but had more time to spend on education.

My photography business was also going well. I didn't have time to schedule my own photo outings, but I found so many opportunities during the various events I did as Michaela's assistant that I had years of fresh photos. The Hawaii trip hadn't hurt, either.

And so, I felt more professionally fulfilled than ever I had. I was doing things that I knew mattered, and for the first time, I could see direct, positive results from my efforts.

And financially I was doing even better. I had nearly no expenses, but my photographs were selling. And while I didn't get paid as Michaela's assistant or the faculty advisor for the dances, I did get paid as the speech coach and for the classes I taught.

At home, everything was also perfect. Portia's job kept her on an erratic schedule, and as she had once warned me, she periodically was pulled away with no notice. If I were going to complain about anything, it would be that, but in the scheme of things, it was almost nothing.

My relationship with Portia couldn't have been better. She lavished me with attention and accepted my attention with joy. She was generous with her affection, both with me and with Ember. In conversation, and everything else she did, she was very direct, but I found it refreshing. And the lovemaking, oh the lovemaking. Wow.

The first time she made me scream during lovemaking with Ember in the house, I was deeply embarrassed and shocked. In the morning, I couldn't look at either of them. Ember began teasing me about it, which made it even worse; she was only fourteen!

"This is your fault," I told Portia. "She's too young to know about this!"

Portia snorted coffee at that. Ember laughed then helped clean it up. But then they both turned to me. "You're kidding, right, Zoe?" Ember asked.

"No, I'm not kidding."

She turned to Portia. "This is a human thing, isn't it?"

"Yep," Portia said. "She's embarrassed."

"I don't understand," Ember said. She looked back and forth between us. "You two are mated. You share a bed. Everyone knows what happens after that. What's the big deal?"

"We don't have to _advertise_!" I wailed.

"You have a healthy relationship," Ember said. "Are you ashamed of that?"

"Well, not, but-" I didn't even know how to explain.

"We're not going to understand," Portia said. "And so we're going to do what wolves do."

"You're going to keep making her yell how much she loves you, and I'm going to rejoice that I'm living in a house with two mates who love each other?"

"Yep," said Portia. "Exactly."

It took time, but slowly I got over it. Mostly.

And so, the lovemaking was, well, wow. And loud. Except late on school nights, and Ember was asleep; then Portia let me be quiet.

And of course, Ember was amazing. I remembered what I was like at that age. I didn't want to have anything to do with my parents most of the time, especially not in front of my friends. Ember was entirely the opposite. Both of my wolves were physically affectionate all the time, even in social settings. Ember might sit with her friends, but she was just as likely to sit with Portia and me, and her preferred place was on the floor or ground in front of us, wedged between our knees, and she frequently would lay her head on my leg or capture my hand and hold it. If we were standing in a group, she would step next to me and slide under my arm, even though she was so much taller than I was.

She could make my heart swell to bursting.

"Who is coming tonight?" I asked Ember.

"Everyone," she said with a grin.

"Not literally."

"Actually, you're right. Shelton and Nash have enforcer duty. Val asked Cornelius on a date. Bast has a date with some wolf in Madison; I don't know her. Kimbriella went home for the weekend. I think everyone else is coming."

"Do you have a date?"

"No, but you said I could go out with Monique tomorrow."

"Right. I'm driving you to the movies. Do you have a ride home?"

"Um."

"Yes?"

"Her parents invited me to spend tomorrow night at their house. Sunday is paintball, and we'll meet you there."

"And you're just bringing this up now?" I asked.

"I forgot. I'm sorry."

"We'll miss you tomorrow," I observed. "I've gotten quite accustomed to tucking you in at night."

I had, too. We tucked her in every night, cuddling with her for a while. It was part of our nightly ritual and had clearly become important to us.

"Thanks, Mom," Ember said.

Watching the kids date had confused me as much as anything else. The boys were all strictly heterosexual, or they were as far as I could tell. The girls were far more open and seemed equally happy to go on dates with the boys or with other girls.

The day I caught Ember and Monique in a heavy-duty make-out session in Ember's room had been quite the experience. I knocked and walked in, intending to ask if they wanted something to eat. I thought they were doing homework together. Instead, I found them on Ember's bed in a tight lip lock.

"Um. Sorry. If you get hungry, come downstairs." And then I fled, closing the door. I immediately grabbed my phone and called Portia, telling her what I had discovered. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do."

"Why do you have to do something?"

"Our daughter is making out with another girl in her bedroom."

"Yes, you explained that part. Did you see signs of satanic rituals?"

"Of course not, but-"

"Yes?"

"Um. She's only fifteen."

"Monique is sixteen. She's an adult in wolf eyes."

"An adult is making out with our baby!"

Portia laughed. That didn't help.

"Don't you care?"

"Zoe," she said. "Don't be a hypocrite."

"What?" I shrieked.

"What did Elisabeth do to you on your first date with her?"

I blushed immediately, even though it was only over the phone. "That's different!"

"Why is it different?"

"Because... because!"

"Because why?"

"Because I'm an adult."

"So you want to discriminate against her for her age?"

"I'm trying to protect her."

"From Monique?"

"From... Making mistakes."

"Mistakes are how we learn, but what mistake are you worried she's making? Do you think a relationship with Monique would be a mistake?"

"Well, no, but..."

"To be honest, if she's going to be necking with someone, I'm happier it's Monique than Sebastian. Monique can't get her pregnant. Not that she would be foolish enough to engage in unprotected sex with a guy-"

"She shouldn't be having unprotected sex with anyone!"

"You and I have unprotected sex. So did you and Elisabeth."

"But-"

"But it's different because you're an adult? Being an adult protects you from the dangers of unprotected sex?"

"No, but-"

"She's a werewolf, Zoe. She can't catch a social disease. And Monique can't catch one, either, so they are doubly protected."

"You think this is funny!" I accused.

"A little," she admitted. "Zoe, you're a product of a human, puritan society. Neither of them is human, and we're not exactly puritans, either. And neither are you. This is all leftover, inappropriate angst. Society has taught you that sex is dirty, and now you're worried that you have to protect her. You don't. She knows how it works. We teach our children when they enter seventh grade, and we give them refreshers every year."

I sighed. "You're telling me I should calm down."

"Yes, Zoe, I am telling you to calm down."

"If Monique gets her pregnant, you're going to hear about it from me!"

Portia laughed at that.

Twenty minutes later, Monique came downstairs alone. I was still fretting, but I had largely calmed down. I tried not to glare at her. She came to a stop.

"Were we doing it wrong?"

I stared at her and saw the shitty little grin hiding at the corners of her lips. I took a deep breath.

"You are not too old to spank."

"Neither are you," she said. "Or so I hear, anyway."

"What?" I began blushing again.

She grinned. "See you later, Zoe."

I waited a few minutes before going upstairs. I knocked tentatively and waited. "Come in," Ember called out.

I stepped in and looked at her. She was propped up on the bed with her homework. We stared at each other. I wasn't sure what I wanted to say.

"I'm sorry," I managed to say.

"I thought the protocol in the house was knock and wait, not knock and burst in."

"You're right. I'm sorry."

"No biggie," she said. "Did you freak out and call Portia Mom?"

"Yeah."

"We weren't having sex, Mom."

I moved in and gestured towards the bed. She nodded, and I sat down, folding my legs. "Have you?"

"Had sex?" she asked. I nodded, and she shook her head. "Are you sure you want this talk without Portia Mom to calm you down?"

"I'm the adult here, Ember."

She grinned. "Well, I know you've had sex," she said. Then she cocked her head, and when the blush appeared, she grinned even wider. "Man, you're easy."

"I know," I said. "Ember, I'm in a little over my head here. I'm trying to be a good mom."

"You are a good mom," she asserted. "Calm down. No, I haven't had sex. I've talked about it a little."

"With Monique?"

"With Portia Mom."

I tried to decide if I should be upset.

"She's a wolf, Mom. I know this kind of freaks you out. That's why I talked to her."

"All right," I said. "And what did Portia say?"

"She told me not to be in a hurry but reminded me what condoms were for."

"That's it?"

"Well, it might have been a longer conversation than that. Mom, are you up here to make some sort of rule?"

"Would you follow it?"

She cocked her head. "I don't break the rules."

"If I told you no more kissing sessions in your room, what would you do?"

"Have them in your room instead."

I couldn't help it. I laughed, breaking the tension.

"Mom, it's just kissing. Some of us talked about more, but we're taking your advice."

" _My_ advice?"

"You told Monique she shouldn't settle down; she should date around. You told me the same thing. You told her not to become mated too young. If we start having sex, then wolf is going to want to be mated. So we're all waiting. Well, Monique, Cassie and I are. The older girls don't seem to have settled on any one person, either, but if they're having sex, we don't know about it. If the guys are having sex, it's not with us, and it won't be, not for a while."

"A while?" Man, did I hate this conversation. "Will you give me some idea what that means?"

"You know, this time next year, I'll be an adult in wolf eyes. We don't wait until eighteen."

"You're still my daughter." She eyed me. "Yes, yes, I know."

"So this is my decision, and not yours."

I sighed. I didn't know if I agreed with her, but I didn't argue with her.

"So I'm not _promising_ anything. I'm guessing. And I'm _guessing_ I will graduate high school first. But if I start to settle down with someone steady, that might change."

I sighed. "Tell me you'll use protection."

"If it's a boy," she said. "Mom, I think the boys look sexy, but they're all a pain in the ass. I may stick with girls."

"I never was attracted to guys," I said. "Only girls."

"I think..." she trailed off. "I think Michaela and Lara sort of told the rest of us it's okay to take other paths." She paused. "I like Monique, but I like Cassie, too. Mom, how did you know you wanted girls but not boys?"

"You know, I'm not sure. I figured it out while at the movies."

"Seriously?"

"It was _Heathers_ ," I said. She looked at me blankly. "Oh my god, you haven't seen _Heathers_? We're so watching that together."

"Stay on topic."

I smiled. "So, _Heathers_. Christian Slater, Shannon Doherty, and Winona Ryder. I went with a couple of girlfriends. I heard Reese sighing, and I knew it was over Christian Slater."

"And you weren't sighing over Christian Slater. Wait. You wanted that Doherty chick."

"Are you kidding? She was a bitch in that movie, and she had a reputation about how she was in real life, too. No, Winona Ryder."

"She's the girl from Beetlejuice."

"Yeah."

"She's kind of hot."

"Yeah," I said a little dreamily. Then I narrowed my eyes. "I had better not get teased about this, Ember. If anyone finds out about this, I will be deeply hurt."

She locked her lips and threw away the key.

"Thank you," I added. "So at first I was in denial. I kept giving myself little tests. I would think of some guy everyone said was hot, and I was all 'meh'. Then I thought about a girl, and I wasn't 'meh'."

"I haven't kissed any guys," Ember said. "Do you think I should? Sort of as a test?"

I sighed. "You're just pushing my buttons now."

She lowered her eyes. "Do you want me to ask Portia Mom instead?"

"You should find out about this stuff the same way I did."

"How is that?"

"By reading the graffiti under the football bleachers."

She laughed. "We don't have any bleachers. Oh, can you imagine wolves playing football? Ninety-yard field goals."

"Hey, just because you can kick it that far doesn't mean you can do so accurately."

"What should I do, Mom?"

"Honey..." I thought about it. "I think you have time to figure this out."

"Monique and I played this game."

"Oh?"

"Yeah. You know that game where you compare celebrities and talk about who you would do?"

"Oh god," I said.

"Except we picked a celebrity and it was, like, 'Selena Gomez or me'."

"Oh?"

"We did boys and girls, and for most of them, I picked her."

"And what did she do?"

"She picked me."

I really, really wasn't ready for this conversation.

"But then we got to Kendall and Kylie Jenner."

"Who are they?"

She sighed dramatically. "Bruce Jenner's daughters. He was some athlete, I guess."

" _Some athlete_ ," I said with my own sigh. "Fine. And?"

"And she was like, 'Wait, one or the other, or both together? Cause I'd totally do both of them together.' And I agreed with her."

I stared at her. "You're just pushing my buttons."

She grinned and nodded.

When we designed the new house, we included a home theater room, consuming a great deal of the basement. The main floor living room was now used for conversation, but there was no television there. In the normal configuration, we had comfortable seating for six plus significant space on the floor. But Portia added a set of moveable platforms that we could set behind the initial seats, and we could add two more sofas with space for up to six more comfortably. You couldn't see over the front row if you were to lie down, but it was good seating. The platforms stored against one wall. They were too heavy for me but sized so that Portia and Ember could move them. I knew the kids would handle the setup when they arrived, and they would put everything back when we were done.

Portia had surprised me with the entire plan. "What can I say? Our movie nights have become popular."

The main floor of the house was done in an open style with few walls and was well designed for entertaining. I could work in the kitchen while being part of what was going on in the dining and living room areas.

And the kitchen, oh, the kitchen.

I'd thought it was all overkill, but with the pack providing so much of the labor, we could afford everything. Well, Portia could afford everything. I felt guilty I wasn't helping financially, but I kept my concerns to myself.

And so, the house filled up. Monique arrived with Lindsey on her arm. I watched Ember's reaction, but even if she had a date with Monique tomorrow night, she didn't seem to care Monique was out with Lindsey tonight. If there were other couples that night, I couldn't tell. The wolves were all so comfortable together, but I didn't see anyone who was behaving like it was date night.

Kaylee came with her mother, Serena. "Emanuel?" I asked.

"He's with the pups," Serena said. "Along with Shelton and Nash."

Even at home, the pups had their security detail.

Michaela and Lara arrived along with Elisabeth. It felt a little weird having Elisabeth in my house, but I knew it was important to Portia, so I allowed it. Hadley arrived a few minutes later, greeted everyone, then headed towards me. She had a basket, and I knew it contained wine and her contribution to dinner, something I couldn't eat. But it was nice of her to help out.

By dinner, there were twenty people in our house.

I couldn't help but shake my head. I had intended movie night to be an intimate event. Now they were a regular part of pack life. Sometimes I missed the intimate nature, but it was hard to resist the infectious joy the wolves had in socializing together.

As had become our tradition, we watched an adventure movie and, of course, the wolves heckled it. I couldn't blame them. Then Hadley suggested a break. "The kids can make snacks," she said. "I would like to talk to the alphas, Zoe and Portia, and Ember."

We moved to my office. Once the door was closed, Hadley asked, "Have you talked to her about this?"

I immediately knew what 'this' was and whom 'she' meant.

"No. I didn't know if it was possible."

"It's possible," Hadley said.

I'd talked to Portia, of course, and she was on board.

"What's going on, Mom?" Ember asked. "And why do I think I'm the one you haven't talked to yet?"

"Because you are a very smart girl," I replied. "I asked Hadley to check into something for me."

But then I was afraid to say more. What if she wasn't interested? What if she said 'yes' only to please me? What if...

"Just say it, Mom."

"Well, your mothers love you very much." Then I stopped again.

Ember put her hand on her hip. "If you can't tell me, I bet Hadley can."

I muttered about uppity teenagers. "I was sort of wondering if you would let Portia and I adopt you."

She cocked her head and put on a puzzled expression. "I thought you already had."

"As far as the pack is concerned," Lara said, "they have."

Ember looked at her, then at Hadley. "But the state of Wisconsin has other ideas."

"Legally, we are your foster moms and your guardians," I said. "But we're not your adopted moms."

"So it's kind of like getting married," she said. "You two were already mated, but now you're married."

"Right."

"And I'd change my name."

I nodded. "I would want you to, but it would be your decision."

"Ember Louise Fleming," she said slowly. She began to grin. "Do I get a party?"

Portia snorted then said, "Yes."

"And gifts? I'll need a car."

I laughed. "Nice try."

She looked at Hadley. "What do I sign?"

"There's a process," Hadley said. "Alpha, do we have your permission?"

Lara didn't hesitate. "Absolutely. As far as I'm concerned, Zoe and Portia are already Ember's mothers."

She turned to Portia and me. "Do you want me to proceed?"

I looked at Portia. "Yes," she said. "Absolutely."

And then she pulled Ember and me into a tight, tight, three-way hug, kissing each of us.

I cried.

So did Ember.

And I thought I saw tears in Portia's eyes, too, but she denied it.

 **Mascot**

Sunday was paintball. We didn't go every month, but we went often. Even though I had learned more about what to expect, I wasn't very good, and I never would be. Even toning down their athletic abilities, the wolves were too fast for me to hit on the run, and I was slow enough they could hit me even while I was trying to dodge.

But I didn't care, and everyone had fun. And the only game that really mattered to me was the last one, the corrupt guard game. I typically paid more bribes than I won for myself, but it was fun to see what bribes people wanted. I'd been freed for hugs and received demands - that I didn't pay - for hours of labor. Most payments were somewhere in between.

My least favorite games were the instant elimination games, where if you were shot, you were done. In those games, I could either play like a frightened rabbit or I could do my best. If I played the former style, I wasn't any help to my team. If I played the latter, I didn't last long.

But we played a few games where you respawned and one, similar to the corrupt guard game, where you could be taken prisoner when shot.

I thought blob was okay, but even I felt a little cheated that no one won or lost. We always played one or two games of blob to kick things off. It was a good thing I didn't turn competitive with the wolves, or I would have been deeply frustrated. But even I thought that if we were shooting each other with paintball guns, there should be winners and losers. Still, blob was a good way to warm up. You got a lot of experience to remind yourself how to play, and I internally kept score of how many I shot as compared to how many times I was shot.

What happened during paintball helps to illustrate both how I fit in with the pack and an important attribute of the three-way relationship between Portia, Ember and me.

Most of the time, even though Portia was the wolf, it felt like Ember saw me as Mom number one and Portia as Mom number two. Because of our schedules, Ember certainly spent more time with me than she did with Portia. Even when we did physical activities like kayaking, they didn't kayak together, away from me. Chances were, Portia would be on duty, so she would be watching over Michaela. Ember would spend some time with me and some time with her friends. Or, if Portia were free to do so, she tended to stay with me. She and Ember didn't even race, or not very often. Portia was a big, strong enforcer, and Ember was of moderate size and strength for a wolf, and still a teenager besides. Racing would have been very one-sided.

But at paintball, the dynamics were different.

When we arrived at the paintball park, Ember was already there, waiting with Monique and Monique's parents, Faith and Brendon. Unlike a human teenager might have, she didn't even try to play it cool. As soon as we were out of the car, she ran to us. Portia and I both received hugs and kisses, and then Ember inserted herself between us, wrapping an arm around each of us.

"Did you have a nice time?"

"Yep," she said. "Aunt Prudence says 'hi'."

I deeply valued Ember's obvious, public love and affection. It was very wolf-like, although Ember was more open with her affection than most of the other teenagers were with their parents. I never asked either her or Portia about it, but I decided this was Ember's way to continually acknowledge her pleasure at being a member of our family.

We received our briefing from Michaela and Lara, and then we went through the check in process. It was forty minutes later that we assembled at our first field. Ember moved away with us, and a moment later, she and Monique stepped into the center of our circle. "Monique and I are organizing the first game. It will be blob, of course."

"We're splitting partners up," Monique said. She looked around. "Zoe, you're on my team. The rest of the partners split off to join Ember or me. If you're not in a steady relationship, fill in on whatever team you like, and then we'll adjust."

I got a hug from Monique, and then more hugs from several other team members as they joined us. Ten minutes later, the game started. We wore red armbands, and Ember's team wore blue.

Monique called for a rush style, which always led to the greatest amount of chaos and had the side effect of leaving me behind, as they moved too quickly for me. I moved more slowly, working my way forward, making quick dashes from one point of protection to another. At first the only activity I saw, once the wolves had moved out ahead of me, were the wolves from the blue team, guns held in the air, running back to our side for the team switch; they had been hit.

I worked my way up the right side, and then ahead of me and to the left, closer towards the center of the field, I saw a couple of my teammates hunkered down, exchanging fire with the opposing team. I couldn't call it Ember's team, as I had no idea if she'd been shot and had switched sides already. So I guess I saw red armbands firing towards what I assumed were blue armbands.

I thought, 'I might actually be able to flank them.' I moved further right, sneaking ahead and trying to avoid notice. I could just catch a glimpse of someone's shoe and was taking aim when I got hit in my backside.

Twice.

I stood up with my gun in the air, "I'm hit!" then turned around to see who had gotten me, as if I didn't know.

Both my girls were grinning at me. "We got you, Mom!" Ember called out.

"You sure did."

"See you soon, Honey," Portia added.

I was sure they would.

With my gun in the air, I ran to the far end of the field and switched armbands, then worked my way back to the front lines, trying to hook up with Portia and Ember. I thought maybe they would fall back to connect with me.

Instead, I arrived at the spot, peeked over a barrel and was shot right between the eyes.

"Got you, Honey," Portia called out.

I ran back to the original base, switched back to red armbands, and made my way to the other side this time. If Portia and Ember were on the right, I'd play to the left side.

I managed to shoot Elisabeth, which pleased me to no end, and I got one of the kids, too; it might have been Dawson. But then Ember got me again.

All in all, I switched sides six times before the game was over, four of them to either Portia or Ember. Afterwards, while the game was being dissected, Ember grinned at me. I was left wondering if they had been letting themselves get shot just so they could remain on the opposite team from me, but when I quietly asked Portia, she offered a hurt expression. I thought it was a put on, but I didn't make any further accusations.

For the immediately eliminated games, things went differently. It was hit or miss what team I was on; sometimes I was partnered with Portia or Ember, sometimes I wasn't. But over the months, I had seen times they intentionally withdrew from a confrontation with me, electing to not shoot me. Portia even let me shoot her once when she easily had the drop on me, although she admitted later it hadn't been as intentional as it seemed.

But in the last game before lunch, we played one of the games where you were captured.

The rules were similar as for the corrupt guard game, but you couldn't bribe your guards. Instead, the rules were closer to those for a traditional game of capture the flag, except there wasn't any flag. Instead, you had to overwhelm the opposing team's base. Anyone shot could be taken prisoner, although the rules were different. If you were shot, you stood up, announcing you were hit, with your gun held over your head. But rather than someone coming to you to take you prisoner, you had to move to the nearest opposing player and turn yourself in. Once you were touching that person, he or she was immune to being shot until you were delivered to jail.

But prisoners, once in jail, could be freed by, of all things, shooting them.

Unsurprising, I found myself on opposite teams from Portia and Ember.

I actually avoided capture for the first ten minutes of the game. I didn't catch anyone myself, but I held a few pinned down, and others on my team were able to flank and capture them. I was pleased by that.

But, of course, I was eventually shot. I think Portia grew frustrated. We'd caught sight of each other, and she had immediately moved towards me, but I retreated to a good, defensive position, and there was enough coverage from my teammates that she couldn't get any closer. But suddenly she roared and popped out of her hiding place, running and weaving towards me, firing quickly in all directions, trying to pin down my teammates. I fired at her repeatedly, missing every time, and I wasn't the only one. She came around my hiding place, popped two paintballs into me from far closer than I liked being shot, then dived down next to me.

I surrendered to her.

"I finally got you," she said, and I could hear the cheer in her voice.

"Why me?" I asked.

"I like it when you're my prisoner. Come along, prisoner. Step lively, prisoner."

She escorted me safely behind the front lines, and we came upon Ember. "Can I have her, Mom?"

"Sure, honey," Portia said, handing me off. And so it was Ember that escorted me to jail.

"You two sure like catching me," I said. "It's not like it's hard."

"Well, it's not like I can catch Portia Mom," Ember replied. Then she made a point of calling me 'prisoner', as well.

After that, she stayed as one of the jail guards. To win the game, my team would have to move into jail with at least five of them ringing the bell for ten seconds without being shot, which really meant shooting everyone else first. We didn't typically guard the jail at the beginning, but as the game progressed, guarding the prisoners became more important.

I spent the rest of the game hunkered down in the jail with Ember hiding behind me. She kept moving me from one place to another, probably just because she enjoyed being able to order me around. A few times, members of my team grew close enough to fire at us, but they were either taken prisoner or driven off. Ember's team had a growing number of prisoners from my team, and then we heard the bell ringing.

"I seem to be bad luck for my team," I said quietly to Ember. "Maybe I shouldn't play most of these games."

"You're teasing, right?"

"Not at all."

She didn't say anything else.

A while later, before lunch was quite ready, Portia stepped up to me and tossed an arm over my shoulder. "Walk with me, Love."

I smiled. "I like when you call me that." I snuggled closer to her. "I like your arm around me, too."

"Good," she said.

I was pretty sure what she wanted. I let her pull me away. It was a beautiful, September day, and we walked for a couple of minutes before she leaned me up against a convenient tree. I thought perhaps she was going to engage in a little mouth mauling. Instead, she stepped back.

"Ember was troubled about something. I made her tell me what."

"I wondered," I said. "I shouldn't have said it."

"Were you serious?"

I nodded.

"I want to ask you a few questions. Will you answer honestly?"

"I'll try," I agreed.

"Strictly for yourself, not worrying about how anyone else sees you, does it bother you don't win your share?"

"I have fun, Portia," I said. "All right. I don't like the elimination games. I never last very long, and then I'm stuck on the sidelines. I've never been into any games as spectator sports, although I could make exceptions when the wolves are playing. But I have fun with the other games."

"So most of your frustration is because you don't feel like you contribute?"

"It's not just that I don't feel I contribute. I think I actually drag the team down. It feels like my teams would win more often if I weren't even there. There are fifteen or more of us on a side? How can one poor player be such a drag on the entire team?"

"Well, I believe you have a false impression. The games seem to be pretty even to me."

"Maybe they're even for you, because you play on my team about half the time, so any effect I have on win or loss statistics would even out."

"All right," she said. "That's fair. But I still don't believe you're dragging your teams down the way you believe you are." She paused. "But let's say you're right. That's the worst-case scenario. I don't think it's true, but let's say you are. We change teams for every game, and we play a lot of games. So even if you personally are only on the winning side for, say, a third of the games instead of half, you aren't having a significant effect on anyone else."

"But no one wants me on her team," I said. "Because I drag the team down."

She smiled. "That's not quite right. People want to play against you. It's not the same thing as not wanting you on their team."

"Sure it is."

"No, it's not. It's subtle. They want to play against you so they get to shoot you."

"What?"

"They don't want Michaela either, and Lara is a toss up. They like shooting her, too. But they really, really like shooting you and Michaela. And you know it's not because they hate either of you."

I stared at her.

"If you are detecting people trying to get you to play on the other team, it's not because they don't want to play with you. It's because they enjoy playing against you."

"And not because I'm an easy target."

"No."

I shook my head, unsure if what she had said made sense.

"If you don't believe me, we'll go talk to a few people, but you know I'm right."

I sighed. "So..."

"Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone, would be deeply disappointed if you didn't play. That starts with Ember and me, then expands to Monique and Michaela, and then after that encompasses, well, pretty much everyone else here. All right?"

I nodded.

"You should know: the kids keep score."

"Score?"

"They get points for shooting some of us. I don't know the specifics, but I imagine Lara is worth the most. Michaela is probably worth more points than you are. You are worth points as are Karen and me. I don't know if the other enforcers are worth points or if they count points for shooting each other. If you ask them about it, they'll deny it."

"So don't ask."

"Right. If you watch carefully, they huddle together at the end of the afternoon. Michaela may know the point spread, but they change the subject if anyone gets too close."

"So, I'm a few easy points?"

"You are a few fun points."

"Got it." I smiled. "Going to be going after me during corrupt guard later?"

She laughed. "Of course I am."

Due to popular demand and a threatened revolt amongst the teenagers, we played two games of corrupt guards that day. Michaela had misgivings, but she allowed it. The first was right after lunch.

The kids split us into teams. Iris and Connor were co-captains of the blue team; Lindsey and Layton led the red team. About a third of the way through the selection process, Connor said, "Zoe! You're on our team. Portia, you're on the red team."

They finished dividing the teams, with Ember landing on the red team as well. Iris and Connor grabbed my arms, and as a group we ran off to our end of the playing field.

"See you soon, Mom," Ember yelled. "I'll meet you on your right side. I need a new iPad."

"Good try," I said over my shoulder. "I can get you a picture of one though."

Her laugh faded behind us as Connor and Iris ran me to the other end of the field. When we arrived, I turned to Iris. "I thought you guys all wanted me on the other team."

"Normally we do," Iris said. Then she leaned down and cupped her hands over my ear. "I want a bribe from Ember."

I laughed. "As her mother, is this anything I need to know about?"

"Probably not," Iris said. "It's best if you don't."

"Well, you know she'll be going for me," I said.

"You'll be bait for me?"

"Sure," I said. "But you know she's not the only one who will go after me, and you have to get her before she gets me, or she'll stand up and call 'guard' and you have to wait."

She hugged me. "You're the best, Zoe." She released me and said, "Guys, Zoe said she'll be bait. Who wants to help? But I get Ember."

I had to laugh.

My team set half their strategy around using me for bait. The plan was for me to be clearly visible, sporadically of course, and to taunt the other team into coming after me. My teammates would strive for better stealth and press out in front of me. They hoped to lure in anyone coming after me.

The game began. We moved towards the right side of center, some of my team members hopping in front of me, more covering my flank on either side, and a few staying behind me, hoping our opponents would push to take me out from a sheltered location, making themselves vulnerable in the process.

We didn't even try to advance halfway up the field. We moved to a point perhaps a third of the way up the field, then I made a lot of noise, taunting the blue team. I popped out and fired one or two shots periodically, but I didn't hit anything important.

The strategy worked amazingly well. Several members of the blue team - including my own daughter - moved towards my position, their focus a little too single-minded for their own good. I started hearing calls of, "I'm hit!" and then my own team members calling out, "Guard!"

Ember was the fourth casualty I knew of, and it was Iris who took her prisoner. Iris saluted me with her gun as she collected my daughter and escorted her to jail.

My position was eventually overwhelmed. It was Hadley that claimed me. "Oh good," she said. "I want a third day onto the two you still owe me." She escorted me to jail as I tried to negotiate for a much smaller commitment. We arrived at jail, and she turned me towards her.

"I want you to trust me, Zoe. Give me the entire day."

"You want an entire day, but I'm lucky to get a half hour from a teenager the rare time I catch someone."

"Trust me, Zoe."

I studied her, then finally nodded. "Get someone to run me back though."

She did it herself, collecting one of my teammates for my other arm.

By the end of the game, I could say that I had fun. I managed to win two bribes, which was about average for me. I paid more than that, which was also average for me. I didn't mind.

Other noteworthy bribes I paid were to Michaela, who wanted a hug and reassurance I was fine. Ember and Monique both got me once each. For her bribe, Ember asked for permission to have another slumber party, easily granted. Monique asked me to take her on a wildlife photo expedition, borrowing one of my long lenses for it.

The two bribes I won I actually shouldn't have won.

"I'm hit!" I called out, raising my gun. "I'm hit." I stood up.

Eric and Rory both stood up yelling, "Guard," and holding their guns over their heads. They were about thirty yards away from me, one on my left flank, one on the right. They began arguing about who had shot me. As soon as they began arguing, I began counting.

Their argument gained in strength, which amused me. They were fighting over me. It was, well, endearing.

I reached twenty in my count, and then the two of them began shooting at each other.

I reached thirty; neither of them had claimed me, so I popped behind a tree and proceeded to shoot both of them, twice each. "Guard!" I yelled.

They both turned to me. "What?"

"I got you both." I walked over to Rory, grabbed him, then tugged him to Eric. "You both shot me. You should have shared. Come on."

From the various hiding places around us, the guys received catcalls as I walked them to jail, and there were a few yells of, "You go, Zoe" thrown into the mix. We were halfway to jail before Rory asked, "Why are we walking so slowly?"

"Because I don't let you run me until you offer me a bribe, and you two haven't been offering."

Their offers were ridiculous and unlikely, and for a few of them, it was a good thing Portia wasn't listening. But they were teasing me, and I took it that way.

"We'll help you hide for the next pack hide and go seek game," Eric finally offered.

"Help me hide?"

"Three times," Rory added. "If you think the kids can run you fast, think about how fast we can."

"You won't leave enough of a scent track to follow," Eric said. "And we can toss you perfectly to a high tree branch. You can climb from there. We find people in trees because we can smell where they climbed, but you won't touch the tree until you're too high to be found that way."

"What if I fall?"

"You won't, but we'll be ready to catch you. You won't get hurt."

"Agreed," I said. I held out my arms, and they ran me to our jail, set me down, and then were gone out the backside to return to the game.

By the end of the day, I couldn't count how many times I'd been hit, but I paid more attention to the reaction of the wolves. And I realized something.

They all treated me as not quite a team mascot, not quite a little sister, not quite the favorite teacher or pack mother, but as some combination of all of those. And as Portia has indicated, everyone treated me as if she were quite pleased I was there.

 **Unwanted Guest**

It was Monday evening, two weeks later, when I was working with Kaylee, trying to help her with her first speech, that Angel stepped into my classroom. It was so weird to have a classroom, but I did.

"I'm sorry to interrupt, Zoe," Angel said. "Kaylee, you're done tonight. Zoe, did you have anyone else?"

"Cassie was next."

"Kaylee, find Cassie and tell her Zoe isn't going to make it."

"Sure thing, Angel," Kaylee said. She began to collect her things.

Angel didn't wait for her. "You need to come with me, Zoe."

I cocked my head. "What's going on?"

"You need to come with me, Zoe. Right now." Her tone was firm, and when I didn't move quickly enough, she crossed the room to me, grabbed my arm, and began tugging me towards the door.

"Angel? I have to collect my things."

"Later," she said. She had me out of the school building before I tried digging my heels in.

"What's going on?"

"Zoe, this is an order from a pack enforcer. Stop resisting." She tugged on my arm. "You're not in trouble, but we need to hurry."

"Is someone hurt? Did something happen to Portia? Angel, what's going on?" I felt the panic begin to settle in.

"No one is hurt, and you're not in trouble. We have to hurry." She began tugging harder, and I let her pull me. Soon we were practically running, Angel doing most of the work.

She led me to my own house. When I arrived, Eric was standing guard outside.

"Angel?"

"I can't answer your questions," she said. "I'm sorry, Zoe."

Eric opened the door for us, and Angel pulled me into the house. I immediately heard other voices speaking quietly. She pulled me around a couple of suitcases and into the living room, and we came to a stop.

I looked around.

Michaela was seated in a chair, her back to me, with Serena standing guard immediately behind her. Portia was standing at the window, staring outside, and her back was stiff.

Sitting on the sofa were Ember and a human woman several years younger than I was. She looked hard-used, but I thought perhaps she was once very attractive. But one look at her, and I knew she was trouble.

And she was holding my daughter's hand.

I stared at her holding my daughter's hand.

"Come in, Zoe," Michaela said, not looking around. "There's someone for you to meet."

From the corner of my eye, I caught movement. Portia had turned to me, and her face was filled with anguish. But she turned away, and I knew whatever was going on, I was on my own.

I stiffened my own back and stepped into the room.

Ember stood up, but the woman did not. Nor did she release Ember's hand.

"Zoe," Ember said. She called me Zoe, not 'mom' or 'Zoe Mom'. "I want to introduce you to my mom, Crystal Mann. Mom, this is Zoe Fleming, my other foster-mom."

An ache immediately formed in my gut and began radiating out from there. I stared at the woman, the woman who had abandoned Ember when she was seven, shoving her on a bus to make her way in the world amongst complete strangers.

Anything could have happened to her, and it was only luck that she'd ended up on this compound, living with people who cared about her.

"Have a seat," Michaela said. I glanced at her. Her features were tight, but she was gesturing to the other easy chair. I hesitated, and then Angel stepped forward, pulling me towards the chair. I sat, somewhat numbly, and Angel left a hand on my shoulder as she stood behind me.

Once I was seated, Ember sat back down next to her birth mother.

But I was her mom. Portia and I were her mothers, not this woman. This woman was nothing more than an egg donor.

"What- Um. What are you doing here, Ms. Mann?"

"Please," the woman said, "call me Crystal." She looked at Ember with a look that I knew was supposed to be love, but I didn't believe it. "Eight years ago, I made a mistake. I didn't know how to take care of a werewolf, so I sent her to her uncle. I never meant for it to be permanent. It was just until she learned how to control what she was, so she wouldn't turn into an animal in front of the wrong people."

"She's not an animal," I said. "She's a person, regardless of what clothes she is wearing."

"I understand that now," the woman said, turning to face me. "I never meant to send her away permanently. I'm still her mom. She's still my baby. When I heard someone wanted to adopt her, I realized how long it had been, and I drove straight through. Ember is going home with me."

I stared for five seconds. I couldn't believe what she was saying.

"You can't have her!" I screamed. "She's mine!" I would have launched myself from the chair to confront the woman, but Angel tightened her hand on my shoulder, pressing me into the chair. I struggled with Angel while I screamed at the woman. "You gave up your rights to her a long, long time ago! What mother abandons her daughter for eight years? Well, she's with people who love and care for her, and you can't have her!"

I struggled against Angel. Soon she was using both hands to hold me in the chair, one pressing on my shoulder, the other hanging onto my arm.

"She's mine!" I screamed again. I turned to Michaela. "Stop her! We're her guardians now. She abandoned her daughter for years, and we've been raising her. Look at her. She can't afford a lawyer. We can bury her in legal paperwork. It will take years for her to work her way through them, and by then, Ember will be eighteen and able to do whatever she wants!"

In other words, I was more than willing to apply the same basic legal methods corporations have used against the environmental movement for decades. Bury them in expensive lawyers and paperwork.

"Zoe," Ember said. "She needs me, and she's my mom."

I stilled and looked at her. "I'm your mom! Portia is your mom! We're the ones who love you. We're the ones who take care of you. We're the ones who know how to care for a teenage werewolf. We're the ones who can help you get the right start in life. Your friends are here. You are loved here!"

"I know," she said. "But she needs me, Zoe."

"I need you, Ember!"

"I'm sorry. But you have Portia and Michaela and Monique and all the others, and she doesn't have anyone. She needs me."

I struggled with Angel and managed to pull away from her. I was on my feet, and then so was Ember, moving into my path and pulling me into her arms.

"I love you, Zoe," she said. "But for eight years I've dreamed about Mom coming to get me. I dreamed of hearing her tell me she loved me. I've dreamed of her apologizing for sending me away, and for the things she called me when she did it. And now she's here, and she needs me, and she loves me. I have to go."

I started crying. Ember held me for a minute, then Crystal stood up.

"We have to go, baby. I want to be south of Madison before it's dark."

"You can't have her!" I screamed. "She's mine." I tried pulling Ember further from the woman, further from the woman who had come to steal my daughter. "Portia, help me! Don't let her take our daughter."

"Zoe," Ember whispered, "I'll never forget what you've done for me."

Then she kissed my cheek and began peeling my arms from her. Then Angel was there, and Portia as well, pulling me away from my daughter.

I began screaming at them. "Don't let her do this! Portia!"

And, while I screamed, I watched the woman put her arm around my daughter's shoulder and begin leading her to the door. And Ember went with her; she went willingly.

She looked over her shoulder at me just before they turned the corner, and I saw a tear crawling down her cheek.

"Ember! Don't go!"

But then the front door opened and closed. My screams grew even louder, and I almost escaped from Angel and Portia. But then Serena was there, too, helping them to hold me.

I heard car doors, and then a car engine.

And a minute later, Eric came in and announced, "They're gone, Alpha."

They finally let me go. I spun around and looked up into Portia's face. She hadn't said a single word, not one word through all of it.

"You let that woman take our daughter," I said coldly. Then I screamed, "You let her take our daughter! How could you?"

I had never hit anyone in my entire life; I had never hurt anyone in my entire life. But I tightened my fist, wound up, and sent the biggest, widest swing at my wife's jaw.

She could have stopped it. She could have blocked it or just leaned away and let my fist pass harmlessly in front of her.

Instead, she let me hit her.

"I never want to see you again!" I screamed.

"Zoe..."

I didn't listen. I ran.

I was sobbing long before I was in the woods. Still, I ran until I couldn't run anymore, and it was a lot longer and further than it would have been a year ago. Finally I collapsed to the forest floor, curling into a ball and screaming my grief, my rage, my despair.

I beat the forest floor, wanting to hurt someone, but there was no one to hurt.

I screamed, but there was no one to listen, or if there was, I wasn't aware of her.

I screamed, and if I could have yanked my heart from my chest to stop it from hurting, I would have done it in an instant.

Eventually some sort of sanity returned, accompanied by a cool, frigid cold understanding: I had lost everything that mattered to me.

By then, it was dark, especially dark under the trees. I crawled a few feet and sat up against a tree, pulling my legs to my chest.

My daughter was gone.

My wife had let that woman take her. And in that act, I had lost them both. I had gone from gloriously happy to this, all in just a few minutes.

How could Ember have left with that woman? Couldn't she see the false smiles? Couldn't she see the trouble?

"She's trash!" I screamed into the night. "She's trash!"

I again screamed my rage and despair.

I don't know how long I sat there, my head on my knees, my arms wrapped around them. But then there was a howl, a distant howl, and then, much, much closer, an answering howl.

"Who is there?" I demanded. "Who is it? Show yourself!"

It took a minute, but then I heard the soft steps of a wolf approaching. I could barely see, but she stepped through the underbrush perhaps ten feet away, a silver wolf with black patches.

"Angel." It was said coldly. "Leave me alone. I don't want any more to do with you than I do the rest of you. You let them take her. You helped!"

She whined, but she lay down, watching me.

"Why are you even here? Afraid I was going to run off and tell the world about you? Afraid of what I might do in my anger? Do you have orders to stop me if I leave pack lands? I don't think I ran that far, but I'm quite lost, and I can't see."

She whined again, but she didn't answer.

What did I expect, talking to a wolf?

"Go away," I told her. "I don't want you here."

She didn't leave, but instead she lifted her nose and howled again.

I'd always thought it was a beautiful sound, but now I hated it. She was telling them where I was.

I thought about running from her, but it would be futile. I couldn't see, and I'd probably bean myself on a tree. And I couldn't have gotten free of her, anyway.

No, she'd just lead all the wolves right to me, and then they would do whatever it was they were going to do.

I wondered how much trouble I was in for hitting Portia.

I hung my head. I'd hit my wife. I was ashamed of that.

But she'd deserved it, hadn't she? She'd let that woman take my daughter! She had helped them. She'd held me back while Ember had walked out of our house and out of our lives.

Angel howled once more, briefly, and about a minute later, I heard several wolves approaching. They weren't moving quickly, not remotely as quickly as wolves can move.

They began to appear, Elisabeth and Lara first, and then Serena and Eric were there, flanking Michaela.

Portia wasn't amongst them.

Angel climbed to her feet, then moved in front of Lara and Michaela, rolling onto her back and exposing her throat. Both alphas licked her throat briefly, and then she rolled back upright and moved away, taking a guard position facing outward. Eric and Serena took similar positions.

I stayed right where I was.

"Go away," I told them. "Just leave me alone."

Michaela shimmered, and then she was human, facing me in the dark of the night.

"I'm sorry, Zoe," she said. "We didn't have a choice."

"Fuck you," I said. "You had every choice in the world. You let that piece of trash take her."

She didn't flinch at my tone. Instead, she sat down on the ground facing me, perhaps five feet away. Lara and Elisabeth flanked her.

I wondered if they were there to protect Michaela, lest I turn murderous.

"We didn't have a choice," she said again.

"Whatever. Alpha, I will be divorcing my wife, and I am leaving Wisconsin as fast as my car will take me. Don't worry; I won't share your secrets. You'll never hear from me again."

Lara huffed annoyance, but it was Michaela who answered me. "You are going to listen to me. And then you are going to calm down. If you need somewhere to stay for a few days, we will make arrangements."

"Go to hell."

Elisabeth began to growl, but Michaela said, "Enforcer, silence. I am handling this." The wolf immediately grew silent.

"Zoe, she's a human who knows our secrets."

 **Anguish**

"Fuck," I said. "I'm sorry. Oh god. Portia!"

"She'll be fine," Michaela said. "She's very worried about you, and of course, she hurts badly, too. Do you understand?"

"That woman blackmailed you."

"The threat went unspoken, but it was there."

I thought about it. "A little over a year ago, I came to you and told you I knew, and you held me prisoner for a week, under threat of killing me. I am about as reliable a human as you could meet, and you knew enough about me at the time to know that. She's trash, Michaela. Trash!"

"I know. She said she's sober and clean, but she measures her sobriety in months, not years. But Zoe, we're pretty sure she's taken the sort of measures you didn't. She made a point of mentioning 'papers' she kept with a lawyer, and she mentioned 'insurance'. She wasn't very subtle."

I hugged my knees.

My daughter was with that woman, a woman who would have divulged our secrets if we didn't give Ember to her.

"We could have tried fighting," Michaela said, "just the way you said. But it was Ember's decision, Zoe. It had to be."

"Did you force Ember to go?"

"No, of course not. You heard what she said to you about her dreams."

I nodded.

"I'm so sorry, Zoe. We're all so sorry."

"Yeah." I looked away. "Whatever. Go away. Leave me alone."

She ignored that. Instead, Michaela scooted closer, turning around until she was beside me, leaning against the same tree. She laid her head on my shoulder, and I laid mine against her head. Lara moved closer and sat down on my other side, leaning against me, still in fur. I turned her way, wrapped my arms around her, and began sobbing into her fur.

They let me cry myself out. Lara didn't complain about the tears in her fur. Michaela shifted into her own fur for a while, leaning against me that way. I presume she grew chilled and wanted a fur coat to keep her warm.

But finally I straightened. "I'm sorry. You guys don't have to baby sit me. If you can go tell Portia I'm fine."

This time it was Elisabeth who shifted human. "We're not leaving you out here alone, Zoe. We know you can't see a thing, and I bet you can't point to the compound, anyway." She stepped forward and offered a hand. After a moment, I let her pull me to my feet. "Angel," she called out, "be Zoe's eyes."

It was a slow walk back to the compound, back to the house I shared with my now truncated family. My escort led me up the steps. I hesitated, but Lara bounded up beside me and opened the door.

All our doors could be opened by a wolf in fur.

Michaela slipped past me, and then several wolves bumped me along into the house; I was helpless but to go where they nudged.

But as soon as I was inside, I saw Portia standing there. Her face was a mask of anguish.

"Zoe, I'm sorry, there wasn't anything I could do."

"I'm so sorry, Portia," I said. "Will you forgive me?"

She nodded and opened her arms, and I flew to them. Together, we cried, the members of our pack clustered around us, offering their silent comfort.

Later, Portia carried me to bed. We held each other, not talking, until finally we slept.

In the morning, I refused to climb out of bed. Portia held me for a while, but eventually she had to go. Her duties couldn't be suspended.

I lay in bed for a few more hours, finally rousing myself, but then I moved to Ember's room, stood in the middle of it, and cried.

All her stuff was gone, and I couldn't even tell she had ever lived here.

Elisabeth stopped by a short while later. She was carrying lunch, one bag from Carly's and one bag from a ribs place. I stared at her in the doorway.

I was still in my pajamas.

She pressed past me, pretending to ignore my attire. "Wolves grieve in their own way," Elisabeth said. "Portia needs to stay busy. So I'm here."

"Elisabeth..."

"You need to eat," she said. And then she didn't take 'no' for an answer. It was easier to go along. We ate at the island in the kitchen. I let her wait on me. I spent most of the time staring straight ahead, temporarily numb.

"I'm sorry," Elisabeth said. "I'm good with direct solutions to problems like this, but this isn't the time for that. I'm so sorry, Zoe."

"I couldn't tell you to kill Ember's mom," I said. "There's nothing anyone can do."

"Well, I'm sorry I am so little help."

"Thank you for coming. I'll be fine in a few days."

Except I didn't think I would be.

I sulked. I moped. I sobbed a lot. I screamed at the unfairness of the world.

And I went into a deep, dark, depression.

I refused any and all responsibility. I would tend to my own physical needs and not much more. Movie nights were "cancelled until further notice". I stopped attending any pack events and was rarely seen outside the house at all. I didn't answer the doors when people came knocking. After that hint stopped working, I began locking the doors.

Portia was hurting as well, and my reaction didn't help. We should have shared comfort with each other, but I was so lost in my own world, not only was I unable to give her what she needed, I wasn't able to accept what she had to offer, either.

I turned surly and snippy.

It was about two weeks after Ember was gone. I don't remember what I said, but she told me, "Zoe, I miss her, too."

"But you can still smell her!" I said, spinning around to confront Portia. "Can't you? If you go in her room, you can smell her. I go in her room and I can't see a single sign she was ever here."

"Do you think that makes it easier for me?" she replied. "Do you think it makes it easier while at the same time I'm worried about you?"

"Whatever!" I yelled, spinning around and running to my office, slamming the door behind me.

I didn't realize I was doing it, but I blamed Portia. I blamed her and Michaela. It wasn't their fault, but I blamed them anyway. It was easier than blaming myself. If I'd left well enough alone, that woman may never have remembered she had a daughter. But no, I had to go for the gold. I had to ask Hadley to look into legally adopting her. What would it have mattered to have let it go? We were happy.

Deep down, I was convinced it was my fault, but I blamed Portia and Michaela anyway.

I picked fights to the point Portia began avoiding the house. She left early every morning and came home late every evening. We shared a bed, but that was all we shared.

We didn't share bodies.

I began drinking. Heavily. I had never hidden in a bottle in my life, but I began then.

I don't really remember individual days through the rest of September, and October was a blur.

They let me get away with my behavior until the first of November. All Saints Day.

It was late morning. I was already two drinks into the day when Michaela found me, sitting in the kitchen with my head in my hands.

"Go away," I told her.

She walked over to me, grabbed my glass from my hands, walked over to the sink, and poured out the contents.

"Hey!" I complained.

She didn't say a word, but the bottle of vodka was on the counter. She took it and dumped that down the sink, too. When she started with that, I jumped to my feet, but suddenly Serena and Angel were there, interposing themselves between Michaela and me. They didn't say a word, and I backed away from them.

"That was a new bottle!" I bitched.

Michaela finished dumping the vodka down the drain and turned to face me. "Tell me the truth. Is there more alcohol in this house?"

I stared at her.

"You don't have any right-"

"I have every right," she said. "Is there more alcohol?"

I glared at her then finally said, "Portia's beer."

"Angel."

Angel moved to the refrigerator in the kitchen. She rummaged around and found two cans waiting. She handed them to Michaela, who set them on the counter. Then she stepped away, and I heard her on the stairs to the basement.

"What else?" Michaela asked coldly.

"Nothing," I said.

"Let me ask you something," Michaela said. "This is a werewolf pack. Do you know what we do to wolves who lie to the alpha?"

"No."

"We deliver a beating," Serena answered for her. "Depending upon the nature of the lies, a very severe beating."

I stared at her for a minute then said, "You wouldn't dare."

"Actually," she replied, "I would. But I suspect for a human there would be other punishments."

"Touch me," I said coldly, "and you better intend to kill me. You'll never be able to trust me again. I swear it!"

"Answer the alpha," Serena said. "What other alcohol is there in the house? Are you really going to let this get that out of hand? You know we'll find it if we have to tear the house apart looking."

"It's not like I hide it!" I said. "And it's not your business any more than it is hers."

"Answer her," Serena said. "Now."

"A couple of bottles of wine," I said. "I bought them to celebrate Ember's adoption. Take them. What do I care?"

I turned my back on both of them, crossing my arms and letting them know what I thought about them.

"Where are they?" Serena asked.

But then Angel reappeared. "I have the beer, and I found a couple of bottles of wine."

"Thank you, Angel. Give everything to Eric," Michaela said. "Then rejoin us."

I ignored them as best they could, but I was fuming.

Michaela waited until Angel had returned before she said, "Zoe, you and I are having a conversation. I will let you pick where."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "I don't have anything to say to you."

"Living room. Bring her."

Michaela swept out the room, and a moment later, Serena and Angel were at my sides. They reached for my arms, but I pulled away. "I am capable of walking."

With the two enforcers hovering over me closely, I followed the fox to the living room. By the time I arrived, she had already taken a seat, and she pointed to the sofa. "Sit down, Zoe."

I took the seat and put on a good facsimile of a spoiled child, crossing my arms, pouting out my lip, and looking anywhere but at her.

"So, tell me," Michaela said. "Is it your intention to turn into the alcoholic - what was the word you used? Oh yes, trash. Into the sort of alcoholic trash you believe Ember's mother to be? Is that your plan?"

I didn't answer her. I wanted to tell her where she could go, but somehow I didn't.

"Are you trying to drive your wife away?" Michaela asked.

I didn't answer that, either.

"Maybe you're trying to incite her into hitting you so you have an excuse to leave her."

At that I snapped my gaze to her. Michaela was watching me intently.

"It's natural to want to blame someone," she said gently. "You blame Portia for not doing something. You blame me. You probably blame me for letting you have her in the first place. I told you it would be forever, and less than a year later, I let someone take her away from you. Losing a child is the worst feeling ever, and no one blames you for hurting, Zoe."

"What would you know about it?" It wasn't said gently.

Angel and Serena stiffened.

Michaela sighed. "I was a mother."

"I know. You introduced me."

"No," she said. "Before. I had two fox kits, Zoe."

I was crying long before she finished. She moved to sit on the sofa beside me to finish telling the story, tears crawling down her own cheeks.

"I went into a murderous rage that lasted years," she said at the end. "Zoe, as best I can remember, I've killed 119 wolves."

"What?" I screeched.

"They had it coming," Angel said, "each and every one. Bastards."

"I know about grief, Zoe. I know what it can do to you inside. And I will not allow this. She's not dead, but she's gone, and you don't know if you'll ever see her again. I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am about that. But I will not allow you to travel even a single step further down this path."

I didn't respond to that.

"You have a mate who loves you and who needs you, Zoe. You have friends and a pack who love you and miss you. You have responsibilities you have abdicated. And, frankly, you're better than this. You're stronger than this."

I didn't respond to that.

"Life goes on," she said. "If you let it. So, do you intend to drag Portia into your despair with you? Do you intend to drag the pack? Or are you going to straighten your back and do what you know you need to do?"

I turned away from her, still not saying anything.

"You need help," Michaela went on. "Simple help. You need hugs from your spouse and your friends. You need distractions. You need reminders that life can turn out all right, even when there are setbacks. Yeah, as things go, this is a pretty sucky setback. But are you really going to destroy your marriage and maybe your entire life over it?"

I sighed. "No."

"Are you going to do anything incredibly stupid?"

"No. I'm going to limit myself to the normal level of stupid for a while."

"All right then. The road to recovery starts right now. I'm keeping the wine for you; I'll give them back when you have something you want to celebrate."

"Portia's beer-"

"Is already waiting for her at Karen's place. You're going to promise me to stay away from alcohol until you're ready to return to your old habits."

"You mean, of never drinking."

She smiled. "Yes."

I sighed and promised.

"No more picking fights with your mate."

I sighed and promised.

"No more skipping pack events."

I promised that without the sigh.

"Movie nights."

"Small this week," I said.

"All right. I'll handle the invitations this week, but you'll return to normal next week. And your other commitments?"

"Oh my god, the kids-"

"I handled it, but it's too much for me, Zoe. I need you back there. I'll take care of it for one more day, but you will be speech coaching tomorrow afternoon, and the kids deserve that dance."

"Not to mention the solar panels."

"Not to mention. We suspended that, but you need to get back to it."

"Who is going to finish Ember's panel?" I asked. Of all the things to worry about, that was about the last.

"Scarlett and I want to," Angel said. "If you'll let us."

I looked over at her and nodded.

"All right," said Michaela. "Good. Now, you're going to go upstairs and pop in the shower. Dress nice. Your mate is taking you to lunch."

"I-"

"You should perhaps apologize to her and then accept her forgiveness," Michaela said. "Or you're going to sink back again." She looked at Angel. "Stay with her until Portia gets here."

It wasn't like a light switch. I didn't go from being self-absorbed and lost in my grief to being my old self.

But I apologized profusely to Portia. She didn't say anything at first but simply pulled me into her arms and held me tightly. When finally I looked up, I saw her crying.

She never cried.

"I'm sorry, Portia!" I said. "Please, I'm sorry! Please forgive me!"

"Shh," she said, pulling my head against her. "I thought I was losing you. I couldn't stand to lose you both."

She made love to me that night, our first time since Ember's departure. It was gentle and a little awkward for both of us. But she held me afterwards, and we professed our love for each other.

It was even more awkward in the morning. Portia made me get up with her, and we went to the gym. She helped me with my workout, my first in weeks. I felt weak and flabby to go with being out of sorts, but Portia didn't judge.

I wasn't ready for breakfast at the alphas', and so we ate together back at home before she headed for work.

At midmorning, I stopped by the school, waiting outside Michaela's classroom until she noticed me and invited me to enter.

"I'm sorry for interrupting," I said. "I just wanted to let everyone know that I want to meet with the speech team after school, if everyone can make it."

There were some tentative smiles from a few faces.

"They'll be there," Michaela said. "I'll let the others know."

"I also need to meet with the dance committee."

"We can do that after the speech team meeting," Iris said.

"No, I think people will be working on speeches. But you can let me know when you want to get together. Maybe after dinner some night this week, or we could get together Saturday or Sunday morning."

She glanced around the room then said, "Tonight, if you're free."

"I'm free," I said. "Come to the house about seven, if you can."

"What about our solar panels?" Layton asked.

I turned to Michaela. "Next week?"

She nodded.

"Regular schedule for that to resume next week," I declared. I paused. "Kids, I'm sorry."

I don't know if Michaela signaled them, but most of the kids rose from their seats and surrounded me. "We understand," Lindsey said. "We miss her, too."

"Thanks, kids. I'll get out of your way now. Alpha, I apologize for interrupting."

"Quite all right," Michaela said. "I'm glad you did, Zoe."

The kids released me, and I headed for the door, but then Iris asked, "Zoe?"

I turned around.

"May we start taking you for roller coaster rides again?"

I thought about it. "For now, let's keep it to a one or two."

She nodded.

And so, I began to put my life back together. I took my responsibilities back. I took my mate back, and I vowed to make things up to her, as best I could.

And if some days I stood in Ember's room and cried for a while, well, no one else needed to know that.

 **Motherhood?**

I lay in Portia's arms, spent. We were both sweaty, and if I strained my ears, I thought perhaps I could hear the echoes of the things I had screamed.

All of them were at Portia's urging, of course.

"Zoe," she said. "I want to talk to you about something."

"I think we already did."

"I want to talk to you about something else."

"This sounds like a serious conversation. Are we dressed for it?" I opened my eyes and lifted my chin to look up at her face. She looked troubled. "How can you have that expression after what we just did?"

"I want us to go see a doctor."

I sat up. "What?" I asked. "Is something wrong? Are you sick?"

"No, honey," she said. She pulled me back to her. "No one is sick. I want us to go see an OB/GYN."

I stiffened for a moment, then relaxed.

"I want children," she said. "Even when Ember was here, we talked about having children."

I didn't answer her at first. "All right," I said finally. "When?"

"There's a pack doctor," she replied. "I made a tentative appointment for next Monday. I already checked with your schedule. We'll be back before you have to meet with the kids."

"What would you have done if I'd said, 'no'?"

"Cancelled it and asked again in a few months."

That was the right answer. I settled in. "All right. Monday."

On Monday, I was nervous. If Portia noticed, she didn't say anything. She collected me early and took me to lunch, and we presented ourselves at the clinic promptly at one.

It looked like an ordinary clinic, and the women in the waiting room were human. But the receptionist was a wolf. She addressed Portia as, 'Ms. Fleming' but didn't seem to know what to call me.

We filled out the usual assortment of paperwork, and a few minutes later, far sooner than I expected, a nurse escorted us in back. She was human, but Zoe whispered to me, "Her husband is pack". I nodded understanding. She was one of the human women in the pack.

The nurse did the things nurses do. She weighed and measured both of us. And then she took my vitals along with a variety of samples. She didn't take any from Portia. I wondered about that.

"We know what Ms. Fleming's samples will tell us," the nurse explained. "She is clearly perfectly healthy. You appear to also be healthy, but you understand."

"Right."

"Doctor Cook will be along shortly," she said. "If you can put on the gown..."

I groaned, which I thought amused Portia, but once the nurse had stepped out, I stripped and pulled on the flimsy hospital gown.

"I suppose you aren't subjected to this part, either."

"Nope."

"I think if you're such a perfect specimen, you should carry this child."

She didn't say anything.

"Portia?"

"If you do not want to carry our child," she said, "then I will, if we decide to have one. But I believe this is something you want, and you are only teasing me."

She was probably right.

It was some time before the doctor arrived. I grew more nervous and tried to hide it by teasing Portia. But it turned out she was nervous, too, and she didn't respond to my taunts.

Finally I pressed against her. "Do you think I look hot in this gown? Do you have visions of putting me on the table there-" I gestured. "Perhaps you would strap my feet into the stirrups."

"Zoe!"

I grinned at her. She kissed me quickly. "I love you, Zoe Fleming."

"I love you, too, Portia Fleming."

Together, we sighed.

But I was still nervous.

There was a knock, and then the door opened. A woman in a white lab coat with a stethoscope draped over her neck stepped in. She was clearly a wolf. We both stood, and she closed the door.

"Good afternoon," she said. "Ms. Fleming." She shook Portia's hand. She turned to me. "I am Doctor Cook."

"Call me Zoe, Doctor," I said, offering my hand.

She nodded. "Well, sit, sit," she said, gesturing. "We can talk for a few minutes." She waited until we were seated before taking her own stool. She had my chart with her, and she opened it, skimming it for a minute or two. She had Portia's file, too, but she didn't even look at it. She lifted her eyes towards us.

"The two of you wish to have a baby," she announced.

"We're talking about it," Portia said. "We want to know our options."

"Well, let's talk about your goals first. Let's ask the three most obvious questions. Wolf or human?"

"Wolf," I said immediately.

"Half-wolf," Portia said on top of me.

She and I looked at each other. "We'll discuss both options," Portia said, "and then decide together." And I nodded.

"All right," said the doctor. "Have you decided which of you would carry the child?"

"The risks," I started to say.

"All right," Doctor Cook said. "Setting aside the risks for a moment, what is your preference?"

I looked at Portia, and she nodded to me. "Me," I said. "But-"

"Right," she interrupted. "So, the preference is for Zoe to carry the baby, but if we deem the risks are unacceptable?"

"Then I will carry our child," Portia stated. I reached over and clasped her hand.

"Very good," said the doctor. "And the last question. Have you thought about the process?"

I looked at Portia again, then back to the doctor. "If I carry the baby, I want one of Portia's eggs."

"And if Portia carries this child?"

I looked at Portia and back at the doctor. "Is it safe to speak plainly?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "If you do not shout."

"I want our baby to have fur," I said, "and I would prefer she resemble her mother wolf. There is a family resemblance between Lara, Elisabeth, and Angel, so I presume closely related wolves resemble each other in fur, but I do not know if Lara and Elisabeth look like their parents."

The doctor smiled. "Portia, how do you feel?"

"I-" she paused. "I am torn. Part of me wants to use one of Zoe's eggs, but part of me agrees with Zoe. But I will love this child no matter whose DNA she carries."

"My eggs are old," I said. "All right, they aren't as old as Portia's, but I'm only human." I glanced at Portia then back at the doctor. "Portia's eggs are healthier. And I want my baby to look like Mommy Wolf. But maybe she would look like her father instead, or some cross between them."

"That is why we'll have a half-wolf," Portia said.

"All right," said the doctor. "I believe I have the picture. Well, Zoe, you appear healthy so far, but you know what comes next." She gestured. I stood up and moved to the examination table.

I hated this part of visiting my own OB/GYN.

She was very thorough.

Finally she told me I could get down. I reassembled the annoying gown and returned to my seat next to Portia. The doctor took some notes and turned to us.

"Zoe, you appear very healthy for a human female of your age. I would want copies of all your medical records. One of the forms you signed is a release, so we will acquire them. I will need to review them before making a final recommendation. However, everything looks good. So let us talk tentatively for now, so you may have the full picture. Once I have all your records and we get the lab results back, we'll meet again."

I nodded.

"You are concerned about risks." She talked at length about the risks of childbirth, paying particular attention to the increased risks at my age. "That's all the bad news. Now, here is the good news. Wolves, even half wolves, do not suffer birth defects. There can be birth complications, but I do not allow those."

I smiled at that.

"I am exceedingly careful of my human mothers," she said. "You would be on restrictions from the very beginning, and you would follow them meticulously."

"She means no drinking, no drugs, no smoking, and no roller coaster rides."

The doctor frowned. "I did not see mention of drugs or smoking."

"She's kidding," I said. "I am as straight laced as they come, Doctor."

The doctor eyed her carefully, but Portia said, "She is. My apologies. I was lightening the mood."

She finally nodded.

"Well, you would be on restrictions. We would take very, very complete care of you. Birth would be in the hospital, and I am very aggressive in performing C-sections with the human mothers of werewolves." She looked at Portia. "If I tell you I am performing a C-section, you will sign whatever I give you to sign."

"I want a natural birth," I declared.

"Frankly," said the doctor, "I don't care. I want a healthy baby and a healthy mother. Do I make myself clear?"

"We'll try for a natural birth?"

"We'll try," she agreed. "But if the little darling is so much as five days late, we'll be scheduling your C-section. If labor is not going the way I want, C-section. If you sneeze in an unsettling fashion-"

"Wait, let me guess. C-section?"

She nodded. "I have a great deal of information to give you. You will read it. Both of you."

"Yes, Doctor." I paused. "How does it work? Where do we get the. Um."

"Ah. We should talk about full wolf and half wolf. Just like a human, the child of two wolves carries the mixed DNA from both parents. The same sort of dominant and recessive genes that you perhaps learned in school applies to werewolves as well."

"Zoe's eyes are blue," I pointed out.

"Yes, and if we use material from a male wolf with all brown eyed ancestors, then the baby will have brown eyes. But simply because the wolf has brown eyes doesn't mean he carries no genes for blue eyes."

I looked at Portia. She didn't have the same scientific background, but she nodded understanding.

"So, a child of two wolves can look quite a lot like one parent or the other or some mix and match in between. You may wonder how this child could be the child of either parent."

"Right," I said.

"However, wolf genes are dominant. Period. If we use wolf genes and human genes, the child's appearance will not be a clone of the mother's, but she will deeply resemble her mother."

I turned to Portia and smiled, but then looked back to the doctor. "What about grandchildren? If our child were to mate with a human, now the new baby is three quarters human, and has a fifty percent chance of any particular gene pair of both being human."

"It would seem like that," she said. "But it doesn't seem to work that way. We don't have enough study to understand completely. It may be that if you proceed down that path several generations, you might find the human genes begin to overwhelm the wolf genes. It seems like it should happen with the first grandchild, but we don't have any evidence of that." She shrugged. "No one is spending time studying it to that depth. That will change when we get a few people doing in depth study of the wolf genome, but that is risky research right now."

I turned to Portia. "Half wolf and your eggs," I said. "That's best."

She nodded, then pulled my hand to her lips and kissed it.

We had more questions. We talked about the process further, and then we ran out of questions.

"Well then," said the doctor. "The nurse will have a fork truck full of information for you to read. Go home, go through the material, talk, and in a few days, once I've had a chance to go over your full records, Zoe, we'll talk again."

We read the material, staying up late the next three nights to discuss it together. Portia was excited, but I was troubled.

I wanted to do this. I wanted to do this for Portia, for me, for us. I wanted to carry her baby. I wanted this.

But it felt like we were trying to replace Ember.

It was too soon.

Finally, I said that to Portia. Her face fell. I suddenly felt like a heel. But she nodded. "You're right," she said. She paused. "If Ember called tomorrow, I don't think I'd want to tell her you were pregnant."

"Maybe in the spring," I said. "I don't know. It might still feel like it's too soon. I'm sorry, Portia. If-" I paused. "If I can't carry the baby, how many years before it's too late for you?"

"Ten, maybe fifteen," she said. "We have time, honey. It's all right."

I let her make gentle love to me, but we were both disappointed, and it felt like it was my fault.

Again.

 **Phone Call**

December came, and then the new year. It was a bitter, cold winter, and I spent most of it hiding inside. The wolves didn't seem to care that it was so cold, but I did.

March arrived, still cold and blustery.

Portia and I didn't talk about children. I wasn't ready. I didn't know when I would be ready.

It was the second Tuesday in March, shortly before dinner, when my phone rang. I expected to see Portia calling to tell me she was running late, or ask me what the dinner plans were, or invite me to dress up because she was taking me out. Instead, it showed a different name.

Ember.

I snatched up the phone, nearly dropping it, then finally got it to answer. "Honey!" I said into the phone. "How are you?" I began crying. "Portia and I miss you terribly. Everyone misses you."

"It's not Ember," said the woman. "This is Crystal Mann. I presume this is Zoe Fleming."

I grew cold. I grew deeply cold. This was the woman who had taken my baby!

"It is," I said. "How is Ember?"

"She's a little bitch is how she is!" Crystal said. "Whatever did you teach her? What the hell is wrong with werewolves? She's a complete slob; her room is a mess, and she leaves her shit everywhere. She won't raise a finger around the house, and she's getting into trouble at school. She beat up a boy and was suspended for three days for it. She has no manners and won't do a thing that I tell her to do. And she never stops eating! I thought sure, she's a teenager, my grocery bill would go up. But it didn't just go up; it went through the fucking ceiling."

I began to smile, a cold, dark smile.

"But to top it all off, my girl, the girl who was so sweet, when I got home from work tonight, she was drinking one of my cans of beer. I tried to take it away from her, but she growled at me. She growled at me like a rabid animal! What the hell have you been teaching her up there?"

She paused, and I thought it was to give me a chance to speak, but then she went on. "And then there's fur everywhere! It's like living with a dog. I hate dogs. They shed on everything. She's doing it on purpose! She keeps giving me this shit about how it starts to hurt if she doesn't shift. I tried forbidding it, but she waits until my back is turned and does it anyway. And then last week, I caught her in the back yard, marking the bushes. Marking the bushes! Like an animal!"

"Where is she now?"

"Hell if I know," she said. "She stormed off."

"Well, Crystal," I said, "I'm not entirely sure why you're calling me. She never did any of those things around here. Did you see her room? It was spotless. The house was spotless, too. We have teenagers in here all the time, and they're all deeply respectful."

"Well she's a little bitch, and I want her gone!"

"I can be there tomorrow to get her," I said calmly. "Just tell me where."

"Oh, no," she said. "That bitch has eaten me out of house and home. You want her, you can pay for her."

"How much?"

"Ten grand. Cash."

"Fine," I said. "Ten grand. But for ten grand, you are signing her over to me. Portia and I are adopting her, and you will sign whatever our lawyer gives you to sign."

"Perfect," Crystal said.

She gave me the number I could reach her at, and I told her I'd call her back in an hour.

As soon as we hung up, I called Michaela. She answered on the second ring.

"Alpha," I said immediately. "I need your help. We need to go save my daughter. Right now."

 **Part Four**

One Year Later

 **Epilogue**

"Oh, Portia," I said. "She's beautiful! She has your eyes, and your nose."

Portia moved onto the bed, cuddling against me.

And then I looked around. "You! Get over here!"

The girl approached. Over the mask, her eyes were wide. I turned the baby so she was facing outward.

"Fiona," I said. "Fiona Grace Fleming, this is Ember Louise Fleming. She is your big sister. The two of you are to be the best of friends."

 **Author's Note**

While writing Wolf Women, I wasn't sure whether I should include the ransom night scenes. You already saw Michaela's ransom night, and I worried this was more of the same.

But I needed to write it. I needed to see for myself Zoe's strength. I needed to see this for the reasons that Ember outlined. Zoe saw herself as "only a human", but the wolves saw more than that. They saw strength in her they could admire.

Zoe needed to see that. More importantly, I did.

I expressed my concerns to one of my readers. She said something very simple. She told me to write what I want. Doing so has worked well in the past.

This is advice I get over and over. Sometimes it's hard. Sometimes I worry about what you, the readers want.

This time, I took her advice.

 _Robin Roseau_

 _November, 2014_


	11. Chapter 10

**Wedges**

In life, events happen. That is the nature of life. Good things happen; bad things happen. Some of those intimately involve the people in your life making choices.

Those choices can insert wedges, divides, between two people. Or the effects can smooth over, reduce or even remove those wedges.

When I first met the wolves of Lara's pack, I didn't have experience with this. My life had been one long history of wedge after wedge, and the gap between the wolves and me was akin to the Grand Canyon. I knew something about living in polite society, and thus I was able to interact with humans. But I didn't really understand about long-term relationships with a group of people. I certainly didn't understand about wedges working their way between people.

But I've certainly experienced it since.

There are wedges between Lara and me. More or less, we've worked through them, but some of the bigger ones have been smoothed over far more than removed. From time to time, something happens to work them around, driving them deeper, driving the gap wider.

Elisabeth and I have wedges as well. Some of them are the same wedges I have with Lara. The very first night I met Elisabeth, I tricked her and managed to wrap my fox teeth over her neck. She has told me she found it funny and doesn't hold a grudge, but when she gets ultra-competitive with me, I wonder if she is remembering that first night.

She gained a great deal of credit with me a few weeks later when I showed up in the wolf compound to report three wolf pups were being kidnapped. The other wolves thought I was there as a spy, but Elisabeth trusted me, and she helped me stay alive long enough for Lara to arrive. I thanked her then, and I'll always remember that she trusted me when absolutely no one else did.

But we still have wedges. I will always remember that she and Lara stuffed me into a cage. There were extenuating circumstances, and if I'd known them, I probably wouldn't have been upset. And when I did learn of them, I forgave her. But I think in the back of my mind, I will always wonder when it will happen again.

I do not like cages.

I remember being confined to the house. I remember a bad night in Ashland. I remember being locked in the cell in the basement of the barracks. I remember being set up to stand trial for capital crimes. I remember being ganged up on for pack play nights and being tricked or cheated in various wagers and games.

I remember that she is a part of the reason I never have any privacy, and that it is now official pack policy that I am not allowed to go anywhere alone. Elisabeth and Lara could have put a stop to that, but instead they both openly supported it. Other than when I sneak away, I haven't driven my car in two years, and I don't know why I still have it.

I remember that one of my capital crimes was ditching my security. Neither Lara nor Elisabeth wanted me sentenced to death for that, but it is a pack crime for me to ditch my security. It is a pack crime for me to take a drive or run alone. If I want to take a walk across the compound, I have to wait for my security detail to arrive.

I remember my bridal ransom night. I remember Elisabeth taking my house from me.

I remember Elisabeth telling me, not quite in so many words, I wasn't good enough for her sister.

I'm not a proper mate for the alpha, after all, and everyone knows it.

I love my sister-in-law. Truly I do. I enjoy her company and value her in my life. Most of the time, all of these wedges are smoothed over and invisible.

But from time to time, they all shake around, causing cracks.

And they were about to get a little worse.

 **Running**

I love my fox. I love being fox. I don't have the words to tell you how glorious it felt in fur, running through the woods with my dearest friends around me. I felt so free, so... I'm sorry; I just don't have the words.

It was early September. Angel had graduated from college in the spring. She had taken my advice to talk to Scarlett, and the look of disappointment when Angel suggested she would graduate early had changed Angel's mind. So she asked Lara and Elisabeth for some advice then took a few introductory business classes, just to whet her appetite for when we finally went to business school together.

Scarlett had one more year to complete her architecture degree. She was already working for Kevin Cassidy, the owner of the only architecture firm in the pack. I'd finally met him over dinner last summer, and he'd spent much of the meal singing Scarlett's praises. She'd been embarrassed by the attention, but she'd preened under it, too, and Angel puffed out her chest in pride for her mate. I didn't blame her at all. I was proud of Scarlett, too.

Over my six years with the pack, life has been exciting. It had been nearly a year and a half since our adventures in North Carolina. Elisabeth was caught on camera. That could have been an utter disaster. As is, I wasn't done meddling. Zoe would be fitting in with the rest of us if I had any say in the matter.

Anyway, as I said, it was September, and I was in fur, surrounded by everyone I loved. Rebecca and Celeste were still pups, of course, nearly four years old and in fur, they each weighed more than I did. They didn't have my stamina, but they could already run as fast as I could. My babies weren't even four years old, and they ran as fast as I did.

At the moment, we were running north, Rebecca immediately to my right, Celeste just past her, and Lara on the far side, watching over her entire family. Francesca, Scarlett and Elisabeth were with us, and so were several members of my security detail: Serena, Angel and Portia. Ranging further afield were other wolves including the pups' security team, lead by Emanuel, Serena's mate. We were just running; I hadn't offered any games. I had just asked for a run before dinner.

And so, I was in fur, surrounded by all those I loved. I felt so free, with the breeze in my face, my nose filled with the smells of the forest, family, and pack. At this exact moment, I hadn't a care in the world.

In the back of my mind, I recognized the irony. I was surrounded by werewolves, a werefox's mortal enemies. But these wolves weren't my enemies. They all loved me, and I loved each of them.

My heart burst with joy at the thought.

It was just a run, and we weren't even playing any games. We were simply running at my best speed, an easy, easy lope for the wolves. But they were jogging along with me, happy for the moment to hold themselves to a fox pace. Eventually I knew someone would ask for a game, and then everyone would turn to me, expecting me to provide one. Staying ahead of them in keeping our games fresh kept me awake some nights.

But I didn't mind at all.

Six miles into our run, right near the northern edge of our territory, eventually arrived. There was a car on the road marking our northern limits, and I huffed loudly, pulling the entire group to a stop. I was panting heavily, as were the pups, but the other wolves were calm and relaxed. But I had a huff that meant "car", and so no one had to ask why we stopped.

I expected the pups to collapse into the drying leaves and moss of the forest floor, but instead, Celeste bumped her sister, and Rebecca flowed into human, crouching down on the ground. And so before me was a human girl of not quite four years old, her hair a little wild, but her eyes bright and full of life.

"Mommy Fox," she said. "May we catch a rabbit?"

Beside her sister, Celeste flowed into her own human shape and said without pause, "Two rabbits!"

My heart burst with another emotion: pride. My babies were a full year, perhaps even two years ahead of expected werewolf development. At finding prey, they weren't necessarily any better than other wolves their age, but if I found the rabbits for them, they had grown quite adept at catching them. Their first solo kills had been clumsy, but they had learned quickly, and now they gave their prey clean, quick kills.

Maybe that seems like a gruesome thought, but we were what we were: hunters. Unlike humans, we physically couldn't survive on a vegetarian diet, and wolves that were unable to hunt literally went insane. Their genetic makeup required them to hunt. As a fox, I wasn't quite as driven, but I wasn't that far behind them, either. I loved to hunt.

Of course, I'd never gone long enough without hunting to know what the long-term psychological effects might be if I were to quit. A girl had to eat, after all. I was sure I wasn't the only pack member who had spent years living solely off what she hunted, but I was the only one I knew of.

I shifted to human. "Lara, you haven't hunted wolf style in months. Did you want to take everyone to find a deer while the pups and I find some rabbits?"

She huffed at the suggestion but shifted human herself.

"Lara..."

"No," she said. "Michaela, I adore hunting fox style." My style of hunting was much different than wolf style. She looked around and set her eyes on Francesca. "Could we use fresh venison?"

Francesca offered a wolfy smile and chuffed. Of course we could. There were thirty wolves living in the compound, and a fresh deer wouldn't last long. Pack shares.

I used to worry about depleting the game. The pack owned a huge amount of land; they'd been buying it for years and years. But the pack also owned three deer ranches, and several years ago they'd added rabbits to the animals raised, and we released fresh animals at a sufficient rate to ensure there was always game.

Lara turned to the girls. "You will stay with Mommy Fox."

"I want to catch my own rabbit!" Celeste said immediately.

"You will," Lara said. "When Mommy Fox tells you. But otherwise, you will stay with Mommy Fox. You are both far too young to help with the deer." Lara stared at them, and they both plopped onto the backs, exposing their throats.

"Yes, Mommy Wolf," they each said in turn. Lara accepted their throats, just a token, then gave them each a quick lick. They would behave.

Lara looked around, settling her eyes on Scarlett for a moment, then looking at Elisabeth. "Sister?"

Elisabeth stepped closer, shifting to human herself. We were getting a real party going there in our birthday suits.

"Head Enforcer," Lara said very quietly to Elisabeth. "Will you allow Angel and Scarlett to lead the deer hunt?"

Angel was on duty. Lara could have ordered, but Elisabeth was the head enforcer, and Lara was careful about the chain of command. I understood why she was asking. We were trying to give Angel leadership opportunities when we could, and leading a deer hunt was a good opportunity.

But we were enforcer rich on this run, and we were on pack lands beside.

Elisabeth was also careful about chain of command, and technically, Angel worked for Serena. She looked over her shoulder and said, "Serena, join us."

Serena stayed in fur but stepped around me, putting her head between Elisabeth and Lara's. Elisabeth repeated Lara's request. Serena offered a small huff, a wolf sigh rather than disagreement. She used to complain that I was bad about distracting Angel while she was on duty, and so she had helped me break a bad habit. But now it was Lara and Elisabeth who wanted to do it.

"It's a training opportunity," Elisabeth explained. Serena knew that.

I moved closer. "I want an enforcer each on the pups." I didn't add, "in case they misbehave anyway." Everyone would have known what I meant. "Plus one more in case the deer comes our way anyway." I would be absolutely worthless against a deer. "Unless you want to hunt wolf style instead." If we hunted wolf style, then the pups and I wouldn't be anywhere near the kill, but if we hunted fox style, I'd lead them practically on top of the deer.

Serena huffed again, but it wasn't displeasure with any of the suggestions, only at the complexity. She gave a wolf yip that I knew was meant for her mate. Emanuel was two hundred yards off our left flank, but it took only an instant before I heard him approaching, moving quickly but not loudly. The wolves wouldn't hear him, but I easily kept track of everything around us. We waited for him to arrive.

Serena shifted to human, bringing Emanuel up to speed. "I'll take the point position," she said. "Emanuel and Portia on the pups." Portia didn't have much patience with them, but if her pup took one step out of line, she'd handle it with competence.

"Rabbits first," Lara said, looking at me. I nodded, agreeing with her. "We can assign the roles for the deer hunt after that."

I turned to the girls. "Ready to be quiet?"

"Yes, Mommy Fox!" Rebecca said, then immediately flowed back into her fur, taking a very unwolf-like, but very fox-like posture.

My heart again burst with pride, and I saw Lara's fur swell while looking at her daughter. Celeste flowed into fur as well and immediately emulated her sister. Celeste was bigger than Rebecca, but Rebecca was consistently the leader of the two of them.

I looked around at the wolves. "If you can't be quiet, hang back." I looked at Lara and then the pups. "Three paces behind me." I wanted to find the rabbits as efficiently as I could, and if everyone clustered around me, it was that much harder.

I didn't wait for a response from anyone but instead flowed into my fur. I turned to the southwest, away from the road that defined our northern border and deeper into our territory. Behind me, the wolves went furry, and I heard them take up position off my flanks, the pups moving to either side of me, the other wolves outside of them. I knew they were managed, and so I swiveled my ears forward, already searching for rabbits.

I had expected the enhancements from taking Carissa's blood to fade. They hadn't. My nose still confused me; I hadn't grown up using my nose to judge emotions, and I was still very poor at it. But where I could previously hear a mouse at a hundred yards in only the right circumstances, my range was now much further.

It took me four minutes to isolate three separate groups of rabbits. I came to a stop, listening to each group. Behind me, the wolves, excepting the pups, all sat down. I knew if I looked behind me, Celeste and Rebecca would be emulating me, but they wouldn't be able to hear what I could. That didn't stop them from trying.

I didn't think they understood why I could always find rabbits. I just always knew where they were. I was willing to maintain the mystery for as long as I could.

The decision for me at this point was simple. I had a choice of a small group of rabbits or two rabbits nosing around separately. The girls preferred the group, each of them chasing a separate rabbit or, as occasionally happened, the same rabbit. But it was cleaner if we did one, then another. I turned slightly to the right, heading for the northernmost of the single rabbits.

At a hundred yards, I stopped us again. I made a point of sniffing. My nose was better than it used to be, but it wasn't up to a wolf nose. I couldn't smell the rabbits, but we were downwind, and maybe the wolves could. I looked over my shoulder. Lara sniffed a few times but then huffed very quietly.

By now, the wolves knew how I preferred to hunt. If I had my choice, most of them would fall back at this point, leaving me with my daughters plus two more adults to help with the hunt, in case the girls' missed their kills. I knew I wouldn't get that choice. But half the group sank down to the ground leaving me with Serena, Lara and Portia. I also knew Elisabeth would follow us, perhaps off our flank, but she wouldn't crowd me.

I turned back to the rabbits and began stalking them slowly, picking my path carefully. Rebecca and Celeste moved closer, one on either side of me, and only a half fox step behind my own nose.

At fifty yards, I stopped again. Lara was looking out for Rebecca on my right, so I turned to that side and drew a line in the dirt. Rebecca immediately huffed, but I knew she'd behave. I took three steps, and my ears told me Rebecca stayed where I told her to. On my other side, Celeste and Serena kept up.

I led us around a patch of leaves; I could move silently through them, but neither Celeste nor Serena could. At twenty yards, I came to a stop and sniffed. I could smell the rabbits, so I knew the two wolves could. Celeste was quivering with excitement. I yawned at her, hoping she'd calm down, but knowing she wouldn't.

My baby loved to hunt.

We were hunkered down, Serena nearly on her belly to hide from the rabbit. It had to kill her to hunt fox style, but never, not once had anyone ever complained about my hunting methods.

It was one of the many reasons I loved them.

I was impressed with Celeste. Her muscles were coiled, and she was quivering, but she hadn't released. I had taken her as close as required. She couldn't see the rabbit, but she could smell it, and she was pointed directly at it. I listened once more, then glanced over at Celeste. She was watching forward intently, and beyond her, Serena was watching over both of us. I chuffed, very, very quietly. Celeste's nearest ear twitched, and then she exploded forward.

The rabbit broke cover. Sometimes they freeze; sometimes they run. I could have gotten my pup a little closer, perhaps as few as five yards from the rabbit, but she needed to learn to hunt. I didn't want to hand her the kill. And so Celeste had a chase on her hands.

We'd found the rabbit fox style, but it became a wolf hunt at this point.

Serena flowed after them, then leapt forward, cutting off the rabbit's escape and scaring it back towards Celeste. My baby leapt, missing, but then she leapt again, and I heard the crunch of rabbit neck as she got a clean kill.

I moved forward, finding Serena watching over my baby. Celeste had the rabbit in her mouth, holding its limp body by the neck. Even a few months ago, she would have worried at it, and another wolf pup her age wouldn't show the control she was showing. I was so proud of her.

I yipped, once, loudly enough for Lara to hear me. She chuffed more loudly, and I heard all the wolves moving forward, converging on our place. I turned back to Celeste and flowed to human.

Celeste turned to me then lifted her nose to the sky and tried to howl her victory, but the noise was muffled by the rabbit in her mouth.

"Quiet," I told her, and she immediately stilled. "If you scare the other rabbits, it will be that much longer before Rebecca gets hers."

She hung her head.

"No, honey," I said. "I'm not mad. I'm teaching."

Lara and Rebecca joined us, and a moment later, the rest of the wolves. Lara stepped forward, sniffed at Celeste, and chuffed proudly at the rabbit dangling from her mouth.

I moved closer, then signaled to Scarlett. "Honey, you won't be able to carry it quietly. I want you to let Scarlett carry your rabbit. She'll give it back later."

She didn't argue with me but stepped up to Scarlett and laid the rabbit at her feet. Scarlett chuffed and picked it up.

"Celeste," I said, "Come here. We're going to talk for a minute, then I'll help Rebecca." My daughter turned to me and flowed into human, squatting down in front of me.

"I caught it, Mommy Fox!" she said.

"You did, but if Serena hadn't helped, it would have gotten away. It was a good, wolf-style hunt, working together, and I am proud of you." I let her chuff her pleasure for a moment. "But if you were hunting yourself, you would be hungry right now. Do you know why?"

She looked down, a little embarrassed. I let her work it out.

"No, Mommy Fox."

"I've taught you to be quiet, almost as quiet as a fox, even though you're a wolf," I said. "How close do you think you can sneak up on a rabbit before it hears you?"

"I don't know," she said after a moment.

"Closer than we were?"

"Yes."

"A lot closer?"

She looked up and smiled. "Yes, but Serena can't."

Serena huffed, but it was probably true.

"Scarlett can," Celeste added. That was probably also true. Of the adult wolves, Scarlett had truly taken to hunting fox style even to the point of hunting me that way from time to time. She wasn't as quiet as me, but she was uncannily quiet for a wolf. Of course I could still hear her heart beating from a hundred yards, but the rabbits couldn't.

"There's nothing wrong with hunting wolf style, and when you're a little older, Mommy Wolf will be teaching you and your sister to hunt together," I explained. "But if you are hunting fox style, then what will you do next time?"

"Sneak closer," she said. "But what will Serena do?"

"She'll let you move ahead," I said, "but she can catch up in a single leap." I let her think about that. "Now, what have you forgotten to do?"

She cocked her head, not understanding the question. I let her try to work it out, but I could tell she wasn't getting it.

"Did anyone help you catch the rabbit, Celeste?"

"Oh." She turned to Serena. "Thank you for helping me catch the rabbit, Serena." Then she rolled onto her back, offering her throat.

Serena stepped over, accepting the offer briefly, then gave Celeste a quick lick.

"Good," I said. "Rebecca's turn. Celeste, you'll stay with Scarlett now, and remember to be quiet."

"Yes, Mommy Fox," she said, rolling over. She flowed to fur and moved to stand next to Scarlett. I knew Scarlett would take care of her for me, and I presumed the enforcers would keep an eye on them, too.

I looked at Rebecca. I knew she'd have paid attention to everything I said to her sister. She was on her feet, and I could see the excitement. She was practically trembling with it, a little jealous that Celeste caught the first rabbit, but I was sure once her nose was full of fresh rabbit scent, she'd do what was needed. And if not, Lara would help her.

I flowed to fox, swiveled my ears, and immediately picked up the sound of the other single rabbit, three hundred yards away. I crouched into a prowl stance and crept forward five steps, setting our new direction. I then waited for Rebecca to move into position next to me. Together, we set a path downwind of the second rabbit. Except for Serena and Lara, the other wolves held back a short distance, not wanting to accidentally ruin the hunt.

Like I had with Celeste, I stopped short of the rabbit, but this time I only closed to about thirty yards. The undergrowth was thinner, and I was worried the rabbit would see us. The wolves all had the scent, and I made sure Rebecca was pointed in the right direction. I leaned over to her and chuffed into her ear.

She began moving forward, one careful step at a time. Serena stayed with me, and Lara let Rebecca step ahead.

It was Lara that made the noise. Rebecca had been as silent as I would have been, closing to just over ten yards from the rabbit. It's back had been to us, but it stood up, turned, and bolted. Rebecca set off in pursuit, Lara bounding ahead to try to cut if off.

I flowed to human. "Please help them," I said to Serena. She chuffed and set off at an angle.

The rabbit gave Rebecca a real run. Serena and Lara both had a few opportunities to finish the chase, but they simply cut the rabbit off from escape, and then Rebecca made a good pounce, bringing it down. It was a close thing a few times, the rabbit nearly escaping. That happens sometimes, even for me, and it's an important lesson, but I was glad we wouldn't be teaching it today.

I yipped twice to call the other wolves closer, then stepped forward to find my daughter proudly holding her rabbit. I chuffed happily at her, then shifted into human form. Rebecca shifted too, still holding the rabbit, which was a mistake, and she dropped it, then began trying to spit out the fur in her mouth, whining. Lara offered a wolfy chuckle.

"Oh baby," I said. "I've done that, too."

We waited for her to spit the fur from her mouth. The other wolves arrived before she was done, some of them chuckling. Celeste was plastered against Scarlett's side, watching her rabbit carefully. I smiled.

"All right, Rebecca," I said. "Good hunt, but did you learn something?"

"It ran, Mommy Fox," she said.

"It did," I agreed, "and then it was a wolf style hunt. Do you know why it ran?"

"It heard me."

"No, darling, it didn't. You were as quiet as a fox."

She cocked her head. Lara knew what had happened and was feigning indifference, but I knew she felt guilty. I let my baby think about it for a minute. Then she turned to Lara.

"It heard Mommy Wolf!"

"Yes, darling, it did. It's not Mommy Wolf's fault though. She's a big, strong wolf, and she was creeping as quietly as a wolf her size is able. Sometimes, no matter how quiet you are, the rabbits will hear you. Sometimes they run. Sometimes you catch them, sometimes you don't. This time, Serena and Mommy Wolf were able to make sure you caught it, but sometimes they will get away. Now, thank Serena and Mommy Wolf for helping you catch your rabbit."

She did that, first in human, then shifting back to wolf and giving them each a quick lick. Serena accepted her thanks, then there was a shifting around, and I had Serena next to me, letting me know she was back on duty watching over me. I leaned over to her and quietly thanked her. She chuffed at me.

I looked at Lara, then searched around, looking for Elisabeth. "Head enforcer," I said, "Someone needs to carry Rebecca's rabbit while I find a deer."

Elisabeth walked to Portia and bumped her. Portia, in turn, walked over to Rebecca, licked her once, then stood over the rabbit and waited for permission to pick it up. Rebecca didn't understand and pounced on her rabbit, guarding it.

"Rebecca!" I said firmly. "Tell Portia she may carry your rabbit. And pack shares! Pack always shares."

Rebecca immediately rolled onto her back, offering her throat to Portia. The enforcer accepted the offer for a moment, then chuffed and picked up the rabbit.

"All right," I said. I worked my ears. I heard no deer. "This might take a little while. Rebecca and Celeste, you will stay with Portia and Scarlett. Remember to be quiet and behave. You may share your rabbits once we've caught a deer, and then we'll play on the way back home."

They both chuffed. After that, I didn't worry about it, leaving it to Lara and the enforcers to manage everyone else, including the pups. I turned west, shifted back into fox, and moved forward.

No one crowded me, although I had Serena just off my left flank and Lara off my right, just far enough behind me to avoid distracting me. It took me fifteen minutes to find a deer, which was longer than usual. I was going to have to talk to Lara, or perhaps Francesca. We were perhaps depleting the deer faster than we had historically. I fixed on the sound, adjusted our path, and brought us to three hundred yards downwind. I could tell the wolves had the scent, and I drew us to a stop, turning to Lara. I shifted.

"Three hundred yards," I said very quietly. She chuffed.

I lifted my voice just enough. My voice wouldn't carry upwind to deer ears. "Portia and Scarlett, give the rabbits back. Portia, please keep Rebecca safe." I looked for Emanuel. He was watching me. I just glanced at Celeste, and he moved closer to her. He didn't need more than that. Scarlett was watching me, and I gestured her closer.

"You and Angel are leading this hunt," I told her.

She sat down, and I could see she was surprised.

Angel was on a wide protective stance, out of sight. I pointed. "She's there. Go get her, please. This was Lara's idea."

Scarlett didn't wait. She moved quickly but quietly and was back a moment later with her mate. They both stepped up to me, Angel puzzled. I brought Angel up to speed. "It's three hundred yards. I'll get you to one-fifty, but that's as close as I want to take us." My pups were with us, after all.

Angel shifted to skin, and her brow furrowed. "Alpha..."

Lara moved closer and shifted human as well. "Your hunt, Angel. You two are ready."

"I'll get us closer," I said. They could have done it from this distance, but I liked feeling like I was a part of the hunt, and the wolves seemed to enjoy the way I found the deer. We'd experimented several times over the years, trying to decide which hunting method was faster. Sometimes fox style was faster; sometimes wolf style was. It was nice they let me help.

I shifted back to fox, waited for Angel, then began silently prowling forward, the wolves following me. A few minutes later, I looked over at Angel. Everyone clearly had the scent, except perhaps the pups; their noses would be full of the rabbits they were carrying. I brought us to a stop, chuffed very quietly, then faded back towards my daughters.

It was clear that Angel and Scarlett were nervous. They had never given any of these wolves orders. But Lara nudged Angel, and Elisabeth stepped forward and sat down, waiting.

The wolves had their own communication style while in fur. It was pretty limited, and was based on human gestures. It was actually difficult for the average werewolf to fully understand human gestures while in fur. Some even found it difficult to pay attention to human speech while in fur, and one could have to talk quite firmly to get a furry werewolf to pay attention. Thankfully, we didn't have that problem on the compound.

It was Scarlett who got the conversation started, but she was good about it, setting it up for Angel to take over. Angel glanced at the pups and me and saw we were well protected, and then she gave out the assignments. She sent Rory and Eric around to the far side, kept Lara and Elisabeth closest, and then told everyone to go.

They all disappeared from view.

I used my eyes to keep track of the pups and my ears to track the fight. The pups both cocked their heads, listening, but I knew they would lose the sound until the final rush.

It took a few minutes for everyone to get into position. I think the deer smelled one of the wolves, as it began quietly moving north. But then Rory broke a tree branch, and the deer changed direction and practically walked into Elisabeth's jaws, sensing her after it was too late. It broke to run, but Elisabeth made a leap, bringing it down in a single bound.

A moment later she howled her victory.

I chuffed and began leading the way to the site of the kill, using my ears to make sure the pups were following me. When I looked over my shoulder, both pups were prancing proudly, carrying their rabbits. Emanuel and Portia were watching over them, and Serena moved to my side again. I nudged her with a shoulder, a small thanks for protecting my family.

By the time we arrived, the remaining wolves had clustered around the kill. Lara had her back to the deer, watching for her family, and she visibly relaxed when we stepped into view. I walked to her, sliding my body along hers in passing, then nudged Elisabeth in congratulations for a good kill. She nudged me back; I had found the deer, after all.

As hunting leaders, Scarlett and Angel could have asked Elisabeth to dress out the kill, but they were working on it themselves. That was perfectly fine as well.

We could have let the pups eat their rabbits themselves, but pack shares. While they were developmentally well ahead of human development, they still tended to guard their kills, and so I never let them get away with it. They were going to share their rabbits. I walked over to Celeste and took the rabbit from her mouth. She resisted me for a moment, but I growled in my throat, and she let go.

It was not my nature to growl; that was a wolf sound. My natural sounds of aggression were to spit and hiss. But the wolves understood a growl, and I could growl.

There were days I was jealous of Lara's growl though. My mate could sound incredibly menacing.

I took the rabbit and carried it to Lara, setting it at her feet. I could eat from the rabbit myself, but my claws weren't sharp like a werewolf's. The pups' claws weren't sharp enough yet, either. So I left it to Lara to portion out one rabbit. Then I turned around and nudged Rebecca before looking at Elisabeth. I thought she might balk, but instead she proudly carried her rabbit to Elisabeth and set it between her feet. Elisabeth gave her a quick lick before setting herself to dissecting the rabbit.

We didn't share the rabbit with everyone. The wolves would rather have venison, anyway. But we passed out enough so the pups understood they were to share, and then we let them have the rest. Scarlett offered me a morsel of the deer as well, a perfectly sized snack for a fox.

We didn't eat the entire deer; we each just got a snack. We'd bring most of it to the compound, and it would show up in our meals for the next few days. I didn't worry about that but left it for the wolves to deal with. Instead, I waited for everyone to finish eating. Lara chuffed at me, and so I stood up, nudging each of my daughters to their feet, and set a path for home.

All was right with the world.

 **School**

When I decided to begin college, I assumed I would take extension courses at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, the same school where Angel and Scarlett were attending. I could attend school at night. It would be a lot of work, but it wouldn't interfere with my job as a high school teacher. Standards were moderate, and even at such a late date, I wouldn't have any trouble being accepted into a program.

Instead, Lara meddled. She meddled heavily, and she did most of it behind my back. I didn't even find out she was doing it until I received a letter of acceptance to Griffon College, an hour's drive north of the compound.

"What's this?" I asked her, waving it at her after reading it. She was smirking at me.

"I don't know," she said, and I knew she was lying. "You tell me."

"I don't recall applying to Griffon, Lara, and I am pretty sure I missed their application deadline. What did you do?"

"Are you angry?" she asked carefully.

I thought about it. I wasn't, actually. "No. What did you do?"

She eyed me carefully, then answered even more carefully. "I submitted an application on your behalf."

"Uh huh," I said. "And they accepted a random application, a late application, without any ACT or SAT scores. Right."

"I submitted the application in person," she admitted.

She wouldn't have used intimidation, so that meant she bribed someone. "Tell me you didn't break the law."

"Of course not," she said.

"What bribe did you use?"

"I didn't bribe anyone!" she said indignantly. "I may have offered a modest charitable donation to my wife's future alma mater." She paused. "Please let me explain before you get mad."

"I'm not mad, Lara," I told her. "Why don't you want me going to Madison?"

"Michaela, what you do for the pack is important."

"What does that have to do with it?"

She paused again.

"I won't be mad as long as it remains my choice in the end. Was your bribe so large I don't have a choice?"

"No. I made a modest donation if they accepted your application and gave it fair consideration. I made a somewhat larger promise if you and Serena both attend and they make a few considerations."

I narrowed my eyes. "What kind of considerations." I didn't want my wife to buy me a degree.

"Nothing you'll have a problem with."

"We'll see," I said.

"First, your security detail."

I'd actually worried about that. Serena wanted to take classes, but she wanted someone alert while she was paying attention to lectures. That meant I wasn't attending school alone. I was attending with Serena and at least one other enforcer.

"All right," I said.

"Next: Griffon is a little far to drive for classes."

"Yes?"

"They have a heliport on their administrative building," Lara explained. I began to laugh. "You have permission to use it."

"That's a little showy," I said.

"Some members of the administration and campus security will know it's your aircraft," she agreed. "But your classmates and instructors will not. You'll enter and exit via the administration building, and you should be able to do so without many prying eyes, especially if you disguise a little."

"What about bad weather?"

"Then you'll have to plan accordingly and drive," she said.

"What else?"

"Scheduling," she said. She paused. "Honey, I would prefer if you finished your degree in four years."

"Are you firing me from the school?" I asked. "How am I supposed to attend college full time while teaching?"

She smiled. "Like I said: scheduling. Your classes would be Tuesday and Thursday afternoons beginning at one-thirty. You can leave at noon and easily arrive, even if you have to drive."

I looked at her. "What else?"

"That's it," she said. "You'll earn a proper degree." She paused. "And Griffon has a small but respected business school, so you can earn an MBA once you finish your undergrad, if you want."

"Who is going to teach my Tuesday afternoon classes?" I asked. "That's when I do labs."

"You'll have to adjust your teaching schedule," she said. "Did you know that Carrie Bent has a teaching degree?"

Carrie was the sister of James Bent, one of the council members. She'd been helping out with my summer program, and she'd been really good.

Lara paused. "Honey, you don't have to do it this way. You can attend Madison in the evenings the way you had planned. If it takes six or seven years, so be it. I am not making choices for you. I am only offering an alternative."

"You want me to go to Griffon."

She nodded. "And James Bent asked a favor for Carrie. She's happy with part time for now, but if we expand again, she wants to be the first in consideration."

"Do Serena and Elisabeth know about this?"

"I swore them to secrecy. Don't be angry with them."

"Lara, I'm not mad at anyone," I told her. "If you pressure me, I might get mad, but if you're honest that it's my decision, that's okay." I wasn't sure she believed me. "Did Serena receive a letter like this one?"

"Yes."

I studied my mate for a moment. "Make an appointment. I want to tour the school."

Lara smiled. "Is tomorrow at four too soon?"

"Awfully sure of yourself," I muttered.

"Michaela," she said, "I ask you to give it honest consideration. That's all."

And so, we visited the school. I'd fallen in love. The college president met with us herself, and we also met with a few of the department heads. We finished talking, and I asked for a few minutes to wander alone.

"Wander alone," meant with Serena at my side and the other wolves giving us somewhat more room.

"What do you think?" I asked her. "We talked about attending Madison, not here."

"It's a good school," she said noncommittally.

"Serena, I interpret the terms of a wager you won as meaning you have as much to say about this decision as I do. Please speak frankly."

She looked away, and I knew she didn't want to tell me.

"I'll tell Lara we'll go to Madison," I said after a minute. "We both need to be comfortable."

"No!" she said firmly. "Um."

"The truth, Serena. It's your degree, too. Where do you want to attend?"

"Here," she said. But she looked away again. I grabbed her arm and turned her to face me, which really meant I pulled myself around until I was standing in front of her again.

"Tell me," I said quietly. "Please, Serena."

"For years," she said quietly, "I vowed I'd get a degree. When I graduated from high school, I couldn't afford it. Instead, I became an enforcer, and back then it was one emergency after another. Things calmed down a little, so Emanuel and I married, and then Alan and Jeremy came along. They got a little older, things were quiet, and I thought maybe I'd find time, but then I became pregnant with Kaylee. Then we had more emergencies in the pack, and we're still short handed." She paused. "This is the only way I'll ever go to college, if I go with you."

"Oh Serena," I said. I hugged her. "But which school?"

"This one. Michaela, this one."

"Griffon it is."

All that was last year. I'd been working my ass off, but with help, I was keeping up with all my duties.

Sleep was overrated.

"Clear!" I said out the helicopter window. I looked around once more, flipped a few switches, then hit the starter switch. Two minutes later, I lifted the aircraft into the air. "Wolf Run area traffic," I said over the common frequency used at our private airport, "Robinson five-five-nine fox-wolf is skids up at the heliport, north departure." The call out wasn't necessary, as there wasn't any traffic, but it was a good habit to apprise any other aircraft using our little airport.

I actually departed first to the south, using the road leading into the compound as a mini runway for the helicopter. While the aircraft could take off and land vertically, it wasn't entirely safe. If something happened to the engine, forward momentum could be used to ensure a safe landing in a maneuver referred to as an auto-rotation. In other words, it was safest to remain near the ground until we had more airspeed. The road was private, and Lara had cleared trees away from it, making it safer to use this way. But soon I pulled back on the collective, and the helicopter climbed into the sky.

Serena and Portia were both quiet. I glanced back at Portia in the back seat. "Do you wish you were at the controls?" I asked her. She earned her pilot's license at the same time I earned my helicopter license, but she didn't have a lot of time, and she hadn't begun flying the helicopter yet. She smiled but didn't answer.

Serena and I spent the flight talking about class. We were taking all our classes together, which had actually been a lot of fun. We even studied together. It had worked well. A half-hour after lifting off from home, we approached Griffon. I circled the school once to get a good look at the landing site, but it was free of obstruction. I called in, anyway, then set up my approach. A minute later, we were skids down, and I began the shut down procedures. Once the helicopter drew quiet, I turned to Serena. We grinned at each other.

"I am so spoiled," I announced.

"I know," she replied. "We were going to talk to you about that."

I laughed, and we headed to class, Portia following along.

All was right with the world.

 **Phone Calls**

"Lara, I have a little work at the office," I said.

"Take an escort."

"It's twenty steps."

She turned to me and stared me down.

"Yes, Alpha," I said meekly. I pulled out my phone and hit the speed dial. "Elisabeth, I need an escort."

"Why aren't you calling your head of security?"

"Because my head of security has a date with her husband," I replied. "And I am not going to bother her because I need to spend a half hour in my office."

"I'll send someone over. Stay where you are until someone arrives."

I sighed. Ten minutes later, Elisabeth stepped into the house, announcing herself.

"Auntie Lisbeth!" said Rebecca from her place on the floor. She and Celeste were coloring. She held up the picture. "Look what I painted!"

"Very pretty, Rebecca," Elisabeth replied, moving closer. She gave each girl a quick kiss on the forehead, but they were both engrossed in their coloring and returned their focus to the critical task. Elisabeth turned to me. "Ready?

"I didn't mean you," I told her.

"I was free," she replied.

"Thank you," I replied, heading for the door. I waited for her to step out in front of me, but then we walked side-by-side to the school. We made our way to my office. She checked briefly to ensure it was empty, then held the door for me. But I stopped in the doorway, facing my sister-in-law.

"Elisabeth?"

"Michaela?"

"Have you ever met any other werefoxes?"

"No, Michaela," she said. "Just you."

"Have you met other weres, other than wolves?"

"Of course. I've talked to the other weres living in Wisconsin," she said. Other than the wolves, there weren't many weres. There was a family of were beavers an hour from the compound, and there was a werecat pair living in Door County, although that was technically out of Lara's territory. I'd never met the werecats, but I'd once introduced myself to the beavers. "I met a weretiger once, and when I was growing up, there was a bear living near Superior, but we haven't heard anything from him in years. It's unclear whether he moved on or died."

"Have you heard of other foxes?"

"Other than the ones you've talked about, I've heard of them, but just in general terms, nothing specific. Why are you asking?"

"I was just curious," I said. "I haven't seen another fox since I left that group when I was nineteen." I looked away before asking quietly, "Do you think I'm the last, Elisabeth?"

"Oh honey," she said. "I'm sure there are others. They're just shy. You understand. They're not going to let me know about them, after all."

"No, I suppose not." I paused. "I won't be long, but I want privacy. No listening at keyholes."

She frowned but nodded. I stepped into my office, closed the door, then used my ears to track Elisabeth's progress as she moved down the hallway, close enough to come if she were needed, but not close enough to overhear what I was about to do.

I sat down at my desk, took a breath, then pulled out my phone and called a number I hadn't called in several years. I waited for the machine to answer then said clearly, "Michaela Burns," and rattled off a series of numbers. Then I held, waiting for the machine to decide what it was going to do.

There was a series of clicks, and then a woman said, "Ms. Burns, this is Doris." I was sure that was a fake name. "What can Lima do for you?"

"I would like a conversation with Greg Freund. It is not an emergency, but I wish discretion."

"Of course, Ms. Burns," said 'Doris'. She paused. "You're in luck. Mr. Freund is available. I'll patch you through."

"Thank you, Doris," I replied.

There were more clicks, and about a minute later, Greg picked up his phone. "Michaela."

"Greg," I said. "How are things there?"

"Good," he said. "You just barely caught me."

Neither of us was interested in small talk, so I said, "Greg, I have a question for you. I don't want Lara to know I asked."

He paused. Technically, I wasn't a client. Lara was. I'd been, briefly, an employee, but that wouldn't carry any weight. Finally he said, "I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that, Michaela."

"I thought perhaps I could ask the question. You aren't under any obligation to answer, but I'm not going to ask if you're going to tell Lara."

He paused again. "All right," he replied. "You may ask."

"You once told me that you'd met werefoxes prior to meeting me," I said. "I was wondering if you knew of any other living foxes. I need you to tell me whether this is a conversation we can have and not tell Lara. I have no intention of acting on whatever you tell me without talking to her, but I don't want to bring it up if it's moot."

"We can talk generalities," he said. "You are the only fox I have personally seen in at least fifteen years."

I stared into space, and my voice broke as I asked my next question. "Am I the last one, Greg?"

"Oh," he replied slowly. "Michaela, I don't know. You understand, foxes are incredibly shy and keep to themselves."

"We have to be," I replied.

"You are quite remarkable," he replied. "I have known of foxes that were basically kept as pets, but I've never seen one."

"By vampires?"

"Yes, and the last one I knew of died some time ago, but that doesn't mean there aren't others."

"What about free groups?"

"I cannot say this with absolutely certainty, but I am nearly positive you are the only werefox still living in the lower forty-eight states, unless there is one kept by one of the vampire kings. There are rumors of groups in Canada, but you can bet if any of those rumors proved to be true, the foxes in question either would have moved or..."

"Been hunted."

"Yes. I'm sorry."

"If Lara were on this call, would you have more details?"

"I could share the rumors in greater detail, but if you were to investigate them, I do not believe you would find any living foxes."

"All right," I said after a moment, deflating in my chair. "Greg, what would I have to pay you to keep abreast of any scuttlebutt about this?"

"Nothing, Michaela. If I learn of any foxes, you can rest assured I'd call you and Lara. But Michaela, I won't hide that conversation from your mate."

"I understand, Greg. Thank you for taking my call."

"You're welcome," he replied. "You have another call to make, you know."

"Yeah," I said. "She's next."

"Michaela, are you going to do something that lands you back in my cells?"

"No, Greg," I said. "I'm only making a couple of calls. I just wanted to know." I paused. Greg knew about Deirdre, Carissa's household member. "Deirdre told me I wasn't the last."

"I wish I had better news, Michaela. Was there anything else?"

"No. Thank you."

We both hung up, and I sat quietly for a minute or two before picking up the phone again. This number I had to look up.

"Hello?"

"This is Michaela Burns," I said. "Is she available?"

"Ms. Burns," said the woman. "Is she expecting your call?"

"No."

"I will see if she is available." She put me on hold and was only gone a few seconds before coming back on line. "I'm sorry. If you could leave a message, someone could return your call."

"What is your name?"

"Um. Jessie."

"I see, Jessie," I replied. I thought it was another fake name. "Do you know who I am?"

"No, ma'am."

"I am the Madison alpha. Does that help?"

"Please be more specific."

"Seriously?" I asked. "Do I have to tell you what that means? Perhaps I should be talking to someone a little higher in your mistress's organization if you don't know what it means to be the Madison alpha. I find it hard to believe you don't recognize my name, but perhaps being the only werefox wolf pack alpha in America isn't as distinctive as I thought."

She paused again.

"Jessie did you actually check whether Carissa was available for me, or did you just put me on hold while you filed your nails?"

"Um."

"That's what I thought. If Carissa is truly unavailable, then I would appreciate a call back at her convenience, but subtlety is required. But if you are blowing me off, Carissa will not be pleased when she finds out."

"Ms. Burns, let me pass you through to Annette."

"Very good," I said.

She put me on hold, and a moment later, I was disconnected. I stared at my phone for a moment, looking at the "call ended" message on it.

I called back.

"Hello?"

"Ah, Jessie," I said, "Who told you to hang up on me?"

"Um. I hit the wrong button."

"Are you able to transfer me without hanging up on me again?"

"I think so."

"If you disconnect me again, I will wait five minutes and call one more time. Make sure someone is available who can take my call."

Ten seconds later my phone told me the call was disconnected again. I shook my head then started a five-minute timer. Then I stared at it, not having anything else to do. The timer expired, and I called back again.

A different voice answered. "Hello."

"This is Michaela Burns."

"Ms. Burns," said the woman. "I am Annette. We haven't met. I am sorry for the difficulties. Carissa is indisposed but would like to call you back in perhaps fifteen minutes."

"All right, Annette," I said, "thank you." I gave her my number. She verified the number, and then we hung up.

I stepped out of the office. Elisabeth was playing with her phone. "I'm sorry. Perhaps another twenty five minutes." She nodded, and I slipped back into my office. I spent the time grading papers, and it was nearly a half hour before the phone rang.

"Michaela," Carissa purred. "I'm so sorry to have kept you waiting."

It had been over a year since I last heard her voice. I wasn't sure if my brain would go numb at the sound. It did, just for a moment, and then I shook my head.

"Quite all right, Carissa," I managed to say slowly. I shook my head again.

"Oh dear," she said. "Are you able to think?"

"Yes," I said. "With a little difficulty."

"Did you want to give me to Lara instead?"

"No," I said slowly. "She doesn't know I'm calling you." I paused.

"Well, I suspect this isn't a social call. What can I do for you?"

"First, I want to say: no one knows I'm talking to you, and I'd like to keep it that way."

"I suspect I remain persona non grata," she replied. "That pains me, you know."

"It's not that. I don't want Lara to know I'm asking the questions I'm about to ask."

"Oh, secretive fox! I love secrets. And you have called to see if I will share with you?"

"I wouldn't expect you to share secrets, Carissa. I thought only to ask a simple question. Do you know of any living foxes, other than me?"

"There are rumors," she replied immediately. "Let me decide what I can safely tell you." She paused, and I heard her moving around. I waited patiently, and then she began to speak. "I know of no other foxes in the continental United States." She paused. "You know some vampires like to collect anything exotic. That is almost universally true."

"You've hinted at that in the past."

"The last pet fox I knew about in North America died about when you were born," she explained. "There were rumors of a fox enclave in New England perhaps almost twenty-five years ago."

"I'm familiar with them," I said.

"Do you know more about them than I do?" she asked.

"Probably. I'm from New England, Carissa." I said it quietly, letting my tone tell the story.

"I suspect there are a few still in Canada," she said. "But they've never been numerous."

"I know," I said. "I lived with a group in Canada about twenty years ago."

"Perhaps fifteen years ago, there were rumors of a fox in New England again," she said. "A hunter. Then the rumors stopped, and so did the deaths. It is believed he died."

I paused. "Carissa, this conversation is only for us, yes?"

"Of course, Michaela."

"That fox didn't die. She moved to Wisconsin."

Carissa was silent for a moment then said softly, "I wondered. It makes sense." She paused. "I wouldn't let that be widely known."

"Very few know, and they won't tell," I said.

"Does Lara know?"

"Yes. And a few others."

"All right. I have one other rumor, and this one is perhaps more than rumor. One of the European vampire queens is said to have a fox."

"Do you know the gender?"

"No, I'm sorry. I have not been to Europe in two centuries. I cannot state as fact this vampire has a fox, but I am willing to believe it."

"Is it someone you know?"

"Yes. All the vampires more than about four hundred years old know each other."

"Do you have any way to verify the rumor?" I asked.

"Of course," she said. "Mr. Graham created this marvelous device." She laughed.

"I wasn't sure it was that easy. I barely understand werewolf politics and didn't even know vampires weren't a myth until I met yours."

"It is a small thing," she said. "This vampire and I were once friends. She would take my call."

"Deirdre told me that there were others. Do you think you could tell her I was asking?"

"Of course." She paused. "Michaela, I am happy to call this other vampire, but I have two requests for you to consider. I will make this call even if you are unable to fulfill either request."

"All right," I said cautiously.

"First, I wonder if you would consider being my guest for a little fete planned here for All Hallows' Eve. I personally assure your safety, and you would be welcome to bring whomever else you liked. Perhaps I could meet your children."

I didn't respond immediately but then said, "I might like that, but I do not know how Lara would respond to the suggestion."

"Invitations go out this week. Would you be offended if I sent one?"

"No." I thought quickly, wondering whether I wanted to talk to Lara about it. I decided to be blunt. "You're not Lara's favorite person."

"Tell me. How's your sense of smell?"

I laughed. "You didn't tell me that would be permanent. My brain isn't built to interpret the signals it's receiving. I'll talk to her about it, Carissa."

"It would be good politics for her," she explained. "Next, will you tell me why you're asking?"

It was my turn to pause. "Not many know this, but I was once a mother."

"You're a mother now, as I understand it."

"I had two fox babies named Flora and Fauna," I said. "The father was one of those Canadian foxes you probably heard about."

"Oh, I see," she said. "When was this?"

"Perhaps a year or two before rumors of a fox hunter killing wolves in New England," I said.

"Oh Michaela," she said. "I'm sorry. But I feel perhaps you are telling me something."

"When my babies died, I vowed I would never bring another fox into this world."

"I don't blame you."

"Carissa, I'm considering a change of mind. I want to know if it's even worth thinking about."

 **Invitations**

I eyed the envelope then glanced at Lara. She was studying something on her laptop, perched in bed. I knew she'd put it aside the moment I looked like I was ready to slip into bed with her.

I still hadn't decided if I wanted to mention Carissa to her. I decided to take a roundabout approach.

"I'm still not used to my enhanced sense of smell," I stated.

"Hmm?" Lara said, not taking her eyes from her computer.

"You know, the leftover effects from our trip to North Carolina."

Lara looked up and frowned.

"I suppose you hate how much faster I am."

"Why would you think that?"

"I'm harder to catch than I used to be."

She smiled.

"Do you still hate Carissa?" I asked.

"I don't hate Carissa," she replied. "This is an unexpected topic." She eyed the envelope in my hand. "What's that?"

"I haven't decided if I want to tell you," I admitted.

I knew that would get her curiosity going. She deliberately set her laptop aside. She had a little cubby for it in her end table, a recent purchase. She turned back to me. "What is it?"

"You wouldn't be interested," I said.

She slipped her feet out from under the covers and sat on the edge of the bed. I slowly moved further away from the bed but avoided looking like I was headed for the door. If we were going to play Catch the Fox, I didn't want her to feel rushed.

"Come here," she ordered.

"I don't think so," I said. "Really, it's nothing."

Lara stood up and began slowly stalking me. I put the sofa between us.

"Now, Lara," I said. "It's late, and I have to teach in the morning. We don't have time for your games tonight."

She chuckled. We always had time for those games.

She jumped over the sofa, and I barely evaded her, running around to the other side, laughing. She was about to jump back, but I held my hand out. "Wait."

"I don't think so," she replied but she didn't jump after me.

I paused. "I think when you see what this is, it's going to ruin the mood."

"What is it?" she said seriously.

"It's not what it is that will upset you," I said. "It's who it's from."

"Carissa," she said coldly, and I nodded. "What is it?"

"Are you going to get mad?"

"It depends on what it is."

I moved closer and held it out. She eyed it, then took it carefully. She pulled the party invitation from the envelope and quickly skimmed the contents. It was a formal invitation, engraved in an elaborate script on heavy paper.

Lara surprised me. I was listening to her heart, and it barely fluttered.

"Are you asking to go?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," I said. "Do you think you'd have a good time? You're responding more calmly than I thought you would."

"It would be good politics," she explained.

"I don't understand."

"With the other packs," Lara clarified. She sighed, then moved to the bed and picked up her phone from he nightstand. "Are you free?" she asked after a moment. "It's not urgent."

"I'm meeting with Karen and Serena," Elisabeth said. "I can be over when we're done."

"Actually," said Lara, "Where are you?"

"My place."

"We'll come there. We want to talk to all of you. We'll be there in a few minutes. Can you put on a pot of tea?"

"Yes, Alpha," Elisabeth replied. "We'll be here."

Lara hung up. I headed for the closet and pulled out clothes for her while she made another call. I didn't hear who it was this time. "How quickly can you be outside our house? Good. We'll see you then."

I came out and threw the clothes at her.

"Portia will meet us downstairs." She pursed her lips while dressing. "I wonder how big a security detail she'd allow."

I didn't want to admit I'd talked to her. "I'm sure she'd be flexible, but I suspect she has significant security."

"We'll bring our own."

"We're going?" I was surprised.

"We're going to talk about it, and then we'll talk to the council as well." She paused. "I wonder how far reaching this invitation extends. We're enforcer heavy on the council, and some of the other members are starting to mutter." She finished dressing, picked up the invitation, and we headed downstairs.

Angel and Rory had the night duty. We found them talking quietly in the living room. "We're stepping out," Lara said. "Perhaps an hour."

"Do you need an escort?" Rory asked.

"Portia is coming, and we're just walking over to Elisabeth's," Lara explained. After that, we stood around awkwardly for a moment until Portia announced herself at the door.

"Quiet night," she said in greeting. I turned to her, and it looked like she had dressed hastily. Still, I thought she would want to be involved in this conversation, and her expertise could come in handy. She led the way back out of the house, and once we were on the grass, Lara put an arm around my shoulder. It felt nice.

"Portia," Lara asked, "I haven't asked this. I should have. Are you pleased you joined us?"

"Yes, Alpha," she replied. "Ecstatic, actually. This is the longest I've lived in one place since I left the navy." She glanced at me but didn't say whatever she was thinking.

"Oh, go ahead," I said. "I won't be offended."

She offered a ghost of a smile. "Elisabeth told me you asked for me to be on your detail. Why?"

I glanced at Lara.

"Oh, go ahead," Portia said, sounding amazingly like me. "I won't be offended."

At that I laughed. "At first, I wanted to keep an eye on you," I admitted. "Once I grew to trust you, then I thought about moving you to the kids' detail, but I don't think you'd be as happy." I paused. "You may not understand this, but you make me feel the way Serena does."

"You're right; I don't understand."

"You make me feel safe, Portia," I said. "You're a wolf. I don't think you can understand. I used to be afraid all the time."

"I've seen you afraid," she replied. "You do what you must anyway."

"And break down afterwards," I said. I paused. "Has Elisabeth told you of my history?"

"Some."

"Ask her for the rest," I said. "Sometime when I'm not around."

By then, we had arrived at Elisabeth's house and were talking a few feet from the front stoop. Lara stepped forward, knocked twice, then opened the door. She stepped in first, glanced around briefly, then gestured for me to enter, Portia taking the rear.

I shook my head at the caution.

Elisabeth, Serena and Karen were sitting at Elisabeth's seldom-used dining room table. Elisabeth ate most of her meals with us. They stood up as we entered.

"Alphas," Elisabeth said in greeting.

"I'll wait outside," Portia said.

"No, Enforcer," Lara said. "We want your opinion."

"Elisabeth, do you mind if I brew a pot."

"Already done," she said, gesturing. "Herbal."

"Excellent," I said. "Thank you."

I appointed myself hostess, pouring tea for those who wanted. I ended up sitting between Serena and Lara with Elisabeth, Karen and Portia across the table from us.

"We're sorry to interrupt," Lara said. "And apologies for getting you out of bed, Portia."

They waved it away, but then Elisabeth asked, "What did the fox do now?"

"She didn't throw this away," Lara said, sliding the envelope across the table to her sister. "Carissa has invited us to a Halloween party."

Elisabeth scanned the invitation then with a glance at Lara, handed it to Karen. "And you needed help telling her 'no'?"

"Maybe we should accept," Lara said.

"Seriously?" Elisabeth said. She waited for Karen to finish reading the invitation then took it back from her, reading it more carefully. "Why?"

"Politics," Lara said.

"I hate that word," I muttered.

Elisabeth gazed at Lara for a moment, then slid the invitation across the table to Serena. No one said anything while she read it, then we passed it down to Portia.

"I've tried to keep us out of the affairs of the other packs," Lara said. "Frankly, I've had my hands full here. We'd talk to the council before making a final decision, but I wanted to hear what all of you thought."

Elisabeth turned to me, but I stopped her before she could say a thing. "I will absolutely behave."

"Actually," she said, "That's not what I was going to say. But I know you will. I was going to ask how long you've had this before letting Lara see it."

"It arrived yesterday."

She reached across the table and took the invitation back from Portia, reading it again, then looked at the envelope. "Very formal, but it doesn't specify the important details."

"I believe Carissa would happily accept a reasonable security force," I said. "I also believe she would have security well in hand." I paused. "She might like to meet Rebecca and Celeste."

"If we're going to actually consider that, then Emanuel needs to be here," Serena said immediately.

Lara turned to look at me intently. "You would bring them?"

"I don't know," I said. "I wanted everything out there so we had as much of the picture as we could have." I paused. "I don't think we should bring them. But I think we should invite Carissa here to meet them. If, you know, we're actually establishing relations with her."

"I don't want a vampire on the compound," Lara said firmly. "But maybe we could arrange something else." She turned to Elisabeth. "Do you hate the idea?"

"Of having a vampire here? Yes."

Lara smiled. "Of accepting her invitation. I think it would be the six of us plus perhaps one or two members from the council."

"More politics?"

Lara nodded.

"Alpha?" Serena said. "Something I should understand?"

"Probably," Lara said. "I can't speak about specifics." Karen and Portia weren't on the council, so we had to be careful talking in front of them. "We've been taking over the council, a little at a time, but it has added up. It used to be just David and me, and then Elisabeth and me, and twelve of them. Then Michaela began attending meetings and is now a full voting member of the council."

"And then I replaced Mr. West," Serena said.

"Yes. Not only are we heavily represented now, but we edged out Michaela's biggest detractor and silenced the others. When I was first alpha, they got away with bullying me. I was new at the job and didn't have the confidence I do now, and they got used to that. Now they don't dare bully anyone or my mate has a chat with them."

I grinned. "Are they afraid of me?" I asked.

There were smiles. "They have respect for your silver," Elisabeth clarified.

"To make it worse, there are a few more I want to replace," Lara said. "They are very old school, and I don't find their involvement helpful. I would love to get Michele Lassiter on the council, but she'd never survive a challenge. I'm leaving two or three in place simply because I don't have replacements lined up."

"So inviting one or two council members to join us would play well with the rest," Serena summarized.

"Yes, and it can't be Vivian or Ron," Lara said. "They're deemed too close to us, especially Vivian."

"I don't want Albert Stein along," I said.

"He's one I'd replace," Lara said. "He was a good council member under Father, but he's completely out of touch these days, and he hasn't had an original thought in a decade."

"He asks questions," I said. "It's good to have diverse opinions."

"When was the last time he asked a question that mattered?" Lara asked. "Or said another way, would Michele ask better questions?"

That question wasn't even worth answering, and so I moved on. "So, six of us and two council members?" I asked.

"And their spouses."

"Ten total," I said. "You're proposing we entirely descend on Carissa."

"She has to expect a security detail," Lara said. "Four is actually small." She sighed. "I suppose your brain will go to mush if you call her to see how she feels about this."

"I think I could talk to her," I said.

Lara turned back to Elisabeth. "What do you think?"

"There's risk," she said. "I don't want to bring the kids. Michaela is right about that. Lara, the big question is this: do you really want to start getting involved in the politics at this level?"

Lara huffed. "No, but I think I have to. I'd rather start now on our terms than wait until we're forced to in another year or two."

"Then this is the way to start," Elisabeth said. "Serena, Karen, Portia. What are your concerns?"

"Four enforcers aren't sufficient," Portia said immediately. "I'm not sure I'd want to step into a vampire lair at all, but certainly not with only four enforcers."

"The enforcers aren't to protect us from Carissa," Lara said.

"They're protection from unruly guests," Elisabeth said, "and we'd largely be an honor guard."

"And more politics," Lara said. "Especially as two of them are on the council."

"I'm still not satisfied," Portia said. "We need four on Michaela and two more on Lara. Even if the two of you agreed to remain side-by-side the entire evening, you know something will happen to separate you. If you're playing politics, that means accepting offers to dance."

"I agree with Portia," Karen said. "Alpha, you were intending the four of us to shadow the fox, weren't you? Who is going to shadow you?"

I could tell Lara didn't appreciate the implication she required protection.

I lifted a finger. "We're talking like we've decided we're going," I said. "Does anyone want to argue for more than six enforcers?"

They all looked back and forth. "No," Elisabeth said.

I pulled my phone from my pocket. "Let's see what she says," I suggested. I waited for Lara to nod. "Are we agreed we're not bringing the pups, but that we want to make an alternate suggestion for Carissa to meet them?"

"Yes," Lara said. "If we're playing politics, let's do it right."

She was surprising me, but I simply nodded. I found the number and called it. After two rings, a woman answered, and I recognized 'Jessie's' voice.

"This is Michaela Burns," I said. "Is she available?"

"Ah, Ms. Burns," said Jessie. "Let me check. I promise not to cut you off this time, but if I do, can she call you back at the same number as last time?"

"Yes," I said. She put me on hold.

Lara had heard the entire exchange. "This time?" She quoted back. "The same number as last time?"

Oops.

"I had a question for Deirdre," I said quickly. "Didn't I tell you?"

"No," Lara said frostily. "What question?"

"The same question I asked Elisabeth," I said. "Am I the last living fox? Deirdre told me she thought there were others."

"Oh honey," Lara said. She put her arm around me and pulled me against her.

"I didn't want to tell you for the same reason I didn't think I should show you this invitation."

"It's all right," Lara said. "I'm sure there are other foxes."

"It's only a matter of time, Lara," I said. "When the world was less populated, there were more places for us to hide, but that's gotten harder and harder over the last few decades." I looked away.

Then there were clicks on the phone, and Carissa said, "Michaela! How good to hear from you."

"Hello, Carissa," I said. "We received your invitation, and as you can imagine, it has caused quite a stir. I'm sitting with Lara and our security detail discussing it. Do you have a few minutes?"

"For you, Michaela, of course," she said. "I can imagine the debate."

"Very little debate, actually," I said. "Do you mind if I put you on speaker?"

"That would be lovely."

I pushed the proper buttons and set the phone on the table. "Carissa, with me are the wolves you already met: Lara, Elisabeth, Serena and Karen. Also with us is Portia. She is a key component of my personal detail. We're in Elisabeth's dining room and otherwise have complete privacy."

"Well, I can imagine the conversation," Carissa said. "You are wondering how large an army you may bring." She laughed lightly, and the sound warmed me, still, even without the blood thrall. I shook myself to dispel the effect.

"We trust you," Lara said, "But we are concerned some of your guests may not be as reliable."

"Of course," Carissa said. "Tell me: are you bringing your little darlings?"

"Actually," I explained, "We thought perhaps you would care to meet them in a less hectic setting. We haven't figured out when exactly that that might be."

She paused just a moment. "That would be lovely," she declared. "And they are a little young to appreciate New Orleans. Perhaps we can discuss possibilities when you're here. Alpha, I presume you do not wish to bring an entire army, but you should bring as many as are required to feel safe. And perhaps one or two of your council members would like to accompany you."

"You anticipate us well," Lara said.

"I do this every few years, and it is always very well-attended. A few more will hardly stress my hospitality. If it were just to be the six of you, I could host you here in my house, but if you bring more, I have a lovely piece of property I can loan to you. I will send you those details, and I'll also include a list of other choices if you decide to make your own arrangements."

"This is very generous, Carissa," Lara said. "This is a big step for us, and we need to talk to our full council about it. We haven't done that yet."

"Well then," she said, "I will consider this a tentative acceptance but won't tell Deirdre until I hear further. I know she would love to see all of you. I believe she will have some interesting things to discuss with you, Michaela."

"Oh?"

Carissa laughed again. "I will say nothing further. Consider that conversation extra incentive when meeting with your pack council."

I glanced around the table. "Carissa, that's all we had for now, but I suspect Elisabeth will want to coordinate with you as it gets closer."

"I look forward to it. Now, I have one minor request."

Lara stiffened, "Yes?"

"This is a costume event, of course, and I prefer frightening costumes in keeping with the tradition." She paused. "There are prizes for the best costumes."

"I don't know if anything we can manage will be prize-worthy," I replied. "But we'll seek to avoid disappointment."

"I will be delighted to have you, regardless," Carissa said. "Was there anything else?"

"Not tonight," Lara replied. "Thank you, Carissa."

We hung up, then the six of us looked around the table. "Well," Elisabeth said. "Now what?"

Lara glanced at her own phone, checking the time. "A little late," she said. "We'll need to call a council meeting."

The council meeting consumed hours on Saturday. I stayed out of the debate, and Serena was quiet as well. Camps divided fairly evenly between those who wished the pack to remain isolated and those who wished a more aggressive approach, with several on the fence. Lara let the debate progress, mediating only when people grew dogmatic or repetitive.

When we weren't getting anywhere, I spoke up. "May I ask some questions?"

Several of the council members smiled. Over the years, my questions tended to steer debate towards the conclusions I wanted, but this time I really didn't know the answers.

"Is there a business advantage?"

"Violet, do you want to address that?" Lara asked.

"There is," she said, "but it is no different than any other connections we might make. Of course, we're talking about one of the top vampire queens on the continent. I imagine the atmosphere will be somewhat rarified." She paused a moment. "But the risk is high. I personally am not considering business opportunities in deciding whether I feel we should attend, but if we do attend, then I wouldn't mind making contacts."

"So yes, but not enough to drive the conversation?"

"Yes, that's a good summary." She looked around. "Does anyone wish to offer another perspective?"

The other business people on the council shook their heads, and Ron Berg said, "Violet states it well."

"Thank you. I have another simple question. Why do we care about the politics of the other packs?"

"We don't," James Bent said after a nod from Lara. "Not their internal politics. But from time to time, a group of packs will loosely consolidate and try to exert influence over other packs. To some extent, we would want to be involved before that happens so we can make sure we don't get caught in a crossfire."

"We are a moderate sized pack," Lenora James continued. "There are two ways for a wolf pack to remain safe within its own territory. They can be too inconsequential to notice, or they can be strong. We are strong enough to deal with our immediate neighbors, due in no small thanks to you, Michaela, but we would not be able to withstand aggression from one of the major packs or a from a consortium of packs."

"That happens?"

"Territory is territory," she stated. "And greed is greed. I believe you are familiar with the baser instincts that drive many wolves."

I looked around the table. "Those who don't want us to go, is that because you don't want the attention?"

That turned into a fifteen-minute discussion confirming, more or less, my guess. Finally I said, "Well then. I have two words. Too. Late."

"Excuse me?" asked Albert Stein.

"If you didn't want to be noticed, you perhaps shouldn't have a female alpha. You shouldn't have invited a werefox into your pack," I said. "You really shouldn't have invited me, given who I am. You definitely shouldn't have made me an alpha. We shouldn't have let word get around what happened to the Chicago pack."

"And perhaps we should have worked harder to keep you out of Iowa," Vivian added.

I nodded. "Just having a female alpha is going to garner attention. If you don't want to be noticed, then you need to stick to safe, traditional choices. That doesn't seem to be the nature of this pack. So, I say again. Too. Late. Everyone in North America knows who we are. They know who I am." I shrugged. "I can only guess what they think." I looked around. "I don't know the politics. But I understand about being visible, and I understand about being hidden. This pack is not hidden."

I couldn't tell if Lara was upset I said all that, and I couldn't believe it wasn't obvious to everyone else. Maybe it was, but no one wanted to say it. Maybe they were afraid of offending Lara. Maybe they were afraid of offending me. But if they thought they could remain invisible, they were deluding themselves.

My words spawned a fresh debate, trying to decide if I was right. A few of the staunchest isolationists wondered whether there were steps to take to negate the effects of the things I'd said. Violet muttered something about stuffing genies back into bottles at about the same time James Bent just said, "Barn doors".

I decided not to take that metaphor too far. I was not a horse that had escaped.

It was Dominick who said, "Our co-alpha is correct. For better or for worse, we have made non-traditional choices, and some of those have become exceedingly visible."

"I want to remind everyone," said Ron, "that we should not shoot the messenger on this. Michaela did not pursue a position in the pack; it was thrust upon her. I also want to remind everyone that we have been exceedingly well-served by both our alphas."

He received assent from a few corners of the table, although I knew I still had detractors on the council. I didn't have a problem with that. Said simply: yes-men don't keep you from doing something stupid.

"Carissa told me that everyone in North America knew about what happened in Iowa," I added. "And Johnny Mack knew about Chicago. So did Portia; she asked about it during her interviews."

"For a fox, you're awfully direct," Lara said.

"Wolves don't respect subtle," I said.

"And so," inserted Dominick, pulling the attention back to himself. "We have to play the hand we dealt ourselves. I move we send a delegation to attend Carissa's party."

There were about six calls of "second", and then immediately several calls to "call the vote". They were tired of the discussion. The vote was ten to three with two abstaining.

"Motion carried," Lara declared. "Michaela and I will be going with six enforcers, including Elisabeth and Serena. Carissa also extended the invitation for up to two more members of the council with their mates."

"Who are the other four?" Ron Berg asked.

Elisabeth answered that. "Karen and Portia for sure. I haven't decided on the last two yet, but I'm leaning towards Angel and Eric."

Ron frowned. "One male."

"Emanuel is needed here," Elisabeth explained. "And Rory lacks subtlety."

"Angel Greene is very young," Violet pointed out.

"She is, but she has been taking lessons in discretion from our alpha," Elisabeth replied.

"The same alpha that appears to be at the center of why we're dragged into these politics at all?" Albert Stein asked archly.

"I will take who I believe is best," Elisabeth said firmly.

"That's not why I asked," Ron said. "Of course you will. I was only thinking of gender balance. Do we want to send an entire all-female delegation? Or should we send two of our male council members? The demographics of the pack leadership have been shifting over the last several years, but we are not yet entirely an all-female council." He said the last with a wry tone.

Ron looked around, his eyes settling on James Bent. "Jim?"

"Hanna would enjoy it," he said. I smiled. I had liked Hanna.

"Dominick?" Ron asked.

"I think perhaps someone a little more spry," Dominick replied. "Brady?"

"Violet is a better choice," Brady said immediately. "She has her fingers in more of our pies." He looked at Violet. "I will go if you don't wish to, but if we're sending someone to represent our business interests, and it's not Ron, you're our best choice. Gender balance be damned." He looked around. "This pack accepted a female alpha many years ago, and I for one do not regret that choice. Screw the balance." Then he looked at me. "Nor do I regret inviting a female fox as our co-alpha."

I nodded my appreciation to him.

He spawned another debate, but in the end, the council agreed to send James and Violet.

"I will ask Teddy if he wishes to travel with us, but he will probably decline," Violet said partway through. "He wouldn't be able to handle it."

Teddy was Violet's mate. I'd only met him a few times, but he struck me as the most submissive wolf I'd ever met. I'd once asked Vivian about it, wondering if Violet's choice of mates said something about her.

"She loves him to pieces," Vivian said. "Violet has mellowed, but in her younger years, she didn't handle competition well. They are well-suited to each other."

"I would like to know what politics you intend to play," Albert Stein asked.

Oh joy, another debate. I finally sighed and said, "We won't be playing politics at all." I hadn't even picked a lull in the conversation. I threw it out there, talking over everyone else. Fourteen pairs of eyes turned to me.

"I thought that was the entire idea," Lenora observed.

"We're going defensively, right? To avoid being on the losing side of politics played by others. Well, we should pick our battles and avoid the rest. We're not interested in those games. We should remain aloof." I looked at Lara. "Unless you intend to push our perspectives on the other packs."

"No," she said. "Maybe someday, but we need to let time work on them for a while. American society is just becoming accustomed to the concept of equality, but most of the pack alphas are older than I am, and they are likely to be somewhat fixed in their antiquated beliefs."

And so, we had a plan.

 **Flight**

We flew ourselves, although we toyed with chartering a jet. We took three aircraft, with Lara, Angel and me as pilots. Madison to New Orleans is just over a thousand miles, and I'd never flown further than Bayfield before. It felt really cool.

I flew the Bonanza with Serena, Portia and Violet as passengers. As we were getting in, Serena turned to Violet. "Would you care for the front, Councilwoman?"

"You are a councilwomen as well, Serena," Violet said. "And I suspect you know how to assist our pilot."

And so Serena took the front seat and helped manage maps, and she even knew how to work the radios. It was nice to have a hand.

To say I was excited would be an understatement. I was excited on so many levels.

First, I loved flying, and the Bonanza was a dream. It was a lot of airplane, but I loved the power at my fingertips. I was always excited to be flying it, especially when we had other aircraft on a trip. I couldn't properly explain it but there was just something nice about flying in a group of airplanes. That this was such a long trip was a small source of stress, but it was manageable.

I was also stressed and excited about where we were going. This was a risk. We were going to make ourselves more visible, which could make us a target. We were also willingly entering the lair of a very powerful vampire. We had every reason to trust her, but it was intimidating.

But I would get to see Deirdre again. I had so much I wanted to ask her. I wondered if there would be other fae there. My foxy curiosity was in full swing.

And Carissa had as much as stated she had solid news about other werefoxes, and the way she had said it suggested there was some good news in the mix.

And so, I was excited, nearly aflutter. And everyone around me knew it, too. I'd been getting a hard time about it. But I didn't care.

Still, with the enforcers looking on, I took my time with the preflight. The aircraft was in perfect condition; Lara made sure of that with all her airplanes. Finally I opened the door and turned to Portia and Violet. "You'll need to take the aft-facing seats for takeoff and landing," I said, "but if you're more comfortable facing forward, one of you can shift while we're in flight."

"We'll be fine, Captain," Violet said, climbing in first to take the seat behind mine. I made sure Violet got buckled in properly, helped stow her bag, and then climbed in myself.

I looked around. It was taking longer for Lara to load her passengers, but soon she had them settled. She gave me a little wave before climbing into the Seneca. Two minutes later, all three airplanes were taxiing. We did our run ups, the last check of all critical systems before taking off.

As always, I knew I would be expected to take off first. Lara was so paranoid. I guess after not one, but two kidnappings, she had reason to be. "Everyone all set?" I asked. "This is the last opportunity to remember you forgot to use the facilities."

I heard multiple chuckles over the headset.

"I've never flown in such a small aircraft, Captain," Violet admitted. "But I have a strong stomach."

"Excellent," I said. "We can fly some aerobatics!" As if. The Bonanza was the wrong airplane for that.

I pushed forward on the throttle, and the engine responded smartly. Thirty seconds later, we were in the air.

Our plan was for an east departure to help us fly around Dane County airport airspace. That was perfect for me, as it gave me an opportunity to circle the compound twice while waiting for Lara and then Angel to climb into the air. I made sure to tip the wing far enough that Violet could see as well.

I was grinning from ear to ear. I loved that airplane.

"Where are you, Little Fox?" Lara asked over the encrypted radio.

"Like you don't know," I replied with a laugh. "Violet wanted to see the compound."

Lara chuckled. "Right. I'm sure she did. Get over here and form up."

I returned her chuckle and turned back to the airport. Lara and Angel were flying a box pattern over the airport. "I see you both," I reported. I timed my approach, pulling in behind Angel and off her right wing. "Lead the way, fearless leader!"

Lara did one more half circle before turning us towards the east. We all had our GPS systems programmed with our flight plan, so if we got separated, none of us would get lost.

"Keep it loose today," Lara said. "This is too far to fly with the stress of flying in formation."

We edged our way around the outside of Dane County airspace, staying well clear to the east as we climbed to a comfortable cruising altitude. Soon we were flying south towards St. Louis, our fuel stop today.

"So," I asked. "What is today's entertainment?"

"Truth or dare!" Angel offered immediately. "Michaela, I dare you to make your passengers airsick."

"They can hear you, Angel," I said. "Besides, Elisabeth is with Lara."

"Hey!" exclaimed Elisabeth. "I heard that, Fox."

"You were supposed to, Wolf," I replied. "And how many times do I have to tell you? That's Alpha Fox to you."

"Do you believe I would leave the entertainment up to chance?" Lara asked. "Each of you, look in your glove box. Take out what you find, but don't open it yet."

I offered a quizzical look to Serena. She opened the glove box and removed two boxes of Trivial Pursuit questions and a stopwatch. A moment later I heard laughing from all three aircraft.

"We're playing for points," Lara explained. "Each aircraft is a team. I'll start by reading a question for Michaela's team to answer. There is a two-minute time limit per question. You get two points if you answer correctly within one minute, and one point if you answer within two. Angel's team then gets fifteen seconds to state whether Michaela's team is right or wrong. If they are correct, they get half the points Michaela could get for answering correctly. Then the next time it's our turn to read a question, we'll ask Angel's aircraft instead. Questions?"

"Are there prizes?" I asked.

"Yes," Lara said. "The winning aircraft gets a shopping spree tomorrow."

"Excellent," exclaimed Angel.

There was a pause, then Lara said, "Elisabeth wants to make a side wager with you, Michaela."

I laughed. "And did you also want a side wager, honey?"

Lara didn't answer, but then Elisabeth spoke. "Michaela, do you remember my favorite wager?"

"I believe I might," I said. "It involves shopping."

"That's the one," she said. "If our team scores higher than your team, I want that renewed and made a permanent agreement."

Wow. "Seriously?"

"Yep."

"All right, with reasonable restrictions on frequency."

"Once a month for part A, unlimited for part B." Elisabeth had once won a wager that required me to buy the dress she picked out for me, and to wear it three times to events of her choosing. She had picked a bright pink dress I had hated at the time. Elisabeth wanted me to go shopping with her once a month, and I would be obligated to wear what she selected as often as she chose. Periodically, she had renewed this wager with me, losing more often than winning, but I knew it pleased her greatly when she won.

At first, I had thought Elisabeth simply wanted to tease and embarrass me, but Lara had loved the clothes Elisabeth picked for me. They were far more feminine than I typically wore, and even I had to admit I looked good in what she picked.

"Yes on part A," I agreed, "but you better have a really good offer if you think part B should be unlimited."

"I don't actually expect to exercise part B more than once or twice a month most months, but I didn't want us to quibble if I wanted to do so several days in a row for some reason. I won't abuse it."

"And what are you offering?"

"I'll help teach one of your classes a week," she offered.

"I pick the class?"

"Subject to my duties," she replied. "And I might be unavailable during times we're on high alert."

"You'll also help with the associated grading?"

"If you don't abuse it," she replied.

"All right," I said. "Agreed."

There were a few minutes of other wagers floating around. Violet made a wager with James and Karen with Portia. What can I say? Weres are competitive.

"All right," Lara said. "One last thing. Once you open your boxes of questions, you may cut them, but you may not reorder them. And periodically there are special cards. The questions on those cards are for the team captains themselves, and they must not receive any help at all from their teammates. We're on the honor system, but I know that none of you will cheat."

"Who came up with these special cards?" I asked suspiciously.

"I did," she said. "Elisabeth did the ones I will answer."

"All right, Michaela," Elisabeth said. "Geography."

We'd been playing for about fifteen minutes. Lara's team and mine were neck and neck; Angel's team was lagging. It was Elisabeth's turn to read another question. "Oh, a special one. This is for Angel. Angel and Michaela, no one in your aircraft is allowed to coach you. This is worth ten points instead of two." The radio was silent for a moment or two, and then when I next heard Elisabeth's voice, it sounded like she was fighting to contain her laughter.

"Angel, you have been assigned to Michaela's security detail. You know that Lara and Michaela just had a fight, and the fox is in a mood. She grabs her car keys, states she is going for a drive alone to cool off, and orders you to remain behind. Your alpha has given you a direct order. What do you do?"

The wolves in my airplane immediately began laughing, even Violet.

"That's not what the card says!" I exclaimed.

Elisabeth, laughing, got back on the radio. "I read it exactly as written."

There was a pause before Angel tried to answer. "You three can hush up," I said. I glared at Serena for emphasis. She didn't typically laugh at my discomfort, but she was wiping tears from her eyes. I stuck my tongue out at her.

"I refuse the order," Angel said, seriousness in her voice. "I do not allow her to leave pack property with fewer than two enforcers."

"That is so wrong!" I blurted.

"Ten points for Angel," Elisabeth announced. "None for Michaela. Angel, your team is back in the game!"

From behind me, Violet said, "I think we know what Lara and Michaela are going to fight about tonight."

The next special card came up in Angel's aircraft. "This is a special card for Michaela only," said Karen. "Ten points."

"Wait!" I said. "If Lara did my questions, doesn't that mean she already knows the answer. She'll know whether I got it right or wrong."

"Elisabeth will act as team captain for your questions, Michaela," Lara said. "She hasn't seen this."

Karen was chuckling when she read the card. "Easy one, Michaela. Remember, no one gets to coach her. What year was the pack officially formed?"

"What?"

"Do you need me to read it again?"

"I have no idea when the pack formed," I complained. "What kind of question is that?"

"It's a perfectly good piece of trivia," Karen said. "Do you care to hazard a guess? I'll give you a hint. Lara's father was not the first alpha."

I sighed. "1927."

"That is incorrect," Elisabeth replied. "The pack was formed in 1869 by Samuel Harper, a former civil war soldier. After the war, he went home to Pennsylvania, collected a wife, and moved to Wisconsin to start anew. Over the next several years, several more wolves arrived, and Samuel officially registered the pack in 1869."

"According to this card," said Karen, "Elisabeth is correct. Five points to Lara's team. If it's any consolation, Michaela, I didn't know, either. I had to read the card."

I got the next special. "Finally," I said, "A question for Lara." I sighed. "Lara, the card asks, 'What is Michaela's height in bare feet, not counting the hair?' Very funny, Elisabeth. You have to guess within a half inch. It's only worth five points though."

"Four-feet, eleven and three-quarters," Lara answered immediately.

"Lara is right," Angel answered just as immediately.

I flipped the card over to see if Elisabeth had picked a different answer. She'd written, 'Fifty-nine and a half, not counting the attitude'. "Five points for Lara, two and a half for Angel," I said.

We were now officially in last place by a couple of points. To my passengers, I said, "They cheat." My passengers didn't respond.

A few minutes later, Elisabeth said, "I have an easy special for Michaela. Michaela, what is Francesca's middle name?"

"What?" I asked. "Seriously?"

"You've known her for six years," Lara said. "She prepares half your meals and manages your house. At your wedding you referred to her as surrogate mother to both brides. And you don't know her name?"

I made a wild guess. "Marie."

Several seconds later, Angel said quietly, "Michaela is right."

I wasn't going to tell anyone I had guessed.

Other than the special questions, the game was actually pretty fun. But then Lara said, "Okay, we're a half hour from St. Louis. We have time for one more round of questions. Then we need to start our descent and focus on flying."

Elisabeth's question was for Angel's team. Mine was for Lara's. They both got them right. Then Angel said, "I have a special for Lara." She began laughing. "Lara, you and the fox have had a fight. Whose fault is it?"

"Mine," Lara said immediately.

"Damn right it is," I confirmed.

"That is correct," Angel confirmed. "Ten points to Lara, five to Michaela. Who won, Elisabeth?"

"In first place, with one hundred and twenty-seven points, team Lara. Michael's team has ninety-one; Angel's has eight-seven. A close fight for second. I can't wait to go shopping!"

 **Bourbon Street**

We arrived safely in New Orleans, landing at a regional airport near the waterfront shortly before four in the afternoon. Deirdre met us at the airport, offering many of us warm hugs and kisses.

With her were two human women named Anika and Joanna. Anika appeared to be Japanese-American and was my size with straight, black hair and bright eyes. She was stunning. Joanna was tall, with beautiful skin the color of dark molasses and a voice to match. I caught Eric repeatedly sneaking glances at her, and Joanna was returning the looks.

"If you will have them," Deirdre said, "Anika and Joanna will be your guides while you are here. If you require anything at all, you need only ask them. They have Carissa's utmost confidence, and you can safely trust them."

I took that to mean they were blood thralls; if so, I knew from personal experience neither of them could betray Carissa's desires. That didn't mean we were safe with them, but I had long decided to take Carissa at her word. I glanced to Lara and nodded once but let her decide.

"That would be wonderful," Lara said. "We would like a chance to clean up and change clothes, and then dinner would be lovely."

There were two stretch limousines waiting for us. The wolves handled the luggage, and then we all climbed in. I found myself between Deirdre and Lara. I turned to her and hugged her again. "I'm so happy to see you," I told her. "Did Carissa tell you my question?"

"She did," Deirdre said. "But she also doesn't want me talking to you about that tonight. She wishes to partake in the discussion."

I was disappointed by the answer, but I thought that also was a good sign. I tried to tamp down my impatience.

"Will you be able to spend time with us?" I asked.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I am to show you to the house, but then I am full of duties until after the party. However, the next day is a rest day for me, and you may have me all day if you wish to stay."

We'd actually planned on returning immediately. I looked over at Lara, and she nodded once.

"Excellent," Deirdre said. "I'm so glad you could come!"

Anika and Joanna were excellent drivers. They offered a verbal tour of the route from the airport, and we soon found ourselves in the French Quarter. There was a pause, then we drove through a gated archway and came to a stop.

"We're here," Anika told us.

While the enforcers did their jobs, Deirdre explained. "Carissa owns a quarter block. This was Carissa's home when she first arrived in New Orleans. There's a garage." She gestured towards the right. "There are two large SUVs for your use."

We were completely surrounded by Carissa's buildings, and the gate had closed tightly after we pulled in. The main entrance for the home was to the left, and just past it was a small courtyard. The home looked much nicer inside the gate than it had before we pulled in.

With Eric and Angel guarding the car, we talked quietly, waiting for Elisabeth to give the all clear. Deirdre didn't seem put out that we hadn't trusted Carissa's security. It took about ten minutes before Elisabeth opened the door to the limousine, but it was Deirdre that led Lara and me into the house.

We stepped inside and I stopped, staring. We entered via a large foyer. The floors were marble, and there was an ornate, curved staircase leading to the second floor.

"Bedrooms and offices are upstairs," Deirdre explained. She led us to the left, and we entered a large library, the twelve-foot ceilings lined with bookcases. There was ample seating for a small army, and along one side near the window was a well-stocked liquor cabinet.

"Feel free to make yourself at home," Deirdre offered. She gestured to a bookcase with glass doors. "Those books are terribly old, so please treat them gently. There are gloves here-" and she opened a drawer in the bookcase.

Lara and I both stepped closer, looking at the books. I stared at one of the books. "Origin of Species?" I asked.

"That's a second edition," Deirdre said. "Carissa doesn't keep the most valuable books here, but you may find some interesting." She donned a pair of gloves then opened the case, carefully pulling one of the books from the shelves. We moved to a nearby table, and she set the book down.

" _Alienum Creaturis_ ," Deirdre said. "Robert Maldive, circa 1741. If the humans actually had a copy, they would think it was fiction." She opened the book, paging through for a moment, and then came to a page. There was a woodcut illustration of a fox. The text was in Latin, which I couldn't read, but I stared at the image. Deirdre smiled at me.

I glanced at Lara. Her expression was unreadable. I reached for her hand.

"I'm sorry," Deirdre said. "I don't speak Latin, and Carissa seems to hold the author in little regard. But I like to page through this one and look at the drawings. The fae don't appear, and many of the creatures are now extinct, but Carissa tells me everything in here once lived." She carefully turned more pages, coming to an illustration of what was clearly a dragon. "Hunted to extinction in Europe by the end of the fourteenth century, but they formed the basis of a number of Mayan and Aztec gods. The Conquistadors hunted the last of them in the new world at about the same time as the last dodo perished."

She paused, then closed the book and replaced it on the shelf, closing the doors and returning the gloves to their home.

"Well," she said. "I'll show you the rest of the house, then unfortunately, I must run."

The entire house was fabulous. Opposite the library was a ballroom. "There's a modern sound system behind that cabinet," Deirdre said. "If you care to dance." The walls were painted a deep green, and one wall was floor to ceiling windows looking out onto the courtyard. There were two clumps of chairs flanking the sound system, places to sit while changing into dance shoes or watching the other dancers.

I thought about being held in Lara's arms and smiled at her.

There was a formal dining room, but we didn't expect to use it. Deirdre also showed us the kitchen. "It's well-stocked, and as I said, make yourselves at home."

She led us upstairs. The house was in two wings separated by the foyer. The right wing wrapped around the courtyard. The left was smaller and contained two offices. I counted six bedrooms. Deirdre led the way back to the front entrance.

"The servant chambers are over the garage," Deirdre explained. "There's an intercom in the kitchen if you need to summon Anika or Joanna. You have dinner reservations at K Paul's in just under two hours." She smiled. "I hope you'll be comfortable. I'm so pleased you could come."

"Thank you, Deirdre," Lara said. "Everything is lovely." But her back was stiff. I wondered what was wrong, but I thought I could guess.

"Deirdre, I wouldn't suppose I could convince you to give me a hint about my question."

"I'm sorry, Michaela," she replied. "You'll have to wait."

I grumped good-naturedly.

"Well, I'll see you tomorrow. Joanna and Anika will collect you when it's time to leave for dinner, but they will be about, perhaps in the kitchen, if you wish to leave early and spend more time on the walk."

And with that, she was gone.

I turned around, looking at the house. It was stately and stunning. I noticed Lara watching me.

"It's an amazing house," I said.

"It is," she agreed.

"Perfect for a vampire."

"I imagine so."

"Nice place to visit," I added. Lara didn't respond. "Nowhere to run. Can you imagine going furry here? I don't want to think about how badly I'd slip around on this floor."

"You were coveting the books," Lara observed.

" _Origin of Species_ is a definitive work," I said. "It may be the most important book in the history of science. As a wolf, you understand survival of the fittest. But Lara, you give me everything I could possibly ask for. And how often do I ask for material possessions?"

She didn't say anything.

"This is an old house. I bet the plumbing at home is more reliable. You know how I enjoy a long, hot shower. I told you the story of my first hot shower, thanks to the Callahans."

I moved closer until we were almost touching. I looked up in her eyes and caressed her cheek. I took her arms and wrapped them around me.

"It's a lovely house for a city girl. But do you remember our first phone call when you asked me out?"

She nodded slowly.

"Do you remember what I told you about the big city?"

She nodded.

I laid my head against her shoulder, my face against her neck, and sighed happily. "I love you, Lara," I said.

She wrapped her arms around me, stiffly at first, but she slowly relaxed. "I love you, too, Little Fox," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I'm not used to feeling inadequate."

"Well, that's just silly," I replied. "You're perfect. Most of the time."

"What do you mean, most of the time?" she growled.

"Well," I said, pushing away. "You and Elisabeth cheated." I didn't wait for her response but ran up the stairs to our bedroom, knowing she'd chase me even before she realized. At the top of the stairs, before Lara could catch me, I hollered out, "We're leaving in ninety minutes."

Lara almost caught me at the top of the stairs, but I ducked underneath her, gave her a little push, which did nothing at all, but then evaded her twice more on the way to the bedroom. I let her catch me once we were in the bedroom. She picked me up, throwing me over her shoulder, one arm wrapped around my legs, my ass in the air, and my head hanging down.

I squealed and giggled.

"Take it back," she ordered. "I did not cheat."

"Cheated!" I said firmly. "Again."

With her free hand, she paddled my bottom, just hard enough to sting. I squealed in mock outrage.

"Cheated!" I accused. "Cheated, cheated, cheated! Now put me down and beg my forgiveness."

"I did not cheat," she said.

So I jabbed my fingers in her ribs. She knew I was going to do it, but she flinched nevertheless. I wasn't gentle.

"Put me down or you'll get worse," I threatened. I wasn't sure what 'worse' might be, but I'd think of something.

Instead of setting me on my feet, Lara bounced me on her shoulder a few times.

"Admit I didn't cheat," she ordered.

"You know you did," I said softly. "Lara, I've taken my last wager from either of you."

She stilled and slowly, gently set me down. "You're not kidding, are you?"

I looked up into her eyes and shook my head.

"I didn't cheat," she said softly, and I heard the hurt in her voice.

"You changed the rules after letting me accept a significant wager from your sister, and you both knew about the special cards. You knew they were designed to tease me and they were worth more points than regular cards. I don't have a problem with the cards. I don't have a problem with the wager. But I have a problem with setting me up like that. I'm not angry, but I can't trust either of you."

I could tell that hurt as well.

"Michaela..."

I put my hand on my hip.

"But... the cards were funny!"

"They were," I admitted. "Are you suggesting they weren't designed to help you win?"

"I gave you questions you should know," she said defensively.

"You know," I said. "I agree. I should have been able to answer every single one of those. I am a pack alpha, and I should know the history of the pack. But I don't, and you knew it, didn't you?"

"Then I don't understand why you said I cheated."

"Fine," I said. "Call it what you want, but I won't accept any more wagers from either of you." I paused a moment. "Now, I think we should test the plumbing and get ready for dinner. If you don't mind, I'll take first shower so I have time to dry my hair."

Without waiting for a response, I headed towards the bathroom.

I showered quickly. I prefer long, luxurious showers, but I didn't trust Carissa's plumbing. When I got done and stepped out of the bathroom, Lara was hovering near the bathroom door. I thought she'd been pacing. She turned to me, but I cut her off before she could say anything.

"All yours," I said brightly. "I'll get ready out here."

"Michaela," she said. "I don't understand why you're angry."

"I'm not," I denied. "Go on now; we don't want to be late. This restaurant is famous, and I'm practically starving. Will we be able to wander Bourbon Street after dinner? I'd like to listen to some music, and maybe there will be dancing somewhere. I'd like to dance with you."

"I didn't cheat," she said in a small voice.

"I already told you to call it what you want," I replied. "You're the alpha; you make the rules. If you said it's not cheating, it's not cheating."

"I didn't cheat," she repeated.

"Fine. I was wrong. I'm sorry I accused you." I said it tersely. I actually hadn't intended to bring it up, but it had slipped out. I wasn't going to fight with her about it. It wasn't going to matter in the future, after all, as I wouldn't accept any more wagers.

"Michaela?"

"What?" I asked. "You won. It won't come up again. Go on now. When you order for me tonight, I want étouffée. I suppose crawfish aren't in season. I've heard something about sucking the heads, but I've never done it."

She turned for a moment, then finally turned to the bathroom. A minute later, I heard the shower.

I dug out my hair dryer and started on my hair. A few minutes in, with Lara still in the shower, there was a knock at the door, and a moment later it opened, admitting Elisabeth. I looked over my shoulder at her for a moment, but didn't stop drying my hair.

She was grinning broadly, and when she stepped in, I saw she had an outfit for me to wear. She had one of my pink strapless maxi dresses and was holding a set of heels by the straps.

I shut off the dryer. "You came prepared."

She just grinned more widely and set them on the bed. I turned away and returned to drying my hair. She hovered for a moment, then stepped out, closing the door behind her.

I was still drying my hair when Lara finished in the shower. She spent a few more minutes in the bathroom. My hair was as dry as I was going to bother, so I shut off the dryer as the bathroom door opened.

"Hey, sexy wolf," I said.

She stopped in the doorway. "What's that?" She gestured to the bed, or more exactly to the clothing waiting for me.

"Elisabeth came prepared," I said. "I guess that's what I'm wearing tonight. You'll get to feast your eyes on my naked shoulders." I wagged my eyebrows at her.

Lara turned away. We shared a suitcase and garment bag. The bag hung from a hook on the back of the door, and the suitcase was sitting open on a table near the door. She unpacked both, making use of a wardrobe in the corner and a dresser underneath the window. I went back into the bathroom to work on my hair for a few minutes. Lara was dressed by the time I returned to the bedroom. She stood quietly watching me get dressed.

When I sat down on the bed to pull on the shoes, she crossed the room and knelt in front of me to do it for me. She caressed my feet tenderly before slipping the shoes in place. She latched the buckles, then bent down and kissed the exposed toes.

She had never done that before. Oh, she'd helped me with my shoes, but it wasn't her nature to kiss my feet. I stared at the top of her head.

"We should talk about it," she said quietly, not lifting her head to look at me.

"Dinner? I normally let you order for me when we go out, but I want étouffée. It comes as seafood or chicken. Either would be fabulous. And I'd love to try some gumbo. I've never had either. The food might be a little spicy for me, but it's going to be fun watching you macho wolves out do each other." She never looked up. "Tomorrow I want to try jambalaya. And we need to get beignets in the morning before we go shopping." I paused. "If we like the food, maybe we can convince one of the local pack members to move to Madison and open a proper Cajun restaurant. Maybe we can trade them for Albert Stein."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Michaela," Lara said.

"Come on," I said, starting to slide off the bed and onto my feet. "Let's see if everyone else is ready. If we're early, we can check out the sites."

"Michaela," Lara said slowly.

"We're in The Big Easy," I said, "the most unique city in the entire country. I don't want to spend it sitting in this room." I paused. "Or fighting about something when I already admitted I was wrong." I held out my hand. "How do I look?"

She took my hand and stood up. She gave me an appraising look, but her smile was troubled. But she didn't answer. I waited for her to say something, then when she didn't, I grabbed my purse from where she left it on the dresser. I rarely carried one, but I didn't have anywhere for my knives. I collected two of them and my phone, slipping them into my purse. Lara came up behind me and set her hands on my bare shoulders.

"I'll talk to Elisabeth," she said quietly.

"You will not," I said firmly. I stood there, not turning around. "This isn't how I see myself. I'd never buy these clothes on my own. I don't like going anywhere without my knives, and they're not sufficiently accessible in my purse. If we were home, I'd at least wear some on my ankles, but I know they are visible, and it will freak people out." To punctuate my statement, I slipped two of my chopsticks into my hair before turning around.

"This isn't how I see myself," I said again, gesturing. "But with everything you do for me, I don't mind dressing to please you, and I know you like looking at me when I dress like this. I'd do make up, too, but it looks garish when I do it." I paused, cocking my head. "You know I'm vain, Lara. Knowing you can't keep your eyes off me makes up for feeling helpless, at least a little. And I also know you'll spend most of the evening finding excuses to touch my shoulders. I like that, too. Now, may we please _go_?" I stressed the last word.

She didn't say anything, and her brow remained furrowed, but she took my arm gently, and together we walked to the door.

I used my ears. I heard talking from downstairs, and so at the bottom of the stairs, I gently tugged Lara towards the library. Stepping inside, we found most of the wolves along with Anika and Joanna. Eric and Joanna were near in one corner, making small talk. Elisabeth, Violet, James and Hanna were talking to Anika about New Orleans. Angel was looking through the books.

Elisabeth, then the rest of her group turned to face Lara and me as we stepped into the room. Elisabeth put on a self-satisfied smile, I presumed at my appearance.

"You look very nice, Michaela," she said.

"Thank you, Elisabeth," I replied. "Head Enforcer, I have already informed the alpha of my request, but I will share it with you. If it is possible, I would enjoy walking through the French Quarter after dinner. Perhaps we can find some music. Maybe there will be an opportunity to dance. However perhaps there is already another plan."

Elisabeth glanced at Lara, who nodded imperceptibly. I turned to my mate.

"Was there something else you wished to do, Lara?"

"No, Michaela," she said. "Dancing would be lovely." As a group we all turned towards Anika.

"You've come to the right place," she said. "Bourbon Street is lined with dance clubs. We can simply walk along the street and find one with music that makes your toes tap."

"Are we short on time?" I asked. "Or can we take the scenic route to the restaurant?"

"We have time," she said. "Perhaps we should walk down to Jackson Square." She eyed my shoes. "May I ask a question?" I nodded. "I overheard someone call you 'Alpha'. I didn't know werewolf packs had human alphas. Was I mistaken?"

I turned to Lara. "Do you know of any human alphas?"

"I do not," Lara said.

I turned back to Anika. "If you are mistaken, we cannot confirm it." I smiled. "I'm not human."

"But you're not a wolf, either."

The assembled wolves chuckled at the thought. I was actually rather surprised they didn't know about me. I turned to Lara. "I thought I was more well-known than this." I looked at Elisabeth. "You let me think I was the most famous were in North America. I believe you have overstated my notoriety. Perhaps I can fade back into obscurity, and then I won't need these pesky enforcers following me everywhere."

Lara growled, low in her throat. I wasn't sure if anyone else heard it.

"We don't hear much about the werewolf packs beyond New Orleans," Anika explained. "Carissa doesn't let us spend time with the local wolves." She looked around. "I've never been around wolves if Carissa wasn't there. She must trust you more than the local pack."

I glanced at Lara. She had straightened slightly. "At least someone trusts me," she muttered. I decided to ignore that comment for now. Instead I focused on Anika.

"I'm a werefox," I said. "I turn furry, but I'm much, much smaller than my pack mates. They call me 'alpha' because I am Lara's mate. I know it's a cliché, but I slept my way to the top." I said it with a smile, but all the wolves shifted uncomfortably.

Well, it was true, wasn't it?

"Michaela was instrumental in saving the pack from disaster not once, but twice," Lara said, somewhat defensively. "She was invited onto our council on her own merits. I depend upon her heavily."

I shrugged, not in the mood to continue the conversation. "We seem to be short a few enforcers."

"Waiting outside," Elisabeth replied. "We're ready whenever you are."

I turned to Lara and waited. In social situations like this, I tended to take control, but I wasn't in the mood for that, either. Lara took my arm and turned us towards the front door. Elisabeth clucked, and immediately the enforcers were all on duty. She gestured, sending Anika and Joanna ahead of us, then Lara and me with the other council members. The enforcers flanked us from behind as we stepped out into the warm New Orleans evening.

Once we were on the street, the five enforcers fanned out. Lara gestured to Serena and handed me off to her, which I thought was odd. Then she made another gesture. Violet stepped to my other side, and Lara stepped ahead to talk to Elisabeth.

"Lara," I said under my breath. "I said 'no'." She ignored me.

Lara leaned towards Joanna and said, "Michaela wants a verbal tour."

"Of course," she replied. She looked over her shoulder, saw the dynamics, and then began talking, looking over her shoulder at me. I could have heard her just fine if she'd whispered while facing forward, but I didn't tell her that.

"We're on the edge of the Quarter," she said. "Esplanade is only a block that way." She gestured over her shoulder. "We'll take a left at this next corner then work our way down to Jackson Square." She proceeded to give me a running commentary, telling me the history of the area, beginning with the original settlers.

Lara waited until she thought Joanna had my attention before she began talking to Elisabeth. "The fox is angry at us."

I sighed. "She is not," I said firmly. "But if you don't drop it, she'll get there."

Joanna offered a puzzled expression.

"Not you," I said more gently. "Go on."

I knew they heard me, but Lara and Elisabeth ignored me. "I thought I detected more than a little stress." She glanced back at me. "She's glaring at you now, sister."

After that, I pretended to listen to Joanna while paying attention to Lara and Elisabeth. But as we moved deeper into The Quarter, it got louder. Joanna raised her voice, and Lara deliberately waited until we were crossing Bourbon Street to say anything further to Elisabeth. Over all the noise, I could no longer hear what she was saying. I decided not to worry about it and paid more attention to Joanna.

We reached Jackson Square, which was the original village green around which New Orleans was formed in the early eighteenth century. After the Battle of New Orleans in 1815, the park was renamed after General, and later President, Andrew Jackson. We came to a stop at the statue of Jackson on his horse. Joanna and Anika took turns telling the story of the Battle of New Orleans at the end of the War of 1812.

"Is this where Andrew Jackson earned the name 'Stonewall'?" I asked.

Joanna was kind. "Actually," she said. "That was a different Jackson from the War of Northern Aggression." She smiled. "You might refer to it as the Civil War."

I blushed at my mistake, but before the wolves could tease me, I said, "I guess that's why I teach science and not history." I didn't mind the laughter after that.

As dusk settled, we roamed the park for a few minutes. "During daylight hours, scores of artists and performers inhabit the park."

"Isn't Café du Monde near here?" I asked.

Anika turned and pointed. "Right there," she said.

I smiled. I didn't have any more questions. Anika and Joanna talked for a few more minutes. Then Anika gestured. "We should continue our walk."

We arrived at the restaurant promptly at 7:30. We were expected. The hostess led us to the courtyard where tables were pulled together to form two larger tables. Lara gestured me to a seat against nearest the wall, taking the seat to my left. By the time we were all seated, Hanna was to my right with James across from her and Violet across from me. Elisabeth was across from Lara, and Anika took the place at the end. The enforcers took the second table with Joanna joining them. I noticed she sat next to Eric.

I gestured with my nose. "Is that a problem?"

"No," Lara replied.

"If she's a blood thrall, she won't be able to even consider leaving Carissa," I said. "And we can't afford to lose him."

"We're just here two nights. They can't possibly lose their heads in two nights."

It felt weird to have Serena so far away while I was in public. But the enforcers were well positioned to head off anyone who moved in our direction.

The restaurant was everything I expected, and then some.

Lara ordered a variety of appetizers for the table as well as a cup of gumbo for us to share. My étouffée was wonderful. I shared with Lara but ate far, far more than I normally would. Lara looked over at me in surprise.

"When am I going to get it again?" I asked.

Conversation over dinner was light. When Lara tried to pay the bill, she learned it was already covered. Anika told us that this was Carissa's treat.

We were well sated as we left the restaurant. Anika and Joanna took us up to Bourbon Street, and we joined the crowd roaming along the street. I was a little surprised Lara and Elisabeth were allowing this, although Serena kept my arm the entire time.

"Afraid I'll run off?" I asked her. I tried to put a glint into my eye.

"You and Lara had a fight," she whispered back. "And we all know how you tend to react after a fight."

"Yes. I tell you I'm going for a walk alone, and then when you try to stop me, I go for a walk alone." I glanced over at her. "We're going dancing. I'm not going anywhere alone. Do I even look crabby?"

It took her a moment to answer. "No."

"Serena, do what you think you must. Are you going to clutch my arm on the dance floor, too?"

She didn't say anything. Several times we stopped outside this club or that, listening to the music that was wafting out. I didn't express a preference. I was a little surprised when it was Hanna that picked the club. We were listening to some zydeco when she leaned to James, and James in turn whispered to Lara. Lara turned to me and nodded her head towards the club. If there was dancing, I was happy with it.

The club was small, but we carved out space along one side. The band was good, and the dance floor ample. We ordered drinks, and then I waited for Lara to ask me to dance.

It was James and Hanna that broke the dancing ice for our group. Eric looked at Elisabeth and then at Joanna.

"Four of us on duty at all times," Elisabeth declared. "We'll rotate who is dancing." She then nodded to Eric, and a moment later he was leading Joanna onto the dance floor.

Three songs later, I still hadn't danced. And Serena hadn't released my arm. I finally leaned to her. "Will you dance with me?"

"I'd love to," she said back, "but I value my life." She glanced at Lara, who had her back turned to me.

"Fine," I said curtly. "I'll get one of the humans to dance."

"I don't think it's fair to pull Carissa's humans into your tiff with Lara."

"Who said anything about Carissa's humans?" I gestured with my head. "That guy over there looks like he knows how to dance, and he's been eyeing us. I don't think it would take much encouragement to receive an invitation."

"You wouldn't," Serena replied.

"It would be rude to turn him away if he's brave enough to ask me." I paused. "Huh. That would make him braver than you."

She didn't rise to the bait.

"I'm not trying to have a tiff with Lara," I said. "I complained about something. She told me I was wrong. I told her she was alpha, and if she said I was wrong, then I'm wrong. I've been trying to drop it ever since. I even apologized for my accusation. If she doesn't want to dance with me, I'll dance with someone else."

Serena studied me carefully. "You're not telling me something."

"I'm sure there's a great deal I'm not telling you," I said. "Are you going to dance with me, or should I smile at one of the men stealing glances at me?"

"You're going to make it worse," she said. "And you know it. Is a little dancing worth it, Michaela?"

"I'm not her property. If she doesn't want to dance with me, she shouldn't begrudge me if someone else does."

"Michaela, you know she reacts emotionally around you. She's under a great deal of stress this week. Why can't you cut her some slack?"

I considered a sharp retort, but I was able to tone down my reaction. "You're on her side," I accused, but I said it softly.

"Right now I'm pointing out what will happen if you push this. Am I wrong?"

"She's the one who cheated," I said hotly. "And now I'm getting punished for pointing it out."

"What are you talking about?"

I explained, very briefly.

"Ah," Serena said. "I don't think Lara was expecting Elisabeth's wager. I don't think it's fair to blame her."

"She could have put a stop to it."

"You could have backed out once you heard about the rest of Lara's game," Serena pointed out. "You didn't."

"It was a half hour later before I discovered the little cards weren't two points like everything else. We'd have won if they'd only been two points each."

"It was just a game," Serena said. "Are you that upset we laughed at Lara's jokes?"

"No. It was Elisabeth's wager on top of the joke."

"I think I need to understand her wager."

I gestured to the dress and explained.

"You look really nice, Michaela."

"I feel naked!" I complained.

Serena pursed her lips. "You know, there are a lot of wolves who wish they could pull off this look. We'd all look absolutely ridiculous. Scarlett and Ava are the rare wolves that can pull off a more feminine look, and neither of them holds a candle to you. Many wolves go through a period of adjustment during their teen years where they try to dress like this, eventually discovering they look ridiculous. My daughter is going through it right now. She's growing into her adult height, but it will be several years before she realizes this is a poor look for her. It doesn't help that she wants to be just like you." She paused. "I went through the same thing at her age." She paused again. "And so did Elisabeth."

"Elisabeth tried to wear skirts and dresses?"

"Frilly skirts and dresses," Serena clarified. "Can you imagine?"

I looked away for a moment, then turned back.

"If there's trouble, I'll never make it to my knives in time. You know I hate depending on everyone else for my safety. But that's why Elisabeth does this. She likes seeing me vulnerable and dependent on your protection."

She paused before answering. "Michaela, I have never lied to you."

I considered her carefully before saying slowly, "I know. What does that have to do with it?"

"The pack is very proud of how fierce you are," Serena said. "As your head of security, I feel a lot better knowing you can take care of yourself so well."

"But-"

"Elisabeth and I have talked about that. She is almost as protective of you as Lara is, and she wishes you would let us protect you the way we try. But she admits that's an emotional response, and it is better for the pack if you act like an alpha."

"She's going to make me dress like this whenever she wants to take my knives away," I complained. "Like she did tonight."

"If you need your knives here, we're in serious trouble."

"If we're in serious trouble," I replied, "then you're all going to need my help."

"And you'll have time to pull them out of your purse."

"I only have two."

She scanned the room for a moment then turned back to me. "If losing this wager upsets you so much, why did you accept it in the first place?" She paused again. "I think your outrage is a smoke screen."

"For what?" I asked, my tone harsh.

"Would you have been upset if it had been some minor wager?"

"Probably not," I admitted.

"It wasn't a given we would do well in the game," Serena said. "You accepted the wager knowing you could easily lose. If you are that upset about it, why did you accept? You know as well as I do not to take a wager you're unwilling to lose."

"I learned that lesson the last time Lara cheated!" I said hotly. I was referring to the night I lost a wager and thus was obligated to wear the wedding dress she picked out. It actually wasn't the last time she had cheated, but it was the last time I had accepted any wagers with either of them that was at all substantial.

"So why did you accept this one, especially as it's permanent? I know it wasn't because you wanted Elisabeth to teach your classes so much you were willing to risk it."

I looked away.

"I don't think you're that upset at losing," Serena said.

"I'm upset at the way I lost," I muttered.

"Like I said, the dress is a smoke screen," Serena explained. "You look nice, Michaela, and you're the first to call yourself vain. You like knowing you look nice. Lara enjoys you dressed like this."

"It makes me stand out," I whined. "A fox hides."

We were both quiet for a few minutes. The song changed, but I avoided accepting the gaze of any of the human males.

Finally Serena said, "That might be a fair complaint. I bet enjoying the attention versus standing out causes a certain amount of emotional conflict. I also imagine those make it harder for you to make smart choices."

I turned to look at her.

"Do you want to dance?" she asked.

"I thought you said it was a bad idea," I pointed out.

"Not with me. With your mate. Do you want to dance with her or not."

"I thought that was why we were here. Yes, I want to dance with her. But she's not interested."

"Lara will give you anything in her power to give you, Michaela, and if you swallow your pride and go ask her for a dance, you know she'll give it to you. And after you've danced a few songs with her, you can ask permission to dance with everyone else, and she'll hand you off to Elisabeth."

"I don't want to dance with her."

"You know she's going to apologize, and you're not ready to hear it."

"I don't want her apology!" I said hotly.

"Why not?" Serena asked. "Because if she apologizes, she also has to cancel the wager, and you don't want her to? Did you want to lose, Michaela?"

"No."

"Then what?" she asked. "I'm not sure I believe any of your complaints. It was obvious they were setting you up. I don't think that way, and it was even clear to me." She paused, and her eyes grew wide. "You're not mad at them! You're mad at yourself. They outfoxed you, and you didn't see it coming even when it was plain as day."

I looked away again, trying to ignore her.

"Lara outfoxed you with the game, but it was in fun," Serena said. "I bet that amuses you. Elisabeth outfoxed you, but it was also in fun. If you weren't willing to lose, you wouldn't have accepted. If you wanted the wager reversed, you'd guilt them both into whatever you want."

"Maybe that's what I'm doing."

"Then why did you tell Lara to drop it? Why did you tell her not to talk to Elisabeth about it?"

I didn't respond to that. I let it simmer for a minute before looking back at Serena. She was watching me carefully. "Shouldn't you be watching for threats?"

"Right now, the biggest threat to worry about is you."

I didn't think that was fair. I always gave ample warning when I was going to storm off. "Will you dance with me later?"

"I'd love to."

"I'm going to beg Lara for a dance and ask her if she likes how I look." I looked towards Lara, standing stiffly two small tables away. I took two steps then turned back to Serena, now over my left flank. "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

But they had cheated, and I wasn't going to forget. It was possible, but unlikely, I would accept infinitesimally small future wagers, but I was never again wagering over anything I cared about.

Yes, it was a wedge, and it was one I would foster.

I stepped up behind Lara. I couldn't tell if she sensed me approaching or not. I set my hand on her shoulder and then stepped next to her, pressing myself against her. I looked up at her.

"My love," I said, "There is something I want. You seem to enjoy giving me the things I want. Do you think you'll give me this?"

"Perhaps," she said cautiously. "Do you want me to negate your wager with my sister?"

"No. I want dances. And then I want permission to dance with my other friends here. And more dances with you. But before that, I want an honest answer to a question."

"You can ask," she replied with even more caution.

"Do you like when I dress like this?"

"Not if it's going to make you angry."

"Skipping that. Do you like it?"

She looked carefully into my eyes.

"This isn't a test, Lara. I want the truth."

"Yes, Little Fox," she said. "I very much enjoy when you dress like this, but not if it upsets you."

"What if I like it?"

She smiled, at least a ghost of a smile.

"What if I'd really like it if I got to dance with your arms around me while I was dressed like this?"

Her smile grew.

I glanced at the dance floor until I found a couple that was dancing in a particularly intimate fashion. "What if I want to dance like that?" I gestured with my nose.

"Not with anyone else!" Lara growled.

"Only with you," I said. "What if I want that, while dressed like this? I could feel your hands on my bare skin in front of everyone. I could feel your breath against my neck. Maybe you'll bend down and kiss a shoulder. And I'm taller in these heels, practically five-foot-three almost."

Lara's smile began to include her eyes.

"Well?" I said. "I asked a question. Do you like when I dress like this?"

She nodded slowly.

"Do you wish I always dressed like this? Answer honestly, Lara."

"I don't know," she replied. "Well, certainly not literally all the time, because it's not always appropriate."

"You know what I mean though."

"Yes, I know what you mean. Michaela, I don't know." She looked away, out to the dancers. "Yes, probably." Then she looked back. "But you shouldn't."

"Why not?"

"Because when you need your knives, they need to be more accessible than your purse. You can't dress like this for pack play nights or for council meetings. You need your knives. And you damned well better have a place for them under your costume tomorrow night."

I hadn't let her see my costume. I wouldn't have even considered a costume that left me defenseless.

But she had never, not once, encouraged me to be self-sufficient the way she just had. It felt... I didn't know how it felt.

"Lara," I told her, offering my hand. "I love you so much. Will you dance with me?"

"Oh, Little Fox," she said. "Of course."

She took my hand, nodded once to Elisabeth, then led me through the other wolves and onto the dance floor. Then she turned to me, and I stepped into her arms, pressing myself against her. She wrapped her arms around me, I closed my eyes, and we began to dance.

I lost track of how many songs I danced with Lara. She did, indeed, find opportunity to caress and kiss my bare shoulders, and I found myself melting more completely against her.

Neither of us was that good a dancer, but I didn't care. I was in my mate's strong arms, moving together with her, and that was where I wanted to be.

Eventually she pulled me from the dance floor and back to our haven, surrounded by enforcers. We kissed briefly, and then she handed me to Elisabeth with a smile.

Elisabeth was prepared to stand two feet away from me and, well, whatever you want to call that wiggling thing people do on the dance floor, but I pulled her arms around me and laid my head against her shoulder. She held me stiffly for a moment, but we began to dance.

The music was loud, but not so loud we couldn't talk into each other's ears.

"I'm sorry," she said, but I reached up with a hand and pressed fingers against her lips and shook my head.

"But-"

I shook my head again. Then I said, "Head enforcer, I need your help."

"What is it, Alpha?" she asked.

"My knives," I said. "I won't complain, but I want my knives."

"They would be a little obvious," Elisabeth replied. "And you don't need them tonight."

"There are unfriendly wolves in New Orleans," I replied.

"Carissa made the French Quarter off limits to everyone else tonight," Elisabeth replied.

"I can't imagine that went over very well."

"That's not our problem," she pointed out.

"Find a way," I said. "They need to be just as accessible as they are normally. I will accept a rare compromise when you are able to convince me there is zero chance I will need them."

"You could let me worry about security, Alpha," she replied. "You could trust me to do my job."

"Tell me, _Enforcer_ ," I said, stressing the word. "When did you tell Lara that we had The Quarter to ourselves tonight?"

"Three weeks ago."

"Tell me, _Enforcer_ ," I repeated, "When was the last time you suggested Lara dress in a fashion that made her helpless?"

She didn't answer that.

"All right," I said. "If Lara had asked you to find a way I could dress like this but still carry my knives, would you have bitched about intrusion on your job?"

It took her a while to answer that. "No."

" _Enforcer_ , you have been calling me 'Alpha' for five years. I think it's time you either begin treating me like you mean it or otherwise stop calling me that. Your choice. I've said my piece, and this conversation is now over. If you're not too angry, I would like another nice song or two with my sister-in-law."

She didn't say anything for the rest of the song, but she kept me into the next one.

"Maybe a body harness," she said slowly. "And slits in the sides of the dresses." She paused. "Karen may have ideas. It may take a while to work out the kinks."

"In the meantime, there are choices with long sleeves," I replied.

"Michaela, do you have any idea how amazing you look tonight?"

"My safety is more important than how I look. I will give you this trip. After that, if you do not solve this problem, then as your _alpha_ , I will be forced to vacate this wager."

The song ended, and we separated.

"Give me to Serena or Angel," I said.

We danced until late. I didn't dance with everyone, but practically everyone. It was odd to dance with Violet, but we had two good dances, and there was a twinkle in her eye at the end.

Later, we walked slowly back to Carissa's house, Lara's arm thrown over my shoulder. Everyone was in a good mood, although the enforcers were alert and professional. No one bothered us, although a few crossed the street to avoid us.

I wondered if Elisabeth growled at them.

Anika and Joanna led us into the house, and we all stood in the foyer. Anika asked, "Do you know what you wish to do tomorrow?"

Lara turned to look at me.

"In the morning, I want beignets and to spend a little time looking at the artists and street performers at Jackson Square. Lara and Elisabeth mentioned shopping after that, but I don't have any details. If it works within their plans, I'd like to stop by Lush and then do a little clothes shopping, but I wouldn't want to go out of our way for them."

"There is excellent shopping right here in The Quarter," Anika told us. "Or did you have something different in mind?"

Lara and Anika held a brief discussion, and we decided we'd head out for beignets about nine. Soon, everyone dispersed, and I found myself in my room with Lara.

We turned to face each other. She smiled, looking me up and down thoroughly.

"Tell me, Lover," I said, "Have you been spending the entire evening thinking of taking this dress off of me?"

"No," she said. "I was wondering how much we could do while you were still wearing it."

I laughed. I didn't entirely believe her, but it sounded good.

"I see." I moved closer to her, not taking my eyes from hers, but then, balancing carefully, I lifted a foot, offering it to her. "Would you remove my shoes for me?" It was tricky to hold my balance, but she released one foot, then I switched, and soon my feet were again bare.

I turned away and began walking towards the bed, slithering out of the dress as I did so. I left my panties on, then stood there at the side of the bed, my bare back to my mate, and I waited for her to decide what she was going to do.

"Little vixen," she muttered, stepping closer. Her hands moved to my shoulders, then she slowly caressed my back, her fingers splayed, caressing a great deal of me all at once. I shivered under her touch, and she laughed.

I looked over my shoulder at her. "What mood are you in?" I asked her.

"Horny," she replied. She continued to caress me softly, which may have been my answer.

"Do you want me?"

"Yes," she said throatily.

"I know you're under stress. Does your wolf need to consume?"

"No," she said. She stepped closer, speaking directly into my ear. "I need you to be very, very, very submissive."

"And if I am," I asked quietly, "Will you be very, very gentle?"

"Yes," she said. But then she bent down and bit my neck. "More or less."

I turned to her, wrapping my arms around her neck. "Please take me."

She did.

 **All Hallows' Eve**

The beignets were entirely decadent.

"I love being a were," I said, biting into my second beignet.

"Oh?" ask Angel before stuffing her own into her mouth. It was her first, and she moaned with appreciation. "Oh my god!" she exclaimed. She gazed into her bag then glanced over at mine. "You going to eat that?" she asked while reaching for it.

"Yes!" I pulled my little bag away. "But I'll buy you more."

"Why do you like being a were?" Angel asked, watching as I waved my last beignet around.

"Because I can eat these and not get fat," I explained before stuffing the last one in my mouth. "Want more?" I rudely mumbled around the warm, sugary, doughy goodness.

I had treated everyone, and looking around me, I saw a lot of satisfied smiles and quickly emptying little bags.

"Serena," I called out, then nodded my head back towards Café du Monde. I got two steps before I was surrounded by enforcers.

"Another bag each?" I asked. They came three to a bag. I could probably have ordered a box or something, but it was more fun to pass out the bags to everyone.

"Five more bags will be enough," Serena said.

It didn't take long to fill the order, and I passed them out. We reconnected with Lara and the others; she had a glass of lemonade for me, purchased from a rolling cart vendor. I had never acquired a taste for coffee, and orange juice would have just been too much sweetness on top of the beignets. I traded the last bag of beignets for the lemonade.

I was dressed in another of my strapless maxi dresses, but this time I'd slipped my ankle sheaths in place. Elisabeth had made an early appearance in our room before Lara and I were even out of bed, although we'd been awake. She was carrying the dress and a pair of flats.

"Did you bring my entire wardrobe?" I asked.

"No," she said. "Just these two." She paused, studying my reaction. Lara was practically holding her breath, although I hadn't seen any daggers shooting from her eyes and into her sister.

"It's the end of October," I pointed out.

"It's already a nice day," she countered. She waved the dress lightly, and I nodded acquiescence. She hung the dress on a hook and assured us everyone would be ready to go when we came downstairs. As soon as the door closed behind her, I rolled over to my mate.

"Did she make this wager for you?"

"Michaela, I rather you didn't ask," Lara replied.

I narrowed my eyes. She turned to face me.

"Would you be in trouble if I knew the truth."

"No."

"But you don't want me wondering about this."

"No."

"All right," I agreed.

And so I dropped the question, and I wore the dress without complaint.

It wasn't all bad. Lara was finding opportunities to brush my bare shoulders with her fingers, and she'd had her fingers in my hair a few times, too. I had to admit, I enjoyed the attention from my mate. Lara was usually attentive to me, but it was clear she appreciated how I was dressed.

I eyed one of Lara's beignets, wondering if I wanted one more bite. Lara caught me watching, so she picked one up with her fingers and presented it for me. I looked at it for a moment, then looked up at her. "I thought about it, but no, thank you. I've had enough for one Little Fox."

Everyone finished her beignets. I laughed when Serena handed out wet wipes, a mother prepared for any situation. A moment later, as a group we turned, heading across the street to Jackson Square.

It was still early, but the artists had already staked out their places around the square. We broke into three smaller groups, Lara and I walking together, holding hands, with Elisabeth, Karen, and Serena hovering near us. Portia, Angel and Eric took up less obtrusive positions nearby, keeping an eye on us, but giving us a little distance.

We looked through the art. There was a lot I didn't care for, but a few of the artists and photographers had some very good work. I tried to find something for Celeste and Rebecca, but nothing struck my fancy. I did find a stunning photograph of an alligator, but I decided I didn't have anywhere to put it, and it didn't fit the decor of our house, either.

At the edge of the square, a crowd was forming, but it was early, and traffic was still light. There was a street performer, a woman, dressed in a pure white Victorian dress and wearing a long, white wig and white face paint. She was moving in jerky steps, and I realized she was a marionette. I tugged Lara in that direction, and we found a place to watch, Lara standing behind me with her hands on my shoulders.

The performer was good. Somehow she was making mechanical sounds like a wind up doll might, timed with her motions. She moved around slowly, curtseying to the audience here and there. She came to a stop before Lara and me and curtsied. I returned her curtsey and smiled. She stepped closer, jerkily lifting one hand to run stiff fingers through my hair, then caressed my cheek with her fingers before stepping back, still making small mechanical noises.

She worked the crowd a little more, doing a little mechanical dance and stopping by the children now and then. She knelt down until she was eye to eye with one of the children.

Then, when she tried to stand back up, she "broke", suffering a simulated mechanical failure. She tried to jerk upright, making a bad sound of clashing gears, and slumped. Three times she tried, and someone from the crowd said, "Oh no!"

The little girl looked up at her mother. "Mommy, is she broken?"

"Only for a moment, honey," the girl's mother said. "I'm sure she just needs a reboot."

The performer mildly broke character for an instant, smiling, then her face returned to wood, but she reached out with a finger and gently tapped the little girl's nose. Then, in fits and starts, she slowly stood back up, and the crowd applauded.

It was a simple performance, perhaps, but I found the woman mesmerizing. Sadly, I wasn't sure how long wolf attention spans would last. I dug into my purse and found some money, stepping forward to feed the woman's hat, placed upside down in the center of the area where she was performing. I was generous. She had made me smile.

When I turned around to retrace my steps, the performer was there. Mechanically, she lowered her hands to the skirt of her dress, lifting it as she dropped into a curtsey in front of me. She got "stuck" like that again, but jerkily worked her way back to a standing position, and I smiled in appreciation.

I thought she'd move out of my way, but she stepped closer, fingered my hair again, then held up her hands, inviting me to dance with her. I glanced over at Lara and, beside her, Serena. Lara was watching me, but Serena was watching everyone else.

I stepped into the woman's embrace but whispered into her ear, "My bodyguards are the very tall women immediately behind you. Don't dance me too far from them or they might freak out." In response, she squeezed my hand twice.

And then, the next moment, she led me in a waltz. Somehow she managed to dance while maintaining the mechanical nature of her movements, and I was suitably impressed.

"You're very good," I whispered.

We went around twice more, not straying from our place, then she spun me out, and I found myself landing right in Lara's arms. I looked up at her for a moment, then turned around and curtsied to the performer. She curtsied back, and then she moved on.

We had a lovely day. I wasn't the only one who wanted to go shopping. I didn't think there would be a lot we couldn't have found in Madison, but something about shopping in a city like New Orleans made it special.

We actually hit Lush first. Discounting Joanne and Anika, I was the only one who knew what it was. The wolves' noses began to curl before we even made it to the shop, and they all balked. Elisabeth brought our entire group to a stop.

"Michaela," she whined. My sister-in-law, the head enforcer in the pack, and the second scariest person I knew, whined. She whined! I stared at her.

"What?" I finally asked.

"We can't go in there," she said, gesturing with her curled nose.

"Why not?"

She and Lara moved closer, and Lara said very quietly, "The scents are overpowering, even out here. Our noses will be worthless for hours."

"Breathe through your mouths," I suggested.

"It's bad out here," Elisabeth said. "Why do you want to go there?"

"They have amazing soaps," I said. "And bubble bath. Massage oils." I eyed the shop. "I'll stay in sight."

"I don't see the cash registers," Elisabeth observed.

"Anika can help me," I suggested. I looked at Elisabeth hopefully. She and Serena conferred with a glance.

"Angel," Serena said. "Stay with Michaela."

I caught Angel's expression, her nose curled reflexively, but she nodded and stepped up to my side. I called for Anika, and the three of us entered the shop.

Once inside, I cocked my head, listening. There were six heartbeats; from the sounds, I thought each was human. I could see five people, all women, all clearly human. Three appeared to be sales clerks; the other two were shoppers. The clerks were young, as was one of the other shoppers. The other was perhaps in her fifties.

I cocked my head, identifying each heartbeat with the owner. One person was missing, and I used my ears to trace the owner's location. She was somewhere in the back of the store.

"Six heartbeats," I said. I cocked my head the other way. "The extra heartbeat doesn't sound like a wolf, but it's muffled. I think she's in back."

Angel nodded.

"How bad are the smells?" I asked her.

"Overwhelming," she said. "If I tell you we're leaving, hand everything to Anika and we're leaving."

"All right. Let's start with the massage oils." I grabbed a shopping basket, looked around, and headed towards the right.

"Michaela, Lara isn't going to like smelling any of this on you."

"Have no fear," I replied.

The staff gave us a minute or two before a clerk approached. She was perhaps upper teens, not long out of high school. She was dressed inexpensively, with heavy makeup: a teenage girl's attempt to look sophisticated. Pinned to her chest was a nametag. "Julie."

"Are you finding what you need?" she asked. She went into a short spiel about their products.

"We like the quality of your products," I said, interrupting her, "but my spouse is allergic to strong scents. Do you have any unscented oils?"

"Of course," the girl replied. She showed us how to identify the unscented choices. "My aunt doesn't care for perfume, either," she said.

Julie helped us with my choices. I spent a great deal of money, much to Angel's consternation.

"Please, Michaela," she whispered to me at one point.

"Just a few more minutes, Angel. I'll make it up to you."

Finally, I was satisfied. I handed Anika the cash clutch from my purse. "Get an extra bag," I whispered to her. Then I let Angel pull me from the store. We made it to the sidewalk, and she began sneezing.

Immediately Portia and Serena were at my side, taking me from Angel, and they led us further away from the front of the store, Angel sneezing the entire time. Her eyes started watering, and I felt very guilty for subjecting her to that.

Anika rejoined us long before Angel had herself under control. Serena provided tissues for the distraught wolf.

No one rushed her. I covered my guilt by digging through the bags Anika carried. I found the spare shopping bag and moved several items into it. I moved everything else into a couple of GreEN shopping bags I kept in my purse. Lara took them from me, earning herself a few points.

Finally, Angel's sneezes ended, although her eyes were red and puffy. "Head Enforcer, I am unfit for duty."

"You're off duty for now," Elisabeth said. "Stick to Michaela. You'll be fine in an hour or two."

"Angel, I'm sorry," I said.

"It's okay, Michaela," she replied. "It's just a little sneezing and a clogged nose."

"A cup of hot tea will help," Violet said.

"These are for you and Scarlett," I said, holding out the bag I had separated. "I hope you like them."

She took the bag with a weak smile, but then she took my arm. I hoped she would be fine.

Two shops later, I pulled Elisabeth to the side. "I shouldn't have insisted on visiting that store."

She frowned. "This falls under the category of the enforcers making a small sacrifice to give you as normal a life as we can, Michaela."

"That's easy for you to say," I said with a glance at Angel. "You're not the one still rubbing her eyes. She's acting like it's worse than cayenne pepper."

"In a way, it is," Elisabeth replied. "Pepper is sharper, but you can sneeze it away. She was breathing those scents for nearly fifteen minutes. They filled both her nose and her lungs, and it's also embedded in her clothes. Have you noticed Lara is giving you a little distance?"

I could still smell the faint scents from the store, but I thought it smelled nice.

"It's in my hair, isn't it?"

"Yep. It's fading, but you'll both need showers when we get back."

I nodded. "You haven't made me try anything on today."

"I am biding my time," she replied. "Don't worry."

I laughed.

Lara was very generous with the shopping trip, and the occupants from her plane enjoyed themselves immensely.

I bought a new jacket for Angel. She protested, but I told her it was practically made for her, and Scarlett was going to like seeing her in it.

I didn't pick any clothes for myself; Elisabeth did it for me. She started with six or seven different choices for me to try, and so I invited her to the dressing room with me. Two of the dresses were ridiculous - I was sure she got them from the Young Misses section. I eyed them dubiously before looking at my sister-in-law, raising an eyebrow.

She looked away, and I thought she was embarrassed. "Please," was all she said.

"Are you going to make me show everyone else?" I asked.

"No," she said in a quiet voice.

I pulled the first one on, and she did the zipper for me. Then I did a slow circle for her, catching her smiling as she looked at me. "I once tried on a dress like this."

"How old were you?"

"I don't know. Maybe eleven. I looked ridiculous."

"Well, I look ridiculous, too."

"But you wouldn't have at eleven."

I looked at myself in the mirror. "No, I suppose I wouldn't have. Did you end up buying it?"

"I wanted it," she said. "In spite of how bad I looked."

"What stopped you?"

"Mom wouldn't pay for it. I sulked for two days."

I didn't say anything further, but I did a slow pirouette to let her see, stopping to face her. She watched as I turned, but then she looked away to stare at the wall again.

"What's going on, Elisabeth?"

"You would have looked really cute in that."

"I look really cute in everything," I said with a grin. She glanced at me, offering a brief smirk of her own.

"Take that off," she said. While I undressed, she moved the other outfit to the discard hook, and once I was standing in my undies, she asked, "Will you try the others?"

"Of course." One by one, I tried the other outfits. Elisabeth and I both vetoed one of her choices; it clashed terribly with my hair. But I said little about the others. She spent most of the time smiling while watching me, but I could sense nervousness, as well, and her heart rate was elevated.

I went back and forth, deciding whether to say something, but finally I called her on it. "Do I make the big, strong enforcer nervous?"

"Of course not," she denied.

"And yet your heart is pounding."

She turned away again, not responding.

"What's going on, Elisabeth? Are you going to make me buy one of those?" I gestured to the first dress she'd made me try.

"No."

"Are you afraid I'm going to get mad if you make me buy one or two of these?"

"No."

"Then what gives?"

"I-" she broke off. "If I asked you to pick one, would you?"

"Nope. But I won't fuss. I will fuss, however, if you don't tell me what's wrong."

"Zoe told me she'd let me dress her this way, if I wanted."

"Regrets?" I asked her.

"No. We weren't right for each other."

I moved around, inserting myself between her and the wall. She tried looking over my head, but I can be hard to ignore. "Tell me."

She tried to look away again, but finally she looked down at me. "I shouldn't have made this wager, and I shouldn't hold you to it."

"But you don't want to let me out of it, do you?"

"I-" Again she tried to turn away, but I reached up and pulled her back to face me. She let me get away with it.

"The truth, Elisabeth."

"I'm living vicariously through my sister and her mate."

I studied her. "Do you like dressing me?"

"Yes." It was almost a whisper.

"The same way you would enjoy dressing your own mate?"

"Yes." It came out a little strangled.

"Good." I leaned up and kissed her cheek. I think I surprised her with it. "You do a lot for me, Elisabeth. I'm touched and pleased you enjoy my company."

"But-"

I set my fingers across her lips, and she stilled. "Which ones are we getting today?"

Together, we picked two. I ended up with another off-the-shoulder maxi dress, this time in violet. Elisabeth was definitely showing a preference. But I admitted: I looked good. She picked an ivory shawl to go with it. The other was a little black dress. I looked stunning.

If I may say so myself.

It was a busy day. We made it back to the house in the late afternoon. Angel headed for an immediate shower, and shortly after, the rest of us disappeared into our respective rooms to get ready for the evening.

I had nothing to do with the costumes for Violet, James and Hanna, but I'd worked with a pack seamstress to have custom costumes made for Lara, the enforcers, and, of course, myself. I let my sense of humor come through.

I dressed my mate to look like a ghost, all in off-white top hat and tails. She had a white brocade vest, coat, slacks, and white shoes. There were gloves and a scarf along with a wig of long, dusty-white hair.

I had never seen Lara in long hair before, and I thought it looked good on her. From her expression during her fitting, she was bemused by my choice.

She looked quite nummy.

I dressed Serena and Karen as two more ghosts. They were both in off-white, hooded gowns that appeared to be shredded, and they had a steel chain around their waists with a long end I expected them to hold and, to really get into the spirit, so to speak, to clank.

Angel and Portia were both zombies. Scarlett designed their makeup and taught them how to do it. Portia dressed in a confederate soldier's uniform, torn, ragged and dirty. Angel dressed like a college girl, also with torn, ragged clothing. We'd added a few bloodstains. I wanted to use real blood, but both of them had balked at smelling dried blood on themselves all night.

For Eric we started with a Mad Hatter idea, but then we zombie-ized it in a similar fashion to Portia and Angel. Portia did his makeup for him.

Ah, but Elisabeth, my sister-in-law, who I love fourth in life only behind my two daughters and my mate... I dressed her as a voodoo doll, complete with large pins that appeared to be stuck through her.

And then for myself... We were to be in New Orleans, and so I dressed as a voodoo queen. That left me with Angel, Eric and Portia as my zombies, Serena and Karen as two of my previous victims, and my sister-in-law as a voodoo doll.

Sometimes I amuse myself.

I helped Lara get ready then chased her downstairs. "Text me when everyone else is waiting," I told her. "I want to make my entrance."

She laughed.

"I can't believe I'm letting you put me in a wig," she complained.

"You look hot," I told her. "You are so wearing all of this-" and I gestured to her, "-when I let you take me later."

She grinned.

For me, the hardest part was the makeup. Scarlett spent hours trying to help me, simplifying a design until we reached something I could do myself. I started with white face paint. I used a variety of very dark brown pencils to draw across my forehead beginning with two heavy arches from my ears, arching above my eyebrows, and meeting above my nose. Where the arches met, I continued the line down my nose, stopping in a point short of the tip.

Above that, I added more lines to follow the same arch, but not connected, with a sort of swirl representing a third eye in the middle.

Below my eyes, I did a reverse arch to the ones above, then added a dark brown rouge across my cheekbones and, widely speaking, framing my mouth. I used heavy kohl around my eyes and drew vertical lines through my eyebrows and across my painted lips.

My hair received a significant amount of hairspray, taking what was already a wild mane and making it even wilder. To it, I add a headdress of feathers.

My clothes were the easiest: a simple, ivory peasant blouse and heavy, brown skirt, both cotton. I then added a significant amount of big jewelry. My earrings dangled with white skulls hanging at the tips. They were the heaviest earrings I'd ever worn.

I wore my chopsticks and all four knives openly, even adding two more knives sheathed off my belt and set up for a cross draw in front of me. I also added two more voodoo dolls hanging from my belt.

One of the dolls looked almost exactly like Elisabeth in her costume.

I'd had fun.

I wasn't remotely finished by the time Lara texted me. I replied, "Twenty more minutes." It was more like a half hour. I sent her another text. "Is everyone dressed properly?"

"We all look suitably haunting, although Elisabeth refuses to explain her costume."

I sent back an "LOL" and told her if she figured it out by the time we made it out of the house, without any hints of any sort, I'd let her grope my bottom. I got my own "LOL" back.

Finally I was ready. I checked my appearance one more time and resisted the urge to futz with the makeup; I wasn't going to improve on it. I would only make it worse.

I poked my head out the bedroom door. No one was in sight. At the top of the stairs, I looked around the corner and called down, "Where is everyone?"

"Downstairs," Angel called back.

"In the library?"

"Portia and Karen are outside."

"I'll get a better entrance if you're all together," I said. "And you know how I like a good entrance."

Angel laughed, but then I heard Elisabeth step to the door and call the two enforcers in. I cocked my head, listening, and a moment later, it was safe to descend.

"If anyone peeks early, you will feel my wrath," I announced once I was halfway down the stairs. I moved to the library entrance, still out of sight from anyone inside, paused, and then stepped into the doorway.

Everyone was already waiting for me, and there were a great many eyes turned in my direction. No one said a word, but then Violet began laughing.

"What?" Elisabeth asked.

"Don't you see?" She explained. "She's your voodoo queen, and you are all her subjects. Or victims, as the case may be."

I strode forward and put on a scowl. "And don't you forget it, either!"

Anika and Joanna stepped forward from their places in back. They were both dressed as witches, with voodoo-zombie face paint but black clothes and a witch's hat. Joanna studied me carefully.

"Am I going to offend anyone?"

"No," she replied. "Our mistress will be quite pleased."

Even a year and a half after breaking the blood thrall, the simple thought of Carissa's approval sent a shudder of pleasure through me. I knew my eyes glazed over for a moment, and for several seconds I couldn't think about anything else.

But then I shook myself and smiled. "I would like to speak to both of you very briefly before we go." I didn't wait for a response but turned on my heel and exited the room again. Behind me, Joanna and Anika followed me. I led them to the ballroom, closing the door behind them.

"Is something wrong?" Joanna asked.

"No. I want to ask a question. If I am being rude, I hope you will forgive me."

"Of course," she said.

"Are you both Carissa's blood thralls?"

They both startled at my question, and their faces immediately turned blank. I was sure I had just asked a poor question, but then Anika made an "oh" face.

"You were her thrall?" she asked.

"Yes, for a brief time."

They both studied me for a moment, and then Joanna said, "Your question was unexpected. It wasn't rude. Yes, we are two of her thralls." She smiled when she said it, closing her eyes briefly. I recognized her expression.

"Why do you ask?" said Anika.

"I was only her thrall for a brief time, and it's been a year and a half," I said. "My brain still goes to mush around her."

"You get used to that," Joanna said. "Sort of, anyway. That's what it was like for me for the first few years." She smiled again. "Now I am able to serve her, but my knees still turn to jelly when she expresses her pleasure."

"You want to know if you ever outgrow it." Anika made it a statement. I nodded. "We can't tell you. She reinforces my thrall frequently." Then she closed her eyes and swayed, smiling. "Sometimes I ask her to do it. If I've particularly pleased her, she'll Call me a dozen times, and then just the thought of serving her fills me with unbelievable pleasure, much less a kind word."

Joanna nodded. "She had to cut us off when you told her you were coming or we wouldn't be any good to you. I can't wait for what she does to me after you leave."

"I'm sorry," I said.

"Don't be," Anika replied. "It is our duty to serve our mistress. We're honored to have been chosen. We volunteered."

"She has the local werewolves as her thralls," Joanna said. "She doesn't hold them as closely she does us and some of the other humans. But I've never known her to release one of her thralls. What did you do that she sent you away?"

"I can't talk about that," I said.

"Well, she's forgiven you," Anika said.

"Excuse me?"

"Well, she sent you away to punish you," she explained. "But she's forgiven you. You're back now."

"Oh. You should ask her. She wasn't punishing me. The thrall was always meant to be temporary while I did a favor for her."

"A favor? What did she do in return?"

"She offered her friendship," I said.

"Friendship," echoed Joanna. "Mistress rarely offers friendship." She smiled. "Will you tell her you're pleased with us, even if we couldn't answer your questions?"

"Count on it," I said. "Thank you."

It was a thirty-minute ride for us. Carissa sent one more driver, and so there were fourteen of us spread out between three SUVs. It was dark, so I was unable to see much. I let the conversation flow around me.

But as we drew close, Anika explained, "Carissa keeps several residences in and around New Orleans. The party tonight is at her plantation west of town. This was a working plantation prior to the War of Northern Aggression. Unlike Atlanta and other major cities across the south, New Orleans was not burned by Sherman and his marauding hordes. So the house is the original plantation building, although Carissa has renovated it several times, including an expansion during the 1920s."

I shook my head at the thought. Of course, I knew she was ancient, but it was a reminder of how old the vampire was.

A few minutes later, we turned into a long lane, lined with trees. In front of us stood a stately antebellum home, white with columns, consistent with the neoclassic architecture of the time. We drove slowly down the lane, coming to a stop at the head of the walkway to the house.

Of course, we weren't the first to arrive, but the previous arrivals had disappeared inside before we came to a stop; I wondered if that was intentional.

Uniformed valets stepped forward to open the car doors. I knew to sit where I was until one of the enforcers retrieved me, and soon I found myself with Lara and Angel for company. But we only waited a few moments before Karen stepped to our door and invited us to exit. I climbed out and looked up at Carissa's home.

Stately was the only word that came to mind. I got a better look and saw a beautiful veranda around the second floor of the house. Here and there were people watching the new arrivals.

Everyone I saw - even the valets, and I would see later, the servants and staff - wore a costume.

I turned to Lara. "I think we should add a balcony on our house."

"Do you?"

"Yes. I would stand upon the balcony looking down upon you while you recited sonnets you had written, professing your love and exalting my beauty. If you pleased me, I would throw flowers to you, or perhaps a kerchief."

Lara chuckled. "Michaela, you know I love you, and I'd move the heavens for you, but I'm not sure I'm up to composing sonnets."

"They would be better than the limericks Angel writes for Scarlett."

She chuckled again. "Don't be too sure."

She offered her arm. I clasped it, and together we strode towards the front door, the enforcers surrounding us, Violet, James and Hanna following in our wake.

At the door, Carissa was waiting. I had expected her to be inside somewhere, holding court, so to speak, but instead, she was greeting her guests. As we drew closer, I tried to guess what her costume represented. She had dyed her hair blond and wore it in a ponytail. She was dressed in jeans and a long, shimmery red shirt around which was a belt.

She looked very casual but a little sexy, and as soon as I had that thought, my brain shut down again. I kept moving forward, a combination of inertia and my hand still on Lara's arm. But otherwise I couldn't think.

The enforcers made way for us, and Lara led us to our host.

"Michaela," she said warmly, her voice chasing away whatever lingering thoughts were still rattling through it. "Lara." She stepped forward and took my hands from Lara.

I gaped at her.

"Mistress," I said slowly.

"Oh dear," Carissa said. "This should have worn off."

Lara growled, and after a moment, that broke through the mush. Without releasing Carissa's hands, I turned my head towards Lara slowly.

"Lara," I said quietly. "No growling."

She didn't grow silent, but she didn't get worse. Carissa remained quiet. I closed my eyes then shook my head. When I opened my eyes again, I could begin to think. "Lara, we're guests. Calm down. I'm fine."

She moved a little closer and stared into my eyes, reaching out a hand to clasp my chin. I didn't shy away, but I smiled softly. Her growl silenced.

"I'm fine," I repeated. "It only lasts a few seconds. Be polite for us." I wasn't ready to speak to Carissa yet.

Lara didn't take her eyes off me immediately, but she said, "Carissa. Thank you for having us."

"I couldn't be more pleased you accepted," Carissa said. I tingled at her words, but my ability to think didn't backslide any further than it had. "Perhaps you could introduce me to everyone else, and by then, your mate will have finished recovering."

"Of course," said Lara. Lara first reintroduced the enforcers Carissa already knew: Elisabeth, Serena, and Karen. Then she finished with the other enforcers: Eric, Portia, and Angel.

When she introduced Angel, Carissa said, "Ah, Angel Greene. How is your mate? I understand she is quite the architect."

I hadn't told her, and so Carissa was telling us, and not very subtly, that she was paying attention to us.

When introduced to Portia, she asked, "Do you find the Madison pack to your liking? Is your mother going to leave Texas to join you in Wisconsin?"

"You are well-informed," Portia replied.

"I like to know who my friends are," Carissa replied. "And so? Do you enjoy Wisconsin?"

"I do," Portia replied. "I've been very happy."

Then Lara introduced Violet.

"Ah, Violet Gray," Carissa said warmly. "I am very pleased you could come. I have a number of people you must meet later."

She was just as warm - and well informed - about James and Hanna.

Finally she turned back to me. My brain was working again. "Are you with us now?" she asked me.

I nodded. "But I am not sure I am thinking as clearly as I would like. I have not determined the nature of your costume."

"Ah," she replied. "It's a cultural reference from a time you were perhaps not attuned to the relevant culture."

"She's Buffy," Angel said from past Serena.

"She's what?"

"Not what," Violet provided. "Who. Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

I cocked my head. "Should I have heard of her?"

Carissa chuckled. "Apparently not. She is from a television show. She was a very fierce slayer of my kind. Very scary."

Some of the wolves chuckled, but it was forced.

"But let me look at all of you," Carissa said. "Then we must move inside." She took my hands again and held my arms wide. "Quite striking," she said, "and very fitting for our location."

"I thought so," I said.

Then she looked at everyone else, studying each of them carefully. Violet was dressed as a traditional witch. James and Hanna were done up as rather kitsch werewolves, which was kind of funny. Then Carissa smiled. "Michaela, I believe you orchestrated most of these costumes, but not all of them."

Violet chuckled. "She didn't even try to get the three of us to match her theme. I'm not sure if I would have been amused or annoyed."

"Not all my guests are this creative," Carissa said with a gesture. "Thank you for observing my tradition. Come in; come in. Be welcome - and safe - in my home. All are safe here, but I must relay the rules."

"Of course," Lara said.

"There are to be no altercations. My vampires will see to it. If you find yourself in a difficult situation, back away and allow my vampires to attend to any issues. No shifting to fur." She eyed me. "And I would prefer your knives remained safely sheathed."

"You know I never start anything, Carissa," I said. "But I am very good at finishing them."

"We both know the first half of your statement is not entirely true," Carissa countered.

"I won't start anything tonight," I promised. "But nor will I be passive when a response is required."

She sighed dramatically, but it was Lara who rescued the situation.

"She'll behave," Lara promised. "We aren't looking for trouble. You know that."

"Of course," Carissa said. "I wished only to be clear. Please enter."

She stepped aside with a dramatic gesture. "Make yourselves at home. Michaela, I will find you later. We have so much to discuss."

It was a grand party, if a little intimidating. I could readily identify the other werewolves, although Lara and the enforcers kept me isolated from them. The races of Carissa's other guests were very difficult to guess. I was sure some were vampires and others were humans. But especially in their costumes, I couldn't have said, "This one is a vampire, that one is a human."

And I'm sure some of them were other races, perhaps other weres, perhaps witches or fae. Deirdre was the only fae I had ever met, so I wasn't sure what to look for.

There was a map in the foyer explaining where everything was. There were rooms identified as appropriate for conversation: a library and several sitting rooms. Carissa had a large ballroom for dancing and a dining hall with no end of choices of food and drink. Bartenders served drinks, and from time to time, I saw people holding glasses of what I was sure was blood.

I tried not to stare.

Some of the costumes were elaborate. Other than the high quality, there were few surprises. Represented were death, witches, vampires, ghosts, and every other sort of creature that goes bump in the night. I saw one woman dressed as Medusa, and I could have sworn the snakes were real.

"Maybe they are," Lara said when I commented.

"How does she keep them there?"

"Michaela, does it not occur to you that they could be enthralled in some fashion?" Lara asked. "If there can be werewolves and werefoxes and fae and witches and vampires, can there not be other races with mastery over snakes?"

I stared at the woman for a while; she didn't seem to notice.

We'd been there perhaps an hour. Lara hadn't let me meet anyone, and we hadn't danced either. But I'd been able to ogle a lot of people, guessing what their costumes were and wondering about their race.

But then a contingent of wolves was clearly making their way towards us. There were two males with females on their arms, and around them, four more males, clearly enforcers.

When it was clear they intended to introduce themselves, Lara said simply, "Serena."

I immediately found my arm clasped, and a moment later, Eric was on my other side. The two of them pulled me backwards, away from the approaching wolves, and all the other enforcers formed a shell around me. Lara and Elisabeth stood together, shoulder-to-shoulder, facing the approaching wolves.

"Hey!" I muttered, but I kept my voice down. I looked over at Serena, who hadn't released my arm. I glared at her.

Without looking at me, she leaned in my direction. "You promised to behave."

I couldn't see past the wall of wolves, and there was so much competing noise, I couldn't follow the progress of the approaching wolves with my ears. I didn't like it; I didn't like it at all.

"Let go," I said in my best Alpha voice.

Neither of them relaxed their grip. Neither of them was looking at me, either. Eric and Serena were both looking left and right. Angel was behind us, watching our back. Karen and Portia were in front of us, standing just off Elisabeth and Lara's shoulders. I craned my neck around, wondering if there were other dangers.

I squirmed. "Let me go!" I ordered again. In response, Eric wrapped his hand around my arm more completely. His hands were so big he could engulf my entire bicep with one hand.

Serena leaned back to me again. "You know we have orders. Take it up with Lara later. You promised to behave. Now behave."

I fumed for about a second and a half, and then I crossed my hands in front of me, putting my hands on my sheathed knives.

"Let me go. Or else."

They must have been waiting for it. I didn't think either of them was paying that much attention to me. It had been an empty threat; I wouldn't have drawn on them in this situation. But they took me seriously, and I found my wrists clasped in a strong wolf hand. This left both Serena and Eric facing me, but they shifted position, and I could see Serena looking over Eric's shoulder. Turning my head the other way, Eric was doing the same thing, watching Serena's side of the room.

"Michaela," said Serena very quietly. "Release the knives or we'll break your wrists."

"You wouldn't dare."

"Do you really want to escalate it and find out?"

Fuming, I released the knives. As soon as I did, they pulled my hands away from my body.

"Portia, watch for me," Serena said. Portia shifted position, covering Serena's territory. Eric turned away from me, pulling my arm partly behind my back to do it, but Serena didn't release me. She moved in front of me, looking down into my eyes. "You've never broken a promise to me."

"Are you accusing me of doing so now?"

"No. You are now going to promise to behave. My definition, not yours."

My version of behaving was very different from hers. I sighed. It wasn't the time for a dispute between all of us. But I was pissed.

I'd been having a good time, too. Even if they hadn't let me meet anyone.

"You don't know these wolves," she added. "We do. Now, promise."

"Fine," I said. "I'll be a meek little rabbit and behave. But when we get back, you might want to ask for a transfer from my detail."

"Don't come to final decisions before you let Elisabeth explain," Serena said. And then she and Eric both released my wrists. Eric released my arm as well, but Serena kept hold of me.

"I said I'd behave."

"And if I have to move quickly, I want to know where you are," she said. But then she turned away. "I'm watching, Portia," she said. And then Portia returned to facing forward.

While all this was happening, the wolves had stepped up to Lara and Elisabeth. I'd been paying attention as best I could, but even my ears had trouble hearing.

But the wolves weren't quiet.

"Greetings, Madison Alpha," one of the males said.

"Good evening, Santa Fe alpha," Lara replied.

Santa Fe? That was in New Mexico. Ysabella Bancroft, the Boulder alpha's mate, was from New Mexico. Her hothead brother had killed Daniel Bancroft's first mate, and Ysabella had been offered as partial reparations to prevent war. I suddenly wondered what the wolves from New Mexico were like. I also wondered if my wolves knew more about them than I did.

"At least let me go a little closer so I can hear," I said, leaning upwards to speak into Serena's ear.

In response, she looked around briefly then nodded, sliding forward a few feet, pulling me with her. I still couldn't see past my wolves, but it was enough I could hear just a little more readily.

I really wanted to tell everyone else at the party to be quiet.

"I don't recall previously seeing anyone from Madison at these events," the Santa Fe alpha said. "Have you decided to play with the big boys?"

"Carissa invited us," Lara said. She shrugged. "It sounded like a good time, and we had business with her besides." She paused a moment, and then she said, "But I haven't met your mate, Aaron."

"I suppose you haven't," he said. "Rhea, this is Lara Burns. You have probably heard about her."

Aaron's mate didn't say anything, and I couldn't see her, but I presumed she nodded. Lara said, "I'm pleased to meet you, Rhea. This is Elisabeth, my sister and head enforcer."

"That's not what I've heard," Aaron said with a snort. "I've heard your head enforcer is a fox. Where did she go?"

Elisabeth's back stiffened. I glanced at Serena to see if she was going to let me go, but she wasn't watching me; she was still watching for danger. Then I looked around, and I saw Kristian working his way through the crowd. Eric wasn't watching him, but he hadn't met him.

"Serena, we have company."

She turned to look at me, and I gestured. "The vampire that took me."

"Eric," she said quietly. "Male, your two o'clock, moving left to right on an oblique intercept."

"I've got him," Eric said. "There are two more heading this way as well."

"Only one on this side," she said. "They're here to ensure the peace."

From in front, Lara gestured behind her back, holding out her hand. "Serena, Lara wants me."

Serena leaned down to me. "If this turns bad, you promised to behave."

I glanced at her and sighed. "Fine." As if, but I didn't tell her that. She eyed me once then released my arm before turning back to watch the crowd.

I stepped up behind Lara, passing between Karen and Portia and standing immediately behind the gap formed by Lara and Elisabeth's shoulders. I took Lara's hand and then wormed my way between the two of them. Lara released my hand and wrapped an arm around my shoulder.

I got my first good look at the other wolves. Aaron and his enforcer reminded me a great deal of Durian Grant, the former alpha from Chicago. They were big with hard expressions, and I didn't care for their body language. Their four enforcers were arrayed in front of us in a sweeping line.

But they were outnumbered, and I wasn't remotely worried. Plus I knew Kristian and Carissa were more than a match for them.

"Ah, there she is," said the Santa Fe alpha. He looked down his nose at me. "She's not much to look at. I am left wondering whether all the stories are nothing but tall tales."

"You know the nature of rumor," I countered. "The tales always grow in the telling." I looked up at Lara. "Are you going to introduce me, my love?"

"Of course," she replied. "Michaela, this is Aaron White, the alpha from Santa Fe, and his mate, Rhea."

I didn't offer my hand. "I'm pleased to meet you both."

"And Luke Able is Aaron's head enforcer," Lara continued. "I haven't met his mate, but I believe she is Kristin."

"Kris," the woman said. She nodded at us. "I've never seen a werefox before."

"We're shy," I said. At least if she hadn't seen one, that meant she'd never hunted one, which was more than I could say about some of the wolves I'd met previously.

At that point, the vampires, Kristian in the lead, arrived. I wasn't sure why they had moved at human speeds. "Is everyone enjoying the party?" he asked.

I froze. I hadn't heard his voice since the night he had kidnapped me. It was not a voice I cared to hear. But this time, I didn't think he meant trouble.

"We're having a fabulous time," Lara offered. She didn't even look in his direction, but kept her gaze on the other wolves. "Carissa is to be commended."

I stared at Kristian. It wasn't quite a glare, but it was a close thing. Maybe his mistress had apologized to me, but he hadn't.

Oh, I could be the queen at holding a grudge. The thing is, I usually found a way to repay anyone who was worthy of a grudge. I didn't think I could repay Kristian even if I'd been free to do so.

It was an uncomfortable feeling.

"My mate wished to meet the female alpha and her petite pet," the Santa Fe alpha said.

I didn't even bristle. "Oh? You think Lara is petite? I've always thought her to be the perfect size."

It may have been forced, but from around me, the Madison wolves chuckled, even Lara. I briefly wondered if I were going to pay for that comment later, but then I realized I was mad at her, anyway. We would be talking.

The other alpha scowled at me. "That's right. Your pack council elevated you to alpha status." He shook his head. "Imagine. A fox alpha over good, strong wolves."

"We would never allow that in New Mexico," the head enforcer said.

I shrugged. "The world is filled with so many kinds of people. It is our differences that make the world an intriguing place. I dare say we wouldn't have been worth meeting if we were just another traditional pack. It has been very interesting, Alpha." And with that, I faded backwards. Lara and Elisabeth closed ranks in front of me, and then Serena's hand was on my shoulder, pulling me back further. I went where she led me, but we would all be talking later.

Lara and Aaron exchanged a few more pointless pleasantries, Kristian and his vampires watching on, and then both groups backed away from each other. A moment later, Lara turned around and stepped over to stand in front of me.

"We'll be chatting later," I said, "while we discuss the future of my security detail."

Her brow furrowed. "I don't need this tonight."

"Which is why it will be later," I said.

From beside me, Serena didn't say anything. I owed her the opportunity to report to Elisabeth before I did what I could to have her fired from my team.

"I heard there was dancing," I said.

 **Meeting**

Other than brief glimpses, I didn't see Deirdre for the first three hours we were there. Carissa worked the party herself, giving each group time. I saw her with Violet and James, introducing them to a couple dressed as a pair of ghosts. I danced with Lara and Angel but refused any other dances.

I wondered, and not for the first time, if Daniel Bancroft was here somewhere. But I hadn't seen him nor any of his wolves, and I was damned if I was going to ask.

Lara and Elisabeth spoke briefly with a number of other werewolves. Some of them clearly wanted nothing more than to get a closer look at me. I was also introduced to some other people, races unknown, and I didn't ask.

So far, the trip had, by and large, sucked. Oh, there had been occasional good moments, but neither Lara nor I were responding well to the stress. I kept my anger to myself, but the only question in my mind was when and how far would I boil over. I vowed not to do it in front of strangers.

My mood was about to change.

It was Kristian who found us, shortly before midnight. He approached carefully, and again I found myself surrounded by enforcers. I didn't protest, but it was very difficult to enjoy a party when all I could see was a wall of backs.

"Madison Alpha," Kristian said. "I did not properly introduce myself. I am Kristian."

"I know who you are," Lara replied, the tightness in her back belying her casual tone.

"Carissa wishes to discuss something with your mate," Kristian said. "If you will come this way."

"Of course," Lara said. She gestured, and Serena released me so I could go to her. I let Lara put an arm around me, but I wasn't happy about it, and I was sure she could tell.

But I was excited at the same time. I didn't think Carissa would have kept me waiting if she didn't have any news. And if she were going to tell me the fox she had known of was a myth - or dead - I didn't think she'd pick this party to do it. And so, I was excited to hear what she had to tell me, and I put my dispute with the wolves aside.

For now.

"Are you all right?" Lara asked me quietly. When I glanced over at her, she was looking at me with concern.

"I'm fine," I said somewhat tightly.

"You're quivering," she said. She frowned. "You're excited. You're excited to see Carissa! God damn it; the thrall isn't broken after all. I just knew it!"

She came to a stop and was ready to haul be bodily from the party, but I said, "Lara, stop it! That's not it. She has an answer to a question I asked her. That's all. Stop it!"

She turned me to face her. "What question?"

"I already told you. Am I the last fox? She has news, probably good news." I pulled away from her and turned to follow Kristian. He had waited for us, and if the wolves hadn't been so high strung about security, I would happily have left them behind. But then I found myself flanked again, Lara stepping up to my side.

She was upset. I found I didn't care. Neither of us talked during the trip through the house, and she didn't put her arm around me. I was just fine with that.

Kristian led us upstairs and down two ornate corridors before coming to a stop before a set of double doors. "I am sorry, but I cannot allow all of you inside. Carissa vouches for your safety."

"She's not going in without me and a guard," Lara stated.

"You and one other," Kristian said. "The rest may remain here."

"Karen, hold everyone here," Elisabeth said. And then she stepped up to my right side, Lara already taking the left. Lara nodded, and Kristian stepped to the door, opening it inward for us.

Lara hesitated for a moment, and then three of us stepped into the room.

It was a sitting room straight out of some sort of historical romance. There were no windows, but there was a fire in the fireplace on the far wall with a sitting arrangement of furniture perched before the fireplace. Carissa, Deirdre, and two people I didn't know where waiting for us, standing to the right of the fireplace.

If they had been talking, they stopped when the door opened, and I never caught a word of the conversation.

Kristian gestured us forward, closing the doors behind us, then he stepped past us to take a place along the wall to our left, a silent observer to the conversation that was to begin.

We stepped forward.

"Michaela, darling," Carissa said, holding her arms out. "Are you enjoying the party?"

I decided to give Lara a little punishment, just a down payment on what I owed her. She didn't have hold of me, and I smoothly moved forward, straight into Carissa's embrace.

I think I surprised the vampire, but she wrapped her arms around me and gave me a quick hug. "This is not wise," she whispered so quietly only I could hear. And so when she unwrapped me, I stepped backwards and let Lara draw me away from the vampire, pressing my back against her front and wrapping her arms around me.

At least she hadn't growled.

"It's a lovely party," Lara said. "We've had an intriguing time."

"Carefully said," Carissa observed.

My mind was working, which surprised me. I studied Carissa for a moment, then turned my gaze to Deirdre.

She was dressed as some sort of earth spirit, wearing all brown and green, with twigs and leaves in her hair and decorating her clothing. I didn't ask what it represented.

Her anticipation was clear, and I thought perhaps she was nearly as excited as I was. Her excitement fed mine, and I was sure there was good news.

Then I studied Carissa's two guests. They looked like two humans in Halloween costumes. The woman appeared young, perhaps in her twenties, and was dressed in peasant clothes with a wane, pale appearance. The man with her was older. His peasant clothes were tattered, his hair was slicked back, and he was wearing makeup that made him look wet.

I had no idea what they represented.

We exchanged pleasantries with Deirdre. Lara didn't bristle when she hugged me, and I held her tightly for a minute. "You have good news for me," I said into her ear.

"And you will wait to hear it," she replied before releasing me.

Then Carissa introduced us to the woman. "This is Ekaterina Kirillovna Vedenin, the Queen of St. Petersburg."

I didn't know the protocol when meeting a vampire queen. Carissa hadn't stood on ceremony, and in a way, I was a queen as well. But then Ekaterina answered that by stepping forward and shaking first Lara's hand, and then mine.

"I am pleased to meet you, Ekaterina Kir..." I trailed off. Her name had been a mouthful.

"Ah. You may call me Ekaterina." She shook her head. "Most Americans would have called me Kate. But a proper, Russian name does not spill off an American tongue so easily." Then she took both my hands and spread my arms wide, studying me.

"Lovely," she said. "I can understand why it tortures you to have parted with her, Carissa."

The woman spoke English with a thick, Russian accent. It was so thick I thought perhaps she intentionally fostered it that way.

"She belongs in her northern forests," Carissa said. "She would have wilted, an uprooted flower in our southern bayous."

"Ah, if it is forests she desires, you could have given her to me. We have forests in excess."

I expected Lara to growl. Instead, she said nothing, and I ignored her, focusing on the vampire queen. I cocked my head. "I am trying to understand your costume tonight, Ekaterina."

"Ah. If you do not know Russian mythology, you would not guess. I am a rusalka, a young woman who died violently and now haunts the woods. Gregoria plays the role of one of my victims, summoned to die an untimely death. And your costume?"

I smiled. "If you are unfamiliar with New Orleans stories, you would also not guess. I am a voodoo queen tonight."

The vampire laughed. "And your head enforcer is your voodoo doll. Most excellent. If we poke pins in her, who suffers for it?"

"Undoubtedly the one foolish enough to poke her with pins," I said with a laugh.

Lara and Elisabeth weren't amused by the conversation, but everyone else laughed lightly.

The vampire released me, and then I asked, "Carissa, does Ekaterina have an answer to the question I asked you?"

"I do," Ekaterina answered for herself. "But before I answer, we must get to know one another somewhat better." She took my hand and let me to a loveseat, pulling me down next to her. There was nowhere for Lara to sit next to me.

And as I was mad at her, I was perfectly content accepting the look of consternation she gave me.

Everyone else took seats. I ignored the wolves and focused on the vampire.

"Please, Ekaterina. Can you at least tell me? Am I the last fox?"

She studied me for a moment before she answered. "You are not the last, but I will say no more until I know you better. Carissa vouches for your integrity, and from the way she talks about you, I can feel the depth of her respect for you. But we have met only moments ago, and I will come to my own conclusions."

"But, please," I begged. "Do you..." I paused and licked my lips. "Do you have a fox?"

She frowned, then her features cleared. "I see this is important to you, but I will not answer you yet." And then she changed the topic

We talked for perhaps a half hour. Twice more I tried to steer the conversation back to other foxes, and the second time she told me bluntly, "I will discuss that when I am ready, and not a moment before. We will do this my way, or we will not do it at all." Her eyes bore into mine.

I returned her gaze. Inside, I felt frantic. She had information I desperately wanted, and I was ready to admit my impatience. I also knew she understood how desperate I was for her information.

But I am Fox. In spite of Carissa's proximity, my mind was working; it was working overtime. I understood what she wanted, and I knew I had to pay her price to get what I wanted. I knew I couldn't browbeat her into giving me what I wanted, and thus I was forced to buy the information.

And so, I offered my next payment. I submissively lowered my eyes from hers, bowing my head slightly, and said, "I am sorry, Ekaterina."

I bet Lara wished she could get me to back down the way Ekaterina had, but neither she nor Elisabeth had made a sound since we had all sat down.

All were silent for several heartbeats, and then Ekaterina said, "Of course. It is forgotten." She reached out and lifted my chin. I let her.

I heard Lara's heart rate rise; she didn't like the way Ekaterina was treating me. But she remained quiet.

I answered her questions for another forty minutes. At times, it felt like an inquisition. At other times, it was more akin to a conversation. In her way, Ekaterina was quite charming. She was darkly beautiful and, even without her vampiric charms, deeply compelling. She was intelligent and well spoken.

There was a time I would have been deeply attracted to her. But of course, I only had eyes for Lara.

Finally she said, "There are a few other things I wish to discuss. I have heard certain rumors about you. I wish you to confirm or deny them." I nodded acquiescence. "I have heard you have survived several death challenges against very large, very competent wolves. Is this true?"

I glanced at Lara, asking for permission. She shrugged, making it my decision. I performed some of my past exploits with significant audiences, wolves with no loyalty to me or my secrets. And some of them I had wanted advertised; I wanted to be the fox boogey monster, after all.

"That is correct," I said. "My reactions are nothing compared to those of an ancient vampire, but compared to werewolves - or younger vampires - I am very fast."

She pressed for details and asked me to take my time. I told her about my more public actions; I didn't tell her about anything from New England. She asked enough questions to keep me speaking, pulling most of the details from me. She expressed appreciation for what I had done.

"I'm sure it's nothing compared to your abilities," I finally stated.

"Perhaps not, but it is not just ownership of abilities, it is also how you use them. You are so small and, I detect, amazingly fragile. And yet you persevere. I also detect there are other encounters you aren't sharing, but I won't press."

"Thank you," I said, lowering my eyes again.

We sat there for a minute, and then she came to a decision. "Well. I have made you wait." I looked up. "I am not quite ready to answer your questions with as much candor as you have answered mine, but I will start with this. You are not the last living werefox."

I already knew that; Carissa wouldn't have put me through all of this only to tell me this woman didn't have information for me.

I waited, hoping she would share more.

She began to smile, and somehow I knew it was predatory. She eyed me up and down for a moment. "And I could introduce you."

Tears immediately began to well into my eyes. It had been so long since I had seen another of my kind. I hadn't fully realized how important this was to me, but now I was filled with a deep longing.

And then Ekaterina crushed my hopes. "You need only come to St. Petersburg."

"No," Lara said, her first word in ninety minutes. She said it firmly, almost staccato.

Ekaterina ignored her. Instead she added, "And join my household."

Lara was immediately on her feet. "No!" she yelled. "Michaela is mine!"

Elisabeth was right next to her, and she interposed herself in front of Lara, holding her back. My mate would have launched herself at the vampire, getting herself killed in the process. Her sister held her back.

Ekaterina turned to her, seemingly casually. "It is not your decision, Wolf. Carissa would not allow me to take her against her will, but if the lovely fox were to offer herself to me, Carissa would enforce her decision."

"Lara," I said. "Calm down."

Then I turned away and brushed the tears away. Then I stood up. "Head enforcer, with my mate's consent, we are returning to Wisconsin as quickly as we can prepare the aircraft." I didn't wait. I turned for the door and was away from any of them before they reacted.

But then there was a whoosh of air, and Ekaterina stood in front of me. I stared up into her face. She didn't touch me, but behind me, Lara was going nearly insane.

"Lara, calm down," I said again without even turning to look at her. I raised an eyebrow to Ekaterina.

"Your mate clearly treats you poorly," she said. "You clearly do not wish to be with her. I would treat you very well. You would want for nothing. And you have felt the thrall before; you know you would be happy, deliriously happy."

"I am sorry, Ekaterina," I said as calmly as I could muster. "Thank you for assuring me I am not alone." I sighed. "That is the wrong way to put it. I am not alone. I have my pack. And I would want greatly if I were to come with you."

"What would you want?"

"My mate, my children, my pack, my friends," I replied. "We're having a spat, but that is the nature of relationships. That is all you detect. Other than her overprotective nature, my mate treats me exactly the way I wish to be treated. It is her nature to protect me; it is my nature to be free. She will not change; I will not change. And so we seek a middle ground, and sometimes there are disputes. That is all."

The vampire studied me then reached out a hand and attempted to steer me back to the sofa. "Come. Let us discuss this further."

"I've taken enough of your time," I said.

From behind me, speaking too quietly for the wolves to hear, Carissa said, "Michaela, trust me. Come back and sit."

I cocked my head, not to hear her better, but to let her know I had heard her. In my fox form, I would have twitched an ear towards her instead. I didn't take my eyes off the vampire in front of me, but then, subtly, I nodded. Ekaterina put her arm around my shoulders and drew me back towards my place.

Lara was going insane, so I pulled away from the vampire and moved to her. "Lara, I love you. When we leave, we are leaving together." I reached up and caressed her cheek. "You know that." I rapped my knuckles against the top of her head, hard enough to hurt. "Get the rocks out of your head."

At that she smiled, briefly, rubbing her head. She let Elisabeth pull her back to her own seat, and then I took mine next to Ekaterina again.

I looked at the vampire. "Well?"

"I wish to discuss your place in my household."

"I have no place in your household, and so it is a very brief conversation," I replied. "If that is all you wished to discuss, we will be going."

And then I waited. She still had more information I wanted.

Then she stood, and I was sure she wasn't going to tell me anything else. She reached down and pulled me to my feet, then put her arm around me again and began leading me towards one of the other doors from the room. I immediately balked, but she stilled me with a question.

"Would you like to know more about my fox?"

She didn't try to draw me from the room; she only drew me in the direction of the door. Then she brought us to a stop and, with her free hand, gestured to the door. On command, it opened.

I didn't realize vampires could do that.

But then I discovered she hadn't; she had simply demonstrated a flair for the dramatic, as a form appeared in the doorway then stepped forward into the light.

It was a woman. She stopped, and we stared at each other.

Before me stood a werefox, the first I had seen in twenty years.

She had my build, although she was even more delicate than I was and, I thought, perhaps a little shorter. But where my wild hair was deep red, hers was white - nearly silver - with a pale complexion to match.

She spoke first, one word in Russian. Ekaterina replied to her in the same language, holding a hand out, and the other fox stepped forward, taking the vampire's hands.

Neither of us took our eyes from the other.

Ekaterina spoke to her in Russian. I heard my name. And then she switched to English. "Michaela, this is Alexandra, but she prefers to be called Sonya." Well, it sounded like Sonya, but not how an America would say the name. I ran it through in my head.

"Sonya," I tried.

The girl shook her head and then said her name again. She pronounced it like I had and shook her head, then she said it differently, and I emulated it as best I could. She nodded.

And then we continued to stare at each other. Ekaterina withdrew her arm from my shoulder and released Sonya, stepping back away from us.

The fox stepped closer to me. I stepped closer to her. And then we flew into each other's arms, both of us crying and babbling, me in English, her in Russian. I didn't understand a word she said, and I didn't think she understood any more from me.

But we understood.

We weren't alone. We each weren't the last.

Finally we separated, each wiping tears from our cheeks. Sonya reached up and fingered my hair, and then she said one of the few English words I would hear from her. "Red."

I nodded and then fingered her own hair. She spoke, and it was clearly a question. Ekaterina moved marginally closer.

"Do you speak any Russian, Michaela?"

"Only the few words any America might know."

"And Sonya speaks very little English," Ekaterina said. "And so, I will translate. She asks if this is the color of your fox. She has not seen this color in a fox before."

"I resemble a North American red fox," I said. "Would she like to see?"

Ekaterina translated, and Sonya laughed, nodding her head. "Da."

I stepped away from them then turned to Lara. She and Elisabeth were standing, watching us. Carissa had a smug look.

"I told you to trust me," she said quietly. I nodded to her but walked to Lara.

"Are you okay?"

"Take your time," she said. "Take all the time you need."

I peeled out of my clothes, Lara helping me after a moment. She collected my knives and carefully set each article of clothing aside. I brushed cheeks with her, then turned back towards Sonya and Ekaterina, both of them watching me. I took two steps for them, then dived forward, shifting into fox before reaching the floor.

Sonya and Ekaterina both exclaimed, speaking rapidly in Russian. Carissa answered in Russian before speaking English. "They are surprised by the swiftness of your shift."

I looked over my head at her then flicked my tail before turning back to Sonya. I approached then turned sideways, giving her a good look. She knelt down to her haunches, speaking quietly. Ekaterina translated.

"May I touch you?"

I chuffed, but then realized I hadn't known what that sound meant when I'd met the wolves, so I wasn't sure whether she would, either. And so I moved to her, brushing my furry cheek against her smooth cheek.

Sonya buried her fingers in my fur, and she knew exactly what I would like most. I grunted my pleasure. She spoke softly, and Ekaterina continued to translate.

"You are beautiful, although this is such an unusual color to me."

I let her continue to stroke and massage me for another minute or so, but then I stepped away. I bounced over to Lara, who was watching quietly. I brushed against her then flowed into human. We spent a few minutes fixing my costume back into place. I looked a little worse for wear, I'm sure, but that was a small matter.

I turned back to Sonya and her vampire. They had been watching me while speaking in hushed, rapid words. But they stilled when I turned to them.

"You have more questions," Ekaterina declared. "Perhaps the two of you should sit. Sonya has questions for you as well." She gestured, and I nodded.

And so Sonya took Ekaterina's old seat. As soon as we were together, she took my hands. The vampire stood behind the love seat, setting her hands on Sonya's shoulders.

We both spoke at the same time. "Are there more of us?" I asked. Carissa and Ekaterina both laughed. I turned to Carissa. "What?"

"She asks the same question of you."

"I will answer for Russia if Carissa can answer for North America," Ekaterina offered. Carissa began to speak in Russian, and Ekaterina told me, "There are always rumors. Alexandra came to me almost by accident; I interfered in a hunt."

I hissed my displeasure, then apologized. "That was not for you," I said hastily.

"I didn't believe it was." She paused. "It is her choice if she wishes to tell you more. She is the last of her family unit, and while there are rumors of other foxes, neither of us know of any."

"You were always going to introduce us. What was the game earlier?"

She smiled and didn't answer. "I am sorry we do not bring better news."

I looked back down to Sonya and said to her, "You are the first fox I have seen in twenty years."

She listened to the translation and said, "For me, it is eleven."

And then we were hugging again, and we held each other for a long time, neither of us wishing to release the other.

For all we knew, we were the last living foxes on the planet, and if that were true, our species would die when we did.

 **Part Two**

 **Dispute**

"Are you all right?" Lara asked me later that night. We were alone in our room. We were both long out of costumes and dressed for bed.

I shook my head.

She moved to stand behind me. She knew I had been mad at her. I'd been quiet, uttering no more words than strictly necessary since taking leave of Ekaterina and Sonya. I didn't think I'd see her again, and other than race, we had nothing in common.

But I wondered if I could learn Russian before Carissa's next party. I wondered if Ekaterina would allow her to return a second time.

I stood still, staring at the contents of the dresser top, not really seeing them. Lara waited behind me, not touching me.

"What do you need right now?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said quietly. I realized I had hoped Carissa was introducing me to a male fox. I was grateful for meeting Sonya, and for knowing I wasn't entirely alone, but now it looked like there may be no remaining male foxes. I hadn't realized how much I wanted kits. Perhaps discovering I couldn't have any, perhaps coming to the realization my race was on the verge of extinction was what made it important to me.

"I don't understand why you're upset."

"Don't you?" I asked. "Between Carissa, Greg Freund, and Ekaterina, none of them can tell me whether Sonya and I are the last living foxes. My race is on the verge of extinction, and it's your race's fault."

I heard the intake of air, and then she held it before asking, "Are you blaming me?"

"No." I shook my head and repeated myself. "No. I think if it weren't for you, we'd be one fox closer to extinction by now. I couldn't survive forever as a hunter. I would have died years before we met if Wisconsin hadn't been a safe haven."

More or less, anyway.

I still didn't turn to face her.

"Are we still having a spat?" Lara asked me.

"I don't know."

"Are you going to tell me what the spat is about?"

"Like you don't know."

"I can make guesses, but I'd rather you just told me."

I thought about it before answering. Serena wouldn't have made that threat to me if Lara hadn't told her to. "Serena threatened to break my wrists."

"Ah."

I would have healed. It wasn't the sort of threat it would be for a human.

"Maybe you shouldn't threaten to stab your friends," Lara added.

I turned around and spat, "Maybe my friends shouldn't physically force my cooperation. Maybe my friends should let go when I tell them to let go. I'm not the one who grew heavy-handed first."

I crossed my arms and glared at her.

I guessed yes, we were still having a spat.

She crossed her own arms. "You told Elisabeth you would behave. You _promised_ you would behave. If you had _kept your promise_ , you wouldn't even have noticed anyone being heavy-handed."

"You're accusing me of breaking my promise?" I asked, my voice rising. If I was mad before, now I was livid. But then I grew calm, cool. Cold. "In what way did I break my promise?"

Her nostrils flared, but she didn't answer immediately.

"Did I at any time leave the protection of my security?" I asked. "Was I, at any time since leaving Madison, anywhere I wasn't expected to be? What _exactly_ did I do to break my promise?"

"As soon as Serena pulled you away from the Santa Fe wolves, you knew she was doing it on my orders," Lara said tightly. "Behaving would have been to let her do so without making a scene. The only reason it wasn't a scene of epic proportions was because she and Eric stopped you. Were you really going to stab them in the middle of Carissa's party while I was busy facing one of the worst wolf packs in North America?"

I ignored that last question; I didn't know the answer to it, anyway. In the past, just the threat had worked, and I'd never had to carry through with it.

They had raised the stakes. And that was what was pissing me off. On top of everything else.

"What did you think was going to happen?" I asked. "Did you think they were going to start a fox hunt in the middle of Carissa's power base? What?"

"I didn't _know_!" she replied hotly. "Nor did I know how you would react. All I knew was I didn't want you anywhere near them, but if you were going to be, anyway, I wanted them to know you are well-protected."

"I can take care of myself!"

"Against a small or disorganized groups of wolves, that is true," she said. "But everyone can be overwhelmed, including you. But let's say for the sake of argument that you can protect yourself better than our enforcers can. I don't concede the point, but let's say that's true. Do you want the constant stream of wolves trying to take you? Eventually it will be Iowa all over again, or perhaps you'll just be killed in the process."

"They weren't going to try anything there!"

"No, probably not, but they needed to see you surrounded by a wall of enforcers while we're in Carissa's power base. Let them wonder what sort of protection you have otherwise. And frankly, your play at the end was perfect, moving back to Serena without prompting. Thank you."

I stared at her, not responding.

"Will you at least admit I have better perspective on how wolves think than you do?"

"Fine," I spat.

"So what's the problem? Why couldn't you just let me play it my way?"

"Why couldn't you just talk to me? If you had explained this ahead of time, maybe I wouldn't have gotten my back up."

"When was I supposed to do that?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe when you told Serena to break my wrists if I acted out."

"Michaela, we have talked and talked about letting me protect you. You flat out refuse."

"If you had talked to me-"

"I didn't know who was going to be there! Carissa didn't give us a list. I didn't know Santa Fe was going to be there. With most packs, I was willing to have you at my side as we greeted them. My directions to Serena covered unknown situations. We didn't discuss specifics. I made a snap decision to get you behind a wall until I had a chance to evaluate the situation. And we've talked and talked and talked about that, and you refuse to _behave_!"

"No one there was going to start anything!" I shouted. "And you know it!"

"No, I don't know it!" she shouted back. "God damn it, Michaela. Do you remember how you were during my pregnancy? That's how I feel about you all the time! Do you remember holding off our closest friends with a super soaker and a knife, afraid they might _bump_ me? Was Santa Fe going to start anything tonight? No. But I had to have my head clear so I could deal with whatever politics they wanted to play, and I can't do that when all I can think about is protecting you!"

I started to open my mouth, but she cut me off.

"Don't even suggest I leave the politics to you. You don't think like a wolf any better than I think like a fox. When my head is clear, we are an amazing pair, but you still look to me for guidance during pack council meetings. But this entire trip is amazingly stressful for me, and I don't know why you can't cut me some slack!"

I turned away from her, then slipped sideways and away from her, moving to stand in front of the window, looking out into nighttime courtyard. She didn't follow me or even turn to watch me. Instead, I heard as she set her hands on the dresser, steadying herself. Her heart was pounding almost as hard as mine was.

It was several minutes before either of us spoke, and it was Lara to break the relative silence. "Do you know how hard it is for me to let anyone at all near you? Carissa took you from me once, and would love to keep you. Ekaterina wanted you. Most of the wolf packs want you, some to keep as a pet, some for a hunt. But we came anyway. It wasn't even a fight. But you've been in a mood since we left Madison."

That got me going again. "I've been in a mood _since you and Elisabeth cheated_! And then when I try to move past it, you keep bringing it up. I told you not to talk to her about it, but you did it anyway. Then you were a bitch later and wouldn't dance with me until I groveled. And if that wasn't bad enough, no one else would dance with me, either, because they were all afraid of you."

"I didn't cheat!" she roared. "You're just mad because my game outfoxed you."

I spun to face her. "Tell me, Lara, when was the last time I played foxy games with you? I let you play your wolf games with me all the time. Do you want to look at everything I do, wondering where the catch is? Those times I play foxy games with you, I make sure you know I'm doing it. But how often do I trick you, just so I can tell everyone I outfoxed you?"

"Iowa," she said coldly.

"And what did you do to me in response?" I asked. I didn't wait for a response. "My last wager with you for anything more important than a back rub should have been the wedding dress. Well, live and learn. It won't happen again."

"It wasn't my wager. I didn't put Elisabeth up to it."

"You didn't stop her or warn me there were other rules. You didn't warn me the special cards were for so many points. You didn't warn me every single one of them was written to poke fun at me. If it weren't for Elisabeth's wager, then stacking the deck to ensure your plane won would have been _funny_. If it weren't for cheating to win a silly game, then losing Elisabeth's wager would have been _funny_. But the combination was cheating, and you both knew it while you were doing it. Is that how you want our relationship to go? Do you want to look over your shoulder every minute of every day, wondering how I'm pulling the wool over your eyes today?"

We glared at each other for a while.

I realized I didn't want to fight with her. I didn't think she wanted to fight with me.

"It doesn't matter," I said finally. "If not for the wager, it would have been funny. Play your games if you want. I won't be so sufficiently invested in the outcome to get worked up. I'll consider it my fault for accepting a wager that mattered to me. Which is what I told you last night, but you wouldn't let it go. Can we let it go now?"

"I didn't cheat," she said, her tone sullen.

I stared at her. "Fine," I said. "You didn't cheat. You outfoxed me. I'll never mention it again, and I'm sorry I accused you."

"You're just saying that to shut me up."

I blew out a breath of air. "What do you want from me? I admitted I was wrong. I apologized for my mistake. I promised I won't bring it up again. What else do you want? Do you want me on my knees in front of you, begging for your forgiveness?"

"No," she said. She turned away. "I don't know what I want."

"Well then maybe it's fair to understand why I don't, either. I need some air. I'll be in the library." I moved towards the door, but she was closer and got there first. I came to a stop, staring up at her.

"What?" I asked. "Do I need a security detail to go to the library?"

She crossed her arms. "I need to know if you're going to storm off."

"I am going to storm off to the library. My interpretation of behave means I don't leave the house without _permission_." I choked out the last word. "Once I have _permission_ , I presume I also make sure I'm no more than ten yards from Serena. I'm not going further than the library. Or are you locking me in here for the night?"

"We're not done discussing the other issue."

"Oh, I think we are. There's nothing more to be said."

"There is plenty to be said. When it comes to your safety, are you going to submit to my authority or not?"

That almost set me off yet again, but I managed to clamp my mouth closed on the initial words before they tumbled out. She crossed her arms and waited for my response. Finally I spoke coldly.

"I didn't ditch my security. I promised I wouldn't anymore, in spite of how much I hate that you won't let me step outside our door alone. But that's not good enough for you, either. When are you going to be satisfied you've taken enough of my freedom?"

"What is wrong with wanting you safe?"

"If you really feel the way I did when you were pregnant, we both know you'll never be satisfied. First it was a security detail only when it truly was necessary. Then it became a security detail any time I left the compound. Now it's a detail if I step out of the house. But the new step is telling the enforcers they can manhandle me any time they find it convenient. Eventually you won't let me go flying or kayaking. Then you won't let me play games during pack play nights, first in Bayfield, and then Madison. After that, the wall you promised you won't build. But even that won't be enough. After that, either it will be a cell or an underground bunker. When does it end, Lara?"

She didn't answer.

"Furthermore," I added, "you have now told the enforcers I am no longer their alpha. If that's your choice, I grant that is your choice."

"I did not!"

"Bullshit! When they are free to threaten harm to me, I no longer have any authority at all. I question whether I have authority when I don't have my basic freedom of movement, but I agreed to _behave_ because they all blackmailed me, even Angel. And you let them! Did you put them up to it?"

"No. I didn't know about that."

"Well, your refusal to offer me the same rights everyone else has almost resulted in our pack having no enforcers at all."

"Your stubbornness-"

"Right," I said, interrupting. "I'm just the fox. I should remember my place."

"You know it's not like that!"

"Bullshit!" I screamed. "How would Elisabeth respond if her mate tried to treat her the way you treat me?"

She didn't have an answer to that.

"I'm not asking for a single _right_ -" and I stressed that word heavily, "-more than every other adult in the pack."

We glared at each other some more, both of us breathing heavily. Her face was red, and I could see her pulse ticking in her forehead. I didn't think my appearance was much different.

"I will tell you this, Alpha: if my free will is the price of membership in the pack, then I will resign from the pack. If anyone lays hands on me again the way Serena and Eric did tonight, it better be to pull me from the path of a speeding bus, or she will be tasting silver. Now get out of my way. I am going to go calm down."

She didn't say a word, but she stepped aside.

We had an audience; of course we did. We weren't exactly quiet. Everyone in the house would have heard the fight. And the enforcers wouldn't be doing their jobs if they all were in bed. I didn't actually see anyone until I reached the stairs. Angel and Karen had the duty, and they were standing in the foyer. They both hastily turned towards the windows when I appeared, but I knew they were watching for me.

I didn't say a word but simply headed for the library. When I arrived, Hanna was just leaving, clutching a book.

"Alpha," she said, lowering her eyes as she scurried past me.

A moment later, I heard Angel's voice. "Michaela." It was a whine more than anything.

At first, I was going to ignore it, but I stopped in the doorway to the library. I stood there for a moment.

"Our fight had nothing to do with you, Angel," I said.

"You can't leave," she said. "You can't!"

I turned to face her, to face them both. Karen wasn't watching me; she was pretending to do her job, watching out the window beside the door. And I knew elsewhere, at least one more wolf would be on duty, more well-hidden than these two were.

"I appreciate what the enforcers do for me," I said. "I appreciate that you are watching over all our safety. I sleep soundly at night, knowing all of you keep us safe. I don't startle at the bumps in the night, because I know one of you will see to it. When I go for a run, I know the woods are safe, that I won't find myself the target of a hunt." I paused a moment, considering.

"Angel, what happens to a wolf who isn't allowed to hunt?"

"We eventually go mad," she said.

"What do you think would happen to me if I didn't think I was free?"

"But-"

"Given my history, how do you think I react any time a wolf - even a wolf I trust as much as Serena - handles me the way I was handled tonight?"

"But she wouldn't hurt you! You know that."

"I thought I did," I replied, "until she promised to break my wrists if I didn't do exactly what she said." I shook my head. "I just argued with my spouse about it. I'm not going to argue with you, too."

And then I turned my back on both of them and disappeared into the library, closing the doors behind myself. At least I didn't slam them.

I read for a while, although I couldn't have told you what it was. I wasn't remotely interested in going back upstairs, and so I curled up on the sofa to sleep.

It wasn't comfortable, and I kept waking myself back up.

Then Lara was there. She sat on the edge of the sofa looking down at me.

"Are you coming to bed?"

I didn't even bother looking at her. "No."

"This sofa doesn't feel very comfortable."

"It's not," I said, "but at least it's not trying to rip my spirit to shreds."

"Michaela, that's not what I'm trying to do."

"Go away, Lara." I rolled over, offering a cold shoulder. Literally.

She stayed there for another minute or two, staring down at me I was sure, but I never looked.

I wanted her to tell me it was all going to be all right.

But then, without another word, she got up. I heard the library door close, but then I heard her speaking to Elisabeth.

"I'll put someone on duty outside the window."

"No," Lara said. "She promised. She's not going anywhere." She sighed. "I just want her safe, Elisabeth. Why can't she see that?"

"She does, Lara," Elisabeth replied. "But her freedom means more to her."

"How many times has she almost died?" Lara asked. Her voice caught in her throat. "Johnny Mack nearly killed her. The vampires took her. Other vampires nearly killed her. How many times did she almost die before she came to us? Is that what she wants to return to? She's not 21 anymore. When will her luck run out?"

"Lara, you've almost killed her," Elisabeth said. "Twice that I know of. One of those times, you nearly hugged her to death. David almost killed her. Natalie almost killed her. She almost died during a poker game while doing exactly what you asked her to do. She was taken from us while she was doing what we told her to do. How many fox hunts has she survived? Three of them were in Wisconsin, Lara. She could have died when she tried to fly to Iowa. She could have died while handling Iowa, and was at a whole lot greater risk because we refused to help her. How many times have we watched her heal cracked ribs in front of us? She broke her wrist during training once and again for her second ransom night, while doing what we told her to do. How close was I to killing her when I gave her a concussion during her trial? What risks does she take just playing our games with us, or going for a run in the woods?"

"I know all that, Elisabeth!" Lara said. "Doesn't she see how fragile she is?"

"Don't you see how strong she is?" Elisabeth countered.

I heard shuffling, and then my mate said, almost as a wail, "I'm losing her, Elisabeth!"

Then I heard muffled crying.

"No you're not," Elisabeth said. "She loves you and the kids too much to leave you."

"When have you heard her ever make an idle threat?" Lara asked. "She doesn't threaten; she promises. And she keeps her promises."

They had to know I could hear every word; the library doors weren't that thick. I wondered if the entire conversation was for my benefit.

I didn't know.

After that, I heard them slowly ascend the stairs.

I lay there for a long time after that, staring at the fabric of the sofa cushions. It was decidedly uncomfortable, and I was cold besides, so eventually I shifted into my fur and curled up into a tight ball, my back pressed against the cushions of the sofa and my tail over my face, warmer in fur than in my pajamas.

 **Easier**

I slept poorly, finally drifting off more solidly at about dawn.

It was full light when someone sat down beside me on the sofa; it disturbed me she had gotten all the way into the room without waking me.

I never used to sleep that soundly, but then I'd always been responsible for my own safety. I knew, even if Lara and I were fighting, the enforcers would keep me safe, and so for years I'd been able to sleep without being on the edge.

But sitting down next to me was a little closer to oblivious than is healthy for a werefox in a werewolf-run world.

I expected it to be Lara. Instead when I peeled my tail from over my eyes, I saw Serena looking down at me.

"Alpha," she said, "I would like to speak with you."

I wondered if she had come to resign.

I blinked at her a few times before lifting my head. I chuffed at her, a weak chuff, then I stood, still on the sofa, and stretched. I heard a few creaks, and then I jumped from the sofa and gave another good stretch before shifting human. With my back to Serena, I pulled my pajamas back on.

Then, with my back still to her, I asked quietly, "Are you here to yell at me?"

"No, Alpha."

"Resign?"

"No."

And so I moved back to the sofa, sitting down next to her. I couldn't quite look her in the eye.

"Are you firing me?" she asked.

"I don't have that authority," I replied.

"If you did, would you?"

At that, I looked up at her, and I felt my eyes filling with tears. "No."

"Michaela-"

"I sleep because of you, Serena," I said. "I'm safe because of you. I'm convinced I'm alive because of you, well, because of all the enforcers, but you, Elisabeth, and Lara more than the rest."

I glanced at the library door. It was closed, and we were alone.

"I don't want Lara to know this," I said. "Has anyone guessed why I wanted to know about other werefoxes?"

"You wanted to know if you were alone."

I looked down at my hands. "I wanted to know if I could have kits." And then I burst into tears. "There are only two of us left," I blubbered. "And we're both girls. My race is nearly extinct, Serena!"

She pulled me into her arms and rocked me as I cried against her shoulder. Slowly, in bits and pieces while still crying, I told her the rest.

"I vowed I wouldn't bring more foxes into this cruel world, but I knew you would keep them safe, Serena. I thought maybe it would be okay. But it's moot. There have never been any foxes in Africa or South America. The Mexico and wolf packs are even worse than the ones up here, so there's no way there are any living foxes there. Carissa and Greg are sure I'm the last in the US. Ekaterina said Sonya is the last she knows of in all of Russia, although she admits Siberia is vast. Even if there are any there, or any in Canada, I'll never find them. If I could go myself, maybe, but Lara would never allow that."

She tightened her arms at that. The entire time I cried, she made soothing sounds, not speaking any words, just listening.

But then she asked quietly, "Does Carissa know why you were asking."

"Yes."

She held me for a long time.

"I'm sorry I was a bitch last night," I told her eventually.

"You had all this in you, didn't you?"

"That's not an excuse."

I pushed away from her. "Lara and I are both so intense. And my relationship with Elisabeth is a little weird. But you're so grounded. You're not old enough to be my mother, but sometimes I see you that way anyway."

She smiled.

"What time is it?" I asked her.

"Pushing eight. Deirdre will be here about nine."

I looked away. I had forgotten we were to spend time with Deirdre today. "What is the plan?" I asked quietly.

"I think everyone is expecting you to tell us."

"Deirdre and I could stay here. We wouldn't need so many guards that way. Most of you could enjoy New Orleans."

"Alpha, do you really believe that's going to happen?"

"I'd be perfectly safe-"

"You don't understand, Michaela. _We don't want to go anywhere without you._ " She took my hands. "Do you really believe anyone sees this as an unpleasant duty? There is no one from your duty team who wishes a transfer. There is no one who sees this as a chore. Do you understand why?"

"Watching me is easier than whatever other duties you might have."

She sighed. "No. Because even while we're doing our jobs, watching everything but you, we're also watching you. And we see the world through your fox eyes. I had never heard of a beignet. I would have had no idea we should go have them. I didn't know about étouffée or jambalaya or any of that." She smiled. "Angel showed us the things you gave her and Scarlett, and I want us to go back and buy some for me. I can't set foot in that store, but I want some of the same oils."

"Poor Angel," I said.

"Poor Eric this time," she countered.

I cocked my head. "You said that you were all waiting for me to say what we were doing, but it sounds like the day is planned."

"Maybe only a half hour," she countered.

"What would all of you do if I weren't here?"

"Honestly?" she asked. "We'd probably just go home."

"I'm keeping you-"

She put her fingers on her lips. "That's my point, Michaela. We'd just go home. That's not what we want to do. Do you see?"

I nodded, and she removed my her fingers from my lips.

"You want me to plan the day?"

"Perhaps with Deirdre."

I nodded. "Unless Deirdre or Lara have other plans, then once she arrives, we'll walk down for beignets and stop by Lush. Then I'd like to see a plantation in the daylight, or maybe the bayous."

"I'll spread the word and make sure everyone is ready when you are, Alpha."

And I nodded.

Lara and Elisabeth were in our room when I arrived upstairs. I heard their heartbeats before opening the door. I stepped in then stood in the doorway. They both turned to me, and we all froze, staring at each other for a moment.

"I'll go," Elisabeth said.

"Head enforcer," I said instead, "we should discuss the day. I've already briefly discussed with Serena, but thoughts are tentative."

"Of course, Alpha," she said.

I stepped in, leaving the door open. Lara watched me warily. I turned to her. "Are we staying until tomorrow?"

"I thought we were," she said. "Are you canceling our day with Deirdre?"

"I wasn't sure if you were anxious to return home."

"I am anxious to hear your thoughts for the day," she replied.

I took her at face value. "When Deirdre arrives, I thought we could walk down for more beignets. They seemed popular yesterday."

"They were," Lara agreed.

"Serena has expressed a desire for her own products from Lush but requests I buy them for her. How badly did I stink afterwards, Lara? I don't want to spend the day without your arms around me."

Her eyes glistened. "If you air out for a half hour, you'll be fine," she replied.

"Elisabeth said-"

"Elisabeth is sometimes an idiot," Elisabeth said. "Your mate prefers your natural scent, but do you really think she would let anything stop her from holding you?"

"I bought a few more gifts yesterday," I said, "but I would like to know if you believe the things I bought would be popular more widely than I had planned. Do you think you could form an answer before we arrive at Lush?"

"I didn't see what you bought," Lara said.

"Neither did I," Elisabeth added.

"While I am showering, please visit with Angel, then," I requested. "After Lush, I would like to either see a plantation in the daylight or perhaps the bayous. Maybe we could take a swamp tour. I've never seen a wild alligator. I don't know if the rest of you have a preference, and Deirdre may have ideas."

Elisabeth and Lara exchanged glances. "Either would be nice," Lara answered. "Whatever you want, Michaela."

I shook my head. "Group decision."

It was Elisabeth that answered. "Michaela, she's not humoring you. She knows whatever you decide will be good, and a better decision than she would make."

"All right. Then we'll see what Deirdre says. She may have something entirely different in mind. If we are visiting cultural sites, I will wear one of the dresses you've picked, Elisabeth, but I want my knives. If we're doing a swamp tour, I'll wear outdoor clothing."

"Did you just ask me to pick your clothes?" Elisabeth asked.

"If we're visiting a plantation, then yes."

"I'll assume a plantation, and if it turns into a swamp tour instead, it only takes you a few minutes to change."

I nodded.

I looked at Lara. Her wary gaze had varied only mildly during the conversation. And so I walked straight to her, not stopping until we were touching. She pulled me into her arms and held me tightly.

"I'm sorry we fought," we each whispered at the same time.

We kissed, briefly, but them I squirmed away. "I'm sorry. I haven't-"

"Of course," she said.

Excepting the enforcers on duty outside, everyone was in the library when I descended a while later. I stepped in, and I saw Deirdre talking with Lara, Violet, James and Hanna. I stepped past the clusters of enforcers, casually bumping Angel on my way past. She smiled hesitatingly and brushed fingers along my shoulder as I passed her.

Lara noticed me at that point and she turned towards me, smiling. She gave me a look up and down and smiled more broadly. But I could see the tension around her eyes and in her posture.

I'd put that tension there. Or we had done it together. I wasn't sure.

Deirdre noticed the change in Lara's posture and turned to me. Her smile was relaxed and genuine, and we moved together, hugging and exchanging cheek kisses. "Hello, my friend," she said.

We stepped apart and I looked at her. Then I fingered her ears. "Is this your birth form?"

She laughed. "No."

"Are these pointed?"

"Yes. But it's a complicated spell to turn them back. It's more than the ears. I could show you tonight."

"I'd like that."

"So... today," she said. "Carissa has invited all of us to lunch."

"At the plantation?"

"Yes. Ekaterina and Sonya are still there, but everyone else is gone."

I looked over to Lara, but she said simply, "Your choice."

"Are you sure?" she nodded.

"And you wanted to see the bayous and swamps."

"Unless you had something else in mind."

"No, no. We'll have a nice tour. Maybe Sonya will join us."

"The stress will be lower if there are no vampires," I said.

We had a lovely day. The weather was pleasant, at least by Wisconsin standards, and Deirdre didn't complain. We enjoyed our time at Café du Monde. I spent a great deal of money at Lush, and then we traveled to Carissa's plantation. When we arrived, Carissa herself gave us a tour, and I had to admit: it was fascinating to learn about the plantation from someone who actually lived here for most of its existence. She encouraged questions, and it was Angel who asked, "Did you have slaves?"

"I had tightly-bound blood thralls," she replied, nonplussed by Angel's question. "I still do, although modern farming methods drastically reduce the amount of manual labor required to work the land. Many of my current thralls are the descendants of the original workers here. You can imagine my thralls were very loyal."

"So you still keep slaves," Angel said. I wondered why she was attempting to antagonize Carissa.

But it wasn't Carissa that answered; Anika stepped forward. "I am not a slave," she said. "I asked for this relationship. I am proud of my position."

"As am I," Joanna said. "I have a far better life with Carissa than I would have had if she hadn't found me."

"But you're not forced to work the land," Angel said.

"I've picked cotton," she countered. "By hand. We work one field using the original methods as a sort of homage to those who have come before us."

"I have spent two years that way," Anika said. "We dress in the same clothing the slaves wore and we live in the barracks."

"Although they have a few modern conveniences that didn't exist in the early nineteenth century."

"Like indoor plumbing," Anika said. "I wouldn't have volunteered without indoor plumbing."

"You _volunteered_?" Angel asked.

"Some years, we fight over who gets to do it," Joanna said. "Well, not literally."

"For heaven's sake, why?" I asked.

"Carissa joins us," Anika explained. "Not every day, of course not. But she works right beside us, and she teaches classes in the evenings."

"History, French, and business," Carissa said. "By the end of the year, the French becomes immersive, and I don't allow English, but anyone who has done this more than once is already fluent, or at least close to fluent."

"And this is a requirement for other positions," Anika said. She shrugged. "It is physically very difficult, and I wouldn't want to work that hard as I grow older, but I will do it again."

"Even though she's already served sufficiently for the other positions she covets," Carissa said.

"Carissa makes you," Angel said.

"You aren't listening," Joanna said. "We asked for this life. Anika refuses to talk about her life before coming here, but there are hints. I grew up in a real rat hole. My older sister was a drug addict, selling herself for drug money, and I was well on the same path when Carissa found me. I'm the only one in my family to attend college, and many of my cousins didn't even finish high school. Carissa interrupted what was about to become a very, very bad night for me, then took me home with her. She cleaned me up - herself, I will point out - and then told me what she was. She offered to erase my memories and return me home. I begged to stay. I told her I'd do anything for her. I was nothing back then," she said. "Nothing."

"That's not true," Carissa said. "You were intelligent with bright eyes."

"But you would have helped me even if I were dull and witless," Joanna said. "You've done it with others."

Carissa didn't respond to that.

When I glanced over at Lara, her lips were tight. The conversation hadn't gone as she'd hoped, I could tell.

"It seems Carissa and Lara have something in common," I said.

They both turned to me, Carissa with the ghost of a smile, Lara with a scowl. "What is that, Michaela?" Carissa asked brightly.

"You both take in lost waifs and offer your protection to those in need."

Lunch was, much like the planation tour, interesting. I sat with Deirdre on one side, Lara on the other, and Sonya directly across from me. Carissa insisted the enforcers join us for the meal, and so with a nod from Elisabeth, they also took seats, so it was a very long, full table. As such, conversation was largely in sections based on seating.

Violet and James sat on either side of Carissa, when I listened, I could hear them discussing business. From time to time, they involved Lara and Elisabeth in the conversation, speaking across the full length of the table, but Lara finally said, "You two represent the council, and we trust your negotiating skills."

Ekaterina had intended to sit beside Sonya, but the fox spoke in Russian to her vampire, and after a moment, the vampire ended up seated beside Violet, separated from my end of the table by most of the enforcers. I felt bad that Sonya would be left out of the conversation, but when I said something to Ekaterina, she replied that it was Sonya's idea.

And so the fox listened to the conversations around her, I was sure not understanding one word in ten. But she smiled every time I looked at her.

Eventually the conversation flowed to our plans for our afternoon. That was when I realized Ekaterina was paying attention to more than one conversation.

So was I, so that wasn't such a surprise to me.

I didn't realize the significance immediately, but Ekaterina began speaking Russian in a quiet voice. I noticed only because it was out of place amongst the English everyone else was speaking. Sonya's head twitched for a moment, and I was sure she was listening to her vampire.

Then Sonya nodded her head, almost imperceptibly. Ekaterina spoke another sentence or two, and then she switched to English.

"Michaela, are you listening to me?" It was said so quietly I was sure the wolves couldn't possibly have heard, even Violet right next to her. I didn't know what vampire hearing was like, so perhaps Carissa could hear. I nodded as imperceptibly as Sonya had. Ekaterina laughed, surprising the wolves at her end of the table. The conversation there hadn't been laugh worthy. "Just a random thought," she said in a conversational tone. "Please forgive me."

Then she lowered her voice again. "Are you sure we couldn't discuss a change in your household? You would be a delightful addition. Two foxes, so different but so similar. I do delight in your subtlety."

I spoke as loudly as she was. "Tell me, is your hearing as good as mine?"

"Just a tiny bit louder, or speak very slowly," she replied. "If that was Russian, I would have understood."

And so I raised my voice slightly. "I do not expect to transfer households, but if my stance changes, I will remember your offer."

"Graciously said," she replied. "I explained your afternoon plans to Sonya. Right now, only four of us know this. Is she welcome to join you?"

"We are guests here, as you are. I am unsure I am the right person to ask."

"I believe you are."

"My mate's afternoon would be more pleasant for her if there were no vampires in attendance."

"I did not wish an invitation for myself."

And so I leaned to Lara, making a pretense of nuzzling her as she sat next to me, but I spoke quietly into her ear. "May I invite Sonya? Vampire free."

She looked over at me and kissed my head. "No one speaks Russian."

"Is that 'no'?"

"Your decision, honey."

And so I spoke in a normal voice. "Ekaterina, we are doing some sort of swamp tour this afternoon. I'll be changing clothes before we go, and Deirdre has the details. Perhaps you and Sonya would care to join us."

Sonya heard her name but turned to her vampire, who spoke Russian for a moment. Sonya smiled broadly and spoke one word. "Da."

"If your alpha will see to her security along with your own, Sonya would like to join you," Ekaterina said, "but I have no desire to see a swamp. Violet, what are your plans?"

"I wondered if perhaps we could continue our business discussion, if Carissa hasn't other commitments," Violet offered. She turned to me. "If the alpha doesn't require me."

"Whatever you want," I said.

"Excellent," said Carissa. Then she spoke very quietly for my ears. "Could we join you for dinner?"

I glanced at Lara. She'd handle it. I nodded.

James decided to remain with Violet. Hanna asked if she could come with us.

The swamp tour was... startling. There was no discussion over the details, only that Deirdre had arranged a private tour for our group. Our convoy drove an hour from the plantation before we pulled into a place called "Great Panther Swamp Tours." Our party consisted of Lara and me, Hanna, six enforcers, Deirdre, Sonya. Anika and Joanna elected to remain behind, although we would see them again at dinner.

It had been decided that seeing to Sonya's security meant plastering her to my side. The enforcers smirked at me, knowing that I'd doubly behave, if not for myself and my promises, but for Sonya's sake. I didn't want to think what Ekaterina would do if something happened to her fox, but neither Lara nor Elisabeth seemed unduly stressed to have her along. Deirdre attempted to relinquish my other side to Lara, but my mate only said, "No, no, today is her day with you." And so Lara hovered nearby, and she frequently stood immediately behind me with her hands on my shoulders, but she seemed content to let me speak to Deirdre.

However, we did have a moment of stress shortly after climbing from the vehicles. Of course, the enforcers set up their regular bubble. Deirdre smirked at their behavior. "As if anyone would dare try anything with you under Carissa's protection." Then she tried to head into the shack that defined the operations center for Great Panther. Elisabeth snagged her by her arm and dragged her back, pressing her against my side.

Deirdre only laughed. "You are responsible for Michaela and Sonya, but I take care of myself."

"That's what I keep telling her! Look how far it gets me." I gestured. "Seven of them. Seven."

"Oh please," Elisabeth said. "It's only six, and two are for Lara." She grinned at her sister. "Deirdre, you will remain with Michaela."

Deirdre laughed again. "I have to check us in. If you walk in there, it isn't going to go very well."

"Oh?" Elisabeth asked.

"I understand you are fond of wagers," Deirdre said. "In approximately ten minutes from now, you will agree with my prediction."

"So we will go in there and test your hypothesis."

"Oh no," she said. "I will go in, check us in, and introduce us to our guide. And then you will tell me whether I was right."

"And what do you want if you win this wager?" Elisabeth asked.

"Oh, let us consider it a minor token. Loser pays for tonight's dinner. It is a very expensive restaurant."

Elisabeth laughed. "I intend to drink expensive wine."

"As do I," Deirdre replied. "We have agreement?"

I smirked, amused. I knew the dinner tab wouldn't bother Elisabeth. I only wished Deirdre had asked for something far more amusing. I didn't know why, but I was sure she was right. I would never wager against the elf.

Once she had Elisabeth's agreement, Deirdre turned to Lara. "You are all under Carissa's protection, and the family that runs this operation belongs to Carissa. You are absolutely safe here."

After a moment to think about it, Lara nodded understanding.

Deirdre stepped away from me, but I stopped her. "Give me a hint."

She smiled and didn't immediately respond, but then once she was away from Elisabeth, she said quietly, for my ears only, "Think about the name."

She was gone perhaps six or eight minutes. The rest of us clustered around. Elisabeth and Lara spoke together quietly while the other enforcers were clearly on watch. Sonya craned her neck everywhere, but she never released herself from my arm. I wouldn't have wanted her to.

When I thought about her, though, I grew sad. I thought of my lost family. I thought of my sister.

Sonya noticed a change in me. She turned to me and caressed my cheek. "Michaela OK?" she asked.

I thought about it, then I pantomimed as I spoke. I pointed to Lara and Elisabeth, pointing between them. "Sisters," I said.

"Sisters," she repeated in her thick accent. "Da."

Then I held my hand to my chest, pointed to my eyes, then pointed at her. "When I see you..." I pointed to my head. "I think about my sister."

She understood immediately. Then she spoke a mix of English and Russian, mostly Russian, and I didn't understand a word, but the occasional word in English. She pointed to her own eyes, then to me. "Sonya sister," she said. "Mama. Papa mama. Papa sister." She made a face of grief, then she hugged me tightly, speaking into my ear. "Sonya Michaela sisters."

We held each other firmly, words not needed. But then I heard a screen door open. She released me the same time that I released her, and we both said, "Deirdre."

It was so weird to be with someone who could hear as well as I could.

We both turned.

Deirdre and another woman were standing on the back porch of the Great Panther Swamp Tours building, watching us and, perhaps, waiting to be noticed. Once she saw us looking, she said for my ears, "You are safe, Michaela."

The woman beside Deirdre was tall, and I knew instantly she wasn't human.

She wasn't a wolf, either, but she was as big as one, perhaps even bigger.

As a human, I couldn't have told you her racial background. Her skin tone would have made a professional suntanner jealous. Her hair was long, straight, full, and the blackest black.

I got to see her for about three or four seconds before the wolves nearly filled their pants, and a second after that, Sonya and I were closed off behind a wall of wolves. It was deja vu all over again, but this time without the manhandling from Serena. Instead, she put a hand on my shoulder, but I was long used to that. Eric had a hand on Sonya's shoulder, and she seemed to barely notice it.

Then I began laughing.

"What's so funny?" Serena asked from over my shoulder.

"Elisabeth lost her wager."

"I do believe you're right," Serena said. "What is she?"

"Oh please," I said. "She's a panther."

 **Panther**

Deirdre and the panther approached cautiously, careful around the touchy enforcers. I listened to them as they approached, and they spoke casually, the panther's drawl thick but her words and tone cultured. She was asking about us, finally asking, "Were those two in the middle _werefoxes_?"

"Yes, and the wolves are exceedingly protective of them. The one is mated to the wolf alpha, and the other belongs to the St. Petersburg queen, so none of your usual games with either of them. If you want to flirt with someone, your choice is between the male and the head enforcer."

"The head enforcer, hmm. That's the one on the right?"

"No, that's the alpha. The one next to her is the alpha's sister. And you're invited to dinner tonight. She's buying."

I laughed. I couldn't help it. I laughed, loudly.

"And you should know, the alpha's mate just heard me," Deirdre added. I guessed Deirdre heard my laugh. "Yes, Michaela," Deirdre said, knowing I was listening. "I know you're alpha, too, but that's harder to explain, isn't it?"

The two of them came to a stop perhaps ten feet in front of the enforcers. I couldn't see a thing but wolf butts - I took a moment to admire Lara's - but I had ears.

"Lara Burns," Deirdre said in a firm voice, "Madison alpha, may I present Annabelle Delacroix? Anna, Lara Burns. Her sister and head enforcer, Elisabeth Burns. Behind them, and you'll see them if the wolves relax, is Lara's mate, Michaela. She's the redhead. The white haired fox is Sonya; she speaks no English, but she is very sweet, and you'll find her to be exceedingly curious."

The panther spoke, her voice booming, and her tone changed entirely, sounding very, very, Cajun in an "aw shucks" kind of way. "Welcome to Louisiana, Ms. Burns. Friends of Carissa are friends of Great Panther Swamp Tours. Your safety is assured. I guar-an-tee it personally." I swear, it took two or three seconds to say, "guarantee".

Deirdre laughed and said, "Knock it off, Anna. Save it for the tourists." After that, Anna reverted to the cultured tones she had been using when speaking alone to Deirdre.

The wolves' posture remained tense, but then Lara stepped forward. "Ms. Delacroix. It's a pleasure to meet you. We always enjoy making new friends." I caught a glimpse of the panther as she shook hands with Lara. And then Lara turned halfway towards me. "My mate and co-alpha, Michaela Burns."

I stepped forward, drawing Sonya with me. As we stepped forward, she got a better look at Annabelle and dragged me to a stop. She pointed. "Wolf?"

"No," I said. "Nyet. Panther."

"Pantera?" she repeated, and I thought perhaps I had learned a word of Russian. "Meow."

"Da," I said.

And then we both turned to Annabelle and finished stepping forward. I held out my hand.

The panther had large hands and a strong grip; neither of those surprised me. What surprised me were her words.

"I do not _meow_."

It was said gently, and I smiled. "And she speaks no English, but I would say we communicated perfectly."

"Perhaps," said the panther. She shook hands with Sonya. "Nyet meow," she said. Sonya grinned at her.

"Nyet?"

"Nyet," Anna said. "I roar."

Sonya cocked her head. "Roar?" She held her hand to her ear as if she were trying to listen, then used her free hand to point to Anna. "Roar."

"Not here," Anna said. "Someone will hear. Nyet. Um. Here." She pointed to the ground.

Lara handled the remaining introductions. Then I asked, "Anna, panther can mean many things. Cougar, leopard, or jaguar?"

She smiled. "Jaguar."

By her size, perhaps I should have guessed. Jaguars are the third largest of the living great cats behind tigers and lions and the second largest apex predator in the Americas, second only to bears. They were virtually extinct north of Mexico, and I didn't know if they had ever inhabited the area immediately around New Orleans, but I imagined she would cause quite a stir if the humans were to see her in her fur.

Anna said, "Well, we have a boat to ourselves. It's already loaded up, and there's a head if anyone needs it, but the bathrooms here are nicer. I've got a good boil going, so we'll have a taste of Louisiana hospitality a little later. We have plenty of sweet tea and lemonade, water, beer, and soft drinks. Were we doing a short tour or a long one?"

Everyone looked to me, although I looked to Deirdre. "We need to be back by five to make it to dinner at eight," she said.

"All right then," she said. "Right this way."

Ten minutes later found all of us on a swamp boat large enough to hold three times our number. I felt a little guilty that we were monopolizing Anna, but when I said something about it, she laughed.

"This is my cousin's outfit," she explained. "I used to work here all the time. Now it's only for something special, such as one of Carissa's special guests. Now, make yourselves comfortable, and I'll get us going."

The tour was fabulous. It seemed Anna knew everything there could be known about the bayous and swamps of Louisiana. She explained the difference. A bayou is a very slowly moving river whereas a swamp is a boggy wetland in which the water may be still and stagnant. She gave a running commentary that began moments after we pulled away from the docks. She flowed back and forth between history and the environment.

I knew little about the history. I already understood about the swamps and the animals we would see, but it was quite different to actually see them in their native habitat.

We saw all the creatures one would expect in a swamp including a great many birds. The egrets, herons and pelicans were popular sights. There were turtles, and Anna even pointed out a water moccasin sunning himself on a branch over the river. I wanted to get closer, but Anna kept our distance.

Of course, the alligators were the stars of the trip. Anna knew it, and I dare say, the alligators knew it, too.

We found some small ones first. Anna fed them, and I was surprised to see her throw marshmallows to them. She grinned at me. "They'll literally eat anything, and these are cheap and easy to throw. But don't worry; I have something special for Gus."

Gus, it turned out, was not at all small, although at 12 feet long, he wasn't a record-setter, either. Anna lured him to us with a fresh, whole chicken. She suspended the chicken from a long pole and dangled it over the water.

We got a real good look at Gus before she let him snap up his bribe for the show.

Anna had more marshmallows she let us throw to the other alligators we saw. Sonya took great delight, and her aim was impeccable. She got one small alligator to swim back and forth, snatching up the marshmallows she threw to land just a few inches in front of his nose each time.

As promised, Anna provided a fabulous boil for a small, late afternoon meal. The scents were heavenly, and the food even better. The wolves clinked bottles of beer. I was pleased with the lemonade.

Sonya knew the word tea, so when she heard "sweet tea", that's what she asked for. From her expression, she wasn't expecting it to come iced, and her expression after the first sip was priceless. I held out my lemonade to her, and she was much happier with that.

Then Sonya turned to our guide. "Anna roar?" She had remembered the word.

Anna smiled then opened her mouth widely. She started with a snarling growl, and while it was frightening, it was nothing compared to Lara's growl. But then she curled her lips up more and began a series of short growls, over and over, about five in a row before growing silent. Her vocalizations were much briefer than a wolf's, but I had to admit: they were intimidating nevertheless.

Yes, I was jealous. I was a predator, too, but no one was ever going to be afraid of my fox sounds. Well, the wolves had learned to fear the sharp edge of my tongue, but that wasn't the same, was it? I had a greater range of vocalizations than my natural cousins, but none of them were terribly intimidating.

But Anna's roar was definitely intimidating, and I bet it was even better in her fur. I wondered if I'd hear it some day.

When Anna finished roaring, Sonya clapped her hands happily and spoke in Russian for a while. No one had a clue what she said, but her joy was clear. But then she offered a small bow to Anna before pantomiming fear. "Anna no meow," she said with a final nod. "Anna roar."

Then she turned to my mate. "Lara roar?"

"Nyet," Lara said. "Lara growls."

"Lara howls," I added.

Sonya looked back and forth between us. "Lara growls? Lara howls?"

Lara looked at Anna. "Do you mind?"

"Be my guest," the panther said.

Lara turned back to Sonya. "Lara growls." And then she began a low growl in the back of her throat. Sonya pulled back, but only a few inches, then nodded. Lara grew still, breathing heavily for a moment, then said, "Lara howls." She lifted her nose to the air and began to howl.

As always, I loved that sound, and she could keep it up for minutes at a time. She howled for several seconds, then the other wolves lifted their noses and joined her, first just Elisabeth, then the other enforcers. And for thirty or forty seconds, we were treated to a wolf serenade.

Then they faded off, lowering their noses, all of them grinning broadly.

They loved to howl even more than I enjoyed hearing it.

Sonya clapped in joy. "Lara howls."

"Well," Anna said. "We need to point this boat back to the docks."

For the ride back, I hung out at the starboard railing, Deirdre on one side and Sonya on the other. Lara and Elisabeth were talking with our guide, and the other enforcers had spread themselves around the boat, seemingly relaxed, but I knew they were all on high alert.

I had no doubt the jaguar could kill either Sonya or I in a single clasp of her strong hands. I wasn't worried about it, but the wolves wouldn't have taken her loyalty to Carissa for granted.

I glanced at Sonya, her hair blowing in the breeze of our passage along the bayou. I ached to have another fox next to me, and I would have taken her back to Madison with me. But I knew she wouldn't leave Ekaterina any more than I would leave Lara. Sonya looked in my direction, perhaps feeling my eyes on her. She smiled and clasped my hand, and she wouldn't release it until it was time to climb into the cars twenty minutes later.

"Sonya Michaela sisters," she said, repeating the little phrase from earlier.

"Da," I agreed, but inside I thought, _another sister I won't ever see again_. I looked away, letting one of the countless birds take my attention.

It was a few minutes before Deirdre said, her voice low, "It's been a challenging trip for you."

"When dealing with vampires, perhaps that is expected."

"But perhaps you also encounter the unexpected."

"I suppose that's true," I said. I glanced over at Sonya, who pretended not to notice. "Two remaining specimens, Deirdre," I said.

She said nothing immediately, and then in a different tone, almost a casual tone, she said, "I talked to my grandmother."

"Oh?"

"She is by any standards very old. With the fae, it is hard to measure age. I could say she was alive when this historical event or that historical person was alive, but time spent in Elfame passed differently than here. But by any account, she is probably about as old as Carissa."

"Elfame?"

"Underhill. Fairyland."

"How much of the mythology is correct?"

"Some, but you can't count on it."

Then she offered nothing more, so I prompted her. "You were speaking with your grandmother..."

"She knew about you."

"It seems the fox alpha from Wisconsin is known even amongst the elves."

"No. It seems the hunter from New England is not unknown."

I drew in a breath, but Deirdre set her hand on my arm. "Carissa should not have told you about that."

"She didn't. Grandmother did. And Grandmother is parsimonious with her information."

"And yet she told you."

"Well, I'm her favorite," Deirdre said with a lift of her nose and a smirk. "I tell you about this only so you know that Grandmother knows things no one would expect her to know."

"Oh."

"She declined to offer specifics, but she assured me there are at least three other bands, Michaela. Your race is shy and difficult to track, and she has put little effort into doing so."

I looked into Deirdre's gentle eyes for several heartbeats before turning back to watch the cypress trees as we gently passed them.

"Is there any way I could speak with your grandmother?"

"Unlikely," she said. "I do not believe she could tell you more than I already have."

"I was going to ask her to look for them."

"You don't have to. Carissa already did."

I felt a lump in my throat. "I'll thank her later."

We stood quietly, shoulder to shoulder for a mile or so before Deirdre said, "There are two other things you should know." I glanced over at her. "Grandmother summoned me, and she told me everything I just told you. I didn't have to ask."

"There are implications in that, aren't there?"

"You have her attention. That isn't necessarily bad, but it isn't necessarily good, either. I am sure she expected me to relay what she had said, so she has many subtle messages."

"Am I in her debt?"

"You should never admit to an elf you are in her debt," Deirdre said. "Even thanking us for the smallest favor is dangerous."

"You and I have thanked each other."

"I am not a typical fae," she replied, and I caught a smile. "But I hope you will not thank me in front of any other fae." I nodded understanding.

"Do you know what she is trying to tell me?"

"Know? No. I do not believe she means you ill. If she did, she wouldn't warn you. She may expect to need you in the future, and she may believe sharing what she can will make you more well disposed to speak with her when she calls on you. This is probably some sort of diplomacy. It cost her little, and maybe she felt your good will had greater value than making you pay for information that isn't terribly useful, even to you."

That I could understand.

"The other thing you should know is this: if Grandmother does learn anything useful, the price will be high. Carissa expects to pay it, whatever it is."

"She doesn't have to do that."

Deirdre looked around, ensuring we weren't being overheard, but she still spoke cryptically; it may have been that Sonya's grasp of English was far better than she let on. "The reason you desire this information means the information has value, but is perhaps not priceless. Grandmother understands this."

I said nothing to that.

"Fae are subtle," Deirdre went on. "Well, usually. Grandmother has many methods of collecting information. They aren't necessarily fast. She may learn something next week, or next year, or sometime during the next century. I'm sorry, Michaela. There is hope, but this hope is at least as shy as the people involved."

I sighed. "I shall not arrange my life around this hope," I said. "I have no intention of traveling north from Wisconsin in random search of distant cousins."

"That's where they would be, isn't it?"

"Or far east of this closer cousin's home." By that, I meant the depths of Siberia.

"There may be foxes in Asia, Japan or China."

"If there are, I'd never find them," I said.

"I don't know," Deirdre said. "You could try a very mundane method."

"Oh?"

"Sure," she said. "You could take out an ad and let them find you. You're assuming any other foxes are living like you once did. But perhaps they are just as integrated into modern society as you are."

 **Dinner**

We returned to Carissa's plantation. I expected the wolves to complain about needing to change clothes for dinner, but it seems everyone had been busy. Anika and Joanna had - with Lara's permission, unknown to me - stopped by our temporary home in New Orleans and collected everything we needed. Carissa offered us space to prepare.

Elisabeth herself handed me a garment bag with a smirk, and I wondered what was in it. I found a new dress waiting for me. It was long and elegant and unlike anything else I owned. And, like everything else she picked for me, it was off the shoulder.

Elisabeth sure did enjoy leaving my shoulders bare.

I showered and primped and coiffed before sliding into the dress and pulling on the matching pair of heels. The dress was long enough to hide my ankles, so I added two knives and hoped they didn't peek out too obviously. Elisabeth and Lara were waiting for me next door, and I presented myself for inspection.

They both grinned widely. Elisabeth made a turn around gesture, so I did my best model on the runway impression, giving them both a good view. Lara whistled her appreciation.

"Knock it off," I said.

"You look stunning," she said. "But Sister, I believe something is missing."

"I believe you may be right, Sister," Elisabeth replied.

"Come here, my mate," Lara commanded.

I stepped over to her. They were both dressed in suits, and they looked damned good. From an inside pocket, Lara withdrew a slender, black jewelry case. Elisabeth held out her hands, and Lara set the case down, using Elisabeth's hands as a shelf. She opened the case and withdrew the most stunning necklace that I could imagine.

I said nothing as she wrapped it around my neck.

It was very, very glittery, with more small diamonds than I could count, all paying homage to a central amethyst that rested in the cleft of my delicate bosom. At least in this dress, I had a bosom to form a cleft.

"Lara, it's stunning." I fingered it. I couldn't believe she bought it for me. It wasn't typical amongst weres to invest in expensive jewelry; we tended to lose it when shifting. Then I eyed them both carefully. "How long have you two had these?"

They both grinned.

"We changed our plans," I said. "We weren't supposed to be here today. We were going to leave this morning. Why were you holding these in reserve?"

"Michaela, do you really expect us to believe you wouldn't have wanted to spend time with Deirdre? Do you really believe Carissa wasn't going to try to extend our trip by a day or two?"

I felt completely unlike myself. I was fox. I spent years of my life living in a literal hole in the ground. I was the definition of down to earth. I never would have envisioned myself looking this elegant.

But I moved away from them and looked at myself in the mirror, fingering the necklace, turning this way and that.

I wondered if Lara and Elisabeth were trying to turn me into something other than what I was.

But I had to admit, although not out loud: I looked stunning.

Yes, I am vain. I am vain to write those words. And I am very vain to have enjoyed it.

"Trust Michaela to find a mirror," Elisabeth said. It was said teasingly. I ignored the barb.

I turned to my mate. "I will wear it only when you wrap it around my neck."

She smiled. "Then you will wear it often."

"Not too often."

She looked at me, considering. "Perhaps not too often, but often." And I nodded acceptance.

I smoothed everything, and then I took Lara's offered arm.

The restaurant was attached to another plantation, a half-hour from Carissa's. As we'd been warned, it was quite upscale, and I realized my attire was entirely appropriate for the evening.

The enforcers were all dressed in their own suits; it fit their physiques far better than anything else would have. The two vampires, Deirdre, Sonya, Anika, and Joanna were all in their own evening gowns. Sonya looked at least as good as I did and appeared far more accustomed to her clothing that I felt in mine. But she clapped when she saw me and then offered a deep curtsey, which I returned in kind.

The panther, Annabelle, met us at the restaurant. She was dressed in her own suit, black with a white shirt, and she looked good. When it came to looking dashing, she definitely gave Lara and Elisabeth a run for their money.

And I discovered she was entirely the flirt that Deirdre's words earlier suggested. She kissed my hand and Sonya's. She offered gracious bows to both vampires, kissing their hands as well. Deirdre, Anika, and Joanna got their kisses on their cheeks, and she lingered with each of them in her arms. Deirdre laughed and told her to behave. Lara and Elisabeth both received firm handshakes, but she lingered with both of them as well, causing Lara to smirk her amusement.

She was more proper when introduced to Violet, James, and Hanna, and I was impressed by her gracious manners. Deirdre moved to my side and said, "She defines southern charm."

"She's as dangerous socially as she is physically," I said.

Deirdre laughed. "That she is. She has cut a wide swath through the supernatural community, and she seems to be perfectly fine breaking both male and female hearts."

"Natural jaguars are solo creatures and highly territorial."

"Were jaguars don't take that to such an extreme. Actually, she reminds me something of you and something of Lara."

"Oh?"

"She has your loyalty to your friends, which is why Carissa trusts her."

"Well, and the blood thrall-"

"She's not bound," Deirdre corrected. "Carissa trusts her, anyway. Well, not with anyone's heart, but with anything else."

"And how is she like Lara, other than the physical similarities?"

"They both have a Harvard business degree. Annabelle is quite the business woman."

"She seemed quite the operator today."

"Oh, Great Panther isn't hers. It belongs to her uncle. She was there today as a favor to Carissa. But watch. She's going to gravitate towards the business people in your group, unless she decides to chat someone up."

The restaurant was a separate building from the plantation house, although it looked very much like a second house. We found ourselves in a private dining room with one long table set for all eighteen of us. Carissa assured Lara and Elisabeth we were perfectly safe and encouraged the enforcers to relax and enjoy the meal. I was surprised when the sisters took Carissa at her word and declared the enforcers off duty.

Of course, they weren't entirely off duty; they would remain watchful.

Carissa then orchestrated seating, although Anna whispered in her ear, too quietly for me to hear. Carissa laughed and promised, "Of course." Then she turned to Lara. "Alpha, with your permission, I would like to mix things up tonight."

"Of course."

"Excellent. I also wish to take temporary possession of your mate." She was moving towards my side as she said it, and she took my arm in hers. "I assure you, I shall return her to you at the conclusion of our meal."

"Of course," Lara said, but it was said stiffly, and I knew she wasn't happy.

"Excellent," Carissa repeated.

"Carissa, darling," Ekaterina said. "Perhaps you would see to Sonya's enjoyment of the meal as well. I believe I would like to engage some of these fine wolves in a discussion."

"How wonderful," Carissa said. "I shall be flanked by the lovely foxes." She switched to Russian for a moment, and I heard Sonya's name. She held out her hand, and after a glance at her vampire, Sonya moved to her.

"Well then." Carissa drew Sonya and me with her, leading us to the head of the long table. Somehow Anna was already waiting, and she held chair a chair for me to Carissa's left, then made it around the table to help Sonya into her seat. For now, Carissa remained standing.

"Well, now we have such an embarrassing point of protocol," Carissa said. "We have the foot of the table, and we have three obvious occupants. We have, of course, a representative of the local jaguar community."

"Oh, not me, Carissa," Anna said immediately, offering a small bow.

"Well then," Carissa went on, "we have the alpha of all the weres of Wisconsin, a truly unique woman amongst all werewolves. The Madison alpha commands as many souls as I do, and perhaps as many as Ekaterina, and a territory greater than both of ours combined."

I hadn't thought about that. I hadn't thought about any of that.

"But we also have the Queen of St. Petersburg, who has traveled a great distance to join us this week, a woman whose power rivals - and may indeed surpass - my own."

"Carissa," Ekaterina said. "We have one queen at one end of the table, and so I cede the opposite end to the Madison alpha."

"Quite gracious," Carissa said.

"Carissa," Deirdre inserted. I thought perhaps the vampire was surprised. She turned to the fae. "I think perhaps the woman paying for our repast should take the seat in question."

Carissa offered a confused expression. "I expected to cover our costs this evening."

Deirdre grinned. "Elisabeth and I engaged in a small wager." Carissa asked for details, laughing as they emerged. "And so, I would propose that it should be either Elisabeth or I to take the controversial seat."

"I believe you are correct," Carissa agreed. "Madison alpha, do you concur?"

"Definitely," she said, smirking at Elisabeth. "And while I have an opinion on the outcome of the wager, and I know my mate expressed her opinion earlier, we haven't heard my sister's response."

Without a word, Elisabeth moved to the far end of the table, placing her hands on the back of the chair.

Carissa offered Elisabeth a bow, and I detected not an ounce of sarcasm. "Very gracious, Ms. Burns." Elisabeth inclined her head.

"Well," said Carissa. "I believe the discussion at this end of the table will be somewhat cultural in nature; I believe there are hopes the opposite end of the table will host a discussion of more mundane-" she made a face "-business topics. Are you agreed, our gracious hostess?"

Elisabeth smiled. "I love talking business, as do many here."

"Well then, I will leave you to orchestrate your end of the table. Ekaterina and Annabelle both wish to join you."

"Of course," Elisabeth replied.

Carissa lowered her voice. "Michaela, I believe Angel was your maid of honor and is one of your closest friends."

"She was, and she is."

"Will she and Serena wish to join the conversation at the other end of the table?"

"I couldn't say, but I suspect my mate's nerves would be relaxed if at least one were near me."

"Then we shall make it their choice." She raised her voice. "Serena, Angel, will you be joining the business discussions." They both turned to her and shook their heads. I knew Angel would be waiting to take whatever seat was remaining at the end. And I knew Serena would rather be beside me than anywhere else.

"Well, then, Deirdre, if you would take the seat beside Sonya, Serena may sit beside her alpha, and Angel may sit beside Deirdre."

All this work simply to arrange seating, but I realized Carissa was accepting some awkward moments to make us feel more comfortable. She was also helping my pack economically, offering opportunities to establish business relationships we wouldn't otherwise have.

At the other end of the table, Lara ended sitting on the opposite side of the table from me. I was sure she sat there so she could watch me. Elisabeth arranged Ekaterina on one side of her and Annabelle on the other. Lara was beside Annabelle with Violet beside her. James and Hanna sat beside Ekaterina. The remaining enforcers filled in the intervening seats.

Lara looked in my direction. I very obviously blew her a kiss and then mouthed, "I love you so much."

She smiled, but it was strained.

The meal was fabulous, absolutely outstanding. But of course, it was the conversation that kept my attention. I eavesdropped on the business conversation from time to time, but I didn't understand the implications of most of it. However, it sounded quite animated, and I absolutely knew the wolves were ecstatic with the opportunity.

Conversation at our end of the table was quite different. As expected, Carissa was a gracious host. She kept the conversation flowing, making sure everyone was included while translating back and forth for Sonya besides. She even drew both Serena and Angel into the conversation. I admired her grace and commented on it.

"Practice," she said. "You are far, far more gracious than I was at your age." She smirked at that.

Sonya was full of excitement and questions about our afternoon. She expressed some disappointment Annabelle was too far down the table to question, but Carissa said, first in Russian, then English, "Well, I can discuss the history, and we have a science teacher siting here who can perhaps talk about the nature."

I hadn't ever gotten around to telling Sonya I was a teacher. She had more questions about that, then expressed surprise I had a job.

"But Lara is rich," she said.

At that, I shrugged. "I am stubborn and do not want to live on my wife's money."

She didn't seem to understand that, but I found myself answering questions about our outing, primarily the more exotic wildlife. She was as surprised as I was about the marshmallows.

"The white balls," she said. "They are candy. Anna fed candy to the animals?"

I explained what a marshmallow was and then repeated what Anna had told me. "Alligators will eat anything."

"I imagine they would love to eat fox," Sonya said with a nervous laugh.

"Gus would eat either of us in two bites," I replied, and she agreed with me.

Later, Sonya said, "Anna roar. Lara growls."

"Anna definitely roars," I said. And so we had to explain to Carissa, whose eyes shone in mirth. She then answered some of Sonya's questions about that.

It was a lovely meal.

Finally, we all stood. Lara worked her way to me, wrapping arms around me. I leaned backwards against her, kissed her cheek, and thanked her.

"For holding you."

"You know exactly why I'm thanking you," I whispered. "Form any new companies?"

"Tonight was only diplomacy, but Violet and James are ecstatic. We should have sent Hanna down to your end though."

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't think of that."

"She sat quietly, and she never complains, but she turned your way every time one of you laughed."

"We should invite them to Bayfield for Thanksgiving," I suggested.

"Yes, I think so," she agreed.

Carissa gave us another minute, then she moved in our direction. "Alpha, I imagine you are tired, but your mate asked Deirdre something earlier today, and Deirdre wished to offer a little demonstration. Do you mind returning to my plantation?"

Lara frowned, but then her arms tightened a little further. "Of course not."

"Perhaps you will allow me to have her back during the drive. Well, more exactly, you will allow her a little more time with Deirdre and Sonya. I assure you of her safety, and I will not allow Ekaterina to spirit her away."

Lara didn't want to let me out of her grasp, but she replied with "Certainly."

I thought perhaps it would be a casual trip back, but Carissa had an agenda. We were barely away from the restaurant before Ekaterina turned to me. "Michaela, I know you hoped to meet a male fox."

My eyes flashed to Carissa, who held up her hands in defense. "I didn't tell her."

"Michaela, I am, well, shall we agree I am a thousand years old?" Carissa snorted but didn't otherwise comment. "You were subtle during the interrogation I offered you. But I was watching you. You are pleased to have met my Little Fox, and she is pleased to have met you. But she herself told me she wished you were male, and that is how I realized you wished the same of her."

"I have a mate," I said.

"It is not a mate you look for. It is someone to father your babies. And while a wolf can mate with a human, a fox cannot."

"Let's say you're right..."

"I will make a pact with you."

"I am listening."

"I imagine you have not given up."

"And if I haven't?"

"I have always kept my ear open for exotic opportunities, but my Little Fox has expressed a certain desire, and so now I will be doing more than remaining open to ideas."

"You're going to look."

"Yes. And while I cannot make promises, if there are foxes in Russia, it is very likely I will eventually find them."

"They will hide from you."

"They can hide from general searches, but if I know they exist, they will not succeed in hiding from me."

I glanced at Carissa, and she nodded.

"I detect a proposal."

"Neither of us knows if either of us will be successful in her search. And so, I offer a pact. If my search is successful, I will offer you, well, let us call it access. And if your search is successful, you will do the same."

"Access? Lara would never allow me to travel to Russia."

"I believe all you really wish is a certain sample or two. And that is all I require as well."

I studied her. I looked at Sonya. She was staring out the window into the night, seemingly oblivious to the conversation. "Does she know what we're discussing?"

"No. Nor has she suggested she knew what you wish. I am not in the habit of raising her hopes when I cannot make promises."

It was my turn to look out the window. They let me sit in silence for a minute or two before Ekaterina said, "Will you tell me your hesitation?"

"I do not wish to offend you."

"You intend to decline?"

I turned back. "I don't know if I can explain my hesitation without offering offense."

"Ah. You fear to express a certain reluctance into delivering offspring into my care."

"That is the first part. There are other concerns, but that is the main concern."

"Everyone in my household is happy," Ekaterina said. "I hold Sonya very close to me, but only for the same reason your mate holds you so closely."

"Are you lovers?"

"No. We are friends, and we love each other, but not in that style."

"Do you feed from her?"

"Yes, but no more often than the other members of my household."

Carissa spoke next. "Michaela, you experienced only the beginning of the thrall, when it is most intense. Do Deirdre, Anika or Joanna appear unhappy?"

"No," I said. "But a fox should be free."

"A fae needs freedom at least as much as a fox does," Deirdre said.

"But I imagine you have more freedom than the white-haired one does." Sonya's ears didn't even twitch. "And perhaps more than I do."

"I do not believe I have more than you do, but yes, probably more than she does," Deirdre said. "However, she seems happy, doesn't she?"

"I hold a great, great deal of land," Ekaterina said, "and she has free roam of all of it. She wears no collar."

"She wears the leash of a blood thrall."

"She is happy, as you were," Carissa said. "Any offspring would be happy, if Ekaterina keeps them."

"What?" I asked. "You'd what? Sell them?"

"No," she said. "I will add that to our pact. I will not trade them away, unless they themselves request it. However, I might want to discuss additional breeding opportunities, twenty or thirty years later."

I came to a decision and nodded. "I cannot make the same sort of promise you can make."

"Why not?"

"It would not be my sample to send you. I would neither force someone else nor deceive him. What do you propose?"

"We have the basis of an agreement, but you are asking how I would expect you to keep it?"

"Tentative agreement," I clarified. "The details matter. I would not make a promise I cannot control."

"Then I will add this. We will share information. If you learn of a group in North America, you will inform me. If I learn of one in Europe or Asia, I will inform you."

I started to open my mouth to protest, but she held up a hand.

"I will not poach, shall we say? I may offer assistance. And I will not force any fox in any fashion at all. I will not force a thrall, not to a fox in North America or one in Siberia. I will not force a visit to St. Petersburg. I may make offers; they may be very, very attractive offers. But I will not force."

"Even if you find this fox without my help?"

"Even then."

"We share information. And if I find a fox here?"

"Then you will do your best to facilitate a meeting."

"My best within reason, and within the sort of limits you know Lara applies to my life. And if the fox refuses any contact with you?"

"You are an honorable fox," she said. "I will trust your judgment." She smiled. "You are very careful in your agreements."

"I wouldn't want to make a promise I can't keep, or one that forces me to violate my morals to do so."

"I will not expect you to violate your morals, and I will not violate mine, either."

"Carissa?" I asked.

"You are both operating in good faith," she said. "You could quibble over details, but this is a handshake agreement, not a legal document. I believe you both understand each other."

"Well then," I said. I decided to restate our agreement. "If I learn of any other foxes, I will tell you. You will do the same. If I meet another fox, then I will make reasonable effort to facilitate a meeting for you."

"I will not force any foxes into any agreements," Ekaterina said. "And if I have the opportunity to do so, I will grant you whatever access you request to any foxes I find."

"Which might involve collecting and mailing a sample."

"Perhaps you understand I wouldn't handle that directly."

We all laughed, and I had an agreement.

"I hope no one intends to tell Lara about this," I added.

"Why do you think she's not in the car with us?" Carissa asked.

Ekaterina smiled. Then she turned to Sonya, laying a hand on her arm. She spoke in Russian, and the fox smiled. She turned to me and hugged me tightly.

"I told her you offered to teach her to kayak, the next time you see her," Ekaterina explained.

"I would love to," I said. I held Sonya as tightly as she held me.

We arrived back at Carissa's. We were barely out of the car when Sonya asked Ekaterina a question. Ekaterina said something in Russian to Carissa. And Carissa in turn sidled up to Lara, intercepting her before she could reach me. The two spoke quietly, and then Lara nodded. Carissa stepped aside, and Lara completed the walk to me, pulling me into her arms and squeezing.

"We'll be home tomorrow," I said.

"Did they try to take you from me?"

"No, honey. And they wouldn't have succeeded. You know that, in spite of our little disagreement."

She held me another moment then released me, more or less. "Carissa has offered to allow a run. She says we are safe here, although she suggests howling might be a poor idea, and she asks us not to hunt."

I traced the conversation backwards and smiled. "You agreed?"

"With your approval," she replied.

I raised my voice. "Sonya, we are going for a run. Will you join us?"

A second later came the reply. "Da."

Twenty minutes later, we collected back outside. The instant shifters had changed back into our day clothes. The slow shifters were already in fur. Carissa and Deirdre were already waiting; they had both changed, although I didn't think they intended to run with us.

Carissa and Deirdre looked at us, but they both knew our pack could shift instantly. But then Ekaterina and Sonya arrived; Sonya was in fur.

She was every ounce as beautiful as I was, white as snow. She stopped in the doorway of the house while Ekaterina held the door open for her, then she stepped down, trotting over to me.

I knelt down to get a good look.

She was so beautiful. I told her that, and Carissa translated. Sonya squeaked her glee, then rolled onto her back, offering her tummy. I dug my fingers into her fur, treating her the way I loved to be treated. She continued to squeak in pleasure.

I hadn't made those noises in years; they weren't wolf noises, and I had altered my foxy vocabulary to more closely resemble wolf expectations.

Elisabeth stepped over. "She's as beautiful as you are, Michaela."

"Maybe more so," I admitted. "And possibly faster."

Elisabeth stared. "I hadn't even thought about that. Has our fox met her match?"

I laughed.

Ekaterina stepped over. "Alpha," she said to Lara. "Do you accept responsibility for Sonya's security, or would you like me to run with you. It is entirely your choice."

Lara turned to the vampire. "Michaela, no games."

"No games," I agreed.

"We'll take care of her," Lara said.

"I will listen," Ekaterina said, "and if I hear a wolf howl, I will be there instantly."

Lara nodded to her.

Then it was Carissa's turn. "Lara, none of you know the limits of my land. The boundaries are not clear, and there are dangers you won't find in your northern forests. It is safe if you stay to the obvious fields, but if you wish to travel somewhat further, then I offer myself as guide."

"You can keep up with us?" Lara asked. I scoffed.

"Of course," Carissa said. "Especially if we are running at a fox pace, although I will travel in fits and starts. I will run ahead, then lag behind."

"Then we welcome your company."

"Excellent," Carissa replied. She turned to me. "Our best path is in that direction." She pointed. "We cross the field, and there is a path through that copse of trees. I can meet you at the entrance to the trail."

I smiled, loosened my clothing, then turned to Lara. I leaned up, put my hands on her shoulders, and then shifted to fox, just like that. The end result had me hanging onto Lara, the tip of my tail just brushing the ground. My clothes fell from my body as I squirmed. Lara laughed and gathered me up, supporting me more carefully, and I clung to her, chuffing happily.

I looked over Lara's shoulder to see Elisabeth shaking her head at me. From her place on the ground, Sonya offered her own squeak of pleasure at my antics.

"You goof," Lara said, kissing me on the nose before setting me down. She collected my clothing and set them on the verandah. While the wolves undressed the slow way, I bowed to Sonya, inviting her to play. She bowed back, and I immediately dashed away. She gave chase.

She was just as fast as I was, and it was clear very early on we were a physical match for each other. I weaved amongst all the available obstacles, both two-footed and four-footed obstacles, and while she didn't catch me, I didn't lose her, either. She snapped at my tail, catching it a few times, but I decided that didn't count at all.

I knew everyone was watching. The undressing wolves had all stopped to watch me, several of them laughing.

"I've got money on the fox!" Karen called out.

"Which one?" Angel immediately asked. Karen didn't answer with more than a laugh.

I continued to try to lose Sonya. I dashed around Lara, between Elisabeth's legs, and ran underneath Eric in his fur. He tried to sit down, forming a wall for Sonya, but she leapt over him instead of going underneath, and she almost caught me when she came down. I chuffed for his attempt, and he chuffed back.

"You've met your match," Lara called out. "Ekaterina, I think I like your fox. It's about time Michaela lost this game."

I doubled back, barely avoiding Sonya, and barked at Lara. Traitor. She laughed again. I was deeply tempted to bite her ankle on the way past, but I couldn't risk the delay.

I didn't trust that Ekaterina wouldn't help her fox, so I avoided her. But I did two circles around Carissa, Sonya snapping at my tail the entire time.

Sonya eventually caught me. I feinted, but she correctly predicted my shift of direction, and she came down right on top of me, a perfect leap, knocking me onto my back. We skidded to a stop with her on top of me.

But then I discovered an advantage. I was more accustomed to playing rough and tumble than she was. With four paws, I pushed her off, and she went flying past me, bumping against her vampire's legs and coming to a panting rest on her side.

She didn't yelp, but she didn't get up, either. Instead, she lay there panting, and I worried I had stunned her.

Ekaterina knelt down and was checking her fox at the same time I rolled to my feet and cautiously approached, whining.

"She is fine," the vampire said.

I lay down in the grass and put my head between my legs, watching Sonya. We both caught our breaths, and then she lifted her head, looked around, then rolled onto her stomach and mirrored me.

"Are you two done?" Lara asked. I huffed. As if.

"Does that sound mean something?" Ekaterina asked.

"In this case, I think she's waiting for Sonya to run away this time," Lara said, and I chuffed.

Ekaterina spoke gently in Russian. Sonya leaned up and licked her quickly once, then stood and bowed. I bowed back, and then she was running.

She was just as hard for me to catch as I'd been for her. She ran me all over, and while I could snap at her tail, she was really hard to catch.

But not impossible. She was as fast as I was, and as agile. But she wasn't accustomed to this game, and several times I could have caught her. But I was afraid I would hurt her, so I satisfied myself with chasing her.

I thought Lara would have caught her, too, and maybe some of the fastest enforcers, but I wasn't sure.

Finally, she ran past Lara, and instead of continuing to give chase, I leapt for Lara. Laughing, she caught me, staggering for a moment. I was small, but thirty pounds of hurtling fox is still a lot to catch.

"Good game," Lara called out. "Stalemate."

Sonya continued to run for a moment, then hid behind Ekaterina. She saw Lara holding me and lay down, panting heavily.

It had definitely been a good game.

Lara set me down as well. The wolves finished shifting, and it was time to run.

 **Deirdre**

It was a good run, although not as good as if we'd been home. Carissa had a lot less property, after all, but still, we had a nice run. We collected our clothing and got dressed. Deirdre was waiting for us, and once Lara and I were dressed, she quietly said, "I want to show this to you and Lara, but no more than that."

And so we moved the entire party into the house, and then Carissa asked Anika and Joanna to serve as hosts for "perhaps a half hour". Lara gestured to Elisabeth, who kept the enforcers with her. Carissa, Deirdre, Lara, and I headed to a small sunroom at the back of the house.

"Lara, do you know why we're here?" Deirdre asked.

"No."

"Michaela asked me about my birth form." Lara's eyes grew wide. Deirdre paced for a moment. "The fae are not like other creatures."

"None of us are like other creatures," Carissa said.

"I suppose not," Deirdre admitted. "Fae children are a product of not two parents, but in a way, three. We each have a father and a mother, like most creatures. But the magic of Elfame in many ways is a parent to us as well. Our magic is wild and unpredictable, and no two of us have exactly the same magic. This is because of the wild magic of Elfame."

I nodded understanding.

"The term fae really represents any of the sentient creatures born in Elfame. And so, some fae look almost exactly like humans. Some are not even humanoid but instead represent beasts of one nature or another." She paused. "And some represent something entirely different."

She seemed nervous.

"Many fae are unable to alter their form. Some are able to alter their appearance only through illusion. Spells. Their pointed ears may look rounded, but if you touch them, you would feel they are pointed."

Lara and I understood.

"Some are able to alter their appearance almost as easily as you both do, although most who can do this take somewhat more time at it than you do, Michaela." She smiled. "For others, we must use spells to achieve a human form. This is something I must do. But because I use spells, I can also alter my appearance within the realm of human appearance." She gestured to herself. "This is how I choose to appear. With some of us, the spells remain active, and they are easily dispelled. The magic I use performs a complete change, and there is no residual magic involved in holding this form."

She paused again, letting us consider it.

"I must use magic to look like this. But I have an appearance that is natural to me, that I can take easily. It is not like any elf from Tolkien."

"Lara and Michaela," Carissa said, "I probably do not need to say this, but what Deirdre shows you is not to be shared with anyone, not even your head enforcer."

"Of course," Lara said. "We understand."

The vampire nodded. Deirdre held her arms from her sides and began to turn around in a circle. She spun about three times, and when she came to a stop, she looked entirely different.

Well, perhaps not entirely. She was wearing the same clothing and was the same basic size. She stood on two feet, with two arms. She had a head with a mouth, nose, and two eyes.

But her ears were not just pointed; they were as long on her head as the longest of rabbit ears, perhaps six inches tall, the tapered tips jutting above the height of her head. The outsides were covered in a fine fur, much like a dog's ears.

Her eyes were much, much larger than her human eyes, green, and I was left wondering if they glowed.

She spoke, and her voice was deep and gruff and not at all pleasant. "Do I shock you?"

"No," I said. "I didn't know what to expect, but I am not shocked. May I touch?"

She inclined her head. I moved towards her, Lara with me. And I reached to caress her face.

Her skin, at least what I could see, was white, but it was thick and rough. It was not grooved, but it felt almost like the bark of a tree. It was somewhat more supple around her mouth, but I imagined she carried little expression in this form.

"I bet you have a great poker face," I said.

She growled, and I realized it was the closest to a laugh she could make.

She had hair on her head. It was green, the color of leaves, and coarse. I ran my fingers through it anyway. Then I caressed one of the ears.

"Does it hurt to change shape?"

"No."

"This is her magic form," Carissa explained. "She can perform much of her magic in her human form, but when she is serious, she looks like this."

"I looked like this the first time I broke the thrall, but once I had done so, I knew I could do it again in my human form. If I had not succeeded when breaking yours, I would have changed forms and tried again." She hung her head. "I wasn't ready to share this with you."

"What changed?"

"You trusted me," Carissa said. "In spite of everything, you came here. You trusted me."

"That made it easier to trust you the rest of the way," Deirdre said. "And I know this trip has been difficult for you. I wanted to give the two of you something to share, just between the two of you."

She clasped my hands, and when I looked, I saw that her fingers were much longer and spindly; they represented twigs as much as fingers.

A glance at Lara suggested she was nearly as fascinated as I was. "Have you met a fae before?" I asked her.

"No. This is as new to me as it is to you."

"Michaela asked me about my birth form," Deirdre said. "In Elfame, it is considered rude to take an unnatural form, and so I take this shape before I travel the portal. This is a natural form to me. But it is not my birth form. Michaela, I would like to show you, but we must take our goodbyes first."

"Why?"

"You will understand when I show you."

"It won't hurt you?"

"No. It feels very good for me, and I am due. Come, let us sit." She drew me to the side, leaving Lara and Carissa alone. I glanced over my shoulder at them, but Lara smiled, and I knew Carissa would be gracious. I thought Lara would, too.

Deirdre drew me to a seat. It seemed awkward for her to sit, and I raised an eyebrow. She ignored it.

"I am so glad you came," she said. We clasped hands. Hers felt so strange; it felt like I was holding a tree by the end of one barren branch.

"I am too, Deirdre. Thank you for having us."

"I have things I want to say to you. Are you sure Lara can't hear me?"

I looked over. "Lower your voice as low as you are able. I will hear you."

And so she did. "Carissa really wishes to meet your babies."

I nodded. I made sure my back was to Lara, and I moved my mouth to Deirdre's ear. "The wolves are uncomfortable with a vampire in our home. A retinue would stress our resources. Our offer to meet somewhere was not an idle offer, however. I do not know if they remain hesitant. Trust has grown on this trip."

"Do not make her wait. Introduce her to them no later than New Year's Eve. If you invite her to Wisconsin, I will ensure her retinue is minimal."

"Is there a particular reason you have set a deadline?"

"It is part of trust," Deirdre said. "That is all."

"I will do what I can," I promised. "This trip has been difficult, and our relationship is deeply strained."

"I understand. I can ask no more than your best."

"Would she let you visit us?"

"Yes, I think she would," Deirdre replied. "But I would not do well in a Wisconsin winter. Perhaps you will invite me kayaking. If she comes to you at New Year's, I will not come with. I'm sorry."

"I understand. Our weather is not for everyone."

"Leaving New Orleans in the summer would be nice though," she said. "It gets a touch warm."

"I imagine," I said with a grin.

"Now, tell me honestly. Does my form frighten you?"

"No. It is surprising, but not frightening."

"Then let us hug, and then we will step outside to show you my birth form."

"Outside?"

"You'll understand when you see."

"Do you turn into a dragon?"

She laughed. "No, something far more mundane. You will see."

And so we hugged, and I kissed her dry cheek. We held each other for a while, and I thanked her again.

"You must break that habit, especially with someone in this form," she said with her throaty laugh.

"I'll try."

We began to rise, and immediately Carissa was there, helping Deirdre to her feet. She gestured to a door leading out the back of the house. I collected Lara's arm, shrugging it over my shoulder as we stepped outside.

Deirdre moved ahead of us, stepping out onto the grass and to the side. She turned a slow circle, sniffing the air. Then she turned to Carissa. "A storm is coming. It will arrive late the evening after tomorrow." She sniffed again. "It will be too fierce for me. You will have to Call me. I will be difficult to Call, Carissa."

"I understand," the vampire said.

I didn't understand, although I soon would.

"Lara," Deirdre said. "I thank you again for what you have done for me, and I am very pleased you were able to come this week."

"I thank you for your trust, Deirdre," Lara replied.

"You are an easy woman to trust," Deirdre said, and Lara stood taller. "Have a safe trip home, and I hope to see you again very soon." She lifted a hand. "And now, my birth form."

At first, nothing happened. And then she began to quiver. Her clothing disappeared, fading into mist, and she grew taller and more slender, her arms lifting to the sky. She stretched and grew, spreading her arms widely. And then she was still, the only sound a slight quivering as the wind disturbed the leaves of the tree she had become.

Lara and I both stared.

Carissa moved to us. "In this form, her thoughts are very slow. She tells me this is deeply relaxing for her. She can spend weeks like this. If you speak to her, speak carefully, and she will hear you, but if she were going to respond, it might not be for a week or longer."

Lara let me go. I walked slowly to my friend, walking all around her.

"She's a river birch," I said.

"Yes," said Carissa. "In the morning, she will require a great deal of water."

"May I touch her?"

"Of course, but perhaps not climb."

She was very slender; I didn't think she was of a climbing size. And so I laid a hand against her bark, and it felt exactly like birch bark.

"Thank you for trusting me, Deirdre," I said slowly and carefully. I kissed her bark, and then slowly I stepped away, backing to Lara.

"She's all right?"

"Perfectly," Carissa said. "It's a little shocking, isn't it?"

"Yes."

Lara hadn't said a thing.

The three of us watched Deirdre for a few more minutes before I said, "I suppose it's time."

"You have another goodbye," Carissa said.

"Will we see you tomorrow?"

"Would you like me to see you off?"

"Yes," said Lara. "If it is no trouble, Carissa."

"It is no trouble at all, Lara," she replied, and I could hear the pleasure in her voice.

Sonya ran to me when we reappeared in the ballroom where everyone else had waited for us. She threw herself into my arms, and we held each other tightly. Sonya spoke rapid Russian to me.

I didn't need a translation to understand what she was saying.

But then she spoke clearly. "Sonya Michaela sisters."

"Da," I agreed. "Sonya and Michaela are sisters."

I held the tears in, but it was a close thing.

And then Ekaterina was there. She spoke quietly to Sonya, who responded with, "Da. Da. Da. Da!"

"Madison Alpha," Ekaterina said very formally, "I understand you are not likely to accept this offer at this time, but I wish to invite you and your mate to my home. I absolutely guarantee your security, and while I do not promise I won't offer a home to your mate, I would do nothing to prevent her departure when she undoubtedly chooses to return home with you. And you do not need to worry about the current political climate. Mr. Putin leaves me alone, and I do not assassinate him."

I thought perhaps she was serious.

"That is very gracious," Lara said. "I thank you for your kind offer, St. Petersburg Queen. We will think on it."

Sonya and I still hadn't released each other, and I knew my mate and her queen were looking over our heads.

"Lara," said Ekaterina, "it would be a crime to keep these two apart. There are vampires you could not trust. I am not one of them."

"You could send Sonya to us," Lara offered. "There are wolves you could not trust. I am not one of them."

Ekaterina laughed. "I believe you," she said. "But, quite frankly, it is your turn."

Lara laughed briefly. "I suppose it is. Perhaps I will save your offer for a very, very large bribe with my mate."

And I knew Lara wouldn't have said it if she didn't mean it. I hugged Sonya even tighter, and she reciprocated.

I didn't have any words for the fox.

Slowly we separated, but only enough to look into each other's face. "Are you happy, Sonya?" I asked.

Ekaterina translated back and forth.

"No," said Sonya. "I will cry and cry until I hear when you will come to visit."

I offered a small smile at that.

"I must first learn Russian," I said.

"And I must learn English," Sonya replied. "Ekaterina has a home in St. Petersburg and a much bigger home on the shore of Lake Ladoga. We can run for hours and hours."

She looked over her shoulder and spoke to Ekaterina. The vampire replied, and then she said softly, "Sonya asked if I thought you will come. I told her we will wear you down."

I smiled, but didn't answer.

 **Home**

I cried quietly in the car, letting Lara hold me. Somehow, Angel ended on my other side, and so she hugged me at the same time. We didn't exchange words.

I was very subdued by the time we arrived at the home in New Orleans. It was very late, but the wolves were a little wired. They were going to stay up for a while, and Lara told them only, "We are leaving early."

"We'll be ready, Alpha," Elisabeth assured her. "We will see to the house, if you wish to see to your mate."

And so she led me upstairs. This morning, I was sure I was going to spend another night sleeping in fur on the sofa downstairs. Now I wanted nothing more than to feel Lara's arms around me all night. As soon as we were in our room, I plastered myself against her and laid my head against her chest. She wrapped her arms around me and held me with her strong, gentle arms.

"I love you, you know."

"And I love you," she said. "Come on. I'll help you get ready for bed."

"I don't want any hanky-panky tonight," I said. "I need to talk to you."

"In bed?"

"Yes."

She wanted to help, but I pulled away and saw to my own needs, meeting her in bed. I cuddled against her, my face buried in her chest as she held me again, the covers over us, nearly drowning me underneath them.

"I won't ask if you're all right."

"I'll be fine," I said. "I know this trip was harder for you than for me."

"It wasn't as difficult as I feared."

"You have grown to trust Carissa."

"Yes."

"Good. I want you to think about something." I paused to see if she would say something cutting, but she didn't. "Are we celebrating Thanksgiving in Bayfield?"

"Did you have another suggestion?"

"No, but I didn't know if you had a surprise waiting for me."

"Then Bayfield it is," Lara confirmed.

"I think we should invite Carissa."

Lara said nothing for a while, but she stroked my hair. Finally she said, "You know now we have to go back downstairs and ask everyone what she thinks."

In spite of the late night, we woke early. I wanted beignets one more time, and so Angel and Eric ran to Café du Monde to pick up enough for everyone. They were gone such a short time, I wondered if they broke the informal speed limit they usually followed around the humans.

Carissa arrived just as we were passing out beignets, and so we gave her one of the bags. She accepted with a laugh. "Tourists."

"Yeah, right. Anika and Joanna have been eating them right alongside us," I said.

"They were just making you feel welcome," Carissa said, biting into one of the beignets. "Oh, they are good though, aren't they?"

"You know, that's two things I've seen you do I didn't think vampires did," I said.

"Oh?"

"Eat regular food and walk outside in the daylight."

"Don't believe everything that Hollywood tells you," was all she said. "Some young vampires hide from the sun, but the need to do so fades with time. If you are created from a sufficiently ancient vampire, then you may be a day walker from the very beginning." Then she smiled. "And who would want to be a vampire if she couldn't enjoy the occasional bag of beignets?"

I laughed. "Exactly."

By the time we finished our treats, the wolves had our bags loaded into the waiting vehicles.

"Carissa, are you coming to the airport with us? There is one last thing we wish to discuss," Lara said.

Carissa smiled. "I expected to drive."

"Good," Lara said.

We engaged in small talk during the drive. Then, while the enforcers handled security and loaded the airplanes, Lara and I talked to Carissa. I let Lara handle it.

"Carissa, do you know anything about Bayfield, Wisconsin?"

"I know it is a small town on Lake Superior, and that your fox lived there when you first met. I admit to knowing little else."

"The pack owns land, not remotely as much as we own near Madison, but it is no small amount, either. Michaela holds many of her classes there."

"I imagine it is a perfect setting. Camping and so on in the northern woods."

"While I teach camping," I said, "the lodge is far more comfortable." I buffed my fingers against my shirt.

Carissa offered a puzzled expression, and so Lara explained. "Michaela built the lodge."

"With a lot of help," I added.

"Such talents," Carissa said.

"It is not a large lodge," Lara said. "But we have room for a limited number of guests. Perhaps you would like to join us at Thanksgiving."

Carissa stared, not responding immediately. Finally she collected herself. "Well." She laughed. "You have managed to surprise me, Lara. That is about the last offer I was expecting."

"It is heartfelt," Lara said. "Our daughters will be with us. But if the timing is poor, we can make other arrangements. Perhaps you could come just after Christmas and stay until the New Year. Other weekends are planned with far less notice."

"This is very startling," Carissa said. "I am quite taken aback. Are you quite sure, Lara?"

"Of course, but was I clear about the size of the invited retinue?"

"Have no fear, although I take it you are not telling me to come alone."

"No, not alone," Lara said. "I apologize I am unable to be as gracious as you were with your invitation."

"You are inviting me into your home away from home," Carissa said. "That is beyond gracious. Perhaps..." she turned, her eyes finding Joanna. She was speaking with Eric, and the two of them were standing very close together.

"Deirdre would not come in the winter," Carissa added. "Would four of us stretch your capacity?"

"No," said Lara.

I spoke up. "I would rather Kristian weren't one of them unless it is necessary."

Carissa laughed. "I would rather Kristian weren't one of them, either. I was thinking these two and perhaps one more. Would another were be all right?"

"Yes," Lara said. "Absolutely."

"Well then, we will be there. Thank you, Lara!"

It was a long flight. We had to divert well to the east of poor weather centered near St. Louis. When we finally arrived in Madison, I was mentally and physically exhausted. And I was worried about Angel. She sounded stressed on the radio. We'd spent half the flight in instrument conditions, and her aircraft didn't have as many niceties as Lara and I were enjoying.

To make it worse, it was going to be an instrument approach home, although we would break out of the clouds with plenty of altitude, but lower than ideal visibility.

Evidently Lara was worried about all of us. "Angel, when was the last time you shot an approach into Dane County?"

She was asking Angel if she'd been practicing flying on simulated instruments into the Madison regional airport, the main airport serving the Madison region.

"June and I went out last weekend," Angel reported. "She ran me through the wringer."

She had done the same thing with me.

"All right. Are you both up to an ILS into runway two-one?"

"Sure," Angel said. "June and I did it that one twice."

"No problem," I said.

"All right," Lara said. "Pull out your plates, then we'll each call center and amend our flight plans."

An hour later, all three aircraft were safely on the ground.

It was good to be home.

 **Discontent**

It was good to be home.

Violet's mate met us at the airport; Violet offered James and Hanna a ride home. Scarlett, Zoe, and Gia arrived with SUVs for the rest of us. November in Madison can be nice, but it can also be dreary, and it would be several days before we could retrieve the aircraft, returning them to their hangars at the pack airport.

Lara pulled Scarlett to the side. It was difficult to avoid eavesdropping when Lara said, "Angel is wiped out. Take her home and pamper her. If you order out, it's on me."

"What about-" I glanced over, and Scarlett was looking at me. As soon as my head turned to her, she snapped her eyes back to Lara.

"It was a stressful trip," Lara replied. "The Fox needs her friends around her, but I'm not sure she's in a mood to accept them tonight."

"What about you, Lara?"

"I'm fine," she said. I thought she was lying. "Tired. Take care of Angel tonight."

By then, our things were loaded into the backs of the vehicles, and I let Serena direct me to one of the SUVs. Lara climbed in beside me, and a minute later, our small convoy headed towards the airport exit.

During the ride, Lara tried to pretend she wasn't paying attention to me while acutely paying attention to me. I was doing the same about her. Serena and Elisabeth quietly rode in the front seat. No one was talking.

I couldn't quite tell if there was a little red-haired fox riding in the vehicle or a big elephant no one wanted to address. I didn't want to address it, either. So I ignored it as well.

Instead, I did something very simple. I set my hand on Lara's leg, palm up. She looked at it for a moment before clasping it in both of hers. My entire hand disappeared inside of hers.

Not for the first time, I wondered how difficult it was for her to see me as an adult. I was as small as a young teenage werewolf. In fur, even the pups were now bigger than I was.

"When you guys look at me, how hard is it to remember I'm an adult?"

Beside me, Lara stiffened, and I thought perhaps Elisabeth did as well.

"I'm not starting a fight," I added. "I'm just curious. Kaylee is bigger than I am now. The only people on the compound smaller than me are the pups, and they're bigger in fur."

"Michaela, at no time do I see you as anything less than what you are. You are all woman." She lifted my hand to her lips and kissed the backs of my fingers. "It's very hard not to see you as very fragile, but I don't see you as a child."

"How about the two of you?"

"Lara is right," Elisabeth said. "You're small and delicate, but we're used to the humans we encounter being small, too, so we don't judge maturity based on size."

"Although instinctively, we can't help but feel protective," Serena added. "But we're protective around Michele Lassiter, too."

"Not Nick?" Scarlett's father was human. "Or Benny?"

"You're a lot more delicate than either of them, Michaela," Serena said.

"I'm stronger than either of them."

"We know that intellectually. But instinctively, it's harder."

I nodded.

I turned to the window, set my forehead against the cool glass, and watched the world roll past. There was still an elephant in the car, and my question hadn't helped. Asking Lara to hold my hand may have. Everything felt awkward, and it was my own fault.

"Lara, do you have to work tonight?"

"I need an update from the head enforcer," Lara said. "Elisabeth, do you expect anything pressing?"

"No. There were antics on Halloween, but nothing that stands out over previous years."

"I need a shower," I said. "And to spend time with the pups. Food. And maybe a relaxing movie while cuddled with my mate and our daughters. Maybe some of our friends will join us. Or did you have something else in mind, Lara?"

"That sounds lovely, Little Fox."

"Elisabeth, will you join us?"

She turned around to look at me more carefully. I knew she was about to turn us down, perhaps to give me room.

"It would be nice to have you, but if you're ready to be away from us for a while, we understand," I added, beating her to the punch.

She didn't answer right away.

"Elisabeth, when was the last time I did something to be polite?"

She laughed. "I need a run and a shower. Don't wait for me."

"Serena, your family is welcome," I said.

"I think Emanuel and I will stay home," Serena said.

"Send Kaylee over if you want."

"That was a sweet movie," Lara said several hours later.

"It's nice to be home." I slipped into bed then watched my mate as she puttered around the room for a minute. When it became obvious she was stalling, I asked, "Are you angry at me?"

"Of course not." But she didn't look at me.

"Then do you think my big, strong, alpha mate would come to bed and hold me?" I asked.

She still didn't turn to face me. "We're not done fighting, are we?"

"Of course we are," I replied. "I told Elisabeth if she doesn't find a way for me to bring my knives with me, as Alpha, I had the authority to vacate the wager on grounds of pack safety." I brushed my hands together as if I was brushing crumbs from them. "One issue resolved."

At that, Lara turned to look at me. "And the other issue?"

"We're both too frazzled to discuss that tonight," I said. "And so we're going to let a few days give us both a little perspective then talk about it like rational adults. Now, unless you really are mad at me, I really hope you'll come to bed and hold me. I like to feel your arms around me while we sleep."

And so she did.

The next several days were tense. Lara and most of the enforcers were on eggshells around me. Discounting my students, no one teased me. That was unusual.

Wednesday after class, with Serena and Portia flanking me, I stepped out of the school. I did what I always do. I listened.

Serena and Portia, of course, were loudest. I could readily hear their heartbeats. Portia was immediately in front of me, and Serena had her hand on my shoulder.

The next sound were the sounds of the forest. There was a light wind blowing the trees. I heard a few birds here and there.

There wasn't any game nearby; the area immediately around the compound was a dead zone of anything a werewolf might hunt, and we had to get a mile or more away before I would find rabbits and squirrels, and a little further for deer.

But I heard two more wolf heartbeats in the woods not far from the back of the house. I cocked my head listening.

The two wolves were being very quiet, for wolves.

It was then I realized since returning on Sunday I'd heard wolves in the woods every time I'd stepped outside. I turned to look at Serena. She was watching me instead of scanning for danger.

"I'm not sure if I should be amused, flattered, or insulted."

"Alpha?"

"Insulted that you're worried I'm going to fly off the handle. Amused that you think having two enforcers in fur will matter if I decide to leave, although a little insulted at the same time. Flattered that you care enough to try to keep me."

"Alpha-"

"That is why they're out there, isn't it?" I asked. "Or has there been a new threat that no one thought to tell me about?"

"Alpha-" She broke off a second time.

"Serena, let me ask a different question. If I decide to leave, if I pack my things, write a letter of resignation from my job, the pack, my duties as a mother, a wife... Are you going to stop me? Then what? The jail cell again? Been there, done that. Is that the plan?"

"You should have this conversation with your mate."

"My mate isn't here," I said. "What are you going to do if I go inside, grab my car keys, hand you a letter of resignation from everything, and head to my car?"

"Michaela, you're not about to do any of that."

"Then why are we making a couple of enforcers watch the house?"

She didn't have an answer for that.

"Am I a prisoner of the Madison pack, Serena? If I decide to leave, do you intend to stop me?"

"I cannot leave you unprotected without direct orders from the alpha or the head enforcer. So yes, if you tried to leave right now, I would either insist on a proper escort or insist you remain home until I have permission to release you."

I breathed deeply for a moment or two. "How does this play out, Serena? If I decide to leave, how does this play out? Lara will lock me up indefinitely? You're going to support that? What?"

"I don't know."

"Are those wolves out there a new, permanent feature?"

"I don't know."

I shook my head. "If you were starting to act a little erratically because you hadn't been hunting enough lately, do you think keeping you from hunting is the right solution?" I didn't wait for her to respond. "Then when I start to show stress from lack of freedom, do you think taking away more of my freedom is the right idea?"

"No one is taking your freedom, Michaela."

"As long as I shut up and do what I'm told?"

"Why are you making this more difficult than it needs to be?" she asked. "Eric and Angel aren't hurting you in any way right now. Portia and I aren't preventing you from doing anything you want to do."

"That's only because I'm doing what Lara approves of my doing. But if I try to do anything unapproved, you're going to be right here to stop me, and you're making sure I know it, too." I put my hand on my hip. "I want to know why."

She closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. "Because, Michaela, we love you."

"Smothering me is a poor way to show it."

"Better smothered than kidnapped or dead."

"So my mental stability doesn't matter."

"You're being hyperbolic. You have more freedom than any alpha's mate in North America and a hell of a lot more than Sonya has. She seemed fine."

"If that's how Lara wants me to live, then she should have kept me as her blood thrall."

"Michaela, you have responsibilities here. Are you abdicating them?"

"Who said anything about abdicating responsibilities?" I asked. "I'm just asking all of you to back the fuck off."

"We're not stopping you from doing anything you _want_ to do, Michaela. You're making up scenarios that aren't going to happen."

"Apparently, so are you," I spat. "Or Eric and Angel wouldn't be in reserve."

"We consider the likelihood of you acting up to be fairly high. When you do, you won't be alone. That's all."

I cocked my head. "So you're not going to stop me from doing what I want?"

"That goes back to the question you didn't answer," she replied. "Do you intend to abdicate your responsibilities?"

"Not at this time," I said.

"Then no, we're not going to stop you from doing what you want."

"Fine. In twenty minutes, I am taking the pups for a half-hour run before people begin showing up for Wednesday night dinner. I expect our escort to be loose and to avoid scaring the game. I want quality time with my daughters. Am I clear?"

I didn't wait for an answer but turned towards the house. A moment later, I felt Serena's hand on my back. I came to another stop and looked over my shoulder at her. "Remove your hand, Enforcer."

She looked into my eyes, slowly exhaled, and nodded. Her hand fell away.

In the house, I found Nora playing with the kids. The three of them were assembling a puzzle on the dining room table. Emanuel and Rory were on duty, which meant Emanuel was standing at the dining room window and Rory at the living room window. The girls looked up.

"Mommy Fox!" said Celeste. "We're making a picture."

"I see that," I said.

"You could help, Mommy Fox," Rebecca suggested.

I crossed the room, setting my things aside for a moment. I pulled each girl into a quick hug and a kiss, but they were deeply focused on the puzzle, and they didn't decide it was time to run around.

"I'm going to change clothes," I said. "Then we'll finish the puzzle together. Who wants to go for a run before dinner?"

"I do!" both girls said together.

"Keep working on the puzzle," I said. "I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

I was actually a little surprised. My house was often teenager grand central station. But none of my students were hanging out in the living room, and when I listened, the only heartbeat I heard from upstairs was Portia's, doing a quick security search. I had long gotten used to those, but they were ridiculous. Emanuel and Rory wouldn't have let anyone in the house, after all. I wondered where all the teenagers were then set it aside. I had enough to worry about.

I grabbed my things and headed for the stairs. Serena tried to shadow me, but I turned to her. "Portia has already searched. You can guard from down here."

With me on the first step of the stairs, our eyes were at about the same level. She stared into them for a moment then nodded.

"Thank you," I added.

Portia was at the top of the stairs, pointedly not looking at me. "You, too," I said. I hooked my thumb over my shoulder.

"Of course, Alpha," she said. She stepped past me and was two steps down the stairs before she said, "Alpha?"

I turned to her, my hand on the bedroom doorknob.

"I was wondering if we could count on you for movie night this Friday."

"Are you sure I'm welcome?"

"Michaela, we would be deeply hurt if that's even a serious question."

I paused a moment longer before answering. "I do not know if Nora has plans." Nora almost certainly had plans. "Nor do I know if my mate has made alternate plans for us."

"If you don't want to come," she said gently, "there is never an obligation. But we both know finding a baby sitter for the girls won't be a problem."

"I don't like to assume, Portia," I said. "If Lara hasn't other plans or objections, and the kids are covered, then we'll be there. I can let you know later."

"Zoe and Ember will be pleased for you to come."

I nodded, and we both turned away, but then I interrupted her. "Portia?" We turned to each other again. "Would you put up with it, if you were in my shoes?"

We stared at each other for a while before she answered. "I don't know. Life has compromises, Michaela. You know that."

"You mean, like leaving my home?" I asked. "Like being cooped up inside all the time? Like having no privacy? Having to ask permission to do anything?"

"Michaela, some of those are self-inflicted. You know this is my first pack, but I've been around. I know of a few alpha's mates who are businesswomen, but I don't know of any that have a job that didn't involve running either their own businesses or those of their mates'."

"You're recommending I resign as teacher and live off Lara's money?"

"No. My daughter would be devastated if you did. However, if you don't enjoy teaching, you should resign as teacher. I think you enjoy teaching, Michaela. I think it's important to you. As for the rest?" She shrugged. "I didn't hear you ask if you could go for a run. I heard you inform us what you were doing, and Serena said _okay_."

"Do you have any idea how often I don't do the things I want because the enforcers won't let me?"

"I have never told you that you couldn't do something. I don't recall hearing Serena do so, either."

"She laid hands on me at Carissa's party."

"Two minutes, Michaela. The entire incident was two minutes. And you met the wolves in question. What exactly did she stop you from doing?"

We both stared at each other.

"Michaela, I'm not trying to argue. But it comes back to something simple. Life is full of compromises. We all make them."

I didn't say anything further on it. Instead I said, "I'll be downstairs in a few minutes."

I turned back to the door and let myself into the bedroom. I leaned against the door and listened as Portia made her way downstairs.

I could hear all of them down there, of course. If I moved further from the door, their heartbeats wouldn't pound at me so loudly, and I could get away from it a little. And so I moved deeper into the room, shedding my clothes. I hung everything up then pulled on jeans and a blouse. I grabbed my phone and lay down on the bed.

I sent a text to Lara. "Going for a run with the pups in fifteen minutes. If you're here, you could join us." Then I lay on my back, staring at the ceiling, and trying to pretend my house wasn't full of _werewolves_.

They would never understand. They had each other. Who did I have? Sonya was back in Russia by now. My family was dead. My fox friends were all long dead.

My phone buzzed. "Wait for me?"

I sent back, "Wednesday dinner. Need to be back before people show up. Get here in time and you can catch up. Otherwise we can take another run this evening."

I closed my eyes, trying to shut it all out for a few minutes, a few minutes of relative quiet without the thump-thump-thump of all their heartbeats pressing on me.

But I was restless. It wasn't my nature to be sedentary. Lying on the bed wasn't relaxing. Hiding in my room wasn't relaxing. I wanted to run. I wanted to feel the wind in my fur. I wanted to hunt, to stalk. But mostly I just wanted to run, to run free, long and hard.

I couldn't remember the last time I'd been for a run alone.

I sighed and climbed from the bed, stashing the phone in my jeans pocket. I moved to the door, staring at it for a moment. From below, I heard a moment of laughter. I straightened, opened the door, and was assailed by heartbeats, so many heartbeats.

Thump-thump-thump-thump.

I took another breath, letting it out slowly, before I descended the stairs.

Several faces turned towards me as I appeared. I looked around. There were no new faces since I'd gone upstairs. I settled my eyes on Serena.

"Enforcers, out."

"Excuse me?" she asked.

"You can guard us from outside. We'll be out in a few minutes."

Serena and Emanuel exchanged a look, and a moment later, all the enforcers were heading for the front door. When it closed behind them, I continued to stare at it.

I hadn't actually expected that to work.

But I heaved a sigh of relief. Now the only sounds I heard were coming from Nora and my daughters. I smiled and walked over to them, giving the pups a hug before saying, "May I help?"

The puzzle was nearly completed. Nora and I helped the girls with the last few pieces.

"What a pretty picture," I said when they were done. "Good job, girls!" I hugged and kissed them both again, receiving sloppy kisses in return.

"Nora, do you have plans Friday night?"

"Yes, Alpha. I have a play date with my two favorite girls in the world!" She ruffled the nearest head. "I have a somewhat more adult date Saturday night though."

"We want to go on a date!" Celeste said. "May we go with you, Nora?"

"I'm sorry, darlings," I said, "but Mommy Wolf and I have other plans for Saturday. You're stuck with your parents."

They surprised me. I received a stern look from Rebecca, but then she said, "Are we going running now?"

"We are, indeed!" I said. "Let's get furry!"

I didn't have to suggest it twice. Both girls jumped from their chairs and were in fur seconds later. Nora and I bent down and helped them slither out of their clothes then folded the apparel and set it aside. The two of them took turns chasing each other around the living room.

I frequently disrobed in the same way, but this time I stripped before shifting, folding my own clothes and setting them with the girls'. "Will you get the door?" I asked Nora. I flowed into my own fur and was waiting at the door by the time Nora arrived. I barked twice.

The pups had long learned not to rush out the door ahead of me. Instead, they bounded over to me then followed me out. Nora closed the door behind me.

I stretched, looking around. We were short on enforcers, but I trusted they were somewhere. None were in fur. Well, too bad for them. They could catch up. I turned my nose north, barked twice more, and set off at a comfortable pace for a fox. Rebecca and Celeste followed along behind me but quickly grew tired of my pace. They began ranging ahead and running back to me.

It was good to let them wear themselves out.

Around me, I heard the enforcers. They were trying to maintain a circle around us, but that was a more difficult problem for them than it was for me. I could have been a few hundred yards out and held a circle, but the wolves didn't have the same way of keeping track of me. They could use scent to follow our trail, or they could watch us visually. And so periodically I heard a wolf moving closer to reestablish contact with us. I had wanted the appearance of a run with just the pups, and so I had asked Serena to maintain a more distant presence. But they flat out weren't capable of doing so in the thick forest.

Their coming and going was actually more disruptive than their normal style of watching us.

I huffed, came to a stop, and barked three times.

The girls were well behaved. They ran back to me and then plopped to their stomachs. Just as importantly, Serena bounded up to us. I shifted back to skin and turned to her. "This isn't your fault," I said. "I wanted a quiet run with my daughters." I shook my head and said in a quiet voice. "I just wanted a simple, quiet run. This isn't working though. Guard us however you want or whatever is easiest."

I didn't wait for a response. I shifted back into fur and ran north, the pups scampering to keep up. Moments later, they were back to chasing each other around.

Serena howled briefly, calling the other enforcers in. After that, they surrounded us much more closely, with Serena never more than a few paces from me. Portia remained close as well. The other enforcers arranged themselves so as to keep track of the pups.

I ran us north another five minutes before calling Rebecca and Celeste to me. We turned west.

I knew they wanted to catch rabbits. My girls loved catching rabbits. But we didn't have time for a proper hunt.

In the distance, Lara howled. Rebecca and Celeste immediately came to a stop, sat down, and lifted their own noses, calling to their mother.

They were so cute!

I trotted over to them and plopped down, waiting.

We were less than ten fox minutes from the compound, and we hadn't been running at my fastest speed. And so Lara closed the distance quickly. Ever few seconds, she let out a brief howl, which the pups answered in unison.

I tracked Lara's progress with my ears. She had two wolves with her - I guessed them to be Elisabeth and Karen. Only a few moments later Lara leapt in amongst us. The pups ran to their mother and greeted her exuberantly. She gave them licks before turning to me. I let her greet me, but I was still upset. I flowed into skin. "The girls need a longer run, but we have guests coming soon. I'm heading home, but you should spend time with your daughters."

Lara huffed disapproval, but I was in a mood. I jumped, shifting to fox, my nose turned towards the compound. A moment later Serena and Portia flanked me. I listened, and then I heard Lara leading the girls away.

Good. They needed a run, and Lara didn't often run with them without me. This would be good for them. They were growing up, and I could barely keep up with them now. In another year or two, they would begin to leave me behind on our runs.

The thought saddened me. I let out a huff of my own and continued to home.

 **Perspective**

Thursday was a college day for me. The weather was still questionable. The relative humidity was high, and it was cool. I was worried about icing. And so we drove instead of taking the helicopter.

I used the travel time to study.

We got back home right at dinnertime, and then I spent the evening studying further, not heading to bed until well after midnight. Lara waited up for me, and she looked up when I entered the bedroom.

"Michaela."

"I'm tired, Lara."

"I'm worried."

I moved to the closet, changed out of my clothes, and pulled on pajamas. I glanced at Lara on the way to the bathroom. "Why are you worried?"

"I'm worried about you, Little Fox."

I grunted noncommittally before disappearing into the bathroom. I brushed my teeth and took care of my other needs then stared into the mirror.

I looked haggard. I never looked haggard.

I flipped out the light and returned to the bedroom. I didn't say anything as I crawled into bed. Lara was sitting up, and so I laid my head in her lap while pulling the covers up to my shoulders. She set a hand on my head and began petting my hair.

"I love you," she said quietly. "You know that, don't you?"

"I know," I said just as quietly.

"I'm worried," she said again.

"You already said that."

"I don't know what to do."

"My race is nearly extinct," I said. "Everyone believes I'm the last living fox in the lower 48 states. They think there might at most be one or two isolated bands in Canada or Alaska, but for all we know, I'm the last living red werefox. Sonya could easily be the last living white werefox. I didn't even know we came in white."

She bent down and kissed my hair.

"We're nearly extinct, but the world is filled with wolves that want to hurry the day the last werefox dies. What's wrong with those people, Lara? How can anyone want something like that?"

"I don't know, darling, but I'm not going to let it happen."

"You're frantically clutching at me, trying to prevent it," I said. "But we know it's inevitable. You can't keep me safe forever. Eventually someone is going to come along and take me from you."

"No!" she screamed, dragging me into her arms. "No!"

I let her squeeze me.

"It's inevitable," I said. "All these things you do are going to be futile. You couldn't stop Carissa-"

"We have a lot more wolves than she can send vampires after us!"

"She or Kristian could take me any time they want," I said. "So could Ekaterina."

"No."

"Yes, Lara. You don't fully appreciate how fast they are. Lara, Carissa moves faster than I can follow. I watched her go from one side of the room to the other, and from the sound, I know she didn't teleport or anything like that. But it looked like she teleported. She was here; then she was there. Kristian is just as fast. I assume all the ancient vampires are. Any of them could take me any time he chooses. I'm convinced Kristian could have taken me even from a circle of enforcers."

"Michaela, no. I won't allow it."

"When I go to school, there are only four of us: me and three enforcers. I'm good, Lara, but I know Greg could take me there. I don't know if he could do it without a bloodbath, but he could set up with three sharpshooters for my escort and four or six more wolves to take me seconds after. It would be harder here, but not impossible."

"Michaela, don't think about that. Greg would never-"

"Maybe not, but he's just an example." I rolled my head over to look at her. "You can't keep me safe, Lara. You can't. I lived as long as I did because I ran. I ran a lot. I controlled my interactions with wolves. I didn't stay in one place. I moved, I moved, I moved, until I got here. Now, all the wolves in the world know where to find a fox, and it's only a matter of time."

"Michaela-"

I rolled back.

"It doesn't matter what you do, Lara. Everyone knows where to find me. How many have tried?"

She stilled, but didn't say anything.

"Does Elisabeth kill them?"

"Yes."

"Eventually one of my friends is going to get killed protecting me, Lara."

"And that will be the fault of the rabid animal who wants to commit genocide, Little Fox," Lara said. "It will not be yours. I will point out that excepting our trip to North Carolina, no one from Madison has received more than a few bruises dealing with this. But do you want to call the enforcers up here and see which want to give up?"

I didn't respond to that.

"Do you want to leave me, Michaela?"

"No."

"I want to point out a few things. I know you've had a few people talking to you lately about compromises. I can't speak for the entire world, but within North America, you are the only non-wolf mated to an alpha. There are a few pack councils that have one or two human members, but you are the only non-wolf were on a pack council that I know of. Furthermore, neither your title of Alpha nor your position on the council are honorary."

"No one treats me as your equal, Lara."

"No. We're not equal. We're amazingly different. It would be difficult for us to be more different. I want you to think about something. Have you noticed during council meetings that if an issue has been discussed, but you haven't commented, that eventually, everyone turns to you to see what you have to say?"

"Not about business topics."

"No, not about business topics. But about everything else."

I thought about it. "Yes, I've noticed."

"They don't do that to me, Michaela. If I haven't chimed in, they assume I'm happy with the conversation. But they know you'll say something critical to the conversation."

"Not always."

"No, but often enough to ask you to speak up. It's not lip service, Michaela. Oh sure, some of them are dismissive and wish they could be more so, but three quarters of the council hate closing a conversation if you haven't chimed in."

I thought about it but didn't say anything. Instead, I rearranged myself to be a little more comfortable, letting Lara cradle me a little. It felt good to be in her arms, even as insecure as I was feeling about our relationship.

We lay quietly for a minute or two, but then she placed her other hand against my cheek, then lifted my chin so that we were looking into each other's eyes. "I want your list of concerns."

I looked into her eyes for a moment then wriggled my head until she released me a little, and I lowered my eye until I was staring across the room instead.

"It's ridiculous I can't walk alone the twenty steps from our door to the school. It's ridiculous I can't go for a run alone on pack lands. It's insulting no one thinks I can take care of myself."

She said nothing for a minute, waiting. Finally she asked, "Is that all?"

"No. Why do you and Elisabeth keep trying to make me even more helpless?"

"Anything else?"

"If I'm truly Alpha, then when I tell the enforcers to remove their hands from me, they should remove their hands! I'm the only one in the pack they treat that way."

"Is that all?"

I thought about it and nodded.

"All right. Let's begin with Elisabeth. I will point out that I have never done anything to discourage you from carrying your knives. If you remember, I gave you a belt with a built in, silvered garrote."

"You like the way she dresses me."

"Yes, I do, but I haven't encouraged her, and I've been very careful to stay out of it, as much as I can."

"You're saying that's between me and Elisabeth."

"I would like to know if you are still blaming me."

I thought carefully then said quietly, "No. But you haven't stopped her, either."

"You're Alpha, Michaela. If you don't like it, you stop her."

"Really?"

"Of course."

I paused before continuing. "I told her she had to find a way for me to keep my knives or as Alpha, I was negating the wager. My safety is more important than the wager."

"I know. She told me."

"There's something you're not telling me, though." She didn't say anything, and then I asked, "Why is this so important to her? Serena said it's because she wishes she could dress that way."

Lara caressed my cheek, and I thought perhaps she wanted a moment to collect an answer. I waited, and then she said in a slow, careful voice, "Michaela, Elisabeth is in love with you."

We both stilled, and then I said, "I know."

"She's been fascinated by you since the first night you met."

"When I tricked her?"

"Yes, and when you played with her. You fit right into her emotional vulnerabilities. Because you're so small and delicate, she's driven to protect you, the same way I am. Because you're so hard to catch, she's driven to chase you, the same way I am. And, of course, she's deeply fascinated by your clever, foxy ways. After that, the rest was inevitable, especially when you spent so much time together while dealing with David."

"Is this why Zoe wasn't enough for her?"

"She needs someone who shifts into fur," Lara replied. "She needs someone who can challenge her while still allowing her to be dominant."

"Should I-"

She caressed my cheek. "How long have you realized she was in love with you?"

"Years."

"And how long do you suppose I have?"

"Probably longer than I have."

"If I thought you should change anything, we would have talked."

I looked up at her. "You're not jealous?"

"Neither of you would ever act on this," Lara said. "All three of us know that."

"Except, apparently, she wants to dress me. This doesn't sound healthy, Lara."

"Are you asking my advice?" she asked. I nodded. "Let her treat you like she's your big sister. You call her 'Sister' often enough. Is your only objection to the dresses the lack of a place for your knives?" I nodded again. "Then decide what you want to do about that."

I thought about it and nodded once more.

"Let's talk about the security," she said. "No one thinks you're incapable of taking care of yourself. But you yourself admitted that you have limits." I opened my mouth to complain, but she covered my lips. "Let me finish." And so I nodded. I was doing a lot of nodding, it seems.

"You have an instinctual, self-taught idea of security," Lara said. "But Elisabeth and I have formal training, years of training. And she's gotten more from Lima Consulting. Do you agree we both know things about personal security that you don't?"

"Yes, of course."

"There's a concept you understand at some level, but perhaps not formally. It's the idea of layers of security. On your own, you rely on a few layers. You run from danger, controlling your interactions with the wolves that would threaten you. That's one layer. You control the interaction. That's a second layer. You use your stealth. You use your traps and your wits. And now you have your knives. Each of those are a layer of security. Your reputation is another layer. Do you see?"

"Yes, I think so."

"The more layers you put up, the safer you are. Yes?"

"Yes."

"I am not replacing your layers, Michaela. You have given up some layers to live here. As you say, everyone knows where you are. But I replace the layers you've given up with my own. Serena is a layer, and she offers a type of security you can't replicate."

"I understand that."

"Serena represents more than one layer. She offers the direct layer, but if everyone knows she's there, that's a layer just like your reputation is a layer. Anyone who goes after you has to go through her and still face your knives. By now, the only wolves in North America who think they can do that solo are the ones who absolutely cannot."

"Carissa wouldn't bat an eye."

"No, but the vampires aren't interested in a fox hunt. They may want to collect you, but they don't want to kill you. Let's focus on protecting you from wolves for now."

"A solo wolf couldn't do it," I said. "But a group could."

"Right. Which is why Serena isn't alone. But let's take this in a different direction for a minute. One of the layers of security is the sure knowledge that I protect you. You don't go _anywhere_ without a security detail. Which means there aren't people simply waiting for you to be alone."

"Shit," I said.

"Yeah. Shit."

"Every time I act up-"

"Yeah. Michaela, it's not that you need Serena to make it safely to the school, although I'll point out someone could be waiting in your office."

"They'd trip the alarms."

"Someone very good could override the alarms. The alarms are another layer, but they aren't foolproof. We don't rely on them alone."

I sighed. She was winning the argument, and I didn't like it.

"So, you could make it to the school, but if people know you routinely walk to school unguarded-"

"We've given up a fairly important layer, the knowledge that I'm always protected. On top of my own layers."

"Perhaps not on top. In addition to. We use the word layers, but they aren't necessarily a hierarchy. Whose reputation do you think gives more pause? Yours or mine?"

"I don't know."

"Neither do I. Some people are more afraid of you than me. Others are more afraid of me."

"I understand, Lara."

"There are layers I haven't told you about, and I'm not done adding them."

"Lara-"

"Just listen," she said. "Lima Consulting is holding a ten million dollar retainer. If anyone goes after you, and the Madison Pack isn't able to deal with it ourselves, he is obligated to do his best."

I grew still at that.

"It covers the pups, too," she added. "And he has quietly made sure the other outfits similar to his know about it. None of them want a war with Lima. Which means it is virtually impossible to hire one of Lima's counterparts. That's not absolute protection, but it's a pretty significant layer."

"Lara-"

She covered my lips again, but I spoke around them. "I cost you ten million dollars?"

"This is a fairly typical thing to do," Lara said. "And even if I didn't do it to protect you, I'd do it to protect the pups. Although they aren't remotely the target you are. They're just a couple of pups of a fairly unimportant pack alpha."

I lay still, somewhat overwhelmed by everything she was saying.

"Let's talk about the vampires," Lara said eventually. "Carissa represents a layer. We've become more visible to the vampires, but as you've said, everyone in North America knows about you already. But we received attention none of the other packs received, and you can bet the other packs are wondering what that means. You can also bet the vampires are, too. I don't care for the extra exposure, and I have concerns we'll get embroiled in vampire affairs from this. But you can bet the other wolves are at least wondering what our relationship with Carissa is."

"A layer."

"Yes. Michaela, I think we should let her mention that she's invited for Thanksgiving. We couldn't send a clearer signal. Carissa is your friend and she's a very powerful friend to have."

"A layer."

"And, frankly, it's true," Lara added. "She's not necessarily my friend, but she wants to be. And she considers the two of you friends. If she can help me keep you safe, I can put aside an awful lot."

"Is that why we went?"

"It's part of it, but it's not all of it. I didn't care for what happened a year and a half ago. But I put myself in her shoes. I imagine what I'd do to protect you. I have a hard time faulting her when I think about it like that. I'm trying to get over my hard feelings. I think I could like her."

I looked up at my mate. She was full of surprises tonight.

"When she's here, I'm going to ask her what else she thinks we should do about security, short of erecting those walls you fear or all of us becoming her thralls."

I smiled. "You might like it. It felt really good."

She barked a short laugh, but then she said, "Do you understand, Little Fox?"

"Why didn't we have this conversation three years ago?"

"Because we're still learning. If you were a wolf, you wouldn't need this conversation. If you were human, you wouldn't remotely be as capable as you are, and so again, we wouldn't need this conversation. I'm sorry. It's taken time to really understand how to talk to you about it. But do you understand?"

"Yes, Lara. That doesn't mean I like it."

"Are you going to stop fighting?"

I huffed. I really wasn't happy. "Yes," I said in a small voice. "Except-"

"Let's talk about the enforcers laying hands on you."

"Okay," I said slowly.

"I want to share a secret with you."

"All right."

"This is very hush-hush," she said. "There are a few who suspect this, but no one knows."

"All right," I said again.

"Sometimes, not often, but sometimes, I make mistakes."

It was my turn to bark a laugh. "Was that an apology? That was a pretty crappy apology."

"I should have talked to you. We should have come to an agreement before leaving Madison. I shouldn't have been heavy-handed with you, although if we couldn't reach agreement, we shouldn't have gone."

I thought about it and agreed that was fair. "But what agreement?"

"If that had turned into a fight, I want your knives, Michaela."

"Really?"

"I don't want you on the front lines," she said. "You are best when you are fluid."

"Like our fight with the vampires."

"Right. If we're surrounded by enemies, I don't want you as part of the circle. I want you in the middle, and then you take advantage of opportunities, and you _temporarily_ patch a weakness. You can't stop a charge, but you can sure do a lot of damage supporting the rest of us."

She'd never said anything like that before.

"But," she added. "One general."

"You."

"And if I am unable, Elisabeth, Karen, Serena, and Portia. After that, you."

"Ahead of the other enforcers?"

"Yes. But I want you to recognize that even Monique can stop a charge better than you can. If it gets down to the point that Monique is stopping charges, she is absolutely going to need your help, but she can do things you can't."

I huffed but then nodded.

"If the enforcers ever move you like they did at Carissa's, I want you to let them."

"They sometimes try to do that when they shouldn't. They sometimes need reminders I am Alpha. Are you telling me to back off? I don't believe that's what you really want."

"You knew they were doing what they were doing on my orders, Michaela."

"This summer, Elisabeth tried to forcibly haul me out of Zoe's apartment. Even she admitted she was wrong."

Lara grew quiet.

"I'll let them haul me off the front lines," I offered. "I will not allow them to haul me away from a battle. We fight together or we flee together. That's the deal I'm offering."

"Once they pull you from the front lines, you will remain where they put you."

"And they will take their hands from me."

"Serena is going to keep a hand on you, and you know it."

"That's not the same as preventing movement. My reactions are faster than hers. If something comes at me, I need to be able to duck."

"You're right." Then she lifted my lips to hers. It was a sweet kiss. When she released me, she said, "Now, let's talk about a run alone."

 **Running**

I stood on the porch and fluffed out my fur. Beside me, Serena stretched, then shook her own fur.

She was a beautiful wolf, and I nudged her. In response, she gave me a quick lick.

I hated it when they did that, and she panted at me, a wolfy laugh. But then she nudged me before lying down. I nudged her back and then, with a quick bark of joy, I leapt from the porch and ran, full out, for the woods.

She didn't give chase.

I hadn't felt this free in a long, long time.

I ran a mile before coming to a stop, winded, but not so winded I couldn't control my breathing. I cocked my head, listening.

I heard the wind in the trees.

I heard the usual assortment of very late autumn birds.

Two hundred yards to my west, I heard a squirrel scampering up a tree, and then a second one, chasing the first.

I heard my own heartbeat.

I didn't hear a single wolf heartbeat. I didn't hear a single wolf moving through the trees and crushing the leaves. I didn't hear a chuff or a huff or a howl. The only breathing I heard was my own.

Other than a few small woodland creatures, I was the only soul for a mile around.

I knew further away there were wolves. Back at the house, Nora, Scarlett, and Shelton were watching the pups, and Serena was nearby as well. My mate and every other enforcer in the pack were out in these woods somewhere, somewhere near the edge of our territory.

Protecting me.

I knew that. But I also knew that here, I was alone. Serena, a mile behind me, was the nearest. I would have to travel miles in any other direction to encounter another wolf.

I could, if I wanted, slip away from all of them. They wouldn't even know I had done it, if I managed to avoid Gia's alarms. I wasn't sure I'd be able to do that.

And I wouldn't.

After all, I was home.

I fluffed out my fur again, and then I began running again.

I wondered if I could find my mate out in these woods. I decided I should try.


End file.
